Disclaimer: Still don't own the cast nor the plot.
Author's Notes: Erm..What is there to really say? ^_^() Perhaps a 'Don't kill me' is an order? But aside from that, I'd really like to thank all the reviewers (even if I'm not there) because nothing would be possible without you guys! I LOVE YOU ALL!
Oh and this is a songfic-type-thing. I had this idea to write this chapter with an ironic/bittersweet type feeling...So I used "Beautiful Day" by U2! ^_^ I'm still not sure if I did the right thing. I'm not too good at songfics. ^^() Obviously I didn't include all of the lyrics, (I had no room) so bear with me. I was still debating over having the lyrics there...but oh well! Tell me what you think!
Oh and you'll see that Tatsumo is my own character. I was thinking about putting Yahiko in her place but I needed someone...a bit more compassionate. So I warned you! ::dodges flying daggars::
Without further ado, Winter, Part Two!
* * * * *
Winter
Part Two: Snow
~ V ~
* * * * *
The heart is a bloom,
Shoots up through the stony ground
She looked at the man in front of her. The face she had grown up with shone with hope under the sunlight filtered through the closed blinds. He looked back at her expectantly and she couldn't help but sigh.
It had been ten years now.
Ten years of crying herself to sleep. Ten years of the phone unhooked and the curtains closed. Ten years of self-blame. Ten years of isolation. Ten years of What If's and Why Hadn't I's. Ten long years.
And there's no room,
No space to rent in this town.
Her eyes focused back in towards the man sitting in front of her. He was still watching her intently and she took a deep breath.
"Yes, Enishi. I will marry you."
His face broke into a smile and she smiled weakly in return. He began to speak about arrangements and parties and she listened half-heartedly. He didn't notice her disinterest in the subject matter. As he continued to talk, she looked out between the blinds and sighed.
'Perhaps ten years is long enough.' Kaoru thought to herself.
* * * * *
Kaoru began walking back towards her office building with a heavy ring on her finger and an even heavier heart. Of all the times Enishi could've proposed, he chose one of her more stressful days. She had been working on a project for a potential client when Enishi called. He asked her to take her lunch break now and meet him in a nearby café.
Now that it was over, she wished that she had declined the offer.
You're out of luck
It wasn't that the proposal intimidated her. She expected it and said yes with some ease. But something about being engaged to someone else finalized the fact that he was really gone.
No. Kaoru shook her head to herself. He has been gone for ten years now. It should have been more than enough time for anyone to get over a broken heart.
But Kaoru wasn't just anyone.
Neither was...
'Don't think the name.'
Kaoru briefly closed her eyes. Thinking the name will bring on another wave of memories she wasn't ready to deal with in public.
And the reason that you had to care,
The traffic is stuck
When she felt calm enough, she opened her eyes just to see something blur past her, trailing the dull scent of sandalwood. It took a split second for her eyes to focus on the red head of hair that disappeared past her into the alleyway.
Kaoru's heart skipped a beat. Could it possibly be...?
She ran ahead into the alleyway and searched the area with desperate eyes. There were moving masses of black and brown hair in the narrow street...but no red.
'You're hallucinating.'
And you're not moving anywhere
She became angry towards herself, not an unprecedented act. Besides, even if she hadn't been imagining things, it could have very easily been someone else. Red could have been a popular color for teens to dye their hair. That must've been the explanation. It had to be.
'Stop dwelling.'
Kaoru repeated this as a mantra as she continued to walk towards her office building. She was so engrossed in dissuading herself that she hadn't noticed that she was already back in her office. With a blink and somewhat of a sigh, she sat back down at her desk of half-done work. She hadn't lifted her pen yet when Tatsumo walked in.
"Hey Kaoru?" She looked at her concernedly, "Are you okay? You looked a bit tense when you walked in. I called to you but I don't think you heard."
"Oh," Kaoru blushed, "Sorry, I was just thinking about something."
"Ah," Tatsumo took a more comfortable stance, leaning on the doorframe, "Care to share?"
"Eh, nothing really," Kaoru shrugged, "But can you come to my engagement party a week from now?"
"Engagement?" Tatsumo's eyebrows rose in interest, "When did this happen? And who's the lucky guy?"
You thought you found a friend
To take you out of this place
"Lunch." Kaoru sighed, "And my fiancé is Enishi."
"Well, for a bride-to-be, you don't seem too happy."
"I am," Kaoru said dejectedly, "I'm just tired."
"I see." Tatsumo looked at her, unconvinced, "So what's this about an engagement party I hear?"
"It's next week."
"Isn't that short notice?"
"This is Enishi I'm engaged to."
"Right, right."
Someone you could lend a hand
"So can you come?"
"How could I not?"
Kaoru smiled at Tatsumo who exited the doorframe with a wave. Kaoru resumed her work, hoping it'd take her mind off of the thoughts that were already swirling in her mind.
In return for grace
* * * * *
The week came and gone without much notice to Kaoru. Nothing really significant happened. She met once with Misao who congratulated her and promised to pass the news to Aoshi. She dined with Enishi several times, each time planning the wedding that wasn't due for countless months, simply because it excited him. Not once during all the nights had he noticed her disinterest.
She had also not seen that red head of hair again. She promised herself not to think about it but couldn't help scanning the streets. Kaoru promised herself, for the sake of Enishi, that she wouldn't do that today. Not on the day of their engagement party.
It was a beautiful day.
