Chapter 5: As You Like It
He shouldn't have let her go. He knew that Sanosuke would try to take care of her, but that doesn't change the fact that they were going to a bar to gamble. She swore that she would only have a drink or two and Sano said he would try to set a good example for her by only having a few, but still Kenshin worried. They had left at sometime near 6'o'clock and now it was almost 11. He could have asked where they were going because then if they got into trouble he could go get them out of it, but he hadn't. If something were to happen to Sano or Ryuichi he would feel like it was his fault and he couldn't bear that. All the sins that he bore on his shoulders were already many, most that he committed when he was a hitokiri in the Revolution. He could not have their blood on his hands, if only he knew where they were.
.................
At the bar
Although Sanosuke had followed Kenshin's rules and only had a few drinks, Ryuichi didn't. She was staggering drunk and that made her bad temper worse. He suggested that they leave, but she would always stall. She'd make up some lame excuse and tell him why she needed to stay there, to say the least he was about to pick her up and take her home himself, but something stopped him. He had the feeling that he needed to stay there just a few minutes longer.
Those few minutes soon turned to hours and Sano just sat there watching the young girl. She had grown up so much, it seemed like just yesterday that the police chief had asked them for help, but it had been a year! Time was passing before his eyes and the more time passed the more grown up she looked. When she first came there she looked a street punk, she was cute, but she did not yet possess the beauty of a young woman. Now more than ever, she seemed to have an aura about her. She had something special. Something Sanosuke couldn't describe. It was something that made him want to take her in his arms and gaze into her deep dark eyes.
"Ryuichi, it's late, we should get going dontcha think?"
"Yeah sure, I'm startin' to get a little sleepy myself *yawn*."
The alcohol had almost made its way out of her system, but now she was extremely tired. She walked up to Sanosuke and collapsed. Looks like he was going to carry her home anyway, whether he wanted to or not. He didn't mind though, he wanted to think that this wouldn't be the only time that he would be carrying her home. He thought back to the rainy day. The day his feeling for her changed, the day he first noticed how beautiful she really was. He wondered if she felt the same way. He wondered if she was sent to be Megumi's replacement.
.................
At the Himura Dojo
When they got back home, Kenshin was no longer up waiting for them. Sano didn't blame him any, it was almost dawn. She had stalled so long, they were out all night. Sanosuke then took her to her to her room and sat her on her futon. He made one backwards glance at her and turned around, went to his bed and fell asleep, hoping that Kenshin would have enough sense not to wake him up in the morning.
..................
Although Kenshin had enough sense not to wake him up, Suzume and Ayame didn't. They tugged on his clothes until he got up and then handed him breakfast.
"Here you go, Uncle Sano. Uncle Ken said you might want some breakfast."
"Yeah, breakfast."
"Thanks, but I'm not all that hungry. Go see if Ryuichi wants it."
"But we can't, she, Yahiko, and Uncle Ken are all helping Grandpa."
"With what?"
"Miss Kaoru has a tummy ache and they are all helping."
"I'd better check this out."
..................
As he entered the room he saw everybody sitting around watching as Dr. Genzai looked at Kaoru. Ryuichi turned around and stared at Sano with a concerned look on her face.
"We think Kaoru has a stomach virus. She wasn't feeling well yesterday and woke up vomiting. Dr. Genzai is going to run some tests on her and he doesn't think what she has is life threatening but still we aren't sure. Kenshin's taking it pretty hard, taking into consideration that they only got married a few months ago."
"If you all don't mind, could you please leave the room while I examine Kaoru?" smiled the good doctor
...................
When they were outside, Yahiko tried to get Kenshin to do something besides think. He needed to do something to get his mind off Kaoru. Sanosuke pulled Ryuichi over to a different room. He desperately needed to get his feelings off his chest and he couldn't do that without talking to her.
"Ryuichi, last night while I was watching you gamble a noticed how grown up and beautiful you have become..."
