"Himura…Himura Kenshin!" somebody called as Kenshin headed towards the registration table.
He turned to look at whoever was calling him, expecting to see an old classmate of his. It was a woman in high heels, a slinky dress and a big delighted smile on her face.
He didn't recognize this woman. Probably a wife of some old classmate of his who happened to be a fan of his books.
Kenshin smiled politely as the woman approached him.
"I can't believe how little you've changed in the past ten years! You still go that gorgeous red hair of yours!" the woman exclaimed.
Kenshin frowned slightly. Apparently, this woman knew him better than he did her.
The woman smiled at him brightly, "So how have you been doing? We poor unknowns read a lot about you in the papers…"
Kenshin idly wondered if this was some crazy person and that he had a stalker or something.
But the woman apparently sensed his confusion and asked, "You don't recognize me, do you?"
Kenshin embarrassedly admitted it with an apologetic smile.
Instead of being offended, the woman laughed, "Of course you don't…I keep forgetting…It's me, Kamatari."
His eyes widened in shock. This couldn't be Kamatari! Kamatari was male the last time he'd seen him!
"I guess I changed quite a lot," Kamatari said with a wry smile.
Still in shock, Kenshin uttered, "Yes…you have."
And then he remembered his manners and said, "I'm sorry, that was rude of me."
Kamatari just smiled, "Hey, I understand! You kind of get used to the reaction...my own family was floored when they saw me after the operation."
Kenshin looked her over and had to say that the doctors who'd operated on his former classmate had done a pretty good job.
Kamatari used to be his sparring partner during Kendo in gym class. Kenshin never entertained the idea that Kamatari had any inclinations to change gender; he'd been such a jock back in high school.
But although all this was a shock to Kenshin, he had to admit he…she looked great.
"You look amazing," Kenshin said to her, meaning it.
Kamatari smiled, "Thank you very much for saying that."
Kenshin didn't know what to say after that.
"You can ask me, you know," Kamatari said to him,
"Ask you about what?" Kenshin asked confused.
"The operation, silly…you can ask me, I won't be offended," she said laughingly.
But Kenshin thought it would be rude to ask her about such a private thing, so he asked instead, "Actually I wanted to know what you're doing nowadays."
Kamatari smiled understandingly, "I run my own accountancy firm."
Kenshin raised his eyebrows, "Impressive."
"But not as impressive as you, Mr. Bestseller of the Year," she replied.
Kenshin smiled modestly, not very comfortable discussing his success as an author.
Kamatari apparently picked up on that because she started to make small talk about various classmates of theirs.
They'd been talking for a while when somebody tapped Kenshin on the shoulder. He turned to see another smiling woman. However, this one he recognized.
"Tae! How are you?" he asked the woman, who was the president of their alumni association.
Smiling brightly, she answered, "I am doing great! And I'm so glad that you're here already, we're about to start our program, almost everyone is out in the garden…"
Kenshin noticed that there were only a few people left standing inside the reception area and that most of the reunion guests were already outside in the garden. He wondered if Sano and Megumi had arrived already. He'd probably missed them.
Smiling at the two women, he offered his two arms and said, "Shall we?"
As they stepped out into the garden, several familiar faces approached them with smiles and greetings.
Kenshin put on a friendly smile, genuinely pleased to see his former classmates, but ever so often he would cast a glance around the room to spot Sano or Megumi.
Having searched for them in vain, he finally turned to one of guys who'd he'd been small talking with.
"Have you seen Sano?"
"Sagara?" the man asked him, "No I haven't…that's no surprise…he was always late for important stuff."
The men laughed, remembering Sano's problems with punctuality.
Then a sound came, like someone was tapping on a microphone.
"Hello, hello…oh it's on…Good evening ladies and gentlemen…I would like to ask all of you to find your seats, we're about to start with our program…"
There was a general rush of people as they tried to find their seats. Kenshin looked around the room to spot Sano and Megumi again, but through the small confusion of people trying to get to their tables, he couldn't see them.
He made his way to the table in front where Tae had told him he'd be sitting. Greeting his tablemates, he sat down and started chatting with the guy next to him.
Then Tae stepped on the raised platform that served as their stage, microphone in hand.
There was a loud crash and the busy kitchen came to a standstill. Everyone's eyes went to the source of the loud crash.
