Chapter Three: Hangovers and Pills

Disclaimer: I'd tie Kenshin to a tree and pin him there for all eternity if I had, to just to own him, but that's not possible.


Author's Notes: How was the second chapter so far? Hope you guys liked it. And before I forget, thank you so much for your reviews! It really made my day! Thank you so much to Nikki, rudabegga, Les723, pretty-in-pink7, kiatiara_uth_matar, arrene, tenshin_no, allin656, Rumor, everey and hole_243_0! *Ahem* So… here's the third chapter. As usual I'm praying you like it. Reviews are very welcome. Now on with the story!

The start deals with Kaoru's POV in the situation.



A HITOKIRI'S REPORT
Chapter Three: Hangovers and Pills


By: maybe_marce



--++[A][H][R]++--



Kaoru waltzed inside Flat Rocks in style. Her hair was tied with her favourite blue ribbon which was decorated with little pieces of diamond, a gift from her uncle on her thirteenth birthday. The rocks twinkled whenever she moved her head amidst the dimly lit setting. She wore a white spaghetti that made her look fresh and divine. Her pleated skirt was made of denim material and was a dangerous ten inches above her knee. Daring yet still considered appropriate; it managed to cover her bare essentials well. She wore a white big belt that hung lazily around her tiny waist. She wore white high heeled sandals that had satin straps tied to her slim legs. Her mask clung to her face. It had trinkets stuck to it as well. It covered half her face.


Enishi looked equally stunning. His black polo shirt made him look dark and mysterious. It hugged his body comfortably, not too tight not too loose either though his well toned frame was still obvious beneath the cloth. His strides bore confidence and authority. He had a black mask similar to Zorro's. It was knotted firmly behind his head, the lose ends hanging in contrast to his silver hair.


They managed to enter the club without breaking sweat. Enishi was telling the truth when he told Kaoru he had connections. They easily passed the mile long line and were even escorted inside. People were looking at them as they passed by several tables. It couldn't be avoided; they simply looked terribly dazzling.


Enishi pulled out a chair for Kaoru. It was not long before the manager went to them and asked their orders. When he left, Kaoru bore an amused face as she looked at her companion and said, "What exactly did you do to deserve all of these?" He was seated in front of her, head propped up by his left hand; elbows planted on the table. "Nothing unusual, I just fixed a few gang problems for them."


Kaoru's eyes widened her expression serious. "Enishi, you know we have orders in restraining the use of our abilities outside the organization. Why would you expose yourself like that?"


"I was careful, and if you're so concerned in keeping identities secret, you shouldn't have agreed in going to that university in the first place."


Enishi was blatantly challenging her and she wasn't the type to back out easily. "That is an entirely different situation Enishi, we had orders and you disobeyed it. But I won't argue with you anymore about this. Don't worry, I wont tell."


"Fine." Enishi said harshly. In truth, he was trying to understand, for her sake. He knew how long she had been pining for a normal life but her deep convictions were stopping her. She truly believed that in fighting, she could change the country and save more lives; he did too.


Enishi tried to relax himself. They wouldn't fight over this, not now. He was bent on enjoying himself tonight. "Okay, I'm sorry Kaoru, wanna dance?" He said as if no heated exchange had just happened between them. Kaoru smiled at him and took his offered hand. She stood and after brushing the wrinkles off her skirt they proceeded to the dance floor.


The music was loud and the beat fast. The dance floor was jam packed with all sorts of people wearing different masks. Some even went as far as wearing wigs. Kaoru could swear she saw a man with wearing violet hair. The girl to her right dancing wildly was wearing a rainbow coloured one and a clown's mask.


Kaoru swayed her hips in time with the rhythm; her hands raising shoulder level to catch the beat. Enishi was dancing as well.


