WHEN THE WORLD REVOLVES AROUND YOU
By: Chiki Yumeshisa

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin...all original characters/ideas are mine to claim.

AN: Oh my gosh! Thank you all for your reviews. I'm starting to feel bad making Kenshin be awful, but...nah! Who cares about the author thinks (or writes in her author's notes) right? - ONTO THE STORY!

WARNINGS: Rated R for swearing and language. You have been warned, no flames please.

Chapter 14:
The Hands Of Time

"Well, look at it this way," Kenshin said the first thing in his head, "At least you have one less mouth to feed - you're poor enough as it is!"

Kaoru's sobs quieted. Correction: they got stuck in her throat. She slowly got off Akira, who glanced over his shoulder with a death glare at the redhead.

It was the first time Kenshin ever felt intimidated by a girl. Her soft blue eyes had become devoid of all emotion, and her face had gone pale - not because of her grief, but because of her anger. Her hands clenched into fists, and her jaw was set in rage.

Alarmed, he took a step back, feeling suddenly very weak, and very vulnerable. He held his hands up, and searched frantically in his mind for the words to try to explain himself to her. Words would do nothing, though, because Kaoru was livid.

"You...you insensitive..." She actually pushed Akira aside. Her lips trembled, and she could barely say the words. "…you insensitive..overbearing..idiot.."

Kenshin took another step back. "Oro..Kamiya-san..I didn't mean - "

"First you look lowly on me..then you poison me.." She slowly made her way toward him.

"Kamiya-san, perhaps..." Soujiro started to say. He fell silent when Kaoru shot him a daggered glare.

"Stay silent Seta-san." She snapped angrily. She reverted her attention to Kenshin, who had to swallow under her piercing glare. The penetrating eyes were worse than Hiko's and Aoshi's put together. It actually made the hair at the back of his neck rise.

"I tried, Himura..I tried so hard to be patient with you..to be rational, to be forgiving...to be understanding..." She met his eyes with hers, forcing him to pay attention. He couldn't do anything otherwise. "But I don't understand, Himura - I don't understand how you could be so spoiled. I don't understand how you can be so careless..so...THOUGHTLESS..."

Kenshin wished she would just hit him. It was much better than listening to this. She sent him on a packing guilt trip, and he felt like he could never return.

"I just lost the most important person in my life!" She cried, getting angrier. "How dare you say that to me you asshole! How DARE you!"

He flinched. "Kamiya...I..."

"I don't want to hear it!" She screamed. "I don't want to hear ANYTHING you have to say to me anymore! All you've ever done is hurt me. You're a selfish, uncaring, BRUTE, and I hate you! I HATE YOU!"

She suddenly punched him so hard that he had no time to react. The impact sent him flying toward the wall, where he hit his head with a loud thump. He groaned, and in the next instant, he felt her grabbing him by his shirt.

"You 'kick ass' huh?" She screamed, seeing the words on his t-shirt. "I'll kick it for you!" She pinned him down, punching him again and again in the face, in the ribs, in the stomach - anywhere that she could manage. Her hair flew wildly about her face, and her hands began to bleed with the impact of her blows.

"Fuck you and your company! Fuck you and your school!" Kaoru cried.

Kenshin tried to bring his hands up to block her raining blows, but was unsuccessful, as she punched him so hard in the ribs that he felt one of them crack. He cried out, and groaned as she punched him in the eye. She was going crazy!

Desperately, he tried to get her off him, but he was so dizzy and the room continued to spin even if he tried to hold the world still. He could feel something warm and wet on his face.

The others in the room cried out at her sudden attack, and Soujiro managed to make it to Kenshin's side just as Kaoru had finished breaking his rib. "Mou, Kamiya-san, please, stop!" He cried, trying to shield Kenshin from her furious assault.

Akira pulled her off him as well. "Stop, Kaoru! You'll kill him!"

"I don't care!" She shouted. "I don't care! He would have killed me, and he wouldn't have cared either!" She kicked and thrashed, but Akira held her back firmly. Her chest rose and fell in her pants of anger. She had tears falling down her cheeks.

Kenshin slowly got to his feet with the aid of Soujiro. "Oh my gosh, Himura-san...your face..here, use this..." Soujiro held out the closest towel he could find in the room.

Shaking from the shock and the pain, Kenshin took the towel from him in trembling hands. He fought to keep from throwing up. His face felt stiff and very painful, and it hurt to even move. The way she had attacked him reminded him too much of...

He slowly put the cloth to his face, wiping at it. When he looked back at the white towel: it was stained a deep red. He wanted to faint. So much of it - and it was all his? His left eye felt painfully heavy, and began to blur as he looked up to see her. He was upset too - he wanted nothing more than to attack her, but something in the back of his mind was telling him: he got what he deserved.

