By Hotaru
Disclaimer: I don't own RRK, yare, yare. Just want to have some harmless fun, so please don't sue me. Besides, I already spent all my savings on RRK, so…
Warning: PG-13, with lemons in later chapters. Please don't flame me. ^_^
Also: This is being written while "Water Puzzle" in RRK's "Brilliant Collection" is playing, just like that time I was writing my other fic "Depend On You" which, as you might have guessed by now, carries the same title as Ayumi Hamasaki's "Depend On You" which is my favorite really, in her "Best" collection. For this one, maybe Ayumi's "Love~Destiny" is more appropriate…aaahhhhh, WAFF, WAFF, WAFF—I hate it!!!!
Seriously though, I really like the mood of these songs. If you've read my other fics like "Depend On You," "Heaven Help Me" and "Wasurenaide/Do not Forget" well, I promise that this one will be slightly different. There might be a tinge of sadness here, but the fic's supposed to be a little comic. No guarantee, though, how comic it's gonna get, since as much as I appreciate that (after realizing how tragic the series was made out to be with the latest OVA being just a REAL tear-jerker) my talents are, to admit it bluntly, embarrassingly nil, almost zero, in that area. Besides, I'm an angsty sort of person, and I prefer reading dark fics myself. Maybe a little angst is also in order…
Now, if you're NOT comfortable with the idea that Kenshin CAN be related to Kaoru in ANY way OTHER than as her potential boyfriend and occasional best friend, please move to the next fic. This is still K&K but I'm toying with the idea of how things can get so FAAARRR with these two being, err… related in the family. OOOPPPSS…I'm not supposed to give that away, am I? I just noticed that this kind of treatment has been overlooked and avoided in the RRK fanfic world, and you know me…I love torturing our fave couple. Since the plot of this one is definitely indefinite, I suggest you stick around to know HOW it's all gonna end!!!! ^_^
Oh, and another thing… matters of the heart need not be shallow and waffy… (Is that English? Heck!!!) so my treatment might not go into that direction, though of course, a little bit of that here and there might just be…uhm… interesting …
Please enjoy!!! ^_^Chapter 1: Restless The void is a wall That cannot be broken An emptiness
That cannot be filled
My heart aches
When I see those tears
Falling into my own
Into that invisible void
That draws us apart
Like restless hands…"Do you have a light?"
Kenshin regarded the question from the young woman with just the slightest discomfort. She looked so young—barely out of high school probably. If not for the tight-fitting red sweater and extremely short skirt that showed more skin than he thought was appropriate for her age, she would have passed for a thirteen year old, in fact. But it was not his business to ask questions, nor stare his customers down, so he reached out to light the young woman—err…girl's—cigarette as casually as he could, trying to avoid looking guilty about it. When he saw her pull a deep breath into the cigarette and close her eyes languidly, as if in nostalgic reverence of the spirits filling her lungs, he shook his head, tearing his eyes off the girl and cursing himself softly.
Whoever ruined her life must be some real jerk…Anyways, it's been a long time since I've seen them around as a couple so HE must be the reason…
Men always are…
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of jumping and screaming that followed. He turned to see a familiar face in white blouse and black skirt throwing her school bag right into the face of a younger boy with spiky, black hair. From a distance, one might mistake them for siblings, but the two were hardly related. In fact, the three of them, him included, have nothing in common physically at least, that will betray the kind of kinship they seemed to show so well. Kenshin himself had red hair and huge violet eyes that seemed to be unique in all of Japan, while the girl who was just barely two inches shorter than his height of 5 feet and 5 inches had deep black hair and the bluest, sapphire eyes. In fact, if there was ANY one, single, thing apart from their fair skin which he and the girl shared, it was the waist-length hair that they both kept in a pony-tail. Meanwhile, the boy, in sharp contrast to them both, not only have light brown eyes, but skin several shades darker than theirs. His tan could have been the envy of men twice his age, but Yahiko, being barely out of puberty yet, did not concern himself with looks.
Kenshin, however, could not help smiling at a thought that just crossed his mind as the boy took a poorly-aimed, half-hearted kick from the energetic girl chasing him in the kitchen. He knew, being a guy himself, that hormones have a way of upsetting the innocence of childhood. It wouldn't be long before he too would have to watch out for the kid…
As for the young girl who was still bent like hell on giving the boy a few kicks and punches, he could only sigh, his brows furrowing in serious concern.
I think I would just like to see anyone even dare break HER heart…If that happens, I think I'd just have to carve the fucking asshole a grave to put his dick in…
"Hey, Kenshin, been day dreaming again? Ain't that bad for business, or is Jo-chan giving you yet another hard time?"
The drawl could only come from his friend, Sano, who dragged himself to the bar, his cocky grin flashing like a beacon.
