By: O. Juice
::~::
Kaoru smiled softly to her self as she recalled the feeling her first kiss gave her. Her face was hot as their lips lightly brushed, and in that second, she could feel an electricity spark between them.
"Are you ready to go, Kaoru?" Kenshin called from behind as he grabbed his coat.
Kaoru gently put down the frame and nodded. "Yeah, let's go." ::~::
+---+
Chapter 9
+---+
There she sat; a regal important air surrounded her like guards would to a queen. Her nose was slightly upturned as Kaoru and Kenshin quietly appeared before her like prisoners waiting to be executed.
"You're late." Tokio said flatly as she took a sip of her drink. "If you missed us, and then our plane was to crash, I would have haunted you two for not coming to see us off."
"Now, now, Tokio," Saitou began to calm her, "I don't think our plane is going to crash."
Kaoru managed a sheepish smile as she sat down next to Soujiro. "Sorry we're late. Kenshin took a while in getting ready."
"The shower broke, and I didn't want your possible last memory of me to be marked by the fact I smelled of raw fish." Kenshin smiled as he sat down.
Tokio only gave a small harrumph before changing the subject. "So, now that I won't be here for Christmas and New Year's, what will you guys do?"
It was painfully true, though nobody would admit it, but Tokio was usually the organizer of the group. She planned birthdays, even if it wasn't hers, parties, weddings and all sorts of other celebratory events down to the last dinner party. Without her careful planning and her la-di-da style to things, it already seemed to be a bust. There was a moment of silence as everybody pondered what they could do now that the spine of the party would be half-way across the world.
Misao shrugged, "Maybe we'll have a dinner or a get together at our place."
"Our place?" Kaoru quirked an eyebrow, daunted by the idea of a gathering at their small apartment.
"Yeah!" Misao snapped her fingers, "It would be fun. Oh, and if that goes well, we could all hang out for New Year's!"
Kaoru sent her a skeptical glance, as did the rest of the group. Already she felt the weight of the extra chores she would suddenly be dumped with. The dishes, the vacuuming, the window-cleaning, and for once, they would have to have some decent Christmas Decor instead of their old ones that don't even match. It wasn't even December yet but Kaoru could already feel the strains it would put to her body and schedule.
"Misao," Kaoru began weakly, "I don't think we can--"
"Oh!" Misao snapped her fingers again, cutting Kaoru off, "I know! For New Year's, we could go to Gramp's place! It's this really posh estate up north. I'm sure he'd have some kind of gathering going on."
"Grandpa Okita always seems to be having a party." Soujiro commented as he took a drink of his hot tea.
Misao only nodded in agreement as Tokio looked at everyone in defeat, "What? You'll all be partying without me?"
"I would think they would have grander parties where you're going, that I do." Kenshin calmed her.
Tokio only frowned as she looked around, "Where's Sano?"
"Out," Aoshi replied, seemingly appearing from thin air as he placed down a cup of coffee for Misao. "It's his day off today."
"Oh," Tokio's frown only deepened, "Well, there goes his souvenir. Now, who wants to drive us to the airport?"
::~::
Kaoru's smile wavered slightly as she saw the young child off. He was one of the plethora of children who came today for a flu shot. Tokio and Saitou left for their honeymoon hours ago, but not without a tearful good-bye and a strict order to water her plants or else a draconian punishment would be in order. Kaoru took a mental note to watering her plants everyday.
"That should be the last one," Megumi said, tucking her hair behind her ear, picking up a random file.
Kaoru only nodded, "But Mrs. Minahashi is here for her daughter's check up."
Megumi's face turned sour, "Oh, great. Sano will be here any minute too."
"I can take care of it," Kaoru offered, picking up the file of the young girl.
"Really?" Megumi's eyes danced, "Thanks, Kaoru. I'll make it up to you. Promise."
Kaoru only nodded as Megumi's voice faded into the locker rooms.
'Maybe I can get her to cover for me during the holidays,' Kaoru inwardly smiled, taking count of the fifth time she did a favor like this for Megumi.
She entered the small room, the young girl ready for her check up as her mother stood supportively to the side as Dr. Genzai prepped. The young girl was no older than five and seemed to be terrified to be here. Kaoru gave way to a small smile as she handed the doctor her file.
"Oh, good, Kaoru," Dr. Genzai smiled, "will you prep little Kohana here for her shot? It seems she hasn't received her flu shot yet."
Kaoru nodded as she silently feared for the little girl.
"Mama," Kohana tugged at her mother's shirt, tears clinging onto the side of her eyes, "you said I wouldn't get shot today."
"It won't hurt a bit," Dr. Genzai said with a warm smile directed to the little girl, "I promise. Now, I'll be right back. Kaoru will take care of you."
