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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
- 12
- 13
A Note From Sedjet: Hello,
friends! I know I haven't posted a chapter in...WAY too long. I was
finally able to get myself motivated for the wedding chapter.
So...here it is!

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni
Kenshin and I am in no way claiming to.

Flight of the Wounded Dove

Chapter Thirteen:

Ritual

The morning of the wedding came too
soon and took everyone by surprise. The Kamiya dojo was in an uproar
with Tae running back and forth between the kitchen and Kaoru's
bedroom. Kaoru pleaded for peace and solace, but Tae would hear none
of it. She insisted on a traditional ceremony all the way. This
meant that there would be a ritual washing of Kaoru's body. In
addition, Megumi, Misaou, Tae and Tsubame would dress her in her
wedding kimono.

It was bad enough that Tae was still
fuming about the color of Kaoru's kimono. She insisted that Kaoru
should have chosen a white kimono rather than red—white being
the color of the traditional shinto wedding kimono.

Megumi had had enough of Tae's
grumbling and leveled the woman with a wry look and an upraised
eyebrow. “Tae, there is nothing traditional about this union,
no matter how hard you try. The kimono suits her, Kenshin approves
and she will look stunning. Let. It. Go.” When Tae's would
have argued, Megumi sniffed the air, “Is something burning?”
Tae shrieked and fled to the kitchen. Megumi smiled smugly and went
back to coiffing Kaoru's hair into the traditional style. She knew
very well that nothing was burning, she simply wanted a reprieve from
Tae's constant chatter. “As much as that woman had to drink
last night, you would think she would have a little less energy,”
Megumi mutter around a mouthful of hairpins. She secured the twin
phoenix combs into the hair at either side of Kaoru's head, just
above and behind her ears. When she was satisfied with Kaoru's
appearance, Megumi stepped back slightly.

“My, my, Tanuki! You clean up
well. Who knew?” Kaoru's eyes narrowed with a deadly gleam.
“Now, now, Kaoru! You know I am teasing you. You look
stunning and you are nowhere near being done yet.

Kaoru paled visibly. Already, she had
been forced to be bathed by four women who then rubbed scented oils
into her skin “to bring prosperity” to her marriage.
Then, she was forced to stand for the better part of an hour as
Megumi teased, combed, yanked and waxed her hair into submission.
Next, they would force her to endure a makeup session. Her face was
to be painted the traditional white of a shinto bride—not quite
as white as the geisha, but softer. She was sure she was going to
look as if she had stuck her face into a flour sack. Then, they
would line her eyes with kohl, paint her lips red and lightly rouge
her cheeks. It seemed her torture would never cease as Tsubame
handed the brush and paint to Megumi.

------------------

In the living room, Sano was pacing,
Hiko was staring at Sano like he was crazy, and Yahiko had crawled
under the table to sleep off his hangover. Kenshin and Aoshi were
meditating on the deck outside Kenshin's room.

“What is Kenshin doing? He needs
to get ready!”

“He has three hours, Chicken
Head. It will take them the better portion of that time to get his
bride to be dress and primped and painted. There is no sense in
forcing him into uncomfortable formal wear until it is absolutely
necessary. You are behaving like a woman.”

Sano stopped mid-stride and attempted
to think of a witty comeback. What came out was: “Yeah? Well,
you look like a woman!”
In a very childish tone.

“You are
completely hopeless,” Hiko muttered.

------------------

Two hours later,
Kaoru looked at herself in the full length mirror as Megumi yanked on
her obi cloth to make sure would be as tight as it could be without
causing the bride to pass out. The bride to be hardly recognized
herself Her face was powder-white and her lips had been painted in
the traditional style: the top lip bowed and one tiny ribbon of color
on the bottom lip. Her ebony hair was piled on top of her head in
graceful swoops and curves. With her red kimono and pale, white
face, Kaoru realized she probably looked like a geisha. The thought
made her pale under her already pale makeup. Should she have
listened to Tae and chosen a traditional, white kimono? What if
everyone thought she was a prostitute. It was bad enough that the
people of the village thought she was unclean for taking in two male
borders as an unmarried woman. What if this made things worse?!

Kaoru was pulled
out of her reverie by another yank of the obi. Tae gave her hands a
gentle squeeze, steading her so that she was not thrown off balance.
She reached up and rapped Kaoru between the eyes with a makeup brush.
“Stop that! Stop thinking whatever it is that you are
thinking. Today is going to be perfect. You are marrying the man
you have been pining for the better part of five years! What more
could a girl ask for?” She grinned devilishly and winked at
Kaoru. With all of the food prepared and stored for the gathering
afterward, Tae had nothing left to do but fuss over Kaoru.

The bride in
question heard the shoji slide open and turned her head slightly to
the side. Tsubame slipped into the room quietly. “Tae, you
said that I should come tell you when the carriage arrived.”

