Heeeelloooo ::voice echoes through an empty and deserted hall::
After not updating this story for so long, what was I expecting?
Honestly…I just couldn't continue this story until, oh…yesterday, when I had a sudden reemergence of inspiration. I don't blame anyone for not wanting to read this story given my total update inconsistency.
However, to those who do choose to read my lil story, I'm grateful. I'm also grateful to the people who have reviewed this story. Seriously, reviews alone make me want to write, but…I had the worst writer's block and didn't want to add a chapter just for the sake of writing one.
So, if you're willing to give me a chance, I'd be honored =) If not, I can't blame you =P
Here are the chapter summaries, since it's been a loooong time and who remembers this story anyways =P
Ch. 1 - The Big Collision - Kaoru and Kenshin literally bump into each other ten years ago, each annoyed with the other. Kenshin's a lawyer, and Kaoru's a…?
Ch. 2 - Another Round? - Present day. Kaoru runs into someone as she's exiting her medical practice…someone with familiar amethyst eyes…
Ch. 3 - Playing Doctor - Kaoru and Kenshin run into each other again, except Kenshin doesn't recognize Kaoru right off the bat. Kaoru plays on his ignorance for a while, before dropping the charade.
Ch. 4 - Dono Promotion - It turns out that Kaoru is a doctor whose help Kenshin is seeking for a case he's working on. Kenshin begins to get under her skin, especially in his car ; )
Ch. 5 - and Justice for All - A bit of Kenshin's past is revealed. He continues to torment Kaoru, but reveals a sweeter side.
Ch. 6 - Meltdown pt 1 - Kaoru gets saved by Kenshin, and the pair begin to have something between them. However, Kaoru pulls away from Kenshin, who doesn't take it too well.
Ch. 7 - Sukiyaki Parables - Kaoru has a crappy week, and her interaction with Kenshin continues to be tumultuous. She goes to her sister's home for dinner, and guess who else is a guest for the night…
IM SORRY!!!!!!!
…I really am.
Wow, I don't know if anyone remembers this story…but it's now updated.
Anyways, I'm always grateful to people who read my story, and more so to the reviewers. Thanks guys, hope you can semi-enjoy and put up with this =)
Quick recap from chapter 7 - Kaoru finds Kenshin in her sister's home, and better yet…she finds herself on top of him by accident.
Little Collisions - Chapter 8 - Transitional Cherries
The ticking of the kitchen clock seemed painfully and unnaturally loud in the otherwise silent room.
Kenshin uncomfortably craned his head up from the floor he was lying on to look down at the glossy black head nestled on his shoulder. He gingerly lifted a hand to lightly tug on one of the silky strands of hair that were splayed across his chest. "Kaoru-dono?" His voice was quiet with sincere concern, the usage of her abhorred nickname not dawning upon the confused Kenshin.
The clock ticked a few seconds by before Kaoru slowly lifted at her head, without any emotion apparent within her midnight sky blue eyes. Kenshin was further disconcerted as she set her arms on either side of his body to plant them on the cool, tiled floor. Using her now firmly planted arms as leverage, she shimmied up the short distance that allowed her face to be directly above Kenshin's, their gazes locking eye to eye.
Kenshin swallowed hard, both at the strange and odd glint in her pretty eyes, and at her proximity to him.
What was she thinking?
Kaoru wasn't thinking at all. Her mind was a pleasant syrupy haze, cocooned in her tiredness from her wearing week and the warmth emanating from the body beneath her. She met Kenshin's eye with normally clear blue eyes now clouded with a dreamy haze-like quality reflected from them.
For Kaoru, it was as if the absurdity of being splayed over the man infuriating her thoughts for the past week was lost on her. Normally, Kaoru would have squawked with indignation at finding the current bane of her existence in her sister's home. And on the night she was going to gorge herself on Megumi's sukiyaki, nonetheless!
She was just so incredibly tired. If she could rest for a while…
"I'm tired", she mumbled, right before tucking her head in the crook of Kenshin's neck and closing her eyes.
Realization was quickly dawning on Kenshin. As a professional with a demanding job himself, he knew all too well how exhaustion could send the mind into a surreal state. As much as he was enjoying having a compliant and seemingly snuggly Kaoru on top of him, he knew her mind wasn't at all clear, and she'd be spitting nails later if he took advantage of the situation in even the smallest of ways.
Besides, he'd rather have the satisfaction of having Kaoru come to him fully aware of what she was doing.
A grim smile graced Kenshin's lips, as he realized there was only one good way to snap Kaoru from her daze. He lifted well tapered fingers to Kaoru's chin, and clamped them together rather firmly. Forcibly lifting her head up from the junction of where his shoulder met neck, he waited until her sleepy eyes opened to meet his. Kenshin was already regretting having to do this, but it was time to put an end to this growingly ridiculous situation.
