The 12th Street Apartment
1/13/2004
Oh well...
+Review Responses+
Cricket-Chan: Thanks for your support! ^^
The-Lone-Lemon: Thanks for reviewing! I know towels are really random things to buy... my mind is messed up. Aoshi is only going to NYC to help Gina settle. He'll be back. He doesn't know about Chou and Misao yet. ^^
Noner_89: Here's the next chapter! Thanks for reading. ^^
Purpo kitee katx: Well... here's a little on Kaoru. Thanks for reviewing! Aoshi and Misao aren't over for good. I'm not sure about Gina and Okita though. ^^
Unique-starfish: Thanks for reviewing! ^^
Kaoru Kamiya: Thanks for reading! ^^
Erica6060: Thanks for the review! ^^
MissBehavin: Well... you'll see in this chapter! Thanks for reading! ^^
Charmed18: Why thank you! You've so nice! Thanks for reviewing! ^^
Scarlet Rayne: Thanks for reading! ^^
+++++++++
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!(^.^)v~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
*********
Recap: Gina goes to New York City... a new job awaits her there. She breaks up with Okita. At the airport Saitou sees Kaoru.
*********
I'm sorry these chapters are taking so long to write! Blame teachers and "cumulative reviews!" *cough midterm cough*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Mr. Saitou!" Kaoru looked surprised, "What are you doing here?"
Saitou leaned against a pillar, "Could say the same to you."
"You first."
"..."
"You want me to go first?"
"..."
"Fine. I'll tell you. Enishi and I got divorced."
Saitou lost his footing and slipping ungracefully. Kaoru giggled as the tall man got up.
"What?" Saitou spat out, "You've only been married ten months."
"He didn't love me." Kaoru said softly.
"And you didn't love him... just what he had to offer." Saitou said curtly.
Kaoru glared, "How did you know?"
"I'm a detective." He said with a triumphant smirk. He grabbed one of her bags.
"Hey! What are you doing with those?"
"Have you got a place to stay?"
"No."
"Great... another brainless child... with no planning at all in life." Saitou muttered.
"Huh?"
Saitou grunt, annoyed, "So you'll come stay in one of the rooms we still have open... you still need to pay though."
"I don't have a job or anything... only a little bit of money." She said as she got into the car.
Saitou started the engine, "So what were you planning to do once you came here?"
Kaoru shrugged. "My father has his own home now..."
"Another child who just wants to live off people." Saitou muttered.
"Excuse me?" Kaoru didn't heard what he had said.
"Your father is in a nursing home..."
"Right." Kaoru look depressed, "I have nothing..."
"You have your child." Saitou replied flatly.
Kaoru looked at him in horror, "HOW... how... how... do you know?"
Saitou glanced sidelong, "I'm a detective... plus... my wife has been pregnant three times. You think I would know the signs. How far are you along?"
"Six weeks." Kaoru said, now beginning to sob.
"So why come back... and divorce that rich husband of yours?"
"He didn't love me... to him I'm just the trophy wife and to me he was just a way to save my father. We were so happy in the beginning... and then he was always taking me to this party or that... showing me off. His parents were so kind... and they knew we didn't love each other. I was going to stay, but his parent insisted that I divorce Enishi."
"Strange."
"Isn't it? His parents are such good people. I told his mother about Kenshin..."
"What about Kenshin?"
"I thought you were a detective."
"I am. I'm just surprised you told your mother-in-law about my son."
"Oh. Well... she told me I should go where my heart was. And so I did."
"With no planning what so ever." Saitou mumbled as he stopped at a traffic light.
"I planned! Kaoru protested.
"So tell me what you were going to do if I hadn't found you."
"Call my father."
"And then..."
"Then... I don't KNOW!!" Kaoru began to search her bag for tissue. Saitou reached over to the glove compartment and pulled out a large box.
"How much money do you have?"
"Six hundred US dollars... spent four hundred on plane tickets. Not much."
Saitou sighed, "Were you planning of seeing Kenshin again?"
Kaoru sniffled, "Yes..."
"You do realize..."
"He might move on?"
Saitou continued, "That he's not the father of that child."
"I realized that!" Kaoru snapped angrily.
Saitou sighed. He stopped the car at the apartment. He threw Kaoru's bags into the apartment doorway and started down the stairs.
"Hey! This is Aoshi's!"
