* Disclaimer: Standard disclaimer applies.
In Search of the Lost Sapphire
Chapter 6: A Story Never Told
Stillness was all over the room when Kenshin was finished. "Very well…" Megumi's voice broke the silence. "… then I shall tell you the story of Kamiya Kaoru's life…. Sit down and take your drink, Ken-san. This might take a while…"
****************************
"Kamiya Kaoru, as what you've found out, was the daughter of a police officer named Kamiya Koshijirou. Her mother's name was Kamiya Yuriko. The Kamiya family was my neighbor. That's why our family was quite close. I even thought her as my own little sister, since I don't have one…. Like most of the people from our neighborhood they were not a rich family, but they were a happy family."
"Unfortunately, to all good things must come an end…. When Kaoru-chan was 8-years old, Kamiya Yuriko died of cancer. As you would expect, they both grieved over her death very deeply, especially Koshijirou-san. He couldn't accept the face that his beloved wife was taken away from him. And the fact that he could do nothing to prevent it made things worse…."
"He became so absorbed with his work as a police officer to distract himself from the pain of losing his wife that he didn't give Kaoru-chan the appropriate attention. But Kaoru-chan had never complained... She said that she had understood why her father seemed to neglect her, and that she had known her father loved her anyway." Megumi's eyes moistened a bit at the memory of Kaoru. "She… was truly wise beyond her young age…. Not to mention a strong girl as well…"
"To Koshijirou-san, the death of his wife might be the end. But to Kaoru-chan, the death of her mother was only the beginning… Two years after that, another tragedy struck. Her father was on hot pursuit for robbers when he was shot and died. And she was left alone…. Our family would have taken her in if only we've had enough money. But we could barely afford our own needs…. I would go to college in a few months; we just could not come up with enough money for her. Since she had no living relatives, the government sent her to an orphanage at the other side of the town…."
"I still saw her once in a while since then. I was busy with college, and she was not allowed to go out very often…. But her misery didn't end there. The other kids at the orphanage were not very nice to her. Kaoru-chan once came to me with blue spot on her face. She didn't want to tell me where that came from, but I heard that she had gotten herself into a fight with other kids. She had defended a little boy from being beaten by the other kids…." Megumi's eyes flared with anger as she recalled that event. "Those punks were all boys, not too mention older and surely bigger than her! And they had managed to fight a little girl without shame or guilt at all!"
"We wanted to get her out of that place, but they didn't give a damn about what happened to her…. So despite our protests she stayed there, until the day that great earthquake happened another two years after that…."
"After the earthquake I only saw her three times. The first time was right after it happened. I was relieved to see her unhurt. But I could not really take care of her. I had a lot of patients to take care about, so with heavy heart I sent her to one of the temporary shelters for the victims…."
"For eight months I hadn't heard anything from her, until the day she came to me with a surprising news…. She was going to be adopted by a Japanese family who lived in America! She asked us if she should go…. Well, a part of me was glad that she might finally get the chance to live happily. She really deserved that. But I was worried as well. I kept asking myself if they were nice people, if they would treat her nicely, if she would be all right. But we all knew that it was the only chance she had…. So in the end, we told her to listen to her heart and follow what it said."
"I met her foster family the day she was going to leave. They said they were ranchers. The lady had brown hair… she was beautiful. I still remember that I had been very relieved at the moment I saw her. She was a very kind woman; at least that's my conclusion after our brief conversation. The only thing that plagued my mind was her brother. He was… somewhat creepy. But maybe it's just me…"
There was a long pause. When Megumi kept being silent, Kenshin was the one to probe further, "What happened to her after that?"
"I don't know…" Megumi shrugged, her eyes sad. "It was the last time I've ever seen her. Kaoru-chan promised to send letters, but to this day I've never received even one of them…. To tell you the truth, it was the one thing that makes me worried…."
"What is it?"
"Kaoru-chan has always kept her promises. She wasn't very fond of writing, but if she said she'd send a letter, she would surely do that no matter if it were only once in a while…. I had sent letters too to her, several times already. But there were no reply at all."
"Maybe you got the wrong address, Kitsune-chan…" Sanosuke came up with a possible cause.
But Megumi shook her head. "No, I'm quite sure that the address was right. They wrote it for me themselves…."
"So you don't know where she is now?"
She bowed her head down sadly. "Gomen nasai, Ken-san, it's all I could tell you about her."
"It's okay." Kenshin's answer came after a few minutes of silence. Megumi lifted up her head and found him smiling. "You can't do anything about it, can you?" But his sad eyes betrayed his smile….
