Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ For the Love Of Kaoru ❯ Chapter 1

For the love of Kaoru
by gethmane8
part 1



"Excuse me, Is Kaoru around?"
Kenshin looked up from the laundry at the man standing in the entrance way of the Kamiya dojo. He was a young man about Kaoru's age, maybe older.
The familiar way he said Kaoru's name disturbed him a little, but he pushed those feelings aside.
"Kaoru-dono's not home right now." he replied. "She went to the market place. She should be home in a while.Would you like to come in and wait?"
"Iie." the stranger hastily replied, running his hands nervously through his short black hair. "I'll come back later then. Arigatou gozaimasu." He bowed politely and left.
*That was strange. Who was that guy?* Kenshin wondered, as he returned to folding laundry.

******
Kaoru walked through the market place looking for the perfect kimono's for Ayame and Suzume. The girls were growing so sat, it was hard to keep them in clothes. But it was so hot outside, she considered cutting her shopping trip short.
"Hey Jou-chan!" Came a shout from behind. She turned to Sano walking toward her.
"Hello Sano. What are you doing here?" Kaoru asked as she brushed the sweat from her forehead. *It was really hot today. Maybe I should quit for the day.* She started to feel light headed.
"I'm just looking around. Um, don't take this the wrong way, but you look terrible." He noticed her flushed cheeks and glazed expression.
"I'm fine. I..." she never finished her sentence since she fell backwards in a faint. Sano moved quickly to catch her. He gently picked her up in his arms.

"Jou-chan!"

******
Megumi was waving good-bye to her last patient, a little girl with a sprained ankle, when Sano stormed into the clinic carrying an unconscious Kaoru. He was so frantic that Megumi feared Kaoru was dead.
After calming Sano down, she ordered him to carry Kaoru into the examining room. Then she had to forcibly remove him to check Kaoru out.
"If you want to make yourself useful, go get Kenshin and bring him here. She'll probably feel better when she wakes up knowing he's here." Megumi ordered, slamming the door in his face. She sighed as she heard him running out. *He sure moved fast to obey an order. When it came to Kaoru...wait, where did that come from?*
She looked down at the girl she had considered competition for Kenshin. She teased Kaoru mercilessly about her cooking, behavior and temper. Now all she could do was feel worried about her health. *You better be all right, Kaoru.* Megumi scolded the sleeping girl.
******

When Megumi emerged from the examining room, she wasn't surprised to see Kenshin and Sano. They were currently worrying a groove into her floor from their pacing. They stopped pacing once they noticed her.
"Is she going to be all right?" Kenshin asked with a concerned frown on his face. Sano wore the same expression, as they anxiously awaited her answer.
"She'll be just fine. She was overwhelmed by the heat and working too hard. She woke up a few minutes after you left Sano, but I made her take a nap."
She noticed the look of relief on Kenshin's face. He was such a good man and he obviously cared a great deal for Kaoru. Megumi sighed to herself over that.
"She needs rest. I mean actual bed rest with no excitement or work. Though, how you're going to get her to follow my instructions will be a chore. Good luck to you. You'll need it." Megumi smirked.
Sano smiled at that. "She's just too stubborn. We might have to tie her down to get her to stay still."
Megumi noted the caring way he spoke about Kaoru and felt a moment of jealousy. She knew she didn't stand a chance against her for Kenshin, but the thought of Sano wanting her too, bothered her. She pushed her selfish thoughts aside.
"I need to check on my supplies. You can go see her now. Just remember my orders." Megumi ordered as she used an excuse to leave. She headed out the door and didn't bother to look back.
******
Kenshin and Sanosuke watched closely as Kaoru began to stir. She shifted her position on the futon she was laying on, stifling a yawn. Bursts of light flooded her vision when she snapped her eyes open. She closed them quickly only to open them more slowly.
Karou suppressed a scream when she noticed Kenshin and Sano looming above her.
"Kaoru-dono are you okay?" Kenshin asked with renewed worry.
"Nani?" questioned Kaoru as she sat up.
"Are you okay?"
Kaoru nodded. The two men moved back to give her breathing room. They were relieved she was all right and would be back to her old self in no time.
Sano patted Kaoru gently on the back as he turned to leave the room. Winking, he said "Glad you're feeling better, Jou-chan. I'll leave you two alone..."
Kenshin shook his head in amusement at Sano's antics, but then carefully scanned Kaoru's face for any signs of illness. She smiled back at him in response.
"Someone came by to see you today." Kenshin said.
Kaoru's eyes widened in surprise. *She wasn't expecting any visitors.* "Did they tell you why they came?"
Kenshin shook his head no. "No...he didn't even leave a name or want to wait around for you to show up."
Kaoru just shrugged her shoulder uncaring. She just wanted to get out of there and go home.
"I need to get home. I have so much to..." Kaoru began, only yo be distracted by Kenshin grabbing her hand.
"Kaoru-dono, you have to rest. Megumi ordered bed rest and I'm going to see that you get it."
"But..." she started to get upset at the very idea.
"Please, Kaoru-dono. You need to take better care of yourself. A few days of relaxation won't hurt. Do it for me, okay?" Kenshin plaintively asked.
And that was all it took for Kaoru to give in.

