Okay this chapter is a bit shorter, but since I'm so late I hoped you wouldn't mind. ^^;
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CHAPTER 6: TO LEARN A SECRET
Kaoru stirred from her sleep as the sun barged its way into her room the next morning. Wait, her room? The last thing she could remember was falling asleep on the porch how had she gotten there? She sat up suddenly as a most endearing thought struck her. What if Kenshin came back, saw her on the porch, and carried her to bed? She didn't want to get her hopes up but she almost couldn't help it. She threw the covers off of her legs and bolted out of bed to run down the hall to Kenshin's room.
She threw open the shoji doors but froze when she saw the room completely empty. She had expected it to be this way and she had tried not to hope, but really her mind had hoped anyway. The golden puddles of sunlight from the window sprayed about in all directions of the room to land on the floor. The futon was rolled up and placed neatly into a corner as it had been for the past 3 weeks since Kenshin had left. Kenshin hadn't come back as she had wished he had.
A single tear traced a wet path down her cheek as unfocused eyes gazed at the spot under the window. Her mind was running through the last couple of days she had spent with Kenshin and the night she had slept in his lap in this very place. More tears made their way down her cheeks as she moved to sit in the same spot she had that night burying her head into her knees.
*-*-*-*
Sano looked at the small girl on the porch next to him. He was getting worried about her because it seemed all she did since Kenshin left was stare off into space with a sad look on her face and she hadn't been eating at all like she should. He had heard that people often fell into depression after losing someone they were close to, but this had gone on for three weeks now and Sano didn't know what he was going to do when he had to tell Kaoru the news. How do you tell an eight-year-old girl who's lost everything that she has now possibly lost the closest thing to her? How do you tell anyone that for that matter?
Sighing he stood and walked into the clinic. He couldn't tell her yet. Every time he got close to telling her about what the papers had been saying he chickened out. He thought maybe he needed a couple more days to sort it out before he told her.
*-*-*-*
The next afternoon Kaoru seemed to be in a slightly better mood. She still wasn't eating much, and that probably wouldn't get any better after she figured out what everyone else had been keeping secret for the last week. However, they never thought it could have gotten worse.
It was in that afternoon that Kaoru had found the paper laying on a table in the clinic. No one had been around at the time and whoever had laid it there had not thought much about it. Kaoru wasn't stupid, she knew how to read and she knew what the words at the top of the page meant. There was no mistaking the bold words that clearly said that Kenshin was dead. It didn't come straight out and say it, but just from the clues it gave there was no mistaking him. How many guys in Japan were there with red hair?
Tears rushed to her eyes and she threw the paper down, not caring where it landed. Floor or table, it didn't matter, the one true person who had ever been there for her was now dead and she was alone again. The usually mature façade she normally presented was now gone leaving only the lonely girl behind.
She did the only thing she could remember how to do at the moment. She ran. Ran as fast as she could to the river running through the middle of the city. Slumping down onto the banks she cried. All the loneliness, the hurt and pain she felt, all of the sad emotions poured out onto the sandy ground below her.
"I hate you Kenshin! You promised! You said you wouldn't leave me!" she screamed to the sky above her, clutching her stomach in a fruitless attempt at comfort.
"You said you wouldn't leave…..why? Why did you leave me?" her voice had dropped to just above a whisper as she repeated similar words over and over trying to pour out all the grief she held.
She may have been grown-up for her age and most of the time understood what a normal eight-year-old wouldn't, but death was still hard to take. Her heart was still young and the fragile wall she held around it broke into thousands of tiny pieces with just a few words on a piece of paper.
*-*-*-*FLASHBACKS (play some sappy music here and It'll really be a tear jerker)
"To Tokyo. I'm going to leave you with some friends while I go on to Saitama to see the police chief." Kenshin answered not really thinking about what words came forth. As soon as it was out of his mouth Kaoru stopped dead in her tracks and simply stared at him, even when he turned to look at her.
"What is it Kaoru?"
"You're leaving me?" Tears had begun to well up in her eyes and it was then that Kenshin realized what he had said. He knelt down to her level so he could see easier see her face.
"Only for a week or so then I'll be back to get you. I wouldn't ever leave you Kaoru." He smiled softly at her tear-streaked face.
"You promise?" She finished with a hiccup.
"I promise. Now, shall we get going then?" As he said this he hoisted her onto his shoulders, earning a giggling fit from Kaoru, and then kept walking down the road as if neither had a care in the world.
*-*
Kenshin's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his door opening. When he looked up he saw Kaoru, big blue eyes shining in the moonlight that was streaming through the window behind him.
"Kaoru, why are you awake you're supposed to be asleep." His eyes showed his surprise but his voice was meant to comfort.
