Serendipity [Edited]
Disclaimer: Samurai X is not mine.
A/N: Nadya Lubov – it was unavoidable. If I don't completely rewrite the story then it won't be in Kenshin's POV only. But the context is still the same but shorter. Hotaru Himura – you'll meet Kaoru soon. This is actually a continuation of Great Pretender, not a separate story.
Chapter 3 – Chance (Kenshin's POV)
Heads
Damn
I know it was wrong for me to leave everything to luck. It has a 50% chance of being unfavourable. I grimaced in disgust as I picked up the coin that fell in the steps leading to the entrance of the hospital. I stared at the foreboding building and I felt chills went up my spine. I hate this day.
I was told I was required to visit. My father's secretary added that I needed to leave Moe behind. I was just happy to oblige. I don't need Moe to see the devil. It might scar the child. And so after I fetched Moe from school, I drove my way to the hospital. But as my car got nearer and nearer to St. Clair's hospital, the more I doubt my decision to go. Why on earth do I want to see that old man's face?
To laugh at him.
And that thought sealed my resolve. Or so I thought. When I finally reached the hospital, I can't seem to move my feet. Intuition told me it was a wrong move but my brain wanted to laugh at my father. I was in a conundrum. So I made the logical choice. I relied on my luck.
I tossed the coin, wishing it would be tails.
Heads – I'll go and 'visit' my father and I would laugh at him in the deep recess of my brain. It sealed my fate. And so with hesitation and a little bit of fear, I entered the hospital of doom. I passed by the nurses' station, no need to ask for directions, his hospital room was ingrained to my memory and went directly towards the elevator. Fourth floor – for the rich, terminally ill.
"Wait! Wait for me!" A short woman in a nurse's uniform shouted. I pressed the open button and waited for her to get in. I glanced at her briefly as the elevator door closed. She was looking at the number I pushed and when I saw her do nothing I assumed she must be headed to the same floor as I was. She looked oddly familiar. Like I saw her on a…yes, a magazine! She's the granddaughter of the business tycoon, Kashiwazaki Nenji. Great man. Inspiration to all. I have forgotten her name though.
"Excuse me Miss?" I asked and she looked at me expectantly. I glanced on her name tag and I almost could not stop the grin from spreading on my face. She tapped her feet impatiently; her polite smile was still plastered in her face and it was a sign for me to hurriedly make up an excuse. And so with a little effort I asked looking like I cared, "Is this hospital really the best? My father is here and he's terminally ill. I just wanted a little hope that it's going to be okay."
Her features soften and she answered gently but proudly, "Don't worry sir. This is the best hospital in the state. I'm sure your father would be well taken care of."
I hope that is not true.
I sighed with relief and said, "That's good. I'm relieved. My father's really important to me." And I'm sure I was really laying it on thick. But she was looking at me sympathetically and confusedly that I felt it was okay to go over the top. She smiled at my reaction but the confusion in her eyes did not vanish and so was the staring. Curious, I asked, "What is it? Do I look too haggard? Too worried? I don't want my father to know I did not sleep because I was so worried. I don't want him to worry."
"Ahh…no…I'm sorry…it's just that you seem so familiar…like I have seen you before?" She said uncertainly and I rocked my brain for that possibility. And I realized she might have seen me in the portraits I have in my house when I asked Aoshi to get Moe's project since he's office was near in our house. She might have been with him at that time. Or perhaps she had seen me in the pictures in Aoshi's photo album. But I doubt it. Aoshi and photo album? Hah! Impossible!
"No, I'm pretty sure I just met you today." I told her as the elevator open with a ping. She nodded at me uncertainly before she went out of the elevator, I followed suit. I walked beside her and asked, "You going this way?"
She looked to where I pointed at and nodded. So in silence we walked together towards our different destination. I wanted to ask her questions but I stopped myself. It's better if I teased Aoshi himself. And to amuse myself, I content on watching her quietly. So he likes short girls huh? I never knew. And she's young looking too. If she was not on her nurse's uniform I might pegged her to be fifteen. That Aoshi, how on earth did he get this girl? She looked way too cheerful for a sombre man like him.
"This is my stop." She said, referring to the door next to my father's room. I told her goodbye and she smiled politely before she went inside. I watched her go and I heard her muttered the word Christine before closing the door behind her. I let go of the grin I was holding and took out my phone and texted Megumi. I wanted to lord over her that I've already seen the mystery girl. So that was the famous Misao huh?
