Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin and all of its character..(But I wish I did –sighs-)
A/N: Hi..I know it was mean to leave you all with such a nasty cliffie like that but heheh,
Who ever said I wasn't mean? Oh well, I'd like to sat thank you all so much for
Those reviews, they're the best and totally kept me going on with the story…
And also to my best friend in the whole universe…Happy Birthday once
Again..miss you a lot! Alright, enough of me yapping…on with the story!
Story Format: As usual -THOUGHTS- & "SPEECH"
Against All Odds
Chapter 7
Kaoru looked as if the wind had been knocked out of her. She glared deadly at the sheepish looking red head that stood afew meters away.
"What! Was! That?" She hissed stressing each word clearly.
Kenshin could only scratch his head and sighed. "Well…um..it's quite complicated."
"Oh really? I thought we had a deal!" She spat venomously, her eyes burning. If looks could kill, Kenshin would be well dead.
"Oh really? I had kept my end of the deal all these years…but it looks like you didn't, Himura!"
With that Kenshin's half guilty expression melted away as his eyes seemed to glow amber. He walked up to her deliberately slow. "Stop calling me that, Kaoru!"
Kaoru crossed her hand across her chest and glare right back. "Since when did I allow you to call me by my first name?" She asked darkly.
The redhead did not flinch at her tone, instead he looked quite chilled. A glint of smugness took over his feature. "Since…we started going out." He smirked. "Do you need reminders?" He reached out as if to stroke her cheek, but Kaoru slapped his hand away.
Vapors seemed to stream out from both her ears in total rage. "Don't you dare talk to me about what's between us. It's long gone. It was buried long time ago."
Kenshin shook her by the shoulder as if to make her listen to him. "And you expect to me to lie to our son that his mother is Tomoe?" He asked his voice also rising shrilly to match hers.
"Well that's the deal! We had the deal! Why else would I have stayed away all these years…did you know how much I missed him...no you wouldn't, but I kept my part of the deal!" She shouted as tears started to leak down from her blue eyes. "He's also my son." She sobbed.
Kenshin pulled her to him and hold her within his arms. He knew he owed her one big explanation but he'll have to calm her down abit first. Maybe with a kiss or two, he couldn't help thinking.
"Let's get you home and we'll talk, okay?" He whispered tenderly.
"No!" Kaoru replied instantly as she broke away from him as if his touch burned her. "Thank you very much, Himura. For making me a heartless mother who deserted her own child!" She said and gave him one dirty look as she yanked open her car's door.
Before Kenshin could stop her, she had slammed the door shut and locked it. Without even looking at him she sped out of the driveway.
Kenshin raked a hand through his hair and sighed. How could he make her forgive him..and then wondered if she ever would.
"Dad?" Kenji had appeared at the front door, his boyish face troubled. "Is mommy mad at me?"
Kenshin rushed to his son's side. "No..mommy's not angry at you. But she's angry at me." He said sadly.
"That's why she never lived here?"
Kenshin nodded lightly but then it nagged at him. "How did you know that she's your mommy? You've never met her."
Kenji smiled bashfully. "Aunt Tomoe always said that mommy is very pretty and that she's got blue eyes just like me. And that…she loves me very much. She even shows me some of mommy's picture sometimes. But she made me promise not to tell you."
A surge of gratefulness filled his heart. Kenshin nodded at his son. "And that's very true."
-I'll have to remember to thank Tomoe the next time I talk to her.- "Come on..let's go inside."
-""-
Enishi walked slowly to the meeting spot. He spotted her and noted how her anxious face broke into a smile at the sight of him.
She ran towards him. "Sorry..to call you out on such a short notice." She gushed.
Instead he pinned her with a bored look. "So?" He asked shortly.
"Oh um.." She blushed nervously. "I..er..look I know you're..er..you knew I was pregnant." She said twiddling her thumb nervously.
"Yea..so?" He asked again.
Now the girl was getting more and more nervous. "Look..um okay, here's the thing." She drew in a deep breath. "I knew you had someone that you already loved and I'm not asking you to take care of me or anything. Infact I'll keep our baby away from you. I'll raise the baby myself. So we'll never bother you."
Enishi nodded boringly. It's a pretty obvious thing anyway. If that's what she had asked him out to say, he'd say it was such a waste of time. He's rather be at a dinner with his sister.
The girl smiled sheepishly. "But the thing is…my job is not that good paying. You know being a clerk and everything. All I ask from you is to help us with a little financial support. Help our baby grow up in a stable financial status." She said sweetly clasping a hand over her stomach.
