Author's Note: Here we go, here we go!
Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, nor any of its characters. All information in this story (especially those relating to the Japanese government and their public officials) are all fictional.
It Is What It Is
Chapter 11
The tension in the room was so thick that even a steak knife of the highest quality wouldn't be able to cut it.
Everyone, even the two other journalists in the room who have only known of Katsura through hearsay alone, held their breaths as they watched the faces of the two occupants of Enishi's bed. Kenshin's had a grim—and slightly angry—expression on his face, while Kaoru's was completely blank. The whole group was aware of what happened the last time that the female journalist met with their esteemed leader—Enishi having been told by his best friend herself one year ago, and Soujirou being unintentionally dragged into the whole situation—and none of them had any clue as to why Katsura would decide to make an appearance now, or how their friend was going to take seeing the leader again.
The success of Kaoru's mission was phenomenal. They all knew that once they decide to release all the information publicly, Japan would be thrown into a series of chaos and uproars. The people would, undoubtedly, be filled with anger and hatred towards the government that they trusted to take care of them. To find out that one of the top three officials—the person responsible for upholding the law above all else, was a big part of why they were such in miserable states, is devastating. The underground revolution is at its peak, and they will be ready to join the people head on. There was no sense in avoiding their involvement with the public. After all, it was their efforts that led them to this point. Now, though, a sickening amount of responsibility will be placed upon their shoulders since they will now have to make sure that the other members of the Yakuza, or any other unlawful group, will not take this opportunity to hurt even more than they already have. Activists will, undoubtedly, be filling the streets soon—especially since they will have more ammunition to fight against the government now, and Ishin Shishi will be damned if they will be the reason behind why these outspoken people will be silenced.
"Should I tell him to come back tomorrow?" Misao asked tentatively, afraid of the answer. She was very concerned for the state of her friend, but she knew that no matter what Kaoru thought, she would never be able to deny Katsura. It was her duty to enforce her commander's wishes, and she placed her duty high above all else—as she was sure that all of the other people in the room did as well.
The other members of the room looked from one face to the other, none of them willing to be involved in the decision-making. Only a few minutes have passed since Misao's announcement of Katsura's strange request, and yet they all felt like they've been subjected to the heaviness in the air for more than five hours now.
Kenshin wasn't moving from his spot beside Kaoru, although the rhythmic motions of his hand stroking her hair did stop when Misao told them of their unexpected visitor. The injured woman looked away from the nervous intel agent and up into the eyes of her lover, trying to ask him for support for whatever decision she'll make.
"Do you think he'd mind if we asked him to?" Sano asked softly before clearing his throat. "I mean, Jou-chan just woke up and we just brought her up to speed on anything. I don't think having him talk to her now would do anyone any good. She needs more time."
As he spoke, no one noticed the silent conversation that was happening between Kaoru and Kenshin as they gazed at each other worriedly. Bestowing Kenshin's hand with one last squeeze, Kaoru sighed and turned towards her now arguing friends.
"No." she said quietly, yet hearing her voice echo around the room, immediately stopping anyone from saying anything else. "It wouldn't matter if you sent him in now or tomorrow. We'll still be dealing with the same thing." She stopped to clear throat, "Besides, I'm jacked up on so many drugs it's a miracle I'm thinking clearly right now. I don't know if I'll be feeling the same way tomorrow."
"You sure, Kao?" Enishi asked from his spot on the couch.
"Yeah." She sighed. "It just sucks balls that I won't be able to smoke after this, though."
A series of quiet chuckles and giggles went around the room after her half-meant confession, and the tension slowly dissipated from the room until it was just a faint sizzling in the atmosphere. She felt Kenshin move from beside her, sitting up from his previous position, but still not relinquishing his hold on her hand.
Misao gave her a brief smile before walking out of the room to fetch Saitou and Katsura.
"I guess we'll go get outta your hair, then." Sano announced, sighing as he took in the tired faces of the people in the room. "I bet we could all use a drink right about now. I saw a bar somewhere down the street on my way up here earlier. They any good, Yukishiro?"
Enishi glanced at the tall detective from the corner of his eyes. "Yeah. Kao and I used to drink there all the time. Though I have to tell you, they don't appreciate grown men throwing up on their floors. It's sort of a classy place."
"What? You don't think I can be classy?" Sano scoffed scathingly. "You're talking to one of the country's top bachelors here, Yukishiro. I can be as classy as you want me to be."
"Are you… are you fucking hitting on me, Sagara?"
"Don't flatter yourself. Get your ass up. Let's go." He commanded before turning towards Soujirou. "Since you're new, you're paying for my drinks tonight."
The three men continued bickering as they stepped out of the room, leaving a silent couple behind them after they closed the door. Kaoru chuckled at her friends' humor and enjoyed the brief amount of solitude that they were given before she would have to face the man who basically broke her self-esteem two years ago.
"Are you sure about this?" Kenshin asked quietly.
"Well, no. Not really. I don't know what he wants from me, and I don't know what I'm going to have to say to him, but what the hell, right?"
The redhead chuckled as he stared fondly down at Kaoru's pale and bruised face. "I'll be right here the whole time. Just let me know if you want to stop talking to them. I'm sure they'll understand."
"I will." She replied with a gentle smile.
They heard a couple of knocks from behind the door before it was opened to admit entrance to two serious-looking men. Saitou was in a gray polo that was tucked into his jeans, making the holster of the gun he had visible. His hair was as pristine as ever, and his usual intimidating, stern mask was on.
Katsura's disposition was in complete contrast versus Saitou's cold façade. Dressed in white collared polo that was hidden beneath a thick, red long-sleeved polo and jeans, he seemed very much like the warm grandfatherly-figure he led the public to believe. Seeing him like this sometimes made Kaoru wonder at how someone who looked so kind and gentle could have a heart that was ice-cold enough to lead an organization like the Ishin Shishi—whose main objective was to rid the government of weeds and pests by any means possible. Meeting Katsura Kogorou was, perhaps, what made the journalist learn that you should really never judge books by their covers.
"Good evening, Kamiya-san." Katsura greeted as he stepped further into the room. He settled himself on the couch that Sano previously occupied, while Saitou opted to stand and simply lean against the now closed door.
