Shattering Rainbow

So busy... no time at all! (.
One last thing, in response to reviewer "me" :
Death? Why this fuss about death? Use your imagination, try to visualize a world without death! . . . Death is the essential condition of life, not an evil.
--Charlotte Perkins Gilman

How could I? I do not feel I need to explain why they died. Death is a part of life, and I feel that too little stories involve the natural state of death. Death is all around us and I truly feel that I need to show that in my stories. Not everyone's lives can be 'happy happy joy joy' and cliche romances. (By the way, I like Tomoe. I have a great respect and admiration for her character.)

Happy reading everyone! .

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When one door of happiness closes, another opens.
--Helen Keller

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The dinner table to devoid of words. There was only the claging of chopsticks meeting the porcelain bowls.

Kaoru sat on one side of the table. Kenji faced her, thoughtfully chewing on his rice.

"Kenji..." Kaoru begin.

Kenji narrowed his eyes slightly, "What?" He was irritated. She didn't like him, so why should he bother with her?

"Nevermind..." Kaoru shrank back into the recesses of her mind.

Kenji cast another disapproving look, "Then don't keep saying my name."

Kaoru was silent of a few second, then her face flooded with resolve, "Look here kid!" Her voice was firm.

"Don't be calling ME a kid. What about you? You're like what? 8 years older than me? And what? 12 years younger than my dad? That's disgusting!" Kenji blasted as he pushed back his chair.

Kaoru jumped up, "SHUT UP! I can't stand you brat!"

"Oooo! Is that the best comeback you can think of Miss-High-And-Mighty-Since-I'm -On-TV?"

"I don't see how with wonderful parents like Kenshin and Tomoe would have a spoiled rotten ill-mannered kid like you!"

"Psh! You're to talk! Look how your parents raised you! Affair with married men... How many other married men have you had an affair with?" Kenji countered, the taunt flowing from his tongue.

Kaoru's eyes widened. They filled with tears as she dashed from the apartment.

Kenji, by this time, was having a guilt trip, but he wasn't about to go after her. Frankly, he was only speaking the truth.

"More papers here sir. And a phone call from a Mr. Karubo on line three sir."

Saitou ran his hands through his hair, "Thank you Minako."

The young secretary bowed, leaving the stack of papers on the left corner of his desk. Left was in, right was out; as it was for the left handed man.

He punched the blinking three, "Hello? Mr. Karubo?"

"You can call me Jiro Hajime. After all, we are cousins."

"Whatever. So how is the practice down in the country?"

Never better. You should come down here, partner with me."

"You know I can't leave my city."

"City boy... forever at heart." The man on the other end chuckled.

Saitou rolled his eyes, "Right... I guess you'll always by the country farmer at heart too."

"And proud of it." Jiro annouced.

There was a brouhaha outside. Saitou could hear the shouting, even with his oak doors shut tightly.

Jiro heard it too, "What's going on?" He remarked.

Saitou forgot about the phone call for a second as he strained his ears to attempt to figure out what was going on.

"Hajime?"

"I'll call you back." Saitou slammed down his phone. He was striding towards his door. His hand gripped the handled and pulled hard. The pressure that had been on the door fell through. Saitou caught the falling Mrs. Himura from splitting her head open.

Kaoru let out a loud scream. Saitou found the moment to drop her like a heavy suitcase.

Minako came rushing after the woman. She grabbed Kaoru's failing arms, "Sorry sir. She pushed me off my chair and demanded to be let in."

Kaoru was fighting like a caged wild animal. Her hand back slapped the young woman in the face who was talking to her boss. Her body was twisting from the woman's grasp. Her breath was coming with whacked sobs.

Good... the woman was gone. She didn't like the woman at the front desk. She was here only for one purpose. She kept flailing her arms.

"You look like a fool... quite unbecoming of famous TV anchor." A chilling voice called out.

Kaoru stopped, letting her arm fall by her side. She turned her gaze to the man seated comfortably in the large chiar behind the desk. A thin smirk graced his long face, holding a silver digital camera in his hand.

Kaoru blinked, before she lunged for it. Saitou calmly watched as Kaoru slammed her foot into the desk.

Giving up, she snared at him, "I didn't come for this."

He was reading a folder, ignoring her, "You don't have an appointment. Get out."

"No. I didn't come here for nothing."

"You've already made a scene. Get out."

