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Flight of the Wounded Dove	By : ShaeyaSedjet Category: Rurouni Kenshin > General Views: 3101 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 10
- 11
- 12
A
Note from Sedjet: Hiya, kids! Here it is! The
long awaited eleventh installment of FotWD. I hope ya
dig it! And to my reviewers:

GoldAngel2
– Aw! I’m glad you are enjoying the fic so much!!!
sniffle Yeah, I suppose historical romances will do that to
you…grin I’m a hopeless romantic, though I would
never let on. It can be our secret.

Koishii
Sweet – Waffy and fluffy enough for ya? I’m
glad you’re liking itJ

Golden
Girl 2002 – Ummm…I don’t know?

kitty-gal
– Thank you! I was afraid the last chapter was a bomb.

blahblahHOBO
– LOL!!! giggle, snort, guffaw Oh, dear! I
will take the hobos. If they can bring in some cash, that would
be great! That’s the best gift I’ve ever had
sniffle

Gypsy-chan
– I am so very flattered! Thank you!

cyjj
– Hehe…You sound like Tae. I hope you enjoy
the update!

Disclaimer:
Still can't claim them as my own.

Flight
of the Wounded Dove

Chapter
Eleven:

Arrangements

“WHAT?!”
Takani Megumi screeched as she stared open mouthed across the table
at Kaoru.

“Yes,
Megumi-san, Kenshin and I are to be wed.”

“Well,
it is about time, Tanuki-chan,” The older woman smiled warmly
at Kaoru.

Kaoru
blushed and looked at her teacup, “Sano said the very same
thing.”

Megumi
scoffed, “What would that tori-atama know about anything?”

Without
looking up from her teacup, Kaoru suggested, “Perhaps now he
will take a cue from Kenshin.”

The
Megitsune choked on her tea, “WHAT?! You must be joking,
Tanuki-chan! That dolt…and me?!”

Kaoru
looked up, not bothering to hide her coy smile, “I never said
he would propose to you. Do you assume because you secretly
hope he will ask for your hand?”

“What?!”
The normally composed and graceful doctor spluttered for the third
time. “Do you suggest that I would encourage the
attentions of that…that…tori-atama?!”

Kaoru
grinned from ear to ear, “Why yes, Megumi-san. That is
exactly what I am suggesting.”

Megumi’s
mouth worked, but no sound came out. “Are you suggesting
that I am in love with Sagara Sanosuke?”

“Oh,
I think you just admitted it freely, Megumi-san. I never said
anything of the like.”

“Do
you really think he will propose?” The doctor asked solemnly,
looking at her hands.

“I
do not know, Megumi-san. I do know that he is very fond
of you. I see it in the way he looks at you when you are not
paying attention. He softens. I think he just needs to
work up the courage. Perhaps you could give him a bit of
encouragement. Give him a reason to work up the nerve. He
thinks you hate him.”

Megumi
huffed, “Men are stupid.”

Kaoru
giggled.

“Well,
look at Kenshin! You follow him to the ends of the earth and he
never suspects how you feel about him. He waits until you have
a nervous breakdown and run off to Kami knows where before he
realizes what he might lose. And that stupid chicken-head,”
she muttered. “He cannot be serious about the smallest
thing. He just gambles and drinks his life away.”

“And
moons over you.” Kaoru added.

Megumi
sighed heavily, “I just thought he was badgering me.”

Kaoru
gave her a gentle smile, “It seems we women are no better than
the males when it comes to love, ne, Megitsune?”

Megumi
just stared into her teacup, turning it round and round between her
long, elegant fingers.

Kaoru
woke to a frantic pounding on the frame of the main door to the house
proper. She grumbled and combed her fingers through her hair in
a vain attempt to smooth the snarls as she padded, barefoot, to the
door. Kenshin had already donned a yukata and had beaten her
out to the hall. His presence surprised Kaoru so that she
nearly ran into him. Her eyes widened and she wrapped her
yukata tighter around herself. She blushed at her state of
dress and bowed her head. She hated for him to see her before
she was fully ready to start the day. She didn’t see his
soft smile or the way his eyes appraised her mussed features.

“Shall
we?” he queried softly in a voice clear and free of the
sleep-crusties. Kaoru nodded her acquiescence and, together,
they went to the main door.

