A Night to Die For
RK doesn't belong to me.
Chapter 3
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Tears become lost in the flow, you body lying among the sheets, the tear
stains clear among the moonlight. Was it I who made you cry, or is it your
own lost mind?
No, Kaoru shook her head, it wasn't her who made her older sister cry, but
the book, it had to be that book. Slipping it out of her sleeping sister's
grip, she opened it to the first page, and started to read the tale it told.
Kenshin wasn't all to sure if his live was taking him seriously about that
girl he had met today, after all, his sisters ended up teasing him
constantly about the whole subject. And the fact he wasn't able to get to
sleep that night. Time was just going to slow.
Getting out of bed, he pulled a pair of sweat pants from his
dresser, pulling them on and then searching among the junk of his floor for
his old shoes. A run might help him relax, it usually did.
Grabbing his keys, he left the house, starting out in a slow jog
among the night air. It felt nice against his cool skin. But it wasn't long
until he came upon her once more. His mysterious angel looking out over the
water of a river, leaning over the railing of the bridge as she watched it.
"You know what," she said, turning to him in a sudden motion, her
skirt twirling about her legs as she leaned back, secured in the crook of
one arm was an old looking book, one Kenshin thought he knew, and
well. "The past is something that you can never run away from. It always
catches up with you one day."
No longer did her eyes glow a soft sapphire, but in the moon light
Kenshin swore he was looking into a deadly amber--one that resembled a
person high on life, or the pain it could bring. "You can never get ride of
it," he replied, standing next to her, leaning forward on the rail and
watching the water.
"Ah, but what about a past life? Do you think that your nightmares
can come from that as well?"
"Yes." There was silence, and neither dared to look the other in
the eye until Kenshin broke the silence. "So you remember."
"I remember the sorrow and tears, the joy and happiness, and that
is left in between."
"But how did--"
"Your Battousai spirit seem to live on? I would like to say that
the true spirit is still you--for you are him and he is you--but as for me,
well, the essence of it was passed through the generations. All the way to
me."
"Passed through the generations? But I had no children."
"You didn't, I did."
Kenshin was speechless, just looked at her in the eyes, reading
all that she had to be said. It was true; every word she said had been
true. Suddenly, he scooped her into his arms, holding her close and taking
both of them by surprise. But his hold was warm and welcomed, and Kaoru
hugged back, not wanting to be let go.
"Is your family going to the neighbor hood picnic tomorrow?" Kaoru
asked, trying to stall time, so she wouldn't have to leave their embrace
any sooner then she would have to.
"Yeah, do you want to meet up then?"
Kaoru gave a small nod of her head, which rested in the crook of
his neck, taking in his sent. The red head gave a soft sigh, her soft body
fitting perfectly to his, the sweet curves beneath his hands very inviting,
and for some reason, he started to think about that night, the one where he
took something from her he could never replace.
"Stop thinking that it was bad, I loved you then, and I do so now,
something's are just meant to be," Kaoru said, pulling back in his arms and
looking at him with sapphire eyes, they had went back to normal, but as he
just stood there looking at her she titled her head to the side and the
amber once more seemed to glow.
"You are perfectly you," he gave a smile, watching her confused
look for a moment before hugging her once more and then taking her cold
hand into his own. "Come on, I'll walk you home, its getting pretty late
anyway."
"Yeah," she replied softly, letting him lead her away from the
bridge and to her home, which was sitting nicely among the rest of the
street in its eerie silence. No one was awake, anymore, just her.
"Why look so sad, doll?" He asked, stopping, turning her head so
he could look into her eyes. They held the faint of tears that wanted to be
shed but wouldn't fall. But, he cared and the tears did fall, slowly and
then strong as she buried her head into his chest, his warm arms wrapping
about her body in a safe embrace. It was odd how just one person could make
her feel safe while she cried, but what made it seem all the more right was
the fact that HE was the one who was doing so.
"I just can't take it anymore!" she cried out, her voice muffled
by his body, but Kenshin could still hear it. The pained voice in which it
was spoken hurt him. "I don't want to go back there!"
No, I don't want to go back to that place! Not today, please not
today… She thought, the words haunting her heart with all that it held--she
didn't want to go back and see remains of her sister, who usually was all
back bone and no sign of tears in sight.
"Come, you can come to my house--my mom won't mind. It's a nice
place, warm to, if you want…" He pulled her back by the shoulders and
looked into her eyes trying to use his own to say that everything would be
fine. "And you wouldn't have to say anything..."
A slow, painful nod of her head said that she agreed to what he
said. Taking her once more by the hand, Kenshin gently lead her to his
house near by. The light was on in the kitchen, meaning his mother was
still there, so he took Kaoru into the house through the back door, where
his mother looked up from the papers scattered about the kitchen table and
gasped.