One can hardly be serious long enough with a guy like HIM around…
Kenshin smiled. "What made you think Kaoru's giving me a hard time, Sano? Unfortunately, I can't say the same for Yahiko…" he laughed, already feeling his thoughts drift farther away as another loud yelp from the boy rang through the kitchen.
Sano grinned. "Yeah, I think I know what ya mean" he said, casting a look behind Kenshin where the kitchen was. "I had to hand it to Jo-chan, though. She's a pretty good whacker, if ever that's anything anyone should be proud of!!! I mean the girl's a professional!!! Just this morning in fact, I saw her beating up a couple of scruffy looking teen-agers. I was about to lend a hand, but wow, you should have seen her throw that punch!!! The guy practically lost all his teeth, not to mention his balls, when she finally kicked his ass into the nearest gutter!!! Honestly though, THAT shouldn't stop me from worrying if I were you, ol' bro'."
Kenshin's smile faded, a firm hand grasping Sano's arm as he spoke.
"What's that supposed to mean? If she's in ANY danger that I should know about…""
"Hah, relax, big brother," Sano joked, easing his arm out of his friend's grasp with another of his cocky smirks, having been more than familiar with the dangerous mood Kenshin gets into, once his protective instincts have been aroused. "You've got little to worry about Kaoru defending herself from the scums of the universe, if that'd give you any comfort. But that's NOT my point. I was actually thinking about you having to settle with a spunky, bachelorette in the future, if Jo-chan keeps up this tomboy image of hers. I mean, you being a bachelor is BAD enough. Your sister being another one is even worse!!!"
Kenshin froze at that, as if Sano had just confessed he was gay.
"Hey, whatsdamatter with you, Himura??? You still breathing?"
Kenshin tried to smile, as he bent down to pick up a glass, polishing it with so much vigor the glass was actually screeching. "Uhh, gomen Sano, demo you seem to have a talent for making me worry about stupid things like that. Kaoru's still very young so she shouldn't be concerned about stuff like that. She's barely out of high school yet, and she's also going to college, so…I insist you keep your mouth shut and mention none of these in any particular context when she's around, understand?"
It hardly sounded like a serious threat, but Sano knew better. Kenshin's eyes had just flickered amber when he came to that last sentence, prompting him to look away from his friend and draw back a little, even if the read-head kept his distance. Suffice it to say that Kenshin was the kind of guy who, quite literally, had looks that could kill, so even for someone like him who had known the good-natured proprietor of the Heartbreak Café since childhood, Kenshin's gaze was NOT to be taken lightly…
"Weeellll, if that's the case," Sano drawled, having had too good a day to let a death glare sober him up for long, "then maybe I shouldn't be so surprised if Jo-chan DOES end up an old maid. That kind of thing seems to run in your family…"
"SANO!!!" Kenshin warned with a quiet growl, his frown interrupted only by the sound of the door opening to accommodate yet another customer into the café.
The tall woman was a classic beauty. Her hair was tied in a low tail below her shoulders by a thin strip of white ribbon, while layers of bangs framed her heart-shaped face. She wore a V-neck gray overcoat over a white frilly blouse that showed off the tiniest hint of a cleavage, while her gray skirt hugged her waist and thighs in all the right places, showing off a figure in a prim, modest way that matched the unreadable coal-black eyes that scanned the room hesitantly.
Sano gave a low whistle. "Now THAT is a woman you and I should be hanging around with Kenshin!!! But until you get rid of dear little sister, we'd both be babysitting 'til we're old, gray, and soft—if ya know what I mean!!!"
He was laughing his lungs out but it wasn't THAT word that got Kenshin thinking…
Little sister?
His eyes smiled at that, mind wondering why the words struck him oddly, making him pause before he finally threw a towel at Sano. Perhaps it was because Kaoru hardly treated him like an older brother that he found their sibling relationship quite confusing. With her superior attitude that hardly gets contradicted without damaging consequences, he would readily admit that Kaoru was the authority in all matters of the household.
In fact, if there was, and is, any reason why the girl lets him run the café business their foster-parents left to them in their death, it would be first, because she's certainly not of legal age to handle liquor, and second, she's such a bad cook and a bad-tempered waitress at that, that they might just as well give up the business and sell out.
He was mildly surprised when Kaoru peeked at them from the kitchen, eyes trained at him and Sano suspiciously with her arms akimbo in that same, superior pose she carried so well. But the deep blue summer orbs penetrating their gaze bore little comfort, as her eyes narrowed some more to make them just ever so slightly edgy…
Even for guys…
"Look, Sanosuke Sagara!!!" she stormed into the bar, one finger pointing at the spiky-haired grown-up that could have been mistaken for Yahiko's older brother. "If you wanna follow your instincts with any woman, go ahead, we're fine with that. Just don't come running back here for some lousy drink with Kenshin and the guys, like you did right after that sorry episode with Miss Megumi Takani… I mean, if you'd have to squelch drinks from us every single time you're heartbroken—which happens almost everyday, we'd have to close the place and live in the streets, you LOSER!!!"
