DISCLAIMER : I don't own any of the characters from the anime Rurouni
Kenshin
READ THIS ( this is actually quite important despite being sooo long )
author's notes :
yup, i actually updated sooner than usual ... that's coz it's independence day tom. ( for my country anyway ) so there's no school ! yey !!! ... sigh, it's the start of a new school year now for me, and entrance exams are looming closer ... blech =P ...
anyway, i'm sure u guys remember that in the previous chapter, kaoru announced that she's married – well, she really is married ... don't worry, it's explained in this chapter ... that's where you'll read the stuff about her dad, the dojo, etc. ... don't worry, it's only a paragraph or two ... note that although it's a bit similar to the series, i changed some info to make it fit the story, so pls don't go flaming me about it ok ?
kenshin's somewhat mean here, but i guess he makes up for it in the end ... sorry if u guys don't like this chapter ... it's a bit dramatic / sappy / exaggerated , and it doesn't contain much humor since i meant for this to be a serious chapter ... you might be confused though about the latter part of this chapter, soooo, read the author's notes that come after the chapter when ur done with this chapter ok ? ... i'll explain things a bit ...
by the way, this is the longest chapter so far in the story ...
thanks again for all u guys who wrote reviews ... annoying as it may be, i'd like to remind u guys to REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!
ENJOY !
anata ^_^
Chapter Nine – Confessions
" I ... I'm married. "
Kaoru's words repeated themselves in Kenshin's mind, echoing agonizingly in the very depths of hi heart. Her confession had a numbing effect upon him – his mind just refused to accept what she had said. How could it be possible ? The one woman who had finally won over his heart and had gained his trust was ... married ?
' This is a joke. ' thought Kenshin to himself. ' – a sick joke that she's playing on me. Anytime now she's going to laugh and smile and tell me that it's not true. Anytime soon ... ' He refused to believe it, that his angel was already someone else's.
It broke Kaoru's heart seeing the splay of emotions upon Kenshin's handsome face. He was incredulous and he was upset, but what saddened her most was seeing the hurt and vulnerability upon his face. She hadn't actually meant to reveal her secret, most especially to him – heck, she hadn't even anticipated the fact that she would allow him into her home, but now it was too late. There was no room for regrets. The most she could do now was explain, and hopefully make him understand why she had done what she did, but before she could begin, Kenshin began to shout.
" If you are married, why did you kiss me back ? Why did you respond to my touch ? Why did you lead me on ? Is this some cruel joke you enjoy playing upon poor unsuspecting men like me ? " shouted Kenshin all of a sudden, enraged by the thought of being fooled by her. He was stupid for falling for her, for being blinded by her charms. He was angry at all that, but what infuriated him the most was the fact that he was already in too deep – he was truly madly deeply in love with her and there was nothing he could do to change his feelings. All that he could do now was to lash out at her verbally, to hurt her just as she had hurt him.
" No ! I didn't mean to – "
He cut off her reply scathingly. " I know a lot of women enjoy cheating on their husbands. It's practically a hobby these days, but I didn't expect it from you. I thought you were different from those women. Apparently not. You're just a lying and cheating whore – and to think I actually believed your 'innocent' act. "
Kaoru reeled back as if she had received a physical blow, and not just an emotional attack. His words had cut her like a knife, scarring her fragile heart. She could practically feel tears welling up in her eyes, but she forced herself to prevent the tears from falling.
" Who the hell do you think you are to criticize me like that ? You don't even know why I married him in the first place and – "
" Please. Enlighten me. " was Kenshin's sarcastic reply.
" I had no choice at that time. Truthfully, it was just a marriage of convenience and – "
" Yeah, of course I understand. Go ahead and marry the first guy who is ' convenient ', just like you kissed me last night. After all, it was convenient wasn't it ? I wonder how many men do you consider convenient ? Too bad, I wasn't the first man who was ' convenient ' for you eh ? I might have ended up with a wife who – "
" Stop it ! " yelled Kaoru, tears finally streaming down her pale face. The sight of her tears caused Kenshin to return to reality. It was now he realized what he had just said and that he had made her cry. He had succeeded in hurting the one he loved the most, and nothing he could do or say could make up for it.
" I can explain, Kenshin. " murmured Kaoru shakily to the seemingly frozen millionaire.
Silence was her reply.