Enishi frowned darkly and lit up a cigarette. "Why should I do that?" He asked nonchalantly as he took a long drag at his cigarette and blew the smoke up at the sky.
"B-because the baby is your's as well. Um…so.." She stuttered.
He smirked as he studied her now troubled face. "Don't you think it's abit too funny if I'd had to support you and your baby for the rest of my life….for all I know, it might not be my baby after all."
He smiled with satisfaction as the girl's face paled.
"What?" She breathed as her lips starting to quiver. "What did you just say?"
Enishi sighed. "Do you really want me to repeat? But you know what…" He took another long drag from his cigarette. "I suggest that if you can't support it yourself then…maybe you shouldn't have it at all."
And sure enough the girl started to shout and cry, all the typical stuff. Enishi scoff in disgust not really care about what's going on and he didn't really catch what the girl was yelling about either.
His mind somehow drift to a similar event six years ago, he remembered how he had admired her courage and determination. Barely had enough to support herself, yet, she refused to let go of her child. He also remembered how his sister had asked her to give up the child for both herself and the benefit of the infant. The memory brought a smile onto his face. That's when he started loving her. Enishi knew he could never take Kenshin's place but atleast he'll try his best to make her happy. Another screechy shout from the girl brought him back to reality. Deciding that he couldn't stand being near this half crazy woman any longer he, dug into his pocket and pulled out a cheque book. Flipping it open he scribbles a certain amount of number onto the piece and handed it to her. "Take this and stay out of my life."
With trembling hands she reached out for the paper, her eyes widened at the sight of the amount of money. When she looked up again, Enishi was already gone.
-""-
Kaoru is very upset. How could he do that. Telling their six years old son that she was his mother. How would Kenji think! She was a useless mother who had never been there. And what is Tomoe to him anyway, the step mother who had been there for him his whole life? She didn't know what to think anymore, but one thing she is quite certain, she needed to get home before she snapped.
She brushed passed the doorman of her building and flew into the elevator. She punched in the floor for her penthouse. She strode bluntly out into the cozy lit hallway and opened her heavy white frontdoor.
She let herself into her penthouse and realised that the lighting were switched on.
Kaoru's heart seemed to beat out of her chest.
"Kaoru?" A voice asked as a familiar face appeared from behind one of the book shelves.
She clasped a hand to her heart in total relieve.
"Sorry..I got in by the spare key that you gave me." He said apologetically at the sight of her pale face.
Smiling faintly at her next door neighbor she waved a hand. "No, it's okay. I'm just…jumpy."
She walked over to a cabinet, gingerly she took out a bottle of pill. Automatically she slugged back two of the tiny pills and shakes the bottle nervously. "Er…Shougo?"
"Hmm..?"
She bit her lip trying to catch her unsteady heart beat and the dizziness in her head. "I'm almost out of these.."
Shougo stepped away from the book shelf and took off his reading glasses and studied Kaoru's face. Frowning he padded over to the girl and walked her to the sofa in the living room.
"You, sit down." He instructed.
Obediently Kaoru did as she was told. She let him take the bottle out of her hand and place it on the glass table. "Another long day?" He asked placidly
Kaoru nodded. "Yea…my head is about to explode and I can barely stand up."
Shougo sighed darkly. "Kaoru…" He started only to be interrupted by the young girl.
"I know.. I know..but I haven't got the time yet." She said lightly avoiding his eyes.
He gave another frown. "But you can't continue to depend solely on them." He jerked his head towards the bottle of pill. " And go about acting as if there's nothing wrong." He pointed out anxiously.
"Okaayy…promise that I'll take good care of myself from now on…um but seriously I need your prescription for these…" She trailed
Shaking his head lightly he got up and looked down on the younger girl. "Fine. But I'd really want that to be that last bottle you'll ever take."
Kaoru watched as Shougo walk brusquely out of her apartment to sign a prescription paper for her.
He had been altogether a very reliable soul these past years. Shougo had been a doctor before he had changed his interest to law. Now he's considered as one of the best lawyer around and also a well respected doctor. Talking about being perfect. Kaoru met him at her law school and had become instant friend with him. And along the way somehow he had kind of appointed himself as her personal doctor, and then announcing that he had bought a penthouse apartment across the hall from her.
He returned afew minutes later and handed the paper to her. "Thanks" She said smiling tiredly.
"No problem…wanna talk about what got you so stress out today?" He asked slightly amused.
Kaoru scrunched up her nose. "Nahh..I rather not…so what were you doing behind my bookshelf?" She asked abruptly changing the subject.
Shougo raked a hand through his hair. "Oh I was just finding something to read. Just closed up this case and got myself some free time."
That made Kaoru sat up instantly. "You're not working on any case at the moment?" She asked eagerly.
