Tomoko-chan: Ooooh, you all hate me now, don't you? Not only did I curse
you with a cliff hanger, I made it an evil one involving near-death
experiences too. Don't hate me, and don't hate Kenshin! He really is my
favorite anime character of all time, and I do wuv him. . . You should too!
Kaoru, in my opinion, is kinda a wussy. I mean, she's supposed to be this
big tough kendo master, and I've only seen her fight once or twice. Every
other time she runs screaming 'KENSHIN! KENSHIN!' And it ticks me off!
Yahiko and Sanoske have my attention, well at least Sano, and Misao I don't
really care about, so curse her all you want. I needed a prostitute, and
Megumi was going to be Sano's sister, so I just picked her. Aoshi, as
you'll see very shortly, will become VERY involved in this story. . . Tee
hee! To Kaoru Latina Chick, sorry, but I can't fix that. Kenshin will have
AIDS, and most likely die from it. But I assure you, though Kenshin will
probably die, Kaoru will be happy with some one else. I assure you. And if
I broke any hearts, I'm sorry and you can borrow my duct tape to fix them.
To Chikai Tenshi, you'll see sooner or later whom Kenshin's affection
holds, but now you can rest assured that the one Kenshin loves most in
Kenshin. He wouldn't do that to his wife other wise.
And too all of you that are wondering. . . Yes, I am indeed very VERY evil. ^_^
*****
"Are. . . Will he be okay?" Kaoru lowered her head.
"We don't know. He's in critical condition. He lost a lot of blood, and of course there is the matter of him having AIDS. I'm sorry to say that he will die in a few years, whether he makes through this or not."
"How many years?"
"It varies. Usually around three to ten years, in men his condition."
"Okay," Kaoru tried to talk like the hospital operator: monotone with no sign of ant emotion or feeling. It hurt her. "Tell him I'll be right there, alright? Don't let him fall asleep or anything."
"Alright."
"Good-bye. . ." She drew the phone from her ear and let it fall onto the receiver. She hid her facial features from Sanoske, who was still standing in the doorway, as she gathered her coat and purse. "Sano, could you watch Kenji for a little while? Something happened." She kept her voice low and soft. Sano looked at her, worried.
"Sure. What's wrong? What happened?"
"I'll be right back. . ." She ignored him.
"Kaoru, what happened?"
"It's just down the road and around the corner." She brushed him away almost harshly.
"Kaoru?"
She stopped, looking at the ground. It the faint gleam of the patio light, Sanoske saw a few shimmering tears escape from Kaoru's eyes he ran to her, offering a hand. She grasped it, taking in a breath.
"It's Kenshin, Sano. . ." She began to cry again. "My Kenshin is dying."
*****
"Stabilize that heart rate, for God's sake!"
"Why didn't anyone apply pressure to his wound?"
"Come ON people!"
"Wait, we need something to monitor her breathing."
"Okay, are they all strapped in?" The emergency unit checked all of the straps around Kenshin and Misao. It was difficulty to decipher the tubes watching their lives from the belts and lines of strong cloth that kept them from flying out the window. If he tugged on the wrong thing. . . . these lives were lost.
"Wait, she's regaining consciousness! Slow the truck down, or she could go into a coma!"
Misao's eyelids felt too heavy to be lifted by her own means, but somehow, she managed to flicker them open slowly, her body rocking with the motion of the ambulance. Her glazed, tired eyes drifted to Kenshin, his face and chest caked with blood and traces of vomit. Her eyes softened, and one would have seen her mouth shift to a line of sorrow, if the oxygen mask had not been in the way. She remembered, just yesterday she had met this man who seemed so glorious upon her. His warm smile and embrace had made her blush within his spontaneous acts of kindness. She had felt his power and strength, not just as he pumped on top of her, but in his motions and the way that he spoke. Why would he do such a thing?
Suddenly, Kenshin's chest heaved with another convulsion, his eyes open blankly in a disturbing, vacant stare. His fingers twitched subtlety as he looked ready to explode from the mobile bed. The emergency units rushed to his side, pushing his tense muscles down and monitoring his vitals.
"Give him some medication, for Christ's sake! Jesus!" One doctor managed to yell right before his jaw was cracked on Kenshin's heaving stomach. One nurse escaped from the crowd and grabbed a vile of a thick- looking yellow liquid and a sterile needle. She punctured the top of the needle into the tiny bottle, and squirted it to push the air from the needle. A splatter fell onto Misao's cheek. The nurse turned and hid what she was doing to her, but Kenshin's convulsion's eased, and his seizure seemed to end, or at least come to a brief close. His eyes were a blank purple with no sign of emotion or even a pupil. It was just one swirling orb of clouded indigo. Kenshin's chest moved up and down slowly with unsteady, shaky breaths. Misao's eyes widened in fear. Would that be her in a few hours?
She forced the breath she had been holding out through a deep sigh, intertwined with the hint of a sob. She closed her eyes again, hoping she would not open them again. She didn't want this; not now. She had no money to pay for whatever expense the doctors would dream up. And what about Aoshi? Oh, the shame she would feel in his presence! The utter embarrassment she would feel with his cold emerald eyes glaring at her, scowling in ever-green disapprovment. She couldn't bear to ask him for money to pay for the hospital bills, much less bear to actually look at him.