Megumi had looked at the redhead for a moment before she continued, "One interesting thing about her is her smile." Her eyes gazed at nothingness. Then a smile appeared on her lips as she reached out to Sanosuke, who immediately caught her hand and enveloped it with his own. "Even in the worst of times she would still smile. She had smiled at her mother's funeral and later at her father's funeral also. She had smiled after she had fought those kids at the orphanage. She had smiled even after everything has been taken away from her.… She had cried too, after all she was just a girl. But somehow, through all those tears she had managed to smile…. Sometimes it was a sad smile, sometimes it was just a small smile, but it was always genuine…"
"It was very amazing that everything she's gone through didn't turn her into a bitter, sad and wretched person. On the contrary, it made a better person out of her…"
"I guess she learned it from her mother. Yuriko-san was a very spirited woman., and a strong one. She never gave up. No matter what, she wouldn't let her circumstances took control of her. Instead, she took control of it…. I remember her last smile; the smile she had smiled at her deathbed…. She looked so beautiful and so peaceful…. Kaoru-chan definitely grew up watching her back. I wish Koshijirou-san had taken up such attitude…. Then maybe things would have turned out differently. Maybe things would have been better for her…"
"Yes, she was just a mere little girl back then. But she had taught the people around her more than she would ever think of…."
***
Weeks later…
"Himura, are you sure you'd be okay out there, alone by yourself?" An old man with thick mustache was standing beside a white stallion, his hand holding its bridle. He handed the bridle over to Kenshin. "Sure you don't want Soujirou to accompany you?"
"Thanks anyway, but that's not necessary." Kenshin rejected the old man's offer politely. "I'm quite used to travel alone. Besides, I don't know how long I will be gone. What would Misao said if she knew her little brother had to miss the classes because of me?"
Both men frowned for a while, contemplating Misao's reaction. Then the old man shook his head. "Nah… you're right. Neither one of us would want to face her wrath…."
"I can take care of myself, Okina. But thanks anyway for your concern…." With that Kenshin jumped to the back of that horse without difficulty. The old man, a.k.a. Okina, took Kenshin's backpack and gave it to him. "My, my, what a heavy back pack you've got here!"
"Yeah… my camera and all those lenses…. What do you expect?" Kenshin grinned. "Hey, I'll better be off soon. Once again thanks for everything!"
"Kenshin…" Okina halted him from departing. "Be careful. Around here isn't really safe anymore as it was 5 years ago. Just watch your back, okay?"
"I understand. I will." Kenshin nodded. "Then till we meet again!"
***
It had been three weeks since Kenshin landed back on America with empty hands. He still didn't know where Kaoru is nor if she's still alive. He was going to give up, thinking that forever she would remain only in his dreams. But a telephone call changed it all…
Flashback
"Kenshin, it's me, Sanosuke!" His brief visit at Sagara's apartment had apparently made them friends. Sanosuke and Megumi had invited the redhead to stay overnight at their apartment. They had exchanged email addresses, and promised to keep in touch with each other. But he didn't expect a call, especially since he didn't give them his telephone number. And if anything, Kenshin swore that Sanosuke seemed pretty excited.
"Hi, Sanosuke. What's up? How did you get my number anyway"
"From Katsu, but it's not so important. I've got something that surely would interest your attention!"
By now, Kenshin had become curious. "What? Tell me before I'd die of curiosity!"
"Do you remember Megumi saying that they had given her their address?"
"Who are they? The family that adopted Kaoru?"
"No. The emperor of Japan…." Sanosuke sighed exasperatedly and snapped at him, "You moron, of course I meant them!"
"Sorry…. And yeah, I did remember her saying that. What's wrong?"
"Well… great news for ya, pal! It seems like we've found it…"
End of flashback
Megumi had indeed found the piece of paper in which they had written their address. But Sanosuke couldn't promise that Kenshin would find her there. He didn't even know whether the address was correct, or whether it really existed. But, so he had told Kenshin, at least they had a clue now….
It seems that an occupation like detective would suit the redhead best, because after Sanosuke had hung up, he immediately track down that address. And that in no time he had already gotten a result would be the proof that the premise stated above was true. The address did exist after all…. It was registered under the name Amakusa Shougo and it was located somewhere at California.
At that very day Kenshin took the plane from Washington D.C. to Sacramento. He had traveled to the other half of the world just to go after her; the other edge of USA didn't matter that much to him….
