((A/N: Hey guys, I'd like to thank one very dedicated fan before I start this installment. I would like to thank Niyaka for sending me a long detailed suggestion for my next chapter, which I sadly could not use. Thanks again! I love you and all my reviewers.))
Kaoru couldn't stand this man. "Listen Kenshin, I know what your up to." She said her voice clear and precise. His head cocked to the side and one eyebrow shot up.
"What do you mean 'what im up to?'" Kenshin asked baffled.
"God damn it Kenshin. Do I always have to spell things out for you? I know what you did this morning. Did you think you could get away with it?" Kaoru asked her voice inundating with anger.
"I think you do need to spell it out for me because, I don't know what you're talking about." Kenshin said nonchalantly leaning against the doorframe.
"Oh please!" Kaoru said her words sharp and threatening. Then she heard someone's light footsteps coming down the stairs. Kenshin turned around and Kaoru peered into his house to see a tall man walking down the staircase.
His light brown hair reached for the sky and his pools of deep chocolate for eyes searched the darkened room for the intruding visitor. He was wearing a reddish brown button down shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. And a pair of black pants torn and faded.
The same goofy grin that always graced his face was present as usual and he stared lazily at her as he jumped the last few stairs. He quickly joined Kenshin at the doorway staring at Kaoru then at Kenshin. "What's happenin' here? Is that...Jou-chan?" He asked his eyes widening with disbelief.
"Sano!" She cried smiling widely. Sano was like an older brother to her and that was part of the reason she had run so frantically to Kenshins room earlier that month when he walked in on them. She didn't know what would happen if he knew something was going on with her and Kenshin.
Sano had been her next-door neighbor since she could remember and he always looked out for her. Seeing him here comforted her and gave her a new refreshed confidence. She now felt like she could slap Kenshin around and still have strength to yell at him and drive home satisfied.
Sano smiled at her widely. "What are you doing here Jou-chan, especially so late at night." He said yawning lazily. Kaoru smiled at him.
"Just here to visit." She said her eyes sparkling happily looking at her tall friend. Kenshin looked at the way both of them acted. Sano was so lazy and calm and Kaoru was so intense and emotional. They were so different, which is why, Kenshin assumed, they were such good friends. Though Kenshin didn't know they were friends because neither of them talked about each other, but maybe it was a secretive friendship.
Kenshin had seen them countless times walk right past each other in the halls without such as a passing glance. Maybe they didn't want to be associated with each other, I mean Kaoru was more of a tortured artist who hung out with the punks and Goths (I know I hate the categories to but I have to use them!) and Sano was the average popular guy.
But it was still weird to see Kaoru and Sano talking so openly. "Visit huh? So you two are together? Why didn't either of you tell me?" Sano asked looking irritated at Kenshin.
"We aren't together." Kaoru said quickly. That stung. Kenshin felt a ping in his chest at the word 'aren't'. Sano looked surprised.
"Really, is that true?" He questioned almost asking the air. At this point in the conversation Kenshin found the ground to be very interesting and his head was tilted downward. "Then why are you here?" Sano asked looking strangely at his friend.
"Oh, I just wanted a word with kenshin. Could you excuse us for a moment?" She asked sweetly smiling at Sano. Sano looked at Kenshin and raised an eyebrow. Kenshin looked up to Sano and smiled putting on a happy mask. Sano could feel the tension mounting and if he looked closely through the blanket of darkness out side he could see Kenshins true feelings through cracks in his happy mask.
Sano could tell something was up and he would beat it out of the mop top later. So Sano looked once more at Kaoru who was wearing an emotional mask as well. But through the cracks in her mask all he saw was raw untamed anger. Deep down he was afraid and gave his sympathies to Kenshin silently.
Sano nodded to them both and walked into the house and up to Kenshins room. Kenshin shut the door to his house and both of them returned to normal. Kenshin hid the small throbbing pain from Kaoru's earlier comment and looked expectantly at her.
