Author’s Notes: 2/26/99 Okay, well this is my very first fanfic of any nature…. so please bear with me ^_^; There’s bound to be the occasional screw ups, confusing things, etc… but I was just so inspired by Ardith (Yoko-chan) and Raya-san with their absolutely wonderful stories, so I decided to also give it a shot. You two are incredibly talented fanfic writers and I honestly hope from the bottom of my lil’ heart that you keep it up! Gambare! ^_^
Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin and all characters associated are owned by Nobuhiro Watsuki. I just wrote this story to show my appreciation for those wonderful characters and for Watsuki-sensei himself who so graciously created them. So, please don’t sue me ^_^ I’ve got quite a few holes in my pockets already.
Japanese translations are at the end of the chapter.
All flames, comments, or praises should be mailed to chibimaria@msn.com
I wanna hear your opinions on this everyone and where you think this story should head! I would love having feedback from my fans! Thanks again and enjoy the chapter! ^_~
Mou...Mou…. MOU!!! Kaoru began mumbling incoherently underneath the covers, further digging her head stubbornly into the pillow with an air of protest.
Gosh, darn it. Was it morning already? It seemed much too early for the sun to already be creeping up on the horizon. She could feel the hot, bright light piercing through the cracks under the door, her eyes further squeezing shut when feeling it pass over her eyelids. What was it… only 3 hours ago she actually managed to lay herself down to a partial state of rest? She was incredibly exhausted! Not to mention, her poor husband next to her…
Kenshin flinched as he felt Kaoru quite violently turn around to face away from the sun, pushing him out of the covers and hurling him off the futon in the process.
"Ororo… Kaoru... Daijobu de gozaru?"
Kenshin mumbled in a half-awake trance. His usually tidy mane of red hair was now disheveled and strewn all over the front of his face, making his voice sound impishly muffled from underneath. He did the best he could to straighten it out, so he could properly question his obviously upset wife who was now huddled under the covers muttering some unprintables. Kenshin warily reached over and tapped Kaoru, a sweatdrop appearing alongside his head in the process. Just his luck, she would probably jump up and start smacking him with a bokken in retaliation… He sweatdropped even more at the thought.
"Ano… What makes you so upset this morning Kaoru?"
Kenshin shaded his eyes with his left hand and gazed outside through the window.
"It looks like it’s going to be a rather nice day today, don’t you think, ne Kaoru?"
He smiled, trying to encourage her to answer.
A muffled "no" came out from underneath the pile of pillows and the twisted up cover. She slowly rose up into a sitting position, holding her head with her hand. Kenshin crawled over to her, holding a concerned expression on his face.
"Kaoru, I know it’s only been a few months since we’ve married… but we should be able to tell each other anything… right?" Kenshin whispered to her, as he carefully held her shoulders. He propped himself up and allowed her to lean into him.
Kaoru tried to maintain her uprightness, but melted when she saw Kenshin’s caring gaze shine down at her. She buried her head in his chest and sighed tiredly. "Baka… you do know that you did this to me, don’t you Kenshin?"
All Kenshin could do was blink curiously in response. He had absolutely nooo clue what she was talking about. Was there anything that could possibly be plaguing his dear wife Kaoru? Well, come to think of it, she had recently begun vomiting, usually in the morning… Although sometimes at night also before sleep too. He had regarded it as just some stomach discomfort, so Megumi had given her some herbal paste for her to take as treatment… It still didn’t remedy the problem though. But still…. How could Kenshin be a cause of any of that? And if it wasn’t that, then what?
Kaoru stared up at him with a rather peeved, SD expression on her face.
"Hidoi, Kenshin! Really… you don’t know much about women do you?!"
"Oro?"
"Mou… Honestly, Kenshin… I’m sorry for being such a pain in the tucus, but it’s only natural considering the condition I’m in… Well, ehh… at least that’s what Megumi-san told me…" A slight blush crept up on Kaoru’s already illuminated face.
Kenshin was still utterly clueless, not to mention stupefied.
Kenshin decided to at least try and play along. Maybe he could somehow pry the answer out of her that way
" Ohhhh…. THAT condition… Aha…sou ka, Kaoru. So that’s why my dear angel hasn’t been sleeping well, ne?" Kenshin smiled and hugged Kaoru closer to him, in order to pacify her further. Kaoru smiled in appreciation. It was good to see he was more perceptive and understanding than she actually thought. Who knew men had a good intuition!
"Kenshin…. Dr. Genzai and Megumi both said they estimated it to be another 5-6 months till the time finally comes… until then, it’s gonna be a bit rough for me, since my body will be going through, uhh… a "few" changes… I suppose that’s why I haven’t been sleeping well recently. Gomen Kenshin."
