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Disclaimer: I do not own City Hunter or its characters. The poem in this chapter is called Love Song and is written by Mary Carolyn Davies. I do not own it either.
KAORI VS MOKKORI: LET'S MAKE LOVE
[Chapter: 2]
For a moment, Kaori thought he hadn't noticed. She didn't look at his face, uncomfortable as she was with her own state. When she did look up, her discomfort was replaced with a sense of self-conscious for why was Ryo looking at her like that? A drooling mokkori face would have been understandable; his expression was too solemn. His gaze filled with admiration gave her goose bumps. She took a step back to run into her room, but then,
'This is what I wanted, for him to see me', she thought.
So she stayed – half naked, blushing. And to Ryo - very inviting.
She revised Miki's advice in her mind and asked, with the best smile she could give in the moment,
"Bath time?"
Ryo didn't recover for another minute. His eyes were flowing with devout passion and reverence almost. Anyone could have told by taking one look at him - the man was awestruck by the beauty of the woman before him. Though being looked upon with love satisfied Kaori, she had stripped and wrapped that towel around for another purpose. To confirm whether her courageous act was having the desired effect, Kaori peeked down at Ryo's crotch. He turned around before she could derive a conclusion.
"Why are you standing here if you want to have a bath?", he asked.
Her friends hadn't warned her about a surprise rejection. They did tell her to not succumb to momentary weakness. She said,
"I was... I was wondering if you, uh, if you wanted to join me for a bath"
"Now why would I want to do that?"
'This rascal', she fumed, 'He thinks this is funny, doesn't he?'
"Maybe because we are going to get married soon?", she said.
Ryo put his fingers on his chin,
"Hm. Are all engaged couples supposed to bathe together?"
Her tolerance with him was at its end. Here she was, practically asking to be made love to, and he was acting dumb. The natural anger she felt at Ryo's apathy turned Kaori's embarrassment into confidence. She said,
"Are you really going to pretend you don't know what's going on?"
"You want us to have a bath together. I don't see why you would want that", he said.
She put her hands on her hips and almost shouted,
"Oh yeah? If it were a client who came before you in a towel, you wouldn't waste a single minute to jump her. But when the woman you claim to love does that, you don't feel a thing, do you?"
"Isn't the woman I love scared of me?"
"That..."
He had struck the root. She didn't know what to say.
Ryo's back was towards Kaori. He didn't want her to see his body's natural reaction to hers just yet. Trying his best to limit the graveness in his tone, Ryo said,
"You said I scare you. How can I live with myself if my love scares you?"
"Ryo... I...", she tried to explain, "That's not what I meant. I just panicked because you were so close to me and it was nothing I had experienced before and... and I... I couldn't believe it was finally happening"
Ryo chuckled inaudibly as she seemed to come nearer. She said,
"I didn't say that to hurt you. I was simply afraid that if it went on, I wouldn't be able to please you"
His shameless simper vanished at her honest confession. He turned his head sideways a little,
"What do you mean?"
"I am a virgin, Ryo. I don't know any tricks. I don't know what I should do when you do something and... I didn't want to disappoint you"
'Silly girl', he sighed.
Even at a time like that, she was thinking about his happiness and not her own. Ryo turned to face her full. Her eyes were yearning for pity and her hands were clasped over the chest. Ryo smiled, pulled her cheek, making her wince.
"Ow", she frowned, "What was that for?"
"Baka. Couldn't you just tell me that you wanted to wait?"
"How could I? Your hands, your mouth – you were all over me!"
He cocked a brow,
"Are you going to pretend you didn't like that?"
She looked away and mumbled,
"Well..."
"Mm hm?"
She wouldn't look at him,
"I did. But it was so sudden"
"You like slow?"
"At least for the first time"
Ryo leaned towards her,
"I can go slow if you want"
She looked up at him. He whispered,
"So slow you will be begging me to – "
She pushed him away with an involuntary grin and backed away. Ryo had rarely seen her like this, happy but nervous. She thrust her chin up in defiance and said,
"Why bother? It's not like I have any effect on you"
How could he ever tell her in words, that she was not just a mokkori material for him? That he could look at her for a thousand years without blinking once? And that more than he wanted to have her, he wanted to be worthy of her?
He laughed and stroked the back of his head,
"Yeah, that's true"
His sarcasm couldn't hold for long because Kaori had already seen the truth. She pointed at it, then retracted her hand and said,
"Ryo! When did that..."
"The moment I saw your shape through the towel"
She was red again, but her expression was neither of discomfort or anger. It was pure curiosity. She said,
"Can you... really go slow?"
He was a hundred percent sure his ears were ringing. His idiotic gaping made her smile. She asked,
"Can you?"
He nodded. She smiled and stepped back,
"Then what are you waiting for?"
God had answered his prayers. Angels were watching him. And there wasn't a more fortunate man alive – Ryo Saeba believed so. He squealed in ecstasy and leaped,
"KAORI!"
'What the...'
She had stopped him with her ever faithful hammer, just when he thought his days with that devil's instrument were over. Kaori said,
"Wait a minute. You have never said 'I love you' to me. Now would be a good time, right?"
"Hai!", he nodded.
"So?", she folded her arms.