With ten minutes to spare, she headed towards the small restaurant Enishi insisted on renting out for the night, eyes downcast to discourage looking around. She approached a curb when something cold and wet landed on her nose. Blinking, she looked up.
Sky falls, you feel like it's a beautiful day
It was snowing.
It hadn't snowed since...
Kaoru ignored the thoughts that were beginning to make their way up. She looked up at the stoplight, waiting for the indication to walk. As soon as the lights changed, the cars in front of her cleared a path and she had access to the opposite side of the road. But she made no move to cross. Instead, her eyes were glued to the sight just across the street from her.
He was standing there.
Don't let it get away
The same man she had seen a week ago was walking across the street, parallel to her. This time, Kaoru could see his face clearly, the profile of it at least. He was a good twenty meters away but from what she could tell, it was him. This time, she was sure of it.
It was Battousai.
He had changed, but not by much. The lanky figure he had filled out a little. His hair lightened from dark auburn to orange-red and tied at the base of his neck. But the rest of him was the same, as far as she could tell. Same tanned face, same stride, same air of silent confidence. It really was him.
The Battousai-look-alike paused for a moment and watched as the snow steadily fell around him. He looked up towards the sky with a boyish grin before continuing on his way.
You're on the road
And you've got no destination
That one look struck something deep in Kaoru. She ran across the street, ignoring the fact that the light had changed again and cars had become irritated by her sudden wish to cross. Once she had crossed, she lost track of him again. The crowds seemed to push against her as she ran forward, turning corners where it seemed fit. Nothing was on her mind other than finding him.
You're in the mud,
In the maze of her imagination
After running for an undefined amount of time, she stopped at the Town Square, out of breath and strained. Despite her familiarity with the spot, she felt lost. She couldn't find him and didn't know the next time she would see him again. What was the chance of her finding a single person in this city filled with thousands upon thousands of people?
You love this town
Even if that, doesn't ring true
Discouraged, and with something of a dull ache in her heart, she dragged herself to the restaurant. She walked without feeling the distance. She watched with dull eyes as her friends, her fiancé, her co-workers came up to her with countless questions. She felt the world growing heavy, fatigue and stress finally catching up to her. With one uttered phrase, she collapsed.
"He's back..."
You've been all over
And it's been all over you
* * * * *
Kaoru groaned and sat up slowly holding her head. She was hazily aware of someone helping her up as she opened her eyes.
"Kaoru?" Enishi asked worriedly, "Kaoru, are you okay?"
Kaoru didn't reply as she looked around. She was sitting on the carpeted floor of the restaurant, so she couldn't have been out for that long. Misao and Tatsumo stood behind Enishi and looked at her, concern in their eyes.
"Kaoru, what happened?" Enishi asked again.
Touch me,
Take me to that other place
Kaoru looked down at herself. She was a mess. Her hair and makeup were undoubtedly not much better. Finally finding her voice, Kaoru spoke.
"Nothing." Her voice came out raspy, so she cleared her throat and tried again, "Nothing happened."
"Kaoru, don't give us that!" Misao said, worry seeping into her voice, "What happened? You said something before you passed out."
At that, Kaoru blanched. She stared at the floor as the memories came back to her. She was chasing something that may or may not exist through the good length of the city. She remembered him, his face as he stood watching the snow. Unwillingly, she made the mental connection between him then and the first time he saw snow with her ten years ago. Without realizing it, she whispered it softly again.
"He's back..."
Reach me,
I know I'm not a hopeless case.
Only Enishi out of the three was close enough to hear. He didn't need much to realize whom she was talking about. He, too, paled. Trying to push back the doubt and fear in his mind, he helped Kaoru stand up.
"It's been a long night, Kaoru." He said with an edge of uneasiness in his voice, "Maybe we should call it a night."
"Yeah." She tried to smile for his sake, "I'm sorry about today, Enishi."
"Don't be. You've had too much stress this past week. We'll have a small get-together tomorrow in lieu of this one. Do you have the time?"
Kaoru nodded slightly.
"Good. I'll see you then. Can I trust you to get home safely?"
Kaoru nodded again. With that, he gave Kaoru a quick kiss on the cheek and walked out. She stared dumbly after him, not even feeling the contact. At that point, her two friends escorted her out of the building and insisted on seeing that she got into bed, with the unstable condition she was in.
As soon as they left, Kaoru stood in her bare room gazing out into the moon. For the first time in several years, she pulled out her tape player and put in Battousai's tape. She lay down in her bed and fell asleep to the sound of his voice and the lull of the music.
It was a beautiful day.
* * * * *
The next day, Kaoru woke up and went to work, unceremoniously. She left soon after her lunch break to go home and prepare for her second engagement party. She was adding the finishing touches on her makeup when Enishi rang her doorbell.
Together, they left for the little downtown café they were supposed to meet everyone else. This time, only their close friends were assembled around a small table. As they entered, they were presented with cheers and confetti. There stood several bottles of champagne and a large cake on the table.
Kaoru and Enishi exchanged their share of pleasantries and sat down. Just as they were opening their first bottle of champagne, the door opened loudly.
"Kaoru! Enishi! How have the two of you been?"
The two stared at the woman who just walked in. Kaoru didn't trust herself to speak and Enishi gladly covered for her.
"We're doing fine, thank you. And you, Megumi? How has world of medicine been treating you?"
"Oh, just fine. I heard you two got engaged."
The smile Megumi had on her face made Kaoru's stomach churn. She nodded and Megumi's smile widened.
