Rurouni Kenshin - Kenshin Himura x Kaoru Kamiya
Fandom: Rurouni Kenshin
Pairing: Kenshin/Kaoru
Theme set: Gamma
Title: Merry-Go-Round
Rating: PG-13
Warning[s]: Shameless fluff. Oh yes.
Notes: Kenji is also very much present in these, because Daddy!Kenshin is one of the most adorable things EVER. Oh and, the last sentence? We didn't get to see this in the manga, I so hope it is in the movie! *-*
#01 - Ring
Kenshin had never liked being the center of attention, but for this one occasion, it was alright: he was surrounded by friends close enough to be family and ah, there was his beloved Kaoru, beautiful and beaming as she joined him before the priest on their wedding day.
#02 - Hero
As a young boy, Kenji often got bullied because of his hair color, but that stopped the minute Kenshin warned the other boys that if they didn't stop, Kaoru would be coming after them - Kenji's shout of "Chaaarge!" was quite a faithful representation of what the bullies were now risking and never, ever did they mention Kenji's hair again.
#03 - Memory
He told her on their tenth wedding anniversary that his real name was Shinta and, while she could see that it hadn't been a name for the swordsman he was to become, Kaoru thought that it suited the kind-hearted man beside her - the husband and father - perfectly.
#04 - Box
While many complains that Japan's westernization was too fast could be heard on the streets, Kenshin had to admit that the foreigners' technology had its advantages - photographs of his family and friends scattered around the country were neatly arranged in a small box, and Kaoru and him treasured them.
#05 - Run
To Kaoru, this was as close to perfect as a day could be: hours outside in the sun flying a kite that Kenji chased, his delighted laughter carried by the wind.
#06 - Hurricane
Sometimes, Kaoru felt like she had two children: there was no way her two redheads could share a bath without water splashing everywhere, and she fully believed Kenji when the boy said it was Tou-san's fault, too.
#07 - Wings
Kaoru was watching: the clearing, sparkling pearls of dew, the morning sun and, in the middle of it, the dragon taking flight.
#08 - Cold
Years of Kaoru's presence at his side have worked their magic: Kenshin's soul knows no more cold days, not even on his former Remembrance Day, when Winter sheds its first snowflakes.
#09 - Red
Dark, blood red on the floor, on the walls, on her clothes, splattered and marring her skin, embedding itself in his mind - it is so very wrong and, as his tears blur his vision, all he sees is red - hellish red.
#10 - Drink
No matter what Shishou said, there is no better sake for Kenshin than the one he and Kaoru shared during their wedding ceremony.
#11 - Midnight
Kenshin didn't recognize the room he woke up in after defeating Shishio: it was either night or he had gone almost blind - he twitched in freezing fear at the thought and suddenly his whole body hurt, but then there were Kaoru's hand on his and her voice, calling him, calming, soothing… he breathed.
#12 - Temptation
Kenshin would sit on the porch sometimes, look to the west and think about Sanosuke's travels and all there still was to discover on those roads, up until his children would distract him with their latest discoveries and pull him back inside the house - maybe another day…
#13 - View
Kaoru couldn't help but let out a decidedly unladylike squeal when she discovered one of the cats the Shirobeko kept curled in the crook of a sleeping Kenshin's neck - it was just so cute.
#14 - Music
Kaoru and Kenshin often sat together outside Kenji's room in the morning, listening to their son's chirping as the one-year-old played and made up stories with his toys.
#15 - Silk
In the quiet of the night, the soft rustle of silk as her kimono slid down her shoulders was loud in his ear, prompting him to kiss the base of her neck while his hands found her hip and stomach.
#16 - Cover
The situation was getting a little too out of hand for Hiko's taste: Kenji was crawling all over him (he was surprised at how little this annoyed him, yet refused to even think the word "cute") and, seriously, could his former apprentice's grin and knowing eyes get any more infuriating?
#17 - Promise
Kenshin once mentioned a specific sweet that his mother used to make - now Kaoru sneaks into the kitchen whenever he leaves the dojo to run errands and tries to reproduce the treat, vowing that Kenshin will taste some before the year is out.
#18 - Dream
It had been years coming - then she looked at him (not at a wanderer or at a demon from the past, not at a kenjutsu prodigy but at him, the lonely soul beneath it all) and convinced him, made him feel that he was good enough - for her, and to give her the love she deserved.
