At the river, there were lots of people already sitting on the lawn. Sanosuke waved over to his friends. “Oi! Saved us a plot of land!! Saa, hayaku!!”
Yahiko squinted at the fighter. “How many people did you beat up to keep this spot reserved??” He simply held up both hands. “Baka yarou, I won’t be surprised if the police come to take ya away!”
Misao and Aoshi just settled down on the blanket they brought. Next to them were Megumi, Genzai and the girls. “Nee nee, where’s Ken-nisan??” Ayame asked.
”Oh, Kaoru-san wasn’t feeling well, so Himura said he’d stay with her at the house.” Misao explained, patting the girl on the head, “Demo, you can play with Misao-chan for the meantime!”
Sanosuke and Megumi paused and exchanged looks. “NANI!?”
Yahiko leaned back in a relaxed way and replied, “Sou yo. Because of Kaoru, Kenshin insisted on staying home. If ya ask me, they’re missing the fun. Too bad for them!”
Sanosuke uttered in a hushed voice to his Fox counterpart, “(Masaka… could it be… Kenshin is finally making his move on Jou-chan… are those two… you know…)”
”(Don’t be ridiculous. Ken-san is a lot smarter than you think he is. Why would he touch such a foolish trashy tomboy? He’s probably just babysitting her.)”
“(Still, Kenshin is a man… he may not act like it 6 out of 7 days a week… but still! I’m sure he’s been wanting to be alone with Jou-chan for a long time!)”
“(Hmp, as if! I surely doubt it!)”
”(Wanna bet?!)”
With that they shook on it. Yahiko blinked and turned towards them. “What are you guys talking about?? Are you making a truce or something?” They just clobbered him into the ground. “UWAAAH!”
”BAKA! That won’t ever happen!!” they yelled at him, SD scary faced, “Why would I like that person?!?!”
Misao simply ignored them and hugged her Aoshi’s arm. “Wow~!! I hope the show starts soon! Nee, Aoshi-sama??”
“…Aa.”
* * *
Meanwhile, Kenshin was setting up a futon. He paused to lift his head and stare towards the screen where Kaoru was changing. ‘She’s taking a long time.’ he thought, feeling worried. He got up and scratched his head. “Ano, Kaoru-dono, daijoubu ka??”
She just yelled at him, “IYAA! DON’T LOOK!! I’M NOT DONE YET!!”
”ORO! Suman de gozaru… demo, Sessha isn’t looking. Take your time, Kaoru-dono! Sessha will make you some tea de gozaru yo!” he said, rushing out of the room.
She peered out, red-faced. ‘Yoshi, he’s gone.’ She walked out in her robe and frowned at the readied futon, ‘If I go to sleep now, he’ll leave me alone. And then I’ll stop acting this way.’ But then the doors slid wide open. “KYAAAAAAA!!” she exclaimed, falling over.
“Kaoru-dono! Do you want the green tea or the black tea de gozaru??” Kenshin asked, “Oro? Kaoru-dono?!” He noticed that she was lying on the floor, swirly eyed. “KAORU-DONO!!!” he exclaimed, kneeling down to her and holding her up, “Kaoru-dono! Kaoru-dono!! Say something!!”
She just opened her eyes and gazed up at him, “Kenshin…” she uttered, shivering in his arms. He lifted a hand and pushed back her bangs, feeling her forehead. She frowned; he was thinking that she had a temperature. Suddenly he lifted her up off the ground. “Aa?! A-ano!!”
”Shh, you need to lie down.” he said softly, carrying her to the futon. He then put her down, pausing to examine her one more time, then pulling the sheet over her. “Sessha will bring you the tea, de gozaru. Please wait a little bit.”
“Hai!” she said with a smile. He smiled back, going to leave the room. She then closed her eyes, biting her lip. ‘It’s too early to go to bed… and I’m not sick! Next I know, he’s going to try to give me medicine. I should just tell him the truth…’
In the kitchen Kenshin was hurriedly making the tea. ‘Kaoru is acting so strange. Maybe I should call a doctor after all. I mean, I was looked after from the Jinchuu battles, but we didn’t take a look at her. Could it be trauma or some injury we know nothing about??’
It was then he spilled the hot water on his hand. Screaming, he fell over, the cups falling down and breaking all around him. “Itai de gozaru!” he gasped, clutching the burning hand and blowing at it. “Sessha no baka…”
”Kenshin!” Kaoru stood in the doorway, having heard his cries. She acted quickly, getting some cold water for him to soak his hand in. As he did that, she got a cloth and soaked it in the water and then wrapped it around his burn. “Kore, this should help it. I think Genzai-sensei left ointment somewhere…”
”Jotto!” he gasped, before she get up, “Kaoru-dono, you should be lying down. Sessha can get it, daijoubu de gozaru!”
