Who Was That Skateboarding Fool!

By Altia

Disclaimer: I can't think of anything original to say here… so I'll just say I don't own it!

A/N: You know, when I wrote my evil plot twist, I had it all planned out how I was going to do it. Then, the AP tests hit, and all my creative juices went out the window. Now, after almost two months recovery, I believe I'm ready to write again! That is, until I get my scores from the test… ((sweatdrop)). Anyways, enough about me, here's chapter… uh… what number? ((someone whispers 25)). 25? Really? Wow…

Chapter 25: A Worried Kaoru and A Sorrowful Kenshin

Kenshin, despite his earlier ideas of driving safely, drove like a madman to get to Yokohama hospital. He reached the hospital very late at night, extremely tired from all the days' events. He eventually found a place to park in the busy hospital's lot, and walked inside, looking for the Emergency Room.

He approached the front desk, but paused before he reached there. No one this placed looked familiar to him; this was the hospital that Kaoru and her friends had snuck him out of, and the woman at the front desk was the same as that day. 'Oh, well, nothing can be done about it,' he thought. He walked up and asked the receptionist, "Hello, ma'am. I'm Kenshin Himura, and I'm looking for my parent's room. They were involved in a car accident," he said slowly.

The woman looked up from her computer screen, giving Kenshin an odd look before returning her gaze to the monitor. "Ah, yes, Mr. and Mrs. Himura's room is down the hall and to the left, room 103," she said, returning to her work the instant the message was said.

Kenshin nodded his thanks, even though he knew the woman was paying him no mind. He began walking down the hallway, making the turn at the appropriate place, and looked for room 103. He soon found it, and walked inside. What he saw nearly made him pass out…

Kaoru was definitely worried. She had called Kenshin's house several times since her first message, and every time the answering machine picked up. She was beginning to hate the generic automatic response of the machine.

'Maybe I should go to his house and see if he's home, and if he's ok,' she thought. She walked from her room into the living room where her father was sitting.

"Dad, is it ok if I go to Kenshin's house for a bit? He hasn't picked up his phone all day, and I'm a bit worried," Kaoru asked, hoping that her father would allow her to go.

Koketsu was silent for a bit before slowly nodding his head. "Let me drive you there, Kaoru. It's too dark for you to walk there by yourself," he said as he stood up and grabbed the car keys by the door.

Kaoru smiled as she rushed out to the car. She didn't realize how late it really was until she actually stepped outside. 'I hope Kenshin is ok…' she thought desperately.

Koketsu got into the car and started it up. He followed Kaoru's directions on how to get to Kenshin's house.

When they got there, Kenshin's car was nowhere in sight. However, there was a light on inside. Kaoru looked over to her father, who nodded. She got out of the car and walked to the front door.

"Kenshin? Are you home?" she asked as she knocked. The door swung open from her knocking on it. This really worried Kaoru.

She slowly walked in and saw the answering machine with it's flashing lights, one on "New messages" and one on "Old messages". She pressed the button for the old messages and heard the message about Kenshin's parents.

Her eyes widened. 'Oh, no! Kenshin!' she thought as she ran to her father's car, making sure to close the door.

"Dad! Kenshin's parents… they were in a car accident. He's at Yokohama Hospital right now!" she said, asking her father a silent question.

Koketsu sat for a bit before sighing and nodding his head. If his daughter wanted to comfort her boyfriend in his time of need, who was he to stop her? He started the car and began driving towards the hospital.

When Kaoru arrived at the hospital, she immediately rushed to the Emergency Ward, hoping to find Kenshin.

As soon as she got there, she stopped dead in her tracks. There, in the waiting room, sat Kenshin. His head was down, hands behind his neck, and his body was shuddering from the sobs that racked his small frame.

Kaoru slowly approached Kenshin, like one would to an injured animal. She wasn't sure what his reaction to her being there would be, so she moved with caution.

"Kenshin?" she asked softly, stopping a couple of feet in front of him.

He slowly looked up; his face was stained with tears, both old and new. He jumped to his feet, throwing his arms around Kaoru and sobbing into her shoulder.

"I… I never… got the chance… now… too late… too late…" he sobbed out, not really making any sense.

Kaoru did her best to comfort him; she moved them so that they were both sitting, Kenshin still sobbing and trying to form sentences.

After a while, Kenshin's sobbing lessened to the point of the occasional shuddering breath.

Kaoru had her arms tightly around Kenshin. "Tell me what happened, Kenshin, please," she whispered, hoping to get an answer she could understand this time.

