Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ The Most Nerve-Wracking Day Of My Life ❯ Good Tears, Bad Tears, Happy Tears, Sad Tears ( Chapter 2 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

The Most Nerve-Wracking Day of My Life

A Romantic Comedy by: Serenity-chan

POV = * *
Thoughts = ' '
Speaking = " " (Did I really need to say that?)

Chapter Two
(Or "Good Tears, Bad Tears, Happy Tears, Sad Tears")
(Yes, the title is a play on One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. Ha.)


*Souzou*

About four hours later, Midori showed up at the Dakedo. The first thing I noticed about her was her red, puffy eyes. It was obvious that she had been crying and she wouldn't look me in the eyes. Tentatively, I put an arm around her waist and pulled her close to my side. A quick, gentle kiss on her temple only earned a small sniffle. I turned to face her and tilted her face up to mine. She still wouldn't make eye contact and her lower lip was trembling. I smiled at her then leaned in close, kissing her tenderly, though I could only stay for a moment.

"Come on," I said gently as I pulled back only an inch or so. "I can't help if you don't tell me what's wrong..."

Midori was silent for a moment.

"I just feel like I ruined everything," she whispered, sounding as if she was ready to cry again. "If I hadn't got so upset over a stupid burn, then nothing would have happened..."

So that was it; she felt like the whole mess at lunch was her fault... Gently I took her hand so I could take a look at her burn. It was almost blistered, red and raw. I brought her hand to my lips and placed a tender, feather-light kiss on the angry red mark. She winced a little bit, so I kissed her cheek quickly to distract her from the small pain.

"If you hadn't reacted right away, this would have been much worse," I told her, leading her into the Dakedo.

We sat in a booth in the very back of the restaraunt. It was dimly lit and the candle on the table was sandalwood scented. Most people were already at the festival so there weren't very many people there. That meant we could finally sneak a few moments to be close. The feeling of Midori's soft warmth cuddled against my side in the dark was soothing.

Carefully, I slipped my hand into my pocket and pulled out that little box again. A gentle kiss on Midori's temple got her attention. Just as I opened my mouth to ask the question, the waitress showed up with our dinner. Quickly, Midori and I moved away from each other, turning a little bit red. Frustrated again, I shoved the little box back into my pocket.

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*Midori*

Our dinner was fairly quiet, with no major mishaps. That is, until we got some miso soup. It was steaming when the waitress brought it out, so I tentatively dipped my finger into my bowl to test the temperature. I found that it was fine and I raised my hand to my lips to get that little drop off my finger. Souzou's quick actions shocked me, especially considering our surroundings.

He took hold of my hand as I was raising it and brought it to his own mouth. Looking deeply into my eyes, he flicked his tongue over the tip of my finger, catching the little drop. My eyes widened and my cheeks turned red. He continued to hold my gaze as he dipped my finger into his own bowl and brought my hand back to his lips. I gave an almost inaudible gasp as he gently swirled his tongue over my fingertip and drew it into his mouth. My heart skipped a beat as he suckled tenderly on my finger.

When he released me, I tentatively took his hand and dipped his finger in my own soup bowl. Capturing his eyes with mine, I began to suckle on his fingertip just as he had done to me. His eyes widened for a moment, then fell half-closed in contentment. I continued to suckle long after the taste of miso was gone, feeling his sword-calloused skin against my tongue. My own eyes were almost-closed in bliss as well.

When I released Souzou's hand, he tilted my face up to his and looked down into my eyes, his gaze more intense than I had ever seen it before. His dark brown eyes seemed to burn into my own violet ones. Gently, not even checking to see if anyone might be watching, he brushed his lips against mine. A split second pause and our mouths pressed together. We stayed that way until we heard a sharp cough. Fast as lightning, we pulled apart and saw a severe-looking middle-aged woman, obviously the restaraunt's owner, glaring at us. My eyes widened.

"This part of the Dakedo is a restaraunt, not an inn," she said sharply. "If you need a room, kindly go and check into one."

Both of us turned dark red (Souzou's ears even turned pink!) and we left in a hurry. It was almost sunset and Souzou seemed to be getting nervous about something. Tentatively, biting his lip, he took hold of my hand and we slowly headed for the festival's food section. I particularly remembered one of my favorites from last year. They were these tiny fruit-flavored hard candies shaped like hearts. Souzou saw a display of them and got a pack for me.

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*Souzou*

I knew Midori loved those little fruit-flavored candy hearts. I was quite fond of them myself. They seemed to make your mouth freeze for a moment. The sensation was pleasant and left your mouth feeling cool. For me, the best thing about them was that the feeling was better if you shared it with someone... I ducked behind one stall, checked to be sure the owner was occupied and held the pack up to Midori's lips.