Kaoru blinked, thinking about her image in the public eye. People were bound to know who she was... it didn't matter. "You take Kenji."

"What's wrong?" He asked, not looking up.

"We just don't... work...."

"You just happen to be his legal guardian. I can't take him. You signed the papers."

"I didn't think..."

"Do you ever think?" Saitou snapped, throwing down the paper. He had just about enough of her, plus the phone call from Kenji ten minutes before her scene. "I got you out of a big mess. No one knows you had an affair with a married man... think of what the public would have done... your career would have been shambles. I arranged the divorce. I arranged the wedding and the funeral. I keep your accounts... Have YOU ever stopped and thought about things? Or do you just do spur-of-the-moment live-life-to-the-fullest things?"

"I..."

"You.." He sneered. "Kenji called me."

Her eyes narrowed, "I knew it. You would always side with him."

He leaned back comfortably into his armchair, "I do." He replied.

"Why?"

"Why not." He pulled open a drawer and began searching for something.

"You hate me."

"Do I?" He smirked as he found the pen he had been looking for.

Kaoru reply was firm, "You do."

"How so?"

"I can tell... by the way you look at me.... I'm nothing more than a 'scarlet woman' to you; one that ruined the life of your best friend."

"Did I ever say that you ruined Kenshin's life?"

Kaoru faltered, "But.. you..."

"Eh." There was a heavy sigh, "You made his life harder, yes. You made his home life shambles, yes. You...." He drifted off.

"What?"

"It is not wise to speak ill of the dead." Saitou said to the window.

"Huh?"

"You didn't ruin Kenshin's life. You brought him back to life almost... his work, his family, his wife began to weigh him down. It began to beat down on him. His eyes were dull and dim most of the time, for only one they glowed; Kenji." He continued to glace out at the open sky, "Until you..."

Kaoru began to speak, but Saitou cut her off again.

"Maybe you reminded him of his mother... you're a lot like her. Maybe it's your youth that had him drawn to you like a moth and light. Whatever the case......"

"Mr. Saitou? Mr. Huang is here to see you." Came the voice from the door.

Kaoru took her leave. Saitou only had eyes for the sky.

Kaoru wasn't in a good modd when she walked into the office.

Enishi didn't seem to be in a better one himself. He was snappish and impatient. The crew was frantically running around, obeying his every order.

"You're late." He yelled at Kaoru. His attention was diverted to a cameraman, "NO! NO! Not there... wait.. thsoe lights are broken... get them fixed NOW!"

"Oh take a chill pill." Kaoru muttered.

"Something you would like to say to my face Miss Kaoru?" Enishi hissed.

Kaoru muttered it again.

"Say it to my face or shut up."

"Go take a chill pill." Kaoru fumed, equally sore.

The room went silent.

All eyes were on the new girl. Who did she think she was? Boss may be in a bad mood... but she had no right to tell him... he was BOSS!

Enishi's voice was firm, "Mrs. Himura I believe you can find yourself another job." He turned around, shouting more orders.

Kaoru blinked, "What?"

Enishi didn't even reply, "Megumi!" He called out, "Congrats on your promotion."

Megumi shot Kaoru a sly smile, "Thanks you sir." She stepped passed Kaoru, "I want your stuff out of MY office tonight."

Kaoru carried to last box into the cab. She didn't have a driver anymore. She didn't even have a job.

"MRS. HIMURA!" A young woman rushed over.

Kaoru recognized her as May Arita, Aoshi's fiancée. "May." Kaoru nodded.

"I.. heard about you losing your job... I'm sorry."

"It's alright. Is there something you wanted?"

"Um... well... I run my own new station. It's fairly small, on cable channel 31. I was wondering if you would like to anchor the evening news. Broadcast is only an hour. It doesn't pay much... I mean... its just me and a couple of guys. None of us are good in front of the camera..."

"I woudl love to." Kaoru answered. It wasn't like she was doing anything else.

"Thanks." May handed Kaoru a slip of paper, "Come here tomorrow. If you don't like it, it's okay to back down."

Kaoru watched May walk away.

She stared at the address. She sighed as she got into the cab.

From big screen to a tiny cable...... when had she fallen so low?


I'm so sorry about updates. Ideas weren't coming to me!

Plus school is KILLING me. Blah.. plus someone attempting to burn our shcool down. Stupid.

Happy reading. Please review!