A/N: I'm gratified and ecstatic that I'm pulling such emotional reactions from my lovely readers. Please continue to let me know how I'm doing, be it good, bad, or ugly. Growing as a writer and telling a good story is all I want, and you guys guide me by showing me what is correct and what is not. Thank you so much!
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The intimacies shared between husband and wife are many and varied, and only a small fraction of them revolve around the physical act of love making. Morning rituals are ones that Kaoru holds particularly close to her heart. She is content to wake early (as Kenshin rises before the dawn, most days), to sweep her tangled hair out of her face, to yawn and blinks sleep from her eyes. This morning they rise together, since they fell asleep so closely entangled, with Kenshin's back against the wall and Kaoru slipping from his lap as both became lax in sleep.
Hiding her mouth with one hand as it stretches wide in a yawn, Kaoru takes the comb Kenshin silently offers her, kneeling behind him. She enjoys the quiet peace of their time together like this, running a comb through his thick hair, working to gently remove all tangles and knots from it before he faces the world. It makes the lingering tension leak from Kenshin's shoulders as well, and she relishes a small sigh from her husband as the teeth of the comb scrape against his scalp.
"Will we go to visit Tomoe-san today?" Surprisingly, Kenshin remains lax, nearly touching his chin to his shoulder took back at Kaoru. His smile is soft and rather sweet as he nods.
"I thought we would, if you are still agreeable to it."
"Of course I am." How could she not be? Kaoru has feared the ghost of Tomoe for too long, in the days where Kenshin remained in Kyoto, and even after his return. The thought of being only a replacement for a wife lost is unbearable in the face of the emotions Kaoru has come to hold for Kenshin.
But in the quiet peace of their new life, in the memory and moment of mornings where Kaoru brushes his long hair and is free to lean forward and kiss the soft skin where his neck and shoulder meet (Kenshin shivers, and reaches back to touch Kaoru's hand), those fears seem so petty. Tomoe-san was a different woman from Kaoru, this is true, and Kenshin loved this woman so mightly that he would have given his life for her.
However, it is Kaoru he protects and allows close now.
She simply doesn't have room in her heart to fear a ghost.
"Thank you," Kenshin speaks quietly, the words of his heart falling from his tongue. "I am glad."
"I am, too." She truly is, Kaoru realizes. She wants to honor this woman's spirit; she saved Kenshin, after all. This is a debt that Kaoru can never repay the fallen woman.
A quiet sort of peace fills the inn room. Kaoru helps Kenshin pull his hair up into his customary style, high at the the top of his head, the length falling down his back like a fiery waterfall. Kenshin combs the snarls from Kaoru's hair return, tying it up with her ribbon. He helps her dress afterwards, content to assist in the folding and elaborate knotting of her obi.
"Battousai-san?" Soba's voice drifts from the hall in starkly worried tones moments before the shoji is slid open. The old woman's face is wreathed with worried frowns as she bows. "I'm so sorry to disturb you, but there is a man here asking to speak with you."
Worry stabs Kaoru through the gut, making her take in a sharp breath as she jerks her head around to look at Kenshin. Eyes narrowed dangerously, he takes a half step forward.
"For me? Do you know him, has he been here before?"
"I haven't any idea who he is."
"I'll be there in a moment. Kaoru, stay here." Kaoru nods grudgingly, off-put, but doesn't attempt to follow.