Finding the Real Thing
Karou started making her way up the stairs after she picked-up the mail from her mailbox located in the lobby of the apartment building. She had just returned home from work and once again found the elevator out of order. She probably could count on one hand how many times she had actually ridden the contraption, but that didn't stop her from hoping that the elevator fairy (currently the building's super named Lou) had magically come and fixed it so that she didn't have to climb the four sets of stairs that led to her apartment.
She probably shouldn't complain. Though her job at the Oniwaban Café kept her on her toes most days, the stairs were the daily ritual that kept her from living a completely sedentary lifestyle. By the time her work day ended she was ready to collapse on her sofa and order in.
By the time that she got to her apartment she wondered why she never asked the ever-dependable Lou if there was a chance she could move to an apartment on the ground floor.
"Yahiko? Are you home?"
"You don't hafta screech, ugly. I'm right here." She turned from the door and found him working at the table, hopefully on his homework. Karou rolled her eyes. Yahiko, her younger brother. There were days that she'd like to make a permanent indent in his head with her bokken. But surprisingly enough she couldn't imagine her life without him. A fact that she'd never say out loud.
"How was school?"
"It was okay." His answer didn't come out in his usual sarcasm. Hmm… a plain answer with no comebacks attached. Karou would have to dive deeper.
"Did anything interesting happen today?"
Yahiko stopped writing and looked up at Karou. She noticed that the sigh that came was longer and deeper than usual. Aw, crap. It wasn't going to be good.
"Children services came today and interviewed me. I didn't say anything that I thought would be bad."
Karou gave a sigh that matched Yahiko's. Feeling as if the weight of the world was suddenly pulling her down, Karou sat across him at the table. Would it never stop? After their parents died leaving their three children to fend for themselves, she felt completely lost. But with some time, and a lot of Bursting Mint Brownie ice cream, she was able to pull her life together. Thanks to her friend Misao, she got a job at the café. She also took up the bokken again and got rid of those extra ice cream pounds. Life was getting to be somewhat comfortable. Breathing became easier than before.
That was when Sano left. He decided that he could make better money for them elsewhere, and he did. With promises of coming back, he left leaving the present duo. It was about this time that Child Services started coming around. They finally got wind of there being a minor in the home and they decided to investigate. It was soon determined that Yahiko would do better in another home. Karou fought the ludicrous idea and won. Kind of.
"Did they say anything about me getting married?"
Yahiko only dropped his head. She knew it was an answer that he didn't like when he started making random doodles on his homework.
"Yeah. They said it would solve 'our current situation'." Yahiko looked up at Karou. She hated that look that he had in his eyes; she hated even more the fact that she couldn't take it away. "I don't like him Karou. Enishi isn't a good guy. He gives me the creeps."
Karou didn't admit it out loud, but Enishi gave her the creeps too. But if marrying him kept Yahiko and her together, she'd do it.
She pasted a smile on her face. "There's nothing to be worried about. After Friday there will be no more Child Services and no small apartment. We'll be living in a large house on the north side of town."
"But what about Enishi?"
"Yahkio. Enishi has been good to us. He's taken us under his wing and has been nothing but kind."
"But you don't love him."
Karou felt her heart drop. She had hoped it wasn't that noticeable. It was true. She didn't love him. It was the one thing that kept her from jumping into this marriage. Some of her first memories were of her parents showing their love for each other. Her mother made lunch for her father everyday to take to work. Each one different from the day before, and was accompanied with a small note that she wrote telling him how much she loved him. She also remembered her father always going for his wife's hand when they were standing or sitting next to each other. This is what she wanted. Was it so wrong to want to spend the rest of your life with someone who you adored and they adored you back? Granted, she wasn't sure how her marriage was going to turn out; but she knew it wasn't going to be anything like this. She didn't know why Enishi was marrying her, but overall she was thankful that he was. Keeping Yahkio with her was her number one priority, not having a love-filled marriage.
Karou looked at Yahiko. He was still doodling on his homework. She decided it was time to change the subject. While searching her mind for another topic, she searched the mail. At the very bottom of the pile she saw a post card. She grasped it and a breath caught in her throat.
Her voice came out in a whisper. "It's from Sano." Yahiko got up and was suddenly behind Karou looking over her shoulder.
