An update! A quick one at that, go me, yay! Ah, my brain needed an outlet. Had a final tonight, and one on Thursday so I probably won't be able to update tomorrow. I was kind of bummed to see someone else wrote a fic based on Coffee Prince, I was going to do something like that at some point. (insert pout) Oh well, maybe I'll still write it since it wasn't going to really follow the story line. Besides it will be a long time in coming anyway.
See chapter 1 for disclaimer and stuff.
Mmmm...I moaned. The morning sun stirred my senses to wake. I felt a warmth I had missed for over a week. I prayed that I would never have to go without for so long again. I pulled the love of my life closer and I felt her stir a bit. I heard a mumble and felt the brush of soft lips on my chest. I sighed and bent to kiss her forehead.
After a few more minutes I decided that I needed to get up. As much as I wanted to stay curled around her, I couldn't bring myself to continue like this. I felt immense guilt at that moment. I went to the kitchen and started to make breakfast. It would be better to talk to her when she had a full stomach.
"Kenshin! Why didn't you wake me up last night?"
I just looked at her. I was a lucky man. Patting the seat next to me, I spoke, "You were sleeping so soundly, I didn't want to wake you. Come, have something to eat. I made breakfast."
The goddess walked over to me. Having just woken up, and in flannel pajamas, she looked beautiful.
"Mou, Kenshin! I wanted to welcome you home. That was the longest road trip you've been on that I wasn't able to visit." She wrapped her arms around me. "I missed you."
God, I want nothing more than to make love to her right now. The way she's looking at me with those eyes, I just...
"I missed you too. Eat before it gets cold."
She smiled and nuzzled closer to me. I felt her intake of breath, relishing in my scent much like I had done to her the night before. I felt her small fingers make their way under my shirt, feeling the planes of my torso. Her touch is seductive and I feel myself falling apart. She removed her hands from my body and unbuttoned my shirt, followed by her own. After parting hers in the front to give me a glimpse of her bust, she opened the front of my shirt and proceeded to kiss my chest.
I threw my head back and held her closer. I wanted to cry.
"Kenshin love, I missed you so, so much. I was so lonely the other night without you. I had to make do with my own touch. I was only satisfied when I imagined it was you who were touching me." She moaned into me. I moaned too. She was torturing me. "Now that you are home, let me welcome you properly." With that she ran her tongue over my nipple and I shivered.
I lifted her face and kissed her fiercely. She responded in kind. I bent lower and whispered in her ear. It was now or never, and I couldn't live with myself if I wasn't honest with her. I know she couldn't either.
"Kaoru my love." My voice was barely a whisper. I stayed close to her ear so I wouldn't have to see the look on her face. I trembled and my voice caught. "I...Kaoru I, kissed another woman." I heard a sharp intake of breath. She had always feared this even though she never let it show. With me being on the road a lot, it was a possibility in the back of her mind. Now I made it a reality.
"I kissed her, well she kissed me; but I responded. I didn't realize it when it happened. I was stunned and it took me a minute to come to my senses." There was a sniffle. "I mean, me and the guys were at the hotel and they brought a couple of women up to my room and..."
She pushed away. I looked at her then, dreading what I would see. It was worse than I thought. There was nothing. No tears, no hurt, no nothing, just a blank face. She tilted her head up and stared straight into my eyes. She knew I wasn't joking. I wouldn't. Deep in her eyes, I saw it, the pain. It was a brief flash then she shut me out; slammed the door in my face.
She just turned and walked back into the bedroom. After a few seconds of stunned silence I followed her. The door was locked and I could hear shuffling inside. There was no sounds of anger or tears. I wasn't sure how I felt about that. Several minutes later she emerged from the bedroom suitcase in hand. My eyes widened and I began to panic. No!
I followed her back to the stools in the kitchen, not believing the scenes playing out before me. It was as if I was watching my life fall apart on a t.v. show. My mouth wouldn't move, my arms were pinned to my sides. There was no way this was happening. I wanted to reach out to her, to yell for her. She turned to me, a look of utter disappointment shone brilliantly on her face, all directed at yours truly. I could only stare.