She wiped away a stray tear and continued. " My mother died when I was very young, leaving my father to raise me on his own. I'm not complaining or anything, but we did have a difficult life. It was awkward, yes, being raised by a father, but I was happy. One thing that we shared, something we both enjoyed, was martial arts. He had a dojo in which he taught the neighborhood kids, as well as myself, but ... " Kaoru paused for a moment, the memory of her childhood flooding upon her, bringing out a wistful look upon her beautiful face that Kenshin noted.
Kenshin, still silent, looked into her eyes and nodded for her to continue.
" Unfortunately, a few years ago, he died. The only thing he was able to leave to me was the dojo, but I was contented, knowing that this was something we both loved. Then one day a man named Sanosuke Sagara arrived at the dojo. He became a teacher there, and we became friends. Someone though, I don't even know who, wanted to get rid of my dojo. Whoever that was spread rumors about the dojo, about my teaching abilities, and the fact that I was a woman. Parents became afraid and stopped enrolling their children. My dojo, my father's name was being disgraced, and there was nothing I could do about it until – "
" Until that Sagara person offered to marry you ? " finished Kenshin angrily.
As Kaoru had been talking, Kenshin realized that he still loved her despite her marital status. His feelings for her remained unchanged. He thought that the fact that she was married would make him lose his desire for her – that he would be able to easily dimiss her from his mind. Apparently, that was not so. When he heard the name of the ' other ' man mentioned, jealousy had overtaken his mind, replacing the anger that had been there. He still wanted her – correction – he still loved her, and to him, that really mattered.
" We're just friends Kenshin. "
" Then divorce him. Tell him that it's over. Come with me. I'll be you a dozen dojos. I can give you everything that you have ever dreamed of. I can give you the world. " promised Kenshin. He had understood and accepted her story, whether it was true or not. He didn't care, as long as it was her.
" I – I can't do that. " she stuttered, fazed by the determined expression on Kenshin's face.
" Why not Kaoru ? Answer me – why not ? "
" It's not something I can just explain to you. It's complicated and – "
" Do you love him ? " interrupted Kenshin in a steely voice, as his hands held her shoulders in a vice – like grip.
Despite his outward expression, inside, he was panicking. He felt like he was on the Titanic, sinking deeper and deeper into the ocean, and the only thing he could do was hold on to her, the one he loved. A voice inside his head told him that if he let her go now, he may never be able to have her again, that he may lose her forever. That was why he asked the question. He had to know if he had a chance, whether or not she returned his feelings.
" I ... I ... No. I don't love Sanosuke. " Kaoru admitted.
Kenshin breathed a sigh of relief. Hearing her reply lifted the heavy load off his shoulders. Now, though, came the million – dollar question.
" Do you love me ? " asked Kenshin, his heart clenching painfully in anticipation for her answer.
" ..... " was Kaoru's reply.
" Answer me. " said Kenshin forcefully.
" I don't know. " answered Kaoru truthfully. " You make me happy like no one has ever been able to. When I'm with you, I find myself with a smile that I seem to have lost years ago, and really, I feel comfortable with you. I even trust you, but I'm not sure if I love you. We just met last night. "
" Do you believe in love at first sight ? – or should I walk by again ? " asked Kenshin, a smile softening his face as he quoted Kaoru's earlier words. Hearing her reply sparked a glimmer of hope in his heart. It didn't exactly make him want to jump up and down for joy, after all, she wasn't sure about her feelings ; but the fact that he indeed had a chance, was like a blessing.
" What did you just say ? " asked Kaoru bemusedly, wondering where she had heard that before, all traces of her tears now gone.
" Just a few minutes ago, remember, you laughed at my best pick – up line with the muffin bran. You suggested saying ' Do you believe in love at first sight ? – or ... " reminded Kenshin.
" Yeah, I remember, but I don't know the answer to that question. " replied Kaoru, a hint of a smile now returning to her face.
Seeing her happier expression gave him the courage to continue. " I'm sorry for all those things I said. I'm sorry for making you cry. I didn't really mean them. I was just really upset because – " He was humbling himself once more. He was apologizing. Sincerely. It felt weird, and Kaoru could see his difficulty in bringing out the word ' sorry '.
" I understand. " Kaoru interjected. " I would probably said something similar to what you said, had I been in your shoes. I'm just glad that you understand my situation as well. "
Kenshin smiled in relief.
Kaoru smiled in understanding.
They were going to smile quite a bit more, when they were interrupted by the ringing of Kenshin's cell phone. The ring tone of his phone sounded eerily like the opening song of Sailormoon, but Kaoru didn't really notice. She was too busy thinking of his question, and her answer to it.