"No one else is in your house is there?" She asked him. He shook his head. "Ok Kenshin, as I was saying before I know what you did. And im not happy." She said flatly.
"I don't know what I did, could you please tell me. Since we aren't together you have no right to keep me in the dark." Kenshin said his words sharp like a knife. Kaoru couldn't help but feel hurt. He kissed a girl then forgot about it. Kaoru would have to stop at Misao's house next to tell her what a snake kenshin was.
"Kenshin, your such a jerk! Be honest, you cannot honesty tell me you forgot what you did this morning." Kaoru said plainly. Kenshin nodded.
"Yes I can. I don't know what I did this morning." Kenshin said sarcastically. Kaoru groaned in frustration.
"Your impossible!" She yelled.
"No you are, we could easily get through this if you just tell me what I did!" Kenshin yelled just as loud.
"You kissed her!" Kaoru yelled even louder. She didn't care if the neighbors heard, hell Kenshin didn't have neighbors; he lived on a personal island. "Alright Kenshin, you kissed her." She whispered her face twisting in injury. She could feel hot tears stinging at the back of her eyes mixing with the pain she felt.
She wasn't going to cry, not anymore, not again. She had already cried one to many times for this jerk. It wasn't going to happen again. She sniffled but refused to allow her tears to fall. Kenshin looked at her speechless. His mouth was slightly open and his eyes were wide. His hand reached his face and he rubbed his forehead sighing.
His hand fell back to the side of his body and he looked to the ground. Guilt was written with permanent marker all over his face. He couldn't hide it; he couldn't look into her eyes and say that she didn't know what she was talking about and that his lips were only for her.
Kaoru couldn't believe what she saw. Her mouth was open with astonishment. "You really did kiss her!" Kaoru chocked out sharply. "I...I-I was almost hoping I saw it wrong. That you would tell me I was delusional and needed some sleep. That, that girl was my imagination but-but I was right! You-you!" Kaoru said in skepticism.
She hadn't realized that she was in denial until she saw Kenshin. Not until she read it all over his guilty face. Kaoru was quickly slipping into a depressed fury. She was so angry, so sad, and so... worthless.
Her slender hand was quickly in the air flying towards his face. Kenshin could have stopped it from making contact but he deserved it. He deserved to be hit by every woman on earth. He stood ready for contact.
She hit him so hard her other hand throbbed in pain. She made contact with his soft skin and followed through turning on her heel to walk away. Quickly after her hand turned a ferocious red throbbing in pain. Kenshins face had been hit so hard he had stumbled from his position.
His own hand met his cheek as he rubbed it for comfort. However the contact only made his cheek pulsate more. A large extorted hand mark soon was visible on Kenshins cheek as he watched her walk away. His other hand, not cradling his cheek, reached out into the air for kaoru.
He could see her shoulders gently rising up and down from crying lightly. Though she didn't want him to know she was sobbing he could see. His heart ached to hold her and comfort her crying form. Sadly all he could do was watch her walk away then eventually hop in her car and screech out of his driveway.
Kenshin leaned against his door watching her car drive over a hill and out of his sight. His hand fell to his side and his cheek was a painful reminder of her leaving. His heart was in his throat making it difficult to breathe and he felt like he could cry. He was a man, and men don't cry.
However slipping into a state of depression is ok. He leaned his head on the door. He then began to gently smack his head on the door sensing the oh so friendly feeling of pain. Then suddenly he lost his footing and fell backwards into the house once Sano opened the door.
Kenshins head hit the floor with a thud and he smiled. The thumping pain in the back of his head was masking the pain in his chest. He smiled relieved that for a few more seconds he didn't have the painful reminder that his heart had just drove off over the hill.
"Ouch! Man what did you do?" Sano asked inspecting Kenshins slap mark. Sano held out his hand to help Kenshin up. Kenshin looked at him and tried to smile but all that came out was an uncertain smirk. Kenshin grabbed his hand and pulled himself up.