"Yea…"
"Um…want to do this case I'm working on?" She asked hopefully.
He gave her a skeptical look. "……Kaoru?"
"Look..um it's just a divorce- getting child custody thing. Simple." She said trying to look enthusiastic..
"If it's that simple then what's the problem?" He asked not understanding why she's so eager to push this case away.
Kaoru sighed and look away from her friend. "The couple happened to be my acquaintance. I don't trust myself to be fair about the case since I…."
Shougo nodded. "I see…so this is not the normal client-lawyer type of case, huh? You're working for both side..like a negotiator?"
Kaoru nodded silently.
"Interesting. Okay. I'll take it. Just hand over the folders and I'll take care of the rest." He said smiling.
Kaoru almost couldn't believe her ears. She smiled brightly back. "Thank you. You just save me from my misery!" She gushed.
"No problem. I guess I better go now. It's getting late and you better rest. You don't look all that good." He said as he stood up and made his way for her front door.
"Goodnight, Shougo." Kaoru called from the sofa.
He turned to nod at her and silently closes the door for her.
Kaoru's pleasant smile drooped and fell away as soon as her friend disappeared. Slowly she brought up her hand to cover her burning hot eyes. –Why must everything turn out like this?- She wailed mentally. Mustering her limited ounce of energy she sprang up from the sofa and drifted over to the fridge and pour herself some stress killer a.k.a vodka. Kaoru took a tiny sip and padded over to her favorite sitting spot next to the ceiling high glass pane. Wearily she sank into the armchair, her eyes wandered off to the beautifully lit city outside her window. She remembered the very first time she saw the night time city from this apartment, it totally gave her the thrill. Sighing she let her mind drift to the past…to the period of time when she had been foolishly blinded by the girlish fantasy of the perfect life with the guy she have loved, living happily ever after in some cottage with backyard filled with wild flowers. She smirked down at the glass in her hand. –Those were totally the days… waking up to another castle in the air.- She thought feeling the emotional pang in her heart turning into a physical one.
Kaoru knew she couldn't blame him, but she needed someone to put the blame on and she knew she couldn't blame herself. Her pride wouldn't allow that. Even though she knew how selfish she is, all these years she still held a grudge against Himura Kenshin.
Flashback.
Kaoru ran through the rain clutching her soaking textbook to her chest. "Gosh! How unlucky can today get!" She grunted through gritted teeth as she kept on running. First week in college should be fun, but it had been spiraling down the drain for her, or at least that's what she thought. First her luggage never arrived at her dorm and her roommate is just as nasty as she could have imagined. The girl had no problem telling Kaoru that she would like to have the room to herself on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. Wow…what nerves. Kaoru would never have agreed if she hadn't had the pleasure of meeting the girl's boyfriend who had to be about the size of small elephant.
So here she is running around on the pouring Friday night trying to find a place to spend the night. And her lucks are not that good so far. After knocking on afew classmate's door she found that most people prefer to not to have guests staying over for the weekend nights. –I wouldn't be having this problem if Misao is studying here!- She thought wildly suddenly missing her best friend more than ever.
A blinding light from the approaching car made her stop to shield her eyes to keep from being blind.
She was about to continue running when the car pulled to a stop right next to her and the window's been rolled down.
"Kamiya?" A familiar voice asked through the heavy rain.
Kaoru wiped the rain from her face and squinted into the car. She definitely knew that voice and then, yea, her eyes caught the red hair. Yep she sure knew him.
"What are you doing..have fun jogging in the rain?" He asked bemusedly.
Too bad she didn't have to mood to play along with him. "Hahah! Very Funny, Himura!" She spat and started her running again.
He followed her slowly in his car. "Oh come on, Kamiya! I was just joking. How uptight can you get. Come on, get in the car."
Kaoru would have said 'no' in other circumstances but she's not stupid enough to refuse him now, even if it's Himura Kenshin.
So she brought her soaking wet body into the car and tolerated his snicker. "Look horrible. You really do look horrible Kamiya!"
She chose not to answer.
"I didn't know you study here." He mused.
"Me neither, or I would have never applied." She snapped back.
Kenshin shrugged. "So where's your dorm? I'll drop you off there."
Kaoru squeezed some water out of her hair drenching the redhead's precious car with water but he didn't seem to mind. "I couldn't stay there on the weekends." She said airily which caused him to furrow his eyebrow. "Couldn't stand being the third party?"
Kaoru scoffed suddenly forgetting that she's having this conversation with Himura Kenshin, the most stuck up jerk from her high school. "Well..she had made it clear that she didn't want me there."
