Chapter Fifteen: The Return
"Hey!" came Sano's happy voice, as Takasugi, Shura, and himself entered the hospital room 626.
Shougo looked up from talking to his sister and looked at his old friends with a smile on his face, as he turned to greet them.
Sano grinned and walked over to Magdaria and bowed.
"My name is Sanosuke Sagara, and it would be an honor if you would allow me the honor to take you to the Sakura Ball," said Sano with a smile at the confused woman before him.
The girl only blinked at him, and the others all faltered.
"Really, you could have waited," said Shura.
"Say no Magdaria, the rooster head isn't worth the time to dress up," came Megumi's cold voice.
Sano whirled around and glared at the other patient, who was calmly leaning against a pile of pillows just like Magdaria, with a grin of her own. He could swear that he saw fox ears popping out of her ears.
"I wasn't asking you," shouted back Sano, as he stomped over to her and looked her in the face with a glare good enough to kill.
Megumi returned the glare and stared right into his eyes.
"At least I didn't take advantage of her ill state and tried to go to the Ball with her," yelled back Megumi.
"You fox of a ...." began Sano, but Takasugi pulled him back from around the waist before the taller man could touch the smirking patient.
"Calm down man! She's my escort," stated Takasugi.
"What? With this thing?" asked Sano in shock as he stopped and turned to look at Takasugi.
"I am not a thing!" yelled Megumi as she threw an empty cup at him, and landed a direct hit on his left temple, causing him to twitch.
The two went back to arguing.
Takasugi sweat dropped and Magdaria began to giggle.
As everyone was watching, Shura made her way over to Shougo smoothly, her coat folded in her left arm.
"Hello! My name is Shura. You must be Shougo Amakusa," said Shura with a smile, as she calmly walked up to Shougo and shook his hand.
Feeling awkward, the man only smiled and shook the extended hand.
"You must be the secretary Sano was talking about," said Shougo with a smile.
Shura smiled at him too, causing both occupants at the time to feel a bit odd.
"Hey what are you two doing? Oh I see," said Takasugi with a grin to the two, causing the two unsuspected victims to blush.
Sano and Megumi froze and looked at the two; Sano turned and grinned too.
"Since you both need someone to go to the Sakura Ball with..." began Sano, as he walked over to them and ignoring the fox behind him.
"You should go together," finished Megumi with a smile at them; making Shura blush another shade of red.
"That's my line," protested Sano angrily as he whirled around and glared at Megumi; hate was growing in the room making the other occupants uneasy.
"I'll go with you, if Shougo will go with Shura," said Magdaria as she looked at her brother.
Sano turned around, and nearly fell from the sheer excitement of her saying she would go with him.
Shougo looked into his sister's brown eyes and smiled before nodding. He wanted his sister to have some fun after her recovery, and to see her smile was worth going to the Ball with someone he didn't love.
"YES!" yelled Sano with a smile on his face, as he jumped up with a fist in the air.
"Stupid rooster head," said Megumi as she rubbed her temples.
The others only shook their heads.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"A cheeseburger," said Kenshin with a grin as he ate his double cheeseburger with large fries and a coke. He was happy to be able to eat something that you could use your hands with.
Soujiro only laughed as his friend devoured the food in a few gulps.
"Slow down before you choke Kenshin Himura," came a feminine voice.
Kenshin jumped and nearly chocked on the burger, he began to cough madly to try and swallow the food before it clogged his windpipe.
Frowning, Soujiro padded his back to help him out.
"Kenshin, are you all right?" asked Kaoru as she raced over to his side, and put the shopping items on a seat next to her, and handed him his coke.
Taking in deep breaths, Kenshin glared at her.
Misao only laughed as she sat beside Soujiro, who nodded at her in greeting.
"Tsked. Tsked. You know that these fast food isn't good for you. It's all full of grease," said Kaoru, as she looked at his half devoured order on the table.
