Kaoru had fallen asleep in Kenshin's arms and Kenshin was not about to wake her. He sat still, watching her sleep in his arms. When she finally did wake, she asked Kenshin to stay with her. Eyes were full of emotion, brimming over, Kenshin couldn't say no. So they settled down on the futon and Kaoru snuggled her head into Kenshins' chest and slept again. Kenshin lay still, listening to his wife's breathing; it was a soothing lullaby to him. Every time she took a breath it was a reminder to Kenshin that this was not a dream, she really was in his arms. Every exhale told Kenshin that she was alive, still alive with yet another life growing within her. And she was his. No other man had ever held his Koishi, ever even touched his. She was all his.
"Remember Kenshin," Kaoru hold told him when he said this to her before. "You can only say that if you're mine. All mine, like I'm all yours." But now that Kenshin thought about it, could she say he was all hers? At one point he had been with Tomoe, she had been the one sleeping in his arms. It had only been a brief period of time, but it had still happened. And now, with his former wife so near, Kaoru had stopped saying that he was hers.
"Do I have to stop no Koishi?" Kenshin asked his slumbering wife. Her steady breath was his answer. Her scent was intoxicating, lulling Kenshin to sleep. He didn't want to sleep, he wanted to stay awake and listen to her breathe, feel the weight of her body resting on top of his. But Kenshin was fighting a losing battle, his eyes dropped and sleep soon claimed him.
Kenshin awoke several times in the night, all due to his wife who kept switching positions, trying to stay comfortable. But he always fell back asleep. When he finally woke again, the morning sun was bright and blinding. Kenshin felt strangely dirty, he had slept in his clothes. Wonder filled him, as he saw that Kaoru was still asleep.
"Koishi," Kenshin shook her gently.
"What?" Kaoru slowly lifted her head from his shoulder to look at him.
"You need to eat something," Kenshin smiled over at her.
"I'm not hungry," Kaoru answered honestly as she laid her head back down on Kenshin's shoulder. "I just want to stay like this all day."
'I wouldn't mind that,' Kenshin thought to himself, but despite of his thoughts Kenshin shook her again.
"You need to eat for two people Koishi," Kenshin pointed out. "You have to think about the other person inside you who can't speak."
"Fine," Kaoru slowly pushed herself up, groaning loudly she complained about her weight.
"You're still adorable," Kenshin pecked her cheek before he put the futon away.
"Now," Kenshin turned back to his wife, who was dressing herself with great difficulty. "I'm going to go make you breakfast, and while you eat I'll prepare you a bath. Then I'll send Sano and Yahiko on a long errand so we can take a bath together, if you don't mind."
"I don't mind," Kaoru was blushing madly. "It'll save water and a lot of extra work for you."
"Yes it will," Kenshin agreed. Kaoru's back was to him. He couldn't help but sneak up behind her. She squealed loudly as he kissed her on the cheek once more before he left. Kenshin closed his eyes and leaned against the door leading to their room. He could still hear Kaoru within. The worry from yesterday hadn't left his mind, and now Kenshin wanted to be with Kaoru more than ever.
"Tomoe," Kenshin muttered her name. What was he going to do with her? He didn't simply want to ignore her, but Kaoru needed him now, that was quite evident. He would simply have to tell her to quietly stay behind the scenes for a while.
Kaoru felt blissful and content as she floated through the day. Kenshin worked out many of the knots and kinks in her shoulders when they bathed by rubbing her shoulders. He even cleaned the lower part of her back that she could never reach anymore.
"Kaoru," Kenshin laughed joyfully and shook her gently when they had been bathing. "It's not good for you to fall asleep in here. You've slept all yesterday and this morning!"
"I can't help it," Kaoru had lightly punched him in the shoulder. "I'm so relaxed now that I feel like a jellyfish!" The two also had lunch alone together.
"I knew that errand would take them a while," Kenshin chuckled.
"What did you send them to get?" Kaoru asked as she popped some rice into her mouth.
"A flying yellow mouth trout," Kenshin replied with a smirk.
"What?" Kaoru snorted. "Does such a thing exist?"
"I'm not sure," Kenshin grin grew enormously. "But leave it to them to trust me enough to try and find it."
"You're so sinister," Kaoru leaned over and pecked his cheek.
'Where's Tomoe?' Kaoru wanted to ask, but he didn't want to ruin the moment. She had been missing all morning; did Kenshin send her on an errand as well?
Tomoe walked briskly down the alley. She quickly checked, once again, to see if anyone was following her before she ducked into a shabby shack. Inside there was little light and the smell of mold and mildew fled into Tomoe's nose.
"You need to do something this horrible smell," Tomoe quickly covered her nose and made a face.
"Not many come here my lady," an old man sat hunched over in the corner, disfigured horribly. "What is such a pretty thing doing in a place like this?"
"I heard you're the place to come for poison," Tomoe answered stringently. "Without having anybody knowing you've been here." Tomoe added strictly, her voice brooked no argument.