"I'd like to congratulate you both. And I brought someone with me who'd like to congratulate you as well." Megumi turned to the door and on cue, the Battousai-look-alike walked through.
Sky falls, you feel like it's a beautiful day.
"Hello," He said in a slightly deeper and more refined voice.
Everyone whom had gone to school with them stared at the newcomer speechlessly, Kaoru among them. The ones who knew nothing about her schooling looked on confusedly, but didn't dare ask.
There was something different about him that only up close could Kaoru tell. His face was scarred on the left side. Not so much as to ruin his complexion, but enough to notice. Peculiarly enough, it was a cross that ran the length of his face, from cheekbone to jaw. And his eyes were no longer amber. It was now a pale violet. Kaoru kept observing these two traits and almost didn't realize when he spoke.
"I'd just like to wish you two a happy marriage." He smiled in spite of all the stares he was getting.
The man seemed to be looking at Kaoru when he said this. She stared back at him brazenly, still in shock. When the words sunk in, Kaoru's eyes reflected pain. "Battousai" was happily congratulating her on getting engaged to someone else. She tore her eyes away, rather than be confronted by her unexplainable pain.
Seeing that she had her desired effect, Megumi smiled and latched on to the man's arm.
Don't let it get away.
"Everyone, meet Kenshin Himura, my new boyfriend."
"Megumi," He looked sheepish, "I don't know if you'd call it that. It's only been a week."
"Well I'd hope for you to be," Megumi put on a mock pout. "And soon enough, everyone will be congratulating us instead."
His eyes widened and he looked stunned for a moment. When he finally collected his wits, he fidgeted under the pressure of the remark.
"Megumi," He escaped her grip, "I'll be outside. Just come when you're done." He bid a quick goodbye and hurried out the door. Some of Megumi's artificial annoyance turned into real irritation. She faced the people again and sat down melodramatically with a sigh.
"All the cute ones are so clueless when it comes to life matters these days."
"Megumi," Enishi looked at her coldly, "What did you bring him for?"
"Oh no reason really," She dismissed his look with a wave of her hand, "I just felt that you should all meet him."
With this, she was replied with several more cold looks, all on Kaoru's behalf. Kaoru, herself, looked away as she repeated Enishi's question, wanting to hear the real answer.
"Why?"
"Just thought you had a right to see him." Megumi smiled wickedly, knowing the damage she had done. Feeling her day had been complete, she stood and smoothed her skirt, "Well, Kenshin's still waiting outside for me. I wish you both a happy engagement!" And with a wave, she walked off.
"Well, let's not let that ruin our party." Misao tried in get the previous mood back, "Cheers to Enishi and Kaoru!" She lifted her wineglass and drank to them. The rest of the party murmured something of an agreement and drank as well. Enishi sat silently watching Kaoru watch her hands. He knew what was running through her head and was afraid for her sake, but more for his own.
Kaoru, on the other hand was not aware of anything that was happening. She stared blankly as emotions ran through her eyes. Pain. Embarrassment. Regret. Guilt. And despite herself, interest.
* * * * *
Over the next week, the image of the man and Megumi had imprinted themselves onto her mind and replayed at the most inconvenient times. With her musings distracting her from doing anything substantial, she decided to see Megumi and straighten out the situation somewhat.
That was what she decided on at the time. Now that she stood pacing outside her clinic, she was having second thoughts. This was Megumi, whom she proverbially snatched Battousai from. Megumi, who had brought him to her engagement party, probably to spite her. Megumi, who had done countless things to annoy her in the past.
Kaoru stood outside the door contemplating before sighing and turning away. The instant Kaoru made a move to walk, Megumi stuck her head out the door and called to her.
"Kaoru. I was wondering when you would come."
Touch me,
Take me to that other place.
Kaoru turned around and looked at her strangely. Megumi went back inside and motioned that she should follow. Kaoru did so, a bit tentatively.
Once inside her main office, Megumi sat down at her desk and nodded towards one of the smaller chairs, and began without waiting for Kaoru to sit down.
"It's been a week, Kaoru. I expected you to come sooner." Megumi said arrogantly while cleaning her nails. "It's about him, isn't it?"
Kaoru stared, annoyed at her own predictable stupidity, but kept to herself on the grounds that she needed to find some things out.
"So," Megumi looked back up at her, "What do you want to know?"
As Kaoru opened her mouth to ask a question, Megumi cut her off with a long torrent of words.
"His name is Kenshin Himura. He was born the same year we were to Japanese parents in America. He's never been to Japan before this and he's only here on business. He's been here for a few weeks now, setting up his company. I bumped into him in a café," She shrugged, enjoying the feeling she held over Kaoru, "and things just went from there." She gave somewhat of a cruel smile. Kaoru was still trying to absorb the information when Megumi started again.
"He never told me about that scar, though. Out of the five times I've gone out with him in the past two weeks, he wouldn't mention it. Not that I minded. The restaurants were enough to keep me happy. You know, he has quite a bit of money." Megumi laughed cattily.
Teach me,
I know I'm not a hopeless case
"So it's pure coincidence that he looks like..."Kaoru started to say but trailed off.
"Battousai?" Megumi said, not noticing Kaoru wince, "True, the do look almost exactly alike. But one thing is different, Kaoru." She dropped her light tone and looked dangerously at Kaoru.
"This one is mine. You had your chance ten years ago, and you lost it. I saw this one first and you're not going to take him from me like you did back then. This isn't your playing field anymore, little girl."