She became confused. Sanosuke, the guy that started out calling her a prostitute was now saying that she was beautiful. Everything became a blur to her and before Sano could even finish his sentence, he found her clinging to him. She looked up at him, no longer with a concerned look in her eyes, but with a loving one. This was the moment he had dreamed of, if only he could think of something to say.
"Sanosuke, ever since that night at the Akabeko, I have felt a sort of brother-sister connection between you and me, but then after the rainy night that Toba hit me I have felt that it is something more. I always hoped that you would someday feel the same, but I never even dreamed that you actually did.*sigh* Man, I'm glad I got that off my shoulders."
He ran his fingers through her long, silky, black hair, brushing some away from her face so none of it was hidden, memorizing every curve of her body. She looked up at him again, she felt safe and protected while he was holding her. Only one question could come to her mind as he brought their lips closer together to share a kiss that both of them would remember forever and that was "Is this true love?"
She was careful not to say it out loud because she was savoring the moment. Both of them leaned closer to the other closing the gap between their bodies and further deepening the kiss. He could taste the salty- sweetness of her lips, she could feel his strong hands against her body, praying that the moment would last a lifetime, but soon the lovers broke apart, slightly out of breath, still dazed from what just happened. They were so close together they could feel the other's heart beating. They knew then that they couldn't live without the other, they needed each other. Then of course someone had to come and end their wonderful moment, Yahiko came to tell them to come back into the other room because Dr. Genzai was about to tell them what was wrong with Miss Kaoru.
Dr. Genzai carefully slid open the door revealing a smiling and cheerful Kaoru. She ran up to Kenshin, jumped on his lap and gave him a long kiss on the lips.
"Darn, I wanna know what you put her on, 'cause whatever it is I want some." Ryuichi sarcastically laughed.
"Nah, I don't think you want to be put on medication for Morning Sickness do you?"
After hearing that, Kenshin quickly broke Kaoru's kiss and looked at Dr. Genzai in disbelief.
"Oro!!! Kaoru, don't women get morning sickness when they are um....pregnant?"
"That's exactly right Kenshin, were gonna have a baby!!!!!"
He shouldn't have let her go. He knew that Sanosuke would try to take care of her, but that doesn't change the fact that they were going to a bar to gamble. She swore that she would only have a drink or two and Sano said he would try to set a good example for her by only having a few, but still Kenshin worried. They had left at sometime near 6'o'clock and now it was almost 11. He could have asked where they were going because then if they got into trouble he could go get them out of it, but he hadn't. If something were to happen to Sano or Ryuichi he would feel like it was his fault and he couldn't bear that. All the sins that he bore on his shoulders were already many, most that he committed when he was a hitokiri in the Revolution. He could not have their blood on his hands, if only he knew where they were.
.................
At the bar
Although Sanosuke had followed Kenshin's rules and only had a few drinks, Ryuichi didn't. She was staggering drunk and that made her bad temper worse. He suggested that they leave, but she would always stall. She'd make up some lame excuse and tell him why she needed to stay there, to say the least he was about to pick her up and take her home himself, but something stopped him. He had the feeling that he needed to stay there just a few minutes longer.
Those few minutes soon turned to hours and Sano just sat there watching the young girl. She had grown up so much, it seemed like just yesterday that the police chief had asked them for help, but it had been a year! Time was passing before his eyes and the more time passed the more grown up she looked. When she first came there she looked a street punk, she was cute, but she did not yet possess the beauty of a young woman. Now more than ever, she seemed to have an aura about her. She had something special. Something Sanosuke couldn't describe. It was something that made him want to take her in his arms and gaze into her deep dark eyes.
"Ryuichi, it's late, we should get going dontcha think?"
"Yeah sure, I'm startin' to get a little sleepy myself *yawn*."
The alcohol had almost made its way out of her system, but now she was extremely tired. She walked up to Sanosuke and collapsed. Looks like he was going to carry her home anyway, whether he wanted to or not. He didn't mind though, he wanted to think that this wouldn't be the only time that he would be carrying her home. He thought back to the rainy day. The day his feeling for her changed, the day he first noticed how beautiful she really was. He wondered if she felt the same way. He wondered if she was sent to be Megumi's replacement.
