Disclaimer: I do not own RK!
AN: Going to be honest… this is NOT my favorite chapter, but I felt the need to post something? It's been over a month! Basically, this chapter was supposed to be much longer, but I decided to cut it in half due to lack of updating. Please enjoy! Or at least try to!
Chapter 4: Realization
With those words said, Kaoru rested her forehead against Kenshin's chest and began to sob uncontrollably not knowing that a shadowed figure in the wings was capturing every moment with a click of his camera.
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Kaoru lifted her head and noticed the tear stains, tainted with anxiety, fear, and frustration, on Kenshin's shirt. She sniffled at the sight and wiped the remaining tears dripping down her cheeks with the heel of her palm. She couldn't help but feel selfish.
"I'm so sorry," she spoke, her voice hoarse. Kenshin blinked.
"It's alright, Miss Kaoru," Kenshin assured her as he casually brushed his hand against the small blotch of Kaoru's tears on his shirt. "There must be something really troubling you, that there is." Kaoru looked up into his violet eyes and noticed the deep concern behind them. Even his smile, which always gave off an amiable sensation, seemed to be forced.
A chill went down Kaoru's spine.
Again…, she thought.
Kaoru inhaled deeply and plastered a watery smile on her face. She felt incredibly relieved, but…
She couldn't believe how easily he managed to break down her walls without even trying! It was almost terrifying in a sense to her especially since she'd only known Kenshin for literally a couple of days!
Kaoru noticed that he wanted to say something to her by the way he paused with his mouth slightly agape, but he didn't seem to have the courage to speak his mind. She tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear and gently massaged the back of her neck in embarrassment.
Suddenly, she noticed Kenshin's eyes glance at her left arm. Kaoru raised an eyebrow at the man then decided to look at her arm and within seconds regretted it.
There she saw her crimson imprint tinged with a hint of blue. Kaoru crossed her arms, her right arm covering her left, as if she didn't notice anything.
"Miss Kaoru, your arm?" Kenshin asked. Kaoru smiled sympathetically in response.
"Oh, it's nothing, Mr. Himura. It's just a little red. I burned myself from cooking earlier today. Cooking's never really been my forte," she laughed nervously. Kaoru could tell Kenshin wasn't buying it by the way he continued to focus on her arm. She so desperately wanted to escape from his curious stare. "Well, it's getting late, Mr. Himura. Koji will get worried if I'm not home. Goodnight." Kaoru quickly spun on her heel and began to walk away when she felt a hand grasp her shoulder and turn her around abruptly. Kaoru blinked a few times to rid of the sudden dizziness from the staggering turn.
"Miss Kaoru, may I see your arm?" Kenshin beseeched. His mysterious eyes bored into her angelic, blue eyes as a sincere yet pleading smile appeared on his lips.
Kaoru sighed, forcefully exhaling through her nose. This wasn't going to end well. She lazily held her reddened arm up letting the pair of violet arms scan it cautiously. Kenshin gently pressed his fingers against her arm. "Does this hu—"
"Ow!" Kaoru whined as she tugged her arm out of Kenshin's grasp. "I'm fine, Mr. Himura," she reassured him again. This time Kenshin didn't smile.
"That's not a burn from cooking, Miss Kaoru. Your arm looks to be bruised. It looks as if something was bounded around your arm," Kenshin stated. Kaoru subconsciously rubbed her arm, her eyes gazing at the stage floor. "Kaoru, what happened?" Kaoru said nothing, ignoring the fact that her teacher called her by her first name only. "Was it something between you and Ko—"
"It's nothing, okay?" Kaoru exclaimed in defiance. "I-I have to go," she spoke softly as she walked past Kenshin.
As she approached the wings, Kaoru noticed the curtain move slightly. She looked to her left to find a man standing several feet from her.
Kaoru stepped back and gasped in sheer shock pointing at the form in front of her.
"T-There's something-!" was all she could muster up. Kenshin turned around and immediately sought after the dark figure who gasped upon the look of Kenshin's eyes and attempted to make a run for it.