#19 - Candle
During the Tanabata festival, Kaoru and Kenshin write their wishes on paper and tie them to bamboo under the light of the thousands of lanterns that illuminate the city- ah, to have a long, happy life together…
#20 - Talent
Kenshin could barely contain his pride and joy when, on the day of his genpuku, fifteen years old Kenji bowed to the swords masters that he and Kaoru were, his father's sakabatou firmly tied at his waist.
#21 - Silence
Kaoru silently listened as Kenshin told Kenji a bedtime story, enthralled by her husband's rich voice and the look of wonder in their son's eyes.
#22 - Journey
There was a place Kenshin remembered from his travels: hot springs, close enough to a city up north that they were easily accessible and yet far enough that no one ever bothered to get there for a mere bath - but for Kaoru and him, it would be a perfect stop on their honeymoon.
#23 - Fire
And indeed, sitting by the fire in a clearing near the hot springs, her back against Kenshin's chest, warm and sated, Kaoru had to admit that this had been a great idea.
#24 - Strength
The morning after the fight against Jin-e, Kaoru was in the dojo before dawn repeating the kata of the Kamiya Kasshin ryu until every movement was perfect, then fifty more times for good measure - she was not weak; Kenshin would not have to be strong for her ever again.
#25 - Mask
For years, Kenshin had pretended to be happy and cheerful so that people wouldn't ask questions - until he got caught in his own game and realized that here, at the dojo and surrounded by friends, the happiness he felt was, in fact, genuine.
#26 - Ice
Kenshin's arm was still tightly around Kaoru's waist when Kenji burst into their room loudly proclaiming that "it snowed! It snowed!", effectively waking them up - he suppressed a groan: this happened every winter.
#27 - Fall
Fall brings lazy days of soft humming, unending rain, days much better spent warm and dry at home than alone on the road, making Kenshin snuggle that much closer to his wife.
#28 - Forgotten
Kaoru was on her way to get another brazier when Kenshin pulled her back down to bed: he could think of other, much more pleasurable ways to keep them both warm - the brazier was quickly forgotten.
#29 - Dance
The changes were subtle - Kenshin and Kaoru's fingers brushed too often for it to be purely accidental, for instance - but Tae didn't need more to understand that her two friends had finally stopped dancing around each other.
#30 - Body
Sometimes, when the nightmares got too much, Kenshin slipped his hand between the folds of Kaoru's night yukata, needing to feel the warm skin of her stomach to reassure himself - the past was merely this: past.
#31 - Sacred
Kenshin cradles his newborn son in his arms while Kaoru slowly dozes off, her head resting on his shoulder and, suddenly, the phrase "protect those before my eyes" takes on a whole new meaning.
#32 - Farewells
He was already thinking about leaving the dojo after a mere few days, already preparing a goodbye line, but an indefinable something always made him stall, until he stopped trying entirely.
#33 - World
Kenshin had once tried to change the world but he realized now that his own little word, and the people in it, was more than enough to make him happy.
#34 - Formal
Kaoru and Kenshin were both nervous on their wedding day, not because of their exchange of vows (they didn't doubt themselves or each other) but because Yahiko, Misao, Okina-san, and Hiko-san would be in the same room, together, at the same time - something was bound to happen.
#35 - Fever
Sneakily attacking Kenshin from behind and starting a snowball fight had been entirely too tempting but now, as she prepared a cup of ginger tea for him, Kaoru couldn't help but feel guilt over the bad cold her husband had caught.
#36 - Laugh
Kaoru didn't know which feeling prevailed: amusement at watching Kenji almost perfectly camouflaged behind the pile of fallen leaves, waiting to jump and scare her students, or annoyance at knowing that she and Kenshin would have to rake the entire yard again.
#37 - Lies
When rumors of their engagement start running around Tokyo, people start whispering and gossiping, some even asking Kenshin up front why he doesn't chose a more… traditional wife - his heartfelt laughter tells them just how much he cares about socially-approved marriages.
#38 - Forever
Kaoru also fights her own demons: sometimes she wakes up with a gasp, crying and shaking, seeking comfort in Kenshin's arms and pleading with him to never, ever disappear - he holds her through the night and whispers sweet nonsense into her ear, promising her that he will stay with her forever.
#39 - Overwhelmed
Kenshin was left speechless and breathless when an ecstatic Kaoru took his hand to her belly and he felt their child moving for the first time.
#40 - Whisper
Lying beside her
His arms tight around her waist;
A whisper: "I'm home".
