CHAPTER 32: Better?

"Please say something, Akira," Tomoe pleaded. Akira merely glanced at her, then looked down again at the newspaper.

"We're trying our best to quench the rumors," Kenshin attempted to be consoling, but faltered at Akira's glare at him.

Akira sighed and threw the newspaper on the coffee table. He looked over at the two people seated on the long sofa, anxiously looking at him. "How long did you plan to keep this issue from me?" he finally asked after a long period of silence.

Tomoe bowed her head, and Kenshin answered, "We didn't want you to find out, to be honest. We wanted to clear everything before you ever found out."

"Apparently, you can't do it by yourself," Akira caustically said. He turned to Tomoe, who hesitantly met her eyes. "What did your agent say?"

"He wants us to say something to the media," Tomoe said. "Salvage whatever is left of my reputation."

"Then that's what we're going to do," Akira said decisively. "We should have done that as soon as possible."

"But your injuries—"

"—are not an excuse," Akira cut in. "Yes, we should do this when these casts are taken off, but as it stands, the issue couldn't wait." He turned to Kenshin. "Why didn't you say anything about this earlier?"

Kenshin shrugged and pointed at Tomoe. "She didn't want you to know," he said. "And I told the Oniwaban to seek out all these tabloid reporters and squash the rumors, but apparently some couldn't be bribed or threatened." He leaned back and crossed his arms. "You do know who else is going to be involved in this, don't you?"

Akira inwardly cringed. "Kaoru."

"That's another reason why I didn't tell you," Kenshin said. "Kaoru's barely recovered from what happened between you that to include her in this is just cruel."

"But we need her." Akira hated himself as he said the words, and by the look on Kenshin's face, so did he.

"Don't you think you've done enough to her already?" Kenshin said caustically. "Do you even have to drag her into this muck?"

"Her word is equally important here, especially as she is the wounded party in this so-called scandal," Akira said. "What she's going to say is going to mean more than any of us could ever say."

"Do you even realize what you're trying to make her do?" Kenshin clenched his fist. "Once you involve her in this, her life won't be the same anymore. She'd be under the scrutiny of the public. She'd lose her privacy."

"It wasn't as if she doesn't know what would happen if she had married me. We talked about this before... when we were still together..." Akira stuttered, quailing under Kenshin's icy glare. "Point is, she is prepared to step into the public's glare, or she was, anyway."

"She was," Kenshin emphasized. "And she was only prepared to be seen as your wife, not as the third person in a scandal cooked up by salacious writers on tabloid magazines. You can't do this to her. You can't hurt her again."

"This is a full-blown scandal now. The media is not going to be satisfied if the story only comes from us," Tomoe said softly, tonelessly. "They are not going to stop until they get her side of the story."

Kenshin gritted his teeth, but said nothing against the truth of what Tomoe said. After a while, he harshly sighed and stood up. "Well, now you know the mess you're both in, and apparently, you already know what to do next. I'll head back now," he said, and turned towards the door.

"Please give Kaoru a heads up on this," Akira said. "We really need her." Kenshin didn't turn back to him, or replied. "I'm sorry. Please tell her I'm sorry too."

The door closed loudly behind Kenshin. After a while, the crunch of tires on gravel were heard outside, and then Kenshin's car went speeding away. As the sound of his car faded, the silence between Akira and Tomoe became more pronounced, until it was all that filled the room. Akira sat unmoving, looking hard at Tomoe, who kept her head bowed and eyes averted from him. She had her arms around herself, and every once in a while, her hands would grip her arms tightly, almost bruising her skin by the strength of her grip.

The sight of Tomoe, curled up in a tight ball into herself, suddenly made Akira remember. She had always been this way. And it had been his fault.

It was Akira and Tomoe's summer break from school, and the Kiyosato family decided to go to the beach. They were finally able to go as soon as Akira and Tomoe finished their swimming classes, the only condition Mrs. Kiyosato gave so that they could finally go to the beach.

Of course, the two children excitedly raced towards the waves, then ran gleefully back towards the shore when the wave rushed in.

"Be careful, you two!" Mrs. Kiyosato called out.

"We will!" Akira shouted back, waving at his mother. Then he grinned at Tomoe. "Race you into the water!" he said, quickly rushing into the wave that came in.

"Hey, not fair!" Tomoe laughed, running after him.

