STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY: No, Rk is not my creation or possession. No, any songs that I might make reference to down here are not mine. No, I do not enjoy writing disclaimers. No, I do not disagree with the fact that, owning almost nothing, is sad…
Quick little message from author: Well, I guess I should start off with the apology: I AM SO SORRY!!! Writer's block is really rude and unnerving and, sure enough, the most unwanted and unwelcome guest of all time. This was going to be all jam-packed into one chapter, but, since it cam out sooo long, I decided to split this into two parts. Thus, I leave you all with Chapter four, the first part of "Drinking through the right of partying." Since, the second part has already been written, expect an update really soon, as a small token of my gratitude for your feedback and another way of wording the "I'm sorry" catchphrase amongst us fanfiction writers. Okay, rambling complete: proceed with reading!
Chapter 4: Comatose, the party Awakens.
(Drinking through the right of Partying – Part I).
"Curlers? Misao, don't you think you're going a little bit overboard with this?"
"Nothing is too much tonight Kaoru!"
"As you wish, but I am not going to use that curling iron Misao! I don't need ringlets; my hair is just fine the way it is!"
"Whatever you say…"
"Misao, get that thing away from me!"
"Oh, lighten up, will ya?!! You want to look good for Patrick, don't you? Then let me do my magic!"
"Misao, step away from my hair! I'm warning you, stand back or I'll-"
"Or you'll what? Empty threats Kaoru; your hair is getting all curled up and that's final!"
"I swear, if you don't leave my hair alone, I'll Kamiya Kassin Ryu your ass!"
"Who are you supposed to scare with that? Need I remind you that I can hold my own just fine? Tae-bo and Jiu-jitsu are part of my work-out résumé!"
"Grin proudly little girl but, unless you know Krav Magá, I consider myself safe and able to take you on any day!"
And that's the way our entire afternoon had been: Misao kept making the wrong suggestions and I was running short on death threats. Seriously though; the girl had wanted me to wear a dress! I can handle skirts, but only if they are truly necessary or I'm feeling excessively feminine that day. College students aren't particularly well known for their flair and glamorous sense of style. Certainly some of them would dress up, but not in an all-out New Year's sort of way; Misao was just taking this too far. Oh well, anything for her Aoshi…
"I give up! Nothing that you have here is wearable! Remind me why we didn't go shopping again?"
Apparently, ransacking my closet had proved unsuccessful. Apparently, Misao thought we were going to a ball, a formal or, option C, meeting the Queen of England: under those circumstances, my entire wardrobe was useless and plain unacceptable.
"I give up; you're insane! Misao, would you take it easy and focus? It's a 'frat-party': beer shall fill in for the non-existence of wine, nachos will be more than worthy substitutes for caviar, and people will be trendy but comfortable, not stiff and in agony, sweating and dying their way through wearing a gorgeous corset and lavish designer gowns!"
"Kaoru, Aoshi is going to be there!!!"
"Fine: I quit! I can't help you! You just won't hear me! I bet that while I speak and pointlessly waste my breath, all you hear is Aoshi, Aoshi, Aoshi!"
"You don't understand me Kaoru! Maybe one day, when you fall in love, all of this will make sense to you."
"I highly doubt it, but suit yourself! Wear the stilettos! However, when your feet are killing you, go lean on 'Mr. I ate sour grapes', not me!"
"Kaoru, would you stop referring to Aoshi in that way and help me zip up?"
"Okay, I'm sure I can come up with other creative ways of mocking him. As far as zipping you up goes… do it yourself! I refuse to go along with your lunatic ways! I am already far more involved in your crafty madness than I care to be."
"Fine: I'll just change into another drool-worthy dress that doesn't have a zipper!!!"
Huffing and puffing, Misao blew a pile of clothes down. Groaning and wailing, I reminded myself that her mess was mine to clean up: no more disagreeing with her choice on clothes!
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Ouch! Ouch! Sano, that hurts!"
Getting pulled by one's hair in a cave-man, primitive, un-evolved fashion was none too pleasant an experience. Said experience, poor Kenshin Himura was all too familiar with.
"You said you would go!"
"But I have to study!"
"Stop whining and get dressed!"
"Sanosuke, I am a grown man and I can make my own decisions. I appreciate your concern, but I refuse to be bullied into-"
"The hell you can! Now, hurry up and get dressed! You are the roommate from hell, did you know that?"
