A/N: I want to thank the reviewers who reviewed on my story. Yes, I do have another story that I haven't updated for a while now, but I will try to update as soon as I can. This is the second chapter of my story, please review.
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Pretend
Chapter Two: A Deal for a Heart
"Mommy, I'm so happy you came back. I really, really, really missed you so much!" Kenji exclaimed, still hugging Kaoru.
Kenshin just stood there, watching his son hug a woman he doesn't even know.
"Kenji, go to your visitors and play with them" Kenshin ordered his son.
"No daddy, I want to be with mommy," Kenji yielded. "Don't you want to be with too?"
Kaoru looked straight to Kenshin's eyes; she could see him thinking very hard. She didn't know why this boy was still hugging her; doesn't he know that she was just a mascot for his party? Misao kept quiet, she knew that this was something she shouldn't but in.
"Kenji, if you don't listen to me mommy will leave" Kenshin threatened his son.
Kenji was in the verged of tears; he didn't want his "mommy" to leave him again. So he let Kaoru go from the hug.
"Baby, don't worry, I'll still be here" Kaoru spoke for the very first time. She wanted the child to be happy for his birthday.
Kenji beamed, and smiled. "I'm going to tell grandma that you're here." Kenji said running towards the main party.
Kaoru looked at Kenshin for the second time, and stood up. She expected an explanation from the father; Misao stood up too.
"I'm guessing you want an explanation," Kenshin said. "After this party, come with me and we'll talk. Thank you for reassuring my son." Kenshin left, with things going around his head.
"Kaoru, what was that!" Misao shouted. She still didn't get what just happened.
"I honestly don't know myself, but you have to come with me, when I talk to that guy" Kaoru pleaded.
Misao just nodded. Of course she's going to come; she wanted to be there with her friend, and also to find out the truth.
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After the party, Kenshin, Kaoru, Misao, and Kenshin's mom left the sleeping Kenji, and went to a restaurant.
Arriving at the restaurant, they were seated at the private section. As soon as they were seated they began talking.
"So, tell me why your kid just suddenly called me "mommy"?" Kaoru asked directly to Kenshin.
"It's a long story, but do you remember when you rode thee bus 4 years ago?" Kenshin said; Kaoru nodded. "Well, since Kenji saw you, he would only stop crying if he saw your picture, that you left with your notebook.
We didn't want him to grow up without a mother figure, so we made him believe that you were his mother. We computerized your pictures with pictures from magazine, and wrote letters, that supposedly came from you. Since then, Kenji started to believe that you really are his mother." Kenshin explained.
"Please understand why we did that. Kenji's mother left him when he was a baby, and she ran off with another man, before Kenshin almost proposed to her" Kenshin's mother said. "We were planning to tell him the truth after his birthday, but then he saw you."
Kaoru just listened intently, she didn't know what to say or do. Misao listened to the truth, but she wanted them to get to the point.
"I'm willing to pay you $10,000, if you pretend to be Kenji's mom for a month, until he's ready to know the truth" Kenshin offered.
Kaoru looked at Misao, 'This could be the chance I could earn the $20,000 I need.' Kaoru thought. Misao seemed to be able to read her mind, and she nodded, but she needed another 10,000 dollars. Kenshin knew what they were thinking.
"Ok, let's make it 20,000 dollars, or do you want more?" Kenshin offered.
"It's a deal Mr. Himura" said Kaoru, and they shook their hands on it. "So basically I just act to be mother." Kenshin nodded.
The deal was closed, Kaoru was going to leave her present life, and pretend to be someone's mother.
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Kenshin dropped off her mom, to her friends' house to play bingo, and Kenshin went straight home; contemplating the actions he took.
He went inside his bar, and poured himself wine, he went to the living room, and sat to think. About his life, and Kenji's. He didn't know whether the deal would make Kenji happy, and ready to accept the truth. There were so many things going inside his head that he didn't hear Kenji crying.
"Mommy, mommy, mommy!" Kenji was calling out for his mother. He saw Kenshin's form in the dark, and walked up to him, clutching his favorite teddy bear.
Finally, Kenshin noticed that his son was crying. "What's wrong Kenji, did you have nightmares?" he asked his son.
Kenji shook his head and said, "I want mommy, where is she?"
Kenshin carried his son to his lap and said, "She just had to fix something, but I promise that tomorrow she'll be here."
Kenshin reassured his son, but he realized that the truth will crush Kenji. He was somewhat glad that there would be someone to spend time with Kenji, because he was to busy to spend time with Kenji.
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The next day Kenji couldn't wait for Kaoru to come, that he was literally waiting outside, by the gate for Kaoru to come. Until Kenshin told him to get inside the house so that he could eat breakfast.
"No daddy, I want to eat with mommy!" Kenji exclaimed. Just then a knock was heard on the front door, and one of the maids opened the door, and Kaoru entered. Kenji turned around and ran up to Kaoru's open arms.
Kenshin turned around just a second after Kenji left his side, and saw, just like the movies, how Kenji ran up to Kaoru in slow motion. Deep inside Kenshin was rejoicing that she showed up, because he was worried that she might forget. At least now, he gave Kenji something he could never have given him, no matter how much money he has.
"Daddy, look mommy's here now!" Kenji's voice brought Kenshin back to reality. He smiled at Kaoru and she just nodded with a smile on her face.