#41 - Wait
He dreams after defeating Shishio, dreams while others struggle to keep him breathing: his mother - his mother - even appears before him, ready to take him to the other side but… no, his time hasn't come yet, he still has things, people, to live for - the dead will have to wait.
#42 - Talk
Now that they're alone at the dojo, Kenshin and Kaoru spend their evenings talking, learning about their lives before each other; they usually fall asleep side by side, her head on his shoulder, their fingers entwined - she never wants to let him go, and he has absolutely no intention to leave.
#43 - Search
Lying in her husband's arms, Kaoru felt warm, safe, loved and… devious: Kenshin was relaxed, unsuspecting… the perfect occasion to investigate whether that spot on the inside of his hip was ticklish.
#44 - Hope
Kenshin's eyes were trained on his friends fighting Enishi's goons but his ki-sensing abilities were focused on Kaoru's, on the other side of the beach, flaring as she too watched - and alive, so wonderfully alive.
#45 - Eclipse
Kenshin knows he's becoming attached to Kaoru when he starts having nightmares about killing her; then the Wolf of Mibu shows up at the dojo and further proves his point: his mere presence is putting her in danger, a clear sign that it's time to move, again.
#46 - Gravity
After seven years away, Sanosuke had expected to find Kenshin still at the dojo and wasn't really surprised to discover the other redhead in the house, hiding behind his mother's leg - it lead to a full day of thinly-veiled crude jokes which, of course, got him a brand new lump on his head, courtesy of Kaoru's bokken.
#47 - Highway
Kenshin sometimes goes on missions out of Tokyo to help the police - he is gone for days, sometimes weeks and, while it satisfies his wanderlust, he can never wait for the moment he goes back home to his family, where he belongs.
#48 - Unknown
The koi carp swallowed the breadcrumbs, splashing water on the two redheads squatting by the pond - the youngest one had wanted to see the pretty fish, his father had been more than happy to attract a few.
#49 - Lock
It's all natural to him: the sun rises and night will follow day, parrying flows into an attack, his fingers move a stray lock of Kaoru's hair behind her ear and slide to her cheek, holding her as he kisses her.
#50 - Breathe
Kenshin finally kisses Kaoru soon after Enishi's Jinchuu, almost shy at first then deepening it, her hands tangle in his hair as he holds her as close as he can and, after all that's happened, he truly breathes for the first time in years.
Pairing: Kenshin/Kaoru
Theme set: Gamma
Title: Merry-Go-Round
Rating: PG-13
Warning[s]: Shameless fluff. Oh yes.
Notes: Kenji is also very much present in these, because Daddy!Kenshin is one of the most adorable things EVER. Oh and, the last sentence? We didn't get to see this in the manga, I so hope it is in the movie! *-*
#01 - Ring
Kenshin had never liked being the center of attention, but for this one occasion, it was alright: he was surrounded by friends close enough to be family and ah, there was his beloved Kaoru, beautiful and beaming as she joined him before the priest on their wedding day.
#02 - Hero
As a young boy, Kenji often got bullied because of his hair color, but that stopped the minute Kenshin warned the other boys that if they didn't stop, Kaoru would be coming after them - Kenji's shout of "Chaaarge!" was quite a faithful representation of what the bullies were now risking and never, ever did they mention Kenji's hair again.
#03 - Memory
He told her on their tenth wedding anniversary that his real name was Shinta and, while she could see that it hadn't been a name for the swordsman he was to become, Kaoru thought that it suited the kind-hearted man beside her - the husband and father - perfectly.
#04 - Box
While many complains that Japan's westernization was too fast could be heard on the streets, Kenshin had to admit that the foreigners' technology had its advantages - photographs of his family and friends scattered around the country were neatly arranged in a small box, and Kaoru and him treasured them.
#05 - Run
To Kaoru, this was as close to perfect as a day could be: hours outside in the sun flying a kite that Kenji chased, his delighted laughter carried by the wind.
#06 - Hurricane
Sometimes, Kaoru felt like she had two children: there was no way her two redheads could share a bath without water splashing everywhere, and she fully believed Kenji when the boy said it was Tou-san's fault, too.
#07 - Wings
Kaoru was watching: the clearing, sparkling pearls of dew, the morning sun and, in the middle of it, the dragon taking flight.
#08 - Cold
Years of Kaoru's presence at his side have worked their magic: Kenshin's soul knows no more cold days, not even on his former Remembrance Day, when Winter sheds its first snowflakes.