"I couldn't sleep. The futon was too comfortable." Odd as the sentence sounded, it made sense to Kenshin who knew all to well of what she was talking about. Only Kaoru's problem was probably doubled because she had spent the whole of her life sleeping on the ground, on a thin blanket no less. Kenshin beckoned her to sit in his lap and she was quick to obey, sitting across his legs.
Right now Kenshin was the only solid person in her world, the only one she felt safe to trust. She settled into a more comfortable position across his legs, her cheek resting against his chest as he supported her back with one arm before she spoke.
"Kenshin, when are you leaving?" She turned her face up to look into his eyes.
"The day after tomorrow." His heart melted when he saw tears begin to puddle in her eyes, " I won't be gone long Kaoru. Then I'll be back to spend more time with you."
"You promise?" He made no reply to this except to smile. He didn't want to promise her to be back, when there was a very good possibility that he wouldn't. He had an odd feeling that this would be the case, no matter how much he hoped it wasn't.
The tears streamed down her face and fell onto the exposed part of his chest as she cried against him. He sincerely hoped that fate would be kind to this small girl, who's world was already upside down and chopped to pieces. He used the sleeve of his jacket to wipe the tears from her face as Kenshin's distinct scent of the forest lulled her into a comfortable sleep.
*-*
"Kenshin, I don't want you to leave." Kaoru stood in front of Kenshin, tears once again streaming down her cheeks.
"I'll be back soon, Kaoru, that I will." He brushed a finger across her cheeks to clear away the tears, only for them to replaced by more droplets. Before he could take his next breath she launched herself forward to lock her arms around his neck. He rubbed a hand on her back trying to calm her and make it easier for the both of them. It had always been hard to see Kaoru cry because she never made much noise except the occasional sniffle or hiccup, which was even worse than having her sobbing loudly.
After her tears had died down a bit, he made a move to stand and leave.
She tightened her grip, "No." Her voice would not have been audible had her face been further from his ear.
"Kaoru I have to go. Here I have something for you." He moved away from her a bit to pull something out of his gi. Kaoru's eyes widened when she saw what it was. It was an Indigo ribbon, perfectly matching her new kimono. This new gift brought tears anew and she launched herself at him once more.
"I love you Kenshin." She said in a small voice.
"I love you too, Kaoru." He stood to leave and she reluctantly let him go holding the ribbon to her as a lifeline.
She stood at the gate and watched as he slowly disappeared into the fog of the morning, until his dark silhouette vanished entirely. She stood long after he was out of sight, clutching the ribbon to her, promising both herself and Kenshin that she would wear it until he came back.
****END FLASHBACKS
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. This one was even sadder than when he left. Its still pretty okay nonetheless. I'm not sure I'm happy with this chapter but oh well. You guys are going to hate me for a while I know it -_- But it will get better trust me. Hope you guys haven't given up on me I'm trying my best. See you guys next chappie! I hope…
REVIEW REPLIES
Anti [.] Poptarts- The next chapter is probably when she gets older. Finally! I've been looking forward to that as much as you guys have. Sano and Megumi…are probably each about….a few years younger than Kenshin just take a guess ^^;
Griffin- I totally agree. I just hope I can make it long enough and keep interest at the same time.
Sesshi lover-I would rather go to school than colorgaurd -_- so…hard….
thunder sister- the rating is pg…no freaky perverted stuff here.
????- eheh ^^;
Miranda- nope sry ^^; guess they do all practice 6-9...how sad
Eli-Chan/THE Sock Princess-oh boy…I need to start requesting songs to listen to while you read the chappie….hmmm…not a bad idea…and to think somewhere over the rainbow and wish upon a star gave it to me ^^
Animerose- yes I know it was more of a filler chapter I guess….and yes maybe I am taking things a bit slow but hopefully now they won't be…
Angel- I'll try but…so far this sucks to no end -_-
The Girl Who Cried Oro- I really like your pen name. Its cute ^^
Sesshi luver- thank you so much ^^ 1 for reviewing so often (thnx to everyone else who has been reviewing so often too ^^)and 2 for reading some of my other stuff (even though I'm not too proud of it) You just really stood out. Thank u ^^
THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING!!! Sometimes I'll be reading your reviews and it makes me want to cry because even when its going to take me longer to update you all understand. And everyone is saying how original this idea was and I really did want to cry ;_; I love you all!
By the way, if you want me to email you when I update then leave your email IN THE REVIEW. DO NOT JUST ASUME THAT I'LL LOOK FOR IT IN YOUR BIO PAGE. I don't want to look for it so put it in your review or you won't get an email. Thank you! Well I think I have talked enough. By the way if you have any suggestions for songs, I have had an urge to write a one-shot song fic. Problem is I can't think of a song. Please donate a song, leave the name and the artist please ^^ Thanks! Ja!