Then as quickly as the mood came, it was gone and Megumi smiled again.
"Well, it's been a nice chat but I have some patients to get back to. I'll see you around Kaoru! Bye!" She quickly pushed Kaoru towards the door and closed it behind her.
Kaoru stood there blinking into the night when the weight of the words and the situation sank in. She began to walk home, rage running through her veins. What right did Megumi have to claim him? She had every right to go after him if she chose. She stopped abruptly in the middle of the road.
'No. She had every right to say that.' She shook her head a little to herself. 'I'm engaged now.'
With a heavy conscience, she began walking again.
'And that was ten years ago. Things have changed.'
* * * * *
It had been a few days since Kaoru went to go see Megumi. Since then, she did nothing but work, sleep and see Enishi on occasion. She wanted to eliminate the possibility of running into Megumi and her boyfriend. True to her plans, she didn't see him, both to her relief and disappointment.
Kaoru was now sitting in her office, still working on her potential client's project. Tatsumo walked in looking ecstatic to say the least.
"Kaoru! Guess what? The client you've been working on seemed impressed with our invoice! He wants to meet you to go over the project plans!"
"Great!" Kaoru grinned, "Tell him it'll be ready in a week or so."
It was a beautiful day.
"A week?" Tatsumo looked at her incredulously, "They want to see you now!"
"What?!"
Don't let it get away
"B-but..." Kaoru stuttered, "It's not ready now!"
"Oh I'm sure whatever you have will be fine." Tatsumo waved her off, "They're expecting you in ten minutes. You'd better get going!"
"R-right. Sure." Kaoru grabbed some loose papers off her desk and took a last gulp of coffee before dashing out the door.
Beautiful day...
Kaoru hailed a cab and headed for the address printed on the papers in her hand. As the cab lurched along, she reviewed the client information. She didn't want to sound ignorant during a presentation.
"Okay, I'm pretty sure I know all this information..." Kaoru muttered to herself as she read over the company history, project plans, and budget. She looked at the papers quizzically when she saw something was missing. "Who was I supposed to meet with?"
The cab pulled to a stop and she shrugged. She'll have to wing it from here. Kaoru stepped out and took on a professional air as she approached the double doors of the building. A tall, lanky man with spiky hair was leaning on the door and he looked up as she approached. Kaoru took a deep breath and put on a professional smile.
"Hello sir. I am Kaoru Kamiya from the Polaris Architectural Company. I believe you called me earlier today to meet about your plans. If you could kindly find us a table, I'm sure we could begin and--..."
"Whoa, whoa Missy, save your breath. I'm not the one you're meeting with today!"
What you don't have, you don't need it now.
Kaoru looked up at the man strangely. He caught her look and laughed.
"I'm Sanouske Sagara, only the secondary owner of the company. If you'll wait a moment, the CEO will come in to meet with you."
Kaoru stared at the ruffled man in front of her before bursting out into good-natured laughing.
"I'm sorry Mr. Sagara. You'll have to excuse me today. I was in such a rush to get here that I didn't really pay attention--..."
"Ah it's okay, Missy. Happens to me all the time," He gave her a lazy grin, "If you'll follow me, you could wait in the head honcho's office for him."
"Thank you Mr. Sagara."
"Eh, just call me Sano."
Kaoru smiled at the man's back. Something about his carefree nature calmed her a bit. As they reached their destination, Kaoru noticed the increase of boxes and packing paper. Sano caught her curiosity and answered her unasked question.
"Before this, we were set up in America. We came over a few weeks ago and some of us aren't done unpacking. Oh, we're here."
What you don't know you can feel somehow.
Kaoru stood beside the man as he pushed open a large wooden door to reveal a room the size of her own department. She walked in and marveled at the walls and windows of the elaborate chamber. It wasn't completely finished in terms of decorating, but it was elegant and simple. Whoever had this room clearly had taste.
"Just make yourself comfortable Missy," Sano headed towards the door, "The big guy is pretty nice so you shouldn't be too nervous." With that the door closed with a click, leaving Kaoru alone in the vast room.
Kaoru stood rooted to the spot, unsure as to what to do next. Gaining a bit of courage, she walked around the room in a slow circle, surveying everything. She a picture from the wall caught her eye and she stopped in front of it. Looking closely, she saw it was a picture of a winter night with stars hanging in the indigo sky. With somewhat of a nostalgic pang, she moved on to the other pictures in the room.
What you don't have you don't need it now.
The knob on the door swiveled with a soft scrape and Kaoru quickly stepped away from the picture she was looking at, although she couldn't quite tell why there was an urgency to do so. She turned around slowly as the man entered the room.
"I'm sorry to keep you waiting. I'm Kenshin Himura, CEO."
It was a beautiful day.* * * * *
A/N: BWAH HA HAA! I can spite you even when I'm dozens of miles away from home! ^w^ Don't worry though! Next week shall come sooner than you think! ::climbs into bomb shelter for good measure::
Anywho, that song fic wasn't TOO too bad, was it? I tried to do it the best I could, but I always mess it up somewhere. ^^() And by no means am I putting any Kenshin-Megumi fluff in here. Like I said, I don't hate her but I have a thing against any coupling besides Kenshin/Battousai-Kaoru. (I laughed when I wrote about Kenshin hastily making an exit after hearing the "boyfriend, maybe engagement" remark. I'm sorry. I'm kind of sadistic at heart)
And that incident with Sano...I don't quite remember if it happened in the series, although I'm pretty sure it did. Once again, my memory isn't what it used to be. So try to let me live til I finish the story. You can kill me all you want then!