Unfortunately, for the stranger, he didn't make it as far as two steps before he slammed into another figure. This time he was much taller and had spiky hair, but from the dim lighting in the wings, Kaoru couldn't make out as to who it was.
"Found you!" the tall man grunted in achievement as he grabbed the man by his collar and slammed him against the wall.
"Please don't hurt me! I was just doing my job!" begged the stranger.
"Doing your job as in spying on people?" the tall man yelled as he slammed his fist against the wall next to his frightened victim's head.
"Sano, don't let go of him," Kenshin asked as he walked past Kaoru.
Sano? Who the hell is—Wait! That's—
"What business do you have here in my theatre?" Kenshin demanded interrupting Kaoru's thoughts. The sternness in Kenshin's voice made her feel incredibly uncomfortable.
"He's got a camera, Kenshin," said the tall man Kenshin referred to as 'Sano'. He held up the black, heavy object.
"Paparazzi…" Kaoru whispered to herself. Quickly coming to a realization, she gasped.
Was he taking pictures of her and Kenshin?
"P-please don't break it! I need it! My boss will kill me!" begged the camera man.
"Give us one good reason why we shouldn—"
"Sano," Kenshin said insinuating him to stop with a raised hand. Kenshin grabbed the camera from Sano's hand and violently pulled out the film. "Let him go," he finally said.
Sano grunted, obviously displeased, as he released the man from his grasp. Kenshin handed the filmless camera back to the man.
"If I see you here in my theatre without my permission, I will have you arrested for trespassing. Do you understand, sir?" Kenshin asked. The man nodded his head slowly as beads of sweat trickled down his temples.
"Get going, you scum," Sano grinned as he raised his fist in the man's face causing him to run away. Sano smirked at his successful threatening attempt.
"Sanosuke?" Kaoru asked. "Is that you?" Sano turned around to face his ex-girlfriend's best friend.
"Hey, little missy, long time no see," Sanosuke smirked as he walked onto the stage to get a better glimpse of her. "Congrats on your engagement." Kaoru ignored the praise and gave him a small, friendly hug.
"What happened to you?" Kaoru spat out. She didn't mean to sound rude, but she wanted to know what happened after his and Megumi's breakup. He and Kaoru were like brother and sister. It was weird for him to disappear so sudden. Sanosuke bit his bottom lip.
"Eh. The fox and I went our separate ways. I've been in school," he uttered. Kaoru snorted.
"You? In school?" Kaoru laughed. There was just no way Sanosuke, the free-load, foul mouthed man that stood in front of her was in school! Sanosuke gave Kaoru a pained look.
"Ouch, little missy. Why wouldn't you think that I couldn't be able to handle sch—" Sanosuke cut himself off and pondered for a moment. "Never mind. Don't answer that." Kaoru grinned.
"Sano, what're you doing here?" Kenshin interrupted.
"I came to see you, buddy," Sanosuke replied with half a smile.
Kaoru snapped back into reality as she noticed the red head standing next to her. They know each other?
"You guys are friends?" she asked. Bewilderment etched across her face. Sanosuke grinned and patted Kenshin on the back causing Kenshin to stumble forward.
"Been buds for years," he answered. "Ain't that right, Kenshin?" Kenshin nodded as he straightened himself up.
"Indeed," he replied with a smile. Kaoru could notice the tight relationship they had and it immediately reminded her of her friendship with Misao and Megumi. But the small daydream ended as Sanosuke spoke up.
"What're you gonna do about that film, Kenshin?" he asked. Kenshin shoved the film in his pocket.
"Dispose of it, of course," Kenshin replied. Kaoru's eyes stared at Kenshin's pocket where the film laid.
What would happen if she didn't spot the paparazzi? Those pictures would've appeared on all the magazines in town and even spread across the country! Of course she had no intention of cheating on Koji, but the fact of the matter was that she was sure there were pictures of her being consoled in such an intimate embrace by her dance teacher in that film. People were sure to start rumors.