She took a deep breath and held out her hand. "Give me your wallet." Her voice held no emotion.
I walked to the couch, pulled my wallet from my jacket, and gave it to her. I watched as she pulled out the cash and pocketed all but a twenty. Next she took one of my credit cards, and dangled it in front of my face. I noticed it was my no limit visa. She then put it in her pocket as well. I watched numbly as she put on her coat, took off her engagement ring and placed it on the counter.
"No! No! No, Kaoru! Take it back!" I finally found my voice and all I could do was speak in a panicked yell. She just stared, turned and walked away. Away from me, her betrayer, away from our life and our future.
"No Kaoru! Take it back, take it back!"
"Kaoru put the ring on. Stop! I'm talking to you! Kaoru look at me! I'm sorry! I'm stupid! Kaoru put the fucking ring back on your finger!"
With that last unreasonable shout the elevator doors closed. Never once did she turn to look at me. I raced to the stair well and reached the lobby of our building before the elevator. As she stepped out, her head held high, I noticed a flicker of surprise when she saw me there.
She walked right by me.
"Wait!" The lobby fell silent momentarily, then returned to its business. She stopped but did not turn. I took that as encouragement to continue. "Please Kaoru, please lets go back upstairs and talk about this. I'm so sorry. Please come home. Please take your ring back. I love you, I don't want anyone else. You are my life. I am nothing without you. Please come back, we'll get through this. Let me prove how much I love you. Let me show you that you are the only one for me." By this time I had crossed the inches between us and pulled her against my chest. I held her tight and nuzzled her neck whispering pleadingly into her ear, "Kaoru koi."
She snorted. The first noise from her since she left our condo, bags in hand. She spun around and slapped me soundly across the face. I touched the spot stunned. She looked at me hard, then her face softened. She walked up to me and gently caressed my cheek. I leaned into her hand, her familiar warmth. Security took hold of me and the panic in my heart subsided.
Her other hand came up and she braced my head between her loving hands. I was drowning in her gaze, so full of love and sorrow. My heart sped up again when I recognized the negative emotion.
"Kenshin, I know you love me, but what you have done will not be easy to forgive."
"But..." She put her finger to my lips. I silenced myself.
"You love, have shaken the very foundations of our relationship. If we cannot trust each other then we will be doomed to madness and failure. You have strayed and I am not so confident in your love for me. How much do you really want this? Do you really want me as your wife?
I appreciate that you were able to tell me the truth. I am thankful that it stopped with a kiss. Considering these things, it may be possible to salvage us, but I am insecure now."
My shoulders dropped. "Kaoru, don't be like that." I said pleading. "Don't leave me, we are secure, what happened was a fluke. We are secure, I will show you, just don't go."
She stepped back out of my embrace and I let her. "No Kenshin, it is not just that I am insecure about you or about us. I am insecure about myself. I always knew I would never be good enough for you. I believed that if I worked hard and showed you how much I love you, adore you at all times possible, then I could be what you needed."
"No Kaoru! You are more than enough. I'm the one who is unworthy."
"That may be so, you may not be worthy with what you have done, but the fact remains that you found solace in someone else." The first tear left her saddened eyes. "I'm sorry Kenshin, but I have failed you."
With that she walked out of the building and out of my life. My future, my happiness just walked out the door, and I let her. She took the blame for my infidelity and placed it on herself. I fell to my knees in despair. I made a silent vow that I would find my Kaoru and bring her home. I will not let her go without a fight. I was the one who was wrong and it is my responsibility to make amends. I want to make it up to her for the rest of my life. I will find you again Kaoru, I will be a better man and make you my wife.
Alright so I know what Kenshin did wasn't so shocking. Your probably thinking, a kiss? That's it? Yeah that's it. All this for that. Now I'm not down playing a cheating kiss so don't think that either. Now I have a question: Does anyone know where Kaoru's scent became jasmine? Yes there are some fics that have her scent being something else but in the majority of fics she smells of jasmine! Mine included. Its sort of been ingrained into me after reading so many fics. I just don't remember if anything about that was in the anime. XD I was just curious as to where that came from. Let me know! Thanks for reading!