"Where's it from? What does it say?"
"Hold on. It says it's from Meji. That's way up north. I wonder what made him go up there."
"Stop yammering. Just read."
"Alright, Captain Patient.
K Y-
Things got boring down South. Decided to go North. Got a good job. Will call when I get more settled. Catch ya later.
Sano
That's it. That's all he says. What a dork."
Yahiko walked back around to his chair and sat down. Karou was waiting for some kind of response from him, but one never came. She could handle him bursting in tears or going into a sudden rampage. But this Yahiko was hard to deal with. His stoic face showed no emotion. It was only when she decided to go ahead and check his pulse, did he finally look up and speak. "We have to find Sano."
"What?!" Karou was obviously surprised. Whatever she was expecting, that wasn't it. Just as soon as the word leapt out of her mouth, she saw the "determined" look on his face. She had this habit of giving names to his different facial expressions and she knew that this one wasn't going away anytime soon.
"Karou, I'm serious."
She took one of those big sighs again. "So I see, but why? As much as I would like to see Sano, I don't see how it's going to help."
"He doesn't know about any of this. He's been able to write to us, not as much as he should have, but we haven't been able to talk to him. If we get him to come back, maybe Child Services would back off. Then you wouldn't have to marry Enishi. It's worth a try."
It was worth a try. Karou couldn't help but grab on to that idea and run with it. Reality quickly caught up to it and beat it down with a big stick. But she wouldn't let it die just yet.
"We have to be back by Friday for the wedding on Saturday."
"So we're going?" Karou couldn't help but smile at his excitement.
"Only if you can get ready within the hour. I'll have to drive all night so we have to start now." The only reaction she got was Yahiko's back running to his room.
Hours later Karou was kicking herself. Hard. Why didn't she buy a map? How much snow could one storm have? Why didn't she pack some kind of sugary sustenance to help relieve the stress? And why was her eye twitching?
She looked over at Yahiko sleeping in the seat next to her and took a deep breath. It was time to refocus. They were moving in the general direction to Meji in the middle of a blizzard. She knew that the adrenaline rush was going to wear off soon and the eventual fatigue was going to take its place. They were going to have to stop soon and rest. If only she could find a place.
Unfortunately a place was soon found for her. A corner that had frozen over was too hard for her tires to grip causing her to start spinning out of control into a ditch. When the impact came, Karou realized that her side of the car was the one that hit the bottom.
"Karou… Karou… Karou?" That was Yahiko's voice. It was then that the pain in her head and side became so sharp that it took the air out of her lungs. As Karou struggled take her next breath she gasped for Yahiko to find help. Blackness soon overcame her senses.
The next thing that she knew was a man softly calling to her and referring to her as Miss Karou. It took all her energy to open her eyes to look at the source of the voice. It belonged to a man with red hair and violet eyes. Hmm… this was an odd place for him to be. He'd better get home so he won't get sick. That's all she thought before the darkness came once again.
Opening her eyes was more of a struggle than she had ever thought possible. When her eyelids finally did unlatch and open, she didn't recognize anything that she saw. The last thing that she remembered was ending up in a ditch, not a bedroom. And what a bedroom it was. It's light blue walls, dark furniture, white fabrics, and natural light from a large window made the room extremely comfortable. Unfortunately in her current condition, she couldn't enjoy this haven as much as she wanted. Her head and side still throbbed from pain. Karou closed her eyes again and took a deep breath. What was she going to do now?
"Oh, you're awake. That's good to see. I thought you'd be out longer than this."
Karou turned and saw a man standing next to the bed. It was him, the man from last night. His red hair and violet eyes weren't anything she was going to forget soon. He brought in a glass of water and aspirin and set them on the side table next to the bed.
After everything that had happened she just had to know. "Who are you and where am I?"
The smile that he gave her just about took her breath away. He had a nice face. One could almost say that he was feminine looking with his fine features, but the cross shaped scar on his left cheek almost gave him a rugged and dangerous look. She tried to restrain the blush that was heating her cheeks. Karou never blushed in her whole life. Why did she have to start up now?
"My name is Kenshin Himura. I'm one of the local doctors, and this is my home. Yahiko was right, you are direct and to the point."