Kaoru suddenly had this strange urge to stay away from him. She felt that it was dangerous for her to be near Kenshin. The way he was able to tear down her walls so easily did not make things easy for her. In fact it only complicated things greatly such as her feelings and her relationship with Koji.
It was at that moment when Kenshin glanced at her as she stepped away from him that Kaoru promised herself that she would keep her distance from him from now on.
Just a strict student-teacher relationship. That's all it will ever be, she thought.
"Where ya goin', Kaoru?" Sanosuke asked. He was clearly oblivious as to what was going on.
"It's getting late. I have to go," she answered ignoring Kenshin's questioning gaze. Sanosuke furrowed his eyebrows but deemed it best to not question the ill-tempered Kaoru.
"Well, let's catch up soon. I tried calling you earlier actually, but you didn't answer," Sanosuke mentioned. Kaoru raised an eyebrow. How strange. She didn't hear her phone ring once today.
"I'll go get my phone. Just a sec," she said as she sprinted to the dressing room. Kaoru absentmindedly rummaged through her purse to find no sign of her phone. Kaoru began to panic. "Where the hell is—No!" she cried. She left it at Koji's! "Dammit! Dammit!" she spat out as she slammed her fist on the counter.
She exited the room moments later and approached the two men.
"I left it at Koji's," she said sadly. "I'll give you a call sometime this week, but I really have to go," Kaoru excused herself as she began to head for the dressing room.
"Miss Kaoru," Kenshin called out. Kaoru stopped in her tracks, her back still facing him. "Are you going to Koji's?" Kaoru took a deep breath.
"Mr. Himura, I believe that my personal life is none of your business." She paused for several seconds. She knew she must have sounded so bitter, but she thought it was best for the both of them. "Have a good night." And with those words, Kaoru walked off stage knowing full well that a pair of pained violet eyes spied on her until she vanished.
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Beep! Beep! Beep!
Kaoru hastily slammed her palm against the top of her bothersome alarm clock.
"Seven already?" she groaned rubbing her eyes. Sighing contently as Kaoru snuggled comfortably against her cushioned pillows under the soft sheets, her eyes suddenly popped open as she vividly remembered the events of last night.
Kaoru huffed. She could feel a headache coming as troublesome thoughts began to flood her mind.
Without warning, a grumbling and ravenous sensation erupted within Kaoru's belly. She gently rubbed her stomach as she still lied in her bed.
Kaoru took a deep breath as she thought about her horrid hospital visit. She most definitely did not want to go back there. Maybe she should stop….?
Mentally kicking herself, Kaoru rid of that suggestion.
No… I'm perfectly fine. I only passed out because I'm not used to it yet. I need to keep at it or else my career is over…, she thought.
Deep down inside, Kaoru really believed that her 'habit' actually helped her. She assumed that her lack of eating full meals and only consuming extremely small portions, if not at all, gained her the ability to dance better. With her light weight, she was able to move easily and gracefully and catch up to Megumi, the ballerina whom she strived to be like.
Kaoru cleared her throat and sat up brushing her fingers through her messy hair. An image of Koji and Kenshin appeared suddenly in her mind. Kaoru grumbled. She didn't want to face Kenshin or Koji today and promised to make every attempt to avoid them, but she had this chilling feeling telling her otherwise.
"Let's get this fucking day over with…" Kaoru whined as she swept her legs over the bed and stood up shaking her head as a small dizzy spell overcame her. She exhaled slowly and regained her balance.
I'll be okay…,Kaoru thought as she walked toward the bathroom.
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Showered and dressed for another 8 hour rehearsal at the theatre, Kaoru grabbed her purse and dance bag and headed into the kitchen.
She bit her lip as she opened up the refrigerator door blankly staring at all the food and beverages before her.
"Hmmm…,"Kaoru tilted her head to the side. "I did eat quite a lot yesterday," she pondered as she remembered the full meals she ate, or actually had to eat under Koji's request, yesterday.
Kaoru scrunched up her nose in protest to that thought as she placed her hand on her stomach expecting to feel it bulge out.
