Kaoru sighed, re-reading the same passage for the fifth time. The
dojo was peaceful, but the quiet was somehow distracting. Lonely,
rather than restful. She sighed again. Small wonder she felt
lonely, when she had the place to herself. Yahiko was visiting Tsubame
at the Akabeko, Sano had yet to make an appearance -- he was probably off
losing the last of his money gambling -- and Kenshin had gone fishing.
Despondent, she allowed herself to slump forward over the table, bringing
her head down to rest on the open pages. From her new position she
stared out the open doors at the slowly passing clouds, letting the silence
wash over her.
"Mou!" Exasperated with herself, Kaoru gathered up her book, and
stepped outside. The weather was perfect for outdoor reading.
Maybe Kenshin wouldn't mind a little company . . .
Kenshin yawned. The stillness by the river was a pleasant change
from the cheerful and sometimes overwhelming noise common at the Kamiya
dojo, but after several hours the calm had worn to boredom, the peace to
a dulling lassitude. Without Ayame-chan and Suzume-chan's cheerful company
to occupy him while he waited for the fish to bite, he found himself continually
fighting sleep. He stretched lazily and then returned to his previous
position, slouched comfortably between the sheltering roots of a tree.
He had begun to doze off again, lulled by the quiet and the warmth of the
spring sun, when he heard Kaoru's voice.
"Ano . . . Kenshin?"
He opened his eyes in surprise. "Kaoru-dono? Is something wrong?"
"No." She shook her head, smiling hesitantly. "I was just lonely
at the dojo by myself." She held up her book. "I thought I'd
read outside. Do you mind if I join you?"
"Oro?" He blinked at her for a moment before his sleepy mind registered
what she'd asked him. Then he readily agreed, shifting to his left
to make room for her beside him. He smiled as she settled herself
against him, nestling in the angle of his shoulder and the tree.
"Nani?" She asked, catching his smile as she opened her book.
Kenshin merely shook his head and turned his attention back to his
fishing. "I'm just glad to see you," he murmured.
Kaoru's face lit with pleasure. "Hai.." she softly responded,
momentarily resting her head against his shoulder. Always,
she thought. I'm always glad to see you. Raising her
head she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, and then, content
with the small smile still playing across his lips, began reading.
They spent the afternoon in companionable silence, the only sounds
the soft splish of Kenshin's fishing line and the rustle of turning
pages. The fishing pole was put aside after awhile, and Kenshin simply
sat beside her while she read. Eyes partially closed he watched her,
enjoying the play of emotions across her expressive face. Unwittingly
he smiled when her nose crinkled in disapproval at something she read,
and again when she paused to blow her bangs out of her eyes. Utterly
relaxed and content in her company, he slid into a comfortable half sleeping-half
waking state; the ever-present guilt of the hitokiri buffered by a layer
of warm contentment.
As the afternoon progressed the wind picked up, turning the shade
beneath the tree chilly. In response, Kaoru snuggled herself closer
against Kenshin, glancing at him to see if he objected. He didn't
seem to, lounging against the tree with his eyes closed. He merely shifted
a little, changing positions so she could lean against him more comfortably;
his right arm slipping around her as she settled against him. Neither
spoke, but as she cuddled against him Kaoru sighed in contentment.
She let the book fall closed in her lap as she tangled the fingers of her
left hand with those of his right. A moment later she felt him dip
his head to rest against hers, and closed her eyes to bask in the safety
and warmth of his arms, his presence.
Kenshin was only slightly surprised when Kaoru snuggled against him,
as he'd felt her shiver beside him in the cool spring breeze. He'd
half persuaded himself to reach out to her when she'd moved closer to him
on her own. Now, as she tangled her fingers with his, he wondered
again at how well their feelings could mesh. This slight girl, with
her soft heart and spine strong as the metal of his sakabatou, had restored
something infinitely precious to his life. She was home to him; her
trust and unspoken love wrapping protectively around him whenever he was
with her. His sigh echoed hers as he bent his head and pressed his
cheek to the sweetly scented silk of her hair. On impulse, he gently
released the fine black strands from the sea green ribbon she'd used to
tie them back. His woman. Even Jin'eh, insane as he
was, had recognized it. His past kept him from stating it as plainly
as Jin'eh had, but he never denied it to himself, never protested it when
someone else acknowledged it. She was his. His to protect,
to comfort, to love. And he was hers. Perhaps
there was no longer a reason to hide how important she was to him.
He shrugged mentally as he admitted he hadn't really fooled anyone.
Instead, his repeated withdrawals had hurt her, the one person he
most wanted to protect.
Kaoru felt the slight pull, heard the faint rasp as he slid the ribbon
free, and opened her eyes in surprise. "Kenshin . . ." Turning
her head, peering up at him through the midnight curtain falling over her
shoulder and across his chest, she found his violet eyes gazing softly
at her.