What
the newly engaged couple was not prepared for was a hyperactive and
way too awake Tae. The older woman squealed when they
answered the door together.

“I
knew it!”

“Knew
what?” Kaoru asked, perplexed.

Kenshin
smiled at his fiancé’s innocence. “Nothing
of that nature has happened yet, Tae-san, and shame on you for
encouraging sexual relations before marriage.” He
scolded, playfully.

The
older woman pouted, “I just knew we would have little Kaorus
and Kenshins running about.”

For
her part, Kaoru was scandalized. She stood next to Kenshin, her
mouth gaping like a koi. Tae turned her gaze to the young
woman, “Dear, do not gape like that. You’ll catch
flies.”

Kenshin
chuckled as Kaoru snapped her mouth shut.

“Well,
I have come to help Kaoru begin preparations for the wedding,”
Tae chirped happily.

Kaoru
face-faulted, “Tae, we just came back from a very long trip.
I am so tired! The wedding isn’t for another three
months.”

“And
that is precisely why we must begin now!” Tae said
adamantly. “Now, Kenshin, if you could just leave us to
our business. We will probably not be done before lunch.”

Kaoru’s
eyes widened an impossible amount. “Tae! There
cannot be that much to plan! The ceremony is going to be very
small. Certainly, it cannot need that much preparation.

“Oh,
my dear,” the older woman said placatingly, “There are
flowers, and the matter of your kimonos and—“

Kenshin
smiled with a measure of pride, remembering what kimono his fiancé
had chosen for her wedding attire. “Kaoru already has her
kimono.”

Tae’s
face fell. “Well, the flowers, then…”

Kaoru
moaned and turned in the direction of her room. “At least
give me a chance to bathe and dress properly, Tae.” She
glared over her shoulder at Kenshin. “Why don’t you
have to be subjected to this?”

He
shrugged and watched the seductive sway of his fiancé’s
hips as she walked away.

He
heaved a sigh of relief, “I am so glad that Kami did not make
me a woman. Follow me, Tae. I will make you some tea.
Then, I must go prepare Kaoru’s bath.”

“Oh,
how romantic!” She gushed.

After
bathing and dressing in one of her older kimonos, Kaoru found herself
seated at the low dining table. Tae was chattering on about
flowers and invitations and food. Kaoru took several deep,
cleansing breaths before venturing to speak, “Tae, as I said
before, this will be a very small ceremony. Small and simple.
I don’t want anything elaborate. Just an intimate
ceremony with friends.” She spoke very slowly in case Tae
had some sort of mental defect that rendered her incapable of
understanding such a simple concept.

The
older woman huffed, “Fine, fine, but you must choose a
calligrapher to make your invitations. They must be a work of
art. They must—“

“Why
can’t they be simple like us?”

Tae
gave her a knowing look from the corner of her eye, “If you
want something to represent the two of you, you would end up with a
very tacky set of invitations. Simple! The two of you are
probably the two most complex individuals that I know! It would
not have taken normal people over two years to finally share their
feelings with one another, and even so, it would not have taken such
drastic measures to accomplish it.” She said sagely.
“But, if you want simple, I can suggest a few people. Of
course, we should look at samples from each calligrapher—“

“I
have a thought, Tae, why don’t you pick the best one you can
think of? The invitations need only the date and place.”

“What
about a romantic poem, Kaoru?”

“No.”

“A
nice illustration, perhaps?”

Kaoru
took another calming breath, “Tae, this might not take all
morning if you would just listen to me.”

The
older woman put on her best pout and Kaoru grabbed at her hair.

When
the arrangements were made and Tae was sent on her merry way, Kaoru
sought out Kenshin in the yard. After four grueling hours of
fighting with Tae about what color the calligraphy paper should be,
what kind of flowers would go in the arrangements and the menu for
reception, Kaoru needed a nap. She found her not-so-rurouni up
to his elbows in soapsuds, scrubbing away at the laundry. Kaoru
smiled, watching the man she loved labor over a woman’s chore.

“Kenshin,”
she called softly, and he looked up at her from his labor. A
brilliant smile lit his features, and Kaoru’s heart skipped a
beat.