Kaoru noticed that he was moving closer to a woman that was skimpily clothed. "What are you doing?" Kaoru hissed. Enishi moved back to her and talked loudly since the speakers were blazing. "See that babe over there? You should know that she's the famous Seiko Ishii and I'm coming to get her." Kaoru pouted, "You mean the lingerie model? You sure that's her?" Enishi nodded. "Yup, the one and only, why do you think I bought the tickets?" Kaoru opened her mouth in irritation, "You mean to say that you've been using our spies for your personal reasons? Shame on you Enishi!" The aforementioned merely shrugged. "You won't tell will you baby?" He winked. "If you're jealous just tell me okay? And I'll pour all my attention to you tonight; and please keep your voice down with the business we're in public you know." Kaoru huffed. "Sorry to disappoint you, but you better stop using our resources." Kaoru said careful to rephrase every word so that nothing came out suspicious. "OR I'll tell, now go on, shoo!" Enishi feigned a hurt expression but hurried away to the model's direction.



--++[A][H][R]++--



After twenty minutes of dancing Kaoru felt exhausted; she walked back to their table and sat. Enishi wasn't being nice when he bought the tickets after all. She should have known that he had other motives and that it didn't involve her in anyway except for company maybe. But now he left her all alone. She glanced at the dance floor and saw him flirtatiously dancing with Seiko. After a few minutes of dancing and talking, or more like shouting, they stopped and went to where Kaoru didn't know.


She sipped the champagne that the manager insisted they have "on the house," he said. She silently wondered what kind of stunts Enishi must have done to be treated this way. Then she decided that she wouldn't dwell on that. She should have fun! She was looking great, and she was inside the coolest club in town with other charming men to keep her company since Enishi had left her all alone.


Their table was located near the dance floor so talking was still difficult. She scanned the area for a good man she could prey on. Her thoughts were disturbed when she heard the sweetest voice ever. She looked at the direction and smiled when his looks met her expectations.


A boy not older than herself was talking to a woman. It was clear that she was drunk. The boy was trying hard to get back the mask that the elder had forcibly taken. He was politely asking her in such a sweet voice to hand over the mask. Kaoru giggled. Never had she seen such politeness under such pressure before. He was good looking too. Young but well built nevertheless. When the young man realized all his efforts were futile, he bowed at the intoxicated woman and went his way. 'He's so polite!' But before he walked far enough, some club staff had stopped him. It was hard to hear what they were saying due to the nature of the surroundings; whatever it was it looked like they were ushering him outside while he tried to make excuses. A girl, whom Kaoru identified as the woman's companion rushed to the boy's side and handed him back his mask. The staff gestured what seemed like apologies and went on the other way. While the girl bowed to the boy and took off too.


'I think I found the perfect target.' Kaoru took another sip from the glass and eyed the boy curiously. He put on his mask again, it covered his whole face and it was painted with a face that was smiling from ear to ear. He was cute. Kaoru had the privilege to see him unmasked and that was more reason for her to choose him over hidden faces. She looked at her watch and it read 11:18.



--++[A][H][R]++--



Soujirou walked over to the bar; was he relieved to get his mask back. That old lady wanted to look at his face and refused to give it back when she enjoyed what she saw. The staff had asked him to leave when they saw him walking around mask-less. He tried to explain but they didn't seem to believe him. Thank heavens the young girl ran to him and returned his mask back. The staff just muttered their apology and left. What a good start he had. First his date dumped him on the last minute then an old lady runs up and grabs his mask exposing himself to the Flat Rocks population. 'Hope this night gets better.' He said to himself.


When he reached the bar, he was surprised to see a red haired man seated alone. He wasn't really expecting to see Kenshin here of all places.



--++[A][H][R]++--



Kaoru's eyes followed the boy all the way to the bar. He seemed to recognize someone there as he was now having a conversation with him or her, Kaoru was not sure since s/he had long red hair. She looked more carefully despite the dim light and saw the flat chest. 'Phew, he's not with another girl. Just wait and see Enishi, you're not the only one here who can get a nice catch.' She smirked, imagining the look on his face when he saw her flirting with another guy.


The red head was drinking while they chatted amongst themselves. She was about to approach them when a young girl came yelling and bouncing at them. The girl talked to the red head first, she frowned and averted her attention to the boy. She was pulling at his sleeves, probably urging him to dance with her. Kaoru frowned the first target was lost when she saw him and the girl go to the dance floor.