"Not anymore. He moved in with Kenshin when Gina left." Saitou trudged down the stairs.
Kaoru flopped on the remaining bed; great. She was going to have to make a new life for herself, once again.
Her slate was clean... right?
***
Misao grinned as she wiped the tables at the café. The little bell rang and she turned to greet the customer. "Hi! Welcome to . Kaoru!"
Yumi popped her head out from the kitchen, "HEY! Place is called Yumi's not... Kaoru?"
Kaoru smiled, "Hi?"
Misao hugged Kaoru tightly. Yumi wiped her hands on her apron, "What are you doing back."
Kaoru grinned, "Can we talk over coffee?"
***
"So lemme get this straight... You're divorced... and pregnant." Yumi glanced over the rim to the coffee cup.
Kaoru looked out the window as she poured some sugar into her coffee, "Yeah... and unemployed."
"You didn't finish college either." Misao pointed out.
Yumi stared as Kaoru continued to pour sugar into her cup.
Kaoru slumped over the table, "I know!!"
"You can work here..." Yumi offered, "I can't pay much..."
Kaoru leaped for the opportunity, "Thanks!"
The bell rang again, Misao turned and waved, "Chou! I'll be right there." She turned to Yumi, "I'm off."
Kaoru glanced at the tall blond man Misao left with, "Who's he?"
Yumi wiped the table, "Misao's new boyfriend."
"What about Aoshi?" Kaoru gulped down the coffee.
"Claims she got over him."
"Right..."
"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Yumi looked up from the coffee machine.
Kaoru nodded, "But we won't know until Aoshi gets back from New York."
***
Kenshin slammed himself into the wall, avoiding Uncle Hiko who was charging up.
He whistled as he wandered aimlessly into Yumi's Café.
A cheerful voice greeted him, "Welcome to Yumi's..."
Kenshin felt his feet stuck to the floor, "Kaoru?"
"Hi Kenshin!" Kaoru greeted cheerfully.
"Hi..." Kenshin was a little uncertain.
Kaoru continued on her happy-go-lucky-rant, "So how have you been?"
"Fine..."
"That's great." Kaoru was beyond doubt hyper as she was hopping up and down.
"So how have you been..." Kenshin raised an eyebrow as Kaoru grabbed his hand, swinging it back and forth intermittently.
"Great! Great! Never been better! Enishi and I got divorced!!" Kaoru squealed like a little child learning they were going to start school the next morning.
(A/N: You know when you were little you always wanted to go to school? Well... I did... I now I regret I ever wanted to go to school!)
Kaoru continued on her tirade but Kenshin had only one thought, "Wait..." He sputtered out, "You... and Enishi... divorced?"
Kaoru nodded, her hair flapping around, "Uh huh! Uh huh! And... and... and... I'm pregnant... and... and..."
"WHAT?!" Three voices yelled at the same time.
Kaoru clamped her hands over her ear, "Mou!"
Kenshin turned around to see both Megumi and Sano standing there with shocked looks.
"Hi hi Meggy and Saneeee!" Kaoru hopped around, very excited.
Yumi stepped out, ushering a giddy Kaoru to sit in a chair. She shot all her patrons an apologetic look, "Too much sugar in coffee."
Kenshin abruptly turned and walked out the door. The bell jiggled stridently as the door slammed into the wall. Yumi winced, hoping the glass was not cracked.
Kaoru did not notice. She was busy talking Megumi's ear off about New York City.
Sano half-heartedly agreed to help Yumi while Kaoru was still in her hyper phase.
(A/N: I've always wondered how Kaoru would act with too much sugar... I needed to make this chapter happy... and break it to Kenshin that Kaoru was pregnant in a fun way... that wasn't too bad was it?)
***
"She's back." Kenshin growled vociferously from the park bench that he slouched in.
The tall man next to him grunted lackadaisically.
"She's divorced."
Another grunt was heard- louder this time.
"She's got a kid."
There was silence.
Kenshin turned to his companion, "Oh come on! You of ALL people knew."
The only reply he got was a callous grunt.
"What am I going to do?"
A grunt. The taller man shifted his position, sliding a little further from the red-head.
"I still love her... but... this is SO hard! Why does life have to be this way?"
A softer grunt was heard now.
"And why does she have to come back? I could have gotten over her!!"
This time it was a sardonic snort.
