Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Now and Forever ❯ Departure ( Chapter 3 )

~ Now and Forever ~

Chapter 3: Departure

Disclaimer: <Standard disclaimers apply….> -as usual, besides, I don't own any of them. (",x);

Kaoru woke up the next day feeling a slight ache in her body. Opening her eyes, her mind vividly recalls the entire episode the night before. Kenshin's amber eyes, the silk of his hair, his warmth…. his passion… she shivered inwardly. It must have been a dream… a dream, she repeated this over and over again in her mind, but as she sat up, the blankets fell to reveal her naked body. "Eeeek!" she shrieked quickly snatching the blankets to cover her once again, *IT WASN'T A DREAM!!!!!!! ALL OF IT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT!!!!!!!* her mind shouted. Another ear-piercing shriek vibrated through the entire house when Kenshin unceremoniously entered her room.

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKKK!!!!! KENSHIN NO BAKA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" she screamed all the while throwing him whatever she could get her hands on.

"OROOOOO?!!!" was his only reply as he flew from Kaoru's room.

Kenshin had been preparing breakfast when he heard Kaoru shriek. Naturally, he quickly went to her room to see what was wrong… only to be met by a very tempting Kaoru. She was holding the blankets to her chest like a shield and her cascaded onto one side of her shoulder… giving him a very, ( and I mean a very tempting) sight of her bare back. Reminding him of what had happened the previous night… lost in his thoughts, he barely heard her screech before his eyes focused on the wooden pail aimed straight into his face. With no time to escape the incoming projectile, it hit him squarely in the face shooting the bewildered rurouni out of her room in no time flat.

Yahiko rushed to Kaoru's room upon hearing his sensei's shout… only to be met by a flying rurouni with a pail stuck in his face. Yahiko scratched his head, *Man?! What's with busu today?* he mentally asked himself as he stared at the still oroing rurouni. Sensing that leaving the scene before him and finishing his chores would be the wisest thing for him to do when he heard a low growl from Kaoru's room, he quickly turned in his heel and returned to the dojo.

Back at Kenshin and Kaoru….

"Ororororo…" said a swirly eyed rurouni a moment before returning to his old self. Standing up and gently rubbing his rubbing head, he re-entered Kaoru's room. She still sat on her futon, hands grasping the covers balled into fists as she gasped for breath. He kneeled beside her, "Kaoru-dono? Are you all right?"

Kaoru looked at him with her face the color as bright as his hair. Kenshin smiled, she looked soooo adorable. He asked her again. Kaoru only nodded as she continued to stare at him. He looked behind him, checking if Yahiko was at the door, when he saw that the young kid was no where in sight, he turned back to the woman still staring at him. This time, he let a huge grin make it's way to his lips all the while looking so fondly at her. Tucking a stray lock of hair from her face to the back of her ear, he told her, "Koishii, I think that you should change before Yahiko barges in here…", his voice fading when the covers started to slip from her grasp, his gaze darkening as he eyed her bare shoulders and back. "Or before I change my mind and lock ourselves in this room and repeat what we just did last night…"

Kaoru blushed a deeper shade of red with what her beloved rurouni has just said. "Aa. I'll just change." came her reply.

She continued to look at him questioningly.

"Oro?"

"Don't you oro me Kenshin, OUT!"

"Mou… can't I stay? I promise I'll be very, very good." He said, giving her his most innocent look.

She smiled seductively, *Kenshin….* leaning forward, she kissed him fully on the lips. Releasing him a few moments later before things could get out of hand, she smiled then pushed him back. "O-U-T….!"

"Oro…. Sniff…sniff… that's really cruel koishii…" he said as he dragged himself out of her room.

Before closing the door he heard her chuckle and gave her reply, "Only for you anata, only for you."

Kenshin smiled before going to the kitchen the picture of her earlier appearance etched in his mind.