Oh, sure it wasn't every day you found your son bringing a girl
home from the night, but this one, this girl shocked her to no end. Her
skin was pale, but not the dead pale, just a healthy kind, somehow, and her
blue eyes, looking at her from behind Kenshin's. And, finally, her thin
arm, leading to a think hand which grasped Kenshin's own, she was thin, a
little too thin…and thus, her motherly instinct kicked in.
"What are you just standing there for? This poor girl looks like
she is freezing!" Rose stood up, glaring at her son for a moment, conveying
that he would speak to her later on, but right now he had to help. She felt
the Kaoru's forehead, and frowned, she wasn't running a fever, but was
cold. "Go upstairs and get a pair of old sweats from the closet--preferably
something Mary would've owned, she liked wearing things that kept her warm."
Kenshin gave Kaoru's hand a reassuring squeeze before he started
off on what his mother told him to do. Kenshin and his mother looked alike,
with the same red hair and caring eyes. As well as the strange aura that
made you feel safe. Meanwhile, the older woman gently ushered Kaoru to sit
down in a chair, fixing her a glass of tea, warm and steamy, placing it in
the girl's hands. It burned her for a moment, but she didn't drop it, just
held onto the warmth and taking a small sip of the flavored water.
Kenshin had returned with the sweats and his mother told him to
run them through the dryer for a moment so they would be nice and warm and
then get into some warmer clothes as well. Giving a sigh and glancing at
Kaoru with a loving smile he did as he was told--no one disagreed with
something she told them to do and get away with it.
"I guess your Kaoru-chan, ne?" Rose said, sitting beside her as
the raven-haired girl gave a small nod. "Do you want to give your parents a
call and tell them where you are? Its not that late."
"No one is up, everyone usually goes to bed early," Kaoru replied,
just in time for Kenshin to hear as he came down the back stairs in a
different pair of sweats and a white wife beater. The dryer buzzer went off
then and the red head went to fetch the warm clothes.
"Kenshin, show her to the bathroom and we'll have you somewhat
freshened up--would you like to take a warm shower or something?" The woman
seemed deep in thought for a moment before she nodded her head in a silent
agreement. "Nope, a shower would get you even colder, the sweats will work,
and while you change I'll get the guest room ready. And why are you two
just standing there like that? Get going."
Rose made a movement with her hand meaning for them to make their
exit. The two left, heading up the stairs and to the bathroom. "Told you
she wasn't that bad," Kenshin said, with another smile, one that made Kaoru
smile--a small smile--in reply.
"She reminds me of you." Kaoru's eyes followed him, watching his
gaze as he looked back at her.
"How so?"
"You both seem to care for someone you don't really know."
Kenshin reached out and cupped her cheek softly, almost a caress
but it wasn't really one. "Then it is one trait I got from her I will never
want to give up."
They got to the bathroom and Kaoru changed as fast as she could,
trying to catch the warmth the sweats still gave off, savoring what she
could of it. Holding her other clothes to her body she left the bathroom
and followed the red head down the hall and to the guest room, where his
mother was fluffing out some pillows. "I hope you don't mind the room,
we haven't used it in a while," Rose said with a sheepish smile before she
gave Kenshin a small wink and left the room, closing the door behind her.
Sitting on a small table by the bed was the cup of tea Kaoru had been
drinking earlier before, along with a warm teapot and another cup.
Kaoru took the still warm cup into her hands and held it closely
as she sat down on the bed, at the spot where Rose had moved the covers
away at the pillows. Kenshin sat down beside her, watching closely as she
sipped the warm liquid.
"You know what?" Kaoru said quietly, looking at Kenshin beneath
her eyelashes. Kenshin was laying on his stomach, holding his own tea cup
over the floor, looking at her with amethyst eyes that appeared several
shades darker then before.
"What?" he replied, watching her every movement as she spoke.
"Home is usually okay, but…she started to cry today…Nee-san never
cries--and that was the reason she did so!" Kaoru felt like crying her self
as she choked on her words, she hands grasping the teacup in a death grip.
"Shh, its okay," Kenshin said softly, taking her tea cup away
before she could brake it and placing it on the night stand where his own
cup was. Okay, he didn't really get what she was saying--it was either that
her sister cried from not being able to, or that she couldn't stand being a
sister, that much he had gotten. But he knew for certain that Kaoru's
sisters crying had affected the girl in some sort of way.
"She doesn't want to be my Nee-san anymore…" Suddenly, Kaoru
pitched forward, wrapping her arms about Kenshin's neck and holding herself
close to him as she cried.
"I'm sure that isn't the case," Kenshin replied softly, wrapping
his own arms about her small body.
"Are you sure?" Her eyes looked up at him, so trusting in their
mix of colors. But that frightened him, it seemed like she was never able
to trust someone, really believe in someone, for a long time.
"Would I lie to you, doll?" He looked her in the eye, seeing a
small spark appear in the deep depths at her nickname.
"No, I don't think so," came her reply, her small body curling up
against his own, taking in his warmth.