“Iya, you’re in pain! I’ll get it!” she said, pulling herself up despite him grabbing onto her arm. After a pause, they both took off running, both heading to the first aid cabinet. “MOU! KENSHIN, I’LL GET IT!!”
”SESSHA CAN GET IT!!!”
In their haste they collided with the cabinet, making a great big mess. “Ororororororo/waaaaaaaah” Lying in a pile, both were too painful to move. Swirly-eyed and numb, the room continued to spin.
* * *
Yahiko and the girls came back to their friends with a tray of food. As predicted, Sanosuke and Megumi were busy arguing, Misao was in lala land, and Aoshi and Genzai were in indept, mature conversation. “Oi, tadaima!”
”Yoshi! Hand over the goods, Yarou!” Sanosuke said, pushing the fox aside, “Ever since Tae threw me out of the Akebeko ‘cause I didn’t have any money, I’ve been starvin’!!!”
As Ayame and Suzume began handing out rice cakes, Misao gazed over to where the fireworks technicians were. “There seems to be a problem… I mean, the show should have started a long time ago. Nee, let’s go check it out!”
Dragging Aoshi along, who was didn’t seem to emotion towards being pulled away from a conversation he was having, and the two went down to the where the technicians were. “Sumanu… daga, Misao would like to know when the show will be start?” he said, as the cheerful girl hugged his arm.
They just stared at them. “We’d like to… demo…” They pointed to where one of the giant firecrackers was lodged into the ground, a young man tying himself to it. “He won’t get out of the way…”
The boy exclaimed, “I wanna go to the moon~! Tsuki ni ikitai!! Tsuki da tsuki da!!!”
”Who in the hell?!” Misao gasped, pointing at him, “What are you doing?! We came here to see the fireworks show and we can’t if you insist on being blown to the moon, you moron!!”
”My name is Daigoro. The woman I love has rejected me! All I have left is my dream to go to the moon! It’s my final wish!”
”Yeah, a death wish!” she snapped, ready to kill him. After a restraining from the calm Aoshi, Misao dropped her head in defeat, “Looks like we might be here a while.”
* * *
After getting himself together, Kenshin finally was able to make tea and bring it to the room. Kaoru was sitting up in her futon, reading when he entered, not bothering to lift up her head. Both of them were still aching with bruises from the collision. It was an embarrassing moment as both were being a little childish.
“Eto…” he uttered, sitting by her, “Kaoru-dono, please drink this. It’ll help you rest de gozaru.” He held out the cup but she didn’t accept it. She was too absorbed into her reading. “Ano, what are you reading??” he said, moving closer to peer over her shoulder.
“A book I borrowed from Tae-san… she has a lot of these romance novels.”
”R-Romance de gozaru??” Kenshin gasped, staring down at the page she was on, “Are there pictures de gozaru ka??”
”Iie, there aren’t any pictures unfortunately.” she said lifting her head briefly, “Demo, it’s written so well and descriptive, that it’s not too difficult to imagine it without pictures… aa, gomen, I must be boring you.”
”Iyaya, not at all!” he laughed, finally getting her to take the cup away. His eyes were still struggling to read the open book resting on her lap. He even scooted a bit closer. “Hmmm…”
”Kenshin, would you like to read too?” she asked, turning towards him, so it was a bit more accessible to see, “I don’t feel sleepy right now, so I wanted to finish this chapter. We can together if you like.”
”Hai de gozaru!” he blurted out, though blushing.
It was silent for a while. The two of them huddled close and looked down at the book. At times, Kenshin would tap her shoulder to signal he was done so she could turn the page. (He was a bit of a slow reader.) Other times, he would ask ‘who was who’ and ‘what’ was going on now’? Kaoru was surprised that he was interested in the novel. She wondered what he was thinking. When she read them, she had always imagined herself in these situations, this other world of love and dreams come true. But it was a fairy tale, just like the one she was reading.
“That’s the end of the chapter.” she said, going to close the book. She paused to look at his very anxious face. “Hm? Nani, Kenshin? Is something wrong?”
He smiled and scratched his head, stammering, ”I-Iya, Sessha just wanted to read more… shikashi since it’s late and all… and Kaoru-dono should really be resting…”
”Jotto!” she cut in, taking hold of his arm, “Kenshin, if you want to read more, go on ahead. And I’m not tired or anything. Don’t mind me at all! Although, I’m a bit surprised you’re interested in this kind of stuff.”
“Jaa… Sessha was surprised Kaoru-dono was interested in this stuff also.”