Kaoru gave the man a small nod in response, her face hardening itself into an impassive mask as she watched the Ishin Shishi's leader warily. Kenshin was a bit more polite in his greeting by muttering a soft "Katsura-sama" as he briefly bowed his head.
The founder smiled warmly at seeing the couple together, despite the coldness of his welcome. Turning his gaze to the injured woman, he said, "I'm glad to see you're awake, Kamiya-san. We were all quite worried when we heard of your condition."
"I'm sorry for troubling you then, Katsura-sama." The journalist mumbled softly from the bed. "Although if that is all that you came here for, then you should know that I'm already stable and that I'm not in any risk of dying right now." She paused, giving Saitou a quick glance before looking at her very unexpected visitor. "Although I doubt that that's the only reason you're here. So let's get to it then, shall we? I'd like to get a chance to actually rest so I could be out of here as soon as I can."
"Kamiya." Saitou interrupted sternly. "Regardless of whatever drug they're pushing into your body, I'm sure it hasn't muddled your idiotic brain enough to make your forget your superiors. You will show your respect."
"Forgive me, Saitou, but I don't recall working under Katsura-sama's office; nor do I ever remember being under his employ. I was only being honest with what I said, but forgive my impudence if I've offended either of you in any way." She replied insincerely.
Katsura raised his hand to stop Saitou from giving a scathing retort without taking his eyes away from Kaoru. "It's quite alright, Saitou-san. No harm, no foul. I understand the predicament."
Kenshin cleared his throat, wanting the two visitors to get back on track so the visit could end as soon as possible. "If you may, Katsura-sama, Misao said that you wanted to speak with Kaoru?"
"I did, Himura-san." He sighed. "Kamiya-san, I would like to thank you personally for what you have done two nights ago. The evidence you gathered from Kitazato-san's office was strong enough for both the Prime Minister and the Emperor to order his immediate arrest and incarceration without having any nuances from the higher government. Kitazato-san will be held in solitary confinement in the Correction Bureau's maximum security wing until he faces the Supreme court three days from now, where he will be expected to answer for his crimes against the people and the country. From what our agents say, the remaining drug lords and brothel owners under his control have now gone into hiding—effectively stopping the big transactions that go on in the Shinjuku district."
"And the website?" Kaoru asked. "The one Soujirou's been working on?"
"We're still working on it." Saitou said from his perch against the doorframe. "We tied him down to it, but we can't get it to stop. Even though he has a list of the aliases, those alone won't be enough to arrest the website's clientele. We'd need more information than that; besides, we still can't even find the kids yet."
The journalist's brows furrowed in thought. "Can't anyone hack the site? Wasn't there anything on it in my hard drive?"
"No. We have our top software analysts tinkering with it back at both HQ and the Ministry of Justice, but what they're telling me so far is that the site's firewalls are airtight. Nobody can get through it, and whenever they get close enough, a virus is launched that automatically shuts down the computer that the technicians are using. Whoever created that website knew what he was doing."
"The love virus." The redheaded detective said from, seemingly, out of the blue. Upon feeling that everyone's eyes shot towards him at his announcement, he expounded. "What the site is using in its firewall. It's like a modified version of the computer worm that swept through the world back in 2000; the one that caused $10 billion in damages and affected 80 of the Fortune 100 companies. The difference now is that instead of being activated by clicking a link on an e-mail, it's only triggered when you raise red flags on the website's firewall."
Saitou nodded. "That sounds about right. So are you saying that we just have to treat the firewall like a virus and try to go from there?"
"No. I'm saying if we want to get this over and done with quickly, we're going to have to ask for foreign help. I think the guy who originally made the love virus is still in the FBI."
"FBI?" Saitou scoffed. "We're going to ask help from those pansies?"
"This particular pansy can do more than the nerds back at the HQ and you know it, Saitou." Kenshin sighed. "I know you don't like the idea of asking the US government for help, but this'll speed things along."
"I'm afraid I'm going to have to agree with Himura-san, Saitou-san." Katsura commented.
"Fine. But I'm not taking care of getting the Prime Minister to agree."
The commander simply smiled and nodded his head to let the room's occupants know that he will be taking care of speaking with the Prime Minister regarding the issue at hand. After a few seconds of letting the people around him collect their thoughts, he decided to proceed with what he originally intended to discuss with the young journalist.
"Forgive us for digressing, Kamiya-san, but that was not all that I wished to discuss with you."
"I figured as much, Katsura-sama." She chuckled softly. "Though before you continue, I want to let you know that appreciate what you said. I didn't know that my actions would have that big of a ripple effect, but I'm glad I was able to help."
The leader smiled. "What you did was brave, Kamiya-san—reckless, but brave. And I am not a man who refuses to give credit where credit is due."
The journalist looked at the old man searchingly, sighing when she saw a flicker of the same look that he gave her two years ago. "But…?"
Just like that, Katsura's smile disappeared from his face and was replaced by a tired and wary expression. Suddenly all his wrinkles were more visible and Kaoru could see just how much the years of hard work have really been affecting the strong commander. It was really too bad that she had already seen how cruel and manipulative he could really be, since now she felt no pity for this man before her.
"I will allow you to publish an article about this case, however," he paused and locked his gaze with hers as his features were schooled into an emotionless, stern mask. "I must ask you to step away from the rest of the investigation. Ishin Shishi will take over from here."
A palpable silence descended over the room as all of its occupants heard the order from the powerful commander. All pairs of eyes were locked on Kaoru's silent form, each of its owners silently gauging how the girl would react and what they should do when she does. They've seen her fall apart over something like this before, and it was not a sight they'd like to see again—especially with her lying on a makeshift hospital bed with wounds that would take time to heal.
Kenshin, especially, was wary of how his beloved would take this request. He kept still and made sure that his eyes would not betray any of his thoughts in case Kaoru ever decided to look at him for support. He was so afraid that the hope that sprung up in his chest at getting a chance to make her back down would be evident through the way he acted so he forced himself to be as still and emotionless as a statue.
Her expression never faltered from its impassivity, but her eyes turned icier at the request. She sat still, thinking of a way to phrase the dozens of questions that formed in her mind at what she heard, but settling with a simple, "Why?"
