Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Never for the Public... ❯ All’s Wed That Ends Wed ( Chapter 15 )

Never for the public…

Chapter 15 - All's Wed That Ends Wed

Chapter Summary - Kenshin's and Kaoru's Wedding Celebration

 

This story has not been beta'd.

 

Summary: Kaoru's suffered a traumatic experience resulting in anxiety attacks. How does Kenshin plan to cure her? This story is based on the manga and anime up to the end of the Kyoto Arc, and ignores the Jinchuu Arc. However, sometime before this story, Kenshin does confide his past to his friends (same roundtable as in manga, different reasons irrelevant to this story)…

 

Note: The Japanese language is highly flexible and very beautiful. Although I do love mixing Japanese with English to try to keep the story true, I believe there is a limit which can severely decrease a story's enjoyment factor. I decided to ignore Kenshin's changes between his use of “sessha” versus “ore,” although I felt it necessary to keep “de gozaru.” Nevertheless, this story does contain MANY Japanese phrases. I've included a glossary at the end for reference. I apologize to those whom may not enjoy this story due to the intricate language mix.

 

Disclaimer: I do not own, nor claim to own, any part of Watsuki Nobuhiro-dono's creations.

Rated: X

 

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December 14, 1878

 

Kaoru woke up slowly, snuggling closer into Kenshin's body as he ran his fingers soothingly through her hair… Kenshin?! Her eyes snapped open and she raised her head to look up into his smiling eyes.

 

“Ohayo, Koishii,” he greeted, his hand moving from her hair to her cheek.

 

“You stayed in bed?” she asked surprised.

 

“You are not pleased?” he smirked, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

 

“No, no, I don't mean that!” she cried chagrined. He burst out into delightful laughter

 

“Mou, Kenshin no gaki!”

 

Kaoru hugged him tightly to herself and laid her chin on his chest, savoring his genuinely happy display of emotion. Kenshin's laughter died down and he turned on his side, wholly embracing her to himself. She scooted up eye-to-eye with him.

 

“Ohayo, Anata,” she simpered, winking at him. Kenshin cupped her cheek in his palm and gazed into her eyes. Kaoru felt warmth infuse her body, the weight of his emotions for her staggering in their depth. His hand moved from her cheek to her back. He pulled her closer, tilting his head to kiss his wife…

 

“OI! Hurry up and get up! We're not doing all this work on an empty stomach, you know!” Yahiko yelled through their bedroom door. They both startled, letting out a sigh of relief as they listened to him stomp away towards the kitchen.

 

“Yareyare, there goes another of my gakis,” Kaoru joked as she sat up, leaning her upper body weight down on one hand. Kenshin hummed as he purposefully let his hand fall from her back to her breast. He sat up closer to her, his thumb circling playfully around her nipple. Diving down, he suckled on said nipple. Kaoru ran her hand through his hair, temporarily allowing herself to wallow in the pleasant sensations. Sighing heavily, she tried to pull back from his grasp, but Kenshin was having none of it. He wrapped his arm around her back, mischievously increasing his ardor.

 

“Gah! Kenshin, get off me!” she laughed at his not-so-innocent, childish frolicking, shoving him amusedly back to the futon. Kaoru quickly jumped up to her feet, and scrambled away from the futon as he darted forward to, purposefully, miss grabbing her ankle. He pouted adorably as she donned a yukata…

 

“So since we're married, now I'm one of the gakis, de gozaru?” he smirked, standing up to attempt hunting his own yukata.

 

Kaoru laughed as she gathered her bathing materials into a carrying bucket. Kenshin dug through the blankets, finally finding his yukata. Kaoru moved to the other side of the futon and worked on shaking out the blankets.

 

“Don't kid yourself… you were gaki number one!”

 

Kaoru quickly found herself tumbling in a ball of laughter and blankets back down on top of the futon, Kenshin rascally tackling her.

 

“OI! You two lovebirds stop messing around in there! Hurry up and get out here, Kenshin, I'm starving!” Sanosuke bellowed suddenly, scaring them half to death when he pounded on their door.

 

“Tori-atama no BAKA! If you break my door, so help me you'll spend the day here fixing it and I won't save you one single bite of food!” Kaoru bellowed viciously. Sanosuke laughed.

 

“Oh! Jou-chan, you can still speak? Guess you went easy on her last night, ne Kenshin? Either way, hurry the hell up, get your humble ass out here, and feed us!” Sanosuke teased on his way towards the kitchen.

 

“Mou Kenshin, it's a good thing you kept your house in Otsu… We will definitely need vacation time away from those two!” Kaoru steamed angrily; Kenshin laughed joyously again. He held her close and fondly rubbed his hand on her lower stomach…

 

“I dunno, Koishii… I think this is all the quiet time we'll have before this little one comes along.”