I pocketed my phone and opened the door to my father's room. Calming myself and reining the urge to choke my father's neck, I went inside. I was greeted by Mrs. Kamiya, worry lining her face. I smiled stiffly and murmured encouraging words, all the while wanting to bash her head in the concrete wall. What was she doing here anyway? She was the glorified mistress. Not fit for this sombre family affair. I searched for my mother and found her sane and staring in the chair far away from the bed.
"Mother." I muttered and I hugged her tightly. She hugged back and whispered in my ear, "You should visit me often. Your visits are sparse and I badly wanted to see you."
"I will." I said even if it sometimes hurt to see her unable to remember me as she immersed herself in the past. But she looked better now and healthy too and I was glad for that. Maybe her being here was only for show after all I saw reporters loitering around in the lobby. And that horrid bitch was here for a friendly support. Tsk. What a messy family affair.
"You're father's here." The horrid bitch spoke stiffly and I practiced my frown and worry. Everyone here was playing their roles splendidly and I don't want to disappoint. I must give my 100%. I faced them and noted with great pleasure that my father was still in a coma and Kamiya was properly observing proper decorum. She looked the same as before, thanks to science. She must have spent a lot. And then she shrilly asked, "Well? Aren't you going to say something?"
Nice boob job but I don't think that's nice so instead I cried out, "Father! Are you okay? What happen to you?" Did Mr. Kamiya finally know about your affair with that bitch? Is he going to kill you? I looked at Mrs. Kamiya and I almost wanted to laugh at the please look in her face. Stupid.
"He had a heart attack. But he's going to be okay now." She said softly and she gripped her hand, to stop herself from touching him. The play was still ongoing and it was my mother's job to care for her husband. Kamiya, the glorified mistress must keep her hands to herself. And that really amused me. I could feel my mother standing from her sit and walking towards my father. I saw her hand caressed his face. But I was afraid to look at her and see that blank look in her eyes as she once again drifted back to la-la-land. Thankfully I was saved by dealing with family matters by my phone ringing. I immediately excused myself and I kissed my mother in the forehead and stopped at her nurse to tell her a few things before I went out of the room and received the call. It was just my secretary informing me that the meeting for this Friday was moved to Monday. I nodded at the information and disconnected the call.
I went back to the room, stopping by in front of the door as I debated going in. If I go in, it would be torture. If I don't I can't look and laugh secretly at my father's poor state.
"Kenshin?"
Startled, I looked to the direction of the voice and my eyes widen as I saw Sano. He came from the room next door, the one Misao went in. And he looked as shocked as I was.
"What are you doing here?" He asked as he hurriedly closed the door. He looked tired, bruised and defensive. And if I wasn't that occupied with my own problems, I would have probed more on Sano's oddity. Well, less odd than usual. Megumi had a theory she shared secretly with me. She told me that she suspected Aoshi and Sano's souls interchange. I agreed with her that time. We were just too drunk to make sense out of the situation. But one thing for certain, Sano became a recluse after the car accident.
"Kenshin? Yo, Kenshin!" Sano snapped and I realized I must have zone off. How humiliating.
"I'm visiting my father." I said to him and pointed to the name plate that was hanged in front of the door. He dropped his hand in the wheels of his wheelchair and moved it to the direction I was pointing and read the name that was written. And he laughed. Loud. I watched in curiosity as he doubled himself with laughter. I made no comment. I knew my father's situation was laughable but I don't think it was that funny. He was laughing at something else. Something ironic and I bet related to that black eye. My eyes drifted to next door and intuition told me it was related. But my brain can't fathom why so I just dismissed it.
It took him awhile to stopped laughing. And it was because a nurse threatened to put him back to his room. It was my time to laugh softly, unable to disagree that Sano needed medical attention. He might have regained back his strength and the will to live (he was suicidal before) but I'm sure his head still have a lot of defects. If it were not then he would not be able to drive Megumi away. She took care of him after the accident but a year later we just heard that Megumi transferred somewhere far away and Sano was unreachable. When the daily, obligatory Christmas party came, they went out their way on avoiding each other.
"I don't look sick so stop laughing Kenshin. Stupid nurse, can't she see I'm just a visitor here!" Sano grumbled angrily and my eyes widen to see life came out of those dead, guilty eyes. I was so surprised that Sano can't help but asked me about it.