Emboldened by the few feet they were able to go, they decided to swim farther in the sea. Akira had to help Tomoe because she wasn't as good a swimmer as him.

"Come on, Tomoe!" he said, as much as he was able over a mouthful of salty water. He didn't see Tomoe's terrified face, or her panicked arm gesture. He turned as a great wave of water came rushing towards him...

When he came to, he was in a bed. A hospital bed. Akira wondered why. But he did know that he had to look for Tomoe...

...who was curled up in a chair beside him once again.

"Tomoe," Akira whispered. Tomoe jumped at the sudden address, then maintained her previous position.

"It's not your fault, Tomoe," Akira whispered, trying to reach out for her. Tomoe remained at a distance, eyes bleakly looking at him.

Akira sighed and painstakingly moved closer to Tomoe, who remained immobile, except for her eyes which followed his movements. He gently pried off her hands from her arms, and held them in his. They were cold. "Tomoe," Akira murmured again, willing her to look at him. When she didn't, he sighed loudly. "It's not your fault."

That statement brought Tomoe's piercing glare on him. She now looked at him, as he wished, but he quickly wished again that she wouldn't look at him that way. "How can it not be?" she said in cold anger. "Do you realize what I've done? You were this close," gesturing with her thumb and pointing finger a small amount, "to getting the happiness you deserve, with someone so pure and kind and innocent, and I had to do something selfish again to mess it up." She broke away from his grasp and ran her fingers through her hair roughly, tearing a few strands from her scalp. "Why did I ever come back? If I didn't, your life and Kaoru's life should have gone on peacefully, without any incidents, nothing but love and happiness and peace. But I screwed it up. I broke you apart. I sent Kaoru away. I destroyed your reputation." She pulled her legs up and held them tightly against herself, curling up in a tight ball. "No matter what I do, I'll always mess up your life."

"I should have pulled you away from the large waves," Tomoe said tonelessly. "I should have made you go back. Then you wouldn't have..." Her eyes were glittering with tears, but she wouldn't shed them. "It's my fault."

Akira sighed and coaxed her to sit more comfortably. "It's not your fault," he said again, taking once more her hands and holding them tightly.

"Stop saying that. I hate myself even more when you say that," Tomoe said, and tried to pull back her hands from his grasp. It remained firm, so she stopped struggling. "This scandal only means that I've never been right for you, Akira. Not then, not today. I won't be right for you." Akira's hands twitched, but they didn't let her hands go. "No matter what I do—"

No matter what he said, Akira couldn't get Tomoe to talk again. She would scurry away from him, do chores that would keep her too busy to talk to him.

"Don't do this to me, Tomoe," Akira would plead, following Tomoe around as she helped put up the wet curtains.

Her mother smiled at him wanly, and whispered to him, "I'll talk to her."

Tomoe eventually started talking to him, but the fear in her eyes could never be entirely erased.

"You know, I've never seen you in a lighthearted movie at all," Akira muttered, moving his thumbs at the back of her hands. "No rom-coms for you; you always went for the tragic angles. The orphan, the self-made careerwoman who's also a single parent, the one with the terminal illness. The critics say those stories matched your looks, but I know better. Your fans love you for them, but I know better." Akira looked directly at Tomoe, and she saw tears glittering in his eyes. "It's not your fault," he repeated, "because it's mine." Akira bowed his head. A tear fell on the back of her hand. "You've always thought you were not worthy enough for me; I should have done more to make you feel that you're always precious to me. You worked hard to rise above what you were before; I should have done better in showing you that we've always stood equal beside each other. You thought your life doesn't matter; I should have done better in taking you in my arms and showing you that your every heartbeat matters to me. I was too much focused on the hurt I felt when you left me that—"

"Akira—" Tomoe pulled him closer in an embrace, drenching his shoulder with her tears.

Akira shook with sobs as well. "I'm so sorry, Tomoe..." he repeated, over and over. But Tomoe shook her head and held him tighter. Both of them poured into each other all the sorrows, the hurt, the pain that five years apart had filled them.

When they could finally look at each other, Akira looked at Tomoe with such sympathy that tears poured out again from her eyes. He brushed them away gently from her face. "Tell me the truth always, Tomoe," he whispered, his eyes never leaving hers. "Trust me with all you are. Let me help you face your troubles. You are never alone, not when you have me with you."