Tae clapped her
hands together, “Splendid!”

Megumi muttered
something about impeccable timing and gave one last tug on the yellow
obi.

Kaoru's mouth gaped
“Tae! You didn't have to bother with hiring a carriage! I am
a healthy young woman and fully capable of walking!!!”

“And get your
wedding kimono dusty? I think not, young lady! Now, put on your
okobo.”

Kaoru grimaced.
She hated these shoes. Only maiko wore the blasted things and she
did not see why she couldn't just be like other brides and wear
normal geta. Whatever the reason, Tae had commissioned a pair of the
platformed sandals with gold filigree and had forced her to learn how
to walk in them. As Kaoru stepped into the ridiculous shoes, she
said a silent prayer that Tae had begun teaching her how to walk in
them a month early. If she had not, the young bride would have
fallen on her face before she got into the temple!

Once the finishing
touches had been done to Kaoru's hair and makeup, the women piled
carefully into the carriage. Tae fussed with Kaoru about how she
should sit as to create the least amount of wrinkles possible on her
kimono. Kaoru just rolled her eyes and prayed that the carriage ride
would be over soon. She didn't know how much more of this her nerves
could handle.

Vaguely, Kaoru
wondered how Kenshin was fairing. He must have had it easy.
Certainly men would be less fussy than this gaggle of women!

------------------

Kenshin was
standing in the groom's holding room, waiting to be told the when the
ceremony would start. It was a struggle for him to maintain his
sanity as Sanosuke fussed over him, picking invisible lint from his
formal gi and hakama, which were a deep, sombre blue. Hiko was
already drunk and babbling about his baka deshi being all grown up
and marrying for love. Kenshin cringed inwardly. He did not want to
be reminded of his marriage to Tomoe today. When Hiko passed out for
a few minutes, Kenshin knew his prayers had been answered. Now, if
only Sanosuke would stop wringing his hands like a nervous woman. He
smiled bemusedly. If things were this bad for him, he could not
begin to understand what Kaoru was having to go through. The thought
sobered him. In only a few short moments, he would be binding
himself to the woman he had loved for five years. Kenshin had never
thought that this could happen to him. The kami had somehow decided
that he was worthy of some measure of happiness and had led him to
Kaoru. He realized then, that protecting Kaoru at all costs had
allowed him to atone for his many transgressions. He smiled to think
that they would have the rest of their lives together. They would
have babies together and grow old together.

“Oi!
Kenshin!” Sanosuke exclaimed. “It's time. The priestess
said it is time! C'mon! You don't want to be late!” Sanosuke
led him out the door by the arm.

Yahiko stared at
Hiko and shrugged. He poked at the drunken man with his foot and
received only a grunt for his troubles. The spiky haired youth saw a
basin out of the corner of his eye. He knew there would be some
special corner in hell just for him if he were to use the blessed
water to wake up Hiko, but he could not resist. He grabbed the basin
and upended it over the drunken swordsman. The lush in question sat
upright, eyes wide. As he gathered his wits about him, his gaze
narrowed on Yahiko who quickly hid his basin behind his back.

“Er—ahem--the
ceremony is about to begin?”

“We'll talk
about this later, boy.” Hiko grunted.

Yahiko grinned
inwardly. Later, the drunkard would be passed out under a table.

------------------

In keeping with the
wishes of the couple, it was a small ceremony. There were only a
handful of people in attendance: Dr. Genzai and his granddaughters,
Aoshi and Misao, Megumi and Sanosuke, Tsubame and Yahiko, Hiko and,
of course, Tae.

“You are
really the only mother figure I have known, Tae.” Kaoru
murmured as they waited to enter the sanctuary. Megumi, Misao and
Tsubame had already gone in, leaving Tae to escort Kaoru to meet
Kenshin at the altar. “I cannot thank you enough for all that
you have done for me in these last few months.”

“Kaoru, I
swear if you make me cry before this ceremony, I will beat you with
a wooden spoon!” Tae bawled.

Kaoru laughed.
“One of us has to cry and it cannot be me. My makeup would run
and Kenshin would too, once he saw me!”

Tae giggled. “Oh,
Kaoru! I was wondering if I would ever see this day. We have all
been waiting so long for the two of you to come to some sort of
common ground about your feelings! I think I am as happy as you
are!”

Kaoru shook her
head carefully, being mindful of her elaborately styled hair. “I
can assure you that you are not as happy I am, Tae. I was ready to
kill him or myself if something did not happen soon!”

In the sanctuary,
the priest began to chant and Tae collected herself. “It is
time, my dear. Are you ready?”

Kaoru's clear blue
gaze locked on the older woman's. “I have never been so ready
for anything in my life.” she answered truthfully.

“Then let us
go to your warrior.”