"Care to share these with me?" I asked, my tone low and seductive.

Midori took the pack from my hand and gave me a teasingly quick little kiss.

"I'd love to..." she said softly, looking up at me through her long, smoky-black eyelashes.

I grinned suggestively at her, kissed the tip of her nose, and we left the festival. Taking her hand, I led her to a maze-like garden full of hedges and sakura trees. I led her down a path that I had memorized to the secluded corner that hid a pond and a small stone bench. Surely there would be no one to bother us here. Midori's expression became one of wonder as I guided her to duck under one last barrier and gestured around at our location.

"Souzou... This is---" she started, her voice barely above a whisper.

"--- Where we had our first kiss," I finished for her, giving her a quick hug.

I directed her attention back to the candy hearts for a moment.

"Now, I thought we were going to share these," I said in a low voice, winking naughtily at her.

Midori reached up to wrap her arms around my neck, kissing tenderly along my jawline. I poured three little candy hearts into my free hand and placed them on my tongue. A shiver ran down my back as I felt that wonderful freezing sensation. Leaning in close with my mouth slightly open, I kissed her, slow, soft and sweet. As my tongue tenderly parted her lips, the three tiny hearts slipped into her mouth. She moaned softly as she too felt the tingling sensation on her tongue.

Gently, I pulled back from her lips as I heard the first of the fireworks. Sparks the same colors as the candy hearts Midori and I were sharing burst among the stars. The night sky glowed in all the different colors. As more fireworks began going off, I realized that my opportune moment was here at last. There was no way I was going to let it go this time. I sat by Midori on that small stone bench and turned to face her, taking her hands in mine.

"Midori, I have something to say to you," I began slowly. "Will you listen?"

Midori nodded, then tilted her head curiously at me.

"All day, things have just gone from bad to worse," I said somewhat sadly. "Starting with the storm this morning, then Reichi and Sadako found us all over each other. The high point of the day was the disaster at lunch, followed by being told to get a room by the owner of the Dakedo. On top of all that, I've been trying to ask you something all day and I keep getting interrupted!"

Midori's deep violet eyes widened.

"What is it?" she asked in a voice so soft I could barely hear it.

I took a deep breath and stood up, looking at the ground.

"Alright, before anything else happens..." I sighed, then paused.

I slipped my hand into my pocket and took a firm hold on the little box as I pulled it out and hid it behind my back. Midori gave a soft, involuntary gasp as I bent down on one knee. Looking up at her, I saw tears in her eyes.

"Midori," I said softly, bringing the little box out from behind my back and slowly opening it. "Will you marry me?"

A single tear trailed down Midori's cheek and she gave me a sweet smile that looked like it should have belonged to an angel.

"Y-y-yes," she stammered almost inaudibly. "Yes, Souzou. Yes!"

Her hand was shaking as she reached out for her ring. I smiled, though I had tears of joy in my own eyes. My own hand was shaking as I slid the diamond ring onto the third finger of her left hand.

With that, she let herself fall forward into my arms, burying her face in my shoulder. I could feel happy tears soaking into my shirt as she held me tight. A tear escaped from my own eye as I tenderly rubbed her back, trying to ease her rushing emotions.

Slowly, I stood up, taking her with me. Her tears were subsiding but her hold on me was just as tight, as if she had no intention of letting me go. Gently, I pulled back and tilted her face up to mine to kiss her tears away. Light, quick kisses erased the tiny drops from her skin. Smiling at her, I nuzzled the tip of her nose with mine, then kissed it.

"When?" I asked, leaning my forehead against hers.

"When what?" she whispered back, sounding slightly dazed.

I gave her lower lip an affectionate nibble.

"Our wedding, of course," I murmured against her lips.

Midori sighed quietly, tenderly stroking the back of my neck with her fingertips and making me shiver pleasantly.

"I've always dreamed of a spring wedding," she said softly, sounding dream-like and faraway.

"How does the first week of May sound?" I asked, playing with the end of her braid, twirling the end around my fingertip. "Everything will be blooming... What do you say to an outdoor wedding?"

I sat back on the small stone bench and pulled my wife-to-be into my lap, holding her tight. She snuggled happily against my chest, closing her eyes and sighing in contentment. The smile on her face could only be described as radiant. I knew she was already dreaming of the day.

"That sounds absolutely perfect..." she sighed.

I realized that what my father had told me when I told him that I intended to propose to Midori was absolutely true.

"You know what, Midori?" I asked, my words muffled because I was nuzzling against the smooth skin of her throat.

"Hm?" she replied, cupping her hand around the back of my head and holding me where I was.

I pressed a kiss to the pulse point at her throat, eliciting a small moan and making her twitch.

"This was the most nerve-wracking day of my life," I said, smiling fondly. "And I loved every minute of it..."