A stack of immaculate dinner plates where on the floor in pieces.
Exactly at that moment Misao came in and saw the disaster.
"Oh fu…fennel," she said after a pointed look from Kaoru, who was holding a broom in her one hand and a waste bin in another.
Someone took the stuff out of Kaoru's hands and began cleaning up the mess.
"How did that happen?" Misao asked.
"I don't know exactly. One minute they were all stacked up on that counter, the next thing you know, they where on the floor," Kaoru said, calmly arranging something on a platter.
"Do we have enough plates?" Misao wanted to know, as some people were carrying platters outside.
"Of course we do," Kaoru answered, after she gave some instructions to a girl.
Misao smiled, "Right, I forgot…I'm with the Queen of Contingency."
Kaoru gave her a look but Misao just smiled back.
"You know it amazes me how much you can remain calm in situations like these…I'd be running around like a headless chicken screaming my head off…wait, that doesn't make sense…" Misao said, frowning slightly.
Kaoru grinned at her friend, "You think I'm calm?"
"Yeah, look at you…you're all Ms. Organized-in-control…I mean we'd done huge parties and all…but this is kind of a big deal for you…don't you think?"
"It is a big deal to me…some of these people out there I knew in High School…but if I'd go around all nervous…"
"I know…if you'd go around all nervous then I'd go nervous and everything would fall apart," Misao said to her friend.
Kaoru laughed, "I don't think it would go that bad! It's just that I want to appear competent and in control…"
"Believe me, you got that down to a science…" Misao said smilingly.
Shaking her head, she said to Kaoru, "I wonder what you'd be like if it was your reunion and not just a job!"
"Please! Don't mention that…it's just one year away…" Kaoru said in mock horror.
Misao laughed, "Don't worry about that, you'll wow them with your success."
Kaoru gave her friend a grateful smile, and then turned back to what she had been doing.
"I just saw Sano and Megumi arrive a couple of minutes ago…" Misao mentioned to her friend as she began stirring something in a pot.
Kaoru laughed again, "Typical! They were always sneaking in late at important assemblies…"
Misao with a naughty expression said, "Really…I wonder what kept them…"
Kaoru gave her that same expression and they both started laughing.
"It must've been really fun back in High School, you know, you and the gang…" Misao said wistfully.
She and Kaoru had met in college, becoming fast friends while they had tried to survive their erratic psychology professor.
It had been fun, Kaoru remembered. She and Kenshin had been friends since grade school. Kenshin and Sano had become friends in fourth grade. Megumi had gone to another school, so the four of them had really started hanging out when Kaoru had been a freshman with Megumi. She'd skipped a grade so she had been only a year behind Kenshin and Sano who'd been sophomores at that time.
It had been fun until the day the four of them had become five and Kaoru had felt like the odd girl out. And to make it worse, she had to fall in love with her best friend and tell him.
Thinking of that day, Kaoru wondered if she should have kept her mouth shut.
"You must be excited to see Kenshin again," Misao said.
Looking at her friend blankly for a second, her mind processed the words. Excited? That wasn't the word for it, exactly. She didn't know what it was. Suddenly she felt confused…then again, wasn't this confusion familiar?
Instead of answering her friend, she turned to one of her wait staff and handed him the platter.
Misao noticed something about her friend but instead of commenting further, she turned back to the pot she was stirring, She tasted the soup and decided that it needed more salt.
A few people were called on stage to receive awards and made speeches. Some were solemn, some were incoherent and some were hilarious. Kenshin laughed with the rest of the people at a joking reference to the "Lab Incident". The whole science wing had to be fumigated.
Then a few of their teachers came up to say some words. There was more laughter as their former history teacher recounted the hours of frustration he apparently had to suffer teaching their class.
Their former principal, now retired, also made it on the stage to say a few words, mentioning some of the regulars in his office during high school who had grown up to become "fine upstanding citizens of Japan". Miracles apparently did happen. More laughter.
Now they were shown a clip, much like a music video, of their time back in high school. A montage of the various events played on the screen, accompanied by an upbeat song saying something about the good old days.
To most people high school was something they'd rather forget but to Kenshin it had been the best years of his life.
Until his senior year.
In retrospect, that was the year when he first learned the lesson of loss. And ten years later, he's still not gotten over that loss.