"Mama," Kohana's voice grew a little frantic as Kaoru neared the girl, "I don't want to get shot today."
"Now, now," Her mother cooed, gently stroking her hair, "it won't hurt. It's good for you. And later, if you're a good girl, we'll get you some of your favorite ice cream."
The scene before Kaoru almost made her want to help Kohana escape the clutches of getting a shot. It was a scene reminiscent of her own mother and herself year after year on the day she would get her flu shot. Kaoru herself hated the darn things. But something Kenshin told her time after time right before the visit always seemed to ease her terrified mind.
"Do you like to play outside a lot?" Kaoru asked, setting the needle aside.
The girl nodded, her eyes still glued on the needle on the table. "I play a lot with Renzo. He told me getting shot doesn't hurt, but he's lying! He was crying when he got home!"
Kaoru could only laugh, remembering something similar happening to Kenshin and herself. "Are you and Renzo best friends?"
Kohana nodded a big grin on her face as she looked away from the needle. "The best of friends!"
"Do you want to know what my best friend told me when I got my shot?" Kaoru said, putting some alcohol on a cotton ball.
"What?" Kohana said eyes bright with curiosity.
"He told me that the reason we are all so scared of shots was because we ran out of courage," Kaoru smiled softly at the memory as she rolled up the girl's sleeve. "He told me, we needed to get shot to get more courage so we could be braver and stronger. If you don't get your shot, you can get really sick because you ran out of courage."
"Really?" The girl's big eyes twinkled. "Oh, all right. I want to prove to Renzo that I'm just as brave as he is. But I want Mama to hold my hand."
Kaoru nodded, a big smile spreading across her face as she silently thanked Kenshin's persuasive principles and stories. She mentally noted to tell him to write down all the other lies, or myths as he'd call it, he told her when she didn't want to do something. She administered the shot with nothing more than a whimper escaping her lips.
The Minahashi's left with no further complications and Kohana boasting how much braver she was now that she had gotten her shot. Dr. Genzai made it a point to scribble that little fib down for other stubborn children who need their shot. Kaoru only smiled at the events of today as she cleaned up the room Kohana was being examined in.
"That was a nice story, that it was," A voice said from the door.
Kaoru's head wisped to the general direction of the door and a big grin couldn't help but appear on her face, "Of course it is. You're the one who made it up."
Kenshin only laughed as he watched Kaoru clean up.
"Are you on your way to the Akabeko?" Kaoru asked, turning back to Kenshin's general direction only to find him missing.
'Great,' Kaoru inwardly grumbled, 'hallucinating again, Kaoru?'
::~::
Kaoru's steps quickened as she approached the Akabeko, her symbolic beacon of light. The night was frosty and crisp. A sure sign that winter was well on its way. She decided before reaching home, a nice hot cup of tea was in order to help her make it to her apartment.
She opened the door, revealing the familiar impression a busy night at the Akabeko would be. She noticed a familiar red-head by the back tables, accompanied by a laughing Sano in front of him. Kaoru made quick steps to greet them, only to stop mid-way upon noticing an unfamiliar lady sitting uncomfortably close to Kenshin.
Her steps grew laborious and lazy as she neared the table.
"Oi!" Sano waved with a lop-sided grin, "Jou-chan, it took you long enough. Megumi left already."
"There was a last minute patient," She confessed, brows slightly drawn as she looked curiously at the woman.
"Kaoru, this is Tomoe," Kenshin motioned to the woman who was fastened to his arm, "Tomoe, this is my best friend, Kaoru."
Kaoru sat down next to Sano, still slightly dazed at this angelic woman before her. She was beautiful, to put it lightly. She was everything Kaoru could ever aspire to. A real woman, she told herself.
"Hi," Kaoru gave way to a weak smile as she offered her hand to shake, "it's nice to meet you."
Tomoe smiled as she took it, "Kenshin's told me so much about you. It's nice to finally meet you."
"Has he?" Kaoru seemed startled. "But he hasn't told me about you, do you work with him?"
Tomoe shook her head with a slight laugh, "Oh, no. I ran into him on the street."
"It was my fault, that it was," Kenshin said with a slight blush of embarrassment.
"Kenshin ran into me on his way to work," Tomoe began, an adoring look cast to the oblivious Kenshin, "the next thing I knew, I had coffee all over me."
Kaoru laughed a little, "That's Kenshin for you. He's blissfully unaware of certain things around him."
As she said those words, she felt a pang in her heart. She drew a breath as Sano began to talk about going to his relatives this holiday. Her eyes wandered around, slightly ignorant to Kenshin's curious face.
"Kaoru!" Soujiro said as he took a seat next to her, "When did you arrive?"
"Oh, just now," Kaoru said with a slight smile. "Where have you been?"
"The bathroom," Soujiro gave her a sheepish grin.