After a pause, they both smiled. Kaoru then released his arm and handed him the book. “Go ahead… kedo, could you stay in the room as you read it?”
Kenshin blinked his eyes. ”Oro? What will Kaoru-dono do??”
* * *
“So this is the asshole.” Sanosuke grumbled, glaring at the suicidal nerd, “Teme, if you want to kill yerself, do it on other people’s time! I came to see fireworks, and I ain’t going home until I do! And like hell I wanna watch some bastard’s guts fly everywhere!!”
Megumi smacked him on the head. “Baka! That’s not the way to talk to a person like this!!!” she growled, as he painfully fell to the ground. She then put on a sweet face and turned to Daigoro, “Ano, there are less painful ways of ending it all… perhaps you can become an opium addict…”
”That’s not the way either!!!” Yahiko screamed, “What’s wrong you people!!!” He then drew his shinai and started beating Daigoro, “You bastard!! Fucking go home!! Forgit this shit about ending your life and get over this bitch! Pathetic loser!!!”
Aoshi restrained the boy and sighed, “That’s not helping either.” He handed him over to Misao who in turn rendered him unconscious. Aoshi then approached Daigoro. “Sorry to tell you this, daga… even if you took this firecracker to leave the earth, you’d die upon hitting the earth’s atmosphere… and therefore, never reach the moon in one pice. You have better luck waiting for one of those Moon folk to fall from the Heavenly kingdom and snatching their magical feathered cloak…”
”Sou yo!” Misao said, nodding her head up and down. She then pointed out into the crowd. “That woman over there is of the Moon folk! See, her colorful cloak! Go get her!!”
“Hah?! She’s one!!” Daigoro exclaimed, releasing himself and breaking into a run, “Forget science and Katsu-ojousama! I’ll go to the moon yet! Yaaaaaaaay! Tsuki da tsuki daaaa!!” The woman just screamed and ran from him, him chasing her down the road.
“Maa, that’s settled.” Aoshi said, “Now it’s time for…” It was then they realized that the technicians were asleep. “Shit.”
”BAKA!!” Misao exclaimed, drawing her ninja knives, “WAKE UP!!!!”
* * *
Kenshin had opened the doors to get some fresh air. ‘As long as Kaoru isn’t cold.’ he thought, as he settled down by the doorway. With the book on his lap, he grinned. ‘Yoshi, starting from chapter one!’
Kaoru wasn’t far; she was right behind him, playing with his hair. He told her it was all right, strangely wanting her to stay close and therefore allowing her to do whatever she wanted. She smiled sweetly and took apart his ponytail, proceeding to brush his long red hair.
“Eto, no one ever brushed Sessha’s hair before… or wanted to for that matter. It’s not very well kept de gozaru.”
”Iyaya, I like your hair. I think it’s wonderful … very soft and healthy.”
”It’s not as soft as Kaoru-dono’s hair, which is like silk de gozaru.” he uttered, glancing over to see her blush.
“Nee, Kenshin,” she said, running a hand through the locks, “I’m going to try something okay?” He nodded slightly, looking quite curious. But then, she started to braid his hair into a giant pigtail. Blushing, he tried to stop her, but she patted him away, “Maa maa… I’m not done yet.”
”Ororo… Kaoru-dono, is this necessary de gozaru?? What if the guys saw Sessha like this??” he gasped as she tied a ribbon at the end. “Kaoru-dono, dame yo!” he cried, turned completely around and grabbing hold of both her wrists. It was then he realized that he was too close. “Sumanu.” he uttered, loosing his grip.
“Iie,” she giggled, “I’ve enjoyed your outburst. I think it’s cute. Soushite…” She moved forward and lifted her arms around him, going to hug him. “I’m having a lot of fun with you.”
”Kaoru-dono…” he stammered, his face as red as hers, “Honto de gozaru ka?”
She released him and got up, staring down at him with a smile. “Hai de gozaru. Honto de gozaru yo.” She then burst out laughing and bolted out the door.
”ORO! Are you making fun of Sessha!?” he snapped, going to chase after her.
* * *
Genzai turned to see that the group had returned. “Eto, where were all of you? Everyone’s been leaving the festival because the fireworks weren’t going off. I wasn’t sure if we should leave, because we didn’t know if you were going to come back or not… and you just left your stuff here.”
”Gomen nee, Sensai.” Megumi uttered, “We ran into a bit of trouble. Demo, don’t worry about a thing. We’ve solved it.” Somewhere, Daigoro was being beaten up by the woman’s husband.
Sanosuke turned to the crying girls. “Daijoube. There will be fireworks, I promise ya. They should be going off soon, so dry yer eyes.”