"That's one tough chick! Even Megumi hasn't given me a slap hard enough to look like that!" Sano said amazed touching Kenshin cheek. Kenshin winced and shoved Sanos hand away.
"I don't want to talk about it." Kenshin said angry.
"Well I do!" Sano said. Kenshin walked into his house and up his stairs to his room. He pulled out a video game and put it in his X-box. It was a fighting game, just what kenshin needed.
"I know you don't want to talk about it." Sano said walking into his room and sitting on the floor grabbing the second controller. "But you're going to tell me if I have to beat it out of you." Sano said choosing a fighter. Kenshin chose a fighter as well and they began.
Kenshins mind was so preoccupied with the recent events that Sano was beating him. Winner. Winner flashed across the screen and Sano rejoiced. He looked at Kenshin who was absentmindedly still pressing buttons and staring out the window.
"Man, tell me what happened you haven't acted this way since...well since." Sano said struggling to find the right word.
"That was a long time ago." Kenshin growled his eyes angrily flashing amber as he glared harshly at Sano. Sano raised his hands in defense.
"Hey don't yell at me! I was there for you then and I will be now if you just talk to me about it." Sano said watching Kenshin. He looked out the window with longing. Kenshin was silent and it was pissing Sano off.
"I can't believe my two very best friends didn't tell me something was going on." Sano said crossing his arms as if to pout. Kenshin looked at him a small spark of amusement in his eyes. However it died away quickly when he remembered how harshly she had shot down that idea earlier.
"You heard her before Sano. We aren't together." Kenshin said mimicking Kaoru.
"Did she mean that much to you?" Sano asked.
"If you must know." Kenshin started. Sano smiled and leaned back on Kenshins bed ready to listen to the story. "She DID mean a lot to me." Kenshin said sadly emphasizing the word 'did'.
"But as she clearly stated she doesn't want anything to do with me. I've thought about Kaoru for a long time. Just I never had any reason to pursue her. And I was busy with some other matters." Kenshin said a dull smile on his lips that soon faded. "But when the fates brought us together by making me clean her graphite I thought it was the perfect time to start the chase."
"When she invited me to ditch school with her I took it that she had remote interest in me. However I soon learned that my assumption was far from true. We did some stuff and somehow we ended up asleep together curled up on one of my couches. Sano do you remember that day you interrupted me?" Kenshin asked. Sano sat up and looked horrified at Kenshin.
"That was Jou-chan!" Sano yelled surprised. Kenshin nodded.
"Holy shit!" Sano screamed. "She actually went through with it," He asked.
"No, anything but." Kenshin said glumly.
"She freaked out, I found out she has had a trying past." Kenshin said and Sano grimly nodded. "I guess you could say I stalked her, I did follow her around a lot to her house and stuff but if I didn't I wouldn't have gotten anywhere." Kenshin said.
"Then I ended up hiding in her closet and listened to her talk to her friend Misao about a bunch of stuff. She got really mad and I told her to come find me when she felt better." Kenshin said shortening the story to Sanos dismay.
"And so today at school, I..." Kenshin said his words fading out. Sano urged him on and he reluctantly started again.
"I kissed another girl." Kenshin said guiltily and he could see the anger growing on Sano. "You better have a reason, Kenshin. Im not afraid to come after you." The over protective Sano began.
"God damn it Sano I didn't think she would be there!" Kenshin began but was cut off by sanos large hands wrapping themselves around his small neck. Sano jumped up on the bed so quickly Kenshin didn't know what hit him until he remembered he couldn't breathe.
Kenshin clawed at Sano's hands and he released enough so kenshin could speak. "You better have a hell of an explanation." Sano spit out at him.
"Sano!" Kenshin yelled as loud as sanos grip would allow him. Sano let up a little more when Kenshins eyes flashed amber once more. Sano knew Kenshin was letting him choke him; he could have been out of the death lock long ago.
"I kissed Sakura." Kenshin said his voice low and scratchy. Sano loosened up on his neck so much that he only had his hands resting on Kenshins neck. "Sakura? But you two broke up?" Sano said questioningly his anger dieing down.