Out of a whim, Misao turned her head to face Kenshin again, taking in a gasp at what she saw. She knew he was only half-conscious, or maybe even less, but he was . . . staring at her. His wide, vacant violet eyes bore a hole into her mind, chiseling deeper and deeper within her. She felt a damp coolness on her cheek, and realized she had started crying without noticing. This. . . vision, this sight before her disturbed her. She closed her eyes, but the image of his face remained. She squinted her face.
"Aoshi-sempai, Aoshi-sempai, Aoshi-sempai. . ." Misao prayed, hoping Aoshi would come and make everything alright just like he always had. She had only felt this terrified once before, when she saw a gutted cat on the sidewalk (still alive), and Aoshi had come and made it all better. He got his Beebe gun and shot it out of its misery, placed it in a shoebox with a flower, and buried it. Aoshi had saved her then. Why didn't he save her now?
"Aoshi-sempai, Aoshi-sempai, Aoshi-sempai. . ."
*****
"Where is he?" Kaoru bellowed, her voice low and dangerous. "Take me to my husband, God dammit!"
"Please, ma'am. He's sleeping, and he needs his rest."
"I don't care! You promised you wouldn't let him fall asleep on me! You lied! I need to see my husband, dammit! Let me see him NOW!" Kaoru shut her eyes tightly in anger, tears slipping from the sides. "Let me see him." She spoke calmer, but with a hint of frustration.
"I would if I could, ma'am," The nurse's eye grew softer. "But I can't. He's sleeping now, but we'll run and get you the instant he wakes up."
Kaoru's eyes remained fierce and protective even as the tears streamed down her cheeks. Her eyes sparkled in sapphire determination and her frame almost glowed with warrior's spirit. She slunk to her knees, her hands cradled by her arms, and she let out a cry of agony. The nurse stared at her in horrified wonder, amazed that this woman would break down and weep in the middle of a hospital. She backed away slowly from Kaoru and bowed quickly after muttering, "I'm sorry. . ."
Kaoru controlled herself after a while, sniffling in the middle of the hallway as she dodged glances from inquiring doctors and confused patients with their loved ones. She didn't care, which was the funny thing. Usually, she wouldn't even let Kenji pull this behavior at home, much less in public. Yet there she sat, the last few tears falling from her face to the blinding linoleum tile below.
The hallway was silent now, and seemed void and empty of any people. She thought about standing up to go into the waiting room, where she was sure there were chairs a little softer than the ground, but she couldn't move. It was if her legs were paralyzed and her feet glued to the ground. It didn't matter, she realized, and hugged her knees to her chest. Nothing matters anymore. She rested her chin on her knee cap as she starred into the space of the hospital corridor. I must look crazy, she figured with a sigh. But perhaps we're all a little crazy, some more than most. What is the true definition of crazy, anyways?
"What DOES Fooly Cooly mean, anyways?" Kaoru chuckled. That stupid, yet adorably confusing show she used to watch when Kenshin was either asleep or out on the town still stuck with her. She smiled in spite of herself. Burying her face into her knees, she continued to smile as the tears wiped onto her sweats.
Suddenly, a rough grasp was taken on her shoulder blade.
Kaoru pivoted, gasping in surprise at this foreign rein on her shoulder. She slipped from the hold, tumbling to the floor and instantly covering her face with her arms. Her knees slid from her chest to a triangle formation when joined with the floor, slightly tilted, but both feet sturdy on the ground.
The man withdrew his hand in sudden shock, pulling it to his abdomen area. His ebony hair swirled slightly with his body as he took a step backward with an intake of breath. The emerald eyes glistened faintly in the fluorescent hospital light, looking like they held precious stones within the iris. Kaoru blushed a brief scarlet, and averted her gaze. The stranger coughed, to relieve the silence, and shot his eyes to the ground. His own cheeks began to turn pink as the blood rushed to them.
"Excuse me, miss, um," He nearly stuttered. "Are you alright?"
Kaoru stared at the ground, her eyelids half-closed as if she were sleepy. "Not really." She murmured, but the stranger heard her.
"Is there anyway I can help?"
"Not unless you can walk into that room and wake up my husband."
The man sighed softly. "I feel your pain. My baby sister is in here, somewhere, but they won't tell me much. I only know that I can't see her, because she's sleeping. I don't even know if she's in intensive care, or if she really is just sleeping."
Kaoru smiled faintly. "You must care about her a lot."
"Yea, I suppose." He gestured to the ground. "May I join you?"
She closed her eyes, the smirk still on her lips. "Sure."
He squatted and slowly brought his buttocks to the ground. He gasped quietly on contact with the cold tile, but eased into a sigh as his body heat soothed it to a luke-warm comfort. He pulled his knees to his chest to join Kaoru in her sitting position and looked at her, smiling a little. She noticed, but didn't stare at him back. Occasionally she would feed him glances from the corner of her eye, but nothing more. After a few moments of silence, the man coughed again, and smiled directly at her.
"As much as I love sitting in silence with you, don't you think that the waiting room would be a little more comfortable?"
"Yes." Kaoru muttered.
"Don't you want to go to it?"
"Not really."
"Okay then." He sighed.
"You can go, if you want."