Author's Notes: Erm..What is there to really say? ^_^() Perhaps a 'Don't kill me' is an order? But aside from that, I'd really like to thank all the reviewers (even if I'm not there) because nothing would be possible without you guys! I LOVE YOU ALL!
Oh and this is a songfic-type-thing. I had this idea to write this chapter with an ironic/bittersweet type feeling...So I used "Beautiful Day" by U2! ^_^ I'm still not sure if I did the right thing. I'm not too good at songfics. ^^() Obviously I didn't include all of the lyrics, (I had no room) so bear with me. I was still debating over having the lyrics there...but oh well! Tell me what you think!
Oh and you'll see that Tatsumo is my own character. I was thinking about putting Yahiko in her place but I needed someone...a bit more compassionate. So I warned you! ::dodges flying daggars::
Without further ado, Winter, Part Two!
Winter
Part Two: Snow
~ V ~
* * * * *
The heart is a bloom,
Shoots up through the stony ground
She looked at the man in front of her. The face she had grown up with shone with hope under the sunlight filtered through the closed blinds. He looked back at her expectantly and she couldn't help but sigh.
It had been ten years now.
Ten years of crying herself to sleep. Ten years of the phone unhooked and the curtains closed. Ten years of self-blame. Ten years of isolation. Ten years of What If's and Why Hadn't I's. Ten long years.
And there's no room,
No space to rent in this town.
Her eyes focused back in towards the man sitting in front of her. He was still watching her intently and she took a deep breath.
"Yes, Enishi. I will marry you."
His face broke into a smile and she smiled weakly in return. He began to speak about arrangements and parties and she listened half-heartedly. He didn't notice her disinterest in the subject matter. As he continued to talk, she looked out between the blinds and sighed.
'Perhaps ten years is long enough.' Kaoru thought to herself.
Kaoru began walking back towards her office building with a heavy ring on her finger and an even heavier heart. Of all the times Enishi could've proposed, he chose one of her more stressful days. She had been working on a project for a potential client when Enishi called. He asked her to take her lunch break now and meet him in a nearby café.
Now that it was over, she wished that she had declined the offer.
You're out of luck
It wasn't that the proposal intimidated her. She expected it and said yes with some ease. But something about being engaged to someone else finalized the fact that he was really gone.
No. Kaoru shook her head to herself. He has been gone for ten years now. It should have been more than enough time for anyone to get over a broken heart.
But Kaoru wasn't just anyone.
Neither was...
'Don't think the name.'
Kaoru briefly closed her eyes. Thinking the name will bring on another wave of memories she wasn't ready to deal with in public.
And the reason that you had to care,
The traffic is stuck
When she felt calm enough, she opened her eyes just to see something blur past her, trailing the dull scent of sandalwood. It took a split second for her eyes to focus on the red head of hair that disappeared past her into the alleyway.
Kaoru's heart skipped a beat. Could it possibly be...?
She ran ahead into the alleyway and searched the area with desperate eyes. There were moving masses of black and brown hair in the narrow street...but no red.
'You're hallucinating.'
And you're not moving anywhere
She became angry towards herself, not an unprecedented act. Besides, even if she hadn't been imagining things, it could have very easily been someone else. Red could have been a popular color for teens to dye their hair. That must've been the explanation. It had to be.
'Stop dwelling.'
Kaoru repeated this as a mantra as she continued to walk towards her office building. She was so engrossed in dissuading herself that she hadn't noticed that she was already back in her office. With a blink and somewhat of a sigh, she sat back down at her desk of half-done work. She hadn't lifted her pen yet when Tatsumo walked in.
"Hey Kaoru?" She looked at her concernedly, "Are you okay? You looked a bit tense when you walked in. I called to you but I don't think you heard."
"Oh," Kaoru blushed, "Sorry, I was just thinking about something."
"Ah," Tatsumo took a more comfortable stance, leaning on the doorframe, "Care to share?"
"Eh, nothing really," Kaoru shrugged, "But can you come to my engagement party a week from now?"
"Engagement?" Tatsumo's eyebrows rose in interest, "When did this happen? And who's the lucky guy?"
You thought you found a friend
To take you out of this place
"Lunch." Kaoru sighed, "And my fiancé is Enishi."
"Well, for a bride-to-be, you don't seem too happy."
"I am," Kaoru said dejectedly, "I'm just tired."
"I see." Tatsumo looked at her, unconvinced, "So what's this about an engagement party I hear?"
"It's next week."
"Isn't that short notice?"
"This is Enishi I'm engaged to."
"Right, right."
Someone you could lend a hand
"So can you come?"
"How could I not?"
Kaoru smiled at Tatsumo who exited the doorframe with a wave. Kaoru resumed her work, hoping it'd take her mind off of the thoughts that were already swirling in her mind.
In return for grace
The week came and gone without much notice to Kaoru. Nothing really significant happened. She met once with Misao who congratulated her and promised to pass the news to Aoshi. She dined with Enishi several times, each time planning the wedding that wasn't due for countless months, simply because it excited him. Not once during all the nights had he noticed her disinterest.
She had also not seen that red head of hair again. She promised herself not to think about it but couldn't help scanning the streets. Kaoru promised herself, for the sake of Enishi, that she wouldn't do that today. Not on the day of their engagement party.
It was a beautiful day.