 

“Aa mou!” she laughed with him.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“No, I don't think so!” Kaoru harumphed.

 

“Mou, Kaoru-chan, please? I know you didn't dress up for your marriage ceremony… at least do it for your wedding!” Tae pleaded.

 

“I think the white powder would look beautiful on you, Kaoru-san” Tsubame offered meekly.

 

“She's already married to him, and he's already got her knocked up… I have to agree with the tanuki-chan for once!” Megumi stewed, as equally miffed as Kaoru.

 

“MOU MEGUMI--!“ Kaoru started to snap.

 

“Maa maa, what's going on in here, de gozaru?” Kenshin slid open the door and peeked inside upon hearing the commotion. Three female voices roared, one timidly squeaked, at him…

 

“Ken-san no baka, get out!”

 

“Kenshin no baka!”

 

“Ken-san, you mustn't see the bride before the wedding!”

 

“Kenshin-san!”

 

Kenshin's eyes bulged and he quickly slammed the door shut when various projectiles suddenly hurtled in his direction.

 

“How did Kenshin-san's hair get so messy already, and why is he wearing his sakabatou?” Tsubame asked.

 

“That would be any number of men catching him in noogies since this morning, and a bunch of the strongest fighters in all of Japan will be at the wedding. There's no way Kenshin would leave the sakabatou here at home, even if it is a wedding ceremony. All men are bakas,” Kaoru huffed.

 

“And you married the biggest baka of them all, so stop whining! Now if you'll excuse me, someone has to guard dinner from the rest of those bakas!” Megumi huffed on her way out. Kaoru sighed, then chuckled.

 

“Kaoru-chan? You're not upset with Megumi-san?” Tae asked.

 

“No, for all of her bad-mouthing, she really does care… it's how she shows she cares, actually. I mean, look at how gorgeously she did my hair! Megumi is like Kenshin; their actions show their deepest feelings, rather than words. Come to think of it, Sanosuke and Yahiko are the same way. I guess I just wear my heart on my sleeve,” Kaoru smiled inwardly.

 

“Yahiko voices his emotions… he usually does with me,” Tsubame said thoughtfully. Kaoru and Tae winked at each other.

 

“Is that so, Tsubame-chan?” Tae winked. Tsubame turned crimson.

 

“K-Kaoru-san, I'll help with your makeup!” Tsubame cried out, belatedly realizing her faux pas as Kaoru and Tae laughed…

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Ken-nii!!! Ken-niisan!!!”

 

“Oro?”

 

Kenshin bent down to one knee for support as Ayame and Suzume plowed into him, almost knocking him flat on his back, each little girl vying to give him the biggest hug. Kenshin laughed joyously as he got back up on his feet with a cutie in each arm.

 

“Ken-nii, you look handsome today!” Ayame complimented.

 

“Handsome, handsome!” Suzume happily echoed.

 

“Sou ka, de gozaru na?” Kenshin laughed again.

 

“Ken-san, time to get up on stage!” Megumi came over to him. Kenshin nodded, carrying the girls and following Megumi up the stairs to the temporarily-erected, wooden stage. They joined the group already on the stage: Kaoru, Sanosuke, Yahiko, Gensai-sensei, Tae, Tsubame, Aoshi, Misao, and the Shinto priest.

 

“Are you ready, Himura-kun?” Suzuki Hiromasa kindly asked. Kenshin lowered the girls to the stage floor and looked over to Kaoru. They met each other's eyes and nodded, before he looked back to the priest.

 

“Hai, de gozaru yo, Suzuki-dono,” Kenshin replied. Kenshin and Kaoru moved to center-stage, standing six feet apart from each other, side-by-side, facing the audience. In front of them, Sanosuke and Yahiko stood side-by-side to Kenshin's left, facing Gensai-sensei and Tae on Kaoru's right, forming a `U' shape. Megumi, Ayame, and Suzume stood in a line behind Gensai-sensei and Tae, as Aoshi and Misao stood behind Sanosuke and Yahiko. Everyone except Kenshin and Kaoru held an empty sake cup. Suzuki picked up a jug of fine sake from the ground, and poured some into everyone's cups, pouring only enough for a sip into Ayame's and Suzume's cups. He then moved to stand at the open-side of the U, facing the audience.

 

“We are gathered here today to make public the marriage of Himura Kenshin and Kamiya Kaoru, recorded in Kyoto on November 23, 1878.”