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CHAPTER 6: TO LEARN A SECRET
Kaoru stirred from her sleep as the sun barged its way into her room the next morning. Wait, her room? The last thing she could remember was falling asleep on the porch how had she gotten there? She sat up suddenly as a most endearing thought struck her. What if Kenshin came back, saw her on the porch, and carried her to bed? She didn't want to get her hopes up but she almost couldn't help it. She threw the covers off of her legs and bolted out of bed to run down the hall to Kenshin's room.
She threw open the shoji doors but froze when she saw the room completely empty. She had expected it to be this way and she had tried not to hope, but really her mind had hoped anyway. The golden puddles of sunlight from the window sprayed about in all directions of the room to land on the floor. The futon was rolled up and placed neatly into a corner as it had been for the past 3 weeks since Kenshin had left. Kenshin hadn't come back as she had wished he had.
A single tear traced a wet path down her cheek as unfocused eyes gazed at the spot under the window. Her mind was running through the last couple of days she had spent with Kenshin and the night she had slept in his lap in this very place. More tears made their way down her cheeks as she moved to sit in the same spot she had that night burying her head into her knees.
*-*-*-*
Sano looked at the small girl on the porch next to him. He was getting worried about her because it seemed all she did since Kenshin left was stare off into space with a sad look on her face and she hadn't been eating at all like she should. He had heard that people often fell into depression after losing someone they were close to, but this had gone on for three weeks now and Sano didn't know what he was going to do when he had to tell Kaoru the news. How do you tell an eight-year-old girl who's lost everything that she has now possibly lost the closest thing to her? How do you tell anyone that for that matter?
Sighing he stood and walked into the clinic. He couldn't tell her yet. Every time he got close to telling her about what the papers had been saying he chickened out. He thought maybe he needed a couple more days to sort it out before he told her.
*-*-*-*
The next afternoon Kaoru seemed to be in a slightly better mood. She still wasn't eating much, and that probably wouldn't get any better after she figured out what everyone else had been keeping secret for the last week. However, they never thought it could have gotten worse.
It was in that afternoon that Kaoru had found the paper laying on a table in the clinic. No one had been around at the time and whoever had laid it there had not thought much about it. Kaoru wasn't stupid, she knew how to read and she knew what the words at the top of the page meant. There was no mistaking the bold words that clearly said that Kenshin was dead. It didn't come straight out and say it, but just from the clues it gave there was no mistaking him. How many guys in Japan were there with red hair?
Tears rushed to her eyes and she threw the paper down, not caring where it landed. Floor or table, it didn't matter, the one true person who had ever been there for her was now dead and she was alone again. The usually mature façade she normally presented was now gone leaving only the lonely girl behind.
She did the only thing she could remember how to do at the moment. She ran. Ran as fast as she could to the river running through the middle of the city. Slumping down onto the banks she cried. All the loneliness, the hurt and pain she felt, all of the sad emotions poured out onto the sandy ground below her.
"I hate you Kenshin! You promised! You said you wouldn't leave me!" she screamed to the sky above her, clutching her stomach in a fruitless attempt at comfort.
"You said you wouldn't leave…..why? Why did you leave me?" her voice had dropped to just above a whisper as she repeated similar words over and over trying to pour out all the grief she held.
She may have been grown-up for her age and most of the time understood what a normal eight-year-old wouldn't, but death was still hard to take. Her heart was still young and the fragile wall she held around it broke into thousands of tiny pieces with just a few words on a piece of paper.
*-*-*-*FLASHBACKS (play some sappy music here and It'll really be a tear jerker)
"To Tokyo. I'm going to leave you with some friends while I go on to Saitama to see the police chief." Kenshin answered not really thinking about what words came forth. As soon as it was out of his mouth Kaoru stopped dead in her tracks and simply stared at him, even when he turned to look at her.
"What is it Kaoru?"
"You're leaving me?" Tears had begun to well up in her eyes and it was then that Kenshin realized what he had said. He knelt down to her level so he could see easier see her face.
"Only for a week or so then I'll be back to get you. I wouldn't ever leave you Kaoru." He smiled softly at her tear-streaked face.
"You promise?" She finished with a hiccup.
"I promise. Now, shall we get going then?" As he said this he hoisted her onto his shoulders, earning a giggling fit from Kaoru, and then kept walking down the road as if neither had a care in the world.
*-*
Kenshin's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his door opening. When he looked up he saw Kaoru, big blue eyes shining in the moonlight that was streaming through the window behind him.
"Kaoru, why are you awake you're supposed to be asleep." His eyes showed his surprise but his voice was meant to comfort.
