Author’s Notes: 2/26/99 Okay, well this is my very first
fanfic of any nature…. so please bear with me ^_^; There’s bound
to be the occasional screw ups, confusing things, etc… but I was just so
inspired by Ardith (Yoko-chan) and Raya-san with their absolutely wonderful
stories, so I decided to also give it a shot. You two are incredibly talented
fanfic writers and I honestly hope from the bottom of my lil’ heart that
you keep it up! Gambare! ^_^
Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin and all characters associated
are owned by Nobuhiro Watsuki. I just wrote this story to show my appreciation
for those wonderful characters and for Watsuki-sensei himself who so graciously
created them. So, please don’t sue me ^_^ I’ve got quite a few holes
in my pockets already.
Japanese translations are at the end of the chapter.
All flames, comments, or praises should be mailed to
chibimaria@msn.com
I wanna hear your opinions on this everyone and where
you think this story should head! I would love having feedback from my
fans! Thanks again and enjoy the chapter! ^_~
Mou...Mou…. MOU!!!
Kaoru began mumbling incoherently underneath the covers, further digging
her head stubbornly into the pillow with an air of protest.
Gosh, darn it. Was it morning
already? It seemed much too early for the sun to already be creeping up
on the horizon. She could feel the hot, bright light piercing through the
cracks under the door, her eyes further squeezing shut when feeling it
pass over her eyelids. What was it… only 3 hours ago she actually managed
to lay herself down to a partial state of rest? She was incredibly exhausted!
Not to mention, her poor husband next to her…
Kenshin flinched as he felt
Kaoru quite violently turn around to face away from the sun, pushing him
out of the covers and hurling him off the futon in the process.
“Ororo… Kaoru... Daijobu
de gozaru?”
Kenshin mumbled in a half-awake
trance. His usually tidy mane of red hair was now disheveled and strewn
all over the front of his face, making his voice sound impishly muffled
from underneath. He did the best he could to straighten it out, so he could
properly question his obviously upset wife who was now huddled under the
covers muttering some unprintables. Kenshin warily reached over and tapped
Kaoru, a sweatdrop appearing alongside his head in the process. Just his
luck, she would probably jump up and start smacking him with a bokken in
retaliation… He sweatdropped even more at the thought.
“Ano… What makes you
so upset this morning Kaoru?”
Kenshin shaded his eyes with
his left hand and gazed outside through the window.
“It looks like it’s going
to be a rather nice day today, don’t you think, ne Kaoru?”
He smiled, trying to encourage
her to answer.
A muffled “no” came out from
underneath the pile of pillows and the twisted up cover. She slowly rose
up into a sitting position, holding her head with her hand. Kenshin crawled
over to her, holding a concerned expression on his face.
“Kaoru, I know it’s only
been a few months since we’ve married… but we should be able to tell each
other anything… right?” Kenshin whispered to her, as he carefully held
her shoulders. He propped himself up and allowed her to lean into him.
Kaoru tried to maintain her
uprightness, but melted when she saw Kenshin’s caring gaze shine down at
her. She buried her head in his chest and sighed tiredly. “Baka… you do
know that you did this to me, don’t you Kenshin?”
All Kenshin could do was
blink curiously in response. He had absolutely nooo clue what she was talking
about. Was there anything that could possibly be plaguing his dear wife
Kaoru? Well, come to think of it, she had recently begun vomiting, usually
in the morning… Although sometimes at night also before sleep too. He had
regarded it as just some stomach discomfort, so Megumi had given her some
herbal paste for her to take as treatment… It still didn’t remedy the problem
though. But still…. How could Kenshin be a cause of any of that?
And if it wasn’t that, then what?
Kaoru stared up at him with
a rather peeved, SD expression on her face.
“Hidoi, Kenshin! Really…
you don’t know much about women do you?!”
“Oro?”
“Mou… Honestly, Kenshin…
I’m sorry for being such a pain in the tucus, but it’s only natural considering
the condition I’m in… Well, ehh… at least that’s what Megumi-san told me…”
A slight blush crept up on Kaoru’s already illuminated face.
Kenshin was still utterly
clueless, not to mention stupefied.
Kenshin decided to at least
try and play along. Maybe he could somehow pry the answer out of her that
way
“ Ohhhh…. THAT condition…
Aha…sou ka, Kaoru. So that’s why my dear angel hasn’t been sleeping well,
ne?” Kenshin smiled and hugged Kaoru closer to him, in order to pacify
her further. Kaoru smiled in appreciation. It was good to see he
was more perceptive and understanding than she actually thought. Who knew
men had a good intuition!
“Kenshin…. Dr. Genzai and
Megumi both said they estimated it to be another 5-6 months till the time
finally comes… until then, it’s gonna be a bit rough for me, since my body
will be going through, uhh… a “few” changes… I suppose that’s why I haven’t
been sleeping well recently. Gomen Kenshin.”
