Ahhh this is almost done!!! There's about 3 more chapters after this. I'm
really sad and surprised that this fic didn't do as well as Love Rush,
considering that it's written a whole lot better. Anyway, I want to tahnk
those people that have been reviewing. I'm glad you guys like this fic, I
like it too ~_^ Oh, BTW, MERRY FRIGGIN CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Disclaimer: Hey, you think you could get me a Kenshin for X-mas? Maybe a Sano? No? *lip trembles* ohhhh please?????????? *mutter* bastards *mutter*
I sat on my couch for half an hour staring at the manila folder on my coffee table. It was thick, really thick. Was that all me? I wondered. For some reason, I didn't want to open it. Eduardo had had my file. He'd been reading it, and who knows how long he's had it. Everything about me was sitting all nice and neat in a folder. I shuddered. It made me feel vulnerable for some reason. I hated it. Did I want to read it? No. Should I read it? Probably. Will I read it? Yes. Damn it. I was about to open it when my doorbell rang. For a second I wondered if Eduardo forgot to tell me something. I went for the door without asking whom it was, and swung it open. It was Aoshi. Could life get anymore annoying?
"What do you want?" I said dryly. I still need a good way to kill him, and a good enough reason that won't anger Soujiro. Until I can find one he's going to have to live. Pity.
"What did you do with Eduardo?" His face was calm, but his eyes were angry.
"You know Eduardo?" I couldn't stop the shock from showing on my face.
"What... did... you... do... with... him?" He said it slowly, stressing each word. He was really pissed. Why?
"I'm... not... deaf..." I said, mocking him, my face blank.
"Answer the damn question!"
"I didn't do shit with him. How do you know him?"
"You did something Kaoru. I know you did."
"Aoshi what the hell does he mean to you?"
"He was my best spy Kaoru, and because of you he's gone. Now tell me what happened, and where he went." He was speaking through clenched teeth. Geez for Aoshi to be this angry Eduardo must have been really good at his job. Wait, rewind, Eduardo was working for Aoshi?
"He works for you?"
"Yes. He was close to being even better than Misao at gathering information. I can't afford to lose him. Where did he go?"
"Misao?" Now I was plain lost. Misao gathered info? I know he got her involved with a gang, but I'd never really BELIEVED it until now. The scary part is, according to him, she was good.
"Where did he go?"
"Don't know. He just left." I shrugged.
"This is all your fault."
"All my fault? The hell did I do?!?!"
"Everything." Aoshi said, and stomped out of my apartment. I guess it was a stupid thing for me to ask, "The hell did I do?" because Eduardo was running away to help me, so basically it was my fault. I guess I was also being unfair to Aoshi by not telling him what happened, but Aoshi is not currently my favorite person. So, he can find out on his own.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Misao?" I had finally been able to get a hold of Misao, and we were eating dinner together. The odd thing was that I was the one initiating conversation. Misao was usually talking her head off. Lately she was quiet and lost in her thoughts.
"Huh?" She looked up from twirling the same chunk of spaghetti around her fork that she had been playing with for the past five minutes.
"You ok?"
"Yeah."
"What have you been up to? Every time I call you're busy doing something."
"Just trying to throw my Kunai."
"You still can't do it."
"Nope. I quit 5 years ago, and now that I'm trying again it's like my arms refuse to listen to my brain."
"What's with the sudden urge to throw them again?"
"No reason."
"You're lying. What happened between you and Aoshi?"
"Nothing happened." Her eyes hardened. She was really unhappy with me. She was never this angry with me. It was only when Aoshi's name was brought up in conversation.
"Misao, today he was angry at me, and he was rambling on about something. Next thing I know he mentions you being one of the best at gathering information. Can you explain that?"
"You know I was in a gang for a while."
"I know, but you didn't tell me you were good at it."
"Well now you know. Happy?"
"No. I realized that I don't know anything about this gang thing. About you and Aoshi. Tell me. It won't hurt as much if you let someone in you know."
"What about you, huh? I don't know what you're doing with Aoshi now, I don't know where exactly you work, and I know nothing of your past. Did you know Sano came up to me laughing saying how Kenshin hates being dragged to clubs, and asked me how I got you to go to a club? I never took you to a club. When did you go to a club? When did this happen? I know nothing about you. You want answers? Well so do I."
"I can't." I said quietly. She had a point.
"Why not?"
"Too painful."
"Kaoru, if what I ask you is to hard to answer, then what makes you think what you ask me won't be just as hard?" Misao was dead serious. Her mouth was in a tight line, her eyes frustrated and sad. I'd never seen her like that. It scared me. Things were becoming way too crazy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When I got home there was a message on my machine, wait, two messages. Me, miss popular. The first one I wasn't expecting at all. Soujiro gave me another assignment. That's strange, especially after he told me that after Big J I'd be doing nothing but Battosai. Anyway, he had to give the mayor his money back since we weren't able to kill Big J. No problem. Money is money. There's always more somewhere. You just gotta know where to look.
The second message turned out to be even more unexpected. Not only was it unexpected, but it was also nerve racking. Should I return the call?
"Your friends are here Kaoru. I was actually hoping you would come with them, but you did not. I cannot blame you. Your father would have thrown a fit. You know how excited he can get. Anyway, your friends are asking questions. I don't know how to answer them, as I don't know what you have told them so far. Call me, sweetheart. Call really late. Your father will be too lazy to answer the phone then so I'm guaranteed to answer. I've got to go. Be good. Talk to you later. Love you, bye." Mom...
Oh, and by the way, the folder is still sitting untouched on my coffee table.