With renewed strength and hope Kenshin went to Okina, Misao's grandfather. He owned a ranch nearby Shougo's address. In fact, it was Okina who advised him to take a horse while Kenshin had wanted to borrow Okina's old jeep. A heavy rainstorm had just hit the area and the road was heavily damaged.
Of course Okina didn't know that his ex-grandson-in-law-to-be wanted to visit Mr. Amakusa. He only knew that the redhead wanted to explore that area and take a couple of good pictures.
And that's how Kenshin landed in the middle of nowhere alone, only with a white stallion as his silent company….
***
The sky had turned darker, but the sun hadn't completely gone yet though. A fragment of the orange sun was still hanging in the sky. Perfect to make a silhouette-shot…. Although he wasn't specialized in landscape photography, Kenshin did occasionally capture such memorable moments of nature. Being a photographer, he still had 'good eyes' after all. So he jumped down the horse, quickly set the tripod and measured the exposure needed.
But then he realized that he forgot to put the roll of film into the camera. Shit… The redhead cursed silently. He quickly searched his backpack. Alas to the famous photographer, Mother Nature could be really unfriendly sometimes! By the time Kenshin finished putting the roll, the sun had completely disappeared, leaving the area around him surrounded by darkness.
"Shit…" This time he cursed loudly. With annoyance he packed his equipment in, but he let the camera hanging on his neck. Hmm… it's getting dark. I've gotta find a spot to rest. Kenshin went up to the back of the horse again and they started to walk. Let me think… a spot to spend the night…. Then he snapped his finger. Got it! It's… right there!
Kenshin had known that area quite well, at least 10 years ago, when he had been with Misao. They had visited her grandfather several times in a year and when they were there, they would always go for a ride till late at night.
The spot Kenshin was heading to was situated alongside a river. On his way there, he thought frequently about Kaoru. He found her constantly plaguing his mind. Why, he didn't know. He had long before stopped asking. He only knew that he couldn't get her out of his mind no matter how he tried. His mind drifted further and further, that he didn't really pay attention to his surroundings.
But such unawareness would cost him dearly. Because unbeknownst to him, several rogues had had him under their surveillance for quite a while. And it's true that disaster strikes at times when you don't expect it at most.
It all went so fast, only in fraction of seconds. The white stallion suddenly cried out loud of sheer pain and lifted his front legs so abruptly, struggling wildly like a mad horse. Kenshin was snapped out of his reverie. But he wasn't ready to react to the wild movement of the beast. As a result he was thrown harshly from its back and crashed to the ground.
"Damn…" The redhead rolled over, and felt stinging pain in his right arm. He tried to move it. I think I broke my right arm…. Then he tried to stand up. But in the process of falling to the ground he had twisted his right ankle quite severely as well. He got unbalanced and barely managed to remain standing on the ground.
What's wrong with him? Kenshin looked at the horse, confused why he was acting so wildly all of a sudden. It was already dark, but when he observed the horse more closely he could still make out the form of a knife stabbed in its shoulder. What the…
He never finished that thought. At that moment he felt someone behind him attacking him. Fortunately Kenshin was aware enough of it and fast enough to dodge it, even with such ankle.
"Who the hell are you?! And what do you want from me?!"
There were four men around him, each one of them wore black mask. None of them gave answer to his question. Instead, they grinned wickedly and took a stance.
Kenshin had no other choice. Those four men were clearly after his money. As if I had much money with me anyway…. His eyes narrowed as he prepared himself too with the only 'weapon' he could use: his beloved Nikon F4. Seconds later battle cries were heard.
Not for nothing was Kenshin the foster son of Hiko Seijuurou. The older man had actually passed his skills to him. So the redhead was also a practitioner of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu. True that he wasn't as good as his father, but he was more then capable of defending himself. However, no matter how good Kenshin was with swords and no matter how skilled he was with martial arts, he was going against all odds. He could have defeated those rogues easily, had it not for his broken arm and his twisted ankle. Plus, a weapon like heavy camera didn't really suit his fighting style. It would slow the speed of his attacks greatly.
Nevertheless, Kenshin managed to bring the two of them down. Both got a pretty hard whack on their head. They both lied on the ground unconsciously.
The remaining two were quite shocked that this skinny redheaded guy could actually defend himself. They could tell that he used some sort of sword-fighting style. And bad for Kenshin, by that time they had already known his constraints: his right arm, his right ankle and his weapon.
The villains knew for sure where to aim at their next attack: the belt that was used to hang the camera on one's neck. And so it goes. They dodged Kenshin's attack and using a very sharp knife, one of them aimed straight to the belt. The rope was cut off, and Kenshin lost his only weapon. The camera flew over a few meters away until it finally crashed to the ground with a sickening sound of broken glasses.
