Hello again! This is the first official chapter of 'RS' and I hope you enjoy it!
Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin and I probably never will (sighs)
Note: For the first few chapters POV will be switching between Kenshin and Kaoru and this chapter is Kaoru's. If you like Kenshin better than Kaoru then just wait till the next chapter. But I advise that you read this one, or you might get confused.
Chapter 1:
The reflection in the mirror was unrecognizable. In the mirror the girl looked quiet and reserved; the kind that would never get her hands dirty. She would go to dances and be in perfect step while listening with great admiration to what her partner was saying, yet never saying anything unless asked to. In this costume she looked like a doll of glass that would shatter on touch.
Her face was lightly accented with blush on her thin cheekbones and the eye shadow gave her a doe-like look. Her lips were as pink as a soft innocent cherry rose blooming in spring. Her hair was pulled into a tight bun, but not tight enough to give her a stern look. Her dress hugged her slender waist tightly, but gave her just enough room to breathe. It was a lavender dress with white lining that ended at the floor and was slightly off the shoulder. Her spotless gloves ended at her elbows and felt like the touch of a baby's hand.
There was a small tiara on her hair that was made out of the most valuable gold in the kingdom and could have been placed there by an angel. Around her neck was a plain silver chain but at the end was a stunning sapphire that resembled her eyes. On her feet were ashen slippers that were crusted with diamonds and held her feet like flowers in the field.
She might have looked like the goddess of peace at the moment but a raging battle was going on inside her. It had been a year since her conversation with Tae and she was starting to wonder if her plan would work. She was also pissed off at the fact that she couldn't run in this dress if the guards were to chase her. She gazed at the dress in the mirror and then almost ripped it off as she undid all of the different buttons and zippers.
One thing was for certain, she would give everything she had to run away into the woods and start a normal life. She was curious, however on what the prince looked like. So she decided to run away the night of the huge dance which would celebrate her and the prince's future marriage. It would be a challenge, but she knew she could do it.
Tae then walked in the room and looked at the princess in pity, who was getting dressed in her traveling garbs. She wanted Kaoru to be the little princess she had taken care of who was dancing in the garden without a care in the world. But now that princess was a seventeen-year-old in the process of an arranged marriage which she didn't want.
"Honey, did the dress work?"
"Tae, you scared the life out of me! And yes it does fit, unfortunately."
"I know this is hard on you, but you're going to have to live through it. Now it would probably be best if you took one last look around the room."
She looked around her room and realized that this would be the final time that she would ever look at this room no matter what was the outcome of her plan. She stood up, smoothed out her traveling dress, and followed Tae out the room but before she closed the door she glanced out the window and saw a horse waiting for her. She then turned around and closed the door, never to return.
She had been on a horse for 5 hours and looking at the guards and the road was never entertaining. No wait not all the guards were entirely boring, like Katsu whose looks were to die for. But even Katsu could get dull from time to time. All of a sudden a young boy jumped out from a nearby tree and had a wooden sword in his hands.
Everyone screeched to a halt and stared at this strange child who was no older hair than twelve-years-old. He was dressed in dirty peasant clothes and his hair was poking up everywhere; it looked like it hadn't ever been brushed. However he looked like he exercised a lot from the appearance of his well kept muscles.
"Stop right there!" the boy called in a deafening tone. "Give me all your money!"
Before any one could say anything Kaoru jumped off the horse and marched over the obviously ignorant boy in front of them.
"Listen kid, I'm the princess of Icicio and I'm already having a bad enough day without you standing here in my way! I'm already pissed that I have to get married in a month and you're not making it any better! So get lost!"
"Who asked you, ugly?" the boy mocked, "And for your information I'm not a kid!"
"Of course you're not a kid; you're a dense baby! Do you realize that I could get you arrested, even killed? Who are you to think that you could talk back to the army of Icico, let alone rob it?"
"Shut up! Like I care about the army! These bastards can't even handle guarding themselves without having their princess marry into the Azuna family!" the kid shouted while he clutched at his sword tighter, "So get out of my way!"
He then, out of the blue, swung the sword at her. Luckily from her because of her father, she was able to dodge it. The kid didn't expect this and she jumped behind him grabbed his arms and twisted them until he hollered in pain.
"Now get lost," she commanded in the voice of a future queen. Then she let him go.
The boy glared at her and started to retreat; but before that he made one last statement in a spiteful voice "You attack your own citizens and you let them starve every night. I doubt that makes any kind of queen."
He ran off into the woods and disappeared in a manner of seconds. Kaoru was so shocked from the last statement that she had stumbled back. She looked like she had been slapped across the face and it seemed like she was going to cry.
During the fight the whole camp of people had remained silent. She trudged back to the horse and slowly climbed back on. She realized that everyone was staring at her "Please go on" she whispered to the leader of the group in the voice of a tiny child instead of a future queen.
They traveled on the next few days in which their biggest problems were on getting the fat cows off the road. Finally they had arrived at the gates of the city where the palace was.
Kaoru looked up at the castle with wonder. It was at least five times bigger then her own. The garden in the north courtyard was full of lilies, roses, buttercups, baby breath, carnations, tulips, daises and her personal favorite, jasmine, which all seemed to have sense of purity about them. She sighed and bent down to get a closer look. She was about to go into her own little world when she remembered that she shouldn't get too attached to this place. Another part of her head said, 'Come on. What's the problem with enjoying them now?'