.................
At the Himura Dojo
When they got back home, Kenshin was no longer up waiting for them. Sano didn't blame him any, it was almost dawn. She had stalled so long, they were out all night. Sanosuke then took her to her to her room and sat her on her futon. He made one backwards glance at her and turned around, went to his bed and fell asleep, hoping that Kenshin would have enough sense not to wake him up in the morning.
..................
Although Kenshin had enough sense not to wake him up, Suzume and Ayame didn't. They tugged on his clothes until he got up and then handed him breakfast.
"Here you go, Uncle Sano. Uncle Ken said you might want some breakfast."
"Yeah, breakfast."
"Thanks, but I'm not all that hungry. Go see if Ryuichi wants it."
"But we can't, she, Yahiko, and Uncle Ken are all helping Grandpa."
"With what?"
"Miss Kaoru has a tummy ache and they are all helping."
"I'd better check this out."
..................
As he entered the room he saw everybody sitting around watching as Dr. Genzai looked at Kaoru. Ryuichi turned around and stared at Sano with a concerned look on her face.
"We think Kaoru has a stomach virus. She wasn't feeling well yesterday and woke up vomiting. Dr. Genzai is going to run some tests on her and he doesn't think what she has is life threatening but still we aren't sure. Kenshin's taking it pretty hard, taking into consideration that they only got married a few months ago."
"If you all don't mind, could you please leave the room while I examine Kaoru?" smiled the good doctor
...................
When they were outside, Yahiko tried to get Kenshin to do something besides think. He needed to do something to get his mind off Kaoru. Sanosuke pulled Ryuichi over to a different room. He desperately needed to get his feelings off his chest and he couldn't do that without talking to her.
"Ryuichi, last night while I was watching you gamble a noticed how grown up and beautiful you have become..."
She became confused. Sanosuke, the guy that started out calling her a prostitute was now saying that she was beautiful. Everything became a blur to her and before Sano could even finish his sentence, he found her clinging to him. She looked up at him, no longer with a concerned look in her eyes, but with a loving one. This was the moment he had dreamed of, if only he could think of something to say.
"Sanosuke, ever since that night at the Akabeko, I have felt a sort of brother-sister connection between you and me, but then after the rainy night that Toba hit me I have felt that it is something more. I always hoped that you would someday feel the same, but I never even dreamed that you actually did.*sigh* Man, I'm glad I got that off my shoulders."
He ran his fingers through her long, silky, black hair, brushing some away from her face so none of it was hidden, memorizing every curve of her body. She looked up at him again, she felt safe and protected while he was holding her. Only one question could come to her mind as he brought their lips closer together to share a kiss that both of them would remember forever and that was "Is this true love?"
She was careful not to say it out loud because she was savoring the moment. Both of them leaned closer to the other closing the gap between their bodies and further deepening the kiss. He could taste the salty- sweetness of her lips, she could feel his strong hands against her body, praying that the moment would last a lifetime, but soon the lovers broke apart, slightly out of breath, still dazed from what just happened. They were so close together they could feel the other's heart beating. They knew then that they couldn't live without the other, they needed each other. Then of course someone had to come and end their wonderful moment, Yahiko came to tell them to come back into the other room because Dr. Genzai was about to tell them what was wrong with Miss Kaoru.
Dr. Genzai carefully slid open the door revealing a smiling and cheerful Kaoru. She ran up to Kenshin, jumped on his lap and gave him a long kiss on the lips.
"Darn, I wanna know what you put her on, 'cause whatever it is I want some." Ryuichi sarcastically laughed.
"Nah, I don't think you want to be put on medication for Morning Sickness do you?"
After hearing that, Kenshin quickly broke Kaoru's kiss and looked at Dr. Genzai in disbelief.
"Oro!!! Kaoru, don't women get morning sickness when they are um....pregnant?"
"That's exactly right Kenshin, were gonna have a baby!!!!!"