 

Suzuki turned to Kaoru's `family,' “By drinking the sake, you all acknowledge Himura Kenshin as Kamiya Kaoru's rightful husband and willingly accept him into your family.” Everyone on Kaoru's side drank their sake. Now he turned to Kenshin's side…

 

“By drinking the sake, you all acknowledge Kamiya Kaoru as Himura Kenshin's lawful wife and willingly accept her into your family.” Everyone on Kenshin's side drank their sake.

 

“Please step forward,” Suzuki said, stepping away from the U and off to the side. The two families bowed deeply to each other as Kenshin and Kaoru walked down between them up to the edge of the stage. They turned to each other and bowed respectfully. Kenshin took three steps towards Kaoru, as she did the same towards him. She started to turn back towards the audience…

 

“Kaoru.”

 

Kaoru startled at Kenshin interrupting the end of the ceremony. She tilted her head in confusion, “Nani, Kenshin?” She watched as a cute blush crept across his nose and cheeks. Kenshin seemed to be preparing himself for something… major. She could only wonder as he took a deep breath, and lifted his right hand, holding his palm out to her. Shocked silence swept through the landscape as time stopped.

 

Now it was Kaoru's turn to blush hotly, astonished at his extremely intimate gesture, most especially in public. She looked up into his eyes...

 

Magnetized by the unconditional love reflected in his beautifully rich, deep violet pools, she smiled. Deciding to be impulsive as him, she also chose to break a public affection taboo by stepping into his private space as she took his hand. Gazing into her eyes, Kenshin beheld all the love she has for him… Rurouni… Battousai… Kenshin… Shinta… her love, for him… utterly, completely. He gently squeezed her hand and twined their fingers, smiling when she squeezed back. The roar of the audience suddenly filled their ears as they realized that in their moment, they'd never heard when the loud hooting and hollering had begun. Kenshin and Kaoru smiled at each other, beholding their multitude of friends and family with exuberant joy.

 

“Minna-san, I introduce you to my husband, Himura Kenshin.”

 

“Minna-san, I introduce you to my wife, Himura Kaoru.”

 

“It is our pleasure to have you with us,” they bowed together, still holding hands… as one.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Much later that afternoon…

 

“That was a beautiful ceremony, Kaoru! You look spectacular! Who did your hair? Mou, I can't believe you're holding Himura's hand in public! Are you two crazy?! Did you two plan that, or was it spur of the moment? I didn't know you both were so bold, especially Himura; he's so bashful, I never would've expected that from him of all people!” Misao chirped out excitedly without taking a breath. Kaoru stood hand-in-hand with Kenshin, turned away from each other at the moment, exhausted but chatting happily with the throng of people still swarming them…

 

“Arigatou, Misao-chan,” Kaoru smiled amusedly, trying to ignore her annoyance with Misao's typically immature tactlessness.

 

“So I guess you two made it out ok after all?” a young boy's voice said.

 

“Eiji!” Misao dropped to her knees, cheerfully hugging the orphaned boy. Kenshin turned around when he heard Eiji's name.

 

“How have you been faring, de gozaru yo, Eiji?” he stepped over and patted Eiji's head with his free hand.

 

“He's been doing very well, actually, Himura-san,” Fujita Tokio said, coming up behind Eiji and placing her hands on his shoulders. Everyone nearby gaped, staring silently open-mouthed at the unknown, alluring Venus whom somehow knew Kenshin…

 

“I didn't know your rudeness extended to women, Battousai,” Saito snipped out as he joined Tokio's side.

 

“Oro?!”

 

Misao grabbed Kenshin's kosode and pulled him down to her…

 

“Himura, the Buddha, remember?” she whispered conspiratorially in his ear.

 

“Aaaaah, sou ka!” Kenshin smiled.

 

“I heard that, weasel-girl,” Saito snarled. Kenshin laughed nervously, temporarily letting go of Kaoru's hand to hold Misao back just as she revealed her ever-hidden kunai…

 

“Kaoru, you already know Saito, de gozaru yo,” Kenshin introduced as Kaoru growled ferociously, fire in her eyes. “Allow me to introduce his wife, Fujita Tokio-dono, de gozaru yo.”

 

“WIFE?!!!” Kaoru screeched shocked, then quickly covered her mouth. “Gomen nasai, gomen nasai!” she begged, bowing repeatedly and blushing brightly, highly embarrassed at her rude outburst. Tokio laughed tickled and linked her arm through Saito's.

 

“That's the usual reaction. Don't worry, Himura-san, Kaoru-san, eeto…?”

 

“Makimachi Misao… gomen nasai, Fujita-san,” Misao hastily apologized, bowing as well.

 

“I take no offense,” Tokio smiled gracefully.

 

“But what about Eiji? Who's taking care of him?” Misao asked.

 

“We adopted him as our own son,” Tokio answered, placing her other hand on Eiji's shoulder.

