La Fleure qui est Belle

Yup, it’s been a
while. I’ve been busy with school work
and performances and such. This entire
chapter was written in statistics class yesterday.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Enjoy, short though it may be.

The usual warning and
disclaimer applies, see chapter one.

Chapter 16

A year had passed
since Kenshin had asked Kaoru to stay with him; a full year of building tension
yet, at the same time, respect and a bit of admiration on both of their
parts. Kaoru had become an integral part
of the household, and Kenshin had come to enjoy having her around.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Every day, Kenshin swore that he would talk
with her about a convenience marriage, and similarly, every day would
fail. It wasn’t that he was afraid to
ask, per se, but rather that he simply never found the time.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> He knew she wouldn’t leave, she’s said as
much; and their relationship had grown to the point where they no longer we
incessantly on the other’s nerves, but yes, there was definitely still
tension. It dispersed when Kenshin had
guests and clients (which was at least four times a week), but it built again
after they left.

Kaoru knew
full well what she’d been feeling, but Kenshin was severely consternated.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> After all, he’d never felt this way about a
woman, let alone one with whom he was living, and he wasn’t sure as to whether
or not he was simply mistaking platonic care for something else.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Something far and beyond
frightening to his mind. It would
completely flip his world, not to mention his other relationships, if he found
that he was not attracted t omen alone.
His lovers’ wives, fiancées, and admirers would adore Kaoru instantly on
the single fact that he might marry, but where did that leave him?

As it
turned out, circumstances would force him to take action one way or
another. His next appointment was with
someone he had not seen in years.

Kaoru
opened the door to a man she had never seen at the gatherings, and by this
point, she knew all of Kenshin’s clientele.
So, who was this man? He was
small in stature, probably only slightly taller than Kenshin, had russet hair
and hazel eyes. Her first thought upon
seeing him was how handsome he was. Her
second was ‘Did Kenshin age twenty years in one night?’

The man
chuckled at her obvious confusion.
“Relax, child, I don’t bite.
Would you be so kind as to fetch my wayward son?”style='mso-spacerun:yes'>

His only
reply was Kaoru slipping into a faint.
Catching her easily before she hit the floor, he scooped her into his
arms and carried her into the parlor where he lay her
on a sofa before returning to the entrance hall, voice carrying throughout the
flat.

class=GramE>“KENSHIN!”

In his
room, Kenshin awoke with a start. That
could not possibly have been… He jumped as the call rang out again, and was
dressed and out the door faster than he’d been in years.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> His only thought was “Bugger, I’m in deep
shit.”