Kenshin quickly pressed the ' answer ' button, and was unpleasantly surprised to hear Megumi's voice on the other end of the line. Apparently, he had scheduled a lunch date with her, and a quick glance at his watch confirmed the fact that he was an hour late.
" Where are you darling ? " purred Megumi sweetly, although the undercurrent of rage for being made to wait, was obvious in her pretentious tone.
" Do you have to leave now ? " asked Kaoru, noticing the look of annoyance cover Kenshin's face as he listened to the phone.
" Not yet. " replied Kenshin.
" Who's that with you Kenshin ? " asked Megumi, noticing that whomever was with Kenshin was definitely female. A frown marred Megumi's otherwise flawless face, as she deduced that the person who had made Kenshin forget about a date with her was indeed another woman. In other words, she had competition. She disguised her fury, by making her voice even more flirty than usual. " Never mind dear. Just hurry here and let's have lunch. I'm absolutely starving. "
" Okay. Give me a couple of minutes. I still have a few things to attend to. "
" Who's that anyway ? " Kaoru curiously asked, wondering who could bring such an unpleasant expression to Kenshin's face.
" No one important. " Kenshin answered Kaoru, covering the cell phone's mouthpiece with one hand as he turned to smile reassuringly at Kaoru's worried face. He focused his attention back onto his conversation with Megumi, deciding to end it as soon as possible. " Megumi, just wait for me okay ? "
" Anything for you, baby. " smirked Megumi, before hanging up the phone.
Inside though, Megumi was seething with rage. She had heard Kenshin's reply, though muffled by his hand, that SHE was ' no one important. ' She would find out whoever the other woman is, and definitely, Megumi would make her pay for trying to steal Kenshin away from her. ' Of course, Kenshin deserves a bit of punishment too for being unfaithful to me ... ' mused Megumi to herself, all the while imperceptibly using her bread knife to repeatedly stab the rosette shaped butter beside her complimentary slice of bread, into tiny pieces.
Back in Kaoru's home ...
" That was just a friend of mine. Her name is Megumi. " explained Kenshin, after returning his phone into his jacket pocket.
Kaoru felt a stab of jealousy at hearing the name of Kenshin's friend. She couldn't understand why she suddenly felt so insecure, just because she found out that Kenshin's friend was a woman.
" Anyway, I was supposed to meet her for lunch and – "
" Oh, you don't have to explain that to me Kenshin. Anyway, I think you should go meet her now, since you did tell her that you'll be going to her in a few minutes. "
Although these words were pouring from her mouth, Kaoru's mind was screaming the total opposite : ' I want you to tell me about her ! I don't want you to go to her ! Don't go to meet her ! ' , with ' I wish she's ugly ' as an afterthought. When her brain's message registered, Kaoru hastily chastised herself for being mean and crazy. After all, it wasn't as if she and Kenshin were a couple, not to mention the fact that technically, she herself was a married woman.
Kenshin tugged at his hair and grinned regretfully. " I guess I have to go now. Once again, I'm really sorry for everything that I had said earlier. I hope you don't take them to heart. "
He paused for a moment, looking at her with soulful eyes, before stepping into the sunlight. He had thought about kissing her goodbye, but then he realized that the timing was not appropriate, especially after what he had said, plus the fact that Kaoru wasn't exactly available. He had hesitated, and the practical side of him took over, forcing his feet to take step by step onto the sidewalk.
Kaoru smiled feebly and nodded. She walked him to the front door, watching him walk away once more before closing the front door with a bang. She felt depleted of energy, and yet, surprisingly enough, she felt happy by the events that had happened in the morning. Although things hadn't gone that well, her wish to see Kenshin again had been granted. She had been able to explain to him why she couldn't be a witness to his case – heck, she had even been able to reveal her secret that she was married, all in one morning ! She felt that there was something missing though, something she couldn't quite identify. She shrugged. Maybe the feeling of incompleteness was due to her hunger. She hadn't been able to eat breakfast that morning, and right now, it was an hour past her usual lunch time.
' Why do I find it so easy to forgive him ? I don't understand myself. ' thought Kaoru to herself, before noticing that she was extremely hungry.
Kaoru plodded towards the kitchen, wondering to herself whether she should order pizza or Chinese takeout, to appease her empty stomach. In the end, she picked pizza, and made her order. She would have preferred to cook, except for the fact that she cooked horribly. The only thing she could actually make was onigiri ( rice balls ), but it would take much too long to cook rice and make them.