"Kirei . . ." he whispered, his voice a caress. Letting the
ribbon slide from his fingers, he stroked a few strands away from her face,
revealing the faint blush on her cheeks. Kaoru's eyes widened slightly
as realization sparked, and her small white teeth bit anxiously into her
full bottom lip to stop it's slight, nervous trembling.
He's going to kiss me. Kaoru thought. His hand
cradled her face, his thumb brushing back and forth over her cheek. Please
let him kiss me. She bit her lip anxiously as she waited,
and as his stroking thumb shifted to flow over the small hurt, she closed
her eyes. Oh please don't let him pull away this time.
A moment later his mouth -- caressing, coaxing, faintly possessive -- met
hers. Kenshin . . .
Always before he'd withdrawn at the last moment, pretending to ignore
or be unaware of feelings which were infinitely obvious. As
he kissed her now, the pretense was revealed in all its staggering depth.
His touch was tempered with the gentleness he habitually displayed toward
her, but also held a wealth of hidden emotion: Fire and longing,
passion and demand. And all of it encompassed by an incredible sweetness.
She protested softly when he released her moments later, disentangling
her fingers from his only to clench them instead in the loose fabric of
his shirt to call him back. Teasing her fingers free he threaded
them again with his own as his lips slid over her cheek, touched lightly
on her eyes, and then finally brushed the tip of her nose. His arm
tightened around her, holding her close against him as she turned her face
into his chest.
"Kenshin?" Her voice was soft and hesitant.
"Mmmm?" She felt a small glimmer of annoyance at that relaxed
timbre of his. She frowned at their twined fingers, worried he would
pull away, but uncertain what to say to stop him. She was unaware
he was watching her, or that he'd smiled when she rolled her eyes at his
response, and so his voice surprised her a little when next he spoke.
"Daijoubu." She turned her head slightly to look at him, finding
his violet gaze resting warmly on her. "It's alright." The
phrase seemed to hold a wealth of meaning: I'm not going to pull away
this time. You don't have to worry. Satisfied, she relaxed
against him again, closing her eyes and letting her senses absorb how it
felt to be held that way. Safe. Loved. Protected.
Cherished. Swaddled in contentment she slid slowly and inexorably
toward sleep.
Dinner was long overdue. Sano and Yahiko prowled the dojo in
search of either Kaoru or Kenshin, and met disconsolately in the kitchen.
"Kenshin was supposed to go fishing today," Yahiko offered, as Sano
looked questioningly at him.
"And Jou-chan?"
Yahiko shrugged. "Who knows what she might be up to?"
"Well, if Kenshin was going fishing, maybe he's still by the river,"
Sano suggested.
"I suppose." Yahiko sounded less than convinced as he followed
Sano out of the dojo grounds, and Sano silently agreed with him.
This wasn't like Kenshin.
Sano and Yahiko followed the river for some time, their unspoken
worry growing, before they stumbled upon Kaoru and Kenshin peacefully asleep
beneath a tree.
"What-" Yahiko began, and was abruptly cut off as Sano covered his
mouth.
Sano shook his head sharply at Yahiko, indicating that the boy should
be quiet. He couldn't explain it, but there was something indescribably
right
about the couple cuddled together beneath the tree. He didn't really
want to disturb them, and certainly not with one of Yahiko's outbursts.
After a moment he sighed. He was going to have to wake them, whether
he liked it or not. He couldn't let them spend the night out here.
Sano gathered up the fishing gear and Kenshin's catch, and sent Yahiko
back to the dojo with them. Bad enough to disturb them . . . he wasn't
going to let Yahiko further ruin the mood with his rude comments.
"Oi. Kenshin," Sano whispered, gently nudging Kenshin's leg with
his foot.
Kenshin sleepily opened his left eye to find that the sun had set
and that Sano was standing over him. He blinked and then opened both eyes.
"Oro?"
"Shhhh . . . Jou-chan's still asleep."
As Sano's words penetrated Kenshin's sleepy mind, he glanced down
at Kaoru and smiled gently.
"Ano . . . I just thought you shouldn't spend the night out here,"
Sano continued, looking away. The gentle way Kenshin was looking
at Kaoru was too private for him to watch.
"Arigatou." Sano turned back to find Kenshin standing, Kaoru
cradled in his arms. She snuggled her face into his neck as he spoke.
"She looked so content I didn't want to wake her."
"Aa." Sano agreed, smiling at the somewhat sheepish tone in
Kenshin's voice. Shaking his head slightly, he turned and headed
back toward the dojo, trusting Kenshin to follow.
Kenshin looked down at Kaoru again and smiled before following, precious
bundle held close to his heart.
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