"Sano, I wash the dishes, do all the laundry, cook, clean the apartment; I don't mean to come across as presumptuous, but I don't think I'm that bad a roommate…"
"Stop changing the subject and get your ass into a decent pair of pants! Tonight we are going to have fun and nothing you do or say is going to ruin our mission!"
Ever since the "Tomoe incident" this was the way of life at Sanosuke Sagara and Kenshin Himura's off-campus apartment. It was clear that Kenshin had been utterly devoted to and in love with the dark-eyed, serious young-woman: the broken and devastated state she had left him in spoke volumes.
Kenshin hadn't taken Tomoe's decision to move to another country very well, to say the least. He had the whole pining and moping for her deal down to an art.
Sano, being the loyal friend that he was, couldn't take much more of the dark atmosphere of impending gloom that surrounded his roommate's every shallow breath and had gone out of his way to try and cheer him up; not that it had helped any.
Still, Sano was determined and undeterred: any party, festivity or mere gathering planned was sure to make him drag Kenshin along by that messy ponytail of his.
The fact was that Sanosuke could not bring himself to understand why Kenshin was spiraling so deep into depression, why he constantly blamed himself for his ex-girlfriend's departure.
In truth, she had not actually sought distance and their relationship had not suffered overwhelming deterioration; Tomoe, being an art history major, had been offered a once in a lifetime opportunity to enroll in one of the most prestigious liberal arts colleges in Milan and, being no fool, she took the chance.
Hence, no one was really at fault regarding the abrupt break-up: opportunity beckoned and she seized her dream; no one could blame her for that more than human action. As it was, Kenshin could never truly blame anyone for anything anyway; fault always had to be burdened onto his overly guilty shoulders: that was one hell of an inferiority complex!
In this 'slumped shoulders, watery smiles' sorry state, the months passed, and Sano's attempts at merrymaking proved to be, beyond futile, hopeless. The one who claimed to never give up, even when all odds were against him, was wholly acceptant of his defeat and willing to fold his cards in silent retreat.
Then, at the beginning of this very week, something amazing had happened: on a sunny Monday afternoon, the guilt-ridden, broken hearted boy previously in question had re-entered the apartment in high spirits. He had talked with Sano and, through the brief intermission in his regular 'reasons to mope and whine' schedule, he had somewhat resembled his old self again.
Now, Sanosuke did not know what had suddenly brought this pleasant change of attitude on but, even as Kenshin went back to his routinely sulking and over-studying sessions, he regained his confidence and grew certain that everything was not lost.
Therefore, the missions were back on, as well as his perfectly arrogant grin; if only Kenshin could be slightly more cooperative…
"Sano, would you please stop messing up my room?"
"Don't you have anything decent to wear?"
"…"
"Where the hell do you shop?!"
"Where did you pick up a fashion sense?!!"
"Sarcastic remarks? That's the spirit Kenshin! Soon you'll be up and ready for beer, chips and lovely young ladies!"
"If Megumi hears any of that…"
"You can tell her if you want; you would be sending me to an early grave, or possibly, to be neutered, but she would still make you go to the party."
"So, technically, you have permission to go to the party IF I tag along?" Kenshin had always been good at reading in between the lines of Sano's brashness.
"Permission?!! Like if the kitsune could stop me if I wanted to go alone!" Sanosuke exclaimed with a loud snort.
"Really? I thought she had you on a very tight leash…"
"WHY, YOU LITTLE…"
In spite of running around the room, about ready to snap his neck for his insolence, Sano had to smile: slowly, but surely, his friend was coming back to him and, no matter that he had no idea as to what exactly this ray of light piercing the storm was, the point was that he was eternally grateful.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Misao patted a golden hued eye shadow onto her lids, and then swiped some black mascara on her eyelashes. Staring at herself in the mirror, she rumpled her curled up tresses for that small and delicate final touch that kicked her whole look into perfection.
With metallic gold lipstick dabbed on, and in a burgundy one shouldered, knee-length, silk dress, she had to hand it to herself: when it came to playing dress-up, she was a genius.
Soon enough, one Aoshi Shinomori would be tightly wrapped around her finger. Indeed, tonight was the night for no hesitation and all-out action.
Misao flashed one last smile at her icy reflection before letting her eyes fall upon a curled up bundle on the large four-poster bed:
"Kaoru, cheer up! It's not the end of the world! Look: you got your way and everything! I don't see a skirt on you, now, do I?"