With ten minutes to spare, she headed towards the small restaurant Enishi insisted on renting out for the night, eyes downcast to discourage looking around. She approached a curb when something cold and wet landed on her nose. Blinking, she looked up.
Sky falls, you feel like it's a beautiful day
It was snowing.
It hadn't snowed since...
Kaoru ignored the thoughts that were beginning to make their way up. She looked up at the stoplight, waiting for the indication to walk. As soon as the lights changed, the cars in front of her cleared a path and she had access to the opposite side of the road. But she made no move to cross. Instead, her eyes were glued to the sight just across the street from her.
He was standing there.
Don't let it get away
The same man she had seen a week ago was walking across the street, parallel to her. This time, Kaoru could see his face clearly, the profile of it at least. He was a good twenty meters away but from what she could tell, it was him. This time, she was sure of it.
It was Battousai.
He had changed, but not by much. The lanky figure he had filled out a little. His hair lightened from dark auburn to orange-red and tied at the base of his neck. But the rest of him was the same, as far as she could tell. Same tanned face, same stride, same air of silent confidence. It really was him.
The Battousai-look-alike paused for a moment and watched as the snow steadily fell around him. He looked up towards the sky with a boyish grin before continuing on his way.
You're on the road
And you've got no destination
That one look struck something deep in Kaoru. She ran across the street, ignoring the fact that the light had changed again and cars had become irritated by her sudden wish to cross. Once she had crossed, she lost track of him again. The crowds seemed to push against her as she ran forward, turning corners where it seemed fit. Nothing was on her mind other than finding him.
You're in the mud,
In the maze of her imagination
After running for an undefined amount of time, she stopped at the Town Square, out of breath and strained. Despite her familiarity with the spot, she felt lost. She couldn't find him and didn't know the next time she would see him again. What was the chance of her finding a single person in this city filled with thousands upon thousands of people?
You love this town
Even if that, doesn't ring true
Discouraged, and with something of a dull ache in her heart, she dragged herself to the restaurant. She walked without feeling the distance. She watched with dull eyes as her friends, her fiancé, her co-workers came up to her with countless questions. She felt the world growing heavy, fatigue and stress finally catching up to her. With one uttered phrase, she collapsed.
"He's back..."
You've been all over
And it's been all over you
Kaoru groaned and sat up slowly holding her head. She was hazily aware of someone helping her up as she opened her eyes.
"Kaoru?" Enishi asked worriedly, "Kaoru, are you okay?"
Kaoru didn't reply as she looked around. She was sitting on the carpeted floor of the restaurant, so she couldn't have been out for that long. Misao and Tatsumo stood behind Enishi and looked at her, concern in their eyes.
"Kaoru, what happened?" Enishi asked again.
Touch me,
Take me to that other place
Kaoru looked down at herself. She was a mess. Her hair and makeup were undoubtedly not much better. Finally finding her voice, Kaoru spoke.
"Nothing." Her voice came out raspy, so she cleared her throat and tried again, "Nothing happened."
"Kaoru, don't give us that!" Misao said, worry seeping into her voice, "What happened? You said something before you passed out."
At that, Kaoru blanched. She stared at the floor as the memories came back to her. She was chasing something that may or may not exist through the good length of the city. She remembered him, his face as he stood watching the snow. Unwillingly, she made the mental connection between him then and the first time he saw snow with her ten years ago. Without realizing it, she whispered it softly again.
"He's back..."
Reach me,
I know I'm not a hopeless case.
Only Enishi out of the three was close enough to hear. He didn't need much to realize whom she was talking about. He, too, paled. Trying to push back the doubt and fear in his mind, he helped Kaoru stand up.
"It's been a long night, Kaoru." He said with an edge of uneasiness in his voice, "Maybe we should call it a night."
"Yeah." She tried to smile for his sake, "I'm sorry about today, Enishi."
"Don't be. You've had too much stress this past week. We'll have a small get-together tomorrow in lieu of this one. Do you have the time?"
Kaoru nodded slightly.
"Good. I'll see you then. Can I trust you to get home safely?"
Kaoru nodded again. With that, he gave Kaoru a quick kiss on the cheek and walked out. She stared dumbly after him, not even feeling the contact. At that point, her two friends escorted her out of the building and insisted on seeing that she got into bed, with the unstable condition she was in.
As soon as they left, Kaoru stood in her bare room gazing out into the moon. For the first time in several years, she pulled out her tape player and put in Battousai's tape. She lay down in her bed and fell asleep to the sound of his voice and the lull of the music.
It was a beautiful day.
The next day, Kaoru woke up and went to work, unceremoniously. She left soon after her lunch break to go home and prepare for her second engagement party. She was adding the finishing touches on her makeup when Enishi rang her doorbell.
Together, they left for the little downtown café they were supposed to meet everyone else. This time, only their close friends were assembled around a small table. As they entered, they were presented with cheers and confetti. There stood several bottles of champagne and a large cake on the table.
Kaoru and Enishi exchanged their share of pleasantries and sat down. Just as they were opening their first bottle of champagne, the door opened loudly.
"Kaoru! Enishi! How have the two of you been?"
The two stared at the woman who just walked in. Kaoru didn't trust herself to speak and Enishi gladly covered for her.
"We're doing fine, thank you. And you, Megumi? How has world of medicine been treating you?"
"Oh, just fine. I heard you two got engaged."
The smile Megumi had on her face made Kaoru's stomach churn. She nodded and Megumi's smile widened.