Kaoru closed her eyes and
bent her head down in a silent manner. Kenshin continued to just smile,
although his soul mirrored a more or less dumbfounded appearance.(Just
try imagining on of those cute, little chibi-Kenshins ^_^) What in the
world is she talking about? Nani? Changes?? From what?
“Kenshin… I know It’s going
to be a bit difficult, especially with my lack of sleep… but you’re with
me, so it’s alright… and the outcome will be more than worth the effort.
It’s going to be nice here in the dojo having a baby of our own and if
it’s a boy…well… umm….”
She felt a draft of air swish
by her back and then a thud nearby her. Being too preoccupied in her own
thoughts, she acknowledged them but didn’t think much of it at the moment.
Kaoru remained with her head
tilted downward, a content smile spreading across her face. Kenshin should
already be aware of what’s going on… why is he so quiet?
A few minutes of silence
passed, making Kaoru more nervous each second thereafter. Why wasn’t he
saying anything? She peeked one eye open and then popped both open
in total surprise. The thud and brisk current of air had apparently been
Kenshin passing out on the floor! He lay loosely sprawled on the
floor, his upper body still resting on the futon.
Kaoru regained her senses
and giggled softly at the scene before her.
“I know we’ll pull through
Kenshin… the two of us together can do it, and we’ll build our future in
happiness, most definitely.”
She bent over, still in a
kneeling position, and lightly kissed him on the cheek where the scar was.
“Baby…..sugoi…de gozaru….”
Kenshin mumbled phrases in his light state of unconsciousness. Kaoru couldn’t
help but marvel at how the legendary samurai could be humbled from a few
choice words. She stood up arching slightly and yawning , tiredness evident
in her slouching posture and cloudy blue eyes. She slipped into a simple
lavender kimono and deftly tied the obi around her petit waist before making
her way to the door.
Kaoru gazed back once more to see her husband for once sleeping a bit
more peacefully, and smiled.
1 Hr later……
“Hai, hai!!! I’m coming!”
Kaoru panted as she made her way to the dojo gate, the small tofu bin clenched
in her right hand. So much for her going to the market to buy some tofu.
Gee, Kenshin should be doing this kind of stuff, not me…I think I should
go wake him up soon. He’s had more than enough extra sleep anyway...
Kaoru muttered under her
breath as thoughts whizzed through her head. When was the last time
they had actually had a visitor other than the usual drop-ins like Sano
or Megumi-san anyway? Most merchants and foreigners never bothered stopping
by the Kamiya dojo unless they had a good reason…
It was a bit difficult treading
all the way to the gate in a constrictive kimono, but that never held Kaoru
back to begin with. She pushed open the lock with a bit of effort,
and the wooden gate creaked open on its hinges.
Kaoru took a good look at
the man who was leaning against the wall right behind the gate. He was
dressed in western clothing, so he was definitely not from the immediate
area of Tokyo. This mysterious man was rather on the tall side, with a
pale complexion , thinning black hair, and almost pupiless black eyes that
seemed to have no certain end. Their depth seemed as if they could swallow
you whole. It almost brought a shiver through Kaoru.
“How can I help you sir?”
Kaoru managed to muster out these few words and plastered on a polite smile.
“Actually Miss, I may able
to help you instead. You see, I’m a traveling merchant if it has become
apparent to you, and I’m offering my services today to this district of
Tokyo. I don’t really come by here often though, so you’d be missing out
on a good opportunity if you declined.” He smiled back, his thin lips curling
in the process.
“Ah… okay then. Well, what
is it you’re offering?” Kaoru questioned innocently enough.
The merchant opened
a small, burlap sack and carefully removed an oddly-shaped , blue,
glass bottle.
“If you don’t mind my saying,
you look like you’ve been through a lot Miss… This tonic here is great
for people who suffer sleep-deprivation, and it’s also good for any
aches or pains you may have. It’s a surefire remedy, I guarantee it.”
He held out the bottle, gesturing
for her to take a look for herself. Kaoru blushed slightly from embarrassment.
Did she really look that bad from not resting up properly?
“Okay, well I guess something
new never hurt, right?” She smiled appreciatingly and accepted the bottle,
deciding also to buy it from him. The man also returned a smile and bowed
courteously to conclude the deal.
Unfortunately, Kaoru didn’t
notice the evil glint in those pupiless eyes of his….
Stay Tuned for Chapter 2… ^_^
Translation Notes:
Mou: Good god, Jeese, Sheesh, etc.
De gozaru: A polite way of saying things as far as I
know.
Hai: Yes
Oro: Any Kenshin fan should know this one ^_^
Sugoi: Incredible, Amazing
SD expression: In case you didn’t understand this one,
it refers to a cute lil’ chibi version of whatever character I was talking
about. SD stands for “Super- Deformed”.
If I missed or forgot any, please feel free to smack me
^_^
Well, actually, email me and I’ll correct it a.s.a.p.
Thanks again for reading! And send me mail please ^_~
chibimaria@msn.com