It was true: Kaoru's protest had been so loud and, well, downright scary, that Misao had both given up on making her dear friend show some skin and sporting locks.
Thus, Kaoru mock-sobbed in black tuxedo pants with a satin strip down the sides and a delicate, teal colored, ruffle cap-sleeved shirt.
Her eyelids sparkled as a result of the soft silver shadow that brought out her midnight blue eyes, her lips shimmered due to the sheer gloss that Misao had forcefully slicked on, her cheeks irradiated a healthy, embarrassed, dewy glow and her entire body glistened mildly, courtesy of a silvery body glitter, shimmer gel.
"Listen; I know the child in you wants to wear this ribbon tonight, but tonight is not about noisy little brats! So you might as well leave your inner child's butt parked here, and let the seductive temptress of a woman I know you have in there somewhere take over!"
"Isn't it enough that I have to be Beshimi's escort for the evening? I know I look better like this but; couldn't we have pulled my hair into a plain bun or something? It's so long, it's actually getting in the way, and since I'm not trying to impress anyone…"
"You are such a prude! All afternoon you have been complaining and whining and arguing: I'm not dragging you to a slow, painful death; I'm taking you someplace where, God forbid, you might, for once in your life, have some fun!
Also, do you want Patrick Lunn to see you for the ribbon wearing, ascetic little girl that you are, or the sexy woman he fantasizes you to be?"
"The day Patrick Lunn fantasizes about me…"
"He is completely smitten and you are utterly blind! Anyway, I don't have time for this so, snatch your purse and let's get going already!!!"
"You will pay dearly for this Misao! I am actually going to have to flirt with that frog-eyed midget, whose breath…"
"… smells like tuna, moldy cheese and any other quip you can think up- yeah, yeah, I know the drill! Now: out!!!" Misao blared, rolling her eyes and pushing Kaoru out the door. She didn't have time for this; her Aoshi was waiting!
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
"…and then, Aoshi –get this- just stared him down!"
Kaoru blinked back a yawn. This was the tenth story Beshimi told in the space of approximately thirty minutes that revolved around a heroic Aoshi being his stoic old self… How did this guy get into college? Pulling strings, most likely.
"Oh, did I tell you about the time where me and Aoshi, we was walking into the cafeteria and…"
Definitely pulling strings. Just how many things where wrong with the structure of that sentence? Enough to prove that this literally wide-eyed youth couldn't possibly aspire to the English Major he intended without 'a little help from his friends.'
"So, this idiot keeps poking his nose where it doesn't belong and we keep avoiding the idiot because, obviously, me and Aoshi don't get ourselves into no idiot fights with dumb idiots like him. When we couldn't take it anymore, me and Aoshi…"
Make that a LOT of friends and help. Speaking of friends supposed to help one out of tough spots, as states the job description, where in the seven hells was Misao?
Strutting her stuff in high heels and a little red number, Misao had flittered off as soon as she had caught sight of the object of her obsession, abandoning her reluctant partner in crime on a couch with the date from hell, at least in Kaoru's opinion, and what she hoped would be any sane girl's.
"So we reunited the whole gang-"
"Beshimi, have you seen our wonderful friend Misao? Kaoru asked through gritted teeth, stressing on the word 'wonderful' for emphasis in both sarcasm and acoustics.
"I'm not sure… Wait, isn't that her over there?" he suggested, pointing at a particularly poignant scene that would, sadly, forever remain engraved in her mind's eye.
"No Beshimi! Misao is not the girl giving that guy a lap-dance! Sure, they do bear a striking resemblance and are both wearing the same- OH MY GOD!!! Her dress just rode up her thigh and that guy, whom by the way is not your own personal deity Beshimi, is groping her!!!"
Shocked into action by her own mind's reckoning and assessment of the situation, Kaoru bounced out of her seat and made her way through pandemonium (a.k.a the smoky, boozed up crowd) towards the starkly new version of her lifelong friend.
"Hey… umh…dude… would you mind if I borrow her for a second?"
"Oh, Kaoru! I believe that you haven't met Mick…"
"If Mick's the boy you are currently straddling, then no Misao, I believe we haven't been introduced. Now, dude, would you mind? We chicas have to go… powder our noses, or something. Don't worry; I'll bring her back."
"You know, if you happened to come back with her too, we could work something out." Mick, the pervert apparently, finally spoke up.