Katsura sighed. "There are already too many people involved in this, Kamiya-san, and while I recognize that your courage is truly admirable, we cannot afford to risk any more lives than we already are."
"So?" she asked coldly.
The leader's eyes widened at the unexpected response. He expected to hear another reprimand from Saitou, but when everybody stayed quiet, he realized that the other two occupants were also waiting for him to answer.
"Should you involve yourself more, Kamiya-san, then that would mean that your safety would be another accountability for us. I am quite sure that Yukishiro-san's and Seta-san's safety would also be compromised. If you cannot keep yourself away from harm, then at least have the courtesy to do so for the sake of your colleagues." He phrased carefully.
"So basically, you're saying that you're going to take everything I've worked hard for—risked my life for, and leaving me with what, exactly? Your sorry gesture for 'thanks, but no thanks'? You're telling me that I did well, but that it's time for the adults to do the real work now?"
Katsura looked away from her and nodded grimly. "If that is how you choose to understand it, then yes, I am."
"And you are aware that this is the second time you'll be doing this to me? That you're doing the exact same thing as what you did with my investigation on Fukioka two years ago?"
"Yes."
A dark chuckle bubbled from Kaoru's lips which made the three men watch her as she stared up at the ceiling, looking like there was something up there that was playing a humorless joke on her. Kenshin tried to squeeze her hand, but she pulled it away from him harshly—opting to gently cross both her hands on top of her stomach instead.
"Why am I not surprised?" she asked bemusedly. "You know, Katsura-sama, for someone who's fighting for a better Japan, I'm not really sure if you fully understand what you're fighting for."
"Pardon?"
"You keep telling your subordinates—and the people, that you are for them. That you support them, and that you want them to live better lives." She paused, searching for the proper words that she would need to say next to get her message across. "But with the way you're treating me and your pets under Ishin Shishi, it makes me wonder if you truly understand what "better" means."
Nobody interrupted her as she continued her monologue. "I, personally, believe that "better" means being able to do whatever it is that I wish to do provided that I don't do it at the expense of those around me. "Better" means that I'll get to choose, fight for, and believe in what I choose to believe in. "Better" means having the ability to find real happiness in all aspects of my life. "Better" means that I won't be confined to what others, or what society, expect me to do. "Better" means having a choice and getting a chance to act on my choice without the interference of people like you."
She paused again to trail her eyes over to Saitou's cold stare, then back to Katsura's. "I'm fighting for people who want to have a choice, but can't. I'm doing what I do because I believe that everyone deserves a chance to prove themselves—to use their ability for whatever purpose they choose to serve, as long as it will not harm anyone else. What about you?"
Surprised at being expected to respond, Katsura took a few moments to collect himself before answering. "I am fighting for the same cause, Kamiya-san."
"Oh?" she asked humorlessly. "It doesn't seem that way to me. At first, I thought you were, but now? Not really."
"I understand your reservations on—"
"Tell me, Katsura-sama, was I accepted to Ishin Shishi two years ago?"
"No." the man answered, wary at where this line of questioning would lead to.
"Am I, in any way, employed by your office?"
"No."
"Ah." Kaoru looked back up at the ceiling again. "Then what right does that give you to tell me to stop what I'm doing? You're not telling me to do so simply because you said so, right? Surely you're not about to shove your government position into my face—because if you are, then I think that would only solidify my assumptions on who you really are."
"Kamiya-san—"
"Last I heard, I'm working for Tokyo Shimbun, and that I was hired by Seijuro Hiko—and although I know you're all buddy-buddy with him, I still don't think that gives you the right to fire me. I'm also the daughter of Kamiya Koshijiro and Emi, and I doubt that you were friends or even acquaintances with them, so I'm quite sure that I was never placed under your care. I know all my friends are integral parts of your little group, but I know for a fact that does not—in any way—mean that you are tasked to be responsible for my actions, because that would just be insane." Her cold, sapphire gaze found his brown ones and he cringed. "So tell me, Katsura-sama, what divine and all holy power gives you the right to tell me what I should and should not do with my time? I don't recall asking for your help, nor do I ever remember asking you for my protection. So who exactly do you think you fucking are to make my decisions for me?"
"Kamiya-san, this case is something that the Ishin Shishi has been working on for a long time now and—"
"And how far along did you and your cronies get with that, Katsura-sama?" she asked mockingly, her expression and her form still being deceptively calm. She may be confined to the bed, but that didn't mean that her miniscule actions and the words she spoke expressed less of the heat that was raging inside her chest.
"Kamiya," Saitou started to say, annoyed at how the tiny slip of a woman was belittling his and his organization's work. "Don't think—"
"What Saitou? Are you going to deny what I said? Or are you going to ask me to stop being so passive-aggressive with your beloved commander?" her scathing reply came. "How can I when I can't even say that I respect this man?" Turning back to who they were referring to, she continued. "You say you know how to give credit where credit is due, Katsura-sama, but I don't think you really mean that with the way you're trying to take this from me now."
The two detectives, with as much training as they had on the field, tried to read into the expression written on Katsura's face They've never seen the politician angry before, but they were starting to believe that they may witness that very, very soon.
"You took everything away from me two years ago. You made me believe that I wasn't strong enough to pursue the same cause that my parents did. You made me think that I wasn't worth it. I had to build myself back up after that, and now that I found something I could do to make a difference, now that I am sure that I'm as strong as the rest of you because of all that I've done while I was away from you, you think that I'm going to let you do the same shit that you pulled before?" Her eyes bored onto Katsura's, and she had to take a deep breath to keep herself from standing up and screaming right at his face. "I don't give a flying fuck if you told Hiko to hire me. I'm not entirely ungrateful to you for that, but that was all that you did. You put me there, but I made him see that I was worthy. I proved myself worthy. And there is no way in a thousand hells that I'm going to let you take this away from me again, and I sure as hell am not allowing you to do so to Enishi or Soujirou either. No matter who the fuck you think you are in this world, you don't scare me anymore."
No one really knew what to say after that; not even the usually well-meaning politician. Kaoru's words sunk into them all, and all three men felt extremely guilty at what she said—not that they would show it, of course. Saitou was staring angrily at the wall across from him, while Katsura's gaze stayed locked onto Kaoru's seemingly peaceful face that was turned towards the ceiling once more.
