Aurora Whisperwind: Hi people! This is a regular little one-shot with KK fluff. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or any of its characters.
From her strategic location in the dojo, Kaoru Kamiya sat sipping her tea. She loved this place so much, she could watch Kenshin do the laundry and still pretend to not watch him. She had just finished giving Yahiko his daily 500 strokes plus a 100 more for insulting her. Pushing Yahiko out of her mind, she placed her half empty cup aside to brood. This was what she did every single day; punish Yahiko and uninterrupted, watch Kenshin and drool. It wasn't fair. Why couldn't she and Kenshin have something more than this?
"I'm finished Busu!" yelled Yahiko's voice, disturbing her "So you can stop mooning over Kenshin now" Kaoru stared at him, shock and anger competing for her attention. Anger won, as always. Within seconds, Yahiko was out cold with a punishment of cleaning the dojo for the next 300 days slapped on him. She was still panting when a polite voice asked "Kaoru-dono, I've finished the laundry. Should I make lunch or would you like me to go to the market first?" She whipped around, and Kenshin took an instinctive step back. That irritated her more than Yahiko's revelation.
The earth shook as Kaoru started screaming at the top of her lungs "WHAT HUH? AM I SO INTIMIDATING THAT YOU HAVE TO STEP AWAY, YOU OF ALL THE PEOPLE, LIKE YOU'RE AFRAID OF ME? I'M NOT GOING TO EAT YOU! WHY DOES EVERY ONE BEHAVE LIKE I'M SOME KIND OF RETARDED MANIAC WHO KEEPS HITTING PEOPLE FOR NO REASON? I TOOK YOU GUYS IN AND YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE THE COURTESY TO TREAT ME LIKE I'M HUMAN!" this was wrong, she knew. Kenshin treated her with so much respect. That was what drove her mad. But this was not the time to care about such minor flaws. Kenshin listened, wide eyed, as she spent herself out. "WHY ARE YOU STARING AT ME LIKE THAT?" she roared, hitting him on the head five or six times. He swooned, mumbling something, as she stormed off.
Where she was headed, she had no clue, but it had better be far. She felt…lonely. She wished that there was a girl she could talk to about this, but Tae would be busy and there was no way she could talk to Megumi about Kenshin. Megumi would probably just insult her, calling her a 'sweaty tomboy' and how Kenshin deserved a real woman and all. She crossed the bridge and started walking along the bank of the river. She started to cool down now and proceeded to the next step of most of her rages, the moping miserable part.
She collapsed next to a big tree, and just sat there, throwing small pebbles into the water, the ripples spreading far and wide. The sun was blazing above, but she didn't feel like moving much. She started to feel really guilty now; Kenshin had only come to tell her he was going to make lunch. 'No wonder he doesn't like me. Which guy would want a relationship with a woman who assaults him for no reason? Megumi's right…And that Tomoe was so much better than me. She was beautiful and soft-spoken. She could cook. She didn't go around carrying a bokken and hitting people. And I'm too young for him anyway. That's it; I'm not going to hope for anything to happen anymore' It was a righteous resolution, of course but very, very hard to keep.
Despite what she had just decided, her mind began to wander into those all-too-short moments that they shared. The time they had got caught in the rain was still fresh in her mind, though nothing much had happened. That was probably when she realized that she was deeply in love with him, that it wasn't just an ordinary crush. The feel of his hand on hers, she would keep it in her memory forever. How was it that a simple touch became so intimate? How could even the memory of it arouse such strong emotions and such blazing desire? Was it the rain, his damp hair and soft eyes? The aura about it all, like she was looking at him through a misty window? And the feel of his arms when he left her, attempting to console her, leaving her bitterly wishing for more…
The afternoon came and went, and to her surprise, no one bothered her. She decided to go home and got up to leave, but reconsidered. No one even came to look for her! There was no way that she was going to go home just like that! So she sat back down. Evening came, the sun setting, and the placid waters glinted like they were on fire. The crescent moon rose soon, and one or two stars also decided to show up. She began to get a little worried. Where was Kenshin? He usually got so worried if she was like two minutes late! 'Kami, did I murder him? How many times did I hit him anyway?' worry rising and swallowing her pride, she decided to head for home.
The dojo was empty. Not a soul answered as she yelled their names out loud. She ran from room to room, searching for them. Finally, she curled herself into a small ball in her room and began to sob in defeat. It was her deepest fear being played out, that everyone would leave her and go away. 'Why did I run away like that? They've all gone now' she didn't know how long she stayed like that, watching and waiting. Somewhere into the dark night though, she fell into a troubled sleep.
Dawn was breaking when she woke up with a start. 'Was it a dream?' she thought, hardly daring to believe it. She slid open her door, and walked out, not even bothering to put on her kimono. She stopped outside Kenshin's door, pressing her ear to it. She heard nothing. 'The house is empty, just like yesterday. It's not a dream. I really am alone' she backed away from the door and collapsed as her knees gave way. She started to sob again, burying her face in her hands. Alone again, now possibly forever….
She was crying so hard, she didn't notice the door being opened gently. Nor did she notice the concerned expression in those lavender eyes. "Kaoru-dono?" he said, surprise in his tone "Kaoru-dono, what's wrong?" She gasped and looked up. Kenshin was looking at her, his red hair a mess. He bent down, and asked again "Kaoru-dono, what are you crying for?" She said nothing, tears still running down her face. She threw her arms around him, sobbing all the time and thanking god he was real and not an illusion.
"I thought you left…I'm sorry Kenshin…I hit you for no reason and no one came to look for me or anything, and I thought you all just left me alone…" she sniffed a little and looked up "Forget it, I was just over reacting…" he didn't look away. "Kaoru..." he mumbled. No dono, just Kaoru. Somewhere between all the 'I'm too stained and old' sentiment of his and the 'I'm too violent and tomboyish' of hers, they had begun to acknowledge their love for each other, and there was no need for words. Instead he bent down to give her that first kiss. It was like nothing she had ever imagined. It was softer than the gentlest breeze, yet more passionate than the fiercest fire. Locked in those arms, Kaoru felt herself slip away, into a world were she'd never be alone again…
The storm battered against the obstinate walls of the dojo, waking her up. She got up slowly, careful not to disturb her sleeping companion. A cold wind blew, bringing a sharp tang with it. "Something wrong, koishii?" a soft voice asked. She woke him up after all. Kaoru felt herself smile. "It's nothing, Anata. I was just remembering stuff that's all" He got up anyway, eyes heavy with sleep. She smiled again, and gently fingered his long red bangs and leant her head on his shoulder with a sigh. "I'm not alone…" she murmured, half to herself. "Thank you Kenshin" he shook his head, lowering her back onto the futon, "No, koishii. I should be thanking you"
Ok, I know that this was completely pointless and all… let's just say I succumbed to the pleasure of writing perfectly normal, ordinary KK fluff. I know that there was no plot whatsoever, and that there are lots of fics like this, but still… I always wanted to write something like this, so it's my dream! I love you, dear fic! Please review if you want to and tell me what you think of this!