A scene from the car losing control and crashing flashed through her mind. Fear clutched her heart. Yahiko. Was he alright? Where was he? She sat up with intent to find him. Kenshin must have seen the look on her face and gently pushed her back down in bed.
"Yahiko is just fine. In fact he's more than fine. I just left him in my game room playing Halo 3. I must say that he's a sneaky devil. I can't tell you how many times he's killed my player. Now if you'll just lie back, I want to check to see if you sustained any injuries that I might not have noticed last night." Kenshin knelt down next to her and combed back her hair with his fingers. His fingers immediately found the spot on her head that hurt the most. He gently felt around the side of her head asking if one spot hurt more than another when touched. When he was done checking on her head, he moved to her side.
The moment that he laid his hand over the left side of her rib cage she hissed in a mouthful of air. "I thought so. You must have really come down hard on your side when the car crashed. It doesn't seem like you broke any of your ribs, but obviously you bruised them quite extensively." He lifted up her shirt a little bit to see of any of the bruising came to the surface. She made another gasp when his warm fingers grazed her bruise. She wasn't sure if she gasped because of the bruise, or because of the touch of his fingers. But either way it gave her goose bumps.
After checking to see if there were any other sore spots, Kenshin sat down at the end of the bed. "Now Miss Karou, I have some questions for you as I'm sure that you have some for me."
Karou nodded her head and wondered where to start. "How did I get here? I remember seeing your face and calling my name right before I passed out, but how did you know I was there?"
"Your little brother appeared on my doorstep late last night. He was frozen to the bone and worried to tears. Once I finally found out what was making him so distressed, I immediately went to get you." He said it simply as if it was an everyday occurrence.
"But why? You don't know me or my brother. You didn't have to help us at all, let alone let us stay in your home."
Kenshin shifted and looked Karou directly in the eyes. Damn, there was that blush again. It was embarrassing. She seriously never had this problem before. She just hoped that he didn't notice it.
"Karou, I don't have a past that I'm too proud of. But there are some things that I learned from it. If there is any chance that I can save a life, I will do so. As for letting you and Yahiko stay here, we are completely snowed in so it isn't like I could take you anywhere else. Plus, I don't get many visitors and I live alone so I'm enjoying the company."
"Alright, two more questions. How far are we away from the town of Meji and how can we ever thank you?"
Kenshin smiled and looked away as if he was embarrassed. "Neither Yahiko nor you have to worry about thanking me. In fact, you're probably doing more for me than I am for you." He then turned back to look at her. "As for the town of Meji, it takes me about 15 minutes to get to my office there. But at the moment we are completely snowed in and I don't think that we'll be able to get out any time soon. When the roads do become accessible, I'll be more than happy to take you there myself. Which leads me to my first question, why would you drive to Meji in the middle of the night during a snowstorm? Usually it takes something pretty important for a person to take action like that."
"We have to find my brother." Kenshin nodded his head and waited for her to continue. "It's very important that we find him. There's some business that needs to be taken care of before the weekend and we need his help."
"Where are your parents? Surely you can't be older than 20. They must be wondering where you and your brother are."
"Actually, I'm 22." That's all she could say before the tears rose up in her eyes. Kenshin looked at her with confusion on his face. Karou cleared her throat and willed herself to continue. She didn't know what it was about this man, but he seemed to bring all kinds of emotions out of her. In some funny way she knew that she could let down her guard around him and not have to pretend that everything was okay. "My parents died three years ago leaving me and my two brothers. I have to find my older brother to get his help. If I don't find him, I might have to do something desperate to make sure that Yahiko stays with me and doesn't have to go to a foster home." It was then that her silent tears turned into crying, and when she felt him take her in his arms it turned to sobbing. She didn't realize how much she had held in this whole time. She cried about her parents, the car crash, Sano leaving, Yahiko having to be strong when he was only 14, and her marriage to Enishi. When her sobs quieted down, Kenshin laid her back in the bed.
"I want you to sleep now. You're obviously a lot more tired than either of us thought. I'll have Yahiko wake you up when it's time for dinner." He brushed some of the hair out of her face and stood up. Karou was already asleep when he left the room.
