Subject: [FFML] [RK][Fanfic][Cont] Tanuki To Ryuu Chapter 17
From: Ben
Date: 11/5/2002, 3:55 AM
To: FFML@anifics.com


Tanuki To Ryuu

        Here comes the bride!   Hah, just kidding!   It's the chapter
everyone was waiting for!   The Wedding of Kenshin and Kaoru!   On a
note, I've been getting A LOT of positive response concerning Ayane!
Wow!   I was afraid I made her an Annoying New Character!   BTW, I've
gotten A LOT of suggestions to who to pair her up with.   Well, I'm not
sure if she should be paired up.   I'll make a decision eventually.   I
also got questions about her age.   Ayane is 21.   Now that's settled
let the insanity... umm, WEDDING, begin

Chapter 17: A Wedding of Sorts

        Kaoru woke up to the sound of two men singing drunkily and wiped

her eyes.   "Kenshin, they're doing it again!" Kaoru said as she shook
her fiancee.   Kenshin woke up and yawned.

        "Kaoru?   What's wrong?" he asked as he scratched his head.   He

then heard the loud drunken chorus coming from the dojo.   "Ahh, I hear
them,"   Kenshin got up and put on a coat.   "If you'll excuse me for a
moment, Kaoru,"

        "Hey Kenshin, how can you sleep through that?" Kaoru asked
Kenshin right before he stepped out of the door.   Kenshin turned and
smiled.

        "As long as no one suddenly shakes me, I sleep rather
pleasantly," Kenshin answered.   It was still the middle of the night
and the wedding was supposed to be tomorrow.   Megumi arrived just
yesterday, barely able to squeeze this visit into her busy schedule.

        Kenshin left the room and entered the dojo.   A few moments of
shouting passed until the lantern light went out and the noise ceased.
Kaoru sighed in relief.   It was hard enough for her to get asleep.
"How long has he been sleeping with you?" Megumi asked with a sly smile.

Kaoru turned around and saw Megumi leaning against the door with a fox-
like grin.   "So?   Did you somehow seduce him right after I left?"

        "Megumi!" Kaoru said in surprise.  "Its nothing like that!   He
just lays down next to me and we sleep!   And shouldn't you be
sleeping?"

        "Ohoho!" Megumi laughed, "I'm not the bride, so I don't need to
worry about my beauty sleep!   What about you, Tanuki-chan?   I doubt
Ken-san would like a red-eyed wife!"   Kaoru narrowed her eyes.

        "Just go back to your room!" Kaoru shouted.   "I thought you got

over this, Megumi!"   Megumi just smiled evily and you could almost
sense her foxears pop up.

        "I thought I told you that I can never change my wicked ways,"
Megumi said with a fox-grin.   "And you never told me where Sanosuke
went either.   Just that it seems like you traded him in for some girl
that likes to wave around a naginata,"

        "I'll tell you tomorrow at the reception," Kaoru said.   "Now go

back to your room!"

***

        "Do you think we'll make it in time?" Kaoru asked as Tae
finished helping Kaoru prepare for the wedding ceremony.   Tae smiled
and put a white cloth over Kaoru's head.

        "Plenty of time, Kaoru-chan," Tae answered with a smile.   "I'm
glad the two of you are getting married at last,"

        "At last?" Ayane asked at the doorway.   Ayane was dressed as
well in a woman's kimono as well, a darkish green one.   "How long were
they dancing around eachother?" Ayane grinned like a cat with interest.

        "Oh... about a year," Tae answered with a smile.   "Don't worry.

I'm sure everything will be fine,"

        "I certainly hope so," Kaoru whispered to herself.

        "If not, I could always stand in," Megumi volunteered teasingly
with a grin.   The other women in the room giggled at Megumi's joke.
Misao walked through the door in her new blue kimono and her hair tied
in a ribbon.

        "Its time, Kaoru-san," Misao announced with a grin.

        "Alright," Kaoru said in anticipation and walked out of her room

with her small precession.   Kaoru kept her head low as she walked with
her friends into the dojo where Kenshin and the priest waited, with
Tsubame and a bottle of sake next to her.   Kaoru sat down across from
Kenshin and kept her head down.   The priest groaned in pain and rubbed
his forehead and the ceremony began.