Feeling uncomfortable with the way his thoughts were heading, he made a surreptitious sweep of the room to see if Sano and Megumi were already here.
But a part of him, although he knew it would be impossible, was looking for another face.
What would she be doing here? It wasn't her reunion.
His eyes passed the buffet table, set up at the side of the garden, laden with food and he stopped.
The image of Kaoru yesterday had the unsettling way of popping up at odd times. Like right now, he could swear that he was seeing her standing at the buffet table, her back to him.
She had been true to her words when she had said that fateful day more than ten years ago that they'd always be friends no matter what.
In some form or manner, they'd always have kept in touch, yet not as often as he would've liked…because just as he'd always known what would happen after her confession, things had become awkward between them.
Especially since the day Kenshin had seen the evidence that she had gotten over him and he'd just began to understand the way he felt about her.
Kenshin sighed. Sometimes it wasn't worth it…but he just couldn't stop what he felt for her. And that image of Kaoru, her back to him, would always be hauntingly clear in his mind.
Kenshin closed his eyes in an attempt to make the illusion go away.
But to his shock when he opened his eyes, the figure of Kaoru he thought was the creation of his confused mind, turned and looked at him, surprise on her face.
Then she smiled at him and Kenshin lost all conscious awareness of his surroundings. Kaoru was really here.
She said something that looked like the word "Go" but he wasn't sure, so surprised was he to see her.
She made some gestures with her hands, pointing to the stage and Kenshin, still in stupor, turned to where she was pointing.
At first he didn't understand what she meant but his seatmate nudged him and said, "Go!"
And then finally he realized that he'd been called to the stage. He stood up mechanically and walked towards the platform. Still in a daze, he received the award from Tae, who was smiling at him and saying congratulations.
He looked at the plaque in his hands, at Tae, at the flood of people in front of him with eager smiling faces.
He knew that he was expected to make a speech. He'd been sitting in front of his computer for hours trying to come up with the suitable words for such an occasion. But somehow seeing Kaoru here had rattled him so much that his mind had only one thought it could play over and over again.
She smiled at me. She smiled at me. She smiled at me. She smiled at me.
He looked over to where he knew she was standing. She was smiling at him expectantly.
And somehow that got him out of his temporary daze.
"I'm sorry…my head had to shutdown for some hard drive failure," he said into the microphone, "It's rebooting."
There was some laughter and a loud male voice shouting, "Go Kenshin!" There was some more laughter.
Kenshin saw Sano with Megumi beside him. They'd been sitting at the table right behind his. That is why he hadn't seen them.
He cleared his throat, and took something out from inside his suit jacket.
"I found it ironic that for someone who sells words for a living, I found it really difficult to find the right words for tonight. But eventually I did get something bordering on the coherent on paper. Allow me to read what I've wrote…I was always bad at memorizing speeches…"
"That's true!" a former teacher of his affirmed loudly and the crowd burst out laughing.
Kenshin chuckled as well. He unfolded the piece of paper and began.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I thank you for this honor. I feel flattered that you would think me most successful classmate… here it says 'wing it'…"
The audience laughed.
Watching Kenshin up on stage, Kaoru felt both proud and pleased of her friend's success.
To most people who knew Kenshin when he was younger, it had been a surprise when Kenshin became an author of fiction. Although, it shouldn't have been a too big of a surprise. Kenshin's father had been a professor of literature and his mother an editor for a popular local magazine.
But it was understandable that people had thought Kenshin wouldn't be inclined towards literary pursuits. Outwardly he'd always been a boy of physical action than of mental introspection. In high school he was the quintessential jock, played soccer and baseball. He'd been a star member of the kendo club, winning several trophies for their school.
But Kaoru had always known of Kenshin's talent, although she found out about it by accident. She found a short story by Kenshin on the floor in her bedroom, which must have fallen out of his notebook while they had been studying at her house.
Written in bold red letters across the top had been written the words: imaginative and excellent. Driven by curiosity, she'd read the story and by the last word had to admit that imaginative and excellent were the perfect words for Kenshin's creation.
Unable to stop herself, she'd confronted Kenshin the next day with the paper, "Why did you never tell me that you're such a good writer?"
Remembering the day, she smiled. Kenshin had blushed and asked her not to tell anybody, he'd be embarrassed if the guys knew about his writing skills. She'd understood how immature high school boys could be. They relentlessly teased their male campus journalists, calling them various unflattering names.