Yahiko nodded, and then lifted his head. “Oi!!! Look!! It’s starting!!” A small yellow flower appeared in the sky. After a second, it was joined by other blasts of colorful lights.
“Woooooow…” everyone who was still there uttered, “Kirei…”
”Aa,” Aoshi uttered, staring down at the girl holding his arm, “Kirei na…”
* * *
Kaoru was still running around the house when she saw the fireworks in the distance. “Kirei…” she gasped, gazing at them. Suddenly, two arms caught her around the waist. “Kyaaaaa!!”
“Ha! Got you!!” Kenshin chuckled. But then he realized what he was doing. “Orororororo!!” he exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. “Suman de gozaru yo!!”
She didn’t seem to mind and took his hand. “Look, Kenshin!! Over there!”
”Hm? Fireworks de gozaru. Is it really starting this late??” he uttered, looking over in that direction, “Dakedo, it’s very far. Sessha knew Kaoru-dono really wanted to watch them from up close…”
”Iya, it’s better this way.” she said, going to sit, and pulling him down with her, “Arigatou… for staying here with me. Kenshin, that was very kind of you.”
”Aa, Sessha just was worried and wanted Kaoru-dono to feel better.”
She nodded, both of them concentrating on the fireworks display. There were some large ones that were just magnificent. After gazing in awe for a long time, she turned back to Kenshin, who eventually turned back to her, the two of them staring into each other’s eyes.
“Kenshin… can I ask you a question?” she stammered, taking his hand again, “I-I was wondering… do you ever plan getting married again?”
His mouth dropped open. ‘What was kind of question…?!’ He quickly got it together and cleared his throat before replying, “Eto… iya… not really de gozaru.”
“Sou? Because you were married before? Is that why?”
”Chigao!” he cried, “Don’t get the wrong idea, Kaoru-dono. Sessha was married before, demo that really wasn’t a real marriage to begin with. Not only was it pretend, Sessha… Sessha didn’t really act like a husband. Not once did Sessha make an effort on changing his lifestyle or look to his wife’s needs. It was almost like a vacation from battles… a short breeze of soft winds de gozaru.”
“Sou ne... jaa, doushite?”
“Dakara… Kaoru-dono, you said you understood the need to be free without strings, as that is the type of life a rurouni lives, as well as a man who fights all his life.”
“Wakkata.” she uttered, “I understand you don’t want to be tied down. Demo, Kenshin, didn’t you say ‘you were tired of wandering’? Wouldn’t it be nice just to settle down and have someone take care of you?”
“It would be nice de gozaru yo. Daga, Sessha must keep acquaintances casual otherwise they’ll become like targets… it’s difficult to battle like this, let alone live.”
She grimaced at him. “You worry too much about people, Kenshin. Don’t you want… something more?”
“For the longest time, Sessha didn’t want a relationships … demo, Kaoru-dono and everyone has become a family, and that’s enough. Anything more and it’d be difficult to atone for past crimes.”
"Sou dakedo..."
He then smiled and tightened his hold on her hand. “Shikashi, as said before, this is the first home Sessha ever had… and Sessha is very glad to have met Kaoru-dono.”
“Honto ni, Kenshin?” she gasped, her face turning red again, “Demo… what if… if some girl came up to you and confessed her feelings, that she wanted to marry you and spend the rest of her life with you. Would you turn her down?”
“Kaoru-dono,” he uttered, staring into her anxious face. “Sessha could never be in such a relationship. Atonement and battling… that is most important. It would be very one-sided and unfair to the girl. She should find someone else, and forget all about Sessha… for her the sake of her own happiness.”
“Demo! Sou na! There’s no way…!!” she cried. She then lowered her head for a moment, sighing, “Sou na…”
He leaned over and softly whispered, “Gomen, Kaoru-dono…” He worriedly waited for her to respond.
But instead of words, she lifted her head to where he was, her lips reaching for his. ‘Kaoru-dono?!’ Kissing him ever so softly, she put her arms around his neck and held onto him with all her might.
Kenshin didn’t know what else to do, other than break free from her. “DAME!”
“Ken…shin…?” she gasped with a heavy breath, as she gazed up at his stunned face. “What is it? Did I do it wrong?”
“I-iya… chigao de gozaru yo!” he stammered, getting on his feet, “Sessha just… just cannot. Suman de gozaru.” He quickly gazed over into the sky. “The fireworks are over de gozaru, so minna should be on their way back soon.”
”H-hai…” she replied, standing next to him, “Ano…”
”Sessha is going to go meet them on the road. Jaa!” he blurted out, leaping down and running out the gate. ‘Gomen, Kaoru!’ She simply slid back down to her knees, feeling rejected and alone.