Her stomach growled. A few seconds later, it rumbled even louder than the previous one, almost causing her to miss hearing the knocking on her door. With a frown, she shouted out loud " What or who is it ? " at whoever was knocking.
" Delivery for Mrs. Kaoru Kamiya. " was the muffled reply.
' It can't be the pizza already. It would take at least 20 minutes to get here. ' she thought to herself.
With a sigh of resignation, Kaoru headed towards the door once more, and carefully opened it. She was greeted by the sight of a grinning redhead with gorgeous amethyst eyes, holding a piece of paper. In other words, it was Kenshin with what appeared to be a sheet of notebook paper haphazardly ripped from it's source, with some scribbles on it.
" What are you doing ? "
" Ahem. Excuse me miss, but I have a message from you from Mr. Himura. " answered Kenshin in a deep voice, after tipping his non-existent delivery boy's hat.
" Oh really ? What is it ? " asked Kaoru, deciding to play along to whatever Kenshin was doing.
Kenshin handed Kaoru a rose, and smoothened the piece of paper he was holding, and began to sing out loud.
" To Kaoru : ... Yadiyadiya ... it's really boring. Wait ! Here's the good part : P.S. : I forgot to mention awhile ago, plus the fact that I'm afraid to say it to you, which is why I have sent a delivery boy to give you the message. I love you. I really do. " sang Kenshin off – key to Kaoru who was frozen in shock. Yes, he sounded terribly out of tune, plus the fact that he had made an impromptu song, but her mind couldn't get over the words of the message.
" Kenshin – you love ... ? "
" Ma'm, I'm just the delivery boy. I hope though that you understood Mr. Himura's message loud and clear, because really, I know that he desperately wants you to know how he feels. " The volume of Kenshin's voice suddenly dropped a few notches, as he whispered secretly to Kaoru, " I know for a fact that Mr. Himura is madly in love with you, but don't tell him that I told you that okay ? "
" Kenshin ... " sniffed Kaoru, as tears threatened to come out once again, except this time it was for another reason. An overwhelming sense of happiness filled her heart. She was ecstatically delighted with Kenshin's actions. It was sweet, romantic, and so Kenshin – like.
Kenshin's alarm at seeing that Kaoru was going to cry again was quickly quenched as he realized that the tears that were leaking out were tears of joy, not sadness.
Kaoru looked at the rose in her hand, which Kenshin had given her and thought for a moment. " Isn't this one of the roses from Mrs. Granger's front lawn ? " she laughed.
" Yeah, it is. I risked my life getting you one of those you know ? She could have easily seen me and chased me around with her broom again ! " was Kenshin's reply, causing Kaoru to shake in mirth.
" ... stop acting like you're some sort of delivery boy okay ? " requested Kaoru in between giggles.
" Fine, fine. " agreed Kenshin. " Does that mean I don't get a tip ? "
" I don't have any money with me right now. " answered Kaoru.
" I don't mean that kind of tip. I meant this – " and he kissed her deeply.
In a restaurant a couple of blocks away ...
Megumi furiously snapped the stem of the wine glass she was holding, as she realized that she had been stood up by Kenshin. She was oblivious to the pain and the blood dripping down from her fist, caused by the shards of glass covering her hand and the table. All she could see was ' her ' Kenshin, with someone else, instead of her.
" You will pay for this. " she silently vowed, her eyes glinting with pure hatred and malice, as she made a few phone calls.
" I'll make sure of it ... "
to be continued ...
yeah, it's NOT YET DONE ... although Kenshin and Kaoru seem to be doing really well right now, it's not yet finished ... after all, we can't leave megumi and sano and the marriage and murder problems unsolved now can we ?
some of u may have gotten a bit confused about the delivery boy part ... in case u were confused, read this ok ?
basically, kenshin wanted to tell kaoru his feelings, but forgot/was afraid to tell her, so he revealed it to her in a really sweet way by sending a delivery boy ( aka himself ) to tell her how he felt ... so in short, the delivery boy is him ... no, he wasn't wearing a disguise or anything ... of course he wouldn't send a real delivery boy because then it would be impersonal ... sigh, am i making sense ? ... if u still don't get it, i'm sorry ... i have no idea how to further explain it ...
pls. write a review ... yes, i'm a grubby review craving fan fic writer ... aren't we all ? hehe, just kidding ... it's probably just me ... once again, look at the little purple box that comes after these words ... it says ... Click here to submit a review ... click on it ... click on it ... click on it ... honestly, if you think my fic sucks, give me constructive criticism ... in short, tell me how to improve ... thanks ...
