The usual warning and disclaimer applies, see chapter one.
Chapter 12
Kaoru found it difficult to fall asleep again after being woken in the middle of the night by a cacophony of noise from the next room, which was his. She'd pulled the pillows over her head in hoped of blocking out his veritable symphony of snores, eventually falling asleep again only when they paused, mostly likely because Kenshin had finally rolled onto his side or stomach. He left the flat around eleven in the morning while she was still asleep, and returned around five in the afternoon to find her in the library, dozing, a book on her lap. He decided to leave her, and went to do his usual, mundane paperwork.
Kaoru roused herself about an hour later, and went to find him in his office, such as it was. "Mr. Himura?"
He looked up from his desk to see her standing in the doorway, looking decidedly sleep-rumpled. "Yes?"
Kaoru blinked, blearily. "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you come in. I'm afraid that I didn't sleep well last night."
He shook his head. "It's perfectly alright," to which Kaoru smiled.
She was practicing a particularly difficult piece of music a few weeks later, as Kenshin was expecting guests, and sat back with a frustrated groan. For some reason, she couldn't coax her fingers to move as quickly as the notation required, partly because she was out of practice, and partly because she had yet to convince her back that, yes, it did want to move more than it was. Kenshin walking just as she was sitting back and rolling her shoulders.
"You know…you can always play something less complicated."
She sighed, nodding. "True. I'll probably end up doing that, but I'd love to be able to play this piece at some point."
"It's a commendable goal." He made his way over to his desk while she pulled out the sheet music for some of the first pieces she'd learned while at the flat. They weren't what could possibly be called "simple" by any stretch of the imagination, but they were less straining in the muscles that were particularly sore. However, they were fine in Kenshin's opinion as he only had an ear for music as was required of a gentleman. Otherwise, when not in the company of his associates, he thought it just sounded pretty.
The hours passed as she ran through them, refreshing her memory, and she completely lost track of time; she didn't even notice the setting of the sun until it became difficult to read the music. She swore to herself, and fairly ran to her room to change. "They'll be here soon, and I'm not even ready!" Her dress was a deep blue, cut to bare her shoulders. One of the maids helped her lace up the corset, and sweep her hair up into an elaborate style before the company arrived. She may no longer have been working for Kenshin, but she could at least attempt to make a good impression as his live-in guest.
Kenshin's jaw nearly dropped when she swept into the parlor. He was no judge of women's fashion, but she looked beautiful. Then again, that was why he'd hired her when he had. He managed to compost himself before she noticed, and patted her shoulder. "You look nice. I'm sure my guests will just fall to the floor in awe."
Kaoru smiled at that. Kenshin's guests were of the same persuasion as he was, so they would be more likely to fall to the floor from the shock of his having a woman as the other resident of the flat. Well, as long as the laces at the back of the dress held, all would be fine. "Thank you."
Kenshin winked at her upon her reply, which cased her to blink at him, head tilted to the side wondering what in the world passed through his head to cause such an action. She gave him a two-second stare before giving the ties of the dress one last tug to ensure that they were secure, and then wandered around the flat. "Is there anything with which I can help, Mr. Himura?"
"Mmm…I don't think so…"
Kaoru nodded, laughing quietly, turning to look at him. "Um…you're cravatte's crooked."
"Fix it?"
She did so, but could not bring herself to look at him. Her feelings for him had been unbalanced since he asked her to stay, and she was afraid of losing what little composure she had left. It was being chipped away little by little, with every encounter they had. "There." She turned to go into the parlor again, and open the piano.
"Thanks you."
"You're welcome." Calm down, she berated herself. He'll suspect something is you keep acting this way. Settling herself on the piano stool, she ran her fingers over the keys, eyes closing. His guests would be arriving soon, and she wanted to greet them with music.
The clock's hands seemed to fairly fly that evening. Kenshin had been right, his guests' jaws had metaphorically hit the floor, but Kaoru's line of reasoning towards the cause had been closer. She gave the "tour" or the parlor, including some new items, and then provided both background music and entertainment with the piano. All in all, the party was a success, and Kenshin had also made a few business transactions. Afterwards, both retired to their rooms.
"Ah! Colette, it's knotted! Don't pull so hard, please!" One of the maids was helping Kaoru to change for bed. She hung up the outer dress, and et to work on the corset. Once that way put away, Kaoru stripped to change into her nightgown and heard a screech from Colette. "What's wrong?"
"Your back, Miss! What happened? You're severely wounded! Does the master know of this?"
"Colette, please, I'm not as seriously hurt as you think, and it's healing. And there's no reason for Mr. Himura to worry himself over my wellbeing." This merely sent Colette into a fit of rather florid cursing, and she slammed out of Kaoru's room to pound on Kenshin's door. Kaoru took the time to slide under the sheets, pull a pillow over her head, and go to sleep. She was exhausted.
Meanwhile, Kenshin, already in bed, growled at the rude awakening. "For God's sake, Collete, it's two in the morning! Anything you have to tell me can wait! GOOD EVENING!" With that, he turned over and went back to sleep. Collete, for her part, then whisked out of the flat. Her muttered curses could be heard by passers-by as she descended to the servant's s quarters in the basement of the building.
Ok, do you remember the announcement regarding the sequel to the story that I put in the paragraphs before the chapter started? Shame on you for skipping author notes! Go back and read them!