 

“What are you doing here, kisama?” Sanosuke came up, good-naturedly greeting Saito.

 

“Ooooh, since when are toris allowed out of their coop?” Saito provoked.

 

“Yarou--!”

 

“Maa maa, Sano!”

 

“Don't maa maa me, Kenshin! I still have unfinished business with this kisam… OI! Don't you dare ignore me, bakayarou!” Sanosuke yelled at Saito's back, as Saito, Tokio, and Eiji turned to hold a conversation with Aoshi.

 

“Congratulations, Himura-kun, Kaoru-kun,” came from behind them. Kenshin and Kaoru turned around, rejoining hands.

 

“Arigatou, de gozaru yo, Yamagata-san… and arigatou for the carriage the other day. Katajikenai, de gozaru na,” Kenshin bowed slightly at the waist and dipping his head to Yamagata.

 

“Arigatou gozaimasu, Yamagata-sama,” Kaoru bowed formally at the waist.

 

“I'm just glad to see you finally happy, Himura-kun. I know Katsura-san and Takasugi-san would have both wished to have been here were they still alive,” Yamagata said kindly.

 

“Aa, I miss them as well, de gozaru yo, Yamagata-san,” Kenshin smiled as kindly.

 

“We will talk again, Himura-kun… until then,” Yamagata said, then turned to take his leave. Kaoru looked at Kenshin's very happy smile, shining brightly in his eyes. She held her breath, blushing shyly, as he turned to look into her eyes…

 

“Congratulations, Kenshin-san, Kaoru-san!”

 

Kenshin and Kaoru smiled as they turned to greet the young couple. “I'm so glad you could make it, Tadashi-san, Akiha-san!” Kaoru greeted.

 

“We both are glad, de gozaru yo,” Kenshin smirked wickedly as he tugged on Kaoru's hand. Kaoru grinned sheepishly.

 

“We brought some strawberries with us from the garden; they've already been delivered to your dojo,” Akiha informed them. Kenshin and Kaoru laughed.

 

“Arigatou, however, I doubt there'll be any left by the time we make it back home, de gozaru na,” Kenshin laughed. Kaoru suddenly tiptoed up to Kenshin's ear.

 

“Kenshin, I need a break from all this!” she complained to him. He turned only his eyes to her, nodding subtlely in agreement.

 

“So then, we'll see you both back at the dojo later for dinner?” Kenshin asked, firmly squeezing Kaoru's hand.

 

“Hai! We'll see you both later!” Akiha answered knowingly; Tadashi smiled and guided her back into mingling with the crowd. Kenshin and Kaoru started making their way from the front of the crowd towards the back…

 

“Himura-kun, Kaoru-kun, come up here with us!” Okina yelled boisterously from up on the stage, where a dozen drunken people were all having a karaoke-fest, entertaining the sloven, inebriated crowd.

 

“Ah ha ha, I don't do singing, de gozaru yo, Okina-dono!” Kenshin replied sheepishly, yelling loudly to be heard over the raucous crowd as he rubbed the back of his head. Kaoru tugged him towards the edge of the crowd. They greeted, made polite, and thanked their way to the surrounding glade's tree-line. Kenshin quickly realized Kaoru's plan, and took over guiding them. Using his hitokiri's grace, he stealthily pushed Kaoru behind him and slid around behind a tree.

 

“Kaoru, there're too many skilled fighters here… I doubt we'll sneak away unnoticed,” he whispered in her ear.

 

“That's right, especially since now we have to make sure you keep to your new no-wandering vow, in addition to your no-killing vow, after all,” Sanosuke smirked from the other side of the tree as he ambled to its side, startling the couple. He comfortably leaned back against the tree, chewing thoughtfully on the wispy tree branch he'd found earlier as he crossed his arms above his head.

 

“Sanosuke!” Kaoru shivered in surprise.

 

“If you two are trying to make a break for it, now's the time… but I'm only giving you twenty minutes or so. I refuse to fend the gakis off the desserts for longer than that.”

 

“Arigatou, Sano,” Kenshin smiled gratefully as he picked up Kaoru in his arms.

 

“Aaaaa, Kenshin, wait!” Kaoru wailed, startled.

 

Using his god-like speed, he raced through the foliage to the rockface beside the waterfall. Kenshin launched them up into the high tree branches, easily hopping from tree-to-tree. Kaoru held onto him breathlessly, eventually enjoying the exhilaration of the ride. He jumped down, landing on the hidden cliffside ledge he had scanned out earlier in the week, and sped behind the cascading liquid. Kaoru's mouth opened in fascination.

 

“This is beautiful!” she gaped at the hidden alcove as he gently set her down, keeping her tenderly in the circle of his arms.