~~~PREVIEW: "You don't mean that, do you?" My voice sounded small and distant. How could she say that? She didn't reply. I heard her say something muffled. Someone had probably entered the room. Probably dad. But then there was the distinct sound of a... gun shot? "Mom?"
Disclaimer: Hey, you think you could get me a Kenshin for X-mas? Maybe a Sano? No? *lip trembles* ohhhh please?????????? *mutter* bastards *mutter*
I sat on my couch for half an hour staring at the manila folder on my coffee table. It was thick, really thick. Was that all me? I wondered. For some reason, I didn't want to open it. Eduardo had had my file. He'd been reading it, and who knows how long he's had it. Everything about me was sitting all nice and neat in a folder. I shuddered. It made me feel vulnerable for some reason. I hated it. Did I want to read it? No. Should I read it? Probably. Will I read it? Yes. Damn it. I was about to open it when my doorbell rang. For a second I wondered if Eduardo forgot to tell me something. I went for the door without asking whom it was, and swung it open. It was Aoshi. Could life get anymore annoying?
"What do you want?" I said dryly. I still need a good way to kill him, and a good enough reason that won't anger Soujiro. Until I can find one he's going to have to live. Pity.
"What did you do with Eduardo?" His face was calm, but his eyes were angry.
"You know Eduardo?" I couldn't stop the shock from showing on my face.
"What... did... you... do... with... him?" He said it slowly, stressing each word. He was really pissed. Why?
"I'm... not... deaf..." I said, mocking him, my face blank.
"Answer the damn question!"
"I didn't do shit with him. How do you know him?"
"You did something Kaoru. I know you did."
"Aoshi what the hell does he mean to you?"
"He was my best spy Kaoru, and because of you he's gone. Now tell me what happened, and where he went." He was speaking through clenched teeth. Geez for Aoshi to be this angry Eduardo must have been really good at his job. Wait, rewind, Eduardo was working for Aoshi?
"He works for you?"
"Yes. He was close to being even better than Misao at gathering information. I can't afford to lose him. Where did he go?"
"Misao?" Now I was plain lost. Misao gathered info? I know he got her involved with a gang, but I'd never really BELIEVED it until now. The scary part is, according to him, she was good.
"Where did he go?"
"Don't know. He just left." I shrugged.
"This is all your fault."
"All my fault? The hell did I do?!?!"
"Everything." Aoshi said, and stomped out of my apartment. I guess it was a stupid thing for me to ask, "The hell did I do?" because Eduardo was running away to help me, so basically it was my fault. I guess I was also being unfair to Aoshi by not telling him what happened, but Aoshi is not currently my favorite person. So, he can find out on his own.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Misao?" I had finally been able to get a hold of Misao, and we were eating dinner together. The odd thing was that I was the one initiating conversation. Misao was usually talking her head off. Lately she was quiet and lost in her thoughts.
"Huh?" She looked up from twirling the same chunk of spaghetti around her fork that she had been playing with for the past five minutes.
"You ok?"
"Yeah."
"What have you been up to? Every time I call you're busy doing something."
"Just trying to throw my Kunai."
"You still can't do it."
"Nope. I quit 5 years ago, and now that I'm trying again it's like my arms refuse to listen to my brain."
"What's with the sudden urge to throw them again?"
"No reason."
"You're lying. What happened between you and Aoshi?"
"Nothing happened." Her eyes hardened. She was really unhappy with me. She was never this angry with me. It was only when Aoshi's name was brought up in conversation.
"Misao, today he was angry at me, and he was rambling on about something. Next thing I know he mentions you being one of the best at gathering information. Can you explain that?"
"You know I was in a gang for a while."
"I know, but you didn't tell me you were good at it."
"Well now you know. Happy?"
"No. I realized that I don't know anything about this gang thing. About you and Aoshi. Tell me. It won't hurt as much if you let someone in you know."
"What about you, huh? I don't know what you're doing with Aoshi now, I don't know where exactly you work, and I know nothing of your past. Did you know Sano came up to me laughing saying how Kenshin hates being dragged to clubs, and asked me how I got you to go to a club? I never took you to a club. When did you go to a club? When did this happen? I know nothing about you. You want answers? Well so do I."
"I can't." I said quietly. She had a point.
"Why not?"
"Too painful."
"Kaoru, if what I ask you is to hard to answer, then what makes you think what you ask me won't be just as hard?" Misao was dead serious. Her mouth was in a tight line, her eyes frustrated and sad. I'd never seen her like that. It scared me. Things were becoming way too crazy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When I got home there was a message on my machine, wait, two messages. Me, miss popular. The first one I wasn't expecting at all. Soujiro gave me another assignment. That's strange, especially after he told me that after Big J I'd be doing nothing but Battosai. Anyway, he had to give the mayor his money back since we weren't able to kill Big J. No problem. Money is money. There's always more somewhere. You just gotta know where to look.
The second message turned out to be even more unexpected. Not only was it unexpected, but it was also nerve racking. Should I return the call?
"Your friends are here Kaoru. I was actually hoping you would come with them, but you did not. I cannot blame you. Your father would have thrown a fit. You know how excited he can get. Anyway, your friends are asking questions. I don't know how to answer them, as I don't know what you have told them so far. Call me, sweetheart. Call really late. Your father will be too lazy to answer the phone then so I'm guaranteed to answer. I've got to go. Be good. Talk to you later. Love you, bye." Mom...
Oh, and by the way, the folder is still sitting untouched on my coffee table.
~~~PREVIEW: "You don't mean that, do you?" My voice sounded small and distant. How could she say that? She didn't reply. I heard her say something muffled. Someone had probably entered the room. Probably dad. But then there was the distinct sound of a... gun shot? "Mom?"