Kenshin, on the other hand, sat as still as he could as he tried to prevent himself from shaking. Every word that Kaoru said cut through him like a knife again and again until every inch of him felt like it was burning and raw with shame. He thought he understood what she went through before, but now that he got a chance to witness this confrontation, he was starting to second-guess every decision he's ever made for her wellbeing during the years that they were together. He was nothing but a piece of scum, and he wanted to put himself as far away from her as possible because it was now extremely clear to him that he did not deserve the woman beside him.
The sound of someone knocking broke the pressing silence. The other three watched as Saitou placed his full weight back on his feet and opened the door silently to check on who dared to interrupt their private conversation. Upon seeing the two women behind it, he stepped back and allowed them entrance.
"Sorry for interrupting you guys," Megumi said coldly, her eyes roving around the room and taking in the previous occupants' tense dispositions. "But it's time for Kaoru to take her medication now."
Kaoru saw Saitou give her a brief nod in farewell before walking right out the door after hearing the doctor's announcement. Katsura, however, took his time in standing up and staring down at her.
"Thank you for your time, Kamiya-san." He bid her. "I will be talking to Seijuro-san tomorrow about the matter we discussed."
The journalist felt a cold swing of fear rush through her system, but refused to give the older man the satisfaction of letting him see it. Feigning smugness, she smirked. "Good luck with that, Katsura-sama."
Ishin Shishi's commander smiled grimly at her, before nodding to the other three members who were in the room with them and leaving the premises. Kenshin internally sighed in relief as he watched Katsura's back go through the doorway, and he leaned back on the bed to try to relax his tense muscles.
Kaoru, who was still reeling from the implications of what Katsura last said, closed her eyes and tried to get rid of the darkness that was starting to shroud her heart—fear was starting to build up in her chest at being pushed aside by Hiko because of Katsura's orders like Saitou did two years ago, and it was something that she could not afford to feel right now. She felt Misao settle beside her on the bed; careful to not apply any pressure onto the bullet wound she had by her waist.
"I don't know what went on here, but I sure as hell am glad that I wasn't here to live through it." Megumi said softly, gently placing the metal tray she was holding on the small table beside the bed Kaoru was occupying. The group listened silently to the soft clatters of the different paraphernalia that was placed on the tray, watching as Megumi worked her way through injecting different types of liquid into the thin tube that went into the back of Kaoru's hand.
"What the hell was that about, Kaoru?" Misao asked curiously. "All four of you look like you just came from a funeral for fuck's sake."
The journalist sighed. "He wanted me off the case."
"What?!" After receiving a reprimanding look from Megumi, the energetic agent toned her voice down. "Did he say why?"
"Something about Shishi being able to do the rest on their own—sorry, your own."
Misao bristled at what she heard. "The fuck?! Why the hell would he—"
"Not now, Misao." Kenshin's voice shot out from the other side of the bed, his striking violet eyes tinged with amber when he looked sternly up at the loud woman.
The emerald-eyed woman simmered down at the command, but her eyes clearly stated that the conversation was in no way near over for them.
"Well," Megumi announced loudly. "Regardless of whatever happened here, I'm glad you didn't do something stupid, Tanuki. Stitching you up once was hard enough. I'm not sure if I would've done it for you a second time around."
Kaoru chuckled and eased her way back into Kenshin's embrace after Megumi was done tinkering with her IV drip, her body slowly feeling at ease as his warmth penetrated her thin clothes.
"How long am I going to have to be here, 'Gumi?" she asked as soon as she was comfortable.
Megumi gave her an appraising look. "Why? Planning on jumping on a grenade this time?"
"No…" Kaoru replied meekly, shrinking under the doctor's gaze. She felt Kenshin's chest shake when a chuckle bubbled from his lips, which prompted her to give him a sharp jab on his stomach. "I just wanted to you know… know."
"You're not going to be moving anytime soon. Right now we're still dealing with the infection you got, though it's pretty minor so I'm not worried about that. But it's going to take around a week before it goes away completely, so expect fevers every now and then." Megumi paused and turned to unbutton the oversized pajama top she had on so she could prod at the gauze that covered her bullet wound. "The swelling's probably going to be there for another two weeks, but you have to be careful about re-opening the stitches, 'cause that might make things trickier for you."
"So… two weeks, then?"
"From the looks of it, yeah. Though I'm not guaranteeing anything. You're not strapped onto a proper monitoring device so I'm doing the best as I could with what we have here. You should be okay to move back to your apartment in a couple of weeks, but I'm not letting you leave your apartment for another two. I'm telling Hiko to not let you in your office for a month."
"A month?"
It seemed as though the surgeon didn't hear Kaoru's question because she turned to address Kenshin instead. "I don't care what you have to do to her—bind her, gag her, hell, drug her even, but I'm trusting you to make sure that this idiot girl doesn't leave this or her building without my say-so. Got it?"
After seeing the redhead nod amusedly at her instructions, Megumi finally sighed and sat down on the couch beside the bed. The tired doctor leaned back and closed her eyes to get a few moments of respite from the stress that the last three days have brought her.
"Kami, Megumi. You look like crap. Have you slept at all the past two days?" Misao asked concernedly.
Megumi's head shot up in annoyance from her semi-relaxed position so she could glare at her friend. "What the hell do you think? The hospital's been fucking crazy. Our E.R.'s been full, and it's all hands on deck over there; and every minute that they give me for a break, I spend here, babysitting that chicken-brained bullet magnet."
"Hey!" Kaoru interjected. "I resent that! It's not like I went in there with a huge "shoot me" sign on my forehead, you know!"
"Yes, Kaoru, but normally when people start shooting at you, you run as far away from wherever the hell you are as fast as you can. You don't go back in the room for whatever you felt was as important as your life, you blithering idiot!" At Kaoru's stunned look, the surgeon scoffed. "Oh yeah. Seta told me all about your idiotic decisions. Do you know what could've happened?! Are you aware of what would've happened to you if that bullet swayed just a little more to the left?!"
The journalist cringed and hid herself a bit more in her boyfriend's arms as Megumi's voice escalated with every reprimanding sentence. "I made it out alive, Megumi. I'm okay." She tried to reassure herself softly.