"Kaoru-dono," he drawled in his best arrogant and grating tone. "Onnanoko-chan," he started again, seeing the first hated nickname wasn't registering. With the second insulting name, Kaoru's drooping eyes suddenly became alive, and she blinked away the exhaustion and haziness. Kenshin cringed at the storm to come, but in a masochistic sense he was looking forward to the fallout as well.
He continued, "Onnanoko-chan, as much as I appreciate a woman draped over me on the kitchen floor, I don't know if I'm too comfortable with the floor being her _sister's_."
Kenshin's words had the desired effect, as the realization of where she was and how she was hit Kaoru full force. Embarrassment and anger infused her being all at once, a bright crimson color staining her cheeks. Vibrating with fury, Kaoru huffily disentangled herself from the red-haired lawyer and not-too-gracefully leapt to her feet. "Why…you-" she spluttered, unable to articulate the simplest of insults.
Free of the weight on top of him, Kenshin slowly picked himself off of the floor. Even though his purpose had been achieved, he couldn't, _couldn't_ resist in baiting Kaoru even further. "You know, as much as I'm sure you're eager to finish our "business" right here and right now, I'd rather wait until we were somewhere much more private…" Part of Kenshin's mind winced at his apparent masochism, while the other part gleefully decided teasing Dr. Kamiya was just not meant to be resisted.
Kaoru's whole face was flaming red now, but more from indignation than embarrassment. She opened her mouth, ready to let out a shrill stream of expletives. "Mou, you are absolu-"
"You are absolutely out of your mind, Kaoru." A slight scent of cinnamon breezed into the room, followed by Megumi Sagara. The tall woman looked at Kaoru with amusement written on her face, amusement that signals affection as well as exasperation between siblings. "Save your shrieking for later." Megumi walked over to Kaoru and gently grasped her arm. "Let's go into the living room, before I'm tempted to do something drastic and painful to Sano's rooster head."
Kaoru adored her older sister, but she was feeling tempestuous. "Onee-san," Kaoru never called her older sister by the Japanese honorific for "older sister" unless she was feeling cheeky. "Onee-san, what is this monkey's ass doing here?" she glared in Kenshin's direction.
Megumi gave an exasperated laugh, knowing very well her baby sister's various tones and attitudes. Knowing them also meant knowing how to deal with Kaoru. "Kaoru, you're tired and hungry. Come into the living room and relax with us a little stuffing your stomach until you're a fat little meatball." Megumi gave Kaoru a small hug. 'Poor girl looks exhausted as all hell. Have to wonder though, what part Kenshin -Attorney at Law- has to do with Kaoru's moody fit.' Megumi gently but firmly started to lead Kaoru out of the kitchen. She threw a look at Kenshin on their way out, "Sorry Kenshin, my little tanuki usually knows to treat guests a bit better than this."
Kenshin gave the pair a wry grin before following them out into the living room. His grin only widened when he heard Kaoru tiredly mumble something about buffoons not being guests and how fun it would be to murder someone with a scalpel.
~*~*~
Sano rose from the chic cream-colored couch, unfolding his long legs as his wife and sister-in-law emerged from the kitchen. His charming yet roguish grin was aimed at Kaoru lopsidedly as he took in her annoyed countenance. "Just what kind of welcome did you give our guest, eh Jou-chan?" The glare of death he received in response was enough for the usually mule-headed man to backpedal. After all, he loved her more than anyone, save for Megumi. Sano laid a worried hand on Kaoru's shoulder and pulled her in for a quick hug.
Kenshin watched with observant eyes as Megumi and Sanosuke Sagara sat down on the couch with Kaoru between them. Anyone could see they were a family and a team. 'Mess with one of them, you mess with them all,' Kenshin mused to himself. Family was not something Kenshin ever had in the nuclear and conventional sense, nor did he ever long for one. But, watching the trio on the couch did make him feel that he was missing out on something warm and almost vital.
Sanosuke noticed his guest standing on the fringe of the simple yet elegant rug, watching them with guarded purple eyes. 'Always the enigma, that Kenshin,' thought Sano to himself, right before he called out to the said enigma. "Oi Kenshin, sorry about…well, whatever happened in there. Come sit down and have a proper introduction with our Kaoru."
Kenshin took a seat and stole a glance at "our Kaoru" who was actively fixing her eyes on anything besides Kenshin. "Kaoru and I have bumped before, actually." Kenshin drawled his words with a bit of insolence, which wasn't lost on Megumi.
Megumi was all too interested in the umpteenth glare Kaoru was bestowing upon Kenshin. "Oh really? I didn't know you two were acquainted already. Kenshin, I had planned on this dinner tonight to suggest you meet with Kaoru to discuss the case with her, but I guess you've already jumped the gun…" she trailed off, not even sure if Kenshin was listening to her as he was meeting Kaoru's glare with an unfathomable expression on his face.