#09 - Red
Dark, blood red on the floor, on the walls, on her clothes, splattered and marring her skin, embedding itself in his mind - it is so very wrong and, as his tears blur his vision, all he sees is red - hellish red.
#10 - Drink
No matter what Shishou said, there is no better sake for Kenshin than the one he and Kaoru shared during their wedding ceremony.
#11 - Midnight
Kenshin didn't recognize the room he woke up in after defeating Shishio: it was either night or he had gone almost blind - he twitched in freezing fear at the thought and suddenly his whole body hurt, but then there were Kaoru's hand on his and her voice, calling him, calming, soothing… he breathed.
#12 - Temptation
Kenshin would sit on the porch sometimes, look to the west and think about Sanosuke's travels and all there still was to discover on those roads, up until his children would distract him with their latest discoveries and pull him back inside the house - maybe another day…
#13 - View
Kaoru couldn't help but let out a decidedly unladylike squeal when she discovered one of the cats the Shirobeko kept curled in the crook of a sleeping Kenshin's neck - it was just so cute.
#14 - Music
Kaoru and Kenshin often sat together outside Kenji's room in the morning, listening to their son's chirping as the one-year-old played and made up stories with his toys.
#15 - Silk
In the quiet of the night, the soft rustle of silk as her kimono slid down her shoulders was loud in his ear, prompting him to kiss the base of her neck while his hands found her hip and stomach.
#16 - Cover
The situation was getting a little too out of hand for Hiko's taste: Kenji was crawling all over him (he was surprised at how little this annoyed him, yet refused to even think the word "cute") and, seriously, could his former apprentice's grin and knowing eyes get any more infuriating?
#17 - Promise
Kenshin once mentioned a specific sweet that his mother used to make - now Kaoru sneaks into the kitchen whenever he leaves the dojo to run errands and tries to reproduce the treat, vowing that Kenshin will taste some before the year is out.
#18 - Dream
It had been years coming - then she looked at him (not at a wanderer or at a demon from the past, not at a kenjutsu prodigy but at him, the lonely soul beneath it all) and convinced him, made him feel that he was good enough - for her, and to give her the love she deserved.
#19 - Candle
During the Tanabata festival, Kaoru and Kenshin write their wishes on paper and tie them to bamboo under the light of the thousands of lanterns that illuminate the city- ah, to have a long, happy life together…
#20 - Talent
Kenshin could barely contain his pride and joy when, on the day of his genpuku, fifteen years old Kenji bowed to the swords masters that he and Kaoru were, his father's sakabatou firmly tied at his waist.
#21 - Silence
Kaoru silently listened as Kenshin told Kenji a bedtime story, enthralled by her husband's rich voice and the look of wonder in their son's eyes.
#22 - Journey
There was a place Kenshin remembered from his travels: hot springs, close enough to a city up north that they were easily accessible and yet far enough that no one ever bothered to get there for a mere bath - but for Kaoru and him, it would be a perfect stop on their honeymoon.
#23 - Fire
And indeed, sitting by the fire in a clearing near the hot springs, her back against Kenshin's chest, warm and sated, Kaoru had to admit that this had been a great idea.
#24 - Strength
The morning after the fight against Jin-e, Kaoru was in the dojo before dawn repeating the kata of the Kamiya Kasshin ryu until every movement was perfect, then fifty more times for good measure - she was not weak; Kenshin would not have to be strong for her ever again.
#25 - Mask
For years, Kenshin had pretended to be happy and cheerful so that people wouldn't ask questions - until he got caught in his own game and realized that here, at the dojo and surrounded by friends, the happiness he felt was, in fact, genuine.
#26 - Ice
Kenshin's arm was still tightly around Kaoru's waist when Kenji burst into their room loudly proclaiming that "it snowed! It snowed!", effectively waking them up - he suppressed a groan: this happened every winter.
#27 - Fall
Fall brings lazy days of soft humming, unending rain, days much better spent warm and dry at home than alone on the road, making Kenshin snuggle that much closer to his wife.
#28 - Forgotten
Kaoru was on her way to get another brazier when Kenshin pulled her back down to bed: he could think of other, much more pleasurable ways to keep them both warm - the brazier was quickly forgotten.
#29 - Dance
The changes were subtle - Kenshin and Kaoru's fingers brushed too often for it to be purely accidental, for instance - but Tae didn't need more to understand that her two friends had finally stopped dancing around each other.
#30 - Body
Sometimes, when the nightmares got too much, Kenshin slipped his hand between the folds of Kaoru's night yukata, needing to feel the warm skin of her stomach to reassure himself - the past was merely this: past.