"It was coming to you!" She screamed. "I wish I'd never met you, you son of a bitch!" She lurched forward, trying to get out of Akira's hold. "Get OUT OF HERE! GET OUT! GET OUT!" She let out a strangled cry as Akira spun her around in his arms to face him.

Soujiro took Kenshin by the arm, and led him outside. "Himura-san, everything's going to be fine." He was murmuring. "Just hang in there."

"No Soujiro.." Kenshin whispered back. "It's not.." He groaned and held his hand up to his rib. 'What have I done?' He leaned against his friend for support. He felt something wet hit his hand. Lifting it, he realized it was a tear.

'I'm crying?'

Akira put his hands on her face. "Kaoru, listen to me!" He shook her. "Listen to me! Stop!" When she finally stopped, he put his forehead to hers. "Listen to me...everything's okay now..he's gone." She fell limp and her shoulders sagged. "Everything's going to be fine..." He took his hands from her face and embraced her, as she clutched at his shirt, crying.

'That Himura...

He will pay...'

0-0-0-0-0

Kenshin stumbled out of the hospital, Soujiro on his heels. The nurses cried out, and tried to tell him to sit down, but he refused their call for administering. He wanted to be as far away form Kaoru as he could get.

He was bleeding heavily from the reopened scar on his cheek and his left eye was swollen, the bruises starting to show. His bottom lip was ripped open, leaving the gash to flow free.

He didn't understand at all. He supposed he was more confused that Kaoru.

His heart ached: he had only wanted to say something to cheer her up.

"I'm so sorry about all this." Soujiro whispered, putting his arm up to support his friend when he stumbled again. "If I hadn't brought you here...this would never have happened...but I really thought that..."

Kenshin shook his head. "No, it's okay Soujiro...like she said, I had it coming. I would rather it be this way anyway..." He realized he was having a hard time talking. He wondered if she had knocked out some teeth.

Painfully, he got into his waiting limo with the aid of Soujiro, brushing off the hands of his attendants. He leaned his forehead on his window, accepting the moist cloth that was given to him by the chauffer, and pressing it to his bleeding cheek. The cloth turned red instantly.

"Sir..are you okay?" One of the attendants asked. In his hand, he held another moist cloth, just in case he might need it. By the looks of the first cloth, he figured the young master would.

"I'm fine." Kenshin snapped. Sullenly, he looked outside the window. A woman had beat him up? How would he explain that to his Uncle? And worse yet, his friends? He was so glad that it would be winter break so that at least he could avoid the latter part of the problem.

He was so upset: he wished he could reverse time, but no amount of money that he spent would grant him that wish. If only he could have started off on the right foot with Kaoru, it wouldn't be like this.

Soujiro was sitting quietly beside him, letting him brood. He felt Kenshin's eyes on him and so looked up. "I told you before, Himura-san, that I would never forgive you if you ever hurt Kamiya-san again. However, I'll let this one slip. But you must learn to keep your stupid remarks to yourself."

"I'll say." Kenshin growled. He felt anger at himself rise up and bunch in his chest. He just wanted to cry, but he wouldn't let himself do that. Not in front of Soujiro! He didn't need any more embarrassment: he'd already made a big fool of himself.

"Young master, we will be arriving at the front gate in 15 - " The tiny tinny voice of the computer was cut off abruptly as Kenshin punched his fist through the little mechanical device next to his seat. It died down with a crackle. "SHUT UP!" Kenshin screamed. "I don't care!"

"Young master!" His attendants cried. Little pieces of wire stuck out, and sparks flew as Kenshin continually ripped the box apart.

He had flown into another tantrum again.

His hand flew to smash the television, which had been on mute, playing the latest episode of American Idol, in front of him. Shards of glass flew all over the seats and the sudden loud crash made the car swerve dangerously as the chauffer jumped in surprise.

Soujiro cried out, trying to shy away from the flying glass, only to be whipped in his seat as the car jerked this way and that. Kenshin swore, and told every single one of his servants in that car that they were going to be fired for putting his life on the line. He ignored all the protests that Soujiro was giving him.

He stumbled out of the car when it finally came up to a halt in front of his mansion. He shoved one of the attendants so hard that he fell back into the accumulating snow on the ground. The maids and butlers only then began to file out of the house, a bit surprised that they had not been informed that their young master was returning. The computer had been smashed to bits and nobody in the car had had time to call ahead of time.

He pushed past all the uneven lines of servants who were still trying to take their places quickly. He shouted at them all, telling them that they were all going to be fired because they couldn't even form a decent welcoming party. Soujiro shot them all apologetic looks as he ran to keep up with Himura.

