Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin or Escaflowne!
What will Kenshin do to win the mermaid's favor now that they are to be married? Read on, my friends!
Enjoy!
Kenshin led Tenshi to one of the locked doors, unlocking it with a key he had hidden on his person. He pulled her inside and waved to the interior. "Is this not the best room for the wife of the captain?"
Tenshi looked around, seeing how well-furnished everything was, almost like a princess' room. Silk drapes hung on three walls, hiding the dull wood, a four-poster bed with gossamer curtains filling most of the room, a vanity table to one side with a large mirror hanging on the wall behind it, a hand mirror and brush, both silver, resting on it. A jewelry box was placed on a set of long drawers, along with a lamp made of crystal with prisms hanging from it, a china doll dressed in a gold kimono with her black hair pulled up in an elaborate hairdo with pins, along with all sorts of treasures from all over the globe. A wardrobe was in another corner, probably full of the finest clothes from his home country.
He gestured to a wall that was uncovered, and Tenshi stared at the full-body paintings of two women, one softer than the other. The first was of a dark-haired woman with her hair drawn into a low ponytail at the back of her neck, calm black eyes gazing at the two occupants of the room, a plain white kimono with a red obi tied tight around her stomach, a scarf of indigo hanging at her elbows. She was very pretty, porcelain skin, a slight smile on her face.
The second was a younger woman, also dark-haired, but her eyes were a glittering sapphire, as she smiled brightly at them, her hair drawn up in a high ponytail with an indigo ribbon. A dark blue kimono with red and yellow roses along with a green obi tied in a high bow was what she wore, her hand raised to wave.
"The first is Yukishiro Tomoe, my first wife. I met her in Kyoto, when I was young. I was serving in a war since I had nothing else to do. She saw me killing a man, and I knew I would have to kill her if she ever told anyone. After the war took a bad turn, I decided to take us to sea. This was painted some time after the wedding.
"I loved her so, but never knew she was plotting against me because I had killed her fiancé during the war. As I found out she was expecting our first child, she led me into a trap that nearly ended in my death, but I knew that she'd betrayed me, so I killed her. It nearly drove me mad from grief that I'd had to kill my beloved along with our unborn child."
Tenshi looked closer at the painting and noticed the slight baby bump. She lowered her head as Kenshin continued on with the second story.
"Some years later, when the war was over and I was no longer a wanted man, I made port in Tokyo, going out to find some new members for my crew, when I met my second wife, Kamiya Kaoru. I never thought I would love again until I saw her walking down the street. I courted her, taking only a month until she consented to my offer of marriage. This one was painted a little before we had our first baby.
"We named the little boy Kenji, and he was a joy to us. But, as you can tell, tragedy struck again. Our entire family was struck with a rare demon disease. It took Kenji first, and Kaoru was heartbroken. So great was her grief that she no longer had a will to live, but did the only thing that could cure the disease: she took it from me and died within an hour of doing so. I did go mad for a time because of it, but during my journey I met most of the elite members of my crew. It was finally Sano who calmed my fury, after I told him this story."
Tenshi wiped a single tear from her cheek, feeling it crystallize in her hand. She cried easily, unlike most demons, even though she was only half. She kept the gem in her hand, planning on making it into a ring later.
"That is why I searched for you, because I wanted to love again. Even though you already consented, would you marry me?"
"Of course."
After hearing that, he smiled, something she'd never seen on his face before. She almost felt bad, knowing that she would break his heart yet again, because before they even had a wedding night, she would escape with Van and his friend. He would have to find someone else to marry, and not for the reasons of luck and almost endless treasure. He could be king of the world with the riches stored in her hideaway, more than anyone could possibly imagine, even with the vision of endless gold in every man's head.
Don't you feel bad for Kenshin? He's trying, or maybe he's doing it the wrong way. I would feel sorry for him just like her after hearing that story.
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