 

“I thought you might like this, Koishii,” he said. Unable to wait any longer, he pulled her up into a deep kiss. They held each other lovingly, hands gently cherishing each other until they broke apart for air…

 

“Mou Kenshin, how did we end up with over one-hundred people here? You know far too many people; it's all your fault!” Kaoru giggled.

 

“Sou ka?” he replied softly amused. Draping his arms around her shoulders, he snugly embraced her; she rested her chin on his shoulder, hugging him tightly. They treasured each other, enjoying the waterfall's serenity, barely able to hear the wild party far down at the bottom of the waterfall. Without warning, Kenshin expediently let go of her and dropped into a battoujutsu stance, hand over his sakabatou's hilt…

 

“Who's there?!” he snarled threateningly.

 

“His fault indeed… he always was a troublemaker,” a tall, powerful shadow appeared languidly from the back of the cave. Hiko Seijuro lazily walked up to them and took a long swig off his sake jug, “… of course now that he's getting old, my baka deshi is getting soft in the senses.”

 

“Shishou!” Kenshin straightened surprised, then frowned. “Shishou, were you watching us the whole time?”

 

“Konnichiwa, Hiko-shou,” Kaoru bowed smiling. Hiko smirked at the cute little couple, focusing on Kaoru as he pointedly ignored his baka deshi, just to stir Kenshin's annoyance.

 

“So, you've taken my baka deshi to be your baka deshi now? Well, I wish you luck with him; it always was difficult to get anything through that thick skull of his,” Hiko waved only once as he left the cave, effortlessly hopping out onto the tree branches back the way they had entered. Kaoru watched Kenshin's face as he felt for Hiko's ki rejoining the party. She reached up to stroke his scarred cheek, pulling his face back down towards hers. He smiled, gazing lovingly into her eyes.

 

“You're sad he's leaving tonight…”

 

“I'll see him again. He wouldn't miss this…” Kenshin said as he trailed his hand down to her lower stomach. “Did you know... he shared sake with me last night.”

 

“I take it that he never shares sake with anyone?”

 

“No, he'll drink sake with few people, but other than when I was growing up with him, he's never shared his own sake with anyone. After I joined the war, and after my training for Shishio, I was positive he would never share sake with me ever again, much less want Battousai's unworthy presence continued in his life...”

 

Kaoru sighed chastisingly as she cupped his face, looking into his eyes. “Don't make me beat you on our wedding day, Kenshin! You are NOT unworthy! You are the son he never had. More than that, Kenshin, you are the son he's always wanted. He is so very proud of you, although I think that arrogant yarou would keel over and die if he actually thought about it,” she smiled amusedly. Kenshin swallowed hard, hiding his eyes below his bangs for a moment before looking back to her.

 

“Aishiteru, Koishii,” he whispered, taking her face in his hands as he pulled her close.

 

“Aishiteru, Anata,” she whispered, joining her lips with his for a long, sweet kiss. Kenshin dropped down to his knees, nuzzling his cheek on Kaoru's flat stomach as she ran her hands through his messy hair. He turned to place a kiss on her soon-to-be expanding stomach…

 

“Ai no Little One.”

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Sugoi! We made two ryo in goshugi!” Kaoru exclaimed as Kenshin tugged off his tabi…

 

“Good thing you're not counting that within earshot of Sano or Yahiko,” Kenshin laughed.

 

“I should get married more often,” she replied naughtily. He snuck up behind her, grabbed her waist, and tickled her down to the floor.

 

“Kenshin, the kimono!” she squealed.

 

“Daijoubu yo, I won't wrinkle it too badly, de gozaru,” he cajoled, suckling on her ear as she giggled. He stood up and pulled her up with him.

 

“I think we should use the money for a vacation,” she said as she threw her arms around his shoulders.

 

“Oro? We just spent two months in Otsu?” he asked puzzled.

 

“Are you calling that a vacation, Kenshin?!” she chastised poutingly.

 

“Maa maa, the last half could be called a vacation, Koishii,” he laughed.

 

“What I mean is I want to spend this money on our family,” Kaoru clarified.

 

“Sou ka… but what shall we treat them to? Sano would never stay awake through a play, de gozaru na… We've all been to the hot springs twice in one year, not to mention Kyoto and Yokohama…” Kenshin mourned playfully.

 

“And we've already had too many parties here lately…” Kaoru chimed in.

 

“I know! You could pay Sano's bill at the Akabeko!” Kenshin smirked, winking at her.

 

Kaoru stared wide-eyed at Kenshin, then they both burst out laughing uncontrollably, tears leaking from their eyes. They held each other, unable to contain their mirth at the thought of just how absurd Sanosuke's bill should be by now. Laughter brimming down to warm chuckles, Kenshin stared at his lovely wife.