"No thanks. I'm not just going to leave you here." He closed his eyes and let his smile fade to a soft smirk. Kaoru nearly gasped. If his hair had been red and long, and his cheeks a little more full, he would have looked just like Kenshin. He rested his chin on his knees. "You could make both of us a little more comfy by moving to the waiting room. That way I wouldn't feel guilty about leaving you."
Kaoru stared at the floor, embarrassed as her full cheeks filled with faded red. "Well. . ." she spoke softly, her bottom near freezing on the icy tile. "Alright. I'll move to the waiting room. It must be a little warmer."
"Doubtful." He spoke, his smile widening a bit. "You know hospitals. I think it's a form of medication or a treatment of some kind to freeze all of the sick people." Kaoru chuckled.
"Maybe." Kaoru smirked, amused. The man rose to his feet quickly, while Kaoru was having some trouble. He gladly offered her a hand in assistance. She took it, bewildered at the thought that no matter how many times Kenshin had said he loved her, he had never been this chivalrous since high-school. She limped up and brushed the specks of dust off of her bottom. She locked her sapphire gaze into the stranger's emerald eyes. She felt her face grow hot.
"Who are you?" She inquired, dazzled as their precious stones intertwined into an aqua-diamond of a friendship. He extended his palm.
"My name is Aoshi Shinomori."
*****
Misao's lips locked tightly around Kenshin's, their tongues battling fiercely, passionately for power. Kenshin's strong, calloused fingers were slowly being pushed up Misao's shirt, driven by the glories waiting in her soft Wonderbra. The other was stroking her thigh, teasingly caressing her small buttocks occasionally. Misao wrapped her arms around his neck, ruffling his mane of crimson hair. A part of her fore arm stroked his cheek, riddled with stitches, and he cringed.
"Does it hurt?" She asked tenderly, touching the other side of his face gently. He smiled.
"Not anymore." His response was practically an oldie-but-goldie, and yet she still giggled and felt aroused. She lifted her leg and placed it between his own. Her other one was wrapping around his calf muscle, which hardened at the reflex. A brief pressure was placed upon the knee that was climbing between his legs, and she smiled in pleasure to find him erecting for her. She reached one of her arms down and inched down his stomach, at the same time feeling his grasp advance to her breast. Her nipple hardened at the thought.
Before either of them made contact, they both stopped and stared at each other. Kenshin's eyes were driven with fire, the flames flickering within his pupils in lust and desire. Misao's eyes felt cold, but she knew it was a soft, icy color that was inviting, like a glass of cold water after a long jog.
"I dare you." Kenshin grinned, his finger tips centimeters from her breast, itching to squeeze. She smiled back.
"I double dare you." She glanced temptingly at her own advancements.
The fire in his eyes grew wild and out of control. "I triple dog dare you."
"Are you sure a doctor or nurse won't come in?"
"I told them to not disturb us."
"What about visitors?"
"I said to tell visitors I was sleeping and could not be woken."
She grew uncertain. "I'm not sure we should do this here. You'll be out of the hospital in a few days. . . Why don't we wait?" She leaned in and tickled his ear with her teeth. "Besides, I don't have my toys with me. You haven't had play time for real until you've tried it with MY toys."
Kenshin pouted. "But I want you now."
"It's a hospital. I'll feel dirty."
His eyes narrowed slyly as an evil smile painted his lips. "I like dirty."
"Not that kind of dirty. I mean, little old ladies have died here, you know. I'll feel wrong. I won't come." She pointed out. Kenshin sighed, aggravated.
"Come on, it's not like sex in a hospital is going to kill you."
Misao's eyes lowered in shame as he mentally whacked himself upside the head. Stupid Baka! Why the hell do you think you'll have to update your will in five years instead of fifty!? God dammit. . . He cursed, closing his eyes. Misao kissed his cheek and rested her head on his chest.
"What do you think it will be like?"
"What?"
"Dieing."
"You think about that stuff?"
"Not until now. It will happen someday, you know. I just wonder when, and how. What will happen to us? Will it be like sleeping, or dreaming? Is Heaven just one dream that goes on for eternity, and Hell is just a nightmare that won't end? Or are just dreaming now?"
Kenshin patted her ebony head. "You have a lot of philosophical thought for one with such an empty head, that you do."
::That you do. . .::
"Hm?" Misao looked up at him.
"What is it?"
"'That you do.' What's that from?"
"Isn't it from 'Star Wars'?" He joked with a smile.
"Probably. I have a horrible memory when it comes to movie catch phrases."
"How are you doing?"
"Okay. I had no injuries. That's why I came here so soon. They let me go."
"I see. . ." Kenshin began to wrap his arms around her waist.
She rose and pulled from his hold, raising her legs over the bars of the hospital bed. She moved his scarlet bangs and kissed his forehead. "We'll do it when you get out."
Kenshin sulked, looking like a little boy who had just dropped an ice- cream cone. "Okay." He lowered his head.
"Bye." Misao waved a good bye and left the room, slinging her purse over her shoulder. Kenshin laid there for a few moments, feeling empty. He reached over to the side of his bed and pushed the annoyingly bright red button that stated 'NURSE' in black, bold letters.
"Hello?" He checked, making sure his voice was clear.
"Yes, Mr.Himura. What is it?"