"Yare, yare," Sano said, following the woman across the room with puppy eyes and ignoring Kaoru completely, to her utter dismay. "You sure CAN talk, little tomboy, because no man in his decent mind would touch you with a ten foot pole, that he ain't!!!"
Whack!!
Kenshin was too late to stop it from coming. And to blame Kaoru for letting her temper get the better of her would be just like courting danger himself…
"Look Jo-chan, if you do that EVER again, I'm gonna hook you up with the next brainless guy who comes along, you see!!!"
Kenshin shot him a warning glare but Sano was either too dazed or too angry to notice it.
"What brainless bozo are you talking about?" Kaoru asked, her cheeks just slightly flushed as she stole a quick little glance at Kenshin.
The red-head was quiet, picking up another glass to polish, his eyes too absorbed to register anything other than a stupid far-away look.
Geez…what are you daydreaming about this time, Kenshin??? Everytime I'm around, you always seem to be busy polishing glasses…like that's supposed to keep YOU out of trouble or something…
Sano flashed her a wicked smile. "Well, Enishi's one bozo who's got the hots for you, though for the life of me I couldn't figure out why. I mean the guy's pathetic, sneaking around you for the longest time since we were little kids—not that you've grown considerably…that is."
"Sano!!!" Kenshin and Kaoru protested, eyes meeting when both realized that they spoke up at the same time. Kaoru was just slightly uncertain, though, what Kenshin found in Sano's words that deserved his protest. She knew that she had the right to be insulted at the slight reference to her height, but Kenshin? Her quiet guardian was not the kind who takes insults to heart—not even those directed to his own person.
She gave him a quizzical look, which Kenshin returned with a smile.
Kenshin no baka!!! If you think you can get away with another of your stupid-looking smiles, well, here's something for you too… WHACK!!!
Kenshin barely missed it though, grasping the bokken between his palms just when it was about to hit him on the head. The act, though, sent the glass he was polishing crashing onto the floor, breaking into countless little shards that caused several heads to turn their way…
Kaoru tried to grin as widely as she could, sweat drops on her face glistening as she met curious glances thrown her way…
Geez, I don't know smiling the way Kenshin does is kinda hard… I think my face is gonna get cramps…
At that precise moment, the woman in the gray business suit and skirt approached them, her feet carefully sidestepping the shards. Kenshin moved quickly away from the counter, bending down to pick the shards only to look up and graze the woman's legs with his eyes when he looked up at the sound of her voice.
"Pardon me if I'm interrupting anything, demo…I was wondering if you've seen this girl—she's slightly shorter and slimmer than uhhh, this girl right here actually" she said, looking at Kaoru to emphasize her point even when the teenager didn't seem to appreciate the comparison in the least. "She's also got blue-green eyes and long hair that's braided all the way to her waist, and if what her friends told me was correct, I believe she was also wearing a red sweater over a red and black plaid skirt…and, and…she…she smokes a lot…"
Kenshin knew who it was the moment she mentioned the girl's blue green eyes and long braided hair. How could he not? Just a moment ago, the girl asked him for a light, and he did as she asked him, feeling guilty over the fact that she looked almost as young and vulnerable as Kaoru…
Vulnerable? Now where did THAT thought come from? he asked, almost smiling at his own joke. He would have wondered at that some more if he didn't feel a pair of angry eyes boring a hole through the back of his head. Sure enough, Kaoru was watching him with a frown, her face red with embarrassment.
He scratched his head at her, smiling. Yup, caught daydreaming again, and in the middle of a conversation too…
"Uhhh…Gomen nasai miss…"
"My name's Tomoe. Yukishiro Tomoe…"
Kenshin felt obliged to reach out with his right hand when she introduced herself. Sano beat him to it though.
"Uhhh, Sanosuke here at your service, Madam….Sagara Sanosuke, that is…"
Kaoru turned several reds deeper, her glare now burning a hole through the maniac's blue and white college uniform…
"I'm pleased to meet you, Mr. Sagara. As I was saying…"
"My answer is a yes, Miss Yukishiro," Kenshin interrupted, moving a little away from the tall woman, though for the life of him, he couldn't tell why his body had that natural reaction whenever Kaoru was around. "The girl you've been asking about was around here twenty minutes ago. I can't tell though when she left, but she did pay her bill…and she didn't smoke as much as she did the last time…if that's any comfort…"
Tomoe smiled at him, her head bowing slightly to acknowledge the additional information that was unnecessary, but comforting. She reached out her hand to him this time, knowing that he would have to take it…
"You are?"