"Yeah... I don't think I would have... do you think she still has SOME feeling for me?" Kenshin's voice was hopeful.
A bird chirped back a response.
"A little?" Kenshin kicked a pebble. It flew up, smacking a pass-byer in the nose. The teenage boy glared at Kenshin, picked up the offending pebble, and hurled it at Kenshin, hitting the man right between the eyes.
Kenshin's companion gave a quick cough that Kenshin suspected was a laugh.
Kenshin glanced at the sky.
"Maybe a lot?"
The man on the bench shrugged.
Kenshin look at the little children playing tag, "I should ask her right?"
There was a huff; like that was the point the companion was TRYING to make the whole time.
Kenshin got up from the bench, "That would be the right thing to do!" He stood a little taller now, "I've handled rejection from her once, and I can do it again." He said solidly.
There was that grunt again.
Kenshin was walking away from the bench, leaving his companion sitting there, Kenshin glanced back, "And thanks for listening... Dad. You really do give good advice."
There was that grunt again.
Kenshin grinned and left.
Hajime remained sitting on the bench, unmoving from his position. Hiko came marching through the park, plopping himself next to his brother.
His brother jerked his head up, "Hiko..."
"Who'd you expect?" Hiko scowled as the sun hit him directly in the eye.
Hajime Saitou rubbed his head fiercely. He was confused now... and he didn't like to be confused. His mind was vulnerable when he was confused. "I thought Kenshin was just here..."
Hiko and Hajime just sat there, watching the sun go down.
Hajime jolted quickly. He had remembered; he had fallen asleep. So what guidance had he given Kenshin? Hajime shrugged. It wasn't like he really cared.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well... that was an unexpected ending.
Right now I feel like writing happy funny chapter... I don't want to make this depressing or anything...
Well... tell me what you think! Please?? (^.^)
Anyways... next chapter will probably take a while to complete... with this story and Passing of the Forbidden plus midterms and stuff...
I'm sorry... I really will try through... the next chapter probably won't be up until early February... maybe even late February... I'll see how much I can cram into my schedule...
Hope you enjoyed this story so far!
Next on the 12th Street Apartment: Kaoru now off her sugar-high, sits down with Kenshin to talk. And Aoshi is back... (Note: Subject to change)
1/13/2004
Oh well...
+Review Responses+
Cricket-Chan: Thanks for your support! ^^
The-Lone-Lemon: Thanks for reviewing! I know towels are really random things to buy... my mind is messed up. Aoshi is only going to NYC to help Gina settle. He'll be back. He doesn't know about Chou and Misao yet. ^^
Noner_89: Here's the next chapter! Thanks for reading. ^^
Purpo kitee katx: Well... here's a little on Kaoru. Thanks for reviewing! Aoshi and Misao aren't over for good. I'm not sure about Gina and Okita though. ^^
Unique-starfish: Thanks for reviewing! ^^
Kaoru Kamiya: Thanks for reading! ^^
Erica6060: Thanks for the review! ^^
MissBehavin: Well... you'll see in this chapter! Thanks for reading! ^^
Charmed18: Why thank you! You've so nice! Thanks for reviewing! ^^
Scarlet Rayne: Thanks for reading! ^^
+++++++++
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!(^.^)v~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
*********
Recap: Gina goes to New York City... a new job awaits her there. She breaks up with Okita. At the airport Saitou sees Kaoru.
*********
I'm sorry these chapters are taking so long to write! Blame teachers and "cumulative reviews!" *cough midterm cough*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Mr. Saitou!" Kaoru looked surprised, "What are you doing here?"
Saitou leaned against a pillar, "Could say the same to you."
"You first."
"..."
"You want me to go first?"
"..."
"Fine. I'll tell you. Enishi and I got divorced."
Saitou lost his footing and slipping ungracefully. Kaoru giggled as the tall man got up.
"What?" Saitou spat out, "You've only been married ten months."
"He didn't love me." Kaoru said softly.
"And you didn't love him... just what he had to offer." Saitou said curtly.
Kaoru glared, "How did you know?"
"I'm a detective." He said with a triumphant smirk. He grabbed one of her bags.
"Hey! What are you doing with those?"
"Have you got a place to stay?"
"No."
"Great... another brainless child... with no planning at all in life." Saitou muttered.
"Huh?"
Saitou grunt, annoyed, "So you'll come stay in one of the rooms we still have open... you still need to pay though."