She'd agreed only if he'd let her read some of his other stuff he'd written. Kenshin had reluctantly agreed. After reading several of his works, Kaoru had thought that it was a shame that Kenshin didn't think of making a living by writing; he'd had the talent for it.
Her breath suddenly hitched and her insides did a crazy hiccupping thing as Kenshin glanced towards her, with that smile on his lips. It was a crazy reaction, she knew, but it was the same one she had earlier when their eyes met across the crowd.
It probably had been the surprise of seeing him. But that was silly because she already knew that he was attending the reunion.
Maybe it had been the look of utter surprise from Kenshin. Later on, as she would reflect upon that moment, she would swear she saw something more than pleasure on Kenshin's face at seeing her.
Kenshin's speech came to an end and there was enthusiastic applause from the crowd. Kaoru watched as he smiled modestly, thanked the crowd with a small bow and walked off the stage with the award in his hands. The people at his table stood up to shake hands with him, congratulating him and praising him for the speech.
With a shock, Kaoru realized that she couldn't remember any part of that speech. She'd been standing there looking at Kenshin and reminiscing about their past!
Someone nudged her. Turning around, she saw a smiling Misao.
"Hmmmm…" her friend said speculatively.
"What?" Kaoru asked defensively. She didn't know why she was feeling that way.
Misao turned her head to look at Kenshin's table for second, then looked back at her friend.
"Nothing," she said, but that speculative gleam was in her eyes.
For a panicked second she thought that Misao knew the secret she kept hidden inside that made it so hard to let go of …but then she mentally shook the thought out of her head.
Misao was probably thinking of the conversation they had this morning as they were preparing for the reunion.
"You know, Kaoru, there might be some cute guys here later…" she'd said slyly.
"I thought you were serious about Dr. Shinomori," Kaoru had replied.
Misao had looked affronted, "I am! I was thinking of cute guys for you!"
"Oh, I'm sorry," she'd said to her friend.
"You know, since you out rightly forbid me to set you up on blind dates and knowing how shy you can be about approaching total strangers, I just thought that tonight might be a good way for you to meet somebody…since you might know a few of the people attending…"
"Misao, we're on the job here…I'll hardly have time for socializing!"
"Hey, just trying to help…"
"I know, Misao, I know…"
People were making their way over to the buffet to sample the sumptuous feast provided by the caterers.
It was funny how it never occurred to Kenshin that Kaoru's company might be catering the event.
"Hey, great speech, man," Sano gave him a slap on his back.
"Thanks," he said in reply.
Megumi leaned forward to give Kenshin a kiss on his cheek, "Hey handsome."
Kenshin smiled as Sano muttered, "Any other man she'd greet like that would be lying on the floor right now."
Megumi chuckled, "Don't mind him, he's just hungry."
"I'm glad that Jou-chan's catering the event. The food will be phenomenal," Sano commented as he glanced over at the crowded buffet table.
It had been a while since he'd last heard Sano call Kaoru by that silly nickname he'd given her back in fourth grade. Kaoru had nicknamed Sano 'tori-atama'.
"How come you didn't tell me Kaoru was catering?" he asked his friend now.
"I thought I did," Sano answered.
"No you didn't…but never mind," he said to his friend. Secretly he was glad that he hadn't been told.
Later on, as he would reflect upon that evening, he would examine the truth of that. Had it really been better that he didn't know for sure that Kaoru would be at the reunion? After some deliberation, the answer was yes.
Of course, he had entertained the thought that he would see her. He'd known that the probability was great. Hell, he'd even planned to look her up, considering the last time he'd seen had been one year ago.
But if he had known for a certainty that he would see her at the reunion, he would have gone through the weeks prior to the event with impatient anticipation of the moment when he'd come face to face with her.
He would have obsessively and excessively gone through the scene, his writer's imagination conjuring up hundreds of scenarios and conversations. He would have convinced himself with the fantasy of finally getting the chance to tell Kaoru all the things he felt for her.
He would have been seduced by the possibility of a happy ending with the woman of his dreams…now that the other person that had stood in his way was finally out of his way, although he did feel a twinge of guilt and shame at this thought. The man died, after all.
Why was it better that he hadn't known that Kaoru would be at the reunion?
