Title: A New Beginning
Rated: PG-13 (Violence & Language)
Author: charismatic angel
Email: charismatic_angel@msn.com
Chapter Date: July 13, 2003
All the stuff you do not want to read but I have to say:
* sighs * I do not own Rurouni Kenshin. Someone else owns the rights and characters to this series. You know the rest…(Please don't sue me)
Chapter 21:
The next day Aoshi awoke from his brief nap to find Misao snoring away on the couch. Neither of the two trusted each other. Misao slept on the couch to spy on him and Aoshi sat in a chair across from her so he could do the same.
It was a challenge, to see who would go to bed before the other. Misao stared back at Aoshi's slanted gaze, daring him to fall asleep before her. Somewhere around 3am, Misao's eyes grew heavy and she fell into a deep sleep.
Aoshi picked up his trench coat from the arm of the chair and put it on. He felt stiff from sitting in the small chair all night. He had to give Misao credit for being so persistent. Any other girl would have been scared for her life but not Misao. She fought him with as much courage as any man would have done.
Aoshi noticed the peaceful look on Misao's face. A small smile curved her lips as a soft breath escaped her mouth. If Aoshi were able to smile, he surely would have.
Aoshi loudly cleared his throat and Misao moaned something inaudible as she threw a pillow over her head. Aoshi wanted her to wake up because he didn't want to stay at her house any longer. Enishi would be sending the passports to his hotel and he wanted to leave as soon as he got them.
Aoshi got up and turned his neck to either side as his bones made a loud cracking noise. He walked across to Misao's sleeping form and grabbed the pillow, which was lying on top of her head. Her braid fell across the pillow and coiled towards her lower back. She was an absolute picture of beauty.
Once more Aoshi cleared his throat as Misao searched for her stolen pillow. Giving up, she made another muffled noise and turned from her side to her stomach. Aoshi was getting impatient.
'She sure can sleep.' Aoshi thought to himself.
He decided that it was going to take a little more than clearing his throat to wake her up. Aoshi grabbed her thick braid and gave it a hard jerk.
"OUCH!" Misao cried
She touched the back of her head, which was now sore. Misao got up and turned around to see Aoshi standing over her.
'So it wasn't a dream.' She thought to herself
"Why did you pull my hair?!" she screeched.
"I nicely tried to wake you up but it didn't work. I had to take a more forceful approach. It worked didn't it?" He chided.
"Whatever." She said, getting up and pushing him out of the way.
"Get packed we are leaving." Aoshi ordered
"You can't be serious? I mean you're leaving today?" she gasped
"I am serious and I am not leaving, WE are leaving." He emphasized
"Oh no! You got another thing coming if you think I am going to go with you! I already told you I am not helping you out." She spat.
Aoshi marched towards her and forcefully grabbed her arm.
"Either you pack or I pack for you. You are coming with me, whether you like it or not." He stated
Misao pulled her arm away from his grip and gave him an angry stare.
"Make me!" she growled underneath her breath.
In one quick move Aoshi picked up Misao's small body. He positioned her underneath his arm as she kicked and screamed.
"Let me go you big jerk!" she yelled
He carried her up the stairs as she flailed around and trying to cling to the railings. It was of no use; Aoshi was much stronger than her. Her grip on the railing slid as a pulled her along.
When he got upstairs Aoshi kicked open the first door to his right. He walked in, noticing it to be her bedroom. He opened the closet doors and started ripping stuff off the shelves until he found a duffle bag.
He threw the duffle bag onto the bed and then started ripping clothes off her hangers. Aoshi then moved to her dresser and pulled out all the drawers, spilling their contents to the floor.
"What did you do that for?!" Misao cried.
Aoshi didn't say a word.
He shuffled through the clothing on the floor, picking out a few items and throwing them on the bed. Aoshi then started to stuff the clothing into the bag as Misao screamed even more.
He was almost done packing when something "black" caught his attention. Aoshi picked up a small pair of black lace panties and studied them, not sure what to think. Misao watched in horror as he stared at her intimate apparel.
"PUT ME DOWN! PUT ME DOWN!" she screamed.
Aoshi threw the panties into the bag and zipped it up. He ignored Misao's protests as left the room and went down the stairs. There was no way he'd be able to carry her out kicking and screaming, so he had no other choice.
Aoshi pulled the white cloth out of his pocket and pressed it against her nose. In a matter of seconds the kicking submitted and the screams died down. He scooped her up in both arms and carried her outside.