Sano then pressed hard down on his neck causing Kenshin to cough violently. "You mean to tell me you hurt Kaoru for a girl you already broke up with!" Sano yelled heatedly. Kenshins face was turning red and he nodded.
Sano pressed harder and Kenshin poked Sano lightly in the side watching him jump in laughter. Kenshin rubbed his neck now free form Sano's bear grip. "Yes Sano, I hurt Kaoru for a girl I dumped. However, That girl didn't know she was dumped until today." Kenshin said flatly sitting up and staring at Sanos confused face.
"Huh?" Sano asked dumbly.
"Sakura was on vacation when I called her house and left the dump message on her machine. Her parents accidentally deleted all the messages before listening to them when she got home last night. Today at school, I dumped her. Kaoru must not have seen her tear stained face when I kissed her good bye." Kenshin stated sighing.
Sano, being in the kneeling position, sat down heavily looking disappointed at Kenshin. "Sorry about the neck thing man, I didn't know." Sano said rubbing his own neck in embarrassment.
"So, how are you going to get her back?" Sano asked light-heartedly after a pause. Kenshin brought his eyes up to Sano's.
"What do you mean how am I going to get her back?" Kenshin asked in doubt.
"Well you love her." Sano said and a faint red blush captured Kenshins face. "Its over Sano. She hates me, she doesn't want anything to do with me." Kenshin said.
"That's not true. Look at me I was strangling you a bit ago and you told me the truth and im fine now." Sano said. Kenshin stoked his chin in contemplation.
"Your right but what makes you think I can get her back?" Kenshin asked.
"Because she loves you to. Didn't you see the way she was crying when she took off and she didn't want to believe you had kissed Sakura? The look on her face was her begging you to tell her she was wrong and everything would be ok. She wants you to sweep her off her feet and take her away." Sano said as if Kenshin didn't see it before.
"How did you know what she looked like?" Kenshin asked then Sano pointed to Kenshins windows were you could see right above the door. "Oh." Kenshin said smiling.
"So you saw how hard she hit me?" Kenshin asked rubbing his stinging cheek.
"Yea, but I could tell by how red it is." Sano said laughing at Kenshins expense. Kenshin rolled his eyes. "Man she hits hard." Kenshin said quietly. Sano rubbed his elbow nodding.
"You don't know the half of it." Sano said rubbing the scar that was on his elbow. Kenshin looked at Sanos arm in bewildering surprise.
"She did that!?" Kenshin squeaked.
"Not exactly, she pushed me, and I feel...off a cliff." Sano said rubbing the back of his head embarrassed.
"I don't think she pushed you, I think you fell." Kenshin said to Sano who was shaking his head violently.
"I swear to god! She pushed me because I...she pushed me and we were on a field trip to this big fancy cliff and I feel. It wasn't a long drop but I broke my elbow." Sano said haughtily.
"Why did she push you?" Kenshin asked a pink Sano.
"I don't remember." Sano said lying through his teeth.
"I think you do." Kenshin said smiling. "What did you do?" He prodded.
"I said she was flat-chested, but had a nice ass." Sano whispered. Kenshin burst out laughing tears rolling out from his eyes. He was beginning to feel hope towards Kaoru the more he talked to Sano.
"I thought you have known her your whole life." Kenshin stated. Sano nodded a faint blush still on his cheeks.
"Then shouldn't you know she has a bad temper and basically hates men?" Kenshin asked. A goofy smile spread across his lips.
"It was true...a lot has changed since then though." Sano said trailing off into his memories. Kenshin leaned closer pulling back his arm and punching Sano hard on the arm.
"She's your friend, remember!" Kenshin yelled at him.
"Yea but she's single now...And you don't seem to be going after her." Sano said smiling, a twinkle of insubordination in his chocolate eyes. Kenshin stood up.
"What do you want me to do?" He asked loudly throwing his hands up in the air. Sano looked at his desperate friend.
"Well, if she had the courage to come over here to your house, go over there." Sano said simply.