You were never alone, Tomoe. As he pulled her to him again, Akira fervently hoped Tomoe could finally see that in him.

XXXXXXXXXXX

"You have a visitor, Mr. Himura," Jenny, Kenshin's secretary, murmured as soon as she saw him walk in the office.

Kenshin was puzzled. "I didn't know I had an appointment today."

Jenny just shook her head and pushed open the door for him. "We had to let her in quickly, sir," she explained. "The paparazzi were close at her heels."

The scent of jasmine hit him before he saw her. "Kaoru," Kenshin said, turning immediately to her.

Kaoru walked towards him. In her hands she held a rolled up newspaper, and Kenshin knew that she already knew the problem. He was feeling apprehensive especially when she asked, without preamble, "What exactly happened here?" while brandishing the newspaper.

"Kaoru..." Kenshin began apprehensively, but Kaoru's next words took him aback.

"Are they all right?" Kaoru's face was filled with nothing but concern. "Akira's barely healed, and Tomoe must be suffering under all this hate for her. What can I do to help?"

Kenshin beamed. "You are astonishing, Kaoru, that you are," he said, awed by the compassion she was showing. Instead of being angry at getting dragged into a scandal, she was thinking again about the others involved and how they are affected. It was always them first before herself. It shouldn't have surprised me, he smiled wider.

"What?" Kaoru asked, baffled.

Kenshin shook his head. "Nothing," he said, gesturing to Jenny to bring them tea and indicating that Kaoru sit on the sofa in the receiving section of his office.

When the tea was brought in, Kenshin started. "I just came from Akira's house," he said. "They're there." Kaoru's hand stilled for a second, then proceeded to bring the teacup to her lips. Kenshin studied her for a while, then leaned forward. "Kaoru, we don't have to talk about—"

"No," Kaoru said resolutely as she put down the cup on her lap. She looked at him directly and continued, "I appreciate the gesture, Kenshin, but I think I can keep a hold of my feelings now." She smiled reassuringly. "What happened when I was away?"

Kenshin leaned back and crossed his arms. "Well, we quietly withdrew all the invitations, everything on the wedding," he said, keeping a close eye on Kaoru's face. There was a slight discomfort at the mention of the wedding, but Kaoru kept a level eye contact with him. "I had to personally go to Akira's Aunt Nitta to explain to that old bat – excuse me—" Kaoru bit her lip to stop from laughing. Kenshin grinned. "—to the honorable lady that the wedding was off." Kenshin took his cup and sipped at the hot tea. Kaoru didn't have to know how the old bat laughed derisively at him and spitefully mocked Akira for his indecisiveness and Kaoru for her cowardice in not pushing through with the wedding. Not worth thinking about, or saying, Kenshin thought as he put down his cup again.

"I hope there wasn't much unpleasant reactions about that," Kaoru said.

Kenshin winced inwardly. Sometimes, she could be so perceptive, he thought ruefully. He shook his head. "Nothing I couldn't handle. Anyway, I thought that was already settled, since most of the guests were agreeable enough. Then the PR group heard some whispers going on in the papers. This is the one small instance where I thank God for employees who slack off and get busy with other things aside from work. Someone was perceptive enough to figure out that a blind item in the tabloids was about Akira and Tomoe, and took courage to inform me about it. I thought it would remain that, a rumor, but then they came."

"Paparazzi?" Kaoru supplied.

Kenshin nodded. "They came like flies. They'd get in the company, interviewing anyone and everybody about what they know about Akira and Tomoe. Some even found out about Akira's country house and tried to get in, but I had security detail keep them away. It's just gotten worse this month."

"You sent someone after me, didn't you?" Kaoru asked, slyly looking at Kenshin, who reddened. She grinned triumphantly. "I thought so. I've had a few people coming up to me and asking me about something personal, but someone always comes up and takes them away before I could answer. I think a few of those shady people were behind me when I came here to your office, and the reception was quick to send me up, unlike before." She smiled at the memory of the first time she came to this building.

Kenshin was apologetic. "I'm sorry, but... yes, I did have someone follow you when you were away," he sheepishly confessed. "I was ...worried when the paparazzi started stalking Akira and Tomoe, so I sent someone after you." That made it sound as if I didn't send the Oniwaban immediately after she left, but whatever works, he thought. I wouldn't admit that part anyway. Fortunately, Kaoru seemed to accept that explanation, and he hoped she didn't see too much into his thoughts again. "I'm investigating how the news came out, but they're obviously famous enough to gain the attention of the tabloids."

