Deep Sea

Disclaimer: Never will own Kenshin…sigh

Joh: Sorry for the long delay, it's been exam week, -Dies-

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Kaoru snorted. "The cloud I'm looking at resembles nothing close to a lily pad."

"Well the one I'm looking at looks very much like a lily pad, not a fish." Kenshin replied.

"Then we must be looking at two different clouds." Kaoru concluded.

"No, you're just wrong."

A silence fell between the two while Kaoru studied the caterpillar, which was making its way across her hand. "Kenshin, what's this?" she asked holding up her hand.

"That's a caterpillar."

"Caterpillar?"

"Caterpillar." He repeated patiently.

"Caterpillar." She paused. "Are they dangerous?"

Kenshin smirked. "Yes, Kaoru. They might bite you if you anger them and the poison in their fangs will travel to your heart, killing you instantly!"

Kaoru's eyes widened and she shook her hand wildly, trying to shake the bug off. It flew off and landed on Kenshin's face.

He flicked it off calmly, concealing a laugh.

Kaoru breathed out in relief. "Those things, they're kind of like jellyfish, except worse!"

"I suppose so." Kenshin murmured in amusement.

Kaoru closed her eyes. "Why can't you always be like this?"

He didn't answer her. Truthfully, the cloud he and Kaoru had been looking at, resembled Kaoru to him.

0o0

Kenshin sighed and looked over at her. "Do you still hate humans?" he asked quietly.

She didn't seem to hear him. Her sea blue eyes were closed, dark lashes curled against her soft cheeks. She stirred in her slumber and curled up in the think grass, frowning slightly.

"Why can't you like it here?" he continued, brushing a strand of blue-black hair out of her face. "It's not so bad on land."

Kaoru turned over, away from him.

He sighed and got up, picking her up in his arms. He marveled at how light she was as he walked slowly, not wanting to wake her up and not wanting to have this moment fly by.

'Too bad she won't let me be this close to her when she's awake.' He thought to himself, staring at her wistfully. 'Someday maybe she will…'

0o0

Kaoru woke with a start, breathing heavily. She could hear a bird singing sweetly and bugs humming pleasantly.

The mermaid let her gaze flow from the soft white wallpaper to the wood floors.

She leaned back with a soft exhale of relief. It had been a dream. A nightmare.

She closed her eyes and steadied her breathing, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead. As she calmed down she realized that she was back in bed. She didn't remember walking back…

Kenshin.

Kaoru frowned, trying to remember him taking her back. But all she could remember was he and she, watching fluffy clouds flout by.

'Clouds…they are nice…' she thought distractedly. 'I kind of wish we had them in the ocean…'

She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. 'I must still be sleepy. If the sea had clouds then it just wouldn't be the sea anymore.'

Kaoru snuggled deeper into the white blankets and sighed. "All these days I've spent on land are making me lazy." She murmured aloud.

"Is that a bad thing?" a smoothly amused voice broke across the room.

Kaoru looked up and shrugged at the man standing in the doorway. "It can be."

Kenshin smirked and stood aside, allowing Misao to hurry in carrying a silver platter laden with food.

Kaoru smiled at her friend before she hurried out of the room. She glanced down at the tray laid on her lap and blinked. Two muffins, a glass of orange juice, grapes, bread, apples, and fish.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Fish?" she said indignantly

He shrugged. "I didn't plan the meal."

"And I am not a cannibal." She said simply. She paused, eyeing the amount of food. "Why so much?"

"I thought you might be hungry after sleeping."

She smiled, still looking at the platter. "That was…thoughtful of you."

"Have you ever eaten this before?" he asked her, sitting down on the bed and offering her one of the muffins.

He split it in half revealing chocolate spots in it. "It's good."

She studied it for a moment before hesitantly taking a bite. She chewed thoughtfully and swallowed.

Her eyes widened and she smiled wider. "It is good." She admitted, taking another large bite.

"I'm glad you think so." He told her, taking the other half for himself.

They ate together in a comfortable silence, taking their share of the meal.

"Kaoru?"

"Yes?"

"Are you happy here?"

"No." she answered without hesitation, continuing to eat.

Kenshin sighed and put down the apple he was about to start on. "Why?"

She looked at him with a slightly cold expression. "Why do you think? It's okay here, but it's not home. It's just too foreign."

He sighed and leaned back, eyeing the ceiling. "I see…" he looked back down to her. "You don't think you'll ever like it here?"

She shook her head.

He looked back away, thinking hard.

Then without warning he leaned forward and placed his lips over hers.

The kiss was brief and gentle, yet at the same time hungry and lustful. When he pulled away Kaoru stared at him with wide eyes.

"Kenshin…?"

He shook his head and got up, making his way to the door.

"Kaoru…." He trailed off with another sad shake of his head. "I…" he sighed and walked away, closing the door behind him.

0o0

'What was I about to say?' Kenshin wondered to himself, leaning against the wall with his eyes closed.

'Was I really going to say that?' He opened his eyes, violet eyes shining. 'I want her to stay with me.'

'I can't…I don't want to let her go.'

0o0

"Kenshin, man, you look awful." Sano commented, waving his hand.

He shrugged off the comment and took a seat next to his friend at the long dining table. "I am so tired."

"Rough night?" Sano suggest, waggling his eyebrows.

"No, I just couldn't sleep. Thinking too much." Kenshin sighed.

"Ah…" Sano looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Kaoru girl giving you trouble?"

"Yeah…."

"Why are you so stubborn with her?" Sano asked him, exasperated.

Kenshin looked up sharply and glared at him. "Because." He muttered.

Sano paused before speaking, seeming to think over his words carefully. "She's something different, isn't she?"

"Yeah…"

"You love her, don't you?"

Kenshin paused then frowned and stood up abruptly, stomping out of the room without a word.

Sano chuckled, shaking his head.

'How transparent.'

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Joh: I have to sleep so I don't have time to reply to reviews, I'm sorry!