Because of what he'd witnessed at the cemetery on Friday. All his dreams and fantasies would have been destroyed and he would have attended the reunion miserable and depressed.
Why?
Because between the scene at the cemetery on Friday morning and today, he had come to a startling but painful conclusion: he wasn't free of that person. Kaoru still clung to the memory of him.
But these thoughts would come later, when he went back to his hotel room alone, thinking of the events of the evening.
Currently, he was looking around trying to locate a black haired woman he'd lost sight of since he stepped off the stage.
After the speech and the handshaking and the congratulations, he'd turned to the buffet table to see Kaoru's reaction to his speech.
But when he did, she hadn't been there and for a moment he'd irrationally panicked about her absence. Maybe she'd left. Walked away again.
But now, he knew her absence was more due the fact that she wasn't here for socializing but doing her job.
Megumi handed him a plate. He accepted it with a grateful smile, although the last thing he wanted to do right now was line up at the buffet table and fill his plate with the sumptuous offerings.
He saw a black-haired woman walk out from open balcony doors at the side of the building. He thought they must lead to the kitchen since the catering staff had come from exactly that same direction all evening carrying the platters of food now on the table.
However, said black-haired wasn't the one he was looking for, although he knew her. Maybe she could tell him where Kaoru was. Somehow it had become imperative that he'd talk to Kaoru.
Misao approached the red-haired man, thinking that he was exactly the right thing her friend needed, to get out of her one-year funk. Although, she suspected, if Kaoru knew about her plan she'd protest vehemently.
Smiling she greeted him with, "Nice to see you again, Kenshin."
Smiling back he said, "Nice to see you too, Misao."
Misao exchanged greetings with Sano and Megumi
Turning back to Kenshin she asked teasingly "Would it be extremely tacky and bothersome of me to ask you to autograph your latest book for me?"
Kenshin's eyes crinkled, knowing where she was getting at. They'd met for the first time about five years ago, introduced to each other by Kaoru. She'd squealed in delight, shoved a copy of his book in his face, handed him a pen and asked him to sign the book for her. He'd laughingly agreed.
Kenshin's first impression of Misao was that she was someone who knew how to enjoy life. He thought she would be exactly the kind of friend Kaoru needed, because she tended to become overly serious about things.
Though they were not exactly close, they did share something important: Kaoru.
"Give me the book and a pen to sign it with," he answered congenially, but what he really wanted was to ask Misao where Kaoru was.
"I left it in the kitchen."
She paused and then said innocently, "Kaoru's there."
Some perverse part of him wanted to smile nonchalantly and pretend that this wasn't the best thing he'd heard all evening. But catching Sano's knowing smile, he gave up the idea.
Excusing himself, he walked over to the two doors leading to Kaoru.
As he entered, he heard the chatter of people coming from the kitchen. And in the middle of it all was Kaoru, talking to a young woman in wait staff uniform.
He took a few moments to look at her profile before he walked into the room.
A young man, dressed in the same wait staff uniform as the young woman Kaoru was talking to, approached him with an inquiring smile.
"Can I help you sir?"
Kenshin shook his head while mumbling, "I came to see her," indicating Kaoru with his hand.
The young man gave him a curious look before turning away with a smile. For some strange reason Kenshin felt like an idiot.
Kaoru was still talking to the young woman and didn't notice Kenshin standing there. Kenshin suddenly wondered what he would say to her. But before he had any more time to think about that, she turned and her eyes widened in surprise, just like earlier.
The impact of her eyes up close made Kenshin hold his breath for a second.
An errant memory flitted through his brain.
At a book signing some years ago, a fan had asked him what his favorite color was.
He'd answered: sapphire blue.
To be continued...
Ok, so my brain was full of juicy plum ideas for the story, but then I went to the beach (because it's summer!) and the sun dried up all these wonderful thoughts leaving me with this dried prune of a chapter. Forgive me for taking so much time in updating (again!)
This isn't exactly the best chapter but I hope it makes enough sense. Note: If things don't make sense, are inconsistent or illogical, I must warn you that I never made any claims at being logical, reasonable or remotely rational!
Anyway, review please!!!! Please go visit my site…the address is in my profile page.
xoxo
Lillienne
PS. Even after several animal cracker sacrifices, the copyright gods haven't answered my heart wrenching desperate pleas and Rurouni Kenshin still doesn't' belong to me. Drat!