******
By the time the trio got back to the dojo, Kaoru was exhausted again. She hated the idea of not doing anything, but she had promised Kenshin. Sano and Kenshin hovered over her like a mother lion protecting its young. It was both sweet and annoying at the same time. Kaoru paused when she saw a tall dark haired man at her dojo entrance. He looked familiar to her. He even smiled at her like he knew her. *Where had she seen him before? What? Was that...?!*
Kenshin slitted his eyes at the stranger. It was the same guy who had come earlier...the one familiar with Kaoru.
"Matsumi-san." she whispered, as a look of pure joy crossed her face. Kaoru jumped into his open arms, holding him tightly.
Sano looked at Kenshin, who stood there, face unreadable. He could feel the tension in the air. *Who the hell was this guy?*
"It's been so long since I've seen you. What are you doing here?" questioned Kaoru.
"It was imperative that I saw you, Kaoru." Matsumi answered, looking down at her smiling face.
"Why?"
He hesitated from answering, seeing the two men standing behind Kaoru, watching them with interest. Kaoru noticed his reluctance.
"I'm so sorry. How impolite not to introduce you to my friends." Kaoru said, missing the slight flinch on Kenshin's face at the word.
"Maki Matsumi, meet Himura Kenshin and Sagara Sanosuke. Matsumi and I are childhood friends. We haven't seen each other in years." The men all politely bowed to one another.
"Come inside. I'll make some tea." She ushered Matsumi inside, totally forgetting her promise to rest. That upset Kenshin, who followed quickly behind her.
"Kaoru-dono. Remember your promise?" he insisted. Her face fell as she realized she had forgotten her promise.
"Is everything okay?" Matsumi asked curiously.
"No, no. Everything's fine. Why don't we sit down and talk while Sano makes us tea." Kaoru led Matsumi away, leaving a stuttering Sano behind.
Kenshin and Sano went in the kitchen to prepare the tea. Sano grumbled about how she'd put the duty off on him. Kenshin smiled at his complaining, since he knew it was all for show. He thought about the hug Kaoru gave Matsumi. He knew they were friends, but it still bothered him seeing her affectionate with some guy.
"WHAT?!" A shout rang out through the house. It was Kaoru's voice in obvious distress. Then a loud thump could be heard. Scared, Kenshin and Sano ran into the room Kaoru and Matsumi had occupied. Kenshin's heart almost stopped when he saw her lying unconscious on the floor.
"Kaoru-dono! Kaoru!" Kenshin gently picked her up and cradled her in his arms. Worry and pain clearly written on his face.
"What the hell did you say to her?!" exclaimed Sano. He was fearful for his friend and angry at this stranger for upsetting her.
"I-I didn't know she'd react this way. Shouldn't we get a doctor?" Matsumi asked. He felt a little worried about his safety given the cold looks he received.
Just then, Kaoru moaned, coming out of her faint. She blushed when she opened her eyes and discovered herself in Kenshin's arms. Not that she minded.
Then the conversation she'd been having when she fainted hit her.
"Matsumi-san. Are you serious? Is it true?" She surged forward out of Kenshin arms.
"Yes. I'm sure about it. I had it checked out thoroughly. Sorry to cause you such upset."
"What's going on here? What did he say to you Jou-chan? If he said anything inappropriate, I'll..." Sano began menacingly.
"No. It had nothing to with that..." She couldn't finish. Kenshin was steadily watching her and she felt like crying over Matsumi's news. She couldn't face him.
"Kaoru-dono?" Kenshin questioned, fearing the answer.
"I have something important to tell you." She began, looking down at her clenched hands. "My father and Matsumi's were great friends and always wanted to betroth the two of us. I never really paid it much attention since my father never acted serious about it. I always thought it was wishful thinking. But, the reason Matsumi is here is because our fathers had made arrangements for our engagement."
Kenshin felt his heart drop to his stomach. Matsumi was Kaoru's fiancé. He felt unspeakable rage and jealousy over this. His face betrayed nothing, though his hands were so tightly gripped they were white.
Sano blinked and then blinked some more. *This kid was engaged to Kaoru? Uh, oh.* He suddenly pitied the boy. Kenshin wouldn't let him get away with this situation.
Matsumi took over talking when Kaoru couldn't continue. "Our fathers had a written agreement that Kaoru and I would marry and combine the Kamiya dojo with ours. I was training abroad when Kaoru's father died and my father unfortunately passed away within days of hers. I never knew what happened to her father until recently when I came home. So it wasn't any surprise we had not known of the agreement."
"So, you're here to make Kaoru-dono your bride?" Kenshin asked coldly. Matsumi shivered in response.
"I would never force Kaoru. But I've always cared for her and would be a good husbands to her. It's all up to her. We don't have to honor our fathers agreement."
Kaoru flinched at that. *What should she do? She loved Kenshin, not Matsumi. He was just a friend to her. But her fathers honor was very important to her. Could she really marry a man she only loved as a brother?*
Sano and Kenshin gave Matsumi evil looks for his obvious pressuring of Kaoru. Kenshin controlled the urge to reach for his sword.
Distressed by the whole conversation, Kaoru stood up. The men immediately followed. "I need to lay down for a while. Thank you for the visit. We'll talk later." Kaoru announced, as she walked away completely stunned.
Without Kaoru there, Matsumi decided it would be wise for him to leave. Hastily saying good-bye, he left.
"That little bastard. Who does he think he is coming here trying to pressure Jou-chan. He knows how much her father meant to her. Why I ought to..." Sano trailed off once he noticed Kenshin's silent demeanor.
"Kenshin, what are you going to do? You are going to put a stop to this aren't you?"