"You can send in any visitors now." Kenshin toned, sure that Kaoru was there, just like she always was.
*****
"Mrs.Himura?"
Kaoru glanced up from her conversation with Aoshi, surprised at the nurse's sudden appearance. It was as if she popped out of nowhere, her little pink clip board with the cherry stickers on the back screaming in childish delight. She raised an eyebrow in response.
"It's Ms.Kamiya, please."
"Well, your husband will see you now."
"Alright." She looked at the ground, more content glaring at the ground than at the nurse's abnormally blonde hair and huge bosom. "Just a moment." She gathered her purse and held it instead of wrapping around her arm. She stared at Aoshi for a moment, a blank smile one her face. "I guess this is goodbye."
"Wait, please. . ." He extended a hand to stop her before she turned. He fumbled for the pen on the nearby table and ripped a paper from the back of a magazine.
"Hey!" The nurse cried in an annoying valley-girl tone. "That's hospital property!"
"Here," he spoke, ignoring the nurse. "It's my number. If a girl picks up, it's probably my sister. Just ask for me." Kaoru grasped the thick paper nervously and stared at it with obvious uncertainty.
"I don't know, Aoshi. . ."
"You don't have to take it."
"Yea, but. . ." She became flustered. Kenshin always used to force her into things. She wasn't used to fending for herself. She found it odd that she even spoke out at all. But she folded the paper and placed neatly in her small purse pocket. Aoshi tried to hide his small smile.
"I hope you call."
On a whim, Kaoru asked, puzzled. "Why?"
"I like talking to you. You should see me around people I don't like to talk to. I either snap at them because I find them too stupid, ignore them because they're too boring, or stutter because I'm just not comfortable with them." He let his smile out slowly with ease. "You're different. Maybe because we wear in the same shoes."
"Maybe." She attempted to smile back.
It wouldn't work.
*****
She didn't know what to say.
She leaned against the door to the hospital room, feeling helpless and small as his eyes glared menacingly at her. She wanted to back into the corner, but thought it would be unwise to move. His violet eyes seemed speckled in a horrible shade of amber-gold, frightening her.
"So," He was the first to speak, thankfully. "You caught me."
"Damn straight." She stood a little taller.
"Ever consider why I was getting screwed every other day?"
That often? Her eyes narrowed, concealing the tears. "Why?"
He grinned evilly, mocking her. "Because you couldn't do it. You weren't good enough. I couldn't fuck enough whores to get your smell off of me. You know what that smell was? Fear. Satisfaction that I could never have. The feeling that you needed me more than I needed you. Shit, you practically begged me into bed with you every Monday and Thursday."
Kaoru just stood. She didn't know what else she could do.
Kenshin sat up and slung his legs over the bars of the hospital bed. She tried as hard as she could to keep her eyes low, but occasionally her eyes would flick up and notice how the horrid gold was engulfing his stare. He stood, his bare feet on the floor, and began to walk toward her, speaking in a harsh and dangerous volume.
"Then of course, you had to have Kenji. Do you know how close I was to asking for an abortion? Or adoption? We weren't ready for him. I wasn't ready for him. But you kept him anyway. So I went to that crappy job, to buy food for the wife who couldn't supply and the son who hardly cared I was alive. Do you know what that feels like?"
His face was inches from hers, his hot breath flooding her cheeks with scarlet hue and smothering her thoughts. "But. . ." She defended weakly. "Kenji and I love you."
Kenshin's hand shot up and griped her tightly by the throat, his face twisted in anger. The amber swirled in his pupils, swallowing his former self. Kaoru clawed helplessly at his arm, hoping to set herself free from the pain shooting to her brain. She choked, her breath clicking within her throat.
And Kenshin laughed.
He leaned up and kissed her on the lips, as if trying to eat her whole. She suffocated inside of him; she was not given the privilege to breath before he stole her last wisp of air. His hand reached up quickly and grabbed her breast, rough and brutally. He squeezed, hard, and Kaoru felt like he was going to tear it off.
She managed to push him away, gasping for air. "Please. . ." She breathed heavily, placing a hand on her chest. "No more. . ."
His eye grew to a solid, metallic hate as he reached his hand from her breast and slapped her across the face, knocking her onto the floor. "I say when to stop, bitch." He hissed. He seemed to fall on her, pressing to her body, depriving her of air once more. "What are you gonna do now?" He taunted cruelly in a sing-song manner as he pushed her face closer, her frame squishing against his tense muscles. "I could rape you here, right now, and know one would know or even care. So tell me, Miss Kaoru, what are you going to do now?"
Kaoru had never felt more terrified in her entire life. She couldn't move, breath, speak, and hardly even think about anything besides the wave of panic flooding her mind. Kenshin, the man she even still loved with all of her being , was going to try and rape her and maybe even try to kill her after. It all seemed like a bad dream, but inside, she knew it was real.
Inside, she knew that Kenshin would not save her this time.
She would have to save her self.
::If you're strong, you live. If you're weak, you die.::
She would have to believe that.