Kenji dragged Kaoru where she was standing towards Kenshin. There was an awkward silence; the maids were watching what would happen, but Kenji broke it.
"Mommy, didn't you miss daddy?" Kenji asked innocently.
Kaoru just nodded, knowing it was just part of the deal to act like Kenji's mom, and Kenshin's wife.
"Daddy, did you miss mommy too?" Kenji asked his father.
Kenshin nodded in agreement, it was only for a month, and it was for his son.
"Then how come you two won't hug? Are you fighting?"
"No Kenji, of course were not," Kenshin said, and he went up to Kaoru and hugged her. "Listen Kenji I have to go to work ok. You behave yourself, so that your mommy won't get mad ok." Kenshin stooped down and gave Kenji a peck on the cheeks.
Kenshin was headed towards the door, when Kenji's voice stopped him.
"Aren't you going to kiss mommy goodbye too?"
Kenshin stopped and turned back and walked to Kaoru, and gave her a kiss on the lips. It wasn't an intimate kiss, like what couples give each other. It was just an ordinary kiss, no feelings attached. Both lips were cold.
Kenshin left the house, and the two headed towards the kitchen.
"Mommy, do you want to eat with me?"
"Sure baby, but you have to eat a lot, so that you'll grow up tall and strong."
Kenji nodded a smile on his lips, that won't seem to fade away.
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The two ate breakfast, and they got to know each other more. Kaoru asked Kenji to show her around their house. First, Kenji showed where the bathrooms were, and then the whole downstairs; even the backyard that had a swimming pool, and tennis court. Then, Kenji showed Kaoru his room.
"Mommy, this is my room," Kenji informed. "Do you like it, grandma designed it."
Kaoru's ears were deaf to what Kenji was saying, because the shelf in Kenji's room caught her eyes. It was full of pictures of Kaoru, all were computerized. There was a picture of Kaoru where her face was placed on a pregnant woman's body. Then there's one, where both Kenshin and her face was positioned on a wedding picture. All the picture made Kaoru smile, and think of how much lies has corrupted this little boy's innocent mind.
Kaoru suddenly felt guilty, she was adding another lie to the child. But what can she do, if she didn't agree she would still be looking for a job, and Kenji would still be yearning and longing.
'How can Kenji's real mother leave him?' Kaoru thought. 'She's missing on something. Kenji's a real good son; I hope she suffers of what she did.
She didn't break only one heart, she broke an innocent little boy's hope, and dream. But I'm here now, and I'll do the best as I can to make this one month, the happiest time of Kenji's life.'
"Mommy, are you listening to? Hello Earth to mommy." Kenji's voice revived Kaoru from her deep thoughts.
"I'm sorry; I was looking at the pictures" Kaoru apologized.
"It's ok mommy, as long as you won't leave me and daddy again" Kenji said.
Kaoru looked at the boy and smiled with him.
"I promise."
"And who's this you're carrying?" Kaoru asked Kenji, and he held out his favorite teddy bear.
"This is Mr. Teddy" Kenji said
"He's so handsome, just like my little baby boy," said Kaoru, "and who gave you Mr. Teddy?"
"Mommy, how can you forget, you gave this to me on the thwerd birthday."
"Of course I remember I will never forget what I gave my baby." Kaoru was quick to reply.
After touring around the house, Kaoru found out that there were only 4 bedrooms in the house. One was being occupied by the maids, then the other by Kenji, Kenshin's room, and the guestroom is temporarily being occupied by Kenji's grandma.
"Baby, are you positive that there are only four rooms?" Kaoru asked, hoping that there were 5 rooms.
"Yes mommy I'm po-pos-positweeb" Kenji said, having a hard time saying 'positive'.
Kaoru was looking for a way to not sleep in Kenshin's room, but she couldn't find any way out.
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That night, after putting Kenji to sleep, and tucking him in; Kaoru went inside her new room, and she found Kenshin working in his computer.
"So I guess I'm going to be sleeping here huh?" Kaoru said.
Kenshin shut the computer down, and turned around. "You have to, because if Kenji finds us not sleeping in the same room, he would think that we're fighting" Kenshin said.
"I understand, but you better not think you can take advantage of me, when I'm sleeping" Kaoru threatened Kenshin, who just got mad.
"Why would I even try to take advantage of you, and if I did I would rather pay a whore."
Kaoru just ignored him, and she went straight to the bathroom to change. When she came back out, she asked him where the sheets were, and he told her where it was. Kaoru came back with a blanket and covers. She covered the floor, and got a pillow from the bed, and just dropped it on the ground.
Kenshin noticed her doing those stuff, and asked her, "Getting ready to sleep?"
"Nope, just fixing your bed" she said, and she lay on the bed. Then it came to Kenshin that she wasn't fixing the cover on the floor for her, she was fixing it for him! He couldn't do anything anymore, so he just plopped down on the floor and fell asleep.
Kaoru on the other hand was having a hard time sleeping; thinking of how much her life would change after a month. Moments later she drifted off to sleep.
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A/N: Ok, this is the end of the second chapter, please review! In this story, Kaoru's parents are still alive, can you please inform me of their name, if anyone knows. Also, I might not be able to update for a week because I have SAT testing this week, but I'll try to start on the next chapter. Till next time. Please review.