"Landsakes, child, what happened?" Nakamura-san cried, running forward. She had been on her way to see what all the commotion outside had been about. Instead, she had caught sight of Kenshin's shirt that was stained with blood. His right arm was cut up and bleeding and his fists were dripping with the dark liquid. His head spun and he could hardly walk because of the broken rib. "You look terrible."

Kenshin was about to cuss at her, but Soujiro intervened. "Nakamura- san, it's a long story. Where is his Uncle?" he asked, but he trailed off when Hiko's deep voice answered almost immediately.

"I'm right here."

Kenshin looked up to see his uncle dressed casually in a formal Eddie Bauer sweatshirt and slacks. His face was one of disparagement. "You'd better start explaining yourself."

0-0-0-0-0

Kenshin turned his head in a wince. His Uncle was sure brutal. When he had flatly refused to let anyone touch him, and Hiko had become exasperated. He picked Kenshin up by the scruff of his neck and all but flung him onto his bed.

Then he had picked up a cloth and pressed it against Kenshin's open wound.

"You got beaten by a woman?" Hiko demanded, practically ripping the poor boy's t-shirt off him. He had a couple of bruises lining his chest and stomach. It meant Kaoru delivered one heck of a wallop.

Kenshin began to whine. "But uncle! She caught me by surprise! She just suddenly attacked! I told you before: she's not a woman, she's an animal!"

"You be quiet." Hiko snapped. His jerky motions told Kenshin he was really mad. He was getting together bandages. "Look at you: you're a mess. A black eye, a broken rib, cuts and bruises? What kind of a student of mine are you anyways?"

He roughly began to bandage Kenshin's wounds, ignoring the cries of protest. His hands worked deftly, without mercy. To make extra sure that he smote him, he pulled the bandage tight.

Kenshin doubled over with a groan. That was uncalled for...

"It's your fault you know: saying something that nasty is bound to get you this hurt." Hiko scolded. "There's no way you can go to Florida in your state."

Kenshin rose to the challenge. "I'll be fine in a week. I'll go to Florida next week!"

"Whatever!" he pushed Kenshin back to wrap up his rib. "You really are an idiot. I'm disappointed in you."

Kenshin swallowed the lump that rose to his throat. He turned his head away. "Aren't you always?" He asked. "There was never once you approved of me. I begin to think you wish I hadn't burdened you."

The Master stopped, getting a sweater from the opened closet and pushing it gently over Kenshin's head. "You aren't a burden." He said finally. "But you're sometimes more than I can bear. Maybe if you showed a little more respect for the things people do for you, then you wouldn't get scolded so much." He sat next to the boy.

Kenshin scowled. The reprimand had actually been gentle, but it hurt him more than anything. He felt tears fall down his cheeks. "I-I'm sorry...Uncle Hiko." He said quietly. He hugged his body.

It was the hardest thing for him to put his pride away.

His uncle merely ruffled his hair before pronouncing himself finished with his administering. "Oh, and by the way, if I ever hear that you break another thing in my house, I will pound you personally. Am I understood?"

"Yes sir.." was the weak reply.

"Now, get your sorry ass up and go apologize to all those people you yelled at." His Uncle commanded. "Afterwards…if you want to talk about anything, I'm in my study."

Kenshin nodded again, before leaning against his Uncle's broad frame and crying. It had been the longest time: he couldn't even remember the last time his uncle had ever consoled him.

He actually managed to pocket his pride and apologize to his whole staff. They all seemed pleased, and Soujiro gave him a big smile of approval.

He brooded inside though: Kamiya may have lost her father, but he would not forgive her for hurting him and marring his perfection. They still had a score to settle.

0-0-0-0-0

Kaoru managed to gather her bearing as security entered not a few moments later. They were huge men, ready and waiting for the action, only to find that it was already over.

She felt numb and weak, and very, very, tired. It all felt like it was some sort of bad dream, and she hoped fervently that she would awaken.

Her chest was painfully sore from all the wracking sobs she had had, and she couldn't stop the little hiccups that came now and again. What hurt the most was the comment Kenshin had made. She had thought him to be spoiled and selfish, but now, she positively did not want anything to do with him. She found him to be a heartless barbarian.

Akira rubbed at her back, soothing her with his calm voice. "Go ahead and cry, it's understandable."

Kaoru lifted her head from his chest, thanking him. "I always seem to burden you." She told him apologetically.

"Nonsense." Was his reply. "I do believe you should comfort the little ones though."

Yahiko was putting up such a fight with the doctors, Kaoru was afraid that they would give him sedatives just to calm down. She found the strength to make her way over to him, and pulled him into her arms. Seeing that it was his sister, he collapsed into her embrace, tired of putting up a fight. She held him until he could no longer weep.