While taking another sip of her almond hot chocolate that Kenshin made her, Karou gazed out the window. Kenshin was right. His back yard had to have at least three feet of snow. This was going to make getting to Meji in time interesting. They had to be back in the city the day after tomorrow.
Karou took a deep breath and relaxed. There was no use getting all stressed about it. Kenshin said that the roads should be plowed by tonight and he'd take them to Meji in the morning. She just prayed that it was enough time.
Though they were on a tight schedule to get back, Karou couldn't help feel a sense of loss when she thought about leaving this place… and Kenshin. Last night was the first time in a very long time Karou felt like she was finally in a place where she belonged. When Yahiko woke her up last night for dinner, she found Kenhin in the kitchen putting the final touches on what turned out to be one of the best home cooked meals she ever had. It put her to shame. The extent of her cooking skills was boiling water and she didn't get that right half the time.
Karou smiled when she remembered the conversation. It was light and comfortable and it had its funny moments when one of them retold a humorous anecdote. Suddenly Karou wondered if she was ever going to have something like that with Enishi. She immediately scolded herself for thinking that. Now wasn't the time.
"You look deep in thought." Karou jumped and realized that Kenshin was right behind her. She restrained the impulse to lean back into him.
"Oh, you know. Just wondering when you'll ever see green grass again." Karou turned to face him. "So what's on the agenda for today?"
Kenshin cocked his head and folded his arms in thought. "Well, I have to take my snowmobile to check on one of my neighbors this afternoon. Other than that, I don't have anything planned. How about I take you on a tour of my house? We might find something that you want do."
"Alright. That sounds good."
It turned out that Kenshin's home was a lot bigger than Karou thought. A lot bigger. When Karou asked him how he ended up living in such a big place, he told her that his uncle left it to him. Karou was instantly sorry that she asked and expressed how sorry she was for his loss. Kenshin just laughed and said that there was nothing to be sorry about. He went on to explain that his Uncle Hiko got tired of being in the business world and was now "on some mountain drinking his sake to his heart's content."
After seeing the different bedrooms, the game room (where Yahiko currently was practicing his pool), the sun room, and office; Karou was most impressed with the last stop on the tour.
"You have a dojo?"
Kenshin just smiled at the obvious glee that Karou exuded. Honestly, he didn't think that she'd be that impressed; but he was glad he was wrong. After the initial shock wore off, she went straight to the sword display on the opposite wall. She couldn't believe the collection he had.
"May I?" Karou motioned to the bokken. Kenshin said that she could and went on to ask if she knew how to use a sword. His question was quickly answered when she started doing the basic exercises of a sword style.
Kenshin grabbed a bokken for himself and started mimicking her movement. "I'm very impressed. What style do you practice?"
"My own family style, Kamiya Kasshin. It's based on the belief that the sword is meant to protect."
"So you can't fight with this style, just protect."
Karou smirked. "Oh, you can fight with it if you need to." With that she attacked. Kenshin was taken aback, but quickly recovered. He looked surprised at how well she could handle her sword. The gleam in his eyes showed a mischievous side to him, and she couldn't help but let her own playful side come out.
Their fight moved throughout the dojo. Karou felt the restrictions that her recent injuries put on her movements, but it felt good nonetheless. She also noticed the restraint that Kenshin had on his actions. What could he really do if given the chance?
The injury in Karou's side suddenly pulsed causing her to pause mid-swing. Her weakened balance couldn't take it and she started to fall. But before she hit the floor, Kenshin's strong arms pulled her to his chest. Karou heard both bokkens hit the floor as she looked up at him. His eyes were still their vibrant violet, but there were specks of gold now. Was she imagining things? Her thought process stopped completely when she felt his lips against hers.
It wasn't a long kiss, but it had more hidden emotion and passion then either one of them expected. Karou was never the type of girl to be attracted to possessive, domineering men. But something in Kenshin's kiss let her know that she was his, and there's wasn't anything she could do about it. Not that she was fighting. Maybe it was how his arms were gently holding her that made her tremble in delight. Either way, when the kiss ended Karou's world had turned upside down.
Kenshin slowly drew his arms away from her and stepped back. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have kissed you like that, but I…"
"Shhh. There's a lot we have to talk about." That kiss must have affected her more than she thought. She couldn't seem to talk and think at same time. She just hoped that her knees wouldn't give out. "There are some things I need to tell you, but if I remember right you needed to go see one of your neighbors."