"You... Don't... need to sneak up on people like that," breathed out Kenshin, as he held his chest to try and control his breathing.
"I only told you about your manners, and how you should slow down. So what, I'm not allowed to say your name?" asked Kaoru innocently as she patted his back to help him out.
"I hate lawyers," said Kenshin through gritted teeth and an angry amber glare.
"Yes, but it was this lawyer that saved you from losing money to begin with," stated Kaoru with a grin.
Kenshin's left eye twitched as he glared at her. Damn her. Why is she always right?
"Because I'm a lawyer," said Kaoru with a grin as if she read his mind.
"What?" Asked Kenshin incredulously. Did she just read my mind?
"I said, I'm right because I'm a lawyer," said Kaoru slowly as if he had mental problems.
Kenshin took in a deep breath, and began to breathe in and out to try and calm himself from lashing out at her.
Misao's face faltered before she looked up.
"Oh it's already 4:00, I better get back to Megumi," said Misao, as she looked at the court clock that hung overhead.
"I'll drive you back," said Soujiro as he stood and gathered all of her things.
"Wait, we didn't find you a suit to go in," said Misao as she finally realized that they had yet to shop for him; she was so busy with herself.
"I have my designer working on it," said Soujiro with a smile.
Returning the smile, Misao said good bye to the other two and the couple quickly left.
"Why so happy?" asked Kenshin as he finished his food, and crumbled it all together. He managed to make a basket from his seat; smiling as the food waste made its way in.
Kaoru looked at him with a smile, but then frowned.
"What's wrong?" asked Kenshin as he sat up and looked at her saddened sapphire orbs.
"I'm happy about the Sakura Ball and all, but then again I'm not too thrilled about it," said Kaoru, as she put her face in the palms of her hands and her elbows on the table.
"Why?" asked Kenshin confused, as he folded his hands on the table so that his fingers intertwined.
Kaoru looked up at him with a frown, and only shook her head as she folded her hands in her lap and straightened up. It wasn't polite to place elbows on the table.
"Oh yeah. You're afraid of dancing," said Kenshin with a grin as he looked at her.
Kaoru didn't look up at him; she looked at the checker patterned tiles as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.
"No worries. I told you I'd teach you, and trust me, I will," said Kenshin sincerely.
She looked up at him hopefully.
"If you want to learn it, then we'd better get started now," said Kenshin as he took her items and then extended his right hand to her.
Smiling, Kaoru took the hand and the two left the mall.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The limo came to a stop, as a man in a white trench coat stepped out of the limo. A man in a blue suit followed him, as a man with violet robes tagged along behind them into the large building ahead of them.
It had been a while since they returned to Japan. Now they were back, and were ready to take on the world of the business life. This time they were going to be ahead and prepared to take down any opponent and squash them like the flies that they are.
Employees rushed about them, as the three men walked toward the elevator. All of them were sure to steer clear of the three. Something was different about them, something that made everyone uneasy. It was like their presence had gotten stronger, their demand of respect growing, and their eyes were cold and enough to chill you to the bone.
"So you three finally decided to come back again I see," came a deep rich voice before they got to the elevator door on the main floor.
Turning around, they were faced with a serious and angry looking Hiko.
"Of course we've returned, and we came back with new information. With this knowledge, we can advance our computers and software. No one will be able to beat us. We'll be the number one sellers in all of Japan," said Shishio with a grin; his voice had gotten deeper.
"We already are," said Hiko calmly as he walked toward them. His form seemed to glide over to them; every step filled with controlled power.
Aoshi and Saitoh exchanged a glance before grinning.
"That is obvious, but with this, they're will be no competition," said Aoshi, his voice as cold as ever.
"Yes, we'll be undefeatable," said Saitoh.
"Very well. Then let's go into my office and hear your idea," said Hiko, as he walked ahead of them and into the opening elevator door.
"We need to talk to the real boss," said Shishio darkly.
"He's busy today," said Hiko calmly, as he faced them.