There was a slight awkward moment as Aoshi came by with their food. "Kaoru, do you want anything?"
"Just some hot tea," Kaoru said with a slight smile, "thanks. Have you seen Misao anywhere?"
Kaoru silently pleaded he somehow knew where she was. Misao always seemed to have a knack for helping her get out of situations she was uncomfortable in, such as now.
"She told me she had a paper to work on," Aoshi said as he poured Kaoru a cup of hot tea, "she's probably at home."
"Aoshi," Sano said with a slight shove, "you and that little weasel-girl seem to be getting closer, eh?"
Aoshi only sent him a look as he turned to leave. Sano just shrugged, not knowing that he had just touched on a soft subject.
Everybody ate their food in peace, the awkward silence eating away at Kaoru's sanity. So many questions troubled Kaoru, but she dare not speak them aloud. Was Kenshin seeing Tomoe? Were they officially a couple? How long have they known each other? Why didn't Kenshin ever mention her to Kaoru?
"I heard there's this big sale tomorrow," Kaoru began, her voice cutting through the silence and her own thoughts, "I'm planning to go Christmas shopping, do any of you want to come?"
"Not tomorrow, that I can't," Kenshin shook his head, "I have work and I'm going to take Tomoe out for dinner tomorrow night at Dainabe."
Already, Kaoru's heart broke a little. Dainabe was a place they'd usually go together once in a while when they feel the need to splurge a little on dinner or even lunch. Her heart broke a little more knowing that a tradition would be broken. Kenshin and Kaoru would usually go Christmas shopping together, despite each other schedules. But, to Kaoru, it suddenly seemed like she wasn't so important to Kenshin anymore.
"How about you, Soujiro?" Kaoru turned to him, "Any plans?"
"No, as a matter of fact," He smiled, "I need to get my Christmas shopping out of the way too."
"Count me out," Sano said with a slight grin, "I'm flat broke."
"You always seem to be money-less, that you do," Kenshin said with a slight smile.
"How about you, Tomoe?" Kaoru said, a smile directed at the woman before her.
She shook her head politely, "Thanks, but I can't go tomorrow. Maybe we could go shopping together some other time."
Kaoru nodded, and promised they would one of these days. She and Soujiro planned to meet at her place tomorrow morning for a whole day of shopping. Kaoru paid for her tea, much to the protest of Soujiro and excused herself from the group.
"I'll see you tomorrow, Soujiro." Kaoru said with a smile as Soujiro nodded. "It was great meeting you, Tomoe."
"It was great meeting you too, Kaoru." Tomoe smiled her perfect smile.
"I'll see you Friday, that I will." Kenshin said, Kaoru's bright smile slightly wavering.
"You owe me a double feature and some Chinese food." Kaoru reminded.
Kenshin nodded as Kaoru left. On her way home, she deliberated many things. From stealing Kenshin away from Tomoe all the way down to leaving the country for good, no plan was left unturned. Her heart was aching, that she was sure of. What she wanted to do about it was a whole other story.
'Kenshin is my best friend!' She reminded herself, gritting her teeth at the cold air, 'What makes him happy makes me happy too, right?'
Before she even reached her apartment, she came onto the conclusion that Tomoe was perfect in every way imaginable. She was beautiful, much more beautiful than Kaoru could ever dream to be. She was far more lady like than the tomboyish Kaoru. There wasn't anything Kaoru could seem to hold against her. A realization dawned on her, Tomoe would make Kenshin ten times happier than Kaoru ever would.
'Besides, there isn't anyway I can compete with perfect,' Kaoru thought bitterly as she unlocked her door, 'So why even bother?'
::~::
Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin!
Author's Notes: Aah, please don't hate me for putting one last really big road block in Kenshin and Kaoru's blossoming romance. But you honestly didn't think it would be THAT easy, did you? ^_^ I'm sorry if this chapter came up a little bland. I suffered a mild case of writer's block, so this chapter was painful to write. Oh, and I haven't seen any episodes with Tomoe in it, but I would picture her to be this very lady-like person. I'm sorry if my assumption was wrong. Kenshin and Kaoru moments will be sparse in the next few chapters, just so you know. Brace yourself, folks! The conclusion is well on its way! 'Till the next update!
Thank you so very much to those who have reviewed!
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gracianeko (Lol. Yeah, everything was correct! I'm glad you liked the last chapter! Originally, everything on this chapter was supposed to part of it too, but I decided to chop it up. Don't worry, the day when all the issues will be resolved is coming. There's only a few more chapters to go. Thanks so much for your review!)
donna8157 (I'm glad you liked Kenshin and Kaoru in the last chapter! I couldn't resist putting in one last road block. Don't worry though, everything will unwrinkle itself soon enough. Thanks so much for your review!)
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