Genre

Rating

Spoiler Level

First Moments: Chapter 4

by mvdiva

To fear love is to fear life, and those who fear life are already three parts dead.

Warm rays of sunlight gently brought her out of a deep sleep. With a happy sigh, Kaoru stretched and yawned mightily. Already she could hear birds chirping outside, and the smell of something delicious cooking brought a smile to her face.

She sat up. The rush of blood flushed away her morning amnesia, and the emotions from the night before came back with a flash. In response, her cheeks reddened. “What was I thinking?” She asked a patch of sunlight on her blanket. It had no answer for her. Images of herself unabashedly tucking in the sleeping rurouni played before her eyes. He couldn’t possibly have been awake. Anyway, there’s nothing wrong with tucking in a friend. At that thought, she paused, hands frozen in midair as she tied her obi securely.

Is he just a friend? Normally the no-nonsense voice of her conscious would have said yes, but after last night’s strange episode, she didn’t have a good response. Kaoru’s nimble fingers combed through her long hair as she puzzled over the recent turn of events. The futon folded into its corner along with the blanket neatly placed on top. There was no reason to stay in her mostly empty room, but the assistant master of the Kamiya dojo suddenly found herself unable to walk to the kitchen.

The sound of Kenshin’s warm voice chatting with Yahiko reached her ears. The boy had run off quickly last night, disturbed by Kenshin’s strange actions. Apparently they had reconciled. Kaoru rubbed her hand over the smooth doorframe, biting her lip. Get a hold of yourself! You are the assistant master in the Kamiya Kasshin style. She straightened slightly. There was nothing different between her and Kenshin. Last night was just a fluke.

Everything would go back to the way it was before last night’s dinner. Her wrist didn’t hurt in the slightest, but the rurouni’s eyes would beg forgiveness for the entire day until she eventually knocked him on the head with her bokken a few times in an effort to wack the guilt out of his thick head. Kaoru shook her head and shoved the door back. It was going to be a long day.