She wasn't aware that she had been staring all this time so her head jerked the other direction when she saw the red head look her way. He had caught her looking at his friend. She tried ignoring his stare but in the corner of her eye she saw that he was still looking.


Kaoru huffed. Now she had to find another. 'What a waste of time. I should be dancing if my feet weren't so swollen. Gods I wish I wore flats.' She tried roaming around the place, half hoping to bump into Enishi. She walked through tables and flirted with some guys. None of them looked decent enough for Kaoru. They were either too intoxicated or too wrapped up with themselves.


She was frustrated. What a wonderful evening this turned out to be. She checked her watch again. 12:22. Nice, she had been alone that long? Her feet were throbbing so she decided to go back to their table. She adjusted her sandals and was delighted when she saw that the boy was back from the dance floor. Loud tapping from the microphone distracted her from her earlier musings.


Kissing game? Now that was interesting. That would be the chance she was waiting for to dully enjoy the night. She eyed the boy but turned away when the red head caught her looking again. Kaoru readied herself when the host started counting. At the count of one the lights went off. At the count of two she was already on her way to the bar. The music started blazing again but the host was clearly heard when she said three. Using her sharpened senses, she reached her destination and yanked the boy's shirt. Or so she thought.


She heard the boy mutter something before she pressed her lips against his. The moment it met, she was flooded by his scent. He smelt fresh and clean. She could still taste a hint of scotch from his lips and it turned her on more. She placed her hands over his shoulders and reached out for his hair. She was shocked to feel long smooth hair beneath her fingers. 'This is not him!' Her mind shouted again and again. The man seemed to notice her discomfort so he urged her to go on by putting more pressure in their kiss. She gladly obliged to, feeling butterflies in her stomach; forgetting her worries about him.


Kaoru felt hands on her face and realized that the man was removing her mask. She did the same, unclasping the material that braced it to his ears. She threw his mask on carelessly over his back. She was surprised when he gathered her on his lap and then lifted her on the bar table. Their kiss was getting more impassioned by the minute. She boldly licked his teeth asking for entry and was answered by his tongue reaching out for hers. She wrapped her legs around his seated body and pulled his head closer.


They broke contact when Kaoru was out of air but was substantiated by his lips on her neck. He licked her milky skin and half-bit her neck. Kaoru lifted her head to allow him more entry and enclosed her legs to his seated body. When he was done, he resumed kissing her lips. Kaoru felt a jolt of electricity run through her body when he began lifting her shirt higher to caress her back, then his hands wandered over her bare stomach. 'Oh, this feels good.' She was lost, she couldn't even think straight apart from constantly telling herself how wonderful he felt. She hadn't kissed anybody like this before, not even her ex-boyfriend who was currently six feet under. His hands were going higher on her back when the host announced times up. She quickly withdrew herself from his hold and squinted when the lights truned on.


The first thing she saw was the smouldering amber eyes focused on her. She gulped feeling scrutiny under his gaze. She noticed the cross-shaped scar on his left cheek and his scarlet hair. He was the most striking person she ever laid eyes on. She felt her cheeks burn when he flashed her a mischievous smile. Her eyes led her to his swollen lips, a reminder of the minute they shared.


She was still sitting on the bar where he had lifted her earlier; and he was seated in front of her. She turned her head when she heard a familiar voice.


Soujirou stood from the floor and brushed off the dirt from himself. "Ouch, I think I earned myself a bump." The red head was amusedly looking at the boy too. "What the hell happened to you Soujirou?"


'Soujirou? They know each other, almost forgot.' Kaoru thought.


Soujirou put his hand behind his head and smiled. "I think somebody bumped me during the lights out. Then when I was sprawled on the floor, I felt shoes all over me."


The red head looked at Kaoru again, this time bearing a knowing smile. 'He knew it all along! He knew I was going for Soujirou, of course he caught me several times, oh no, dear heavens.' Kaoru felt totally embarrassed with herself. 'Stupid Enishi, this is his entire fault!' that was her last thought before running out of the club and stopping a taxi.