Ryo jumped two feet high and showered confetti over his beloved. He declared,
"I love you, Kaori!"
"Hm", she said, "Not feeling it"
Ryo produced a bouquet of flowers. He held it before her and said with his best smile,
"I love you, Kaori!"
"Tch", she shook her head.
He knelt before her, took her hands in his and said with fervour,
"I love you, Kaori"
"Too dramatic", she pouted.
Running low on patience and high on mokkori, Ryo aligned his face with hers and said,
"Kaori, I love you. Now stop pouting before I pull this towel off and show you how much"
His stern look made her giggle and his words became the rouse on her cheeks. Like a timid tutor, she patted him on the shoulder,
"That's more like the lecherous sweeper I love"
"Ex-sweeper"
"Huh?"
He grabbed her hand,
"I will tell you after we have sex. Come on"
"But Ryo, what do you – "
He picked her up in his arms and carried her upstairs. She kept asking,
"What do you mean by ex-sweeper? Ryo?"
"Hush", he said, "That's for the sequel"
He carried what he called a 'pompous jackass suit' quite well. And she looked more beautiful than ever. Father Patrick said,
"I believe the couple has prepared their own vows. The bride..."
Kaori had memorised her wedding vows. She glanced once at her friends in the pews and then at her groom, who held her hands with a smile on his face. She began,
"There is a strong wall about me to protect me:
it is built of the words you have said to me.
There are swords about me to keep me safe:
they are the kisses of your lips.
Before me goes a shield to guard me from harm:
it is the shadow of your arms between me and danger.
All the wishes of my mind know your name,
and the desires of my heart are acquainted with you.
The cry of my body for completeness,
that is a cry to you.
My blood beats out your name to me,
unceasing, pitiless.
Your name, your name.
Ryo Saeba, I vow to love you, and to be your best friend for as long as I live. I promise to be a good companion through life's ups and downs. I promise to cherish what we have with my heart and soul. And..."
She looked once again at the guests and then at her slightly bored groom. She grinned,
"And I promise to be your only mokkori for the rest of our days"
Miki was the first one to clap amidst the roar of laughter. Ryo gazed at Kaori with wonder and amusement. She bounced her eyebrows at him once, the smile still dancing on her lips.
"Ahem", Father Patrick said, "The groom's vows?"
Ryo removed the piece of paper from his coat pocket. Kaori had asked him, warned him, that his wedding vows should be heartfelt and elegant. He had taken three hours, consulted two dictionaries and one Neruda poems collection to prepare his wedding vows. He read,
"Kaori Makimura, you are my sun, my moon, my guiding light. You are what makes my world go round. You..."
These were not right, he had known it from the time he wrote them. Kaori wanted heartfelt? Well, heartfelt it will be. He put the paper back in his pocket and looked at Kaori. Her glowing face was more inspirational than all the world's love poems. Ryo took a deep breath,
"Kaori Makimura, I love you and that is a universal truth. Over the years we have spent together, I have come to trust you, cherish you and learn from you. You are the one who taught me the most important lessons in love. I know I bother you, make things difficult for you and try to bang you in all kinds of places"
"Ahem!", Father Patrick cleared his throat.
"I am not good with words and that is why I express my love through my actions. I love you like this because I don't know any other way to love. I promise you and your brother who left us to each other's care five years ago – I will be there for you. I will be the best husband I can. I will be your shadow. I will never forget to tap your gorgeous bottom and kiss your sweet mouth"
"Ahem", Father Patrick again.
Ryo revealed his biggest secret,
"I will always love you, partner, no matter what"
Kaori mumbled, teary-eyed and smiling,
"Thank you"
Reika whispered in awe,
"I can't believe Ryo said that"
"Me neither", Shinji agreed.
Father Patrick announced,
"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife"
Everyone clapped. Ryo said to the old priest,
"You forgot to say 'you may now kiss the bride'"
"Uh", he replied, "We don't do that in Japan, son"
"Do it"
Father Patrick surrendered,
"Alright. You may now kiss the... well"
Before the priest could finish his sentence, Ryo kissed his bride and lifted her off the altar. The church bells rang. The guests stood up and cheered. Ryo swung Kaori around in his arms, never breaking the kiss. When he finally did, to Father Patrick's relief, Kaori kissed him again. The world was not enough to contain his joy. A killer like him was allowed to be so happy – it had to be a dream. But the woman in his arms was proof enough that dreams came true. He said, his voice low and unsteady out of sheer happiness,
"Congratulations, Mrs. Saeba"
Her veil swung right to left; he just wouldn't put her down. She smiled,
"Congratulations, City Hunter. You got a tomboy for a wife"
He loved her. And he was going to spend the rest of his life proving it. He touched his forehead to hers,
"I wouldn't have anyone else in the world"
'Take care of Kaori, Ryo'
A happily-ever-after had just begun.
A/N: Thank you for reading this short story. I am aware that my one-shot and two-shot fics are not received warmly, but I am content with the few reviews I get #ObviousLie. Anyhow, the long-awaited sequel to this story, i.e. XYZ Strikes Again: Don't You Dare Touch The Kids! will commence soon. I hope you are looking forward to that as much as I am. Thanks again. Enjoy this FIFA. :P