*****
Tomoko-chan: Aiiiiiiieeeee!!!!! *crawls into fetal position, praying not to be harmed* Sorry if I offended any of you 'Sweet Vagabond' Kenshin type lovers, but this is what Alternate Universe is all about! This is usually a hard genre, but I do what I can. Sorry it takes so long to update, but I have school and social stuff. I even had a fight with my Perro-chan. Yesh, a long spell of depression, that it was. Lots-o-stuff a goin' on. But, I would be quite thrilled if you guys helped and sent me ideas and stuff. If you want that guy, um. . . Enishi or something, you'll have to send me a link to a website with a lot of good information on him and Tomoe. I need this to add him in! If you don't WANT him in, don't say anything. Comments would be appreciated, though. NO FLAMES, please. I know what I'm writing may offend some people, but this is what I choose to write. It's up to you on what you choose to read.
Yargh, I want chocolate.
Ja ne, peoples! ^_^
And too all of you that are wondering. . . Yes, I am indeed very VERY evil. ^_^
*****
"Are. . . Will he be okay?" Kaoru lowered her head.
"We don't know. He's in critical condition. He lost a lot of blood, and of course there is the matter of him having AIDS. I'm sorry to say that he will die in a few years, whether he makes through this or not."
"How many years?"
"It varies. Usually around three to ten years, in men his condition."
"Okay," Kaoru tried to talk like the hospital operator: monotone with no sign of ant emotion or feeling. It hurt her. "Tell him I'll be right there, alright? Don't let him fall asleep or anything."
"Alright."
"Good-bye. . ." She drew the phone from her ear and let it fall onto the receiver. She hid her facial features from Sanoske, who was still standing in the doorway, as she gathered her coat and purse. "Sano, could you watch Kenji for a little while? Something happened." She kept her voice low and soft. Sano looked at her, worried.
"Sure. What's wrong? What happened?"
"I'll be right back. . ." She ignored him.
"Kaoru, what happened?"
"It's just down the road and around the corner." She brushed him away almost harshly.
"Kaoru?"
She stopped, looking at the ground. It the faint gleam of the patio light, Sanoske saw a few shimmering tears escape from Kaoru's eyes he ran to her, offering a hand. She grasped it, taking in a breath.
"It's Kenshin, Sano. . ." She began to cry again. "My Kenshin is dying."
*****
"Stabilize that heart rate, for God's sake!"
"Why didn't anyone apply pressure to his wound?"
"Come ON people!"
"Wait, we need something to monitor her breathing."
"Okay, are they all strapped in?" The emergency unit checked all of the straps around Kenshin and Misao. It was difficulty to decipher the tubes watching their lives from the belts and lines of strong cloth that kept them from flying out the window. If he tugged on the wrong thing. . . . these lives were lost.
"Wait, she's regaining consciousness! Slow the truck down, or she could go into a coma!"
Misao's eyelids felt too heavy to be lifted by her own means, but somehow, she managed to flicker them open slowly, her body rocking with the motion of the ambulance. Her glazed, tired eyes drifted to Kenshin, his face and chest caked with blood and traces of vomit. Her eyes softened, and one would have seen her mouth shift to a line of sorrow, if the oxygen mask had not been in the way. She remembered, just yesterday she had met this man who seemed so glorious upon her. His warm smile and embrace had made her blush within his spontaneous acts of kindness. She had felt his power and strength, not just as he pumped on top of her, but in his motions and the way that he spoke. Why would he do such a thing?
Suddenly, Kenshin's chest heaved with another convulsion, his eyes open blankly in a disturbing, vacant stare. His fingers twitched subtlety as he looked ready to explode from the mobile bed. The emergency units rushed to his side, pushing his tense muscles down and monitoring his vitals.
"Give him some medication, for Christ's sake! Jesus!" One doctor managed to yell right before his jaw was cracked on Kenshin's heaving stomach. One nurse escaped from the crowd and grabbed a vile of a thick- looking yellow liquid and a sterile needle. She punctured the top of the needle into the tiny bottle, and squirted it to push the air from the needle. A splatter fell onto Misao's cheek. The nurse turned and hid what she was doing to her, but Kenshin's convulsion's eased, and his seizure seemed to end, or at least come to a brief close. His eyes were a blank purple with no sign of emotion or even a pupil. It was just one swirling orb of clouded indigo. Kenshin's chest moved up and down slowly with unsteady, shaky breaths. Misao's eyes widened in fear. Would that be her in a few hours?
She forced the breath she had been holding out through a deep sigh, intertwined with the hint of a sob. She closed her eyes again, hoping she would not open them again. She didn't want this; not now. She had no money to pay for whatever expense the doctors would dream up. And what about Aoshi? Oh, the shame she would feel in his presence! The utter embarrassment she would feel with his cold emerald eyes glaring at her, scowling in ever-green disapprovment. She couldn't bear to ask him for money to pay for the hospital bills, much less bear to actually look at him.
Out of a whim, Misao turned her head to face Kenshin again, taking in a gasp at what she saw. She knew he was only half-conscious, or maybe even less, but he was . . . staring at her. His wide, vacant violet eyes bore a hole into her mind, chiseling deeper and deeper within her. She felt a damp coolness on her cheek, and realized she had started crying without noticing. This. . . vision, this sight before her disturbed her. She closed her eyes, but the image of his face remained. She squinted her face.