Luckily, her neighbors didn't seem to be home. Aoshi carried her to the car and opened the door and gently settled her into the front seat. After settling her in, he walked to the driver's door and got in. He started the car and put it into drive. His tires screeched as he sped off.
Once again, Misao woke up to the feeling of cotton in her head.
'Damn him! Damn him to hell! He did it again!' She thought to herself.
Misao made feeble attempts to sit up as she groggily tried to open her eyes. She couldn't tell where she was. She was sure he wasn't around, because he would have been telling her to stop moving.
'This is the perfect opportunity…if I can only get up and walk…' She thought to herself.
It took everything Misao had in her to sit up. Slowly but surely she regained composure. Her moves were shaky but in the end she was able to get up and stand. After being drugged the first time, Misao knew what to expect and used it to her advantage.
Her eyesight became clearer and she was able to make out where she was. It was a small room with a bed, a window, and a small desk. She noticed a door on the other side of the room, which she guessed led to the bathroom.
'I am in a hotel room…I think? I wonder where he went?' she thoughtMisao used the furniture and the walls around her as a crutch. She stumbled along as she tried to make her way towards the door.
'Only a few more feet…just a few feet and I will be out.'
She was inches away from the door, when it began to open. Startled, Misao stepped back and lost her balance. She fell to the floor with a loud thud.
"Shit!" she cried.
Aoshi walked through the door carrying two small boxes of food. His eyes popped open slightly, seeing Misao sprawled on the floor.
"I thought you would have learned from last time, not to move." He stated.
"Why should I listen to you?" she said angrily
Aoshi closed the door behind him and stepped past Misao, who was still lying on the floor.
"What a gentleman! You could have helped me up, you know?" she said sarcastically.
Aoshi sat the boxes on the desk and turned around, holding his hand out towards Misao. Misao slapped his hand away and gave him a defiant look.
"I don't need your help!" she snapped.
Aoshi narrowed his eyes and forcefully grabbed her hand and jerked up. Misao let out a cry of shock as she suddenly flew up. Aoshi caught her in his arms and directed her towards the bed.
Misao fell to the bed with a flop. Aoshi sat at the desk and opened the first box of food. It looked like one of those popular express dinners; people buy out of vending machines.
He handed the small tray of food to Misao and began to open the second box, which was for him.
Misao looked down at the tray to see it contained sticky rice, fish, and pickles.
"You didn't ask me what I wanted." Misao stated.
Aoshi smugly sat at the desk with his chopsticks artfully at hand.
"Eat." He replied
She watched as he gracefully took small bites of food and placed them in his mouth. His expression never changed. He ate with an emotionless face. You'd never know if he enjoyed the food or not.
Misao was annoyed by the sudden silence. She was not used to being quiet for so long. She wished he'd change his expression, say something or make some kind of noise.
Misao sighed and decided to eat, at least that was something to take her mind off the silence. She made several attempts to hold the chopsticks, but he attempts her all futile. The effects of the drug were still apparent, which made her movements impaired.
Misao gave a sigh of frustration. She was hungry and not wanting to starve, she ate with her hands. Misao angrily watched Aoshi eat in silence. He didn't seem to care that she was struggling; he was too involved with himself.
'Well two can play this game buddy!' she wickedly thought to herself.
Misao stuffed her mouth and began chewing loudly. She eagerly watched for Aoshi's reaction.
"Smack…smack…smack…smack…" she chewed away.
He neither flinched nor moved. It was like he was ignoring her and this angered her even more.
Misao swallowed the rest of her food as she glared at Aoshi. She had about enough of him.
Misao eyed the two small pickles on her tray and got an idea. She put them in her hand and hurled them at his head.
"I don't like pickles!" she yelled
The pickles bounced off the side of his face as he continued to ignore her. At this point, Misao was absolutely furious.
She took the chopsticks, which were useless to her and hurled them at him.
'Take that!' she thought to herself.
He caught the chopsticks in one hand and broke them in half before they hit his face.
Misao's eyes bugged out of her head.
Aoshi got up and picked up hers and his tray and threw them into the garbage without a word.
"Go to bed." He ordered
"What if I don't want to?!" she retorted.
"I don't care what you do." He replied.
"Where are you going to sleep?" she asked
"Where do you think?" he simply stated.