"I couldn't sleep. The futon was too comfortable." Odd as the sentence sounded, it made sense to Kenshin who knew all to well of what she was talking about. Only Kaoru's problem was probably doubled because she had spent the whole of her life sleeping on the ground, on a thin blanket no less. Kenshin beckoned her to sit in his lap and she was quick to obey, sitting across his legs.
Right now Kenshin was the only solid person in her world, the only one she felt safe to trust. She settled into a more comfortable position across his legs, her cheek resting against his chest as he supported her back with one arm before she spoke.
"Kenshin, when are you leaving?" She turned her face up to look into his eyes.
"The day after tomorrow." His heart melted when he saw tears begin to puddle in her eyes, " I won't be gone long Kaoru. Then I'll be back to spend more time with you."
"You promise?" He made no reply to this except to smile. He didn't want to promise her to be back, when there was a very good possibility that he wouldn't. He had an odd feeling that this would be the case, no matter how much he hoped it wasn't.
The tears streamed down her face and fell onto the exposed part of his chest as she cried against him. He sincerely hoped that fate would be kind to this small girl, who's world was already upside down and chopped to pieces. He used the sleeve of his jacket to wipe the tears from her face as Kenshin's distinct scent of the forest lulled her into a comfortable sleep.
*-*
"Kenshin, I don't want you to leave." Kaoru stood in front of Kenshin, tears once again streaming down her cheeks.
"I'll be back soon, Kaoru, that I will." He brushed a finger across her cheeks to clear away the tears, only for them to replaced by more droplets. Before he could take his next breath she launched herself forward to lock her arms around his neck. He rubbed a hand on her back trying to calm her and make it easier for the both of them. It had always been hard to see Kaoru cry because she never made much noise except the occasional sniffle or hiccup, which was even worse than having her sobbing loudly.
After her tears had died down a bit, he made a move to stand and leave.
She tightened her grip, "No." Her voice would not have been audible had her face been further from his ear.
"Kaoru I have to go. Here I have something for you." He moved away from her a bit to pull something out of his gi. Kaoru's eyes widened when she saw what it was. It was an Indigo ribbon, perfectly matching her new kimono. This new gift brought tears anew and she launched herself at him once more.
"I love you Kenshin." She said in a small voice.
"I love you too, Kaoru." He stood to leave and she reluctantly let him go holding the ribbon to her as a lifeline.
She stood at the gate and watched as he slowly disappeared into the fog of the morning, until his dark silhouette vanished entirely. She stood long after he was out of sight, clutching the ribbon to her, promising both herself and Kenshin that she would wear it until he came back.
****END FLASHBACKS
*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
. This one was even sadder than when he left. Its still pretty okay nonetheless. I'm not sure I'm happy with this chapter but oh well. You guys are going to hate me for a while I know it -_- But it will get better trust me. Hope you guys haven't given up on me I'm trying my best. See you guys next chappie! I hope…
REVIEW REPLIES
Anti [.] Poptarts- The next chapter is probably when she gets older. Finally! I've been looking forward to that as much as you guys have. Sano and Megumi…are probably each about….a few years younger than Kenshin just take a guess ^^;
Griffin- I totally agree. I just hope I can make it long enough and keep interest at the same time.
Sesshi lover-I would rather go to school than colorgaurd -_- so…hard….
thunder sister- the rating is pg…no freaky perverted stuff here.
????- eheh ^^;
Miranda- nope sry ^^; guess they do all practice 6-9...how sad
Eli-Chan/THE Sock Princess-oh boy…I need to start requesting songs to listen to while you read the chappie….hmmm…not a bad idea…and to think somewhere over the rainbow and wish upon a star gave it to me ^^
Animerose- yes I know it was more of a filler chapter I guess….and yes maybe I am taking things a bit slow but hopefully now they won't be…
Angel- I'll try but…so far this sucks to no end -_-
The Girl Who Cried Oro- I really like your pen name. Its cute ^^
Sesshi luver- thank you so much ^^ 1 for reviewing so often (thnx to everyone else who has been reviewing so often too ^^)and 2 for reading some of my other stuff (even though I'm not too proud of it) You just really stood out. Thank u ^^
THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING!!! Sometimes I'll be reading your reviews and it makes me want to cry because even when its going to take me longer to update you all understand. And everyone is saying how original this idea was and I really did want to cry ;_; I love you all!
By the way, if you want me to email you when I update then leave your email IN THE REVIEW. DO NOT JUST ASUME THAT I'LL LOOK FOR IT IN YOUR BIO PAGE. I don't want to look for it so put it in your review or you won't get an email. Thank you! Well I think I have talked enough. By the way if you have any suggestions for songs, I have had an urge to write a one-shot song fic. Problem is I can't think of a song. Please donate a song, leave the name and the artist please ^^ Thanks! Ja!