Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin.
A/N: Yay!! More and more people are reviewing my stories!! :D I'm so happy...haha XD yeah...I also started a RK vamp fic called "As the Fangs Glisten" so go check that out too :P It's really dramatic and gets angsty later on. Yup...onto the story ^^" Also, I feel sOOOO GUILTY that i havnt been updating X_X IM sooo sorrryyy I've been so busy lately o.O But now I'm having a 4 day weekend so I'm updating ^^"
Ymir-chan: Don't worry, you're not wrong about the friends thing ^^
Naiya-Metsuki: Thanks for telling me ^^" I wasn't quite sure about Kaoru's eyes...I should've looked it up ^^" But then again I was watching a Kenshin DVD and her eyes were blue AND brown..hmm...
Chapter 5: Confronting Old Memories
"Kaoru-dono!" She whipped her head around, whip lashing the poor people around her with her hair. She smiled and waved to Soujiro, who was rushing to catch her, accidentally crashing into a few people. He finally caught up with her, and he walked with her, still slightly panting and that huge smile still plastered on his face.
"What's up Soujiro?" she asked kindly, letting him catch his breath. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a little paper, folded into eighths. Questions in her eyes, she took the paper from him and stared at him.
"Who's it from?" she asked, starting to unfold the paper, her slender fingers moving rapidly. At her side, Soujiro only smiled and stopped walking, melting into the throng of people around them. "Soujiro...?" She turned around, and found that he wasn't there anymore. "Damn it sou...Why do you keep doing that?" she muttered under her breath as she unfolded the paper all the way and started to read.
Hey Kaoru,
Please meet me by the left bleachers today afterschool. There's something I really need to talk to you about, and I have a feeling you've been wondering about it too. If you don't come, I'll know what happened. Thanks.
The note was unsigned, and Kaoru felt a pang of annoyance. It was most likely Sano playing a trick on her or maybe even Tomoe. However, there was an unwritten emotion in between the lines, and she had to admit that she felt curious. I'll get you Sou... she grinned, thinking to herself. She walked into her last class, Oral Composition, and began to look forward to this meeting with the unknown stranger.
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Kaoru rushed out of class, grinning at the thought of the weekend before her. She stopped in front of the entrance to the bleachers, and took out the note. Hesitating, she started walking up the stairs, looking around for anybody she'd know. She saw somebody sitting on the other side, and there was a flash of red. Shocked, she stopped. It can't be Kenshin...she thought, and her stride slowed, but eventually her feet led her to him.
"Hey you came..." he smiled. She stopped, feet ready to run. He noticed and patted the seat next to him. "Go ahead and sit down Kaoru, I'm not going to hurt you." She took off her backpack and sat down uncertainly.
"Why'd you want me to come?" she asked, her voice slightly quavering. He sighed and brushed his hair out of his eyes. He looked around nervously, and looked straight into her eyes. She started, shocked. He had soft lavender eyes, and these seemed slightly amberish around the edges, and gold flecks dotted his pupils.
"Are you Kaoru Kamiya?" He asked plaintively, though it sounded like a stupid question to Kaoru herself. She laughed nervously and shifted in her seat.
"Of course I am!" She replied, her blue eyes blinking and looking intently at Kenshin. He sighed and leaned back in his chair before saying something.
"That means that when you were 5, you lived in Tokyo for a year or two before moving to America," he said in a quiet voice, his tone deadly serious. She nodded, and thought, How does he know...?" She kept her question silent though. "That also means that...You were the best friend I ever had." Kaoru's mouth dropped.
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Soujiro waited at the bus stop. A little bit worried, he checked his watch. He hoped that Kenshin and Kaoru hadn't killed each other on the bleachers. He looked around, and sighed. He reopened his book and soon became engrossed in its contents. He was another 30 pages away when he heard somebody call his name.
"Sou!!" A girl yelled. Soujirro took his nose out of the book and turned his head. He smiled really big and put his book away before standing up and waving.
"Kaoru-dono! You had me scared! I thought that you and Himura-san had killed each other." He laughed and turned as the bus slowed to a stop in front of them. Kaoru laughed and smiled sheepishly.
"No, though I thought I was going to. You know it turns out we um...met before." She blushed as Soujiro cast her a glance.
