Subject: [KFFDISC] Kaoru no Hatsukoi 3/4 Date: Sat, 26 May 2001 01:37:07 -0500 From: "Megan Lavey" To: "Kaoru no Hatsukoi???" by DQBunny Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin is not mine. Too bad. I could use a red-haired rurouni in my life. Oh well, he, Kaoru, and the others all belong to Watsuki Nobuhiro. The original concept for "Ami-chan no Hatsukoi" belongs to Takeuchi Naoko. ***** Part Three – This Kiss Hajime Saitou looked up from his work and pulled out a cigarette. Outside the window, he saw the Kenshingumi walk down the street. No, it was more like marching. The unleashed fury contained among the group could be sensed even by someone with less developed senses than himself. Saitou lit the cigarette. "So, Battousai is on the prowl," he commented, taking a drag from the cigarette. "Looks like something worth watching." He pushed himself away from the desk and headed out the door. ***** Kenshin could not deal with the emotions that drove him toward the place where Tsubame said where Kaoru was suppose to be. If she wanted to marry someone else, it was her choice. After all, if you love someone, you're suppose to make sure they're happy. Right? "URUSAI!!" Kenshin roared, coming to a halt. Yahiko plowed into him, and Sanosuke into him. All three ended up in a pile on the ground. "Orrrrooooo," Kenshin groaned. "Get off of me you fat thug!" Yahiko yelled at Sano. "Man, you've put on some weight!" Sano jumped off of Yahiko and snatched him up by his gi. "Who're you calling fat?" "You!" Yahiko kicked at him. "Even with eating busu's cooking!" "Her cooking can only be called lethal," Sano commented. Yahiko stopped struggling. He had to agree with Sanosuke on that one. "This is the place!" Tsubame pointed to the park across the street from them. "Look!" Kenshin got to his feet and approached the park entrance, his friends behind him. His violet eyes widened as he took in the lavish party setting before him. The rows of tables were now ladened with food. The park was filled to bursting with men and women of all ages, wearing both Western and traditional clothing. It had to be the biggest party he'd ever seen. "Su...sugoi," Yahiko whispered, looking around. "Man, look at all the food! This knocks the Akabeko clear out of the water!" Sanosuke added. "Excuse me?" Tae glared at Sano. "Who allows you to keep a running tab at my place?" "Gomen, gomen," Sano grinned sheepishly, running a hand through his unruly hair. Kenshin stepped carefully into the park, like the respectful rurouni he tried to be. Like a child, his eyes drank in the sights of wealthy people partying. Whoever Kaoru had met must be really well off. Better off than himself. Self-doubt began to nag at him. Who was he kidding? He could never afford to do this for Kaoru! She deserved this. She deserved so much more... He winced as a sharp pain resonated through a small part of his brain. Kenshin frowned. Kenshin scowled at Sanosuke, who had his back turned to him. The ex-gangster had snuck over to one of the tables and was now flirting with one of the women there while helping himself to the food. Sano picked up a gyoza and popped it in his mouth. His face turned about three different shades of green before he managed to swallow it. "Hey, this is good," Yahiko commented, walking over to Kenshin while munching on some onigiri. "I thought Sano liked gyoza," he added, taking another piece of onigiri off of another plate. He took one bite and promptly spat it out. "Gross! That stuff's horrible! It even makes Kaoru's taste good!" Kenshin frowned. "That's odd," he commented. "Wouldn't a big party like this be catered by one person? After all, if you're rich, surely you can afford good food." "Kenshin-san!" Tae appeared by Kenshin's side and grabbed hold of his gi. "Look on that platform!" Kenshin's gaze swung to the platform at the opposite end of the park and saw two people standing on it. One was a fat man dressed in Western-style clothing and the other was a small woman with black hair dressed in a blue kimono. "Kaoru-dono," he whispered, feeling elated to see her. Inside his body, Jealously broke loose