"You've come to the right place," The man painfully climbed to his dirty bare feet. "What kind do you need?"
"I'm not up to date with my types of poison," Tomoe said sarcastically. "I just need one that will kill someone painlessly, by way of sleep if possible."
"I can do that," the smile smiled crookedly. "But one of my payments is to know who you want to kill and why."
"I will say no name,' Tomoe said stiffly. "But if you must know, I feel horrible about doing this but I can think of nothing else to solve my problem. I will only use this as a back up."
"No name no powder," the man said with a high voice. "Are you worried I have friends to tell?"
"Fine," Tomoe sighed, defeated. "Kenshin Himura, my former husband has remarried. If I can't win him back I might use this poison."
"Himura?" The man asked thoughtfully. "The Battousai?"
"He is no longer a man slayer," Tomoe said angrily. "Don't ever say that again, ever!"
"Ah," the man began to prepare a powder. "You're a first time user then. I'll even give you instructions because you are so pretty."
"I'm pretty sure I can figure it out," Tomoe sniffed a bit. "Just put it in the food of the, victim, I suppose."
"You supposed correctly," the man poured the powder into a package. "Bright on, you are. Now, this is odorless and tasteless, no one will be able to tell that you've added it unless they see you."
"Thank you," Tomoe quickly slid a parcel to the man. "That's my payment."
"Come back any time," the man cackled loudly at a private joke. Tomoe snatched the package away and quickly fled the shop.
"Maybe," the man spoke out loud to himself. "I can use this to my advantage." He hobbled back into his shop, he hated the sunlight.
"Where have you been all day?" Kenshin approached Tomoe as she entered the dojo. Night had fallen, the moon was full and the fireflies were about. Tomoe stopped dead in her tracks, Kenshin was beautiful; a breeze swept in form the north, brushing his crimson locks gently across his cheeks, forehead, and lips.
"I was talking to the police," Tomoe lied. "They are helping me find anyone I might know."
"You should look for Enishi," Kenshin suggested seriously. "He tried to kill because he is so torn up over your death."
"I know," Tomoe guilty admitted, lowering her head. "But I wanted to find you first, I needed to see."
"Tomoe," Kenshin softly broke her lamentation.
"You don't understand Kenshin!" Tomoe began to shake violently. "I love you Kenshin, I really do. This is hard for me to see this, and though your wife is a beautiful and wonderful woman, I envy her so much."
"I am sorry," Kenshin said brokenly. "I really am Tomoe, but you must understand, I can't go with you. If you had returned sooner than maybe we could still be with each, but not now." His words were soft and gentle, but the meaning was harsh and cruel for Tomoe. She couldn't handle it. She broke down, falling to her knees and sobbing madly. She buried her face in her hands to try and hide her tears, but her sobs racked her body and echoed loudly through her hands. Tomoe jerked slightly when she felt arms gently and loosely wrap around her. She tore her face away from her hands to look behind her, Kenshin.
"Kenshin?" Tomoe asked with a broken voice, sniffing violently.
"Please don't cry," Kenshin gently squeezed her. "You don't deserve any more tears. Find your brother, than you'll find happiness. I did love you Tomoe, more than my own life, and I still do love you. But I love Kaoru as well, and my loyalties lie here, with her."
"I know," Tomoe admitted sadly.
Kaoru stood in the doorway watching Kenshin embrace the other woman. Her heart was throbbing and a horrible feeling was settling deep within her stomach. Quickly and quietly she turned and left. Kaoru walked around the dojo, finally settling down on the other side. She slowly slid down next to a pole and rested her head against it allowing tears to slide down her face. Slight sobs racked her shoulders and back, but not a single sound passed Kaoru's lips. She knew Kenshin had only been holding her to comfort her. She had heard what he told her, but it still hurt.
"I did love you Tomoe, more than my own life, and I still do love you," Kenshin's words echoed loudly in Kaoru's ears. She knew he had loved her, and still loved her, but it hurt all the more when he admitted it out loud.
"Koishi," Kenshin had snuck up behind Kaoru, causing her to jump slightly, but she didn't turn or move in any other way. She just let her head rest limply on the pole. Kenshin sat down beside her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and pulling her to him. She allowed her body to be pulled; she let her head fall lifelessly on his chest.
"What's wrong?" Kenshin asked in the kindest voice, gently rubbing her back.
"I'm so fat," Kaoru lied shamelessly. "Fat and heavy."
"What?" Kenshin chuckled lightly. "Kaoru, you're going through a beautiful process. You're creating a new human life within you, something small and innocent that has never existed before." Kaoru stay silent, not saying anything to Kenshin.
"You've never looked more beautiful to me," Kenshin laid his head on top of hers and sighed. "You are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen, the most beautiful to me on this earth."
'Even as beautiful as Tomoe,' Kaoru thought to herself, but instead of saying this she said something she felt often.
"I'm tired," Kaoru meekly said into Kenshin's chest. Kenshin sighed again, and gently lifted Kaoru into his arms and started towards their room.