--++[A][H][R]++--



"Argh, damn headache!" Kaoru covered her eyes with her right hand to shield away the light that was emanating from her window. Her blanket was messed and a pillow had fallen out of bed. She let out a growl, annoyed that the light was still blinding her. Realizing that her hand wasn't enough, she grabbed the fallen pillow and used it to block the irritating light. It seemed to have worked cause when she opened her eyes she saw nothing but darkness – and not only that, Kaoru also noted that in doing so all sounds were also strained enabling more reasons for her fall asleep.


The night in the club had really gotten her tired. Even in her sleep, she could still hear the glaring sound of the music; and this caused her to tuck the pillow in her head further. Her feet were sore from dancing and she could still feel the liquid moving in her stomach from her drinking.


Enishi opened the door to Kaoru's room. No, he didn't open it; it was more like kicking it open since his hands were occupied with other things. He was trying to balance the two trays that he carried, careful not to spill the juice and ruin his perfectly ironed shirt and his good mood. His hair was still wet from his shower; his shirt unbuttoned exposing a toned chest beneath.


Kaoru winced when she heard someone bang on her door. She quietly cursed whoever it was for ruining her half-sleep and lifted the pillow from her head to look at the culprit. The sight that greeted her amused Kaoru greatly. There was Enishi, all fresh looking and exerting effort to balance the trays. She felt like helping him but her body screamed for her not to. Instead, she gathered all her strength to change into sitting position. She straightened her not so modest night gown. Enishi was now half way through her room when her tripped on her fluffy bunny slipper. He stumbled and for a minute Kaoru thought she would be bathing in orange juice this morning.


She closed her eyes, prepared for the impact but it never came. When she opened her eyes, Enishi was already seated by her side smiling with the food still intact. "You have little faith in me Kaoru."


Kaoru beamed, glad that she was still dry and safe. She looked at the trays that were placed on Enishi's lap and smiled more.


"For me?" Kaoru pointed at the tray and looked at Enishi with doe like eyes. Enishi smirked. "No it's all for me, I just thought you'd enjoy watching me eat all these."


Kaoru pouted. "You're such a meanie!"


Enishi shifted so he was now beside Kaoru. He placed the other tray on Kaoru's lap.


"Yeah, and a good morning to you too." Kaoru suddenly winced as another headache came her way.


"Hey can you get me an aspirin or something? My head feels like its going to explode."


"Sure," was Enishi's reply. He placed the tray on the bed and headed for Kaoru's bathroom. He opened the medicine cabinet and took two tablets of paracetamol and headed out immediately. He sat next to Kaoru and handed her the tablets. "Here." It was the only word Enishi had to say before Kaoru hastily grabbed it from him. She took both tablets and pushed it down her throat after which she drank water. She put down her glass and smiled at Enishi muttering her thanks. In return, he winked at her and gestured for her to start eating. Kaoru nodded and took a bite at the nicely cooked bacon in her plate. She looked at Enishi and saw him staring at her. He stretched his hand and too the morsel of rice that stuck on Kaoru's chin.


She smiled and continued eating. Moments later she looked at him again and noticed that his food was still untouched. "Aren't you eating? Its going to get cold soon." Kaoru said, indicating the tray on his lap.


"I was just thinking…"


"…."


Kaoru blinked, anticipating more from him.


"…"


"Yeah I heard that and what?"


"Oh, I was thinking about college. The truth is, I'm also looking forward to it but I'm worried at the same time. Worried that we might endanger ourselves with this decision Kaoru…"



--++[A][H][R]++--



The red light turned up and caused Kenshin's black BMW to screech to a halt. He forgot that stop signs were abounding in this part of the city; so busy was he deep in thought that he didn't notice he was past speed limit.


'Why do I have to go? With no strong evidence I'd make a fool of myself there. Damn it!' Kenshin honked his car, pissed that the AUV in front of him didn't move when the green light lit up.


"Get out of the dammed way!"


He switched gears and over-taked the AUV. When he looked at the rear mirror he saw that it still didn't move. 'What's his problem?'