"I don't have a job or anything... only a little bit of money." She said as she got into the car.
Saitou started the engine, "So what were you planning to do once you came here?"
Kaoru shrugged. "My father has his own home now..."
"Another child who just wants to live off people." Saitou muttered.
"Excuse me?" Kaoru didn't heard what he had said.
"Your father is in a nursing home..."
"Right." Kaoru look depressed, "I have nothing..."
"You have your child." Saitou replied flatly.
Kaoru looked at him in horror, "HOW... how... how... do you know?"
Saitou glanced sidelong, "I'm a detective... plus... my wife has been pregnant three times. You think I would know the signs. How far are you along?"
"Six weeks." Kaoru said, now beginning to sob.
"So why come back... and divorce that rich husband of yours?"
"He didn't love me... to him I'm just the trophy wife and to me he was just a way to save my father. We were so happy in the beginning... and then he was always taking me to this party or that... showing me off. His parents were so kind... and they knew we didn't love each other. I was going to stay, but his parent insisted that I divorce Enishi."
"Strange."
"Isn't it? His parents are such good people. I told his mother about Kenshin..."
"What about Kenshin?"
"I thought you were a detective."
"I am. I'm just surprised you told your mother-in-law about my son."
"Oh. Well... she told me I should go where my heart was. And so I did."
"With no planning what so ever." Saitou mumbled as he stopped at a traffic light.
"I planned! Kaoru protested.
"So tell me what you were going to do if I hadn't found you."
"Call my father."
"And then..."
"Then... I don't KNOW!!" Kaoru began to search her bag for tissue. Saitou reached over to the glove compartment and pulled out a large box.
"How much money do you have?"
"Six hundred US dollars... spent four hundred on plane tickets. Not much."
Saitou sighed, "Were you planning of seeing Kenshin again?"
Kaoru sniffled, "Yes..."
"You do realize..."
"He might move on?"
Saitou continued, "That he's not the father of that child."
"I realized that!" Kaoru snapped angrily.
Saitou sighed. He stopped the car at the apartment. He threw Kaoru's bags into the apartment doorway and started down the stairs.
"Hey! This is Aoshi's!"
"Not anymore. He moved in with Kenshin when Gina left." Saitou trudged down the stairs.
Kaoru flopped on the remaining bed; great. She was going to have to make a new life for herself, once again.
Her slate was clean... right?
***
Misao grinned as she wiped the tables at the café. The little bell rang and she turned to greet the customer. "Hi! Welcome to . Kaoru!"
Yumi popped her head out from the kitchen, "HEY! Place is called Yumi's not... Kaoru?"
Kaoru smiled, "Hi?"
Misao hugged Kaoru tightly. Yumi wiped her hands on her apron, "What are you doing back."
Kaoru grinned, "Can we talk over coffee?"
***
"So lemme get this straight... You're divorced... and pregnant." Yumi glanced over the rim to the coffee cup.
Kaoru looked out the window as she poured some sugar into her coffee, "Yeah... and unemployed."
"You didn't finish college either." Misao pointed out.
Yumi stared as Kaoru continued to pour sugar into her cup.
Kaoru slumped over the table, "I know!!"
"You can work here..." Yumi offered, "I can't pay much..."
Kaoru leaped for the opportunity, "Thanks!"
The bell rang again, Misao turned and waved, "Chou! I'll be right there." She turned to Yumi, "I'm off."
Kaoru glanced at the tall blond man Misao left with, "Who's he?"
Yumi wiped the table, "Misao's new boyfriend."
"What about Aoshi?" Kaoru gulped down the coffee.
"Claims she got over him."
"Right..."
"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Yumi looked up from the coffee machine.
Kaoru nodded, "But we won't know until Aoshi gets back from New York."
***
Kenshin slammed himself into the wall, avoiding Uncle Hiko who was charging up.
He whistled as he wandered aimlessly into Yumi's Café.
A cheerful voice greeted him, "Welcome to Yumi's..."
Kenshin felt his feet stuck to the floor, "Kaoru?"
"Hi Kenshin!" Kaoru greeted cheerfully.
"Hi..." Kenshin was a little uncertain.
Kaoru continued on her happy-go-lucky-rant, "So how have you been?"
"Fine..."
"That's great." Kaoru was beyond doubt hyper as she was hopping up and down.