Kaoru closed her eyes and bent her head down in a silent manner. Kenshin continued to just smile, although his soul mirrored a more or less dumbfounded appearance.(Just try imagining on of those cute, little chibi-Kenshins ^_^) What in the world is she talking about? Nani? Changes?? From what?
"Kenshin… I know It’s going to be a bit difficult, especially with my lack of sleep… but you’re with me, so it’s alright… and the outcome will be more than worth the effort. It’s going to be nice here in the dojo having a baby of our own and if it’s a boy…well… umm…."
She felt a draft of air swish by her back and then a thud nearby her. Being too preoccupied in her own thoughts, she acknowledged them but didn’t think much of it at the moment.
Kaoru remained with her head tilted downward, a content smile spreading across her face. Kenshin should already be aware of what’s going on… why is he so quiet?
A few minutes of silence passed, making Kaoru more nervous each second thereafter. Why wasn’t he saying anything? She peeked one eye open and then popped both open in total surprise. The thud and brisk current of air had apparently been Kenshin passing out on the floor! He lay loosely sprawled on the floor, his upper body still resting on the futon.
Kaoru regained her senses and giggled softly at the scene before her.
"I know we’ll pull through Kenshin… the two of us together can do it, and we’ll build our future in happiness, most definitely."
She bent over, still in a kneeling position, and lightly kissed him on the cheek where the scar was.
"Baby…..sugoi…de gozaru…." Kenshin mumbled phrases in his light state of unconsciousness. Kaoru couldn’t help but marvel at how the legendary samurai could be humbled from a few choice words. She stood up arching slightly and yawning , tiredness evident in her slouching posture and cloudy blue eyes. She slipped into a simple lavender kimono and deftly tied the obi around her petit waist before making her way to the door.
Kaoru gazed back once more to see her husband for once sleeping a bit more peacefully, and smiled.
"Hai, hai!!! I’m coming!" Kaoru panted as she made her way to the dojo gate, the small tofu bin clenched in her right hand. So much for her going to the market to buy some tofu. Gee, Kenshin should be doing this kind of stuff, not me…I think I should go wake him up soon. He’s had more than enough extra sleep anyway...
Kaoru muttered under her breath as thoughts whizzed through her head. When was the last time they had actually had a visitor other than the usual drop-ins like Sano or Megumi-san anyway? Most merchants and foreigners never bothered stopping by the Kamiya dojo unless they had a good reason…
It was a bit difficult treading all the way to the gate in a constrictive kimono, but that never held Kaoru back to begin with. She pushed open the lock with a bit of effort, and the wooden gate creaked open on its hinges.
Kaoru took a good look at the man who was leaning against the wall right behind the gate. He was dressed in western clothing, so he was definitely not from the immediate area of Tokyo. This mysterious man was rather on the tall side, with a pale complexion , thinning black hair, and almost pupiless black eyes that seemed to have no certain end. Their depth seemed as if they could swallow you whole. It almost brought a shiver through Kaoru.
"How can I help you sir?" Kaoru managed to muster out these few words and plastered on a polite smile.
"Actually Miss, I may able to help you instead. You see, I’m a traveling merchant if it has become apparent to you, and I’m offering my services today to this district of Tokyo. I don’t really come by here often though, so you’d be missing out on a good opportunity if you declined." He smiled back, his thin lips curling in the process.
"Ah… okay then. Well, what is it you’re offering?" Kaoru questioned innocently enough.
The merchant opened a small, burlap sack and carefully removed an oddly-shaped , blue, glass bottle.
"If you don’t mind my saying, you look like you’ve been through a lot Miss… This tonic here is great for people who suffer sleep-deprivation, and it’s also good for any aches or pains you may have. It’s a surefire remedy, I guarantee it."
He held out the bottle, gesturing for her to take a look for herself. Kaoru blushed slightly from embarrassment. Did she really look that bad from not resting up properly?
"Okay, well I guess something new never hurt, right?" She smiled appreciatingly and accepted the bottle, deciding also to buy it from him. The man also returned a smile and bowed courteously to conclude the deal.
Unfortunately, Kaoru didn’t notice the evil glint in those pupiless eyes of his….
Stay Tuned for Chapter 2… ^_^
Translation Notes:
Mou: Good god, Jeese, Sheesh, etc.
De gozaru: A polite way of saying things as far as I know.
Hai: Yes
Oro: Any Kenshin fan should know this one ^_^
Sugoi: Incredible, Amazing
SD expression: In case you didn’t understand this one, it refers to a cute lil’ chibi version of whatever character I was talking about. SD stands for "Super- Deformed".
If I missed or forgot any, please feel free to smack me ^_^
Well, actually, email me and I’ll correct it a.s.a.p.
Thanks again for reading! And send me mail please ^_~