"Because of me! You're alive because of me!" The surgeon hissed back.
Kaoru turned to regard her angry friend and was stunned when she saw angry tears starting to fill her eyes. Megumi was known to be a rock, and as someone who had the firm belief that crying will never accomplish anything. No matter how many terrible things happened in her O.R., nobody has ever seen her even so much as tremble at the pressure of anything she faced. She was about to question her friend when a light bulb suddenly clicked on in her head.
What happened undoubtedly scared Megumi; what she did for Kaoru was miles beyond what she normally faced on a daily basis because she considered Kaoru as family. She'd already lost her parents before, and she couldn't bare the idea of losing another loved one because she felt like she wasn't good enough; not to mention the probable scenario that was going on when Kaoru was first brought in. Megumi probably felt like if she made one mistake, she wouldn't only lose Kaoru, but the rest of her friends as well, and that terrified her.
"Megumi." Kaoru called gently. When the surgeon stubbornly refused to look her way, she tried once more. "'Gumi, please."
"What?" Megumi said scathingly, her eyes flashing as she glared at Kaoru.
"I—I'm sorry. I'm so sorry… And thank you. Really. I know you were scared, but I'm okay now, see? You did it." The journalist smiled warmly. "And I promise you I'll be more careful next time."
Calming at the reassurance she received, Megumi leaned back into the couch as she replied, "You better. 'Cause next time I won't be so willing to patch your ass up."
Seeing that her two friends have already kissed and made up—so to speak, Misao took the chance to try to distract everyone from their morose moods by bringing up a happy topic.
"So!" Misao giggled happily as she clapped her hands. "Seeing as how Megumi will be spending a lot of time here, and that Kaoru obviously won't be going anywhere," She shot Kaoru a pointed look before turning to address everyone again. "I'm guessing we can all work on wedding details here!"
The journalist and the surgeon both visibly tensed at the announcement and internally groaned upon realizing that what their friend said was going to be inevitable. Once Misao knew what she wanted, she always always found a way to make it happen.
"So tomorrow, I'm going to be bringing the wedding book and all the notes I took for what we'll need. Kaoru, we still don't have a decision on what flowers should be used, and Megumi, I think the wedding dress designs I got could use a bit of your input…"
As the energetic woman went on and on about their wedding discussion schedule for the next month, Kaoru couldn't help the smile that grew on her face. She couldn't deny that it was nice having people around her who generally cared about her wellbeing, and it was even nicer to have Kenshin right beside her as she faced everything. It may not always be a walk in the park to be with them, but she wouldn't trade her odd family for anything in the world.
The drugs that Megumi injected into her system were already starting to take effect, and her eyelids were starting to feel heavier and heavier by the second as she felt her torso growing numb—effectively easing the discomfort that she was started to feel sometime in the middle of her discussion with Katsura. Kenshin noticed her tiredness and smiled gently down at her as he kissed her forehead.
"Sleep, love. I'll be here when you wake up."
She smiled and buried herself deeper into the redhead's arms, closing her eyes as she did so. It was then, as she was listening to Misao's excited chattering about the wedding preparations and Megumi's complaints about one thing or another, and as she felt Kenshin's warmth surrounding her, that she gave into her first peaceful slumber in two days.
"Kaoruuuuuuu…"
The woman in question turned her attention to the pathetic groaning lump that was her best friend. Enishi was currently sprawled on the couch beside her bed, his now closed laptop lying on the floor by the sleek piece of leather furniture.
"Pleeeeeaseeee…"
It's been two weeks since her conversation with Katsura and so far things have been normal—or as normal as could be given the lives that every member of their dysfunctional circle of friends led. So far, everyone's been really busy with cleaning up the mess that Kitazato left behind following his two-day trial where he was sentenced to a lifetime in prison. The proceedings were surprisingly fast, and was actually dubbed as the quickest sentencing of a renowned public official in Japan, but given that most of their evidence would be hard to refute and that the witnesses that Saitou's department found had no qualms with telling the court what they needed to know in exchange for a shortened incarceration period, nothing could've complicated any of the hearings any more than they should be. The decision regarding the judgment of the Chief Justice's innocence was made easily—perhaps it might have been already been set even before the first trial, considering the amount of anger that the Prime Minister and the Emperor were expressing at being betrayed by one of their own.
Kenshin and Sano were sent on assignment after assignment to track down the elusive staff of the Chief Justice, while Aoshi and Misao were both heavily involved with trying to crack the dirty website that Kitazato partially ran. Megumi was, as always, hidden away in the hospital she worked in. You'd think that since most of her most trusted friends were out doing their respective duties, Kaoru would feel even a little bit lonely because she was still stuck in bed and recovering from the injuries she got, but this was not the case.
Enishi, upon realizing that nobody was ever really around much in his apartment, spent most of his time there with Kaoru, and a hesitant-looking Soujirou. The blonde journalist claimed that he had a right to work wherever he pleased since he was getting his job done anyway, and his articles were being sent and published on time. When asked why he suddenly felt the urge to work on his scoops from home, he merely replied with a shrug and a flippant comment to get them off his back. Soujirou, since he was still relatively new to the office and their team, was forced to join his other two teammates to show camaraderie. Kaoru, however, knew the real reason behind why the two journalists were there with her and not in their office. She was sure that they were only there to avoid their fiery editor-in-chief because they knew that he would be strongly reprimanding them for what happened at the Metropolitan Building.
It's been two weeks since Katsura said that he would be talking to Hiko about her current employment at the broadsheet publishing house, and she still hasn't heard anything from her boss. While she knew that their editor-in-chief wouldn't stoop so low as to fire an employee through a simple e-mail or text message, she still jumped every time she'd hear her mobile phone ring from the bedside table. Truthfully, at this point, she'd rather have him barge into the room and scream at her over and over for her irresponsibility and inconsideration due to the way she handled the investigation on the ex-Chief Justice rather than live through another day of his uncharacteristic silence.
"What?" she asked the blonde-haired man amusedly.
"Can't we have a fucking break? We've been at this for hooouuurrsss." Enishi moaned, his arm stretching back to cover his tired eyes.