"So how have you been..." Kenshin raised an eyebrow as Kaoru grabbed his hand, swinging it back and forth intermittently.
"Great! Great! Never been better! Enishi and I got divorced!!" Kaoru squealed like a little child learning they were going to start school the next morning.
(A/N: You know when you were little you always wanted to go to school? Well... I did... I now I regret I ever wanted to go to school!)
Kaoru continued on her tirade but Kenshin had only one thought, "Wait..." He sputtered out, "You... and Enishi... divorced?"
Kaoru nodded, her hair flapping around, "Uh huh! Uh huh! And... and... and... I'm pregnant... and... and..."
"WHAT?!" Three voices yelled at the same time.
Kaoru clamped her hands over her ear, "Mou!"
Kenshin turned around to see both Megumi and Sano standing there with shocked looks.
"Hi hi Meggy and Saneeee!" Kaoru hopped around, very excited.
Yumi stepped out, ushering a giddy Kaoru to sit in a chair. She shot all her patrons an apologetic look, "Too much sugar in coffee."
Kenshin abruptly turned and walked out the door. The bell jiggled stridently as the door slammed into the wall. Yumi winced, hoping the glass was not cracked.
Kaoru did not notice. She was busy talking Megumi's ear off about New York City.
Sano half-heartedly agreed to help Yumi while Kaoru was still in her hyper phase.
(A/N: I've always wondered how Kaoru would act with too much sugar... I needed to make this chapter happy... and break it to Kenshin that Kaoru was pregnant in a fun way... that wasn't too bad was it?)
***
"She's back." Kenshin growled vociferously from the park bench that he slouched in.
The tall man next to him grunted lackadaisically.
"She's divorced."
Another grunt was heard- louder this time.
"She's got a kid."
There was silence.
Kenshin turned to his companion, "Oh come on! You of ALL people knew."
The only reply he got was a callous grunt.
"What am I going to do?"
A grunt. The taller man shifted his position, sliding a little further from the red-head.
"I still love her... but... this is SO hard! Why does life have to be this way?"
A softer grunt was heard now.
"And why does she have to come back? I could have gotten over her!!"
This time it was a sardonic snort.
"Yeah... I don't think I would have... do you think she still has SOME feeling for me?" Kenshin's voice was hopeful.
A bird chirped back a response.
"A little?" Kenshin kicked a pebble. It flew up, smacking a pass-byer in the nose. The teenage boy glared at Kenshin, picked up the offending pebble, and hurled it at Kenshin, hitting the man right between the eyes.
Kenshin's companion gave a quick cough that Kenshin suspected was a laugh.
Kenshin glanced at the sky.
"Maybe a lot?"
The man on the bench shrugged.
Kenshin look at the little children playing tag, "I should ask her right?"
There was a huff; like that was the point the companion was TRYING to make the whole time.
Kenshin got up from the bench, "That would be the right thing to do!" He stood a little taller now, "I've handled rejection from her once, and I can do it again." He said solidly.
There was that grunt again.
Kenshin was walking away from the bench, leaving his companion sitting there, Kenshin glanced back, "And thanks for listening... Dad. You really do give good advice."
There was that grunt again.
Kenshin grinned and left.
Hajime remained sitting on the bench, unmoving from his position. Hiko came marching through the park, plopping himself next to his brother.
His brother jerked his head up, "Hiko..."
"Who'd you expect?" Hiko scowled as the sun hit him directly in the eye.
Hajime Saitou rubbed his head fiercely. He was confused now... and he didn't like to be confused. His mind was vulnerable when he was confused. "I thought Kenshin was just here..."
Hiko and Hajime just sat there, watching the sun go down.
Hajime jolted quickly. He had remembered; he had fallen asleep. So what guidance had he given Kenshin? Hajime shrugged. It wasn't like he really cared.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well... that was an unexpected ending.
Right now I feel like writing happy funny chapter... I don't want to make this depressing or anything...
Well... tell me what you think! Please?? (^.^)
Anyways... next chapter will probably take a while to complete... with this story and Passing of the Forbidden plus midterms and stuff...
I'm sorry... I really will try through... the next chapter probably won't be up until early February... maybe even late February... I'll see how much I can cram into my schedule...
Hope you enjoyed this story so far!
Next on the 12th Street Apartment: Kaoru now off her sugar-high, sits down with Kenshin to talk. And Aoshi is back... (Note: Subject to change)