Kenshin looked up in surprise. "That's right. I need to go. Are you and Yahiko going to be alright for lunch?"
Karou smiled, "I think we can find something to eat. Don't worry about us, you need to go see a patient."
He stepped forward and held her by her upper arms. "You've been here less than 24 hours, and I already find you invaluable." He smiled and kissed her on the cheek. Karou couldn't wipe the grin on her face as he walked out the door.
Lunch turned out to be more of a disaster than she'd like to admit; but thanks to her ability to clean such messes, no trace was left behind. Yahiko and she ended up eating their usual PB&J after the kitchen was decontaminated. With Yahiko gone to watch a movie, Karou sat down to think about what happened at the dojo. Kenshin turned out to be a knight in shining armor that she had never thought was coming. Just the thought of him brought a smile to her face. The smile was short-lived. She still had bigger problems than trying to get Kenshin to kiss her again. She had to go back to the reason she was even in Kenshin's house. She had to find Sano; and if she didn't, she needed to get back to the city to marry Enishi. Or did she? Maybe Kenshin could help with her current dilemma. The idea of getting married to Kenshin instead wasn't exactly unpleasant to her, but she didn't want to trap him into marriage. If they ever got married, she wanted it to be because he wanted to be with her. Not because he felt sorry for her situation.
She was so deep in thought that when the doorbell rang, it about took her out of her seat. With the snow outside she obviously wasn't expecting anybody. Who could be visiting Kenshin? Was there an emergency? Who was hurt?
By the time she got to the door she was expecting a crippled man with multiple fractures and injuries dying on the doorstep. Instead she got a beautiful woman, who didn't look to happy that it was Karou opening the door.
"Where's Kenshin?" It took everything Karou had not to slam the door in her face. She instead, through the grace of some higher power, smiled and told her that Kenshin wasn't home and may she ask who was calling.
"My name is Tomoe, and I've come to see my fiancé."
Fiancé? Kenshin had a fiancé. She felt like a complete and utter fool. Of course, Kenshin would already have someone. A woman would be crazy not to grab onto him and keep him. Karou took a deep breath and brought out the tray to Tomoe. As soon as the woman got here, she pushed herself in the door. She was now waiting in the sitting room waiting for Karou to bring her refreshments.
Karou should've been angry about this whole situation. Not only did Kenshin kiss her knowing that he had a fiancé, but now she had to deal with the diva and her attitude. But truthfully, she was madder at herself. Why did she let herself fall for the guy? Now all she had ended up with was a broken heart.
"So what is your name and why are you in Kenshin's home?" Her voice was brisk and rude. Karou squeezed the tray handles. Getting mad was not the answer. She needed to calm down before she went over to Tomoe and do something she might regret. Tomoe reached for a cup of tea and waited for an answer. Karou almost laughed out loud when Tomoe took a sip and grimaced. That's what she got for making Karou go and make her tea. Sometimes this bad cook thing came in handy. Tomoe immediately set her cup down and shot Karou a look.
"My name is Karou Kamiya and Kenshin let my brother and I stay the night when we got into some trouble last night." Good, she said it without telling her where to go and where to stick it. Tomoe didn't seem happy in the slightest when she heard that they spent the night. Karou couldn't help but take a little victory in that.
Tomoe just sat there and looked at Karou. She didn't like the look that she was giving her. What was on little Miss Prissy's mind? "Karou Kamiya. I've heard that name before. Have we ever met?"
Karou looked at Tomoe like there was some catch. "No, not that I know of. I just got into town the other day." Tomoe just made a little sound letting Karou know that she was tired of the subject. Karou rolled her eyes, but decided that a change a subject was a good idea. The less Tomoe knew about Karou and Yahiko the better.