READ THIS ( this is actually quite important despite being sooo long )
author's notes :
yup, i actually updated sooner than usual ... that's coz it's independence day tom. ( for my country anyway ) so there's no school ! yey !!! ... sigh, it's the start of a new school year now for me, and entrance exams are looming closer ... blech =P ...
anyway, i'm sure u guys remember that in the previous chapter, kaoru announced that she's married – well, she really is married ... don't worry, it's explained in this chapter ... that's where you'll read the stuff about her dad, the dojo, etc. ... don't worry, it's only a paragraph or two ... note that although it's a bit similar to the series, i changed some info to make it fit the story, so pls don't go flaming me about it ok ?
kenshin's somewhat mean here, but i guess he makes up for it in the end ... sorry if u guys don't like this chapter ... it's a bit dramatic / sappy / exaggerated , and it doesn't contain much humor since i meant for this to be a serious chapter ... you might be confused though about the latter part of this chapter, soooo, read the author's notes that come after the chapter when ur done with this chapter ok ? ... i'll explain things a bit ...
by the way, this is the longest chapter so far in the story ...
thanks again for all u guys who wrote reviews ... annoying as it may be, i'd like to remind u guys to REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!
ENJOY !
anata ^_^
Chapter Nine – Confessions
" I ... I'm married. "
Kaoru's words repeated themselves in Kenshin's mind, echoing agonizingly in the very depths of hi heart. Her confession had a numbing effect upon him – his mind just refused to accept what she had said. How could it be possible ? The one woman who had finally won over his heart and had gained his trust was ... married ?
' This is a joke. ' thought Kenshin to himself. ' – a sick joke that she's playing on me. Anytime now she's going to laugh and smile and tell me that it's not true. Anytime soon ... ' He refused to believe it, that his angel was already someone else's.
It broke Kaoru's heart seeing the splay of emotions upon Kenshin's handsome face. He was incredulous and he was upset, but what saddened her most was seeing the hurt and vulnerability upon his face. She hadn't actually meant to reveal her secret, most especially to him – heck, she hadn't even anticipated the fact that she would allow him into her home, but now it was too late. There was no room for regrets. The most she could do now was explain, and hopefully make him understand why she had done what she did, but before she could begin, Kenshin began to shout.
" If you are married, why did you kiss me back ? Why did you respond to my touch ? Why did you lead me on ? Is this some cruel joke you enjoy playing upon poor unsuspecting men like me ? " shouted Kenshin all of a sudden, enraged by the thought of being fooled by her. He was stupid for falling for her, for being blinded by her charms. He was angry at all that, but what infuriated him the most was the fact that he was already in too deep – he was truly madly deeply in love with her and there was nothing he could do to change his feelings. All that he could do now was to lash out at her verbally, to hurt her just as she had hurt him.
" No ! I didn't mean to – "
He cut off her reply scathingly. " I know a lot of women enjoy cheating on their husbands. It's practically a hobby these days, but I didn't expect it from you. I thought you were different from those women. Apparently not. You're just a lying and cheating whore – and to think I actually believed your 'innocent' act. "
Kaoru reeled back as if she had received a physical blow, and not just an emotional attack. His words had cut her like a knife, scarring her fragile heart. She could practically feel tears welling up in her eyes, but she forced herself to prevent the tears from falling.
" Who the hell do you think you are to criticize me like that ? You don't even know why I married him in the first place and – "
" Please. Enlighten me. " was Kenshin's sarcastic reply.
" I had no choice at that time. Truthfully, it was just a marriage of convenience and – "
" Yeah, of course I understand. Go ahead and marry the first guy who is ' convenient ', just like you kissed me last night. After all, it was convenient wasn't it ? I wonder how many men do you consider convenient ? Too bad, I wasn't the first man who was ' convenient ' for you eh ? I might have ended up with a wife who – "
" Stop it ! " yelled Kaoru, tears finally streaming down her pale face. The sight of her tears caused Kenshin to return to reality. It was now he realized what he had just said and that he had made her cry. He had succeeded in hurting the one he loved the most, and nothing he could do or say could make up for it.
" I can explain, Kenshin. " murmured Kaoru shakily to the seemingly frozen millionaire.
Silence was her reply.
