Well I did promise to update this story before December, so I decided to update it today. Also I'm planning to update a next chapter soon, since I love writing this story so much. Thank you for all your luck you sent me. If you were wondering about the exam I have to take, well it is the SATs. I gotta go! All suggestions, comments, questions, and flames are all accepted in your review. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin series. I wish I did but I don't. : (
The Calling of Faith
Chapter Ten
Two people stood waiting at the bar quietly. Patiently as not to bug anyone, they went to the corner of the bar. They also did so because they wanted to draw little attention to them as possible. As hey headed towards the corner of the room, Kaoru positioned herself to look away from many of the men in the bar. The last time she sat with the vision of them in her view, her brother got really frustrated for the harassing looks they gave her. The whole bar almost had it out.
"Raven you should stop putting on a serious face. He's not even here as yet, so how about you and me have a little fun," said Soujiro as he lightly placed his large hand over hers.
"Soujiro, you know we don't have time to play around. We were called here on business, not to have fun," replied Kaoru seriously, while she tried to pull her hands away from him. The more she struggled to break free from his grasp, the more he tightened it, to keep her linked with him.
"I don't want the guys to think a young woman like you is not taken. I shouldn't take any chances," said Soujiro calmly, but Kaoru could hear the little laughter behind his voice. There were times she could never understand him, times when she wanted to be serious, but he found ways to break her down easily without putting up a fight.
"Well, I wouldn't want Aoshi to find us playing around when work needs to be done, if you know what I'm saying Soujiro."
"I know what you're saying Honey, but you take everything a little to seriously. You should take a break from this job. When was the last time you ever had a real vacation?"
"That is none of your business and for your information, we're doing a job which we can't take lightly. This job needs our full attention. Any straying from this job can cause failures to our mission and gives us a bad name."
"But Raven, there are times, you need a vacation, a time to think. I know you're one of those people who puts a lot of devotion and time to your job, however there is a limit to everything. Do you remember when you first entered the training Academy? Do you remember what your brother told you?"
"Yes I remembered. I just don't want to have to think about those days right now, if you don't mind." Kaoru got up from her seat. Her hands made fists, from the anger and humiliation she was feeling. Right now Soujiro reminded her of both Aoshi and her father. They were always so protective over her. They treated her as a ragged doll, which couldn't think for herself. They had to make all the decisions for her, from who she could go out with, to what her job was both on her job and at home. They always made the decisions for her. Out of love, she did what they asked her to do. She never questioned, for they taught her to obey, without ever questioning. However now a days, she felt like they were hiding something from her, something very important, until it drove her crazy.
"I don't know what it is you, Aoshi, and my father are hiding from me. But whatever it is, I am warning you right now; it won't remain a secret for long. Eventually I'll find out, and when I do, I'll make sure you guys would never want to hide such important facts from me again," said Kaoru with a deadly serious tone. Her sapphire eyes challenged Soujiro's eyes to a staring contest, daring him to say something, lashing defiance at him.
Instead of receiving what she wanted from him, instead of making him angry, she only made him smile more. He calmly wrapped his arms around her waist possessively, drawing her into his embrace. He sat her on his lap, while his hands caressed her face, as if to calm her down by that gesture.
"Raven, please forgive me for ever offending you the way I did. I never meant to hurt you. I only suggested something that ended up hurting you. Please forgive me," whispered Soujiro as he turned shifted her face, so that her sapphire eyes could look intently in his warm blue eyes. " I remembered when you first walked into the training Academy. Do you know what the guys thought of you when they first saw you?"
Kaoru shook her head dumbly. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes. She couldn't believe through her times of frustration and anger, Soujiro found a way to break her down, expose her soul, and make her feel so vulnerable.
"They thought you were a very serious stuck up girl, who only thought about herself. Some tried to get along with you as I tried, but you snubbed us all. You used to stay by yourself, in the corner of the room, just concentrating on I have no idea what. We were all worried about you. The only person you ever talked too, was your brother. But back then we didn't know that was your brother. We thought you were close friends with him. We didn't know how the government chose you to do a job like ours. We thought they were crazy. To tell you the truth, we thought you were just some obdurate person, who wouldn't get far."
Kaoru couldn't dare look at him, knowing that once upon a time he thought of her that way. To think a person was one way instead of a good way, usually led that person to believe they were reclusive, alienated from the real world.
"And then do you know what I saw Raven?" asked Soujiro quietly. He noticed Kaoru looked away from him in shame. He smirked. He couldn't believe Kaoru would feel ashamed for something that wasn't her fault. He saw her shook her head, tears spilling from her eyes. Gently, as light as a feather, he wiped away each of her tears away.
"I saw a woman, who build ice around her heart. She called for someone to break that ice, she yearned for someone to rescue her from being eternally frozen. From the time I saw you talking to your brother, I saw you smile a real smile for the first time. I knew then that behind the ice that covered your heart, laid a small flickering flame of fire. It waited for someone to melt that ice, by igniting that flame to its highest peak. And today you are the result, my sweet Raven," he said ever so sweetly. He kissed her forehead, and then traced his hand from the contours of her face, to the hollow of her throat.
"You have no idea why I acted that way Soujiro," said Kaoru with a shaky voice. Her body shivered from his intimate touch, that it made her jump from his lap so quickly. Just his touch alone stirred something deep within her, which she didn't feel for a long time. Just his touch alone, brought back old memories she thought that died in heart.
"Then make me understand Raven," he whispered.
"I don't know if I could," Kaoru replied quietly.