"What does Akira and Tomoe think about all of this?" Kaoru asked, then frowned as she looked closely at Kenshin. "Do they know about this?"

"Tomoe does. Akira knew just now," Kenshin sighed. At the incredulous look on Kaoru's face, he explained. "Tomoe wanted to keep it from Akira, for some reason I don't exactly understand." He threw his hands up to emphasize, and Kaoru chuckled. "She wanted to clear everything up before Akira could know about the issue, but for the life of me I can't think of how to stop these rumors from getting bigger without his help."

"Without mine too, you know," Kaoru said. "From what I read on the articles, they make it look like Akira cheated on me with Tomoe because I wasn't... well... I wasn't classy enough for his billionaire status," she finished weakly. She looked uncertainly at Kenshin, who smiled at her sympathetically. She shook her head and grinned. "Which is not exactly surprising since that's how narrow-minded some people could be. Especially those who write about other people's business when they have no right to." She leaned back on the sofa. "When are Akira and Tomoe coming back? They ought to come back soon, so I could ask them what they plan to do."

"You do know what's going to happen if you three decide to talk about this, don't you?" Kenshin asked hesitantly.

Kaoru shrugged. "I know," she answered evenly. "Life as I know it will never be the same." She smirked, but seeing Kenshin's serious expression, sighed and answered him seriously. "Yes, I know that my life's going to be laid bare to a lot of people who actually don't care about me at all, but who'd look me up just for the sake of entertainment and escape from their own uneventful lives. I'm not worried about that, because there's nothing about my life that I'm not proud of. This," she pointed at the newspaper, "is not a scandal, but simply something that was misunderstood by people who don't know the truth. And we have to speak up and say the truth so they'd stop with these lies."

Kenshin stared at Kaoru, then slowly broke into a wide smile. She was truly amazing, and it was something he'd have to repeat to himself whenever he started to think about how she'd react to something. She is never what he expected at all, and it made him proud to have known her, and made him cherish her all the more.

Kaoru blushed self-consciously at what she saw in Kenshin's face. "What?" she muttered.

"You are truly amazing, Kaoru Kamiya," Kenshin whispered.

"You've said that twice now," Kaoru mumbled, reddening even more.

"But you are," Kenshin said, awe evident in his voice. "Most people would crumble under this sudden attack, cower from the prospect of losing everything." His eyes brightened, and he reached out to hold her hands. "But you're different. You rise above the problem, above the situation, and hold your head high still." Kaoru gasped when Kenshin suddenly kissed her hand. "You are the most amazing person I've met, Kaoru, and I'm truly happy to have known you."

Kaoru was speechless, and the heat in her cheeks blazed. Mercifully, Kenshin let go of her hands, as the secretary knocked on his door and entered the office. Kenshin murmured an apology and went over to the secretary to talk about business. Kaoru couldn't hear what they were saying, anyway, as a buzzing rang in her ears, and her heart thumped erratically as she felt elation course through her veins. She looked down at her hands, and it was as if she could still feel Kenshin's lips on her skin. If she could, she would have laughed aloud from the sheer joy that she was feeling. She had to shake her head repeatedly to calm herself. Kenshin simply is very generous with his compliments, Kaoru thought, smiling. Who wouldn't like to be praised every now and then?

When Kenshin finally returned to her, Kaoru had calmed herself enough to keep the stupid smile off her face. He sat on the seat across her and asked, "Do you want to see Akira and Tomoe? So you can talk over what you are going to do about the articles."

Kaoru nodded. "I'd love to see them again."

Kenshin's smile grew too bright that Kaoru had to look away, smiling to herself.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Kaoru gaped at the sight before her eyes. "This is a country house?" she exclaimed. Kenshin laughed as he parked the car into the spacious garage.

As soon as work ended, Kenshin took Kaoru to see Akira and Tomoe. Kaoru had already lost track of the roads they have travelled, as Kenshin drove her to the outskirts of the city, to where Akira's country house was. They had left behind the skyscrapers, and in front of her were fields and trees. Soon he turned aside towards a private path that led into a mountain, which they followed until Kaoru saw the house.