They sat there in silence. Just as Karou was ready to show Tomoe the door and insist that she came back when Kenshin was there. Tomoe turned to Karou with a smirk on her face. Whatever made Tomoe smile like that, Karou didn't like it. "Now I know who you are. " Tomoe tipped her head back and laughed. From anybody else, the throaty laugh might have sounded attractive even sexy; but from Tomoe it just sounded dangerous. "I got a call from by brother last night telling me that his fiancé had disappeared. She was there one day and gone the next. He was sick with worry. You see, his wedding is on Saturday and his bride has disappeared." She made that laugh again and it made Karou want to forget the patience and just hit her. But the dread of what Tomoe was reveling kept her still. "I don't think I fully introduced I'm Tomoe Yukishiro. Enishi's sister."
Karou felt the color drain out of her face. She didn't know what to do. Enishi's sister, Kenshin's fiancé was right here in front of her. She wished the floor would just open up and swallow her whole.
"What are you really doing here Karou?" Any other time Tomoe's condescending tone would have made Karou angry, but right now it only cut her down further. Here she was wasting her time pining for a man she could never have when she needed to be looking for Sano. Even that wasn't even for certain. Keeping Yahiko with her was the most important thing. Everything else didn't matter.
Karou faced Tomoe and mustered up all the self-confidence she could. "Yahiko and I decided to see our brother before I got married. We thought a family reunion was in order."
There was that damn smirk again. "And Kenshin?"
"Kenshin was a good Samaritan who helped us our time of need."
"That's good to know. I wonder what he would have thought if he knew about you running out on Enishi."
Alright, that was it. This pretty-girl was stepping over the line. "I did not run out on Enishi. I came to find my brother. If I was going to leave Enishi, I would have done it a long time ago. Anyway, Kenshin would at least listen to my side of the story; and I know that he would have believed me. He's a good man."
Tomoe must have found all kinds of amusement in this conversation because she hadn't stopped smiling yet. "You're in love with him. How rich. Do you really think that he would have taken you knowing that you were engaged to another man? Especially since you weren't forthcoming with the information in the first place. Kenshin is a good man, but do you think that he would have taken someone as devious as you?"
It was true. She wasn't being fair to him. They were both engaged to different people and she couldn't risk leaving Enishi to pursue Kenshin. Anyway why would he even be with her when he know that she wasn't honest with him.
"You know Karou, the roads are pretty much plowed. I'm need to leave to go to Meji soon. Maybe I could give you a ride." She truly was a snake. But she was a snake that was right. A clean break from Kenshin would save him some face from having Yahiko and her here; and it would also save her from saying goodbye to him. Who knew that in such a short time she could fall in love so deeply?
"Alright, I see what you're saying. We'll be ready in 15 minutes."
Kenshin came home later in the afternoon feeling bad that it took him so long at the Yukimura's. When he got there not only was Mister Yukimura sick, but his wife was also. They were an older couple who had little resources or relatives so Kenshin stayed a little longer to make sure that both were in bed resting and that their necessities were taken care of.
By the time he made it back across his field and stored his snowmobile he was ready to be home. But this time there was someone waiting for him. He couldn't help but hurry a little faster to the house when he thought of Karou. It had been a long time since his house felt like a home, but Karou and Yahiko had filled a void that Kenshin thought he could ignore. The three of them had already felt like a family. Yahiko was already like a younger brother, and Karou… well he obviously didn't think of her as a sister.
The house was dark when he walked up the stairs to the front door. Thinking that they must be in the back of the house, Kenshin walked in surprised to see that the entire house was dark. It was only 3:30, what could they be doing?
Stripping himself of his coat and gloves, he saw that there was a piece of paper on the entryway table that he didn't recognize. He picked it up and read not sure what to expect.
Kenshin-
Thank you so much for everything that you have done for Yahiko and me. You have been more than gracious. This is one of the reasons that it was time for us to leave. We have taken advantage of your kindness to long.
This wasn't an easy decision to make. You have come to mean a lot to me in this short time. I wish we would have meet in different circumstances. I would have enjoyed having you in my life.
I hope that you and Tomoe will be happy together.
Karou
They were gone. Karou and Yahiko were gone. Karou was gone. There were few things in Kenshin's life that ever caught him unaware; let alone affect him so much. There were many things that had attracted him to her. Her sense of humor, her protectiveness over Yahiko, the way her body moved in the dojo, how her face blushed and glowed at the same time (especially when he had just finished kissing her); but in the short span of a day and a half, Kenshin had fallen in love with her.