"Oh, the gun went off a long time ago, actually. I've known Kaoru for years. She almost got me fired and on the path to ruin." Kenshin suddenly turned a lighthearted face to Megumi, leaving Kaoru's eyes to widen at his words.
"I see," Megumi murmured, realizing there was a story afoot she didn't know about. Wheels started turning in her head, and Sano swore little fox-ears were about to pop out of her head any second now. Deciding to steer themselves from a possibly bloody situation Megumi might get them into, he cleared his throat.
"Kitsune, I'm famished, and I bet Kenshin and Kaoru are hungry as well. We'd better eat before I decide I want something besides sukiyaki…" he playfully grabbed his wife around the waist, causing her to let out a delighted laugh. "…like your sister's cooking", he finished, causing Megumi to laugh only harder.
Deciding to forego banter for her sister's sake, Megumi lead the part of four into the dining room without one word about Kaoru's "cooking" skills. "Everyone sit down, I'll bring the food out. Oh, and Kaoru, no cherries for you until I hear ALL about your acquaintance with Kenshin."
She wasn't going to be *that* easygoing on Kaoru.
"Damn." Kaoru muttered.
~*~*~*~
Megumi was practically shrieking with laughter. "Kenshin, YOU were the 'pig-headed and ass-faced moron of a man' who ran over Kaoru that day? She was so steamed when she was talking about it that night." Tears of humor were threatening to spill from Megumi's gorgeous red-brown eyes. Eyes that Kaoru was ready to gouge out any second now from exasperation.
Before Kaoru could get a word in, Kenshin had to cut in and add his two cents. "Ahem. I believe your sister ran into _me_."
Poor Kaoru, it seemed like she was destined to have people interrupt her before she could even say anything. Sano burst out with a sudden epiphany, "Whoa! Kenshin…I remember you came into the store that day! You were elated that day because Hiko decided to help put up collateral for your new firm. Oh, and you started rambling about how some pretty but dimwitted girl barreled into you that morning on your way to Hiko's."
Kenshin was on the verge of gawking at Sano's random memory and decided lack of tact. On the other side of the table, the "dimwitted girl" was brandishing her chopsticks, ready for battle.
"Dimwitted?! This coming from a man who--" this time, Kaoru interrupted herself. "Wait, Sanosuke, did you he said 'pretty'?" Now it was Kaoru's turn to gawk in disbelief. "WAIT, you've known Kenshin for that long?" Her thoughts were as disorganized and choppy as her sentences.
Sano coughed, wondering what this was all coming to. "Yeah…Kenshin and I actually knew each other from when we were young and living in Japan. Grew up in the same orphanage, actually."
"Oh," Kaoru said softly. She knew all about her brother-in-law's rough past, orphaned since birth and growing up in a cruel environment where even youngsters had to fend for themselves the hard way. She knew what it was like to be alone and without your parents, but unlike Sano, she had at least known the love of her parents and had known it well. 'If Kenshin came from the same world as Sano, then…' the revelation passed through her mind and she looked at Kenshin curiously.
Kaoru was loving and had the best of intentions, but Sano could never stand to see the pity in her eyes she unknowingly displayed when she thought about the kind of childhood Sano went through. Not wanting Kenshin to see what Sano knew was going through Kaoru's head, he spoke jovially, "Yeah, we've been pals since forever. He's my favorite customer and actually, he manages the legalities of the store. But yeah, he seemed stuck on how pretty you were, even if you did run into him."
"I did not run into him!" Kaoru exclaimed, before the thought finally sunk into her. "Wait, you thought I was pretty?" Kaoru asked Kenshin without vanity, but pure surprise.
Kenshin recognized Sano's distracting tactic for what it was, just as he had recognized the look of sympathy in Kaoru's eyes when Sano had mentioned the orphanage. Grateful to Sano for the maneuver, he decided to refocus on getting to know Dr. Kamiya better. She had barely spoken to him during dinner after the kitchen incident, but conversation was finally swinging his way.
"I thought you were pretty then, and I think you're a lovely woman now," he replied truthfully, for some reason unable to mask his words with some sort of pithy cushion as he normally would have.
Kaoru was more than half expecting his comment to be followed by an insult, and was stunned when nothing but silence ensued. Not sure what to say, she awkwardly poked at her food with a chopstick. 'What's wrong with me? Kenshin's the last person I should have a lack of things to say to. Then again, he's usually saying something annoying and not…flattering.'
'Damn it! Damn him for throwing me a curve ball!' Kaoru met Kenshin's eyes and spoke, with only a hint of the turmoil she was feeling. "No wonder you're a lawyer. You sure know how to pull the stops and confuse someone."