"Aoshi-sempai, Aoshi-sempai, Aoshi-sempai. . ." Misao prayed, hoping Aoshi would come and make everything alright just like he always had. She had only felt this terrified once before, when she saw a gutted cat on the sidewalk (still alive), and Aoshi had come and made it all better. He got his Beebe gun and shot it out of its misery, placed it in a shoebox with a flower, and buried it. Aoshi had saved her then. Why didn't he save her now?
"Aoshi-sempai, Aoshi-sempai, Aoshi-sempai. . ."
*****
"Where is he?" Kaoru bellowed, her voice low and dangerous. "Take me to my husband, God dammit!"
"Please, ma'am. He's sleeping, and he needs his rest."
"I don't care! You promised you wouldn't let him fall asleep on me! You lied! I need to see my husband, dammit! Let me see him NOW!" Kaoru shut her eyes tightly in anger, tears slipping from the sides. "Let me see him." She spoke calmer, but with a hint of frustration.
"I would if I could, ma'am," The nurse's eye grew softer. "But I can't. He's sleeping now, but we'll run and get you the instant he wakes up."
Kaoru's eyes remained fierce and protective even as the tears streamed down her cheeks. Her eyes sparkled in sapphire determination and her frame almost glowed with warrior's spirit. She slunk to her knees, her hands cradled by her arms, and she let out a cry of agony. The nurse stared at her in horrified wonder, amazed that this woman would break down and weep in the middle of a hospital. She backed away slowly from Kaoru and bowed quickly after muttering, "I'm sorry. . ."
Kaoru controlled herself after a while, sniffling in the middle of the hallway as she dodged glances from inquiring doctors and confused patients with their loved ones. She didn't care, which was the funny thing. Usually, she wouldn't even let Kenji pull this behavior at home, much less in public. Yet there she sat, the last few tears falling from her face to the blinding linoleum tile below.
The hallway was silent now, and seemed void and empty of any people. She thought about standing up to go into the waiting room, where she was sure there were chairs a little softer than the ground, but she couldn't move. It was if her legs were paralyzed and her feet glued to the ground. It didn't matter, she realized, and hugged her knees to her chest. Nothing matters anymore. She rested her chin on her knee cap as she starred into the space of the hospital corridor. I must look crazy, she figured with a sigh. But perhaps we're all a little crazy, some more than most. What is the true definition of crazy, anyways?
"What DOES Fooly Cooly mean, anyways?" Kaoru chuckled. That stupid, yet adorably confusing show she used to watch when Kenshin was either asleep or out on the town still stuck with her. She smiled in spite of herself. Burying her face into her knees, she continued to smile as the tears wiped onto her sweats.
Suddenly, a rough grasp was taken on her shoulder blade.
Kaoru pivoted, gasping in surprise at this foreign rein on her shoulder. She slipped from the hold, tumbling to the floor and instantly covering her face with her arms. Her knees slid from her chest to a triangle formation when joined with the floor, slightly tilted, but both feet sturdy on the ground.
The man withdrew his hand in sudden shock, pulling it to his abdomen area. His ebony hair swirled slightly with his body as he took a step backward with an intake of breath. The emerald eyes glistened faintly in the fluorescent hospital light, looking like they held precious stones within the iris. Kaoru blushed a brief scarlet, and averted her gaze. The stranger coughed, to relieve the silence, and shot his eyes to the ground. His own cheeks began to turn pink as the blood rushed to them.
"Excuse me, miss, um," He nearly stuttered. "Are you alright?"
Kaoru stared at the ground, her eyelids half-closed as if she were sleepy. "Not really." She murmured, but the stranger heard her.
"Is there anyway I can help?"
"Not unless you can walk into that room and wake up my husband."
The man sighed softly. "I feel your pain. My baby sister is in here, somewhere, but they won't tell me much. I only know that I can't see her, because she's sleeping. I don't even know if she's in intensive care, or if she really is just sleeping."
Kaoru smiled faintly. "You must care about her a lot."
"Yea, I suppose." He gestured to the ground. "May I join you?"
She closed her eyes, the smirk still on her lips. "Sure."
He squatted and slowly brought his buttocks to the ground. He gasped quietly on contact with the cold tile, but eased into a sigh as his body heat soothed it to a luke-warm comfort. He pulled his knees to his chest to join Kaoru in her sitting position and looked at her, smiling a little. She noticed, but didn't stare at him back. Occasionally she would feed him glances from the corner of her eye, but nothing more. After a few moments of silence, the man coughed again, and smiled directly at her.
"As much as I love sitting in silence with you, don't you think that the waiting room would be a little more comfortable?"
"Yes." Kaoru muttered.
"Don't you want to go to it?"
"Not really."
"Okay then." He sighed.
"You can go, if you want."
"No thanks. I'm not just going to leave you here." He closed his eyes and let his smile fade to a soft smirk. Kaoru nearly gasped. If his hair had been red and long, and his cheeks a little more full, he would have looked just like Kenshin. He rested his chin on his knees. "You could make both of us a little more comfy by moving to the waiting room. That way I wouldn't feel guilty about leaving you."
Kaoru stared at the floor, embarrassed as her full cheeks filled with faded red. "Well. . ." she spoke softly, her bottom near freezing on the icy tile. "Alright. I'll move to the waiting room. It must be a little warmer."
"Doubtful." He spoke, his smile widening a bit. "You know hospitals. I think it's a form of medication or a treatment of some kind to freeze all of the sick people." Kaoru chuckled.