“Hai,
koiishi! Tae is gone, I suspect.” It was not a
question. He hadn’t seen his fiancé in several
hours because of the wedding planning session. Since she had
sought him out, the chances were that Tae was gone.

She
nodded in unneeded affirmation. “Hai. Let’s
have lunch. I’m starving…and I need a nap,”
she muttered with a wry smile.

Kenshin
smiled, “Hai. I will finish up here and prepare lunch.”

Kaoru
smiled gratefully, “Arigato, Kenshin.” She made to
leave, but turned back to him, biting her lip. “Um...”
she began tentatively. “Maybe we could make lunch together? I
mean—well--I've been practicing. And if you were there to
guide me, things couldn't go too terribly, ne?”

Kenshin
was genuinely touched by her request. She had never asked for his
help in the kitchen before. In fact, he could not remember Kaoru
ever asking him for anything. His heart swelled with a joy that
filled his eyes and shone outward at her. “Hai, koishii. I
would enjoy that very much.

Kaoru
smiled and ducked her head shyly and took the arm he offered her.

~*~

The
couple stood in the kitchen and Kenshin chuckled inwardly as Kaoru
cut vegetables with the tiniest tip of her tongue poking from side of
her mouth. She was trying her best not to butcher the sweet potatoes
, eggplant and shiitake mushrooms she was working on.

“They
are only vegetables, koishii. It does not matter what they look
like,” he said with a gentle smile.

She
turned to him with fire in her eyes, brandishing the knife in his
direction. “I WILL get this, Kenshin! They are just
vegetables! It can't be that difficult! I teach swordsmanship! I
should be able to do this!”

She
continued to rant and Kenshin cringed with every gesture she made
with the knife. He considered for a moment how scary Kaoru could
really be. The Battousai, however, was perversely pleased. Yes,
she was definitely made to be our woman.

When
her tirade was finished, she turned back to the cutting board and
once again became engrossed in chopping vegetables. Kenshin had to
admit that her tenacity was admirable. She tackled every challenge
she met with a fervor three-year olds would envy. It was another of
the many things he admired about the woman. He watched her for
another moment before he went back to cutting the tofu.

It
was not long before Kaoru turned to Kenshin with a grin on her face.
“They are done, Kenshin.” She moved out of the way so he
could inspect her handiwork.

As
he glanced over the vegetables, she peered over his shoulder.
“Well?”

Kenshin
nodded. “You did a very good job, koishii. My only suggestion
is to be careful of the pressure you use in the middle. Do you see
how the slices get thinner at the bottom?” She nodded and he
continued. “It is because you become unsure of yourself in the
middle and, consequently, the pressure you are using becomes uneven
and the angle of the knife changes, causing the difference in
thickness. Think of it as a kata. When you are doing your kata, you
are following through with clean, sharp strokes. When you are
cutting vegetables, you need the same confidence you have as you
complete the kata.”

Kaoru
nodded. Once he put it that way, it seemed so easy. She logged the
analogy away in her mind for future use.

He
smiled at her reaction. It wasn't the criticism she rebelled
against, it was the manner in which it was spoken to her. Rather
than responding with violence, she considered it thoughtfully. He
suspected the comparison to kata helped as well. It was a concept
she could easily grasp and apply to the situation.

“Do
you think you can handle putting everything together?”

Her
chin took that stubborn tilt that he had come to adore. “Do
your worst.”

“Do
you remember what I said earlier about seasonings?”

She
blushed. “Yes: Seasonings should be used sparingly and only to
enhance the flavor of the dish.”

Kenshin
smiled softly, “Exactly, unless you want to make an extra-spicy
dish, but that is a lesson for another day.” She bit her lip
and he chuckled. “Now, show me how much ginger you would add
to the tempura batter.”

Kaoru
bit her lip and scooped a heaping spoonful of grated ginger from a
small bowl. Kenshin chuckled and gently lowered her hand back to the
bowl. “Close, koishii. If you are using a spoon to measure
the amount of a spice you need for a dish, then your spoon should be
leveled. Ginger is an especially potent herb, so we will not need to
use as much as we would if we were using a different spice.”
As he spoke, he emptied her spoon of its contents and gripped her
wrist lightly. He guided her and her spoon into the bowl to show her
the correct amount of ginger needed. “Do you see?”

She
nodded brightly. “The amount of ginger is level with the bowl
of the spoon.”