She bent down to smell them when a gigantic voice bellowed behind her "I wouldn't do that if I were you, my son doesn't let anyone touch his mother's garden. I doubt he would even let his future bride touch it."
She turned around blushing. "I'm so sorry," she replied with shame in her voice.
She looked up and saw one of the biggest men she had ever seen. Her jaw dropped as she looked at his powerfully built chest which she could easily see because the neckline line went half-way down his shirt. His legs were also extremely well-built. Not only that, but his black hair went all the way down his back which made him look powerful and at the same time… well kind of… pretty, in very odd way. His eyes held a lot of arrogance and authority and his face didn't seem to have any pores in it.
'He must be the king. I should have known that it was the late queen's garden. There was no way a home full of men would have kept it without sentimental reason.' Kaoru thought as her face started to get somewhat redder. When she was about the curtsy, the king stopped her.
"No need to bow to me like some common servant, Lady Kamiya!"
Kaoru started to stand up, but she accidentally tripped on her skirt and nearly fell into the king's arms, if things weren't bad enough.
"I know I'm the best looking man in the country and I see you have already fallen for me, but unfortunately you have to marry my idiot apprentice and not me."
She didn't know how to react. Was she supposed to kick him, yell at him, laugh or be confused? She decided being the latter was her best bet.
"Your what?"
"Oh you should know of him by now. He's the prince of this fair land! Although it might not be so fair after he gets a hold of it. Oh well. All I know is that I will always look great and… Anyway it's just a nickname I gave him. He insists that he hates it, but I know he loves it. I mean who wouldn't want to be my apprentice in the Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu. After all it is the strongest sword technique in the land. But he is rather slow," the king started guffawing again.
For the first time Kaoru started to pity her fiancé. She would pity any one who would have to put up with this jerk.
Before she was able to open her mouth her father put firm hands on her shoulder. He knew that his daughter probably would say something unwise.
"Hiko, how are you doing?"
"Kamiya, it's been years. Still as scrawny as ever I see!"
Kaoru was about to retch. This guy was the rudest person she had ever seen!
"You still have that demented sense of humor I see," her father replied with a genuine smile on his face. Kaoru wanted to yell at her father for just accepting this man.
Hiko laughed and then turned to Kaoru and mockingly said, "You don't like me too much, do you?"
Before she could stop it she retorted "Damn straight."
Hiko just hooted harder. "I see you have a personality that will match my idiot apprentice perfectly; hot-headed and no respect for your elders. But I like you anyway. Don't tell our idiot prince this, but I sort of like him too. By the way the maid Sayo will show you were you room is. I hope you like the room but I'm sure you'll like your wedding bed even better!" Hiko chortled clutching his oh- so-perfect chest as he left the court yard.
'That old pervert! How dare he talk to me like that!'
"I regret ever thinking you were pretty!" she shouted at him.
"I bet you're still thinking it!" he called back as he strutted back into the castle.
The maid, Sayo, approached her hesitantly with a smile on her face. She didn't want to anger this daring young princess. She just sweetly said "Can I show you to your room, my lady?"
"Yes please," Kaoru beamed back, glad that someone here was treating her with respect.
They went down many corridors that were covered with statues of angels and legendary fighting scenes. When they arrived at her room Sayo opened the door.
In the room there was a king size bed with golden covers and windows that looked out over the garden. She almost lost her breath when she noticed how the sun, that was beginning to set, gave the perfect affect in the room. The orange rays that laid across the perfectly polished wooden flooring looked like the most beautiful gown at an elegant party gliding across the dance floor.
She gasped when she saw that there was a miniature fountain in the room with a little stone cherub giggling throwing water at the birds.
Sayo cleared her throat to get her attention and Kaoru was pulled out of her trance.
"Dinner is at 7:00 with the family…"
"Please no!" Kaoru interrupted a little too quickly. She was too nervous to meet the prince and she didn't want to be around Hiko again so she carefully reworded her reply. "I'm sorry; I mean that I am much too tired to eat anything now. I think I will go to bed a little early," Kaoru gave a fake yawn "please tell them to excuse me."
"I don't mean to sound impolite, but it's only 6:00, my lady," Sayo answered looking at the ground.
Kaoru felt a pang of guilt as she looked at the maid who was only doing her job. "Well you know true princesses are very delicate, I'm afraid. So please explain this to them and tell them that I am truly regretful," Kaoru had no idea that she could act this well and was starting to feel more confident about "the plan".
"Yes ma'am," Sayo curtsied and walked out of the room. Sayo had seen how she acted around Hiko and knew that the princess was lying about the whole 'being delicate thing', but what could she say, 'Sorry, but I think you are a two-faced fraud and you get what ever you want. I know you don't particularly like Hiko, but we all have to put up with him. So please join us for dinner.'
Kaoru breathed a sigh of relief. She knew that she was hungry, but she also knew she could afford it.
When it had started to grow really dark she decided it would be best to get as much sleep as possible. She knew that the next day would be tiring. That night there would be a ball and she knew that besides meeting the prince, something big would happen. In the last few hours she decided that in the morning she would explore the stronghold so she wouldn't get lost in the castle. She then took off her dress and slipped into her nightgown. She got in bed and blew out the candle.
All that could be seen in that room was the moon, and of course, the stars.
So that's the end of chapter one and I hoped you enjoyed it! Please send me a review and tell me what you thought of it! It doesn't have to be an extravagant review either it could just be. 'Nice work but you need to work on grammar/spelling' (which I know I do). Put if you can help it, please don't flame me!
Much love!
-rm/bo