"I'd like to congratulate you both. And I brought someone with me who'd like to congratulate you as well." Megumi turned to the door and on cue, the Battousai-look-alike walked through.
Sky falls, you feel like it's a beautiful day.
"Hello," He said in a slightly deeper and more refined voice.
Everyone whom had gone to school with them stared at the newcomer speechlessly, Kaoru among them. The ones who knew nothing about her schooling looked on confusedly, but didn't dare ask.
There was something different about him that only up close could Kaoru tell. His face was scarred on the left side. Not so much as to ruin his complexion, but enough to notice. Peculiarly enough, it was a cross that ran the length of his face, from cheekbone to jaw. And his eyes were no longer amber. It was now a pale violet. Kaoru kept observing these two traits and almost didn't realize when he spoke.
"I'd just like to wish you two a happy marriage." He smiled in spite of all the stares he was getting.
The man seemed to be looking at Kaoru when he said this. She stared back at him brazenly, still in shock. When the words sunk in, Kaoru's eyes reflected pain. "Battousai" was happily congratulating her on getting engaged to someone else. She tore her eyes away, rather than be confronted by her unexplainable pain.
Seeing that she had her desired effect, Megumi smiled and latched on to the man's arm.
Don't let it get away.
"Everyone, meet Kenshin Himura, my new boyfriend."
"Megumi," He looked sheepish, "I don't know if you'd call it that. It's only been a week."
"Well I'd hope for you to be," Megumi put on a mock pout. "And soon enough, everyone will be congratulating us instead."
His eyes widened and he looked stunned for a moment. When he finally collected his wits, he fidgeted under the pressure of the remark.
"Megumi," He escaped her grip, "I'll be outside. Just come when you're done." He bid a quick goodbye and hurried out the door. Some of Megumi's artificial annoyance turned into real irritation. She faced the people again and sat down melodramatically with a sigh.
"All the cute ones are so clueless when it comes to life matters these days."
"Megumi," Enishi looked at her coldly, "What did you bring him for?"
"Oh no reason really," She dismissed his look with a wave of her hand, "I just felt that you should all meet him."
With this, she was replied with several more cold looks, all on Kaoru's behalf. Kaoru, herself, looked away as she repeated Enishi's question, wanting to hear the real answer.
"Why?"
"Just thought you had a right to see him." Megumi smiled wickedly, knowing the damage she had done. Feeling her day had been complete, she stood and smoothed her skirt, "Well, Kenshin's still waiting outside for me. I wish you both a happy engagement!" And with a wave, she walked off.
"Well, let's not let that ruin our party." Misao tried in get the previous mood back, "Cheers to Enishi and Kaoru!" She lifted her wineglass and drank to them. The rest of the party murmured something of an agreement and drank as well. Enishi sat silently watching Kaoru watch her hands. He knew what was running through her head and was afraid for her sake, but more for his own.
Kaoru, on the other hand was not aware of anything that was happening. She stared blankly as emotions ran through her eyes. Pain. Embarrassment. Regret. Guilt. And despite herself, interest.
Over the next week, the image of the man and Megumi had imprinted themselves onto her mind and replayed at the most inconvenient times. With her musings distracting her from doing anything substantial, she decided to see Megumi and straighten out the situation somewhat.
That was what she decided on at the time. Now that she stood pacing outside her clinic, she was having second thoughts. This was Megumi, whom she proverbially snatched Battousai from. Megumi, who had brought him to her engagement party, probably to spite her. Megumi, who had done countless things to annoy her in the past.
Kaoru stood outside the door contemplating before sighing and turning away. The instant Kaoru made a move to walk, Megumi stuck her head out the door and called to her.
"Kaoru. I was wondering when you would come."
Touch me,
Take me to that other place.
Kaoru turned around and looked at her strangely. Megumi went back inside and motioned that she should follow. Kaoru did so, a bit tentatively.
Once inside her main office, Megumi sat down at her desk and nodded towards one of the smaller chairs, and began without waiting for Kaoru to sit down.
"It's been a week, Kaoru. I expected you to come sooner." Megumi said arrogantly while cleaning her nails. "It's about him, isn't it?"
Kaoru stared, annoyed at her own predictable stupidity, but kept to herself on the grounds that she needed to find some things out.
"So," Megumi looked back up at her, "What do you want to know?"
As Kaoru opened her mouth to ask a question, Megumi cut her off with a long torrent of words.
"His name is Kenshin Himura. He was born the same year we were to Japanese parents in America. He's never been to Japan before this and he's only here on business. He's been here for a few weeks now, setting up his company. I bumped into him in a café," She shrugged, enjoying the feeling she held over Kaoru, "and things just went from there." She gave somewhat of a cruel smile. Kaoru was still trying to absorb the information when Megumi started again.
"He never told me about that scar, though. Out of the five times I've gone out with him in the past two weeks, he wouldn't mention it. Not that I minded. The restaurants were enough to keep me happy. You know, he has quite a bit of money." Megumi laughed cattily.
Teach me,
I know I'm not a hopeless case
"So it's pure coincidence that he looks like..."Kaoru started to say but trailed off.
"Battousai?" Megumi said, not noticing Kaoru wince, "True, the do look almost exactly alike. But one thing is different, Kaoru." She dropped her light tone and looked dangerously at Kaoru.
"This one is mine. You had your chance ten years ago, and you lost it. I saw this one first and you're not going to take him from me like you did back then. This isn't your playing field anymore, little girl."
Then as quickly as the mood came, it was gone and Megumi smiled again.