Even though he had no chance of winning, Kenshin still refused to give up. One of them charged at him again. The redhead foiled his attempt to bring him down by catching his leg. But one's defiance had its own limit. The other rogue attacked him from behind, and this time he could do nothing anymore but to deal with the impact. He fell face-first to the ground.
It is indeed remarkably what human is capable to do to the other. They didn't stop, took his things and left after they brought him down. Kenshin still got another rough kicks on his stomach and his head….
But while it is true that disaster strikes at times when you don't expect it at most, it is equally true that more often than not, disasters brings hidden blessings with it. A third party had joined the fight. And it seems that it sided with Kenshin.
From where he lied helplessly with his back facing the ground, he recognized the voice of a woman telling the rogue to back away and leave. Strange enough, he felt as if he had heard that voice before…
Surely bad guys like them wouldn't listen to a mere woman. They kept attacking anyway. But this time they made a big mistake, for she is not to be underestimated. Even with bare hands she was able to defeat them effortless.
"Phew!" That woman dusted her hands and walked straight to Kenshin. Upon arriving at where the poor guy lied on the ground, she knelt down beside him and shook his shoulder gently, "Hey, are you all right?"
"Yeah… Ouch!" He groaned as she helped him to sit. "I… tha…" It was right at that moment that the clouds decided to give way to the moon. Its gentle light shone upon them, and Kenshin never finished his word of gratitude as deep violet met the long lost sapphire...
They both could see the surprise in each other's eyes. Hurt. Pain. Relief. Hope. Joy. So many emotions and indescribable feelings mixed up as one. And was it really Love that they both saw in each other's eyes? It is as if they had known each other for a long time. It is as if they had found each other…
"Kao…." Kenshin was about to say her name, but a movement behind her prevented him from saying it. His eyes narrowed dangerously.
A click was heard. Violet eyes turned gold as a realization dawned upon his mind.
The shadowy figure behind her stood tall and pointed something at her. By that time Kenshin had already made up his mind.
BANG!!! And everything went black for him.
- End of Chapter 6: A Story Never Told -
Author's Note:
* I haven't updated in an eternity, I know…. Nevertheless I hope you liked this chapter. ;-) Btw, what do you think of Kaoru's past?
* My knowledge of the geography of USA is very limited. In fact, I've never been there myself. I just looked at the map and picked a place. I apologize in advance for possible inaccuracies.
* Okina was introduced in this chapter. He won't play important part in this fic; I only need a person and a name.
* An SLR camera like Nikon F4 is actually quite heavy. You could really use that thing to kill someone…
* My excuses for the lame fight scene. I'm not good at it; that's why I didn't want to put too much detail on it. I hope you found it sufficient…
* supernaturalove: answer to your question: Kenshin knows his past. About his relationships with his previous girlfriends, I'm sorry to say that I wouldn't explore it. You're right, we'd get 'a more well-rounded view of Kenshin', but it goes beyond the scope of this fic. Not to mention that it ain't easy job…. Thanks and I hope you'll keep reading! :-)
* omochi: how old are the gang now? I didn't really think about their ages, at least not everyone. Kenshin is 28, Kaoru is 21, and Hiko is 45. Misao, Tae and Tomoe would be younger than Kenshin (I don't really care how old… :-)). Megumi is older than Kaoru; I think she's around 26. Sanosuke is at the same age. Aoshi might be as old as Kenshin.
* vesca: silly trick you said? But this silly trick has fooled almost all of the readers, if not everyone… *evil grin* hope you enjoyed this chapter!
* LittleDragon5: I know chapter 5 was short. My original plan was to include Kaoru's past in it, but I changed my mind. This chapter would be very short otherwise….
* Jason M. Lee: like what I've mentioned before, the relationship of other couples goes beyond the scope of this fic. Besides, I've never done a real S&M fic. But let's just say they will eventually have kids, though maybe it won't be mentioned in this fic… ^_^
* My endless gratitude to other people who have read and reviewed this fic. I hope you'll keep reading!
* Did I forget something? Well, I think that's all for now. I know I'm evil for misleading you all, and for not updating in such a long time. But I think this chapter quite answers your questions about Kaoru's whereabouts. I decided that I've tortured Kenshin enough… ^_^x But everything doesn't end here. Stay tune for the next chapter(s)!
* Geez, I'm beginning to sound like the narrator of DBZ episodes…. Anyway, thanks for reading (if you read this then you will have read the whole fic, am I right?), and I hope you will review! Till the next update!