"Well, it's been a while since I've fasted. Maybe I'll do that today," she concluded as she swiped the many bottles of water from her fridge and shoved them into her dance bag.
Kaoru approached her apartment door and swung it open gracefully when a gasp escaped from her lips as a figure stood in her doorway.
"Oh my God! You scar-" Kaoru stopped herself and blinked a couple times as she couldn't believe who it was. "Ts-Tsubame!" she exclaimed. "What-What are you doing? You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
The timid, young adolescent pursed her lips together with a sorrowful expression written in her brown eyes.
"I-I'm sorry. It's just—"
"Shouldn't you be going to school? It's almost 8 am," Kaoru interrupted, noticing that she was in her school uniform. Tsubame fiddled with the hem of her shirt before speaking up.
"I wanted to talk to you about Uncle Koji," she confessed. Kaoru felt as if her heart dropped to the floor, but she knew that was why she was there from the first second she saw her at her door step. Kaoru leaned against the door frame rubbing her now bruised arm. Tsubame drew a ragged breath before proceeding.
"He called my mother last night I'm guessing right after you left the house. He sounded really upset and my mother could barely understand a word he was saying. He wouldn't stop yelling so we went over there." Tsubame bit her bottom lip before continuing on. "The house was a mess. There was glass everywhere and he wreaked of alcohol. As I was trying to clean up the place, my mother was able to calm him down and then he started crying, Miss Kaoru." Kaoru went slightly pale as she heard Tsubame's words. Tsubame finally looked up at Kaoru with tears stinging the corners of her eyes clenching her fist against her heart. "Please, Miss Kaoru, don't end it like this! He loves you so much. He kept calling himself an idiot and how he couldn't move on without you!" Kaoru said nothing. She couldn't say anything.
"W-why did you..?" she spoke up.
"You are a part of this family, Miss Kaoru. I already think of you as an aunt! Uncle Koji is a kind and gentle man who is facing some hardships and he needs your support! If he keeps drinking as much as does now he'll-" Tsubame couldn't continue on as she began to sob.
Kaoru melted. It must have taken Tsubame a lot of guts to come and face her. She was a quiet and timid girl so it was extremely rare for her to speak her mind as openly as this. If Tsubame went this far then Kaoru knew that it was extremely important to her.
Without a second thought, Kaoru embraced the girl that would be her niece. She consoled her by rubbing her back and gently shushing her. Out of the entire Miyamoto family, Kaoru adored her the most. Tsubame was like a sister to her and even like a daughter in some ways. Tsubame was the first one to greet her and the first to make her feel welcomed when Kaoru was first introduced to the family.
As Tsubame finished sobbing, Kaoru looked up at her and gave her a reassuring smile.
"Don't worry, Tsubame. Everything will be okay. I promise." Tsubame sniffled and wiped the remaining tears trickling down her cheek. A small smile appeared on her lips. Kaoru relaxed as she knew she was able to successfully console her future niece.
"Thank you, Miss Kaoru," Tsubame gratefully replied. Kaoru smiled warmly while straightening a strand of Tsubame's hair.
"Hey, you should be heading to school now! You don't wanna be late, right?" Kaoru smirked while Tsubame gasped and checked her watch.
"Oh! Y-yes! I have to go now! Bye, Miss Kaoru!" Tsubame waved as she headed toward the elevator. Kaoru waved back and suddenly froze.
"Ugh! I'm gonna be late for rehearsal!" she exclaimed. "Tsubame! Hold that elevator!"
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AN: Not much of a cliff hanger and this chapter wasn't very good in my opinion. What I wrote here was about half of what the full chapter was going to be, but like I said.. I hate having people to wait. Please review! It really keeps me going! Any suggestions or positive critiques are welcome!
One last thing, how should I incorporate Yahiko in this story? I kind of have an idea, but I wouldn't mind getting some feedback!
Special thanks to my reviewers: tjam, Chibi Tanuki 91, SRAS9, NoelleisParadise, Talvalin, and bbzachariah!