Misao noticed that there was only one bed and there wasn't enough room for him to sleep at the desk.
She gulped, "You mean here…on the bed?" she almost whispered.
"If you don't like that arrangement, you can sleep on the floor." He stated.
Misao looked at the floor and then back at the bed. There didn't seem to be enough room for her to lie on the floor, even if she wanted to.
"Have you made your decision?" he asked.
"Pervert!" she muttered
"Don't worry Misao, I am not interested in little girls."
Misao's face turned red.
"I am not a little girl! You stupid jerk!" she cried, throwing a pillow at him.
"Thanks." He replied catching the pillow she threw at him.
Misao let out a small growl as she pulled back the covers and buried herself in them.
'Of all the nerve! Who does he think he is? "Little girl" my ass!'Misao felt a slight shift of weight on the bed as Aoshi lied next to her. She pulled her head out from underneath the covers to see the room was pitch black. Aoshi had his back to her as she had hers to his.
Misao felt a little awkward about the whole situation. She had never slept…with a man before. She had dreamed of this moment since she was a little girl, but now it was different. Everything was so different…..
Misao slumped down on the one pillow she had left and closed her eyes.
It was sometime in the middle of the night when nature gave Misao a call. She opened her eyes and shifted herself back. She felt something solid blocking her from moving. Misao quickly nudged to her side of the bed and slowly got up.
"Where do you think you're going?" a cool voice answered in the dark.
"None of your business!" Misao loudly whispered.
Misao got up out of bed and walked towards the bathroom and turned on the light.
"Don't try anything foolish." Aoshi warned.
Misao slammed the door, thankful that she was finally alone.
Aoshi was a light sleeper and he felt everything and anyone around him. He didn't trust her, which made him more perceptive and alert as usual. He couldn't let her mess up his mission.
About two minutes later Aoshi heard Misao scream. He immediately sat up and as she screamed again.
'What's wrong? I don't feel any one else's presence.' He thought to himself.
Aoshi ran to the door and forced it open. He looked in to see Misao with a look of terror etched across her face. She was screaming and frantically crying pointing towards the side of the toilet.
He scanned the area trying to find what made her so petrified. Misao ran up to him and grabbed a hold of his clothes.
"It's over there! It's over there!" she cried
Aoshi shifted Misao past him and pushed her out of the bathroom. He walked closer to the toilet, still not seeing anything. Misao walked back inside and peeked from behind him. She grabbed a hold of his waist as if she were using him for a shield.
A small brown spider appeared from behind the toilet. Misao screamed and clutched onto Aoshi's waist.
"OH MY GOD! THERE IT IS! KILL IT…KILL IT!" she sreamed.
'So she's scared of spiders, hmm….but she's not scared of me…interesting.'
Misao danced around from behind him, begging him to kill it. In one swift move Aoshi stepped on the spider and the screaming stopped.
"Did you get it?!" she gasped.
"Yes, now go to bed." He growled.
Misao scanned the floor for more spiders as she climbed back into bed. Aoshi took off his shoes and resumed his position on the other side.
Misao sat up for the next few hours, worrying if another spider would swoop down on her. She eventually fell asleep after realizing there were no more spiders.
The next morning Misao woke from a warm slumber. She couldn't remember sleeping this well in her entire life. She yawned as she settle into the warmth of the bed.
'Wait a minute!' she thought, as her eyes popped open.
She was lying next to Aoshi, facing the back of his head. Her leg was draped over his body and her arm was settled against his chest.
Embarrassed, she quickly removed her grasp on him and flew to her side of the bed.
Aoshi sat up and looked back at Misao.
"What's wrong with you?" he asked.
"No..no…nothing." she replied
Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! I hope he didn't notice.' She said worrying to herself.
From the looks of it, he didn't notice or maybe he didn't care.
"You don't have to do this you know." Misao spoke
"Do what?" Aoshi questioned.
"I know you are doing it for them. They don't blame you Aoshi. Do you think that the Oniwaban would want their freedom at the cost of another's?"
Aoshi sat silently, with his back against her.
"You don't know what Enishi's done to her. He's cruel and cold hearted. If she goes back to him, there's no telling what he'll do to her."
"Stop." Aoshi spoke. "I didn't ask for information."
"I thought you should know." Misao replied.
Aoshi got up and put on his trench coat.
"Where are you going?" she asked.
"Stay here and don't try anything funny. If you run, I will find you." He said before leaving.