Before Kenshin could respond, the door opened and Yahiko, Ayame and Suzume came in.
"Hey guys! Why the long faces?" Yahiko asked.
"?!?"
******
Once Yahiko had been updated on Kaoru's condition and subsequent engagement, he stared at them like they had suddenly grown two heads.
"Are you telling me Kaoru's engaged? Man, I was only gone two hours. How can she get herself ill and engaged in two hours! " Inwardly he worried about her, but refused to look weak in front of Kenshin and Sano.
"Just lucky I guess." Sano joked. Finding himself the only one who saw the humor in the situation, he stopped laughing.
"Well, let's just tell this jerk he can't marry her. He can't force her to go through with it. Right?" Yahiko asked.
Sano nodded to him. He was starting to feel uneasy with Kenshin's reaction. Kenshin was more quiet than usual. That wasn't a good sign.
"He won't force her to do anything she doesn't want." Kenshin said quietly, though there was a small hint of malice in his words. Yahiko and Sano shuddered at it.
"Well, I should probably go check on the old hag. Make sure she's following orders." Yahiko said casually. Kaoru was a sister/mother to him and had treated him like family. Even though they fought constantly, it was just like family members would. He knew she cared about him and accepted him as her brother.
"Remember, no upsetting her. And don't call her names either. I doubt being called old hag would make her feel better." Sano said.
"Don't be stupid. I'm not going to upset her. Geez, stop treating me like some kid." Yahiko grumbled as he headed for her room. Kenshin and Sano grinned at his retreating back.
Knocking softly on her door, he was granted entrance. Kaoru was lying down in bed, completely exhausted from her day. She smiled when she saw Yahiko's
anxious face. He came over and sat on her bed.

"Um...Kenshin told me you weren't feeling well. Are you okay, now?"

"I'm tired that's all. I guess I have been working to hard." Kaoru admitted.

He agreed with that. "Baka woman, you need to slow down and stop being so stubborn. You..." he cut himself off quickly, when he realized he'd just insulted her. *Geez, real smart Yahiko. Why don't you insult her some more and get her all upset.* He was mad at himself for doing what he had just promised not to. But Kaoru didn't look angry at him as he assumed she would.

She touched his smaller hand. She understood he was worried about her, so she didn't take offense. "You'reright. I do need to slow down." Kaoru agreed.
Secretly she grinned at the shock on his face when she readily agreed with him, instead of insulting him.

"Uh, yeah. I know I'm right. I-I'll let you rest then." He got off her bed and walked to her door. "If you need anything...just call and I'll get it for you."

*Tough guy, huh? He's a big softy.* Smiling back at him, she nodded. Kaoru turned and laid down to sleep. She heard the door close as she drifted off.

******
It had been a week since Kaoru's fainting episodes and Matsumi's visit. He had not tried to physically contact her after the first day. The guys were all hoping he'd been scared off. Kaoru, for her part didn't bring up the engagement. Like a bad dream, she wanted it all to go away. The past week had been very relaxing for her and calming to her nerves. The guys had been waiting on her hand and foot and fussed her out if she tried to do something.The last thing she wanted was to think of a forced engagement.