He had to find them. Already moving towards the door with the beginning of a plan, Kenshin stopped and realized what may have caused all of this to happen. Tomoe. For some reason Karou thought Tomoe and he were a couple. She even wished them happiness. Kenshen growled under his breath, ready to start the hunt.
It was at that exact moment that Tomoe walked into his home. Something that she'd soon come to regret.
With Tomoe behind him, Kenshin drove down Main Street looking for any sign that would tip him off to where Karou and Yahiko were. It didn't take much prodding to get Tomoe to tell him where she dropped them off when she realized how irritated he really was. He wasn't a man who yelled or used violence, but people soon understood that they didn't want to see him angry. It wasn't in their best interest.
He started his search at the city square where Tomoe told him where she dropped them off, but by the time that he got there they had already left leaving no sign of where they had gone. He was now on his way to the local motel to see if they had checked-in there. His plans were quickly changed when he got a text from his office saying there was an emergency and he was needed. Kenshin held in a curse and made a u-turn heading towards his office.
When he got there, Kenshin jumped out of his car. He needed to get his current dilemma out of his head. Someone inside needed him at the top of his game, and thinking about his need to find Karou wasn't going to help.
"Kenshin!" Kenshin turned towards the person that was calling him. It turned out to be Sano the local deputy and his best friend. "What's the rush? Is there anything I can help with?"
"I just got a message that there was an emergency and that I needed to come." Kenshin rushed towards the building; Sano caught up with him and matched his speed.
"Where's The Fox?"
"She's in a seminar and will be back this weekend."
When they got to the front desk the medical assistant hurried them to Exam Room 2. His head nurse was standing outside the door writing on the patient's chart. When asked, she said that the patient was bad enough that she had to sedate the patient to help with the pain. Kenshin walked in the exam room and stopped short when he saw Karou lying on the exam table. She looked asleep, but troubled. It wasn't a good sign if her pain was seeping through the sedation.
"Karou!"
"Sano!"
"Yahiko!"
It took a couple seconds to figure out what was going on; but if his guess was right, Sano was the brother that Karou was looking for.
He moved over to Karou's side letting Sano and Yahiko have their reunion. Looking over Karou and checking her vital signs and recent injuries he came up with the same conclusion that the nurse had. Karou had appendicitis. Kenshin cursed himself for not seeing the symptoms. The injuries from the car crash were extensive enough to cover-up any of the warning signs.
"Kenshin? What's wrong with Karou?" Kenshin looked over to Sano and Yahiko looking back at him with fear in their eyes.
"She has acute appendicitis. If we don't get her into the hospital now, her appendix will burst."
Karou woke up in a place that she didn't recognize. This habit of waking up in strange places was starting to get annoying.
Once the shock of being in an unfamiliar place wore off, she realized she felt like crap. Her body felt heavy and her head cloudy. She didn't know what just happened to her, but she knew that she didn't want it to happen again.
"Karou, you're awake!" Yahiko rushed to her side from the doorway, with Sano right behind him. Was she seeing things? Was Sano really here?
"Hey Raccoon, good to see that you're not dead." Nope, it was Sano. The Genuine Article.
Her voice came out gravely "What happened? And why are you here?" Sano gave her his large smile and sat on her bed across from Yahiko who was sitting on the other side.
"Well, you just had surgery for an appendix that was about to burst." He said handing her a glass of water. "I was just lucky enough to be there when as they called the ambulance to get you. You're lucky that I had the day off. I could have been catching criminals when all of this was going down."
Karou sputtered into her glass. "Criminals. What are you a bounty hunter?"
Yahiko was now the one smiling. "Nope, get this. Our dear brother is now the town of Meji's deputy. Who knew he'd ever be on right side of the law?"
"Watch it little man." Sano reached across the bed and pulled him down putting him in a head-lockand giving him noggies. Karou laughed enjoying in the picture her brothers made. The three of them were finally together, and it felt good.
Then she remembered what brought her here in the first place. Enishi.
When her brothers finally finished the first round of their fight, Karou asked what day it was. Yahiko was the one who answered.
"It's Friday evening. Even if we started now, we couldn't get to your wedding on time." Yahiko couldn't help show the smile he had from the relief he felt. Part of Karou was relieved to, but another part of her wondered what the chance was on keeping her family together. Did she just blow her opportunity?