Kenshin
grinned and kissed the tip of her nose.

It
went on like that, Kenshin quizzing Kaoru and gently correcting her
when she was wrong, which was less often that he would have
originally thought. As they battered the shrimp and vegetables for
the tempura, placing them into the hot oil, Kenshin explained how to
tell when the tempura was thoroughly cooked. To illustrate, he
purposely burned one of the battered vegetables and proceeded to
undercook one. Then, he placed his examples on a cloth and turned to
Kaoru. He pointed to the overcooked vegetable. “What do you
see here?”

Kaoru
looked at him as if he had grown two heads. “It looks like my
cooking.”

Kenshin
struggled to keep a straight face and lost miserably. He poked at
the darkened sweet potato. “Do you see how it has become soft
and mushy?” She nodded. “And you have already pointed
out that it is slightly overcooked.”

“Burnt
to a crisp, you mean,” she muttered wryly.

“Iie,
Kaoru. This is not a lesson about what you are doing wrong. It is a
lesson about learning how to perfect your skill. Think of this part
as the meditation after your kata. You must give it the same
concentration you would give to your meditation.” She nodded
and he pointed to the undercooked slice of mushroom. “Do you
see how, on this piece, the batter isn't quite cooked thoroughly. It
lacks the crispy shell that we are looking for. If anyone were to
bite into it, it may still be cool in the middle.” He reached
into the bowl of shrimp and dipped one into the tempura batter. He
then placed it gently into the oil. “Now, I will show you what
tempura is supposed to look like when cooked properly.” He
waited a moment until the coated shrimp began to brown. “Do
you see how it changes color as it cooks? Depending on how hot your
fire is, it could be quicker or slower. However, we are looking for
the batter to solidify and turn a golden brown.” He reached
out with a pair of chopsticks to snatch the shrimp out of the pan.
“Like this.” He held it up for her inspection. “It
does not have to be exactly this color. We just want it to be
somewhere between my two earlier examples. Do you understand?”

Kaoru
nodded slowly, “I think so...but I'm sure I would trust my own
judgment.”

“You
will be hesitant your first few times. That's why I am here.”
He reached up to wipe a bit of tempura batter from her cheek. “You
can ask my opinion if you are feeling unsure of yourself, but your
gut should tell you when it is finished. If you would listen to your
instincts as easily in cooking as you did in martial arts, you would
have no problem at all. Your problem with cooking is in your self
doubt.”

Kaoru
considered his words for a moment and picked out a piece of shrimp to
batter. She placed it into the pan and watched it sizzle for a
moment. She prodded around at it as she had seen Kenshin do and
watched as it slowly began to change color. When it was ready, she
instinctively looked to Kenshin for approval. He smiled softly and
nodded his assent. She grinned and picked it out with her
chopsticks.

“Very
good, koishii.”

“This
isn't so tough,” she grumbled. “I just needed to someone
to show me how to do it.”

And
so it went, Kaoru battering vegetables and shrimp (even being so
adventurous as to try frying three or four at a time) and checking
Kenshin for his opinion.

~*~

After
a lunch, the newly engaged couple stood doing dishes side by side.
When Kenshin had dried the last dish and put it in its proper place,
he turned to Kaoru. “Are you ready for that nap?”

Kaoru
nodded, a relieved smile playing across her lips. Kenshin
seemed to hesitate for a moment and Kaoru prompted him, “What
is it, Kenshin?”

“Would
you mind if I joined you for that nap?”

Kaoru
blushed, a slow smile spreading across her features. “Iie,”
she whispered.

Taking
her hand in his, Kenshin smiled and led the way to Kaoru’s
room. He pulled back the bedding on her futon and sank
gracefully onto the soft pallet. He situated himself before
beckoning to her to join him. She sank down onto the softness
of the mattress, more than a little unsure of herself. Kenshin
took note of her shy behavior and helped her find the most
comfortable position. With her head nestled into the hollow of
his shoulder, the last thing Kaoru remembered was the feeling of
Kenshin pressing a kiss against the crown of her head.

Author’s
Note: HA!! I kicked my writer’s block in the
ass!!!!! Woohoo!!! It’s not as intense as past
chapters, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway!
- 10
- 11
- 12
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Flight of the Wounded Dove