 

“Saa, let's figure it out later, Koishii…” Kenshin sucked her lips between his. He slowly kneeled down, kissing her clothed body all the way down, then picked up each of her feet and pulled off her tabi. Standing up on his knees, he hugged her waist, kissed over her womb, then rose to his feet and into her arms.

 

Kaoru pushed his kosode off his shoulders and went to hang it on the kimono rack. Kenshin came up behind her and carefully untied her intricate obi. With the obi in one hand, he reached up and swiftly tugged her hair ribbon out with the other. He walked around her and hung up the two accessories. Kaoru smiled, highly amused as she reached around from behind him and undid the formal tie on his kimono, letting the tie's ends drop to hang loose. She pulled down his hair tie, and threw it on top of their bedroom table. Smoothing her hands sensually down his chest and abdomen, she deftly untied the front of his hakama, and then the back. Kenshin stepped out of the fallen, bunched material, which she promptly hung up, straightening out the wrinkles. Kaoru smirked as she turned back to meet Kenshin's smile, seeing how he was enjoying this game as much as herself.

 

Kenshin stepped forward, cupping her face in his hands. He leaned down and chastely kissed her, his hands smoothing down her neck to her shoulders, where he parted open her formal kimono and formal juban, baring her completely to him. Slipping off the heavy garments, he turned to hang them on the rack.

 

“I really like that white kimono on you, Kenshin,” she giggled.

 

“I'd be doing triple the laundry if my daily kimono was white… it's enough that my hakama are still somewhat white after all these years!” he laughed.

 

“Sou ka?” she teased, slipping off his formal kimono and formal juban. Turning to hang up the final clothing, she missed him slinging off his fundoshi wildly as he steered for the futon, jumping in under the covers. Kaoru looked back to see him lying on his side, smiling roguishly up at her.

 

“Mou, gaki-chan,” she chuckled at his comical antics.

 

“Come here, let me give Okaachan a hug!” he teased coyly. Kaoru exaggerated a dramatic sigh, getting under the covers with him and into his arms. She laid her head on his shoulder as he tucked her snugly into his side, laying his cheek on top of her head. She broadly yawned…

 

“Anata?”

 

“Hmmm?”

 

“Did you enjoy yourself today?”

 

“Aa… and you, Koishii?”

 

“Aa,” she mumbled sleepily. He ran one hand through her hair and the other up and down her back. Kenshin nuzzled her forehead, waiting for her to reciprocate his advances. Another minute went by, but Kaoru had stilled. Blinking worriedly, he lifted his head and peeped down at her. She was out to the world, her lips parted as she quietly snored, the overwhelming events of the extremely active day taking their toll. Smiling lovingly, he watched Kaoru sleep for another few moments. He kissed her forehead, then took some deep breaths as he laid back down, relaxing his body's excitement. After all, they have the rest of their lives to play together… Pleasant surprise warmed his weary limbs as he quickly followed her into a fitful, peaceful slumber…

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

“Anata…”

 

Kenshin sat with his back against a porch beam, the sun shining soothingly across his prone form. He gazed serenely at the overflowing green landscape surrounding his tiny house in Otsu. Strange though, he's never been in Otsu during the spring… He looked down at himself, surprised to see his usual magenta kimono and white hakama outfit, sakabatou on the porch at his side. He was barefooted, his hair billowing softly behind him, hanging loose in the incessantly dreamlike breeze…

 

“Anata…”

 

Kenshin tilted his head back to look towards the front of the house, noticing a figure standing at the corner of the porch, hands clasped in front of her. His breath caught as he stared at a white kimono with a dangling long, blue, silk scarf. Following his gaze upwards, he met with Tomoe's serious eyes.

 

“Tomoe,” he breathed out anxiously.

 

“Kenshin, did you enjoy your wedding today?” she asked.

 

“Aa,” he answered hesitantly. She frowned.

 

“I'm not upset, you know.”

 

Kenshin heavily stood, hanging his sakabatou on his belt, and walked up to her. She reached out and took his hands in hers.

 

“Are you truly not upset, my Tomoe?” he whispered mournfully. She reached up and lovingly caressed his scarred cheek with her fingers…

 

“No… I'm so happy your love did not die with me, my Kenshin. No, my Kenshin no longer. You belong to her now. She's a pure-hearted, strong young woman… strong enough to handle the legendary Battousai. Now, this will finally heal,” Tomoe's lips unnoticeably curled up slightly at the sides as she lightly caressed the large, cross-shaped scar on his left cheek; she met his eyes, “I can finally rest, trusting her with your care.”