"Very well then," said Aoshi, as the three followed him into the elevator and up to the top floor.
~*~*~*~*~
A sudden chill went down Misao's spine, as they entered the hospital building.
Soujiro had just helped her place her dress and items in her own car in the garage before going up to room 626 with her. She had a bad feeling for some reason.
Laughing could be heard as the two approached the room.
Exchanging odd glances, the two quickly entered the room, and were surprised to see Megumi up and laughing and an injured Sano on the ground.
"What's going on here?" asked Misao as she stepped in and carefully over the unmoving body.
"Misao! You made it back just in time. I was talking to Takasugi with my dress, when the rooster head said that I was too big for anything... and..." began Megumi, but she was too busy laughing to continue.
Sweat dropping, Misao looked at the only person who wasn't laughing who just happened to be her ex.
"Megumi glared at him and he backed up a ways. She threw a banana at him but he dodged it, but when he turned around to walk away he slipped on it and fell face first on the floor," said Shougo as he held in his laughter.
Misao and Soujiro looked a bit confused.
"You just had to be there," said Shura cracking up as she wiped a tear from her eyes.
"Oh, I see. So what are you guys doing here for?" asked Misao as she looked around.
Sano suddenly came to his feet, but his face was red from hitting the tile floor from before.
"I'm going to the Ball with Magdaria, and Shura here is going with Shougo," said Sano calmly, as he straightened out his suit; a grin plastered to his face.
Misao froze; the whole room seemed to freeze as they looked toward her reaction.
Calm down Misao, you two broke up. There's nothing to get mad about. Take deep breaths. Her conscience was speaking to her slowly as if it were a counselor.
Taking in a deep breath, she managed to place on one of her smiles before facing the two.
"That's good to hear," said Misao, in what seemed like a forced smile and happy reaction.
"Then it's settled. Everyone's set for the Sakura Ball," said Sano with a huge grin on his face as he suddenly appeared beside Magdaria and was looking her straight in the eyes.
He grabbed to her delicate pale hands and smiled lovingly at her; making Megumi want to gag.
Magdaria only laughed nervously as she scooted back.
"Sano," said Shougo dangerously; his eyes a darker shade of brown making them almost look black. Going to the Ball with his sister was one thing, but connection was another story.
Taking the hint, the other man only smiled and slowly backed away.
"Sorry," said Sano as he placed Magdaria's hands down and stood beside Takasugi who only shook his head at the man.
"Well I think that I should be getting back to the office," said Shura a bit awkward. For some reason she felt that she didn't quite fit in with them.
"Yeah, it would be better if the patients got their rest," said Takasugi; trying to calm the tension in the room.
"What? We just got here though," complained Sano.
"Come on rooster head," said Takasugi, as he grabbed the man by the collar and practically dragged him out of the room. The other man kicked his feet as he tried to get back to his confused escort.
"Call me!" yelled Sano to Magdaria, he extended his thumb and pinky to signal for her to call him, before the door slammed shut after the three.
Megumi only shook her head.
"That moron," said Megumi under her breath.
Misao only laughed at the comment.
"I better report back in," said Soujiro as he moved to leave to the door.
"I thought you had the day off," said Misao as she turned to look up at him. Her green eyes moved to meet his cerulean ones.
"I did, but I think that I must be getting back. Master Shishio should be back by now. He should be returning to Japan now. I don't want to leave him confused with my notes," said Soujiro with a smile to her.
Misao nodded.
Soujiro bowed to the other three who nodded in return, before leaving the room as well.
Misao watched him leave the room. She suddenly felt awkward. It wasn't like she didn't like being alone with her cousin, it was just that she felt so bad for what happened in the past. Knowing that Shougo never really wanted to leave, had a major effect on her.
Sighing, she looked at Megumi and sat down beside her.
"So how was the date?" asked Megumi suddenly with a grin.