Kenshin stole a sideway glance at the girl. And he felt sorry for her. "So where are you going to sleep tonight?"
Kaoru shrugged. "I'll find somewhere…" She said confidently.
And unexpectedly he spoke up. "You can stay at my place, I don't mind."
"N-nonono!" She said shaking her head instantly. "I'd rather stay on the streets than at your place. You don't mind but I do!"
Kenshin frowned. "Suit yourself, but I'm telling you, if you're smart you're going to accept my offer. You might not like me..but I assure you I'm a well-bred guy and I am a gentleman enough not to do anything rash."
Kaoru didn't know what to say, why is he being so nice all of the sudden? And it's not like she had anywhere else to go. "Fine! But I'll sleep in the bathtub." She blurted making Kenshin chuckle.
"Whatever."
A week later Kaoru was surprise to find a note taped to her dorm room's door on Tuesday.
Gingerly she read the note and raised her eyebrow at it.
'Kamiya…since I know for a fact that you won't be having a place to stay for this weekend, I'm offering something, that I had never suggested to anyone before. What about you move into my apartment..but don't get all excited, though. You'll have to pay me some rent. So..see me tomorrow at lunch, if you're interested.
Kenshin.'
And obviously she found him sitting at his usual spot in the restaurant.
"Glad you're not stupid enough to turn down my offer." He said giving her a smirk.
Kaoru narrowed her eyes back at him. "It' more like I had no choice, Himura." She replied coolly.
"It's Kenshin." He said lightly, causing the girl to furrow her eyebrow.
"What?"
Kenshin shook his head. "Well since we'll be room mates…I think you should call me Kenshin, Himura sounded abit too formal…"
Kaoru nodded reluctantly. "Fine. Kenshin it is…only with one condition." She stated.
"And that is?" He asked mildly interested.
"You'll call me Kaoru." She said neutrally.
The redhead chuckle lightly. "Kaoru, it is.."
And that's when their relationship started to develop.
From that day on the two of them started to talk more to each other. Not very long after they became the most envious couple anyone could imagine. Kenshin proved to have the mushy side along with the coldness. Kaoru is one helpless girl in the pit of love. All the four years of college whisked by as if it was a long sweet dream.
With graduation around the corner, Kaoru planned on applying to the law school. She had to be something that would be in the league of her beloved Kenshin, and a lawyer seemed just the perfect idea.
-""-
"Kenshin?" Kaoru called bouncing into their cozy apartment.
"In here!" Kenshin's voice drifted from the kitchen. Slowly she padded in to see him busy whipping up their dinner. "What's that?" she asked pointed to the leafy soup on the stove.
"A 'Kenshin original' that's what I called it." He replied then swooped down to kiss her gently.
Kaoru giggled. "And what's in it?" She asked curiously prodding the soup with a stirring rod.
"Vegetables…pork…spices and some more vegetables." He stated smiling.
"I'm going to apply to this law school." Kaoru announced brightly.
Kenshin continues adding some more ingredients into the pot. "Why?" He asked lightly.
The young girl frowned. "What kind of a question is that! Because I wanted to."
He snaked a hand around her slim waist. "I had a better idea." He whispered into her ear. "What about you forget law school and spend the rest of your live with me in a small cottage by the sea with backyard filled with wild flowers? No one will ever find us. And we could….."
Kaoru blushed a different shade of red. "Stop it." She giggled. "You know I couldn't do that. I need to prove I'm worthy of you."
Kenshin rolled his eyes and frown. "Ridiculous." He muttered and turn his attention back to the boiling soup.
"So after graduation, will you be moving back to your mansion?" She asked sitting down on the kitchen table.
"Maybe..not so sure, I'd always thought the place is abit too big."
Kaoru scoffed. "Yea..right. I'd never recall you complaining back in high school."
Kenshin whirled around and pouted childishly at his girlfriend. "Actually, I did…but not infront of you ofcourse! And there's Sano, Aoshi and Yahiko staying with me, so it's not all that bad."
Kaoru grinned back. "Okay..I think I get your point." She flipped open a newspaper that laid next to her on the table and scanned the job searching collumn.
It was getting too quiet so Kenshin turned around. "What are you doing?" He asked curiously, knowing that Kaoru never read newspapers.
"Looking for more part time jobs." She replied not bothering to look up from the paper.
The redhead scratch his head. "Why? I thought you already had that job at the library."
Kaoru nodded absentmindedly back. "Yea..but it's not enough. I need more jobs to earn enough money for law school." And as if reading his mind she added,"And there's no way I'll go back and ask aunt Tokio for financial supports either…she had given me too much already." She added.