"I know. After hearing both sides of you two's stories, I figured you were the same people. I didn't want to interfere though." He laughed. "I'm sorry Kaoru-dono." Kaoru waved it off.
"It's okay," she smiled, climbing onto the bus. "But I think we're okay now." Soujiro's smile widened.
"That's great! Now maybe my two best friends can be best friends too!" Soujiro gave the driver a few coins and then climbed into the seat beside her. Kaoru laughed at his fantasies. She gave him a playful whack over the head.
"You always think everything's a movie or a fairytale sou, you're so stupid!" She laughed. He looked slightly hurt but he couldn't keep up his act for long.
"Yeah and maybe you guys will fall in love and it'll be all dramatic and I'll be best man at your wedding!" He grinned. Kaoru laughed and smiled at him.
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Kenshin lay on his bed, exhausted and worn out. What a turn his live had taken in the past week!! He had gone from a virtual nobody to the old best friend of the school rebel. And she was a girl!! He smiled at himself. Kaoru had gone from a cute little girl to a hot chick. But he wasn't to let her know that. He turned, facing his pillow. He grinned into it, half dreaming.
"Kenshin! Dinnertime!" Kenshin's maid rang a bell in his doorway and he snapped wide awake.
"Alright, tell Hiko that I'll be right down. I'm going to go wash up." He stood up and headed to the bathroom. The maid nodded and left. Kenshin turned on the light in the bathroom. He looked at his tired self, and then turned on the faucet. Cupping his hands to catch the water, he splashed it on his face. Grabbing his towel, he wiped his face off and then ripped out his hairband. He gathered his proud red hair back into a ponytail, and retied it. He proceeded to go down, and closed the light.
"Kenshin!" Hiko yelled. "You get your baka ass down here right now!!" Kenshin looked up, alarmed. Hurriedly, he clambered now the rest of the stairs.
"Yes Uncle Hiko?" He asked sullenly. His "uncle" stood threateningly at the bottom of the stairs. Kenshin stopped, and then glared at him. "What?"
"Guess what I found out today," He growled, taking his sweet time up the stairs. Kenshin gulped and tried to look innocent.
"What?" He asked, widening his eyes while searching his mind for something he had done wrong. He was now right across from Hiko, and he spotted weariness behind those blazing eyes.
"You're failing half your classes and you just got an F on your last science test." Hiko's eyes flamed and roared at Kenshin. "I got a phone call from your principal today," he smiled grimly. Kenshin stared back at him. This couldn't be possible!! "So until you get your grades," his uncle continued, "You're going to be spending all of your free time studying. And no girls, though I doubt anybody would want you," he smirked, and then whipped down the stairs as he called back. "Now come eat your dinner before you go study." Kenshin growled as he stomped down the stairs, hoping dinner might bring a change to his day.
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"Mom?" Kaoru called tentatively. She could hear her mother making dinner in the kitchen, and the delicious smell of her favorite miso soup wafted through the doorway. She intook her breath, and started towards the kitchen, hoping to make up. "Mom?" she called again. She entered the kitchen, and looked around. There was a hot pot of soup on the stove, and there looked like there was something in the microwave. There was a note on the counter. Kaoru walked forward to read it, and she plopped down on a chair as she held the piece of paper in her hands.
My dear Kaoru,
I still remember when you were 5, just a little girl, throwing such a big tantrum about moving to America. Once you were there, you began to love it, but you began to change in other ways too. Now I guess you have reached a turning point, and I feel that if I must get hurt for it, so be it. If you feel that there is no need for us to interact, then that would be okay too. I'll just pretend that you don't exist, and you can pretend that I don't exist. This way, we won't hurt each other, and we can live in piece.
Love, Mom
PS: there's hot soup on the stove, and your dinner in the microwave.
Kaoru looked down at the note in shock. She hadn't expected her mom to finally break down. The blowout yesterday was simply a tantrum, but it had done more harm then she thought. Tears stung her eyes, and angrily, she wiped them away. She got up tentatively and looked through the house. She took slow steps up the stairs, her hand grasped tightly on the wooden banister. She stalked her way into her parents' room, and looked in. Her mother was laying on the ground, her body crumpled against the bed.
"Mom!!!!" Kaoru gasped, rushing to her side. Her mother's face was pale and had a greenish tinge. Kaoru ran to the phone and picked it up, her fingers moving fast. Nine.....one...one....