She wiped away a stray tear and continued. " My mother died when I was very young, leaving my father to raise me on his own. I'm not complaining or anything, but we did have a difficult life. It was awkward, yes, being raised by a father, but I was happy. One thing that we shared, something we both enjoyed, was martial arts. He had a dojo in which he taught the neighborhood kids, as well as myself, but ... " Kaoru paused for a moment, the memory of her childhood flooding upon her, bringing out a wistful look upon her beautiful face that Kenshin noted.
Kenshin, still silent, looked into her eyes and nodded for her to continue.
" Unfortunately, a few years ago, he died. The only thing he was able to leave to me was the dojo, but I was contented, knowing that this was something we both loved. Then one day a man named Sanosuke Sagara arrived at the dojo. He became a teacher there, and we became friends. Someone though, I don't even know who, wanted to get rid of my dojo. Whoever that was spread rumors about the dojo, about my teaching abilities, and the fact that I was a woman. Parents became afraid and stopped enrolling their children. My dojo, my father's name was being disgraced, and there was nothing I could do about it until – "
" Until that Sagara person offered to marry you ? " finished Kenshin angrily.
As Kaoru had been talking, Kenshin realized that he still loved her despite her marital status. His feelings for her remained unchanged. He thought that the fact that she was married would make him lose his desire for her – that he would be able to easily dimiss her from his mind. Apparently, that was not so. When he heard the name of the ' other ' man mentioned, jealousy had overtaken his mind, replacing the anger that had been there. He still wanted her – correction – he still loved her, and to him, that really mattered.
" We're just friends Kenshin. "
" Then divorce him. Tell him that it's over. Come with me. I'll be you a dozen dojos. I can give you everything that you have ever dreamed of. I can give you the world. " promised Kenshin. He had understood and accepted her story, whether it was true or not. He didn't care, as long as it was her.
" I – I can't do that. " she stuttered, fazed by the determined expression on Kenshin's face.
" Why not Kaoru ? Answer me – why not ? "
" It's not something I can just explain to you. It's complicated and – "
" Do you love him ? " interrupted Kenshin in a steely voice, as his hands held her shoulders in a vice – like grip.
Despite his outward expression, inside, he was panicking. He felt like he was on the Titanic, sinking deeper and deeper into the ocean, and the only thing he could do was hold on to her, the one he loved. A voice inside his head told him that if he let her go now, he may never be able to have her again, that he may lose her forever. That was why he asked the question. He had to know if he had a chance, whether or not she returned his feelings.
" I ... I ... No. I don't love Sanosuke. " Kaoru admitted.
Kenshin breathed a sigh of relief. Hearing her reply lifted the heavy load off his shoulders. Now, though, came the million – dollar question.
" Do you love me ? " asked Kenshin, his heart clenching painfully in anticipation for her answer.
" ..... " was Kaoru's reply.
" Answer me. " said Kenshin forcefully.
" I don't know. " answered Kaoru truthfully. " You make me happy like no one has ever been able to. When I'm with you, I find myself with a smile that I seem to have lost years ago, and really, I feel comfortable with you. I even trust you, but I'm not sure if I love you. We just met last night. "
" Do you believe in love at first sight ? – or should I walk by again ? " asked Kenshin, a smile softening his face as he quoted Kaoru's earlier words. Hearing her reply sparked a glimmer of hope in his heart. It didn't exactly make him want to jump up and down for joy, after all, she wasn't sure about her feelings ; but the fact that he indeed had a chance, was like a blessing.
" What did you just say ? " asked Kaoru bemusedly, wondering where she had heard that before, all traces of her tears now gone.
" Just a few minutes ago, remember, you laughed at my best pick – up line with the muffin bran. You suggested saying ' Do you believe in love at first sight ? – or ... " reminded Kenshin.
" Yeah, I remember, but I don't know the answer to that question. " replied Kaoru, a hint of a smile now returning to her face.
Seeing her happier expression gave him the courage to continue. " I'm sorry for all those things I said. I'm sorry for making you cry. I didn't really mean them. I was just really upset because – " He was humbling himself once more. He was apologizing. Sincerely. It felt weird, and Kaoru could see his difficulty in bringing out the word ' sorry '.
" I understand. " Kaoru interjected. " I would probably said something similar to what you said, had I been in your shoes. I'm just glad that you understand my situation as well. "
Kenshin smiled in relief.
Kaoru smiled in understanding.
They were going to smile quite a bit more, when they were interrupted by the ringing of Kenshin's cell phone. The ring tone of his phone sounded eerily like the opening song of Sailormoon, but Kaoru didn't really notice. She was too busy thinking of his question, and her answer to it.