And that's when Kenshin finally lost it. He walked over to her and snatch the paper away from her hand. Sometimes acting like the jerk he was in high school is the only way to deal with Kaoru.
"Hey!" She cried, giving him a glare. "I'm reading that!"
"No you're not. " He said neutrally returning her glare with his placid stare. "And you're not going to find anymore part time jobs either." He added.
Kaoru stood up her eyes wide. "Then how would I make it to Law School. Give me back that paper, Kenshin." She said angrily as she tries to get the newspaper back.
Kenshin merely stuff the newspaper onto the highest cupboard that Kaoru couldn't reach.
"Hey!" She said again louder, stressing that she's not happy with him at all.
"Listen. If going to that law school meant so much to you, I won't object, but you're not going to work any harder than this for money."
Kaoru opened her mouth to protest, but he held up a hand to stop her. "Let me finish…I'll make it clear that I won't let you work. I'll pay for the tuition fee, if it meant that much to you." He stated slowly.
"Noo! You couldn't! There's no way I can accept that!" She cried her bright blue eyes wide in alarm.
Kenshin folded his arm across his chest a look of finality on his face. "Yes, I can and I will. And you're going to accept it as well."
Kaoru knew better than to argue with her boyfriend when he's in this macho mood. So she gave him a small reluctant nod.
Kenshin beamed back in his usual smug expression.
End Flashback
Kaoru placed her glass down, as she continued to stare blankly out the window.
A ring from the phone brought her out from her reveries.
She padded over and picked it up. "Kamiya Kaoru." She answered neutrally.
"Kaoru?" Came the voice from the other end of the line.
The familiarity of the voice soothed her. A small smile graced her pale lips.
"Aunt Tokio? How are you?" She asked abit more cheerful this time.
The elderly aunt chuckled back. "Perfectly fine Kao chan. Misao dropped by the other day. She's doing great with the cooking class I gave her. You should have tried some of the stews she whipped up. They're almost as good as Megumi chan's."
Kaoru couldn't help grinning. "She's trying hard aunty..to impress Aoshi and all. So is everything really okay…you sounded abit troubled."
There was a slight pause before Tokio cleared her throat. "Erm…actually yes. I was just…you see, Makoto and Yumi are divorced…"
Kaoru groaned back tiredly. "Ohh…aunty…you know I don't…" She didn't know how exactly to explain to her aunt. It's not that she still hated her cousin but she just had enough on her plate at the moment to deal with another family related crisis.
"It's not what you think Kao chan. They already had everything decided. Makoto's going to stay here and go on with his life. Yumi's going to the Europe to join up with her parents. I think she got a job offer there. But she'll have to get everything ready before Umi chan can move over."
Kaoru listened patiently while her aunt continued to explain the situation.
"So..I was wondering if Umi chan can stay over at your apartment for like, a week or two?"
That causes the young girl's eyebrow to shot up instantly. "Why couldn't she stay with her dad?"
Even if she never really convince herself to admire her only cousin, but there's one thing she liked about him, which is his love for his only daughter (who happen to be Kenji's age). And it didn't make any sense why he wouldn't like Umi to stay with him.
"Well…" Tokio trailed tiredly. "It seems like Makoto's going away on a business trip..and he didn't want to leave Umi chan with the maids. And Yumi's flight is exactly scheduled between that period."
Kaoru rubbed her temple lightly. "Uhuh…"
"I thought she could stay over with us…but .." Tokio's voice lowered afew octaves and Kaoru could swear she heard a small exasperated sigh. "Hajime..well our anniversary happen to fall on that very week and he just told me that he booked up for a three weeks cruise on this ship….Kao chan…I don't know…do you think you could have Umi for a week or so?" Her aunt asked anxiously. Obviously she is very excited about her anniversary cruise.
Kaoru sighed. "I can have her for a week max." She replied tiredly. "There's a lot going on right now."
"One week's okay, honey. Um..so I heard you're working with your ex husband?"
Kaoru flinched at that. "Aunty he was never my husband!" She shot back rather hotly and instantly regretted it. Tokio had been very supportive on everything she did, and didn't deserve to be talked to like that. "I'm sorry, it's been abit complicated." She muttered apologetically.
"It's okay, so drop by when you have time alright, I miss you."
Kaoru smiled lightly. "Sure. Bye aunty."
She put the phone down and sighed. –This week kept getting worse.- She thought dismally and strode off for her bed. Before she could even reach the door, her head started to spin. Kaoru felt her knees weaken and her vision blurred. She reached out to hold onto something but the world darkens on her and she slid down onto the floor….
A/N: Enjoyed? Well leave some Reviews! See you all soon!