#31 - Sacred
Kenshin cradles his newborn son in his arms while Kaoru slowly dozes off, her head resting on his shoulder and, suddenly, the phrase "protect those before my eyes" takes on a whole new meaning.
#32 - Farewells
He was already thinking about leaving the dojo after a mere few days, already preparing a goodbye line, but an indefinable something always made him stall, until he stopped trying entirely.
#33 - World
Kenshin had once tried to change the world but he realized now that his own little word, and the people in it, was more than enough to make him happy.
#34 - Formal
Kaoru and Kenshin were both nervous on their wedding day, not because of their exchange of vows (they didn't doubt themselves or each other) but because Yahiko, Misao, Okina-san, and Hiko-san would be in the same room, together, at the same time - something was bound to happen.
#35 - Fever
Sneakily attacking Kenshin from behind and starting a snowball fight had been entirely too tempting but now, as she prepared a cup of ginger tea for him, Kaoru couldn't help but feel guilt over the bad cold her husband had caught.
#36 - Laugh
Kaoru didn't know which feeling prevailed: amusement at watching Kenji almost perfectly camouflaged behind the pile of fallen leaves, waiting to jump and scare her students, or annoyance at knowing that she and Kenshin would have to rake the entire yard again.
#37 - Lies
When rumors of their engagement start running around Tokyo, people start whispering and gossiping, some even asking Kenshin up front why he doesn't chose a more… traditional wife - his heartfelt laughter tells them just how much he cares about socially-approved marriages.
#38 - Forever
Kaoru also fights her own demons: sometimes she wakes up with a gasp, crying and shaking, seeking comfort in Kenshin's arms and pleading with him to never, ever disappear - he holds her through the night and whispers sweet nonsense into her ear, promising her that he will stay with her forever.
#39 - Overwhelmed
Kenshin was left speechless and breathless when an ecstatic Kaoru took his hand to her belly and he felt their child moving for the first time.
#40 - Whisper
Lying beside her
His arms tight around her waist;
A whisper: "I'm home".
#41 - Wait
He dreams after defeating Shishio, dreams while others struggle to keep him breathing: his mother - his mother - even appears before him, ready to take him to the other side but… no, his time hasn't come yet, he still has things, people, to live for - the dead will have to wait.
#42 - Talk
Now that they're alone at the dojo, Kenshin and Kaoru spend their evenings talking, learning about their lives before each other; they usually fall asleep side by side, her head on his shoulder, their fingers entwined - she never wants to let him go, and he has absolutely no intention to leave.
#43 - Search
Lying in her husband's arms, Kaoru felt warm, safe, loved and… devious: Kenshin was relaxed, unsuspecting… the perfect occasion to investigate whether that spot on the inside of his hip was ticklish.
#44 - Hope
Kenshin's eyes were trained on his friends fighting Enishi's goons but his ki-sensing abilities were focused on Kaoru's, on the other side of the beach, flaring as she too watched - and alive, so wonderfully alive.
#45 - Eclipse
Kenshin knows he's becoming attached to Kaoru when he starts having nightmares about killing her; then the Wolf of Mibu shows up at the dojo and further proves his point: his mere presence is putting her in danger, a clear sign that it's time to move, again.
#46 - Gravity
After seven years away, Sanosuke had expected to find Kenshin still at the dojo and wasn't really surprised to discover the other redhead in the house, hiding behind his mother's leg - it lead to a full day of thinly-veiled crude jokes which, of course, got him a brand new lump on his head, courtesy of Kaoru's bokken.
#47 - Highway
Kenshin sometimes goes on missions out of Tokyo to help the police - he is gone for days, sometimes weeks and, while it satisfies his wanderlust, he can never wait for the moment he goes back home to his family, where he belongs.
#48 - Unknown
The koi carp swallowed the breadcrumbs, splashing water on the two redheads squatting by the pond - the youngest one had wanted to see the pretty fish, his father had been more than happy to attract a few.
#49 - Lock
It's all natural to him: the sun rises and night will follow day, parrying flows into an attack, his fingers move a stray lock of Kaoru's hair behind her ear and slide to her cheek, holding her as he kisses her.
#50 - Breathe
Kenshin finally kisses Kaoru soon after Enishi's Jinchuu, almost shy at first then deepening it, her hands tangle in his hair as he holds her as close as he can and, after all that's happened, he truly breathes for the first time in years.