"Maybe." Kaoru smirked, amused. The man rose to his feet quickly, while Kaoru was having some trouble. He gladly offered her a hand in assistance. She took it, bewildered at the thought that no matter how many times Kenshin had said he loved her, he had never been this chivalrous since high-school. She limped up and brushed the specks of dust off of her bottom. She locked her sapphire gaze into the stranger's emerald eyes. She felt her face grow hot.
"Who are you?" She inquired, dazzled as their precious stones intertwined into an aqua-diamond of a friendship. He extended his palm.
"My name is Aoshi Shinomori."
*****
Misao's lips locked tightly around Kenshin's, their tongues battling fiercely, passionately for power. Kenshin's strong, calloused fingers were slowly being pushed up Misao's shirt, driven by the glories waiting in her soft Wonderbra. The other was stroking her thigh, teasingly caressing her small buttocks occasionally. Misao wrapped her arms around his neck, ruffling his mane of crimson hair. A part of her fore arm stroked his cheek, riddled with stitches, and he cringed.
"Does it hurt?" She asked tenderly, touching the other side of his face gently. He smiled.
"Not anymore." His response was practically an oldie-but-goldie, and yet she still giggled and felt aroused. She lifted her leg and placed it between his own. Her other one was wrapping around his calf muscle, which hardened at the reflex. A brief pressure was placed upon the knee that was climbing between his legs, and she smiled in pleasure to find him erecting for her. She reached one of her arms down and inched down his stomach, at the same time feeling his grasp advance to her breast. Her nipple hardened at the thought.
Before either of them made contact, they both stopped and stared at each other. Kenshin's eyes were driven with fire, the flames flickering within his pupils in lust and desire. Misao's eyes felt cold, but she knew it was a soft, icy color that was inviting, like a glass of cold water after a long jog.
"I dare you." Kenshin grinned, his finger tips centimeters from her breast, itching to squeeze. She smiled back.
"I double dare you." She glanced temptingly at her own advancements.
The fire in his eyes grew wild and out of control. "I triple dog dare you."
"Are you sure a doctor or nurse won't come in?"
"I told them to not disturb us."
"What about visitors?"
"I said to tell visitors I was sleeping and could not be woken."
She grew uncertain. "I'm not sure we should do this here. You'll be out of the hospital in a few days. . . Why don't we wait?" She leaned in and tickled his ear with her teeth. "Besides, I don't have my toys with me. You haven't had play time for real until you've tried it with MY toys."
Kenshin pouted. "But I want you now."
"It's a hospital. I'll feel dirty."
His eyes narrowed slyly as an evil smile painted his lips. "I like dirty."
"Not that kind of dirty. I mean, little old ladies have died here, you know. I'll feel wrong. I won't come." She pointed out. Kenshin sighed, aggravated.
"Come on, it's not like sex in a hospital is going to kill you."
Misao's eyes lowered in shame as he mentally whacked himself upside the head. Stupid Baka! Why the hell do you think you'll have to update your will in five years instead of fifty!? God dammit. . . He cursed, closing his eyes. Misao kissed his cheek and rested her head on his chest.
"What do you think it will be like?"
"What?"
"Dieing."
"You think about that stuff?"
"Not until now. It will happen someday, you know. I just wonder when, and how. What will happen to us? Will it be like sleeping, or dreaming? Is Heaven just one dream that goes on for eternity, and Hell is just a nightmare that won't end? Or are just dreaming now?"
Kenshin patted her ebony head. "You have a lot of philosophical thought for one with such an empty head, that you do."
::That you do. . .::
"Hm?" Misao looked up at him.
"What is it?"
"'That you do.' What's that from?"
"Isn't it from 'Star Wars'?" He joked with a smile.
"Probably. I have a horrible memory when it comes to movie catch phrases."
"How are you doing?"
"Okay. I had no injuries. That's why I came here so soon. They let me go."
"I see. . ." Kenshin began to wrap his arms around her waist.
She rose and pulled from his hold, raising her legs over the bars of the hospital bed. She moved his scarlet bangs and kissed his forehead. "We'll do it when you get out."
Kenshin sulked, looking like a little boy who had just dropped an ice- cream cone. "Okay." He lowered his head.
"Bye." Misao waved a good bye and left the room, slinging her purse over her shoulder. Kenshin laid there for a few moments, feeling empty. He reached over to the side of his bed and pushed the annoyingly bright red button that stated 'NURSE' in black, bold letters.
"Hello?" He checked, making sure his voice was clear.
"Yes, Mr.Himura. What is it?"
"You can send in any visitors now." Kenshin toned, sure that Kaoru was there, just like she always was.
*****
"Mrs.Himura?"
Kaoru glanced up from her conversation with Aoshi, surprised at the nurse's sudden appearance. It was as if she popped out of nowhere, her little pink clip board with the cherry stickers on the back screaming in childish delight. She raised an eyebrow in response.
"It's Ms.Kamiya, please."
"Well, your husband will see you now."
"Alright." She looked at the ground, more content glaring at the ground than at the nurse's abnormally blonde hair and huge bosom. "Just a moment." She gathered her purse and held it instead of wrapping around her arm. She stared at Aoshi for a moment, a blank smile one her face. "I guess this is goodbye."