Kenshin's eyes widened at the question, finding it a bit too direct for comfort.
"Uhhh… Kenshin. Himura Kenshin…"
"Can I ask a small favor from you, Mr. Himura?"
Kaoru would have whacked his head when he nodded, but was pulled back by Sano just when she was about to raise her bokken…
"If you see her come by this place again, call me at this number. I really needed to talk to her but she never stays in one place for too long and I'm already at my wit's end trying to find her…"
Kenshin looked at the business card Tomoe handed to him with impassive eyes, looking somehow slightly disturbed.
"I don't want to sound unconcerned and indifferent, Miss Yukishiro demo, don't you think asking me to do just that is a bad idea? I mean, I really have no knowledge of what's going on, and if giving information like that leads to trouble, I'd rather keep my nose out of my customers' private problems…"
She smiled at him. Even through his refusal, she could see the logic that betrays his real concern. In a world where every request has a price, this Kenshin Himura is different.
She handed him a couple of ID's, and a driver's license. "These are just some of the things she left in her dorm when I came looking for her last week. It seems obvious that she hasn't been going to school and even probably sold her car so I can't trace her whereabouts with the police. I guess, ever since Shinomori Aoshi left her, she hasn't been herself…"
Aoshi…so that's the guy's name…If I do recall, she used that name once or twice when she came here to drink with this tall, blue-eyed college boy who always seemed to be just too prim and prudish and stuck up, actually, for her taste… Demo…who knows exactly what drives a girl crazy about guys anyway?
Just then, Kenshin's eyes wandered to a small table at the corner of the café, right next to the window. Unbidden memories then came rushing in, and try as he might, he couldn't shake them out of his mind as Tomoe's eyes followed his gaze wonderingly, trying to read his thoughts.
They used to sit in that corner and he'd let her slip out of her coat gently, taking the fabric into his hands as she already begins to talk. Her words though, was not half as interesting as her face—the weight of those eyes that danced, the flushed color on her cheeks… Sometimes I wonder how he could still look at her and breathe. But of course, just like gravity, feelings exert a force that makes itself as visible and transparent as glass even if it appears non-existent on the surface…And maybe that's what Aoshi and I have in common… On the surface, he might be as cold and frigid as a block of ice, but his eyes would smile occasionally when she's looking far away, and occasionally his fingers would reach up halfway to brush away a strand that crossed her face.
Demo, that was about a month ago... They haven't been around for quite some time, and about a week ago, she started coming here all by herself…
"As I was saying, Mr. Himura, I have my reasons to be so concerned about the whereabouts of this girl… I mean, Makimachi Misao is, after all, my half-sister…"
His gaze shifted back to Tomoe, widening as the full implications of that statement dawned on him.
After all, wouldn't he storm heaven and hell to find Kaoru if that were the case???
No, seems like tearing apart heaven and hell is more like it…And if any guy would do that to her—like this pervert, Enishi whom Sano's babbling—thanks to Kaoru—let him slip a piece of information I should have known a long time ago…
Kenshin's eyes darkened just imagining it…
Well, I'll dig a grave for him every square inch of hell, that I will!!!!
"So are you going to help me? I'm sure if you needed any more information, the school will be more than willing to be of assistance …"
Kenshin nodded. "Hai, Miss Yukishiro. Worry no more about it because I will do my best…"
She gave him a smile that could have made any guy's knees grow weak and wobbly like ice cream, but Kenshin missed it, his eyes searching for Kaoru…
"Sano, where's Kaoru-dono???"
"Jo-chan went back into the kitchen looking so pissed off like always when you're flirting…"
Kenshin gave him a warning glare. "Not here, Sano…This is serious business…"
"Uh, sure, yeah, got that… I dunno that's precisely what the woman's got in her mind when she gave you that parting smile…"
Kenshin sighed. "You're such an oaf sometimes, really, Sanosuke…"
"And you're dense as always…"
. . . . . . . . . .
Author's notes: Comments anyone? Bad or good will be accepted. Just give me details when you flame. And please be a little nice. I do have feelings…
Sano: Hey, flaming's NEVER nice, I'd have you know THAT you li'l twerp!!!
Hotaru: You want to stay alive in my story, Sanosuke Sagara???
Sano: Hell, what does that mean???
Hotaru: Well, not that I can't deal a worse punishment, Sagara-kun!!!!
Sano: Like what?
Hotaru: How about you falling in love with Kamatari in the next chapter???
Sano: You WON'T dare!!!!
Hotaru: Try me…. ^_^