Kaoru was surprised when she entered the dining room, as usual, Yahiko clung to Sanosuke's hair biting him, due to the insult he received from the rooster head.

"Nani?! Sanosuke? What are you doing here?"

Sano looked up at her, "Of course, as usual. I'm going to eat breakfast here." He answered her.

"Mou! Sano!!!!!!"

"And, I heard that Kenshin's gonna leave in a couple of days… so I decided to stick around here while he's not here." He added.

"Oh brother." She said while rolling her eyes.

Kenshin smiled as he entered the dinning room, breakfast in hand. He paused to kiss Kaoru fleetingly on the lips while Sano and Yahiko were still killing each other. His smile deepened after seeing her blush then turned his attention to the two rolling on the floor.

"Oro. I think you two should stop before our breakfast gets destroyed even before we have the chance to eat it." He teased them.

After hearing the word breakfast the two stopped their squabble and went to their places. Kenshin and Kaoru soon followed.

"Ok then…" Kenshin said when they were all in place, raising their chopsticks…"ITADAKIMASU!"

After Yahiko went to the Akabeko to help Tae and Sano went off to gamble promising to return during dinner, Kenshin went to Kaoru's room and decided to give her the very thing he had secretly kept all these time.

It had been two months since he had thought of proposing to Kaoru, thoughts which prompted him to buy an engagement ring, but there was always something getting in the way of his proposal or he would lose his nerve to ask her at the very last minute, his doubt winning over his courage.

*Now… nothing's going to stop me from proposing to her and making her mine.* he chuckled at the thought, *it's not as if she has any choice left… since I've already claimed her. Heart, mind… and body. His other half.* he chuckled again.

Stopping directly in front of her room, he paused to inhale deeply the exhaling as he gathered his courage to finally open her door.

"Kaoru-dono?"

Kaoru looked behind her to see Kenshin enter her room and closing the door behind him.

"Hai?"

He approached her slowly before stopping directly in front of her then kneeled, shocking the young woman in front of him.

"Kaoru, will you do this unworthy one the honour of becoming my wife?" he asked her while inserting the ring into her finger.

Kaoru's eyes were immediately filled with tears as she eyed the beautiful engagement ring he slipped in her finger. She had been waiting for this day to come. A year has already passed since she first met and fell in love with him. She eyed the expectant and yet at the same time, anxious rurouni before her, before giving him a bright smile. Throwing her arms around his neck, she sobbed her response in his throat.

"Hai! Hai!" she gasped in his throat as he stroked her hair his smile and joy equal to hers.

*At last… after a year of waiting and battling with my own demons and my own heart… nothing would and could ever separate us my love…* he thought as he stroked her hair, deeply inhaling her sweet jasmine scent.

"Will you wait for me until I return?" he asked her

Kaoru lifted her head from his neck, then gently whacked him on the head. "BAKA! Of course I'll wait for you! I'll wait for you no matter what… besides, I have always waited for you."

Kenshin smiled, "Arigatou koishii… aishiteru…"

She snuggled back into his wittingly warm embrace and murmured in turn, "Mmm, aishiteru, anata."

All of the residents of the Kamiya dojo went with him to see him off. All wishing him good luck, a safe trip and of course, to return home to them in one piece.

"Oi! Kenshin, if you don't come back here in one piece we'll kill you! Got that?"

"Oro…."

"Kenshin…" Megumi purred and slid her arms across Kenshin's neck, enough to send steams into Kaoru's head, "when you get back… be sure to come right over to the clinic so that I can have a complete physical examination on you."

"HEY, FOX DOCTOR! GET YOUR FILTHY PAWS OF MY KENSHIN!" Kaoru growled.

Megumi looked at her slyly…"Tanuki-chan, I'm only being considerate."

"Considerate, my mouth."

Yahiko just shook his head, *Women*, "Ei, Kenshin?"

Kenshin turned his head to the young boy, "Aa?"