***

        Kaoru fumed slightly as she changed out of her wedding kimono
and into one of her more usual kimono.   On the other side of the screen

in her room, Kenshin was changing out of his wedding garb as well.
KAMIYA Kenshin, Kaoru reminded herself.   The wedding ceremony went off
without a hitch, barely.   The priest wasn't drunk, just hung over.
Tsubame also nearly dropped the sake bottle twice when she poured.   The

ONLY sake bottle Kenshin could get away from Hiko and the priest Heri
Gai.   Tae promised she would bring enough for the reception, but she
was doubtful of what constituted as 'enough'.

        "You're tense, Kaoru," Kenshin stated as he took off his haori
and striped hakama for his normal clothing.   "What's wrong?   We got
married, right?"

        "BARELY, Kenshin," Kaoru replied as she took off the heavy
layers of her wedding kimono.   "Misao and Ayane kept giving eachother
deathglares and the priest was barely awake for the ceremony!"   Kenshin

looked back and saw Kaoru's silhoette agaisnt the screen.   "I KNOW
you're looking at me in that way, Kenshin, but we have a reception to
attend,"

        "Oro?  Sorry Kaoru," Kenshin replied as he turned his head and
put on a weighted blue shirt and pulled on a pair of hakama.   "I see
you can sense emotions better," Kenshin said with a grin as he tied his
belt.

        "Its not as hard with you as it is with others," Kaoru admitted
as she put on a bright purple kimono.   "Its like you are transparent
and I can see everything about you, Kenshin,"   Kaoru smiled and knew
Kenshin could sense her happiness.   "Its true, we are married and that
the dojo is still intact, so I wouldn't say it's a complete loss.   Now
lets hurry before all the food's gone,"

        Kenshin pushed the screen aside and smiled at Kaoru.   "I think
they're ready for us, Kaoru," Kenshin said with a grin.   Kaoru smiled
and nodded and the two of them walked to the dojo for the reception.

        Amazingly everyone waited for the guests of honor to reach the
dojo before they started their celebration.   Kenshin and Kaoru sat next

to eachother and the reception started.   Hiko cleared his throat and
started to speak.

        "I'd like to say to the newlyweds that its about time!   Now
lets drink!" Hiko stated in his usual manner, then poured himself a
drink.   Kaoru's eyebrow twitched but she kept her emotions under
control and proceeded to eat some of the food Tae was kind enough to
bring for the reception.   "So Gai, how was last night anyways?   I seem

to remember you dozing off after the sixth jug, hahaha!" Hiko said as he

slapped the priest on the back.

        "Ugggh, not so loud," Heri Gai complained.   "I have a bad
hangover... But don't expect THAT to keep me down!" the priest shouted
as he too took a drink   Yahiko and Yutaro sat across from eachother
trading glares with a jug of sake between them.

        "Hey cat-eyes!" Yahiko taunted, "Bet I can drink more than you!"

Yutaro glared back at his opponent and grabbed the sake jug and poured
himself a drink.

        "You're on!" Yutaro answered the challenge and downed the drink,

then coughed it back up.   "Oh god, that's what sake tastes like?"
Yutaro said as he coughed the rest of the flavor out of his mouth.
Yahiko took a careful sip from his cup and grinned in victory.

        "I win!" Yahiko shouted as he looked at his coughing rival.
"Here, Tsubame, have a sip!" Yahiko said with a grin as he poured
Tsubame a small amount of sake into a small cup.   Tsubame looked at the

cup Yahiko held towards her cautiously.

        "Umm, you sure, Yahiko-kun?" Tsubame asked, unsure of what to
do.   Before Tsubame could decide, the cup was taken out of Yahiko's
hand and Yahiko looked up to see Tae looking at him with a soft scowl.

        "Yahiko-kun, I know you mean well, but I doubt Tsubame-chan has
much of a tolerance yet," Tae said politely.   "Now lets have a good
time, alright?"   Yahiko and Tsubame nodded at their boss and the young
pair continued chatting.   Tae smiled and moved back to her spot on the
floor.

        Megumi sipped her sake as well as she picked at the food Tae
brought.   "Did you make all of this, Tae?" Megumi asked the restaurant-

owner.   Tae smiled as if she was flattered.