Kenshin stayed silent for a long time before taking a deep breath. "My parents… they're gone… By the time I got here… I was too late… Didn't get to say good-bye…" he said quietly, his voice harsh from crying so much.

Kaoru's eyes widened at the news. She pulled Kenshin closer to her, rubbing his back in a silent comfort. She knew there was nothing she could do or say to stop his hurting; she had been through this all before when her mother died. Though, Kaoru was young at the time, and didn't understand the concept of death. Kaoru could only imagine the pain Kenshin was going through after losing not just one parent, but both.

Together they sat in silence, with Kaoru's father watching them from far away. He could tell the boy had been run through the wringers, and Kaoru was doing her best to help him.

Kaoru sighed slightly, remembering the whole reason of coming to this hospital. She took a deep breath as she began her speech. "Kenshin, about earlier today, it was all a big misunderstanding. Some guy told me that your friend Sano was going around and telling the guys in school not to go to the prom with me, and I thought you were the one behind it. As it turns out, Megumi was the mastermind, but I found out after I exploded on you. I'm sorry, Kenshin, I really am," she said, resting her head against his, which was on her shoulder.

Kenshin was silent for a long while before hugging Kaoru tightly. "I figured it was something like that, Kaoru. It's ok, I forgive you. I think I would have done the same thing if I was in your place," he said, moving his head from her shoulder to look her in the eyes.

Kaoru smiled, her eyes holding back the tears of joy that threatened to spill over. She resisted the urge to cry, knowing she had to be strong for Kenshin.

Kenshin moved his face close to hers, pausing a second before kissing her on the lips.

Kaoru was a bit shocked at this, but the shock was short lived. She put her arms around his neck and gladly returned the kiss.

It was around this time that Koketsu walked up to the couple and cleared his throat.

Kenshin, instantly recognizing the voice, jumped back at least three feet from Kaoru, his body ridged. He gave Kaoru a look that said, "Why didn't you tell me your father was here?"

Kaoru just gave a sheepish grin, and a shrug.

Koketsu looked at Kenshin, then back to Kaoru. "Well, are we planning to stay here all night?" he asked somewhat gruffly.

Kaoru shot a glare at her father. "Dad! Don't be so insensitive!" she said, angry with her father for being so harsh.

Kenshin chuckled slightly, but everyone could tell it was forced. "It's ok, Kaoru. I have no more business here. I should get home and start finding the paperwork that needs to be found," he said, referring to his parents' wills. At least they had had the hindsight to make them in advance, especially with how much they traveled.

Kaoru looked over at Kenshin, worried about how he was feeling at the moment. She decided not to push the issue. "Ok then, I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow then. Kenshin?"

"Maybe, maybe not. Depends," he said softly. "Bye, Kaoru, Mr. Kamiya." He turned and walked out of the hospital and to his car. There was a lot to get done, and not a lot of time to do it.

Kaoru sighed deeply. "Let's go home, dad. I'm tired," she said, her fatigue evident in her voice.

Koketsu put his hand on Kaoru's shoulder before walking out to the car and driving home.

The next few days were going to be very challenging for Kenshin and Kaoru, that much was evident to Koketsu. All he could do was offer his support in any way he could.

A/N: Hmm… not much of a chapter, but it's better then nothing, right? AX05 starts tomorrow! W00t! This year I'm cosplaying as Chichiri from Fushigi Yuugi and Inuyasha from well… Inuyasha… duh… Anyways, leave me a review! Be like these people!

enchantedsleeper: Well, I hope I smoothed out my evil plot twist good enough. No problem, it's what I do… I write and answer questions… A very sad existence.

Xujin: Hopefully that was your reaction for this update, too. Well, not exactly ok… Well, if you were in that place, would you have thought any different, especially with the prejudices that Kaoru has? Sorry for the slow update.

Peachie-Chan: Sorry about the short chappies.

chizuru-chan: Well, they do eventually kiss…

Angel Sunami: Thank you. Yes, I do make some errors that I will eventually go back and correct. But when you have no one to be a beta reader, it's hard to catch the mistakes until it's too late.

Khmer Moon Blossoms: Sorry for the long wait. Well, I updated. I don't think I'm that good an author…

midnite cherry blossomz: Yup, just a really horrible day for Kenshin. Well, obviously Kenshin did.

ryulin: Thanks. Sorry about the long wait.

phoenix-tabuutz: Here's the update.

Anime Girl: Sorry for taking so long to update.