"Good, now, lets get you into bed. You, my dear doll, need some
rest." Kenshin's hand moved up and ruffled her hair, the shinny hair felt
like silk against his fingers. He got her settled into bed, and sat beside
her on the edge, watching as her breath started to slow and the movements
of her chest came to a gentle rise and fall. Smiling softly, he gently
brushed her bangs away from her face and started to leave, only to find his
hand trapped in her own.
"Ah, come on, doll. You are making this harder then it should be,"
he muttered half-heartedly as he tried, in vain, to free hand. Giving a
sigh, he deemed it hopeless and looked at her with a small pout. Kaoru
smiled in her sleep, as if knowing his predicament and tightened her hold.
Not risking waking her from the sleep she needed, he stood as much as he
could on the bed and stepped over her, settling down on the bed bedside
her, grabbing the pillow and punching it a moment with his free hand before
resting his head on it. She turned towards him, breathing a soft sigh as
she snuggled closer.
You know what, he thought with a small smirk, I could get used to
this. With that thought in mind, Kenshin drifted off to sleep.
That morning, Kaoru found her self the center of the family, sitting once
more at the dinning table, still in the sweats from before eating the
breakfast Rose had served her. It wasn't a quite occasion, but Kenshin's
sisters kept looking at her as if she was a piece of art that wasn't worth
what the price tag had said. One of them--Melia, was staring at her with a
quizzical look, which was more then she could really take.
"I swear I've seen you before," she finally spoke, Melia's voice was smooth
and soft, but no emotion was held there. For some reason, Kaoru thought the
voice sounded familiar.
"Well, maybe you saw her walking home before," said Mary, whom didn't mind
that their visitor was wearing something she had grown out of not that long
ago. "She doesn't live that far from us."
"Yeah, in the house full of crack pots," muttered Misao. She didn't think
anyone heard her, but those words rang in everyone's ears, in Kaoru's they
rang the loudest.
"Misao!" Hissed Rose, looking at Kaoru for a moment and then glaring at her
daughter.
"But it's true!"
"No, its not--we just don't like each other," Kaoru spoke, not looking up
instead pushing the contents of her breakfast about on her plate. Her voice
was even monotone, but if one were to look into her eyes as she hid them,
they would see the sapphire slowly melt into amber. "But then again, how
can you not blame my siblings? They did have families before mama and papa
adopted them, it was all a matter of weather or not they were taken care
of."
"You're all adopted?" This came as a surprise to Kenshin, but when he put
the image of her brother and Kaoru, he saw a difference…Then again, her
older brother, he resembled someone he knew but Kenshin couldn't put a
finger on it completely.
"Yep! It's okay, though we get into fights all to often." She looked up and
smiled, her eyes closed and showing true joy for the topic. "Are arguments
show how much we love each other--or so I'd like to think. And that is
where you got the idea of crack pots."
"But I swear I saw you talking with a smoker on the steps of the old bridge
near by," Misao said, a serious look in her eyes.
"That was my older brother--one of them at least." Her eyes went past Misao
to look at the clock, and gasped. It was already 11 o'clock! If her family
wasn't pissed off at her for not coming home last night, they would be even
more pissed at her for returning this late. Kenshin followed her gaze and
looked at his mom for an answer, he didn't want to let her go. Having her
here with him was what he wanted, even if she didn't want it.
"I guess we should take you home, huh?" Rose glanced at her son, meeting
his gaze and glaring at him for a moment. She wasn't a pet or some
inanimate object that he could keep, but Rose could tell that Kenshin loved
her and wanted--no, needed--to keep her safe from all harm. "Come on,
finish eating and then get changed--I'm sure your parents won't like it if
you come home in foreign clothes."
Kaoru nodded her head in agreement and went back upstairs to change into her clothing, the black skirt was wrinkled, but she would be changing into something else when she got home so it didn't really matter. Grabbing the book in which she had wrapped her sweater around, she went back down stairs, her boots where placed at the front door.
"If you give me a sec, I can go get into a sweater and jeans and I can walk you home," said Kenshin, with a smile to cover his hurried decision. No one caught onto it, only Kaoru heard it and when she shook her head yes, he was up the stairs in a blink of an eye—or even faster. And then he was back, the same smile on his face as he slipped on his own pair of shoes and followed Kaoru out of the house.
~*~*~*~*~*
AN: IT'S TOO FREAKING LONG FOR ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I usually can't write something this long and NOT think about stopping somewhere along the line—so, I guess it means I really want to finish this fic, huh? Well, I do have some pretty good ideas for it. And its some pretty bazaar ideas, so beware of some…strangeness only I could probably come—or at least according to my step brother, but that's a whole different thing. Anyway, thank you very much for reviewing, I've always liked that! Though…I don't feel like answering them this time, sorry, but I will next time so please keep reviewing! Thanks!
And sorry for the strange format it seems to be—if it shows up the same as I am seeing it… Anyway, it's the stupid computer's fault!
Now, I have to go, see ya next time! ^.^