        "Well, most of it, yes.   Misao-chan offered to help, though.
Seems she has quite a bit of experience with food herself," Tae said.
Misao beamed happily from the praise.

        "Do you like it, Aoshi-sama?" Misao asked her ninja companion as

he ate some of the food and drank some tea.   "I made your portions
myself!"

        "It tastes very good, thank you Misao," Aoshi replied with his
face unwavering.   Megumi grew slightly impatient and turned towards the

married couple.

        "Ken-san, Kaoru, please tell me what happened to Sanosuke,"
Megumi asked.

        "He left Japan," Kenshin answered.   "Political pressure plus
his adventurous spirit I believe.   I don't think he will be back for a
while, Megumi-dono,"   Megumi looked shocked.

        "So that's how it is," Megumi said sadly to herself.   Kaoru
frowned slightly as she looked at Megumi silently drink.   The moment of

silence left quickly when Ayane taunted Misao yet again.

        "Now which portions did you cook again?   I wouldn't trust
anything a weasel-ninja makes, ya know," Ayane said with a cat-like
grin.   Misao glared at the taller woman and made a fist.

        "You're really pissing me off!" Misao shouted.   "You're just
lucky that its Kaoru-san's big day!   If it was any other day, I'd kick
your ass!"

        "You made that excuse all week, weasel girl!"  Ayane retorted
with a grin and crossed her arms confidently then looked down at Misao.
Misao started to glow slightly in rage as she cracked her knuckles.

        "THAT'S IT!" Misao shouted as she lept over the small table and
tackled Ayane.   The two girls rolled across the dojo floor clawing at
eachother.   "I'll make you regret teasing me, cat-girl!" Misao screamed

as she punched Ayane in the face.

        "In your dreams, weasel-girl!" Ayane shouted back as she grabbed

a handful of Misao's hair.  The two girls were locked in combat, rolling

across the floor still.   Aoshi and Kenshin were about to stand up to
see if they could separate the women when Hiko held his hand up to stop
them.

        "Wait a moment, my stupid apprentice," Hiko said.   "What did I
tell you about two women fighting?"   Kenshin looked at Hiko oddly.

        "I doubt they would appreciate us watching while drinking,
Master," Kenshin replied.   "Although I do not know of a way to stop
this,"

        "Neither do I, Kenshin," Aoshi said as he watched Misao slam
Ayane's head against the dojo's floor with apparently little effect.

        "HEY YOU TWO!" Kaoru shouted at the two girls.   "You better
quit this or else!"   The two girls slowly untangled themselves and sat
back down.

        "Sorry Kaoru-san," Misao apologized as she tried to straighten
up her now-torn ribbon and wrinkled kimono.

        "Yeah, I shouldn't have taunted her, Kaoru," Ayane said as well
as she tried to brush her hair back into order.   Kaoru rolled her eyes
but let it slide.

***

        The reception ended as soon as the food ran out and the sake ran

dry.   Hiko left carrying the drunk priest and the jugs of sake that
were the payment.   Aoshi and Misao left as well as soon as Misao was
able to braid her hair and get into her ninja ensemble again.   Misao
and Ayane didn't even look at eachother when she left, the hostility
still very much open.   Megumi left as well, since she had many patients

waiting for her in Aizu.

        "I'll be staying at Tae's tonight," Ayane said, dressed back
into her hakama and her hair back to its normal style.   "Give you two
plenty of privacy, if you know what I mean," Ayane giggled, then turned
around and started to walk out of the dojo's gates with her stuff
bundled and tethered to her naginata.

        "Hey Ayane," Kaoru said to the taller girl's retreating back.
Ayane turned at looked at Kaoru questioningly.   "Thanks for everything.

You are a good friend,"   Ayane smiled.

        "Hey, I'll be back tomorrow, you know!" Ayane replied.   "But
its me who should thank you, Kaoru.   Thanks for giving me a chance.
Have fun you two!"

        Ayane left the dojo and closed the gates behind her, leaving
Kenshin and Kaoru alone in the empty compound.

        "Well, now what?" Kaoru asked no one in particular.

        "Umm, I'm not too sure," Kenshin replied.

***

        Well, that's the wedding!   Yes, Kenshin took Kaoru's name, as
he should since he's living in her home and her dojo with her family
name in the style, he should take her name as well.



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