"Okaaay… I'm sure that would happen…" Kaoru said, pulling Misao away from the perv-man, all the while shivering slightly at the though of his highly indecent proposal.
"So we're cool then?!! Sweet!!!"
Obviously the lecher needed to get a tighter grip on reality if he thought all of his lewd fantasies were about to come true in the shape of two regular high-school seniors.
With a strong hold on Misao's wrist, Kaoru led the way to a secluded corner of the room, intent on knocking some sense into the clearly delirious girl's head.
Meanwhile, Misao, bewildered and downright confused, struggled against her friend's antics, wondering just what was wrong and why Kaoru thought she had a right to interrupt a well thought-out plan. Unable to pry herself from Kaoru's death grip, she decided to say as much:
"What the hell is going on?!!"
"I should be the one asking you that very question Miss 'I got in touch with my inner stripper'!"
"Don't get your bloomers in a knot Sister Kaoru; as far as I can see, I'm still wearing clothes!"
"The question is 'for how long'? And don't you dare patronize me! Just what the hell were you thinking rubbing yourself all over that guy?!! First off, he's not Aoshi and, second, I don't see you latching onto the human iceberg every time you guys meet: excuse me for not being able to keep up!"
"Geez Kaoru, you are so high strung! Would you relax?!! I'm flattered by you concern for my loyalty to Aoshi, but you should know better than to doubt me, not where the man I love is concerned."
"Okay, I won't doubt your faithfulness to a guy who won't even give you the time of day, especially not after I find you up here in booze-fest in an awfully compromising position with that degenerate, good-for-nothing, hormone-driven dude over there!"
"You are so judgmental! For your information, Nick happens to be a very nice guy and he just so happens to fit perfectly into my plans to win Aoshi's heart!"
"Now that you mention it, he does sound nice… in a touchy-feely sort of way!!!"
"You have a point: Dick is a very emotional and sensitive boy for his age."
"Misao: explain! All I know is that I was running to the rescue, as always, only to find that, this time, helping you out is not okay! So, once more, with feeling: EXPLAIN!!!"
"First: take a deep breath, calm down and stop being so volatile and negative. Next: you have to focus on the big picture. See Aoshi standing over there with Hannya? Notice how he gets a clear, unobstructed view of my innocent flirtations with Rick: it's the gimmick of all gimmicks and, I assure you, the green-eyed monster will not take long on making it's appearance, hopefully spouting a love poem or two while it's at it.!"
"Pretty ambitious considering that making the man blink could be considered a remarkable feat in itself. Misao, please, why can't you stick to your usual routine of hanging onto his arm like a sick puppy? Ask him for a ride home! Being neighbors, it wouldn't seem that unusual a request and you would get to spend one-on-one time with him!
Come on Misao; you can't even remember the name of a guy whose lap you were just on- a horny guy, all too anxious to cop a feel at that! You have to be careful; otherwise you might end up in serious trouble. Just this once, think before you act!"
"Kaoru, I am very grateful that you care so much but, what's the worse that could happen?"
"Misao, they hand out pamphlets at the school and on the subway about the worst that could and, in fact, does happen!!!"
"Look, I won't get into trouble: you have my word!" Misao said walking away, deeming the conversation over.
"Wait, where are you going?!!"
"Opportunity knocks, but it won't wait around forever, will it?"
"Misao get back here!!!"
"Don't ditch Beshimi! He's not as bad as you think; he can actually be pretty nice, if you give him a chance…"
Kaoru could not believe this: after all her warnings and reprimands Misao was still walking away, straight into a sticky situation? What was wrong with that girl?!!
"If you walk away, I won't help you once you are knee-deep in-"
"I get the picture! Now, go have fun and stop being, well, so….you. Bye!"
A vein popped dangerously on Kaoru's forehead: Misao would have to deal on her own. She would not lift a finger once the scheming, conniving little weasel's plans backfired, as they always did. After all, if she was such a big girl, if she felt superior enough on a maturity scale to mock and patronize then, may the crashing and burning begin and, by all means, may she step up and handle it all by herself!
Walking coolly back to the couch and to frog-face's company, Kaoru bumped against someone:
"Oh sorry!" she exclaimed automatically.
"Kaoru?" a familiar male voice wondered aloud.
Looking up, she found herself blushing: Patrick Lunn's blue eyes were taking her in.