Kaoru scoffed. "Soujirou's been working just as long as you have, and you don't see him griping about it."
"That's because he's a robot! All he ever does is smile that creepy ass smile of his whenever you give him another thing to do! It's like he has no sense of humanity anymore!"
"I think that's overdoing it a bit, don't you?" Soujirou said cheerily from his spot across the room. His laptop was on top of a small plastic table that they brought it a week ago so all three of them could have a makeshift desk in the big room.
"Not even a bit." The blonde correspondent mumbled. "The only reason I brought you here was so we could escape that hell-hole of an office we have and just chill for a couple of weeks, you know? Had I known you'd be as bad as the Queen over here, I would've left you there to fend for yourself."
"I appreciate your consideration then, Enishi." He replied, not even bothering to pause from reading an article he pulled up as he responded.
"See? He's taking it like a man, Yukishiro. Since when have you turned into a sniveling little bitch?" Kaoru interrupted.
"I resent that. And for your information, it's been since you've turned my apartment into a frat house. I haven't been able to properly go through my evening habits for two weeks now. I'm going crazy."
"Enishi, I highly doubt that being in my apartment would stop you from being able to watch Friends re-runs in your underwear with a bowl of cold cereal every night. I have DVDs of all ten seasons, and I'm pretty sure I had three boxes of Koko Krunch left in my cupboard before this all happened."
"But it's not the saaame."
"Oh will you just stop it! Kenshin's taking me home tonight, so you can go back to doing whatever it is you do in this craphole of yours." The recovering woman hissed.
Enishi paused and let her simmer in her annoyance for a bit. "Got you all riled up now eh, Kao?", he asked after a bit, marveling at being able to beat his own record on the amount of time it takes to annoy the injured reporter.
"Fuck you." She said simply as she went back to editing the article she'll be submitting to Hiko that afternoon. Despite her boss' silence, Kaoru still knew that her articles weren't being ignored since during her stay in Enishi's apartment, Tokyo Shimbun had already published two of the follow-up columns she wrote for their most recent exposé.
"Enough teasing, kids. We have deadlines to meet today, and we don't want to get in trouble, do we?" Soujirou said calmly, turning his desk chair around so he could smile at his teammates before turning back to continue what he was doing.
"See?" Enishi scoffed. "Robot."
The group fell into a comfortable silence then, with Kaoru and Soujirou's fingers racing across their keyboards as they worked on their assignments, and Enishi taking the chance to take a short nap to ease his building headache. After about twenty minutes of being submerged in the comfortable quiet, Kaoru decided to break the silence by voicing out the question she's been dying to ask ever since her two teammates started working from her make-shift hospital room.
"Sou?" she called out to the blue-eyed man.
"Yeah?"
When no response was heard from the recovering woman, Soujirou spun his desk chair around to face the curious woman. "What's up, Kaoru?"
"Has… Did Hiko say anything to you guys about me?" Kaoru asked softly, her gaze shifting away from her teammate's gentle smile and onto the wall clock that hung above Enishi's bedroom door. "I mean—nothing's going on or anything, but I just… wondered."
Soujirou's eyes flashed, but his smile remained ever-present on his slightly moist lips. He was trying to figure out what the woman wasn't telling him, but when he realized he couldn't, he replied slowly. "I don't think so, no. Although he has been oddly quiet since you've been here. We figured he was just annoyed 'cause of all the press conferences he's had to attend in your place."
Kaoru nodded. "And the others? Where does everybody else think I am?"
"The day after you woke up, he told Tae that you'd be working from home for at least a couple of weeks—but that she shouldn't give you any assignments until he says she could. I think he said something about you having a bad case of the measles or chicken pox, or something like that."
She 'hmm'ed in response and turned back to her laptop in deep thought. 'If he's not telling anyone I've been fired, then that must mean he didn't agree with Katsura; or maybe he's just waiting for me to get better before he does fire me—but he's never been that considerate before… although people do say that he has a soft spot for me…'
Her thoughts went round and round in the same manner as she stared at the screen of the computer that was placed on a low-rise breakfast tray so she could work on her bed comfortably. She let herself be dragged by the sudden ups and downs that each new line of thinking brought, and she found counterpoints to every positive entry in her head. Soujirou must've noticed her oddly pensive behavior because he got up so he could stand right beside her side of the bed.
"Hey. Kaoru." He prompted.
Kaoru shook herself out of her stupor and looked up at the pale man. "Sorry, got a bit distracted there. Were you saying something?"
He shrugged and grinned, bending down so he could be eye-level with her. "How long's it been since you last had a cigarette?"
"Uh… what?"
"I was thinking about going to out to the balcony to smoke a bit. You can join me, if you want to."
"What so you can gloat right in front of my face?" she scoffed. "No thanks."
"Actually… I have an extra stick… if you'd like it, that is. I mean, if you were planning on quitting, then by all means, forgive me. But if you want it…" He pulled out his pack and lighter and waved the two in front of her face, as if teasing her to take them from him right then and there.
"But… Megumi…"
The smiling man stood up to his full height and backed away a few steps from the bed to give Kaoru enough room to stand up on her own. He was very happy to note that the shaking that used to accompany her every step was now close to diminished, and that she didn't need anyone's assistance to move anymore. She's been recovering very well during her house arrest and he had no doubts that she would be able to regain her entire strength in just one more week, contrary to what everyone's been saying. He knew that giving her a cigarette now is highly irresponsible of him, but he also knew—based on his past experiences—that it wouldn't hamper her recovery period. He just really wanted to cheer her up or calm her down, and this is the best way that he knew how.
"I can keep a secret if you can." He winked. Turning towards their other teammate who was ungracefully slumped and snoring on the sofa, he gave the man's head a huge thump to wake him up. "We're going out for a smoke. You wanna roll with?"
Enishi groaned and rolled away from the two moving figures. "What the hell are you bothering me for? There aren't any boogiemen here, so you can go by yourself, fucking retard."
"We figured you'd like to join us for my first cigarette in over two weeks." Kaoru said as she giggled at her friend's obvious displeasure at being woken up in such a fashion.
With another groan, the blonde journalist pushed himself up into a sitting position and glared accusingly at his best friend. "Fox lady's going to kill you for this."
