Subject: [KFFDISC] Kaoru no Hatsukoi 4/4 Date: Sat, 26 May 2001 01:38:30 -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 Four - Epilogue In the courtyard of the Kamiya Dojo, most of the Kenshingumi gathered on the porch to finish their lunch. Yahiko groaned. "I can't believe we went through all of that for a dang cooking contest!" He munched on a rice ball that Kaoru had made about thirty minutes earlier. He leaned back against one of the beams supporting the dojo and sighed. She was even getting better than Kenshin, and that was scary itself. "Well now, Kaoru-dono's cooking has improved a great deal because of the contest," Kenshin smiled, working on his own food. "It's not such a bad thing." "You should be the one to talk, Don what's his face. Some English guy," Sanosuke added, setting his empty plate aside. "Man, Kenshin, I didn't even think you had it in you to kiss Jo-chan like that, especially in public." He elbowed Kenshin, sending the smaller man off the stairs. He landed on the ground on his back, face beet red. "Gomen nasai, Kenshin-san," Tsubame said from her place beside Yahiko. "It's all my fault that I thought Kaoru-chan was going to meet a man intead of a cooking contest." "Daijobu de gozaru," Kenshin replied, sitting up. "You couldn't had known." "And it all turned out for the best too!" Tae added. "Kaoru-chan's cooking skills have gotten much better!" "And you've finally made a move on her," Sano teased Kenshin. "So, I don't get what happened to cause the mixup between seeing a man and taking cooking classes," Megumi pondered, looking depressed. She had arrived at the dojo shortly after the group returned from the cooking contest and had quickly taken her anger out on Sanosuke about not going along with them after Kaoru. "It's quiet simple," Tae replied. She grabbed a stick off the ground and wrote several kanji in the dirt. "Tsubame- chan only heard part of the words being said to her. All she heard was Washo and kun, which would sound like a man's name, Washo-kun. But, the crowd drowned you out, didn't it, Tsubame-chan?" Tsubame nodded. "Actually, they said Washoku ni ikimasu, which meant that she went to the Washoku cooking school, not went to a man." "It all turned out for the best though," Tae added. Yahiko eyed the last rice ball on the plate at the same time Sanosuke did. The two glared at each other and reached for it. Their heads bumped and they began fighting each other. Ayame and Suzume ran out of the dojo and over to Kenshin. They tugged on his gi. "Ken-nii," Suzume said. "Watashi wa kowaii desu." "Doushide de gozaru ka, Suzume-chan?" Kenshin asked, putting an arm around the little girl. "Kaoru-nee-chan. She's...," Ayame started to say. Before she could finish, clouds of black smoke rolled from the dojo's kitchen window. Tae jumped to her feet. "The kitchen's on fire!" she yelled. "Kaoru-dono!" "Jo-chan!" "Busu!" The men in Kaoru's life immediately abandoned what they were doing and raced in the dojo, Megumi, Tae, Tsubame, and the little girls on their heels. Kenshin skidded to a stop when he saw Kaoru emerge safely from the kitchen. Sanosuke and Yahiko ran into him and all three landed on the ground in a squirming heap. The women avoided the men and surrounded Kaoru, who had tears streaming down her cheeks. "Kaoru-chan, is everything okay?" Tae asked, putting an arm around her friend. "Get up, tori-atama!" Megumi ordered Sanosuke, who was on top of Kenshin and Yahiko. "You three get a bucket brigade started! Tsubame, get Ayame-chan and Suzume-chan out of here." "The dojo's not on fire," Kaoru sniffed. "Then what's wrong?" Everyone asked at once. "I was trying to make sushi, but the rice was overdone, the fish fell into the fire, and I forgot to get seaweed...," Kaoru threw her hands up in the air. Everyone sighed. "Well, guess that means things are back to normal, de gozaru?" Kenshin asked with a cheerful grin. "Yeah, yeah," Yahiko muttered. "Knew it was too good to be true." "I suppose we'll be heading over to the Akabeko for beef- pot tonight, eh?" Sanosuke licked his lips and rubbed his stomach. "Oh no!" Kaoru wiped soot from her face with her kimono sleeve. "You guys stay right here! I'm going to go start dinner again!" She turned on her heel and started toward the kitchen. She halted and whirled around in time to see Yahiko and Sanosuke sneaking toward the gate. "And don't you dare leave!" she roared. "Sano and Yahiko got in trouble!" Ayame cried, clapping her hands. "Don't get Kaoru-nee-chan mad!" Suzume added. Kaoru took a sweeping look at her family, her gaze lingering on Kenshin. He smiled at her and a faint blush appeared on her cheeks. "Don't ever give up, Kaoru," Kenshin said. The blush deepened and Kaoru nodded. Her hair curled and waved in the wind as she whirled around to rush back inside. Kenshin's breath caught as the newly-recognized feelings of love swept through him. Kaoru, don't ever let anyone take away your spirit or your willing to be the best. Your strength and determination... it's part of the reasons while I love you. Be the best in whatever you do. I'll always stand behind you. As if she heard his thoughts Kaoru stuck her head back out the door. "I'll never give up trying!" she exclaimed, her eyes shining with joy and the esscence that was Kamiya Kaoru. OWARI ***** AUTHOR'S NOTES: Thank you very much to everyone who gave me comments and helped me out with small fic. Kudos goes to Lilac Summers, who knows how to write a damn good kissing scene and was my inspiration for that part of the fic. Part three of the fic is dedicated to her. For the record, the sentence that caused so much confusion with Tsubame is "Kamiya-san wa Washoku ni ikimasu," which translates to "Ms. Kamiya is going to Washoku." In this case, it is a cooking school. The way Tsubame heard it, it sounded like "Ms. Kamiya is going to Mr. Washo," making it sound like a meeting. ***** Small Japanese/English list: daijobu de gozaru - It's okay Watashi wa kowaii desu - I'm scared. gomen nasai - I'm sorry doushide de gozaru ka - what's wrong? tori-atam - Rooster head Kaoru no Hatsukoi? - Kaoru's First Love Owari - The end! -- Megs ********** mlavey@simplecom.net AIM: MegsLeigh ICQ: 3447399 http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Academy/3191/index.html http://www.geocities.com/collegesenshi/ --