Kenshin quickly pressed the ' answer ' button, and was unpleasantly surprised to hear Megumi's voice on the other end of the line. Apparently, he had scheduled a lunch date with her, and a quick glance at his watch confirmed the fact that he was an hour late.
" Where are you darling ? " purred Megumi sweetly, although the undercurrent of rage for being made to wait, was obvious in her pretentious tone.
" Do you have to leave now ? " asked Kaoru, noticing the look of annoyance cover Kenshin's face as he listened to the phone.
" Not yet. " replied Kenshin.
" Who's that with you Kenshin ? " asked Megumi, noticing that whomever was with Kenshin was definitely female. A frown marred Megumi's otherwise flawless face, as she deduced that the person who had made Kenshin forget about a date with her was indeed another woman. In other words, she had competition. She disguised her fury, by making her voice even more flirty than usual. " Never mind dear. Just hurry here and let's have lunch. I'm absolutely starving. "
" Okay. Give me a couple of minutes. I still have a few things to attend to. "
" Who's that anyway ? " Kaoru curiously asked, wondering who could bring such an unpleasant expression to Kenshin's face.
" No one important. " Kenshin answered Kaoru, covering the cell phone's mouthpiece with one hand as he turned to smile reassuringly at Kaoru's worried face. He focused his attention back onto his conversation with Megumi, deciding to end it as soon as possible. " Megumi, just wait for me okay ? "
" Anything for you, baby. " smirked Megumi, before hanging up the phone.
Inside though, Megumi was seething with rage. She had heard Kenshin's reply, though muffled by his hand, that SHE was ' no one important. ' She would find out whoever the other woman is, and definitely, Megumi would make her pay for trying to steal Kenshin away from her. ' Of course, Kenshin deserves a bit of punishment too for being unfaithful to me ... ' mused Megumi to herself, all the while imperceptibly using her bread knife to repeatedly stab the rosette shaped butter beside her complimentary slice of bread, into tiny pieces.
Back in Kaoru's home ...
" That was just a friend of mine. Her name is Megumi. " explained Kenshin, after returning his phone into his jacket pocket.
Kaoru felt a stab of jealousy at hearing the name of Kenshin's friend. She couldn't understand why she suddenly felt so insecure, just because she found out that Kenshin's friend was a woman.
" Anyway, I was supposed to meet her for lunch and – "
" Oh, you don't have to explain that to me Kenshin. Anyway, I think you should go meet her now, since you did tell her that you'll be going to her in a few minutes. "
Although these words were pouring from her mouth, Kaoru's mind was screaming the total opposite : ' I want you to tell me about her ! I don't want you to go to her ! Don't go to meet her ! ' , with ' I wish she's ugly ' as an afterthought. When her brain's message registered, Kaoru hastily chastised herself for being mean and crazy. After all, it wasn't as if she and Kenshin were a couple, not to mention the fact that technically, she herself was a married woman.
Kenshin tugged at his hair and grinned regretfully. " I guess I have to go now. Once again, I'm really sorry for everything that I had said earlier. I hope you don't take them to heart. "
He paused for a moment, looking at her with soulful eyes, before stepping into the sunlight. He had thought about kissing her goodbye, but then he realized that the timing was not appropriate, especially after what he had said, plus the fact that Kaoru wasn't exactly available. He had hesitated, and the practical side of him took over, forcing his feet to take step by step onto the sidewalk.
Kaoru smiled feebly and nodded. She walked him to the front door, watching him walk away once more before closing the front door with a bang. She felt depleted of energy, and yet, surprisingly enough, she felt happy by the events that had happened in the morning. Although things hadn't gone that well, her wish to see Kenshin again had been granted. She had been able to explain to him why she couldn't be a witness to his case – heck, she had even been able to reveal her secret that she was married, all in one morning ! She felt that there was something missing though, something she couldn't quite identify. She shrugged. Maybe the feeling of incompleteness was due to her hunger. She hadn't been able to eat breakfast that morning, and right now, it was an hour past her usual lunch time.
' Why do I find it so easy to forgive him ? I don't understand myself. ' thought Kaoru to herself, before noticing that she was extremely hungry.
Kaoru plodded towards the kitchen, wondering to herself whether she should order pizza or Chinese takeout, to appease her empty stomach. In the end, she picked pizza, and made her order. She would have preferred to cook, except for the fact that she cooked horribly. The only thing she could actually make was onigiri ( rice balls ), but it would take much too long to cook rice and make them.