Misao flushed crimson, and the smile on Magdaria's face faded. She looked toward her brother, who had his head bent down. Sayo wanted so badly to just hug and hold her brother in comfort, but that would cause too much suspicion, and she had promised the two that she'd never tell a soul about their love life.
"It wasn't a date. I'm only his escort," corrected Misao as she glared at Megumi.
"Come on, he gave you flowers," said Megumi as she looked at the dozen roses in the vase that was gleaming by the window; dew drops still on the red pedals.
"It wasn't. Kaoru and Mr. Himura were with us too, so nothing happened. We only went to go shopping for our dresses," stated Misao, as she stood up to defend herself.
"Why in the world would Himura be with Kaoru?" asked Megumi confused, as she looked up at her. She had no clue why Kenshin and Kaoru would be at the mall when they had work to do at the office.
"They're going to the Ball together that's why," said Misao as she sat back down in annoyance.
"Wow! Kaoru got with him that fast?" questioned Megumi thoughtfully, as she placed a finger on her temple and tried to recall a time that the two actually got along like that.
Misao nearly fell out of her seat.
"So what dress did you get?" asked Magdaria from behind.
Misao turned around and saw the two gloomy siblings, but Magdaria still held a smile on her pale face. Her stomach began to turn. She felt so bad.
Forcing a smile in return, she answered, "It's a green one. More like the traditional ones with a hint of modern day to it too. Kaoru helped me pick out the shoes."
"You went shoe shopping without me?" asked Megumi appalled.
"You were unable to move at the time," protested Misao, as she turned back to her cousin who glared at her.
"Well you could have waited," replied Megumi as she crossed her hands over her chest and pouted.
"We'll go shopping with you later. No wait, you have to go shopping with Takasugi. He is your escort," stated Misao with an evil grin.
Megumi blushed three shades of reds before glaring at her cousin. She turned to look out the window in a huff.
Smiling to have her cousin back to normal, Misao looked at the roses and sighed. She didn't know what to do. To go back to the past, stay in the present, or look forward to her future?
Why does my heart have to be torn so many ways? A lone tear fell down her cheek, as the salt landed on her dry lips.
"What's wrong? Why are you crying?" asked Megumi concerned, as her voice became softer and she moved a hand to her shoulder in comfort.
Shougo and Sayo straightened at that, and looked at her.
Misao only shook her head, before hugging her beloved cousin.
"I'm just happy your back," said Misao; it was at least half the truth.
Megumi returned the hug.
I'm so confused. Why me, lord? Why did you choose to mess with my life? Give me a sign on what do. She looked up into the ceiling as if it held the answers to her questions. At least it can't get any worse than this.
~*~*~*~*~*~*
A scream could be heard through the thirty foot ceiling.
"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to step on your foot again!" said Kaoru through his screams, as Kenshin hopped around on one foot and held the other in his hands.
"At least you weren't wearing your high heels! You would have pocked a hole through my foot," yelled Kenshin, as he fell on his bottom and rubbed the injure foot.
Kaoru rushed to his side, and tried to help him, but being the arrogant person he was, he only turned away and messaged his foot.
"I'm sorry," said Kaoru.
She only got a glare from Kenshin.
"You're the one that said you'd teach me," stated Kaoru in a huff.
"Yes, but I never said anything about stepping on my foot," yelled back Kenshin.
"I said I was sorry. I told you that I can't dance," said Kaoru as she sat down and bowed her head.
He immediately felt bad and stood up.
"Why don't we dance to the music? Just follow the rhythm of the music, and go with the flow," said Kenshin, as he snapped his fingers and classical music began to play.
Kaoru smiled and took his offered hand.
The room was large and had wooden flooring. Windows were the shapes of arcs with beautiful peach laced curtains. The room was white and had a huge chandelier in the center as the room came to a dome circle.
Kenshin placed a hand on Kaoru's back and one in her hand as their fingers intertwined as Kaoru did the same to him.
"Just relax and let the music flow over you," said Kenshin in a gentle voice.