Surrounded by trees, half-hidden by their shadow, Akira's country house was no modest cabin. Kaoru had to shake her head repeatedly at that description; when Kenshin said "country house", she thought it was just going to be a simple house. Nothing was simple about this house. It was more of a mansion than a cabin, but a cabin was what the design must have been aiming for. The mix of wood and stone walls blended organically into the forest backdrop, but warm lights highlighted the cozy atmosphere inside. The lawn outside was well kept, with a few tastefully arranged flower bushes adding dashes of color on the green landscape.

Kenshin led Kaoru towards the entrance of the house. "This was Akira's parents' favorite place," he said as he walked beside Kaoru. He pointed at a small kiosk beside the house. "That's where they are laid to rest, beside the house they loved."

Kaoru smiled. "You loved them too," she said, looking at the soft smile on Kenshin's face.

Kenshin nodded. "I did."

The door opened as soon as they stepped on the threshold of the house. Tomoe's smiling face greeted them. "Kenshin, Kaoru," she said almost breathlessly.

Kenshin nodded briefly. "Tomoe."

Kaoru smiled. "Tomoe," she replied when Tomoe pulled her in a hug.

"I'm glad you can come to see us," Tomoe said as soon as she released Kaoru.

"I'm glad to see you," Kaoru replied. "Both of you," she added when she saw Akira hobbling towards them.

"Kaoru," Akira said, smiling.

Kaoru walked towards him, and hugged him as much as his casts allowed her to. "You shouldn't have come out to greet me," she said. "You could have just waited comfortably inside."

"Which is where we're supposed to be now," Kenshin said, gesturing to all three of them to get inside the house.

The three of them settled in the living room, while Kenshin left them to talk to the help about dinner. Without Kenshin's presence, however, a silence settled on three of them. They didn't know what to say to each other, each hesitantly looking at the other two before hastily looking away when one catches their gaze.

At a certain point, however, all three of them started to talk at the same time. "I want to tell you..." Akira said. "What are we going to..." Kaoru muttered. "I want to apologize..." Tomoe began.

All three of them caught each other, and they started laughing.

"Can we not be awkward like this?" Kaoru said, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I agree," Akira said, smiling wide at the mirth in Kaoru's face. Tomoe merely smiled.

"Maybe I should start," Kaoru said. She looked at Akira, then at Tomoe. "If both of you are going to apologize to me again, don't bother," she said, grinning. "You've apologized enough three months ago, and let's leave it at that."

Akira smiled fondly at Kaoru. "Thank you Kaoru."

Tomoe, however, still looked apprehensive. "But this is a different thing altogether, Kaoru," she said. "This time, you'd be giving up your privacy because of us, because of this scandal we're involved in. I—"

Kaoru raised a hand to stop her. "No," she said firmly. "This is not a different issue. This is what happens when you befriend celebrities and hotshots." She smirked. "Give me this opportunity to bask in your popularity, Tomoe."

Tomoe shook her head incredulously. "Aren't you treating this issue too lightly, Kaoru?" she asked.

"Aren't you taking this too seriously, Tomoe?" Kaoru countered.

"Serious is Tomoe's middle name," Akira intervened. He took hold of Tomoe's hand and held it tightly. He looked at Kaoru. "If you won't take our apologies, Kaoru, then please take our gratitude for helping us resolve this issue. It won't be easy on any of us, but it's going to be harder on you, especially. I am grateful you are still willing to help us despite that."

Kaoru nodded. She glanced at Akira's and Tomoe's clasped hands, and smiled softly. "I can always be your friend," she said. "Both of you." She reached out, and placed her hand on their hands.

Kenshin walked in at this moment. "Oh, is it a cheering thing?" he said pleasantly as he walked up to them and slapped his hand on top of Kaoru's, chuckling when Kaoru winced in pain. "Let's go, team!"

A/N: I meant to update last week, but I thought I had to add something to explain why Tomoe acted as if everything wrong with Akira's life was her fault. Childhood traumas can affect our actions as adults, so much that even when we do grow out of them, they could never be taken out completely out of our system.

As to why this was happening to them... well... stay tuned for the next chapters. I hope to satisfy your curiosity about who or what is the reason why this trouble is happening to them.

Thanks for the reviews btw! Keep safe and healthy, wash your hands, and keep the faith that this soon will pass.

Read and review please!