 

“Tomoe!” Kenshin breath hitched panicked. He grabbed Tomoe in a fierce hug. “Don't go!”

 

Tomoe chuckled lightly, understanding passing from her being to his. She gently pulled away from him and searched his eyes. “You will never be alone again, Anata. You have a home and a family; you are cherished, as you should be... and she will love you for all the rest of your lives.” She cupped his face, watching him with her unfathomable eyes. Kenshin closed his eyes and leaned his forehead to hers. Tomoe waited patiently as he sorted through his surging emotions. Slowly, ever so slowly, his breathing calmed.

 

“Tomoe…” he opened his glistening eyes. Kenshin lifted both hands to caress her cheeks, “… aishiteru, Koishii.”

 

“Aishiteru, Kenshin… Anata.”

 

Kenshin bent down, ghosting his lips across hers. Tomoe breathed out and pressed into him, deepening the emotional kiss. She ran her hands through his hair, and he sighed in contentment, wrapping his arms lightly around her waist. They kissed in earnest, both enjoying the old, pleasant sensation of being with each other. Much time passed before they began to pull apart, still partaking in loving kisses. Tomoe backed out of his arms and turned around, stepping down from the porch and into her sandals. Kenshin looked up to see another man in the distance. The man was wearing an old Bakumatsu Bakufu uniform, daisho swords hanging from his belt, his hair up in a top-knot… Kiyosato Akira. Tomoe began walking out towards Akira, and suddenly Kenshin understood…

 

“Tomoe.”

 

She stopped momentarily and turned to look back at him.

 

“Arigatou… and… Sayonara, Tomoe,” he smiled tranquilly at her.

 

“Live on, Kenshin… Sayonara,” she broke into a beautifully genuine, wide smile which reached deeply into her eyes for him, then turned back down the road. Kenshin's breath caught in surprise, then a heart-warming, kindly loving smile graced his features. Akira held out his hand, to which Tomoe joined hers. The couple turned and walked off down the long road, disappearing in the early morning's mist...

 

“Finally,” Kenshin whispered, resolutely…

 

Tomoe smiled… for him.

 

~ Owari ~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Reference:

http://www.worldweddingtraditions.com/locations/asian_tradi tions/japanese_traditions.html

 

*** Author's Note:

1) I had so much trouble with the ceremony, that I finally just made one up from scratch, LOL! I'm happy with it; I hope you all enjoy my mini-version.

2) And so we come to the end of this story… sort of. I still have a 23-page, at last count, epilogue to tack on, but due to how I wrote the ceremony, I now have to do a bit of re-writing in the epilogue… Shouldn't take as long though since it is written, unlike this final chapter. Thank you all so much for the ride; it was fun! Plyric

 

Special Thanks:

Neko-sama - Yahiko and Tsubame's story, eh? I dunno if I could successfully guide those two through the four years needed before they turn 15. I've also been asked to write a Sanosuke/Megumi story, but funny enough, those two's relationship, in my mind, is 10x more difficult to comprehend than K/K's. Intriguing ideas though… Thank you for your tremendous support throughout this story! Katajikenai!

 

Jenniebennie-sama - Kenshin in just his hakama is just too yummy… I couldn't resist, especially with ALL of the muscles flexing! ;P Thank you so much for guiding me through this whole story! Katajikenai!

 

Ginny-sama (aka Kokoronagomu) - Your rum balls are the BOMB, girlfriend! Can't have the coconut due to allergies, but OMG yum! And here is the end of the ride. Thank you for being one of my muses; I appreciate you greatly. Katajikenai!

 

Rosie-sama (aka Freaky-hanyou) - Isn't family great for embarassment? ;P Thank you for being on the roller-coaster with me! Katajikenai!

 

Meet.A.L.E.X. - You bring up the excellent point of how this story, born from tragedy, evolved into a happy ending… it amazes me as well! Writing those first two chapters really took a lot out of me (although admittedly considerably less than this final chapter). I'm so glad you enjoyed the ride! Katajikenai!

 

Laughedalot - I'm a total kook in real life myself; comedy's a cinch! ;P Arigatou yo!

 

Katajikenai, minna-san.