------------------

Hiko grunted
Kenshin. “It is time, baka deshi.”

Kenshin nodded,
then looked closer at his mentor's apparel. “Sensei, are you
wet?”

Hiko grunted and
muttered about baka deshi of baka deshi and headed out of the
corridor into the sanctuary proper, leaving Kenshin no choice but to
follow. The young groom struggled to face forward and not seek out
his beloved. He knew that she would be emerging from the corridor on
the opposite side of the sanctuary, but it was considered rude not to
pay attention to the priest while he was performing the ceremony.
However, once she was within his line of sight, he could not take his
eyes off her. She was exquisite in the kimono he had chosen for her.
She walked with a fluid grace she had no idea she possessed. He had
observed her practice with the okobo and had wondered if geta would
have been a better choice, but she had proven him wrong.

As they knelt
beside each other at the altar, Kenshin had to resist the urge to
reach for her hand. To do so would be considered improper. So, he
simply knelt beside her, listening to the chanting of the priest.
The priest laid his blessings upon their union and motioned for two
priestesses in white gi and red hakama to bring forth the sake cups.
It was time for the san san kudo*, the ceremony of three times three.
Kenshin and Kaoru were to each take three sips from three sake cups
stacked one inside the other and then pass them to their 'family'
members as witnesses of their union.

The older priestess
arranged the cups on the altar and made a graceful bow as she offered
the sake pitcher to Kenshin. The younger priestess took Kaoru's hand
and placed it with Kenshin's on the pitcher. As Kaoru's hand joined
Kenshin's on the pitcher, he could not help but feel that Hiko would
definitely enjoy this part of the ceremony.

Together, they
poured the sake into the tiered cups. A peaceful smile found its way
to Kenshin's face as he watched the cups gradually fill with the
clear liquid. Once the cups were filled, they set the pitcher down
on the altar and Kenshin picked up the first cup. He sipped from it
three times before passing the cup to Kaoru. Upon his first sip of
sake, the ex-assassin noted that sake no longer held a bitter taste
for him. Finally, he knew what Hiko had meant about being bitter
sake. If your sake was bitter, there was something missing in your
life. Kenshin had only been able to enjoy the rice wine once, just
before Tomoe's death.

His smile was soft
as Kaoru accepted the cup. She took it in her delicate fingers and
placed her lips over the spot where Kenshin's own lips had kissed it.
A shiver ran down Kenshin's spine and raise the fine hairs on his
arms as Kaoru's sapphire eyes gazed at him from the pale white mask
of her makeup. Her eyes glowed with a mature knowledge that he would
not have credited her with before. Kaoru placed the cup on the tray
offered to her by the first priestess. When the second cup was
passed, Kenshin took a sip. His fingers brushed Kaoru's as he
offered her the cup, turning it so she could place her lips where his
had been moments before. He could see the smile she his behind the
cup and an answering smile blossomed on his lips as his heart swelled
with pride.

Only after the
couple had taken three sips from each of the three cups did the older
priestess offer the cups to each witness who also took three sips
from each.

When the san san
kudo was completed, the couple turned turned to their respective
witnesses and took the branches of sakaki**, placing them on the
altar. This was their peace offering to the gods to ensure that they
had a safe and happy marriage.

Once the ritual was
completely, the priest bid them turn around and greet their family
and friends and Mr. and Mrs. Himura Kenshin. It was almost too much
for Kenshin, this feeling happy feeling that he could not act upon.
He wanted to laugh; he wanted to shout; he want to scoop Kaoru into
his arms and hug her tightly to him before the gods and everyone
present. However, he would have to contain himself until they were
alone, and if all the food Tae had made that morning was any
indication, they would not be alone again for quite sometime. So the
once feared Hitokiri Battousai contented himself with gazing lovingly
at his wife.

He heard Tae
gushing about the lovely ceremony and Hiko's muttered response about
there not being enough sake. Kenshin gave in and chuckled a bit,
wondering how it was that he managed to find redemption in the eyes
of the gods. How else could he have been blessed with such a
wonderful family and a woman he was never sure he deserved?

TBC...

Author's Note:
Ok. So that wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. It's
been almost a year because I've been putting it off and putting it
off. I didn't want to leave this fic unfinished. By the gods, I am
determined to finish at least one of my fics! We're reaching the
end, kids! I only have one or two more chapters of this, depending
on whether not I want an epilogue. We'll see how things go.

*http://www.japaneseweddingfavors.com/wedding_sake.htm

**http://www.japaneselifestyle.com.au/culture/japanese_wedding_ceremony_2.html

Most of the
ceremony is completely from my head. I could not find very detailed
information concerning traditional Japanese weddings, so I took the
skeletal components I was able to find info on and fleshed things out
a bit. I hope you enjoyed it!
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Flight of the Wounded Dove