Taking in a deep breath, Kaoru tried her best to follow him.
"No! Don't try Kaoru. Just do it. Just dance. Don't try to be perfect in this. You've got to let loose and let your instincts guide you," said Kenshin, as he stopped and looked at her.
Kaoru looked into his steel blue depths and nodded.
"All right," said Kenshin, as he snapped his fingers for the song to be replayed.
Closing her eyes, she allowed the music to wash over her as her feet began to have its own life to it as they followed Kenshin's. She opened her eyes and noticed that she hadn't tripped, stepped on Kenshin's foot, or rammed into him.
A smile came on her face as Kenshin grinned at her from above.
It seemed like her body really was flowing in the music.
She was pretty disappointed when the music stopped.
"That was excellent. See? It wasn't too bad. You could have not stepped on my feet, but it was okay for three hours of practice," said Kenshin.
Kaoru frowned at him, as he grinned down at her.
Their faces suddenly got closer and closer until...
*Ring* *Ring* *Ring*
Kaoru pulled back a meter blushing, as Kenshin grit his teeth before picking up his cell phone.
"Hello?" asked Kenshin a bit angrily.
"Baka deshi, your employees have returned," came Hiko's voice.
"Now they decide to come?" asked Kenshin annoyed, just when things were really looking bright too.
"We need you and Kamiya down here now."
"Why?"
"Don't ask questions, just come down here."
*Cling*
Kenshin looked at the humming cell phone and then pocketed it. He then walked toward the door.
"Sorry," said Kaoru in a low voice as he went passed her.
"Don't be," said Kenshin gently, when he stopped before walking on.
Kaoru just stood their dumbfounded for a while.
"Are you coming or what?" yelled Kenshin from the door.
"Coming," answered Kaoru with a smile as she caught up to him.
The two walked quickly through the estate. Walls seemed to loom over them with their height, they were much taller than the walls at the office building.
Paintings, sculptures, weapons, and artifacts covered the wall and the nooks made for them. The whole place seemed like glass, as if a single touch would shatter the place. It was as if it was a dream and making a single mistake would wake you up from the gorgeous castle.
Every step that they took echoed through the estate, it was so huge that even the dropping of a pin would awaken those in the house.
Kaoru walked in awe as she stared around the house, and this was only the front of the house too; she could only dream what the rest of the place looked like. It was like her wish come true, that one day she'd be in a castle. Though she preferred this place, it wasn't as dark and gloomy as a castle of stone would be. It had a brightness to it that made her insides smile.
Servants bowed to them as they passed, and quickly went back to their duty.
"So how many servants do you have?" asked Kaoru curiously.
"Let's see..." began Kenshin as he suddenly stopped and thought about it.
Kaoru looked at him and waited for a reply.
"I really have no clue," said Kenshin truthfully.
Kaoru faltered a bit and sighed before walking ahead of him.
"Hey, I'm suppose to be leading," said Kenshin as he walked ahead.
Rolling her eyes, she allowed him to go in front of her.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"What in the seven hells?" roared Hiko, his deep voice rumbling through the whole building.
"What's wrong?" asked Nakamura as she rushed through the office door to Hiko's work area. The way he was yelling was as if someone had died on him.
She looked and noticed that Shishio, Aoshi, and Saitoh were calmly seated in front of him as the tall man shadowed over them.
"Do you know what would happen if we put that into the plan? This corporation has been doing just fine without those English men interfering," stated Hiko angrily as he sat down behind his desk.
"Britain has agreed to help us, if we give them 1/32 of our profit. We've looked it over, and it is perfectly safe," said Saitoh.
The other two nodded in agreement.
"You can't trust them," roared Hiko standing now.
Nakamura placed a hand on his shoulder, and calmly sat him down.
"We should really wait for the young master to come back," said Nakamura calmly. She didn't like the tension in the room at all. It was chilling to the bone.
"Well their ideas work. We'll be making money, and we can cancel the deal whenever we choose," stated Shishio.