from its buried cavern and surged through him. His eyes hardened, the Battousai within slowly awakening. He would kill that man. Wait. He couldn't kill him. Damn it! The one time it wouldn't bother him either. But, then again, Kaoru should be happy... Kenshin winced as his self- doubt was destroyed once more. "It's Jo-chan!" Sanosuke exclaimed. He raised his hands and hollered. "Yo!! Jo-chan!" "Nice and subtle, ahou. Nice and subtle," Yahiko groaned. "I don't think she can hear us," Tae said. "Something's going on up there." The fat man started talking to Kaoru. She smiled, then blushed. Jealously boiled through Kenshin. Then the man took her hand. Kenshin shoved the nearest man out of the way and marched toward the platform. Sanosuke and Yahiko flanked him, bodies tensed for battle. Behind them, Tae led Tsubame through the crowd. Tae looked every determined as Kenshin did while Tsubame apologized profusely to the people around them. At the back of the crowd, Saitou took a puff of his cigarette and watched the scene unfold before him. The blood roared between Kenshin's ears. His eyes remained fixed on Kaoru, on the stars in her eyes and the pink in her cheeks. She was blinded! He had to stop her, and he had to stop her now. He was going to tell her. Tell her everything. Then she'll leave the fat man and come back to him and he would spend the rest of his life worshipping the very ground she walked on. Sounded like a good plan to him. Kenshin marched onto the platform and froze several feet from Kaoru's back. The fat man stopped talking to Kaoru and glared at him. "Who are you? What do you want?" Kaoru whirled around. "Kenshin!" she cried. Kenshin froze. Self-doubt reincarnated for the third time since he left the Akabeko and kept him rooted to the spot just feet away from Kaoru. He tried talking, but no words came out of his mouth. Confusion and embarassment reflected in Kaoru's eyes, but something else as well. Was it....was it joy? Was she happy to be getting married to this man in Western clothing? He managed to get one of his feet to work. His left one. Kenshin took a step toward her. "Kaoru-dono," he whispered hoarsely. "Watch it you fool!" Yahiko yelled at Sanosuke, right before the two somehow fell into Kenshin. Kenshin toppled forward, squalling "Orrrooooo" as he reached out for the nearest solid thing to hold on to. Kaoru. Kenshin's arms wrapped around Kaoru's waist and his lips crashed down on top of hers. For the rest of his life, Kenshin would replay this moment frame by frame. Surely the gods were on his side during that one moment in time. Lord knows, he needed a little divine intervention. One moment, he was falling forward. The next, he was steady on his feet with Kaoru in his arms. For a split second, shock held his body rigid as he realized that he was finally kissing Kaoru. His lips relaxed against hers, and his arms tightened around her waist, drawing her closer to him. After a moment, Kaoru's hands hesistantly reached up and threaded through his hair. Somehow, Kenshin heard a small moan of pleasure. He didn't know if it had come from him or her. He didn't care. One of his hands worked its way up from her waist to cup the back of her head and gently angle it sideways to give him better access to her mouth. A small gasp from her and he immediately took advantage of the small movement to deepen the kiss. His lips gently bruised hers and oxygen started to become a precious commodity. But, he didn't care. Oh, he didn't care any longer. What was even better was now that he had taken the kiss further, Kaoru became very active in it, participating in it with the same heart and soul she put into Kamiya Kasshin Ryu. Their eyes fluttered shut. Behind them, Sanosuke, Yahiko, and Tae watched with with stunned expressions. Out near the park entrance, the cigarette dangled forgotton fron Saitou's lips as he watched Kenshin and Kaoru declare their feelings very...publicly to say the least. "Nice going, Kenshin!" Sanosuke cheered. "Didn't know you had it in you!" Sano's voice combined with the desperate need to breathe broke through the hazy fog of passion that