"Can't we go with you?"

Kenshin shook his head, "Yahiko, you know I can't. Besides, there's something important I want you to do right here."

Yahiko cocked his head, "Eh? What's that?"

"I need you to protect Kaoru for me, you and Sano."

"That's important?! Man! Kenshin You've got your priorities mixed up!"

Kenshin's eyes met his seriously and answered him, "For me it is."

"Well then. Rest assured. I'll protect Kaoru with my life."

Kenshin smiled and ruffled the young samurai's head. "Arigatou, Yahiko."

Kenshin then turned to Kaoru, he smiled, "Kaoru, take care ok?"

She smiled, "Don't worry about me, you're the one who should take care."

He grinned, then surprised all those with them when he held Kaoru in his arms tightly before kissing her squarely on the lips. A few moments later he raised his head and murmured, "I'll be back koishii… I promise. Aishiteru."

Still holding Kaoru, he turned to his family, "Sano, Yahiko, Megumi, I don't know how long this will take me, but for the mean time, will you take care of Kaoru for me?"

After being left dumbstruck by what their usually shy and demure rurouni's actions, each slowly snapped out of it after hearing Kenshin's request and the way he dropped the 'dono' part on Kaoru's name. It now dawned on all of them that Kenshin and Kaoru were not merely friends anymore. *At last!* came the thought to all of them.

"Don't you worry about jou-chan, she's safe with us." Sano replied.

Megumi nodded then added, "Just for your piece of mind Ken-san, I'll drop by every once in a while just to check up on her."

"Arigatou, minna-san. Kaoru, I'll be back. Promise."

As Kenshin turned to leave, Kaoru answered him in return, "I know. Aishiteru… Himura, Kenshin."

2 Months Later…

"Kaoru! Oi! Tanuki-busu! There's a letter here for you!" yelled Yahiko in the courtyard.

"What the hell did you just call me kid?!" answered very incensed Kaoru.

"TANUKI-BUSU." came the clam reply.

"WHY YOU…………….."

But before Kaoru could pounce on Yahiko, he held the letter in her face.

"EH? Who's it from?"

He shrugged, "Dunno. The only thing that's written there is your name."

Taking the envelope from him, she was about to tear the envelope open when her eyes caught the seal of the japanese police at the back of the envelope. With a sudden feeling of dread, Kaoru opened the letter with trembling hands.

Ms. Kamiya Kaoru,

Since you were the only person known to close to Mr. Himura Kenshin, and since he has been living in your dojo for more than a year, we are most sorry to inform you that Mr. Himura has been reported dead. We had our patrols scouring the entire Kyoto area and other cities, but haven't found him.

Again, our sincere condolences to you and the members of your dojo.

Sincerely,

Kyoto Chief of Police

The letter fell from Kaoru's unfeeling fingers and her face went pale with the realization of what the letter implied.

"It… can't be…. It can't be..." she murmured repeatedly over and over again.

"What can't be? Oi! Busu? What's the matter?"

Picking up the letter he began to read it's contents. His eyes widened with realization. He looked from the letter then at the pale faced Kaoru.

He laughed nervously, "This is just a prank joke Kaoru…Don't worry…. Kaoru….?"

Kaoru collapsed sobbing, "It can't be. He promised me. He would do anything to keep his promise… ne, Yahiko? Ne?"

Yahiko looked unsure and pale at the same time, "hai…" he answered her weakly.

"Demo, he wouldn't leave me…. He wouldn't!", then holding her hands flat in her ears, she screamed.

"NOOOO! IT CAN'T BE TRUE!" she sobbed furiously before her world went black.

to be continued…

On to chapter 4: A Broken Heart

Authors notes:

Aaaaaahhhhhhhhh! The life! At Last! After weeks of writing this I'm finally through! Man! I am sooooooo glad! Please e-mail me on your comments and suggestions! Arigatou minna-san!

-Yuki Ikami