"Karou, about this Enishi guy. I had one of the other deputies look him up in the system while you were in surgery. It turns out this guy was dealing in some pretty nasty things. In fact, the ATF and the DEA each have a case building up against him. I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but he probably was going to marry you to help secure a case in his defense. You were just a pawn. I'm sorry Karou, I should have been there when you guys needed me. I could have helped prevent all of this."
Karou couldn't help but smile at his complete awkwardness. "Sano. It's alright. The road might have been bumpy, but at least we're all together now." Karou sighed at know the next question that needed to be asked. "But will we being here with you be enough to keep us together as a family? What are we going to do next?"
"Well, that's easy. You're going to marry me." Karou's eyes shot up to the doorway and saw Kenshin standing there. Her heart leapt. Unfortunately, she was connected to a heart monitor which helped put music to the cha-cha that her heart was performing. She blushed when she saw the smile that spread across Kenshin's face. She could only hope that he didn't notice, but the look in his eye's told her she was wrong.
"Can you guys give us a moment?" Sano and Yahiko only grinned and nodded their heads. They didn't say a word as they left the room only stopping to pat Kenshin on the shoulder as they made their way out.
When the door shut behind them, Kenshin turned an almost predatory look her way. Karou blushed even more when the heart monitor from hell started to sing even louder and faster. Kenshin reached over to the machine and flipped a switch making the background music stop. He then sat very close to her on the bed.
"I believe you are the only person I have ever seen be able to blush at amazing speed and redness. You truly are a medical mystery." He took her hand in his, his thumb starting to skim across her fingers and knuckles. "I must say you do affect me in ways that I would have never expected. My pulse also races when you enter a room. My hand always seems to want to grasp yours and not let go. I also can't control my mind when you're around. You always seem to be in my thoughts."
Karou couldn't breathe. She couldn't believe her ears. But…
"What about Tomoe?"
Kenshin had a stern face when he answered. "Miss Yukishiro has had the foolish notion in her head for a very long time that she and I were meant for each other. I do have to admit there was an attraction to her a long time ago, but when I witnessed her true personality I made sure that it was apparent that we would have no future together."
Karou nodded her head. Tomoe had lied. She as Kenshin weren't engaged. Was she allowed to feel this happy about it? She shut out the feeling before it got too far. There was still the matter of the other engagement.
Kenshin interrupted her thoughts as if he heard what she was thinking. "Now about your engagement to Enishi Yukishiro, Yahiko told Sano and me everything about what has happened and why you were engaged to him in the first place. Which is why I feel I can go ahead and say what I want." She didn't know what he was going to tell her, but all she could do about it was sit there and stare at him.
"Miss Kamiya, you have come to mean a lot to me in the last couple days. I think it all started when I saw you blushing that first morning in my home when you were still in bed. My interest grew into captivation when we were in the dojo. Then I came home that day excited to see you, and found Yahiko and you missing. The idea of losing you almost paralyzed me. I knew that I had to find you. Then on top of that, I almost did actually lose you permanently. I can't tell you how my heart stopped when I saw you in my exam room." Kenshin then took both of her hands in his and kissed them. This simple gesture was enough to make Karou want to throw herself at Kenshin, but the feeling that he wasn't done yet made her restrain herself.
"I guess what I'm trying to say is that I love you. You have come to mean more to me than anything else in this world. Karou, I adore you and love you and want to spend the rest of my life watching you blush, wielding your bokken, and loving your family (and hopefully someday our family). Will you marry me?"
It took a second for Karou to comprehend what just happened, but when she did leapt into Kenshin's arms. The joy she felt while she hid her face in Kenshin's neck and chanted "Yes!" over and over again was overwhelming. Neither of them knew how long they sat their holding each other, but Kenshin finally did have to take the doctor role once again and gently lay her back in bed.
"Now, I expect you to stay here and get well rested. I'm giving you a week to get better before I marry you and start the rest of my life loving you. As we speak, Sano and Yahiko are making arrangements to move all your belongings to my home. I hope that's okay with you. I just can't wait any longer to make you mine."
Karou smiled and pulled him down for a kiss as her answer.