She was just finishing up a check up by Megumi, when Sano burst into the clinic. Kenshin, who walked Kaoru over, arched his brow at Sano's entrance. It had to be something big. Hearing the commotion, Megumi and Kaoru peaked outside the exam room door.

"Kaoru! You need to get home now. You have to see what's going on." Sano blurted out in a huff.

"What is it?" Kaoru asked afraid to know what had him so uptight.

"No time to talk. Come and see yourself." Sano replied grabbing Kaoru's hand, dragging her out of the doors. Kenshin and Megumi followed closely behind.

******

When Kaoru first caught sight of the Kamiya dojo, she didn't notice anything weird. But as she got closer, her eyes bugged out. Every inch of the grounds had to be covered in silks, fabrics, jewelry and clothing. Boxes and cases littered the area. And Matsumi stood among it all.

"Matsumi-san. What is all this?" Kaoru asked in wonder.

"Kaoru, I have come to officially ask your hand in marriage."

*Marriage!* Kenshin couldn't help but stare in disbelief. It had hard enough knowing Kaoru was engaged, but now this guy was boldly courting her. He wasn't going to give up like he thought. Kenshin worked to control is temper.

Kaoru blushed as she frantically tried to think of a way out of this situation. She wanted to do right by her father, but she didn't want to marry someone she didn't love. Marriage was serious. When she married, she wanted it to be to Kenshin.

"Oh my. This was unexpected. But why did you bring over all these things?" She waved her hands as she looked around in astonishment.

"Your husband should be able to provide you the best things in life. I can. I could give you anything you desire." Matsumi stated proudly.

Kaoru sweatdropped. "That's very sweet of you to want to give me such nice gifts, but I cannot accept. My husband doesn't need to be rich or able to buy me expensive belongings. That doesn't matter to me. Matsumi, buying me presents won't change anything. You've had time to get use to the idea. I still need time to think about this." *Yeah, like fifty long years.*

"This all may be new to you, but not to me. I've loved you since we were children. I would be honored if you accept my proposal of marriage." Matsumi claimed, grabbing her hands into his. Sano, Kenshin and Megumi stared at the soap opera unfolding in front of them in amazement.

Kenshin narrowed his eyes at the couple, but remained silent. *No one was taking her from him!* Megumi and Sano felt the anger radiating from Kenshin and were afraid he'd lose control and become the Battousai.

Kaoru continued blushing, as she stalled for time. She looked at her friends watching them quietly from the side. *Why doesn't Kenshin say anything? Maybe he doesn't care about me at all.*

"Are you in love with someone else, Kaoru? Is that why you won't agree to marry me?" Matsumi asked.

Her blushed went up a couple of notches at the question. *Damn, she couldn't just say yes. Not with Kenshin there. But if she said no, Kenshin might not know she cared.* Her eyes found Megumi, pleading for help. Megumi tactfully intervened on her behalf .

"I'm sorry mister,but Kaoru just recovered from her exhaustion. She doesn't need any added stress. I suggest you give her the time she's asked for." It wasn't a request. Megumi glared hard at him. He flushed under her scrutiny and dropped Kaoru's hands.

"I'll go and let you think. But please, keep everything I've given you. They are gifts I want you to have." He bowed to her, which she returned. After he walked clear of the entrance way, Kaoru loudly sighed.

Megumi sifted through some of Kaoru's many gifts and was very impressed. She did know how to charm a man, didn't she? Sano also whistled at all the junk she got. Man, this guy had it bad for her. He looked at his friends stone face. Poor Kenshin.

Kaoru groaned at the gifts.What was she going to do with all these items? "Could you help me carry this inside? It wouldn't be right to just leave it here."

"You're not lifting a thing. Go inside and relax." Kenshin ordered.

"But Megumi just gave me a clean bill of health." she protested.

"Even so, you don't need to be over exerting yourself. Go inside and rest, Kaoru." Kenshin said firmly. She grumbled at him, but did as ordered.

Once she was out of ear shot, Sano pounced. "Kenshin, you better nip this in the bud now. You can't let some guy come in and steal your girl."

Ignoring Sano, Kenshin started picking up Kaoru's packages. He could never afford to get her these things. She deserved better than him, but he still couldn't let go of feeling she was his.

Sano sighed exasperated. He turned to Megumi, who was watching Kenshin wistfully. For some reason that irked him more than usual. He pushed that thought aside. He had to interfere or Kenshin would lose Kaoru.












That 's it for the first chapter in this two parter. Hope you enjoyed it and will be back for more.
Please review and no flames! Hell, if you do flame me, I'll just lick my tongue at ya. C-ya!