"She won't if she doesn't find out." Soujirou replied calmly by the now open door.
"Your funeral." Enishi shrugged. "You know, Seta, I always had a feeling you'd be more trouble than you seemed. It's always the quiet ones you've gotta be careful with, is what I say."
BANG!
The trio froze. Nobody but their friends were allowed up Enishi's apartment, and none of them were due back there for at least another hour or two. Aside from that, they were quite sure that Megumi already briefed everyone on the proper behavior they should practice when entering the apartment—in case Kaoru was sleeping, which she apparently needed a lot of.
"Get back in the bed, Kaoru." Enishi hissed as he dragged her back, pushing her work paraphernalia off the soft surface and helping her lie back down. Once she was settled, he wasted no time in crouching down to grab something from underneath his bed.
Soujirou hurriedly closed the door behind him, making sure to make as little noise as possible in an effort to not prompt the intruder of where they currently were. His smile never fell from his face as he calmly walked back to his bag to pull out a gun.
At the sight of the black weapon, Kaoru's eyes widened in shock. "What the hell?! Do you always carry that around with you?"
The blue-eyed man did nothing else but give her a pointed look, silently telling her to be quiet, as he rushed back to her bedside and pointed his gun towards the door. Enishi, having found what he was looking for, immediately stood back up and stood in a way that was much similar to Soujirou's current position—a shiny black gun also being held by his two hands.
"'Nishi? Since when did you have a gun?"
"Can't help to be careful, Kao. Our line of work isn't exactly Yakuza-friendly, you know?" he muttered back, his eyes trained on the door.
They listened to the intruder walk around the apartment in search of its three occupants, his loud footfalls and deep grumbles echoing across the now silent room.
"He's not exactly very stealthy, is he?" Soujirou whispered from beside her. He had the audacity to look amused at the oddness of their soon-to-be attacker and Kaoru had half a mind to tell him off, but the sound of footsteps nearing the entrance to their room prevented her from doing so.
Guns were cocked and breaths were held as they all counted down to the moment that the door would open and they'd be facing off with yet another surprise villain.
BANG!
"Well. Had I known you three idiots were so trigger-happy, I would've hired you as bodyguards instead of the good-for-nothing journalists that you think you are."
"Hi—Hiko?" Kaoru breathed, her muscles relaxing from their tension along with the breath she expelled.
"Who else were you expecting? Katsura? I know even you're not enough of an idiot to not know that you've shot that completely into hell."
The two men beside her eased up and put their weapons away, both of them feeling more relieved than annoyed that the intruder was no one else but their obnoxiously loud editor-in-chief. Hiko stood before them in all his lumberjack-like glory, his face set in an angrier expression than usual. After two weeks of hearing nothing but silence and angry grunts from the huge man, everyone was understandably surprised at his sudden behavior.
"Damn, boss man. Did you have to make such a dramatic entrance? What happened to old-fashioned knocking?" Enishi said with a groan as he sprawled back onto the sofa he previously occupied.
"I'm afraid I agree with Yukishiro, Hiko-sama. You gave us quite the scare." Soujirou concurred.
Hiko closed the door behind him and walked further into the room, standing somewhere in the middle of the three of them where they all three of his subordinates could have a clear view of him.
"I am amazed," he growled out, making all three writers shiver at the sheer coldness behind his tone. They've seen him angry before, but it was nothing compared to what they were seeing now, and they didn't know how to act appropriately.
"I am amazed," Hiko repeated. "at your impudence. You," he said, pointing harshly to Kaoru's reclined form. "were specifically told to lay off work for at least two weeks. And yet I received countless e-mails from you submitting articles and columns that, to my honest despair, were better than anything these two idiots spewed out. I do not appreciate receiving screeching phone calls from Dr. Takani every single time I'd have to publish one of your articles just to remind me that I'm not supposed to be making you work when I'm clearly not making you do so in the first place!"
The editor took a deep breath before pinning the other two journalists with a glare that would've made Hitler run for the hills. "And you two," he said harshly. "You have the audacity to hide from me?! We have a perfectly good office where you could spend your sad pathetic days in and you choose to work from this hellhole where you are not easily accessed by your peers, and, more importantly, by me?!
"I have half a mind to just grab those goddamned guns of yours and throw them out just so you can get the idiotic notion of you boys being adults out of your empty heads! You are children. Boys. You have no sense of responsibility or accountability or intelligence."
Kaoru, Enishi, and Soujirou were stunned. Stunned, wildly humiliated and, quite frankly, scared of what was going to happen next. Having Hiko scream at them was normal—expected, even; but to have him drive all the way to Enishi's apartment just to do so was miles beyond the treatment that they were used to. They watched Hiko close his eyes and pinch the bridge of his nose in an effort to reign in his burning rage and tone it down into a more controllable simmering anger.
The woman lying on the bed smiled at seeing her superior applying one of the anger management techniques that was indicated in one of the self-help books she got him for his birthday. When she saw him start breathing normally again, she knew the worst was over and that they were all safe now.
"You're fired. You're all fired." He said with finality.
Kaoru scoffed. "No, Hiko. We're not."
She giggled a bit at seeing Enishi's and Soujirou's heads swivel towards her in surprise, both of their mouths open at her disrespect.
"Pardon me, Kamiya?"
She looked straight into Hiko's eyes and saw the glint that she was looking for, letting her know that they were back into their familiar routine.
"We're not fired. We're too good for you to fire us. I mean, did you see the feedback and rollout from the Kitazato article? It'd be insane for you to fire us." She explained confidently.
"No, Kamiya. What would be insane is to not fire you after you trespassed onto government property,"
"It was during the night of the State Gala and we were invited to—"
"You hacked your way into a recognized public official's computer,"
"Ex-public official's computer, and besides—"
"You absolutely destroyed an entire floor of the Metropolitan building,"
"Hey! I refuse to take the blame for something that—"
"And you killed a total of fifteen security guards."
"Well... that, I can honestly say I didn't do."
The door burst open again and all four journalists turned towards the noise.
"Hey kids! We brought doughnuts!" Sano announced happily, swinging his arms as he did so. Once he saw all of the room's occupants, though, his jolly disposition was immediately wiped off of his face and he took a couple of steps back. "Which, we can all enjoy happily in an hour or two. Have fun talking! Bye!"