"You- you came!" she stuttered shyly, breaking the silence.
"Yeah, so did you!" he said in something akin to disbelief.
"Patrick, honey, get me a drink will you?" spoke up a third, blatantly female, voice.
"Andrea, in a minute, I just bumped into-"
"Who are you?" the Giselle Bündchen look-alike attached to Patrick's arm inquired, rudely interrupting him in the process.
"I'm… Kaoru."
"Oh. That doesn't tell me much. Patrick, let's go: Laura and Keith are waving us over!"
"O-okay. See you around Kaoru!" the fair-haired boy said, following after the super-model type that gave him a fleeting kiss before meeting up with a cheery crowd of people.
Kaoru's heart sank. Those two looked great together; in an aesthetic level, a match made in heaven.
Dragging her feet and feeling miserable, she rejoined the couch, Beshimi and the Doritos she had been munching on prior to the 'Misao-gone-wild' ordeal.
As her date yapped on, Kaoru surveyed the couple smooching by the pool table: how gorgeous their kids would be, if ever they happed to have any.
Out of the corner of her eye, she made out Misao laughing like a hyena at perv-man's joke, a glassful of beer swaying in her hand. Turning to her right, she examined Beshimi: shorter than herself and dressed like a fashion-victim pimp, he stole glances of his pal Aoshi all the time while clumsily trying to wade his way through a soliloquy: what was her role in all of this?
Realization struck full force: she was meant to be the kind, sensible girl that held her best friend's hair back while she puked her guts out in the nearest bathroom, a shoulder to cry on when it all ended in tears.
She was meant to be sympathetic and affable, grinning sweetly as fish breath revisited his boring repertoire of Aoshi-centered stories.
She was meant to topple into and gaze blankly at Patrick while he sucked face with the blonde ditz that impolitely dissed her, putting herself last and his happiness first.
Screw this! Let someone else be sensible and responsible; why was she never meant to have any of the fun? To hell with judiciousness and reason: you have to fight for your right to party!
And fight, ladies and gentlemen, Kamiya Kaoru would….
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Reviewer Responses:
To StarPrincess Sakura: Let's see… Kaoru cynical? Kind of, yes. Imagine a person as warmhearted as the original Kaoru from the series and now imagine having a modern society like ours mold and shape her: she is bound to be a tad more cynical. Don't worry though, even if she has a slightly "tough" attitude, in future chapters we will all come to see that she is still quite naïve. Kenshin appears in this chapter, but his participation in chapter 5 will be longer and definitely more significant, so stay tuned. Oh, thank you veeeeeeery much for leaving a review! That makes me veeeeeeery happy!
To Ocean Fish: I saw that you left a review for me and, without even reading it, I already had a smile on my face. Yes, Kenshin is most definitely in college. Yes, I noticed you had your first fic up, I checked it out, I dropped a line or two and I did like it; now I'm just waiting for an update ^_~ Thank you lots and lots for the review and I hope you are still keen on reading this fic.
To Wishstar: Thanks, I'm glad you like the way I write. I am terribly sorry that I made you wait so long for an update. If it's any consolation, the next chapter will be up and ready much sooner than this one.
To A.R. Frederik: What can I say… *sigh* Your reviews always make me warm and fuzzy inside! "Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay" is actually one of my favorite songs!!! As for the dream sequence, I'm glad you liked it; it is actually going to be a pretty important element of this story in the future, so keep your eyes peeled. I think that there is a lot of me in everything I feel passionate about. I am passionate about writing, so it's no secret that I will insert as much of myself into my texts as possible. It is, however, a fact that is easily missed by many. I am not as interesting as my characters; there isn't as much drama in a regular life as there is in fiction. However, a famous writer once said that we tend to "be" the characters we create, enhanced and embellished: the man had a point. Exposing myself feels awkward, but certain sacrifices have to be made for the sake of writing. Intriguing, in my experience, is always a good thing. If you have too many questions though, don't hesitate to ask, I don't mind. I won't go into detail but, that little pearl of wisdom at the end of your last review saved my life, in a way. Everything is connected and the fact that your words related to something I was going through proves that theory is real, yet again. As always, I am extremely thankful for your feedback and kind words. Till next chapter!
Well, that's all folks! See you again next chapter. Don't hesitate to drop a line and to suggest ideas; I consider myself fairly open-minded. Thanks for reading and… I'm off on my balloon!