 

Glossary:

 

-chan = an honorific pronoun suffix addressed to someone whom is younger, or equal to, in age, or for friends

-dono = an honorific pronoun suffix addressed to someone of important standing… Kenshin uses this over-excessively in connection with his Kenjougo (polite) language use

-kun = an honorific pronoun suffix addressed used by seniors, or schoolteachers, to address junior-aged males, and is still rarely used for females

-sama = an honorific pronoun suffix addressed to a Lord or Lady, usually used for royalty

-san = an honorific pronoun suffix addressed to someone whom is older, or is a stranger

-shou = an honorific pronoun suffix a martial arts apprentice uses to address their master

Aa = an exclamation made in agreement or acknowledgement of the previous statement or gesture

Ai = Love

Aishiteru = I love you

Anata = in this story, a term of endearment usually used by the wife

Arigatou = Thank you

Arigatou gozaimasu = Thank you very much

Baka = idiot

Bakayarou = curse for “Asshole” rarely used due to it's extremely vulgar nature

Bakufu = the opposing war faction, the Tokugawa regime

Bakumatsu = The Late Tokugawa Shogunate period in Japan's history from 1853-1867, ending with the Boshin War of 1868 and the final battle at Toba-Fushimi

Battou-jutsu = (Quick Draw Technique) by whipping the sword out of its sheath, one can increase its speed twice- or three-fold, which can kill with one blow without taking a single blow from one's opponent. This is a real-life kenjutsu technique.

Battousai = Kenshin's name during the Bakumatsu Revolutionary War per his sword-fighting specialty, Battoujutsu… the -sai at the end designates him as a Battoujutsu Master, having perfected every Battou-technique possible

Busu = Ugly

Daijoubu = “It's ok.”, “Are you ok?”, “Everything will be alright.”

Daisho = The daisho, lit. "big and small", is a Japanese term referring to the traditional weapons of the samurai. The daisho is composed of the katana and the wakizashi. The etymology of this word becomes apparent when the terms daito, meaning big sword, and shoto, meaning small sword, are used; daito + shoto = daisho. The katana, the longer of the two swords, was typically employed in man-to-man combat. The wakizashi made an effective main-gauche or close-combat weapon.

De gozaru = an obsolete phrase of extreme politeness added to the end of sentences, roughly translated to “that it is”, a form of “to be”… (I only use one conjugation of de gozaru to keep things simple.)

Deshi = apprentice

Eeto = an exclamation to express “let me see; well; errr...”

Fundoshi = Japanese male loincloth

Gaki = brat; kids

Gomen nasai = I'm very sorry

Goshugi = As a wedding guest, it is customary to offer goshugi as your wedding gift to the wedding couple. Goshugi is commonly known as money and should be given in a festive-colored envelope either before or after the day of celebration. The goshugi can be spent by the wedding couple for wedding-related expenses.

Hai = Yes

Hakama = traditional Japanese pants which resemble a wide, pleated skirt

Hitokiri = Assassin

Jou-chan = Sanosuke's nickname for Kaoru, a shortened form of ojou-chan, or young woman

Juban = undergarment worn beneath kimonos

Katajikenai = Old Samurai language, now obsolete… Thank You formally; grateful; indebted

Kimono = traditional full-length garment of Japan

Kisama = the most vulgar curse for “you” in the second person, most typically used as Bastard or Asshole, or against an enemy you're about to/are in the middle of fight/ing

Koishii = a term of endearment usually used by the husband

Konnichiwa = Hello

Kosode = small, short sleeve, quilted silk `jacket' worn over kimono

Maa = an exclamation to soothe a conversation, or calm someone down

Minna = Everyone

Mou = geez

Nani? = What?

Ne = equivalent to a softly spoken English “hey” or “is that right?”

Obi = Japanese belt which holds kimonos closed

Ohayo = Good Morning

Oi = Hey!

Okaachan = Mommy

Ore = “ I “ (typical brash male pronoun)

Oro = an exclamation, only slightly similar to the English “huh?”

Owari = Japanese traditional way of ending stories, “The End”

Rurouni = homeless wanderer, vagabond

Ryo = A ryo was a gold piece in pre-Meiji Japan. It was worth about sixty monme of silver or four kan (4,000 coins) of copper (the exchange rate fluctuated). It was eventually replaced with a system based on the yen.

Saa = an exclamation similar to the English word “so”

Sakabatou = Kenshin's reversed-blade sword

Sake = Japanese wine

Sayonara = Goodbye (usually in a “the end” or “never again” connotation)

Sessha = this humbled one, this unworthy one… Kenshin uses this over-excessively in connection with his Kenjougo (polite) language use

Shishou = Master (usually of any sort of martial arts training)

Sou ka = “Is that so?” or “I see”

Sugoi = an exclamation to express “cool; amazing; great; wonderful; to a great extent; terrible; dreadful; terrific”

Tabi = Japanese split-toe socks

Tanuki = Raccoon

Tori-atama = Rooster-head

Yareyare = an exclamation made in exasperation, relief, annoyance, or disappointment

Yarou = a “catch-all” curse with many uses such as asshole, bastard, jerk, son-of-a-bitch, etc.

Yukata = a very light kimono worn to bed