Hiko sighed and grunted as he took a seat on the edge of Kaoru's bed as the door closed. A few silent moments passed among the group, each of them thinking about what to do next. A soft chuckle from Soujirou was what broke it though, and it was immediately followed by loud laughter from Kaoru and Enishi.
"I am surrounded," Hiko mumbled to himself as he tried to block out the noise around him, "by fucking idiots."
Six hours, four doughnuts, and a lot of careful moving later, Kenshin and Kaoru finally arrived back at their apartment. It only took them an hour to pack most of the stuff that was actually theirs, but it took a couple more to help tidy up the place that they've stayed in for two weeks.
"So," Kenshin sighed as he laid Kaoru onto their bed. "Long day?"
Kaoru giggled. "Yeah. Though I highly doubt mine was as long as yours."
"Well, it probably isn't, but I wanted to give you the benefit of the doubt anyway."
She smiled at him warmly and watched him walk into the bathroom to freshen himself up before he joined her in bed. He's been especially gentle with her the whole afternoon, and to be honest, it irked her a bit because she really didn't want to be treated like a fragile china doll. But seeing him so happy and relaxed just made her forget her own discomfort—especially after what she'd put him through.
They still haven't discussed anything even related to the topic they were both avoiding. It was really unfortunate too, because Kaoru was quite sure that if they could just get past that, she'd be willing to give herself completely to Kenshin once again. Living through something like what she experienced really put things into perspective for her. Their careers were both dangerous, and nothing was ever certain. Every day on the job meant that they'd be put into even more risk than they were in the day before, and she couldn't bear to face that again without knowing that Kenshin was aware of just how much he meant to her.
She sighed happily as she leaned back and let herself feel every inch of comfort that her soft bed provided. She'd missed being home, and she'd missed being home alone with Kenshin.
"You seem happy," the redhead observed as he stepped out of the bathroom in a pair of comfortable sweatpants. He was pulling his long red hair into a low ponytail, and his eyes were smiling brightly as he looked at her relaxed form.
"I am happy. Is that so wrong?" she questioned amusedly.
"It's not wrong. Considering the tongue-lashing you got from Hiko this afternoon, though, it's very, very odd."
He hung the towel he had around his shoulders on the chair in front of the dresser, and climbed onto his side of the bed, pulling Kaoru close to him as he did so.
"I've missed you, love." He muttered into her hair. "I was starting to think that I wouldn't get you to myself ever again."
"Oh you know that's not possible. In case you haven't noticed, we're very stubborn people. We would've found a way eventually."
The redhead started placing gentle kisses all over her shoulder. He still couldn't believe that they were finally home. He was very thankful that he was allowed to sleep next to her back at Enishi's apartment, but that setting—not to mention, her condition—didn't exactly allow for him to actually be with her.
"Kenshin?" he heard Kaoru ask tentatively.
"Yes?"
"Are we ever going to talk about it?"
He sighed at the question and stopped his ministrations, but he didn't let go of his tight hold on her. "Do you want to talk about it?"
She nodded and intertwined her fingers with his, a gesture that she hoped would relax him and assure him that she won't be running away from this conversation again. "I just… Well, you know my stand on this. You were there when I talked to Katsura. I know… I know it's hard for you, love, but… I can't stop."
"I figured as much," he said softly as he leaned back onto the headboard. "I feel like we've been over and over this lots of times now, actually." He chuckled. "We've been going in circles for two years, and I think the only reason we haven't stopped is because we're both not willing to budge. I was so dead set on protecting you before, on keeping you safe, that I didn't realize how much I was caging you and killing a part of you. I didn't realize that keeping you away from this mess made you feel like you were letting go of the path your parents set for you. Like I said before, I was being selfish. In more ways than one, I was so unbelievably selfish.
"I guess what's different now is that… well, I understand you now. Completely. Look, I know I can be difficult sometimes, and I know I have a huge tendency to be overbearing, but I guess you're just going to live with that now. And you're going to be required to call me before and after every assignment you get. I don't care what state you'll be in, but I want to get that phone call, otherwise the deal's off."
Kaoru pushed herself away from her boyfriend so she could lock her gaze with his. "Kenshin… are you-?"
"After two years, Kaoru, yeah. I'm finally budging." He smiled.
Elated and extremely grateful, she launched herself at him and kissed him with all of her might. Willing everything she was feeling to be expressed by the soft touch of her lips with his, by the dancing of their tongues. Finally, finally, they were on the same page. There was no reason for them to not be happy now. There was nothing barring them from being together.
Ever so gently, he rolled them over so he could look down at her face now. "Although, Kaoru, I'm going to have to ask you to promise me one thing before I fully agree to this."
His eyes glinted under the light of the bedside lamp that they had on, and his serious demeanor surprised her. "What is it?"
"No matter what happens, no matter what you have to do," he sighed and closed his eyes, lowering his forehead onto hers. "Please… please come back to me alive, okay? No matter what, Kaoru."
Tears sprung from her eyes and she valiantly tried to hold them back at his sincere request. She wanted to tell him so many things then, to reassure him that she was there and that she would never willingly leave his side again, but her throat was so choked up that all she managed to breathe out in reply was a soft, "I promise."
"And I promise to do the same. Always, Kaoru." He kissed her deeply then, lazy at first but gaining in passion as the seconds ticked by.
Hours later, as they both laid in each other's embrace in the darkness of the night, basking in the afterglow of their gentle lovemaking, Kaoru realized that this was exactly where she was meant to be. It was a rough road, what they went through, but if they hadn't gone through that, then they probably wouldn't have been able to be as strong as they are now. She trusted him completely now, and she knew that he did her, and it was going to take something close to impossible to break them apart again.
"Kenshin?" she whispered into his neck.
"Hmm?"
"Where's my ring?"
Author's Note: I hope you guys enjoyed this. It wasn't really all that difficult for me to write, and the last part was a lot of fun. I hope you don't think that what happened was too abrupt or anything, but everything just really fell into place after what happened to Kaoru and Kenshin that I couldn't help it!
As always, I'd love to hear what you think about this. Lots of love!
Cheers!