"Well, it's been a nice chat but I have some patients to get back to. I'll see you around Kaoru! Bye!" She quickly pushed Kaoru towards the door and closed it behind her.
Kaoru stood there blinking into the night when the weight of the words and the situation sank in. She began to walk home, rage running through her veins. What right did Megumi have to claim him? She had every right to go after him if she chose. She stopped abruptly in the middle of the road.
'No. She had every right to say that.' She shook her head a little to herself. 'I'm engaged now.'
With a heavy conscience, she began walking again.
'And that was ten years ago. Things have changed.'
It had been a few days since Kaoru went to go see Megumi. Since then, she did nothing but work, sleep and see Enishi on occasion. She wanted to eliminate the possibility of running into Megumi and her boyfriend. True to her plans, she didn't see him, both to her relief and disappointment.
Kaoru was now sitting in her office, still working on her potential client's project. Tatsumo walked in looking ecstatic to say the least.
"Kaoru! Guess what? The client you've been working on seemed impressed with our invoice! He wants to meet you to go over the project plans!"
"Great!" Kaoru grinned, "Tell him it'll be ready in a week or so."
It was a beautiful day.
"A week?" Tatsumo looked at her incredulously, "They want to see you now!"
"What?!"
Don't let it get away
"B-but..." Kaoru stuttered, "It's not ready now!"
"Oh I'm sure whatever you have will be fine." Tatsumo waved her off, "They're expecting you in ten minutes. You'd better get going!"
"R-right. Sure." Kaoru grabbed some loose papers off her desk and took a last gulp of coffee before dashing out the door.
Beautiful day...
Kaoru hailed a cab and headed for the address printed on the papers in her hand. As the cab lurched along, she reviewed the client information. She didn't want to sound ignorant during a presentation.
"Okay, I'm pretty sure I know all this information..." Kaoru muttered to herself as she read over the company history, project plans, and budget. She looked at the papers quizzically when she saw something was missing. "Who was I supposed to meet with?"
The cab pulled to a stop and she shrugged. She'll have to wing it from here. Kaoru stepped out and took on a professional air as she approached the double doors of the building. A tall, lanky man with spiky hair was leaning on the door and he looked up as she approached. Kaoru took a deep breath and put on a professional smile.
"Hello sir. I am Kaoru Kamiya from the Polaris Architectural Company. I believe you called me earlier today to meet about your plans. If you could kindly find us a table, I'm sure we could begin and--..."
"Whoa, whoa Missy, save your breath. I'm not the one you're meeting with today!"
What you don't have, you don't need it now.
Kaoru looked up at the man strangely. He caught her look and laughed.
"I'm Sanouske Sagara, only the secondary owner of the company. If you'll wait a moment, the CEO will come in to meet with you."
Kaoru stared at the ruffled man in front of her before bursting out into good-natured laughing.
"I'm sorry Mr. Sagara. You'll have to excuse me today. I was in such a rush to get here that I didn't really pay attention--..."
"Ah it's okay, Missy. Happens to me all the time," He gave her a lazy grin, "If you'll follow me, you could wait in the head honcho's office for him."
"Thank you Mr. Sagara."
"Eh, just call me Sano."
Kaoru smiled at the man's back. Something about his carefree nature calmed her a bit. As they reached their destination, Kaoru noticed the increase of boxes and packing paper. Sano caught her curiosity and answered her unasked question.
"Before this, we were set up in America. We came over a few weeks ago and some of us aren't done unpacking. Oh, we're here."
What you don't know you can feel somehow.
Kaoru stood beside the man as he pushed open a large wooden door to reveal a room the size of her own department. She walked in and marveled at the walls and windows of the elaborate chamber. It wasn't completely finished in terms of decorating, but it was elegant and simple. Whoever had this room clearly had taste.
"Just make yourself comfortable Missy," Sano headed towards the door, "The big guy is pretty nice so you shouldn't be too nervous." With that the door closed with a click, leaving Kaoru alone in the vast room.
Kaoru stood rooted to the spot, unsure as to what to do next. Gaining a bit of courage, she walked around the room in a slow circle, surveying everything. She a picture from the wall caught her eye and she stopped in front of it. Looking closely, she saw it was a picture of a winter night with stars hanging in the indigo sky. With somewhat of a nostalgic pang, she moved on to the other pictures in the room.
What you don't have you don't need it now.
The knob on the door swiveled with a soft scrape and Kaoru quickly stepped away from the picture she was looking at, although she couldn't quite tell why there was an urgency to do so. She turned around slowly as the man entered the room.
"I'm sorry to keep you waiting. I'm Kenshin Himura, CEO."
It was a beautiful day.
A/N: BWAH HA HAA! I can spite you even when I'm dozens of miles away from home! ^w^ Don't worry though! Next week shall come sooner than you think! ::climbs into bomb shelter for good measure::
Anywho, that song fic wasn't TOO too bad, was it? I tried to do it the best I could, but I always mess it up somewhere. ^^() And by no means am I putting any Kenshin-Megumi fluff in here. Like I said, I don't hate her but I have a thing against any coupling besides Kenshin/Battousai-Kaoru. (I laughed when I wrote about Kenshin hastily making an exit after hearing the "boyfriend, maybe engagement" remark. I'm sorry. I'm kind of sadistic at heart)
And that incident with Sano...I don't quite remember if it happened in the series, although I'm pretty sure it did. Once again, my memory isn't what it used to be. So try to let me live til I finish the story. You can kill me all you want then!