Author's Notes: This story popped in my head while I was at work. It
wouldn't go away until I did something about it. So here it is. Usual
disclaimers apply. Rurouni Kenshin is owned by Nobuhiro Watsuki, JUMP
Comics, Sony TV, SPE-VisualWorks. This story was written purely for
entertainment not for profit, so please don't sue me.
Chapter 2: Course of Action
June 8
Kaoru had called on her friend to meet her at their favorite coffee shop. She had hastily pulled on her jeans and practically ran every light on her way to the shop. They have been in the coffee house for two hours and Kaoru was nowhere near from being consoled. At the moment, her friend had just mentioned that maybe she wasn't meant to be with him. This elicited a high-pitched whine from the other side of the table.
"But Misao!" Kaoru whimpered. "He's MY soulmate. How could he marry someone else?" She pushed her milkshake away and thumped her head on the table. "How could he do this to me?" She banged her head a few more times on the table to emphasize each word. At every bumped, the table inched a little bit further away from the young woman. Her ponytail bounced at each impact and her friend grimaced from across the table.
"Ano, Kaoru-chan," Makimachi Misao reached out a hand to push the young woman away from the table. "Don't do that. People are starting to stare at us." She winced as a few more bumps, not to mention a few choice curse words came from her friend. "Just stop it, will you? Or do you want us to get kicked out of our favorite hangout."
She momentarily ceased her actions and looked up at her friend, her brow creased. "Why should I care? Why should I even bother with other people when my TRUE LOVE is marrying someone else?" Her voice rose a little higher as agitation was apparent in her voice. "Why Misao? I thought he loved me. Why would he do this to me?"
Misao shook her head and offered a shrug. "Besides," Kaoru continued. "He proposed to me ."
Her friend raised an eyebrow and smirked at her friend. "Kaoru, that was twelve years ago when you were both drunk in a college frat party." Misao was particularly familiar with the "proposal" incident and could clearly remember the circumstances that revolved around that particular event. "Somehow, I don't think that proposal should count."
"I wasn't drunk," Kaoru said fiercely. "I was slightly inebriated. In fact, I think that occasion should count since I was his first girlfriend and all." Kaoru pouted as she remembered
Again, Misao sighed at her friend's creative reasoning. "Kaoru, must I remind you that sitting next to you while watching a movie with a whole bunch of people does not really constitute a relationship."
"Ah, but he kissed me," Kaoru countered. She grinned at the memory of their kiss. In her recollection, it was a soft brushing of his lips on her .
"On the cheek," Misao commented dryly. "And even that was accidental." Her friend could see that Kaoru was beginning to break down once again but she didn't relent. Misao had been in the middle of one of her wonderful dreams about her former college professor when Kaoru's telephone call came through. She was annoyed to say the least but that was quickly replaced by worry when she heard the obvious urgency in her friend's voice. Now, here she was sitting in a coffee house.
Kaoru didn't respond to that but 'hmph' as she grabbed her milkshake closer as she took a sip. She was contemplating on calling him up but she didn't really know what she wanted to tell him.
//Don't marry that woman, you want me!// Kaoru mused. //Yeah, that should go over smoothly.// She snorted at her own sarcasm when something Misao said caught her attention. ". seen you?" Misao asked as she took a sip of her own milkshake. She sucked on the straw to get the last bit of milkshake she could gather and set her glass down. //Ah, milkshakes!//
"What did you just say?"
Misao looked at her friend and frowned. "You weren't listening to me? That's awfully rude of you, Kaoru." She wagged her finger at her. "Especially since I got up from a nice happy dream to come and listen to your sorrows and you ignore me. That's just cold."
"Misao, I'm sorry." Kaoru offered. "I'm just a little distraught right now. But could you repeat what you had just said."
Not quite satisfied with her apology, but seeing that it was useless to argue at the moment Misao relented. "Fine, I asked how long has it been since he's seen you." Misao commented. "I bet you haven't seen him in ages and how can you be so sure that he's the same person he was twelve years ago. Does he even know that you've been obsessing about him ever since?"
"That's it!" Kaoru yelled and slammed her palm on the table. The noise startled a few other customers in the coffee house as Kaoru bolted up from her chair in excitement. Startled, Misao looked up at her friend. "What?" She looked around her and noticed a few people staring back at their table. Kaoru's grin grew wider as she thought about the course of action left to her. "Of course, why didn't I think about it before?"
"What?" Misao asked as she watched Kaoru's expression turn more mischievous by the second. "What are you planning, raccoon-girl?"
Ignoring the raccoon-girl comment, she continued. "He hasn't seen me in a long time." Kaoru exclaimed as she grinned at her friend. "And he probably doesn't know how much he means to me."
"What are you talking about?" Misao asked almost dreading the answer to her question.
Kaoru stood up and smiled. "I'm going to pay him a visit, I've been invited to the wedding after all. There's no real harm in coming a little early."
"Are you thinking of doing what I'm hoping you're not thinking of doing?" Misao visibly winced as she noticed her friend's grin grow wider.
"Yes, Misao." Kaoru beamed. "I'm going to steal away the groom right from underneath the bride's nose! The whole reason why he's getting married is that he doesn't even know that I'm in love with him!"
"Are you crazy?" Misao asked. "I mean, seriously, are you insane?" Misao was getting that sinking feeling in her stomach as she watched her friend's eyes reflect a glint of determination. "You are not going to break up their engagement!"