"That's still not enough. We've already become partners with Katsura's Choasu Corporations, and that's enough," said Hiko.
"We're getting their data..." began Aoshi.
"And they're getting ours. They can't be doing all too well if we're beating them," retorted Hiko.
"We were there for a month, and have figured out that they know just as much as we do, and a bit more. They're willing to share with us," said Shishio.
"You should think it over," said Saitoh.
Hiko glared at them all, as Nakamura moved to his left.
"You called?" came Kenshin's annoyed voice as he busted open the door.
Kaoru was right behind him in her normal indigo suit as Kenshin was in his black one.
"You're an hour late! It's already 8:00," said Hiko angrily as he glared at him.
"Well we had to change from our normal clothing, and it takes a while to get here. Hey! What's up Aoshi? Have a fun time in Britain with those cold people like you?" joked Kenshin, as the two shook hands and patted each other's backs in welcoming.
Kenshin only nodded to the other two.
"So what's up?" asked Kenshin, as he stood in front of Hiko, Kaoru to his right.
"These three over here want to ask you to share 1/32 of your profit to the Britain Company called White Corporation that belongs to Yamagata White," said Hiko.
"Yamagata White? You mean that foreign exchange student we got in senior year?" asked Kenshin as he looked at Aoshi who grinned.
Hiko glared at his nephew.
"Look, me and him got along just fine. I didn't know that he moved back to Britain though. I guess that's why I haven't heard from him," said Kenshin.
"It doesn't matter that you know him, it matters if the company is good enough," stated Hiko.
"How much would 1/32 to be each year?" asked Kenshin as he looked at Kaoru.
"Let me see... We make a profit of 1 million dollars a month with tax taken out. So we make 12 million a year, and 12 million divided by 32 is $375,000 each year for them. That's doesn't include the tax that will be deducted," said Kaoru.
"See. Even Kaoru makes more money than that each year," stated Kenshin.
Aoshi, Shishio, and Saitoh all stared at Kaoru who shrunk back behind Kenshin to avoid any eye contact. There was something about them that totally freaked her out.
"So you'll do it?" asked Shishio.
Hiko glared at them all, and gave a death warning to Kenshin with his eyes. But his defiant nephew only smiled and returned the gaze.
"Do as you wish. This is your company after all," said Hiko as he straightened his papers on his desk.
"Tell him to meet me at the Sakura Ball and we'll discuss it then with him," said Kenshin.
"Whose we?" questioned Aoshi.
"Ah yes, you've been gone. I'm going to the Sakura Ball with Kaoru," said Kenshin with a grin; as his lawyer blushed furiously and looked at the floor.
The other three only nodded.
"Who're you going with Aoshi? You're the only one in my faculty without an escort. Even Hiko has one," said Kenshin as he grinned at the glaring Hiko and blushing employee beside the man.
"I really don't plan to go," said Aoshi.
"Come now! You're a major part of my court, you need to come," said Kenshin as he placed a hand on his shoulder.
"I..." began Aoshi.
"I insist that you go," said Kenshin as his grip tightened and his voice got deeper, though the smile never faltered.
"I guess I can," said Aoshi as he forced himself to smile.
Kenshin let go and smiled before walking toward the door with Kaoru in pursuit.
"If you don't mind, me and Miss Kaoru have to work to do," said Kenshin, and suddenly the two left from view.
Aoshi, Shishio, and Saitoh bowed to Hiko before leaving.
"That stubborn nephew of mine is going to..." began Hiko as he rubbed his temples.
"Kenshin isn't young any more. I'm sure that he knows what he's doing," said Nakamura with a smile to him.
Smiling in return, Hiko nodded.
"Shall we leave and get you a dress? I think that arrogant nephew of mine has everything under control," said Hiko with a grin.
Blushing, Nakamura nodded.
"Then let's go," said Hiko as he led the way out.
~*~*~*~*~*~
A/N: That's about it.