Misao sat on the bed dumbstruck.
'He really has no soul.' She thought to herself.
'I can't do anything here…I am sorry Kaoru…I am going to do my best to protect you…if it means going to New York to do it, then let it be.
************************
New York:(Almost 3 Months into Kaoru and Kenshin's relationship)
"Hey sleepyhead." Kenshin whispered as he leaned over Kaoru's face and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.
"Hey." She smiled, opening her eyes.
"You shouldn't sleep on the couch, it not good for your back." Kenshin stated.
"Oh, I am fine. Don't be silly." She replied.
Kenshin smiled as he lovingly ran his hands through her silky black hair.
"You're working too hard. I think you should take it easy before you get sick." He suggested.
The sudden turn over at the Akabeko caused Kaoru to work later than usual. She was now coming home at 4am instead of 1 or 2am in the morning.
"You know I can't, they need me." She replied
"I understand, but you have to look out for yourself." He said
"I have you to do that for me." She said playfully.
Kenshin grinned and kissed her softly on the lips. No matter how many times he kissed her, it always seemed like the first. His lips were always warm and inviting.
"It's almost 8:00pm, you have to go to work soon." He said breaking the kiss.
Kaoru pouted and he gave her another kiss, this time more passionately.
He broke the kiss looking deep into her sapphire eyes.
"I love you." He said
"I love you too." She replied
Kaoru looked at the clock and reluctantly got up so she could get ready for work. She began walking towards her room when her vision began double and her head spun. Kaoru grabbed the end table, knocking the lamp on top off.
"Kaoru." He cried.
Kenshin was at her side in a matter of seconds. He steadied her in his arms and walked her back to the couch.
A look of concern washed over his face. He made her sit down and then went to get her a glass of water. He returned with the water and made sure she drank it.
After drinking the water, the dizziness soon disappeared.
"I…I am fine Kenshin. Thank you." She said.
"You are not fine. What happened?" he said, worry evident in his voice.
"I…I..just became a little dizzy, that's all. I didn't have anything to eat today, I suppose that is why."
"You need to take care of yourself. It's not good when you don't eat."
"I know, it's just that I've been so busy lately and when I come home I am tired. I'm so busy, that I don't think of eating or sleeping anymore." She laughed.
Kenshin frowned.
"I don't think you should go to work tonight." He stated
"Don't be silly, I am fine. If it will make you happy, I'll eat something."
"I know I can't stop you from working but I wish you would take better care of yourself."
"I know." She replied
Kaoru got up and went to the kitchen. She pulled a plastic container of yogurt out of the fridge and began to eat it while she got ready.
"Are you happy now?"
"Yes, I just care about you, that's all." He said lovingly.
"I'm running late, I really need to go!"
"I will walk you there." Kenshin offered
"Kenshin…" she whined.
"No buts, I won't take no for an answer." He chimed.
Kaoru rolled her eyes as she threw the yogurt container away. They both grabbed their coats and left the apartment.
********************
Back in Tokyo:
Aoshi avoided Misao at all costs. She had struck a nerve in him. Instead of staying in the confined room with her, he sat outside the door, thinking about what she said. There was truth to it, but the fact remained that he had a mission. If he didn't complete the mission, the Oniwaban would remain in jail and worse Enishi would frame them on charges of treason.
A few days later the passports and tickets arrived, via Enishi's messenger. Everything was in order. Tonight Misao and him would be on a flight to New York.
After his mission ended, he had one more thing to do…and that would be to get rid of Yukishiro, Enishi.
End of Chapter 21
Hmmm….wonder what's going to happen???? Well I can't tell you…because I don't even no yet! Lol I am going to take a few of your guy's suggestions into consideration. If I even use part of your suggestion I'll give you credit!
I promise the next chapter will have much more drama and suspense. Oh and of course more K/K.
Yesterday I got back from my trip and I must tell you that I was in Anime Heaven. RK and Sailormoon were the only two animes I was ever interested in until I bought two "Fugishi Yugi" mangas.
My eyes were like this @@ when I walked into this one store! There were so many things to choose from. I wanted to try something different so that's why I chose the two mangas.
I am really getting into the series. The manga has a real romantic storyline and I can't wait to read more!
Anyways I will quit my yapping….
Thanks for your reviews! I was happy to see people were reading the story while I was gone.
Thank you for being such awesome readers!
~*Charismatic Angel*~