Kaoru let out a coy laugh as she dropped money on the table to pay for their drinks. "Watch me!" Kaoru said as she walked out of the coffee shop and headed straight home to pack for her trip.
Chapter 2: Course of Action
June 8
Kaoru had called on her friend to meet her at their favorite coffee shop. She had hastily pulled on her jeans and practically ran every light on her way to the shop. They have been in the coffee house for two hours and Kaoru was nowhere near from being consoled. At the moment, her friend had just mentioned that maybe she wasn't meant to be with him. This elicited a high-pitched whine from the other side of the table.
"But Misao!" Kaoru whimpered. "He's MY soulmate. How could he marry someone else?" She pushed her milkshake away and thumped her head on the table. "How could he do this to me?" She banged her head a few more times on the table to emphasize each word. At every bumped, the table inched a little bit further away from the young woman. Her ponytail bounced at each impact and her friend grimaced from across the table.
"Ano, Kaoru-chan," Makimachi Misao reached out a hand to push the young woman away from the table. "Don't do that. People are starting to stare at us." She winced as a few more bumps, not to mention a few choice curse words came from her friend. "Just stop it, will you? Or do you want us to get kicked out of our favorite hangout."
She momentarily ceased her actions and looked up at her friend, her brow creased. "Why should I care? Why should I even bother with other people when my TRUE LOVE is marrying someone else?" Her voice rose a little higher as agitation was apparent in her voice. "Why Misao? I thought he loved me. Why would he do this to me?"
Misao shook her head and offered a shrug. "Besides," Kaoru continued. "He proposed to me ."
Her friend raised an eyebrow and smirked at her friend. "Kaoru, that was twelve years ago when you were both drunk in a college frat party." Misao was particularly familiar with the "proposal" incident and could clearly remember the circumstances that revolved around that particular event. "Somehow, I don't think that proposal should count."
"I wasn't drunk," Kaoru said fiercely. "I was slightly inebriated. In fact, I think that occasion should count since I was his first girlfriend and all." Kaoru pouted as she remembered
Again, Misao sighed at her friend's creative reasoning. "Kaoru, must I remind you that sitting next to you while watching a movie with a whole bunch of people does not really constitute a relationship."
"Ah, but he kissed me," Kaoru countered. She grinned at the memory of their kiss. In her recollection, it was a soft brushing of his lips on her .
"On the cheek," Misao commented dryly. "And even that was accidental." Her friend could see that Kaoru was beginning to break down once again but she didn't relent. Misao had been in the middle of one of her wonderful dreams about her former college professor when Kaoru's telephone call came through. She was annoyed to say the least but that was quickly replaced by worry when she heard the obvious urgency in her friend's voice. Now, here she was sitting in a coffee house.
Kaoru didn't respond to that but 'hmph' as she grabbed her milkshake closer as she took a sip. She was contemplating on calling him up but she didn't really know what she wanted to tell him.
//Don't marry that woman, you want me!// Kaoru mused. //Yeah, that should go over smoothly.// She snorted at her own sarcasm when something Misao said caught her attention. ". seen you?" Misao asked as she took a sip of her own milkshake. She sucked on the straw to get the last bit of milkshake she could gather and set her glass down. //Ah, milkshakes!//
"What did you just say?"
Misao looked at her friend and frowned. "You weren't listening to me? That's awfully rude of you, Kaoru." She wagged her finger at her. "Especially since I got up from a nice happy dream to come and listen to your sorrows and you ignore me. That's just cold."
"Misao, I'm sorry." Kaoru offered. "I'm just a little distraught right now. But could you repeat what you had just said."
Not quite satisfied with her apology, but seeing that it was useless to argue at the moment Misao relented. "Fine, I asked how long has it been since he's seen you." Misao commented. "I bet you haven't seen him in ages and how can you be so sure that he's the same person he was twelve years ago. Does he even know that you've been obsessing about him ever since?"
"That's it!" Kaoru yelled and slammed her palm on the table. The noise startled a few other customers in the coffee house as Kaoru bolted up from her chair in excitement. Startled, Misao looked up at her friend. "What?" She looked around her and noticed a few people staring back at their table. Kaoru's grin grew wider as she thought about the course of action left to her. "Of course, why didn't I think about it before?"
"What?" Misao asked as she watched Kaoru's expression turn more mischievous by the second. "What are you planning, raccoon-girl?"
Ignoring the raccoon-girl comment, she continued. "He hasn't seen me in a long time." Kaoru exclaimed as she grinned at her friend. "And he probably doesn't know how much he means to me."
"What are you talking about?" Misao asked almost dreading the answer to her question.
Kaoru stood up and smiled. "I'm going to pay him a visit, I've been invited to the wedding after all. There's no real harm in coming a little early."
"Are you thinking of doing what I'm hoping you're not thinking of doing?" Misao visibly winced as she noticed her friend's grin grow wider.
"Yes, Misao." Kaoru beamed. "I'm going to steal away the groom right from underneath the bride's nose! The whole reason why he's getting married is that he doesn't even know that I'm in love with him!"
"Are you crazy?" Misao asked. "I mean, seriously, are you insane?" Misao was getting that sinking feeling in her stomach as she watched her friend's eyes reflect a glint of determination. "You are not going to break up their engagement!"
Kaoru let out a coy laugh as she dropped money on the table to pay for their drinks. "Watch me!" Kaoru said as she walked out of the coffee shop and headed straight home to pack for her trip.