Her stomach growled. A few seconds later, it rumbled even louder than the previous one, almost causing her to miss hearing the knocking on her door. With a frown, she shouted out loud " What or who is it ? " at whoever was knocking.
" Delivery for Mrs. Kaoru Kamiya. " was the muffled reply.
' It can't be the pizza already. It would take at least 20 minutes to get here. ' she thought to herself.
With a sigh of resignation, Kaoru headed towards the door once more, and carefully opened it. She was greeted by the sight of a grinning redhead with gorgeous amethyst eyes, holding a piece of paper. In other words, it was Kenshin with what appeared to be a sheet of notebook paper haphazardly ripped from it's source, with some scribbles on it.
" What are you doing ? "
" Ahem. Excuse me miss, but I have a message from you from Mr. Himura. " answered Kenshin in a deep voice, after tipping his non-existent delivery boy's hat.
" Oh really ? What is it ? " asked Kaoru, deciding to play along to whatever Kenshin was doing.
Kenshin handed Kaoru a rose, and smoothened the piece of paper he was holding, and began to sing out loud.
" To Kaoru : ... Yadiyadiya ... it's really boring. Wait ! Here's the good part : P.S. : I forgot to mention awhile ago, plus the fact that I'm afraid to say it to you, which is why I have sent a delivery boy to give you the message. I love you. I really do. " sang Kenshin off – key to Kaoru who was frozen in shock. Yes, he sounded terribly out of tune, plus the fact that he had made an impromptu song, but her mind couldn't get over the words of the message.
" Kenshin – you love ... ? "
" Ma'm, I'm just the delivery boy. I hope though that you understood Mr. Himura's message loud and clear, because really, I know that he desperately wants you to know how he feels. " The volume of Kenshin's voice suddenly dropped a few notches, as he whispered secretly to Kaoru, " I know for a fact that Mr. Himura is madly in love with you, but don't tell him that I told you that okay ? "
" Kenshin ... " sniffed Kaoru, as tears threatened to come out once again, except this time it was for another reason. An overwhelming sense of happiness filled her heart. She was ecstatically delighted with Kenshin's actions. It was sweet, romantic, and so Kenshin – like.
Kenshin's alarm at seeing that Kaoru was going to cry again was quickly quenched as he realized that the tears that were leaking out were tears of joy, not sadness.
Kaoru looked at the rose in her hand, which Kenshin had given her and thought for a moment. " Isn't this one of the roses from Mrs. Granger's front lawn ? " she laughed.
" Yeah, it is. I risked my life getting you one of those you know ? She could have easily seen me and chased me around with her broom again ! " was Kenshin's reply, causing Kaoru to shake in mirth.
" ... stop acting like you're some sort of delivery boy okay ? " requested Kaoru in between giggles.
" Fine, fine. " agreed Kenshin. " Does that mean I don't get a tip ? "
" I don't have any money with me right now. " answered Kaoru.
" I don't mean that kind of tip. I meant this – " and he kissed her deeply.
In a restaurant a couple of blocks away ...
Megumi furiously snapped the stem of the wine glass she was holding, as she realized that she had been stood up by Kenshin. She was oblivious to the pain and the blood dripping down from her fist, caused by the shards of glass covering her hand and the table. All she could see was ' her ' Kenshin, with someone else, instead of her.
" You will pay for this. " she silently vowed, her eyes glinting with pure hatred and malice, as she made a few phone calls.
" I'll make sure of it ... "
to be continued ...
yeah, it's NOT YET DONE ... although Kenshin and Kaoru seem to be doing really well right now, it's not yet finished ... after all, we can't leave megumi and sano and the marriage and murder problems unsolved now can we ?
some of u may have gotten a bit confused about the delivery boy part ... in case u were confused, read this ok ?
basically, kenshin wanted to tell kaoru his feelings, but forgot/was afraid to tell her, so he revealed it to her in a really sweet way by sending a delivery boy ( aka himself ) to tell her how he felt ... so in short, the delivery boy is him ... no, he wasn't wearing a disguise or anything ... of course he wouldn't send a real delivery boy because then it would be impersonal ... sigh, am i making sense ? ... if u still don't get it, i'm sorry ... i have no idea how to further explain it ...
pls. write a review ... yes, i'm a grubby review craving fan fic writer ... aren't we all ? hehe, just kidding ... it's probably just me ... once again, look at the little purple box that comes after these words ... it says ... Click here to submit a review ... click on it ... click on it ... click on it ... honestly, if you think my fic sucks, give me constructive criticism ... in short, tell me how to improve ... thanks ...