Suzume had not figured out what had happened. She thought that her father was just sleeping, and so, without anybody noticing, she had clambered up to the bed to sit next to the still body. Her little hands had reached out and taken the doll once more.

"Shh!" She cautioned the figure. "Don't be noisy: papa is asleep."

She made the doll nod, and began to make it dance. "Papa says you're a beautiful doll." She told it. "And he says Suzume is beautiful too!" The dancing doll paused as Kaoru came up from behind her.

She turned to face her sister with wide eyes. "Kao-neechan, did you really hurt Ken-nii bad?" She had never thought her sister would fly into blind rages; the only time she saw her sister get mad was at Yahiko.

Her elder sister swallowed. "No, Suzume...we were just play fighting, that's all. Let's leave Papa alone okay?" Kaoru managed to say, picking up her little sister and giving her an affectionate squeeze before setting her back down. Suzume put a small finger up to her lips.

"Shh! Kao-nee, Papa is sleeping!"

Kaoru's eyes filled with tears, and her eyebrows knit. The young girl was so naïve and it broke her heart to have to tell her the truth. "Suzume, Papa is not going to wake up."

Suzume's brown eyes clouded in confusion. "He's not? Why?"

"Because sweetie...Papa's...dead."

The child said nothing for a moment, but then nodded. "Oh, okay. When will he be alive again?"

Kaoru swallowed the lump in her throat. "Never again…I'm sorry Suzume."

The child looked stricken, almost as if she had been slapped across the face. "But-why?"

Her mind raced for the right answer. When Suzume chose to cry, it took hours to get her to shush. She could find no logical answer though. "I don't know..."

As if she didn't believe what her sister had said, Suzume reached out and took her father's hand. It was limp, and cold. It felt old and wrinkly, without any energy. She expected it to curl around her tiny hand, but it didn't move. She began to shake it, hoping to prove Kaoru wrong.

She began to choke as she shook harder when her father never came to. "Kao-nee...Kao-nee...Papa won't wake up."

Kaoru covered her mouth with her hand, stifling a sob as the child began to cry. She took the little girl away from her father. It was then that the nurses and doctors began to move their father into a big body bag, zipping the black plastic closed.

"We'll be putting him in the morgue until we've gotten the funeral arrangements." Katsura-sensei said to her gently. "I…I'm terribly sorry."

Kaoru could say nothing back. She found there was nothing to say. She had to be strong for her siblings, and so instead, sat with them as they all looked to her for comfort. A million things ran through her mind: what would happen now? How could she provide for the children by herself? She was frightened - this had never happened to her before.

A figure rushed in then, his long white hair in a shock of disarray. It reminded her of Yahiko's hair. She got to her feet. "Grandfather..."

Genzai-sensei looked like he had been crying. He put his arms around Kaoru in a consoling hug. Then he took up the little girls after ruffling Yahiko's hair. "I'm really sorry..." He was the next closest thing to a father that Kaoru had. He was the father of her mother, and so she respected him a lot.

"Come, come all of you. You will stay with me until this mess has been cleared up." He told them.

Kaoru turned to Akira. "Thank you for everything, Akira...I'm sorry I can't..."

Akira also stood. His tears had left streaks down his face. "It's okay, Kaoru. If you need to, call me: I'm here for you." He leaned over and gave her a small kiss on the cheek, before watching them go.

As the doctors finished cleaning up the room, he said a short prayer over the enclosed body before exiting himself. His mind was spinning as well - Poor Kaoru! Having to go through so much! He found himself admiring her even more for her strength.

He washed his face and hands in the washroom before heading outside of the hospital. It was a bright afternoon, the sun still in the sky. Snow had begun to fall in little flurries though, and he shivered slightly.

How strange it seemed: only a few hours ago, he had been with Kaoru to see a movie and to the mall. It was like a lifetime ago to him, and he wished that he could move the hand of time back to the days where Kaoru had been happier.

His footsteps on the concrete were drowned by the sound of voices and cars rushing on the street. The wind blew fiercely, making him shy away from it by pulling up his coat. He hadn't wanted to take his car - he had a lot on his mind, and had decided to walk it off so he had sent it away. Now he suddenly wished he hadn't.

Grumbling to himself about the cold and how he should have brought a sweater, he wasn't looking where he was going as he turned the corner. He bumped into a girl, who let out a little cry of surprise.

"My apologies!" Kiyosato said instantly. He was relieved to see that the person he had bumped into wasn't hurt and hadn't fallen, but he was even more surprised when he saw who it was.

"Tomoe!"

To Be Continued….

AN: THANKS TO ALL THOSE WHO REVIEWED! Again, a note: I am sorry for the shortness – school has started officially this week. Hope you all liked it though, and I really am looking forward to your comments. Look guys, I've reached over 400 reviews! Please help me build it back to 5000!

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