"Wait, please. . ." He extended a hand to stop her before she turned. He fumbled for the pen on the nearby table and ripped a paper from the back of a magazine.
"Hey!" The nurse cried in an annoying valley-girl tone. "That's hospital property!"
"Here," he spoke, ignoring the nurse. "It's my number. If a girl picks up, it's probably my sister. Just ask for me." Kaoru grasped the thick paper nervously and stared at it with obvious uncertainty.
"I don't know, Aoshi. . ."
"You don't have to take it."
"Yea, but. . ." She became flustered. Kenshin always used to force her into things. She wasn't used to fending for herself. She found it odd that she even spoke out at all. But she folded the paper and placed neatly in her small purse pocket. Aoshi tried to hide his small smile.
"I hope you call."
On a whim, Kaoru asked, puzzled. "Why?"
"I like talking to you. You should see me around people I don't like to talk to. I either snap at them because I find them too stupid, ignore them because they're too boring, or stutter because I'm just not comfortable with them." He let his smile out slowly with ease. "You're different. Maybe because we wear in the same shoes."
"Maybe." She attempted to smile back.
It wouldn't work.
*****
She didn't know what to say.
She leaned against the door to the hospital room, feeling helpless and small as his eyes glared menacingly at her. She wanted to back into the corner, but thought it would be unwise to move. His violet eyes seemed speckled in a horrible shade of amber-gold, frightening her.
"So," He was the first to speak, thankfully. "You caught me."
"Damn straight." She stood a little taller.
"Ever consider why I was getting screwed every other day?"
That often? Her eyes narrowed, concealing the tears. "Why?"
He grinned evilly, mocking her. "Because you couldn't do it. You weren't good enough. I couldn't fuck enough whores to get your smell off of me. You know what that smell was? Fear. Satisfaction that I could never have. The feeling that you needed me more than I needed you. Shit, you practically begged me into bed with you every Monday and Thursday."
Kaoru just stood. She didn't know what else she could do.
Kenshin sat up and slung his legs over the bars of the hospital bed. She tried as hard as she could to keep her eyes low, but occasionally her eyes would flick up and notice how the horrid gold was engulfing his stare. He stood, his bare feet on the floor, and began to walk toward her, speaking in a harsh and dangerous volume.
"Then of course, you had to have Kenji. Do you know how close I was to asking for an abortion? Or adoption? We weren't ready for him. I wasn't ready for him. But you kept him anyway. So I went to that crappy job, to buy food for the wife who couldn't supply and the son who hardly cared I was alive. Do you know what that feels like?"
His face was inches from hers, his hot breath flooding her cheeks with scarlet hue and smothering her thoughts. "But. . ." She defended weakly. "Kenji and I love you."
Kenshin's hand shot up and griped her tightly by the throat, his face twisted in anger. The amber swirled in his pupils, swallowing his former self. Kaoru clawed helplessly at his arm, hoping to set herself free from the pain shooting to her brain. She choked, her breath clicking within her throat.
And Kenshin laughed.
He leaned up and kissed her on the lips, as if trying to eat her whole. She suffocated inside of him; she was not given the privilege to breath before he stole her last wisp of air. His hand reached up quickly and grabbed her breast, rough and brutally. He squeezed, hard, and Kaoru felt like he was going to tear it off.
She managed to push him away, gasping for air. "Please. . ." She breathed heavily, placing a hand on her chest. "No more. . ."
His eye grew to a solid, metallic hate as he reached his hand from her breast and slapped her across the face, knocking her onto the floor. "I say when to stop, bitch." He hissed. He seemed to fall on her, pressing to her body, depriving her of air once more. "What are you gonna do now?" He taunted cruelly in a sing-song manner as he pushed her face closer, her frame squishing against his tense muscles. "I could rape you here, right now, and know one would know or even care. So tell me, Miss Kaoru, what are you going to do now?"
Kaoru had never felt more terrified in her entire life. She couldn't move, breath, speak, and hardly even think about anything besides the wave of panic flooding her mind. Kenshin, the man she even still loved with all of her being , was going to try and rape her and maybe even try to kill her after. It all seemed like a bad dream, but inside, she knew it was real.
Inside, she knew that Kenshin would not save her this time.
She would have to save her self.
::If you're strong, you live. If you're weak, you die.::
She would have to believe that.
*****
Tomoko-chan: Aiiiiiiieeeee!!!!! *crawls into fetal position, praying not to be harmed* Sorry if I offended any of you 'Sweet Vagabond' Kenshin type lovers, but this is what Alternate Universe is all about! This is usually a hard genre, but I do what I can. Sorry it takes so long to update, but I have school and social stuff. I even had a fight with my Perro-chan. Yesh, a long spell of depression, that it was. Lots-o-stuff a goin' on. But, I would be quite thrilled if you guys helped and sent me ideas and stuff. If you want that guy, um. . . Enishi or something, you'll have to send me a link to a website with a lot of good information on him and Tomoe. I need this to add him in! If you don't WANT him in, don't say anything. Comments would be appreciated, though. NO FLAMES, please. I know what I'm writing may offend some people, but this is what I choose to write. It's up to you on what you choose to read.
Yargh, I want chocolate.
Ja ne, peoples! ^_^