Kenshin only gave her a crooked grin, and lifted his chopsticks in a mock salute.
Megumi sighed internally. Things were going to be a bit interesting with Kenshin and Kaoru around…insults flying and metaphorical punches thrown. The thought made her grin then, as she looked at her husband. 'Fighting like two year olds is always a good way to fall in love,' she mused, remembering how she and Sanosuke had the grandest of sparring matches.
Sanosuke met his wife's affectionate look with his own, and gave her a little wink, knowing perfectly what was going through her mind.
~*~*~
Dinner was completed in relative peace, with Megumi and Sanosuke doing most of the talking. Kaoru had fallen silent for the remainder of the meal after Kenshin's compliment to her. She seemed to have withdrawn, contemplating while she ate her food.
Kenshin noticed the change in Kaoru's demeanor, and figured he was somehow the reason for it, but couldn't pin the exact explanation for her behavior. Sure, he pushed her buttons constantly, but she always pushed back, or at least frosted up…but she never withdrew within herself. He too fell silent, pondering about what Kaoru was pondering.
The married couple noticed the change in both Kenshin and Kaoru, and wisely said nothing in regards to their behavior.
"Well, Kaoru, I think it's time to bring out those cherries I promised you. The washington bing ones this time are simply superb." Megumi said, clearing the table with everyone's help. "I'll finish up in here, why don't the three of you head into the living room?"
Ten minutes later, Megumi walked into the living room and right in the middle of a growing argument between her husband and sister.
"I'm a doctor, I would know," scoffed Kaoru.
Megumi set down a bowl of large red cherries on the coffee table. "What on earth are you two talking about?"
Kenshin gave her an amused smile, "they're discussing last week's episode of 'ER'."
Kaoru let out a small sound of pleasure at the sight of cherries. She plucked a ripe one from the bowl, and twirled the stem between her fingers before popping the fruit into her mouth. "Sano's being an idiot and debating whether or not the old Chinese woman's condition was plausible or not given the circumstances."
Before Sano could reply, Kenshin cut in with a question, "Why do you like cherries so much?" He kept his tone light and curious, though his mind was uncomfortably registering that he had never quite associated fruit with sexiness as his body was doing so now. He was trying hard not to take notice of the way Kaoru was eating the red fruit, wrapping her lips around it…as some of the cherry juice slipped from the corner of her mouth…red and glistening…'Kenshin, snap put of it, you are not a 16 year old boy on your first date here!'
Kaoru licked away the juice from the corner of her mouth with a slight swipe of the tongue. "Hmm?" she looked at Kenshin upon hearing his question, and wondered why he was looking at her oddly.
She decided to shrug off the look. "Oh, hmm…I don't know, I've just always had a predilection for cherries." She reached for another piece of fruit. Megumi was right; the cherries were especially good this time.
"Didn't Aoshi first introduce you to them?" Sano asked absently, while Megumi gave her husband a horrified look as she heard him drop The Name He Shouldn't Have Dropped.
As soon as the words left Sano's mouth, his eyes widened and his mind raced for a way to take the question back. But it was too late.
Kaoru shut down and retreated completely. She put the cherry she had just picked back into the bowl quietly, and stood up. She looked at her sister with vacant eyes and spoke, "Megumi, I had better be on my way before it's too late. Thank you for dinner."
Sano swiftly took Kaoru's arm, and inwardly cringed when Kaoru lurched from his touch as if she had been singed. "Kaoru, I wasn't--"
Kaoru gave him a small and sad smile. "I know, and I don't blame you for anything right now, Sanosuke. I should go, though." She nodded goodbye to her helpless family, and made her exit quietly from the Sagaras' home.
~*~*~*~
Kaoru walked a block from her sister's home before stopping to lean against a brick wall. She closed her eyes, shutting out the world for a moment. Deeply exhaling, she forced her mind to numb over and clear. 'Don't let your mind go back there, don't think about--'
Her eyes fluttered open as she felt something gentle brush against her cheek. The first thing she saw was amethyst eyes focused completely on her.
Kenshin asked softly, "Are you okay? Daijoubu?"
Something sad lodged itself in Kaoru's throat, and she couldn't answer Kenshin in words. She nodded mutely, while her lip trembled ever so slightly.
She didn't resist when Kenshin pulled her forward and held her lightly with both arms.
~*~*~*~
Kaoru stared at the ceiling of her bedroom in the dark, her mind still numb and unwilling to think. Rather, she forced herself not to think.
She refused to think of cherries, refused to think of Aoshi, refused to think of the red-haired man sleeping on the couch in the room outside her bedroom door.
~*~*~*~
Thanks for reading, and review if you will =)
- Pav