"Then try. Try to make me understand," he whispered once again. His hand drawn her into his embrace once again.
"I was given this job to help me move on with my life Soujiro. If it's one thing I know about this job is, you should never have the past interfere with the present. I worked so hard to please both my father and brother. I worked so hard to make them a real family. Ever since my mother passed away, I was left to look after the both of them. I became not only a little sister or a daughter, but I became like a mother, like a friend, like a role model, like a housewife, etc. Both of them meant a lot to me, until I sacrificed most of my happiness for their sake," Kaoru answered quietly. Finally she gained the confidence to look into his eyes deeply, her emotions not hidden from his view.
"You sacrificed enough of your happiness my sweet. Now it's time for you to pick you own happiness and move on with your life."
"You know something? I wish I could say the same thing, however in my heart I know it isn't true."
"Don't say something like that, when you know it isn't the truth."
'But I do know it's the truth. I just feel that something bad is going to happen, or at least something is going to happen to me, which I don't like. I feel it every day. I have dreams that haunt me every night. My past is coming back to haunt me, and it won't rest until it reaches me," Kaoru answered. Slowly she looked away from Soujiro's eyes to the entrance of the door, waiting for the one person to give save her from any more confessions of her heart. Once upon a time memories existed of that one true person. To think of it now, to let her heart feel what it felt in the past, to know her pride would lose so easily if she ever gave herself into her memories, only had her trembling out of the thought to lose herself in one thing, her love for Kenshin.
Misao packed the bags of the little child whom had to go to school. The little girl was already running late to school. If Kenshin found out about his daughter getting late to school one more time, it would lead to a decrease in her payment. Misao now worked as the governess to Kenshin's daughter. After the death of his beloved wife, Misao decided to be near him at all times, not trusting him to be by himself. Especially with a little girl to raise, Misao knew he couldn't raise a girl by himself, so instead he offered her the job of being the governess. Sano was offered the job of being both the limo driver, and the bodyguard of Kenshin's little daughter.
"Tsubame, come on, you are going to be late for school! Your father would be really mad at me, for getting you to school late!" yelled Misao from downstairs in the main hall. Upstairs the little princess took her time to dress before coming downstairs to meet Misao.
Misao swore under her breath. She had to have a good chat with Kenshin before Tsubame came home tonight. She knew he was letting her have her way too much with a lot of things. That was bad news. If Tsubame, Kenshin's daughter got over spoiled, later on in life she would be so much harder to handle, that Misao would have to retire from her job earlier then usual.
"Come on Tsubame! We don't have all day! If you don't get down here, then I will come upstairs to deal with you!" yelled Misao once again. From a distance little footsteps could be heard. That instant Misao heard those familiar footsteps; she knew little Tsubame was coming down the stairs into the main hall.
"Did he come? Did he come as yet?" asked little Tsubame as she ran to Misao, handing her coat to her.
"No he hasn't come as yet. We have to go my dear, for you're late to school already," replied Misao as pleasantly as she could. She gently placed her hands on Tsubame little shoulders and guided her to her limo that awaited her.
"I see that you're late again little Tsubame and Miss Misao," said a gentle familiar voice. Misao turned around to see her very good friend Sano waiting for them, as he always does.
"Yes and I'm sorry for having you wait for a long time. You see this little princess should be disciplined, however she is not," said Misao politely.
"Yeah, well you know Kenshin. He won't hurt the apple of his eyes." Sano laughed as he took little Tsubame's hand and helped her into the limo.
"Oh yeah, did you hear about the party that is being held by Shinta Inc. Corporation?" asked Sano. He closed the door for Tsubame and headed towards the entrance of the driver's door.
"Yes. That's what Tsubame was waiting for. Enishi promised to tell her and I who he invited to the party so we can put them on the guest's list," replied Misao earnestly.
"He will come, but later. I found out from Kenshin that this morning he had a very urgent meeting to attend to. He couldn't make it to see us."
"Thank you Sano, and hope to see you and Megumi later."
"The same goes for you." With that last remark, Sano got into the limo and drove little Tsubame to school. However Misao knew she had to prepare herself for a good lecture from Kenshin later, which usually wasn't nice.
Misao worked late into the evening, finishing up on her last minute chores. Kenshin ordered her specifically what to do. With extra money going to be earned from doing extra work, Misao didn't mind doing it at all. After all she really did need the money. She planned later on within the year she was going to spend the money on keeping the promise she made to a long time ago.
Oh Tomoe, if you only knew how much I failed you. Even though I have let you down many times, I would never give up the promise, I promised you. You were right. Even though Kenshin has us right now, he looks so incomplete that it breaks my heart into pieces. I know he needs Kaoru's friendship and I promised you to find Kaoru. I would always keep that promise, Misao mentally told herself. She felt her heart swelled, when she remembered the promise she made to Tomoe. Six years had passed since the day Tsubame was born into the world, and so far Misao was not able to keep her promise as she promised Tomoe. So lost in her mind, she never noticed a figure behind her.
"Earth to Misao!" yelled a voice bringing her back to reality. She craned her neck to see Enishi hovering over her with a bunch of papers in his hands.
"Well aren't you going to ask me whom I invited to the party?" asked Enishi. His friendly smile had Misao thinking what he was up to.
"Okay. Whom did you invite to come to the party?" asked Misao, awaiting his answer.
"I invited you, Sano and his wife, my good buddy and his brother Katsu, and of course my best friend Soujiro and his fiancé, I think… Raven Dreamer is her name."