The drive to the office didn't take long since the road was fairly cleared now plus Kenshin's haste driving. He parked his car where he usually did; no one ever dared to take his space lest he want to face the wrath of Kenshin Himura, and locked the doors. He walked the silent path towards the elevator, his footsteps the sound within range. He pushed the up button when he reached the elevator. It opened immediately, as if aware of Kenshin's foul mood. Kenshin stepped in, trying to control another round of tantrums due to the new assignment Misao relayed to him yesterday. The elevator chimed, and he stepped out. Few people were present since it was still early. Of those few people, he could easily see the ever exuberant Makimachi Misao walking towards him.



"Himura!" Kenshin bowed his head and headed the opposite direction in an attempt to lose the girl. But that was impossible since when Misao sets her mind on one thing, it would be difficult to escape. Using her extraordinary ninja abilities, Misao somersaulted and landed gracefully in front of the expectant Kenshin.


Kenshin resigned and lifted his head up, a smile on his face. "Good morning Misao." Misao smiled back and walked with Kenshin. "So, how was last night?" They reached a large wooden cabinet and Kenshin placed the papers he was holding inside the pigeon hole. , not really listening to the ecstatic girl. "Where did you go after lights out? I tried calling but your mobile was dead."


This time, Kenshin's head jerked up. That was when he remembered last night's events for the first time that morning. Oh yes did he remember. A small smile formed on Kenshin's lips. He didn't know if it was good that he remembered the girl's facial features clearly since right now he couldn't help but think how gorgeous he was and the softness of her lips. If somebody could read his mind right now, he'd be labelled a pervert, but he was entitled with such thoughts right? He was, after all, still a man.


"Hellooo… Himura?! Misao here!" Kenshin was broken from his reverie at the sight of Misao's big round eyes in front of him.


"Yes Misao?" Misao shrugged. They were now inside Kenshin's office. Misao sat herself on the chair opposite him. "I was asking where you went last night after the kissing game. Did you get yourself a girl Himura?" The young girl asked maliciousness evident in her voice.


Kenshin blushed, good thing the newspaper covered his face or Misao would have noticed. "No, that game was ridiculous; got out before lights out." He was allowed to lie right? Besides it was for his own good, if she knew he'd never hear the end of it. He earnestly hoped Misao believed him.


"Is that so? Anyway, here's the college forms you need to fill out. Yamagata-san sent these yesterday along with some other documents you need for enrolment. Just give me these when you're done okay?" Kenshin folded and laid the newspaper on his desk.


Yamagata had sent him back to school, that was the thought Kenshin played over and over again in his mind. "Just leave them there."


"Okay, I'll be going now." Misao dropped the envelope, and walked away and locked the door. Kenshin slouched when the door closed. 'Now let me see...' He opened the envelope and pulled the papers out. The first he saw was a college form that needed his 2X2 picture to be attached to a box at the end right. The second document was a letter from the school congratulating him on passing the entrance test. Kenshin raised his eyebrows he didn't even take the damn test, how… oh yeah, the government and the things it was capable of doing.


He continued his search and discovered that the contents also included other forms, his campus address and his room number, his schedule and a campus map. He noticed that the university had a larger land area than he thought. It was just right since it was a State University after all. He took the map and his house documents and slipped it on his bag, he'd need that later. He picked a black ball pen from the holder and started filling out the forms.



--++[A][H][R]++--




Author's Notes:
Okay so I've been idle lately but I have an excuse. Well it's summer in this part of the world but instead of basking myself in the sun's radiant scorching glory on refreshing salty beach waters I'm taking up summer classes. You have no idea how hard that can be >>>Chemistry
Does Enishi really have silver hair? Will Kenshin be mistaken for a girl ever again? How do you spell Saito/ Saitoh? Why is Enishi acting so concerned? Find out more in the next instalment of A HITOKIRI'S REPORT! Hey what do you know, I'm doing better with this! That's a good sign right? Words come more spontaneously now than ever. Hope you liked it! Don't forget to leave me a review; you're welcome to leave flames too. And oh yeah sis, you're welcome to leave a review too. Just don't tell mum and dad what I wrote in this chapter and in the previous one and you'll do fine. With all that said and done I bid you goodbye!


maybe_marce


^_~.