"No, it's nothing." I answered. I caught sight of the door behind him and I crashed right back to reality. I can't escape the inevitable huh? I still have to stay there for awhile and pretend to be a good son. At any ordinary circumstances, I would have bolt immediately but my mother was there and she can read me perfectly. I'll feel guilty whenever I see her sad and I can't leave her all alone with those kinds of people. My poor mother betrayed by the person she called her best friend and the person she love wholeheartedly. But until now even if I knew she knew, she still pretended that there was nothing going on. And that pretence made her crazy.
"Your mother is there?" Sano asked as he noticed my silence. I looked at him and smiled tightly. He opened the door and said, "C'mon then. I want to see Auntie and I worry about Uncle you know. What happen to him?"
Sano hated my father. "Heart attack. He's in a coma."
"Oh! The more he needed prayers then." He said and I smirk. Yeah, right. Like I would pray for that man. And before Sano could truly open the door he stopped and stared at me seriously and said, "You know I love you, right? You're my best friend and I'll do anything that I think is good for you."
This is…unnecessary. But I humoured him as I remembered the time he humoured me as I tried to get him out of his misery. And so I tapped him in the back and said, "I know. You love me as a friend."
"No." He said and gripped my arm, hard, "I love you as a man."
I stepped back, my eyes widen dramatically. But I saw him grin and I relaxed. Good. Because I was really scared. I slapped him in the head and said, ".. Funny. Very funny."
He laughed and said, "You should have seen the look in your face! Hah! Priceless."
I shook my head and opened the door to the room. I waited for him to get inside and I closed the door behind me.
I grabbed my coat and headed downstairs in a hurry. I looked at my watch and swore as I saw it was forty-five minutes before the meeting. I was going to be late for the first time. This is would not do well in the yearly performance evaluation. Those old men were sharks when it comes to looking for my fault.
"Did Tomoe already go to her play date?" I asked the maid as she handed me the coffee. She nodded and I smiled. Good.
"Sir?" The girl voiced out tentatively as my hand reached for the doorknob. Annoyed and a little high strung from the coffee I just drank, I asked, "What?"
"The tutor is here for the interview. I sent her to wait in the library just like you instructed three days ago."
Tutor?
What tu…oh shit!
I slapped my forehead with my palm and swore like a sailor in my thoughts. For all days that I forget! I was too giddy for that damn meeting with the executives of Hans Sung Corporation, the company we planned to buy, that I might have erased today's schedule and exchanged it for today's meeting. I received news for their agreement to settle things peacefully just this Friday that without meaning to, replaced the schedule for today with the meeting. Oh gods, I forgot to tell my secretary to cancel the interview!
The maid looked at me expectantly and I was tempted to tell her to just send the tutor home and let her come back tomorrow. But that would be rude. And Aoshi did recommend her. I will never hear the end of it if he finds out. Damn! But I really can't afford to be late.
"Tell her to come back tomorrow at eight in the morning." I said and then hurried outside without waiting for the maid's response. But what greeted me soured my mood more. There in the garage was a flat tire and the driver I occasionally hire when I was too tired to drive was bending over to fix the damage. This day is not my day.
"When will that be fix?" I asked and the driver straightened himself and answered, "Don't worry sir, it would only take twenty to twenty-five minutes."
Great. Just fucking Great.
I smiled at him and thanked him for his hard work and I went back inside. Might as well interview the applicant. I hurried towards the library and caught up with the maid in the hallway. I told her that I'll do the interview and she went back to do her job. I texted my secretary that I'll be late and told her to note their attitudes. It's one way of knowing how to win a deal in business. I returned the phone back to my pocket and when I was about to open the door to my studies, I heard a voice.
I would not have stop if the voice wasn't so fucking familiar. It was distant and muffled but my mind easily supplied the words and the face that came with it.
"Oi! That's my fortune cookie! And I bet yours sound more depressing than mine."
No.
'Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday Old man! Sorry couldn't resist the jibe! Happy Birthday Kenshin!'
No. Stop thinking about her.
"Kenshin!"
Kaoru.
My legs moved without my command and I found myself hurriedly opening the door of the library. I was expecting the black haired woman from my memories. The person I detest the most. And for a second, the reality that she's dead didn't even came to mind. I just wanted to…no! No! NO! NO!
But what was in the other side disappointed me. It wasn't the girl I thought I would see. It wasn't the girl that my mind had came up with. She was different. Blonde. Glasses. Frail. She's nothing like her.
The woman heard the door open and she turn to looked at me but the smile she prepared turned into a frown when she saw me. She was startled and I was too. Even if she wasn't the woman I thought she would be but I knew I've seen her before. Where was it?
And when I heard her utter my name, I could have sworn that it was Kaoru Kamiya that have said it.