developed around the couple. Kenshin slowly broke off the kiss, sucking gently at Kaoru's lower lip for a moment before lifting his mouth away from hers completely. If that didn't tell her his intentions, nothing would. Fighting down the blush that threatened to destory the moment, Kenshin stared deeply into Kaoru's closed eyes, willing her lids to open. His arms tightened around her waist. After a moment, they did, her eyes shining with tears. "Kaoru," Kenshin whispered, hoarsely. "Please, don't do it. I beg of you, do go through with this." "Huh?" Kaoru blinked. "Go through with what?" Kenshin slowly broke away from her and backed up a few steps. He gestured to the fat man and the crowd, who watched the ongoing scene enraptured. "This. Please, don't go through with whatever you're doing here." "But...I've already done it," Kaoru stammered. "NANI?" Everyone screamed. Kenshin's heart stopped. "See? I won too," Kaoru held out a blue ribbon toward him. Kenshin took the ribbon, silently cursing the fact that his hands shook like a leaf. The ribbon looked like a Western- style prize with a large "1" printed on it. Everyone crowded around him and stared at the ribbon, then at Kaoru, then back at the ribbon. "Exactly what did you win?" Sanosuke asked, scratching his head. "The cooking contest, baka!" "Cooking..," Tae sounded out. "Contest?" Tsubame finished. Everyone looked up at Kaoru. She placed her hands on her hips and sighed. "Hai, what did you think it was?" "Uh..." The group gave each other sheepish looks, then one by one their faces turned beet red. "Gomen nasai, Kaoru-san," Tsubame said, scruffing the ground with her toe. "You see, I thought you were getting married." "Nani?" Kaoru gasped. Tsubame nodded. "Well...well, you didn't help matters by being so secretive!" Yahiko blurted out. "You didn't tell anyone where you were going for days! We thought you had a boyfriend or something!" "Mou, baka! This is suppose to be a surprise! Besides, how could I love anyone but Kenshin?" Kaoru yelled at him. She gasped and her hand flew to her mouth. Her face quickly rivaled the color of Kenshin's hair. Her gaze shot to the ground. Tae, Tsubame, Yahiko, and Sanosuke stared at Kenshin to get his reaction. The rurouni stood, looking shell-shocked. "Go on, go on," Sano elbowed him. "This is when you're suppose to profess your undying devotion to her, get down on your knees, and propose." "Eeesh, some ex-gangster you make," Yahiko teased Sano. "You have a heart of mochi." "I heard that!" Sano yanked Yahiko up by his gi. "Care to repeat that?" "Make me shut up!" "Calm down, Yahiko-chan!" Tsubame turned her attention to the fighting men. "Don't call me 'chan'!" "Quiet down, you two," Tae said in a soothing voice. Meanwhile, Kenshin and Kaoru stared at each other, not quite sure what to say. "Kaoru-dono, sessha wa...," Kenshin started to explain. Kaoru sighed and turned away. "I know you didn't mean it." "Huh?" "The kiss. I know it was just an accident. You ran into me. This entire thing's been a mess. I only signed up for the lessons so I could be a better cook for you and Yahiko," Kaoru's hand tightened in the folds of her kimono. "I wanted it to be a surprise, and now it's just a mess. I wish I never...huh?" Kaoru's words were silenced as Kenshin's lips bit off the rest of her sentence and her senses with a second kiss. He stared at her with determination. "Mo aishiteru, Kaoru," he stated firmly. Kaoru did not bother to check her tears. They streamed down her cheeks. At the back of the audience, Saitou watched, the ghost of a smile playing with the corners of his mouth. He turned around and left as silently as he entered, finishing his cigarette as he did so. The Battousai had finally gotten what he deserved. ***** Small Japanese/English list: Busu - ugly Urusai – Shut up! Sessha wa – Kenshin's humbling way of referring to himself Mo aishiteru – I love you too. Kaoru no Hatsukoi? - Kaoru's First Love -- Megs ********** mlavey@simplecom.net AIM: MegsLeigh ICQ: 3447399 http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Academy/3191/index.html http://www.geocities.com/collegesenshi/ --