"You want me to just waltz over there and apologize?" Kenshin questioned.
"Yes." Sano said plainly. Kenshin fell over then stood up again glaring at Sano stupidly. "Ok, I could give it a try." Kenshin said. He walked into his closet and grabbed a long dark red trench coat.
"Sano, stay here, it shouldn't take long." Kenshin said a renewed sense of confidence. Kaoru was wishing it wasn't true, she did love him and Kenshin knew it. Sano jumped onto a beanbag and smiled at Kenshin shaking his head.
Kenshin jumped into his car and drove quickly to Kaoru's house. Once he got there he sat in his car staring at the moon infront of him. He could see its creamy whiteness from above Kaoru's house.
He took a deep breath closed his eyes for concentration and got out of his car. He stepped up her walk and knocked on her solid wooden door. After a few seconds he heard light footsteps approaching the door. The door opened slowly and a tall man stood in the doorway.
"Hello, may I help you?" He asked his piercing green eyes cutting into Kenshins softened purple ones. He cleared his throat and stood up tall trying to keep his eyes on the older mans. 'Who is this?' Kenshins mind screamed.
'Didn't she say her father was out of town? But his green eyes are so harsh and intense yet lively, like Kaoru's. It must be her father.' Kenshin thought. Her father stood patiently awaiting an answer.
"Oh, excuse me, is Kaoru home?" Kenshin asked calmly. Her father took a good look at him up and down.
"You wouldn't happen to be that boy, Kenshin, would you?" He asked looking at him with threateningly questioning eyes.
"Umm, yes." Kenshin said trying to sound cool and collective. That failed with flying colors.
"Wrong answer." Her father said folding his arms across his broad chest and peering down at Kenshin with vengeful eyes. Kenshin couldn't have felt smaller.
"Umm, could I ask why?" Kenshin said his voice on the verge of shaking.
"My daughter has been hurt one to many times by you and I wont allow you to do it again." Her fathers booming voice came down on Kenshin. Kenshin inwardly shuttered at how loud and forceful her father was.
"But sir you don't understand." Kenshin started but her father cut him off.
"Oh yes I do, you consulted a friend and he gave you the confidence to come over here and make things right. But all you will end up doing is hurting her further. I suggest you just go home and ice that nasty mark on your cheek." He spat at Kenshin then turning to walk back into his house.
Kenshin was speechless standing there dumb-founded. "But sir-"Kenshin started when the door slammed. The air from the blow pushed the loose hairs out of Kenshins face. He exhaled irritated by her father's ignorance. Kenshin turned to walk to his car when he had a brilliant idea.
'Kaoru's got a window in her room.' Kenshin thought smiling. He grabbed a handful of small rocks and began to walk around her house towards her window. He separated one rock and tossed it up to her window hitting it softly. It made a rather loud ping noise however and Kenshin hopped it was the right window.
When nothing happened he threw another rock, a little harder. He began to think she wasn't in her room. He threw one more rock and turned to leave. Then he saw faint light spill onto the grass behind him. He turned to see the light in her room had turned on. Kenshin smiled feeling better.
He tossed his last rock at her window. Then the curtains on her window moved and her head peeked from behind it a smile lighting her face. When she saw Kenshin she frowned her red eyes dropping. Kenshins smile wavered a little at her reaction.
She closed her curtain and Kenshin frowned bending down to pick up another rock. He tossed it at her window and he could see her shadow looming infront of the window. She stood as if she wasn't sure she wanted to talk to him.
Then her window opened slowly and her hand grasped the edge of it. She poked her head out looking sadly down at him.
"Kenshin, what do you want?" She asked her voice filling with sorrow. She sounded as if she had given up, like she just couldn't hold on much longer. She just wanted this day to end so she could move on with her life.
Kenshin frowned at how incredibly miserable she looked. "Kaoru, I wanted to talk to you." He called up to her quietly.
"I know that. What do you want?" Kaoru asked trying to get to the point so she could get to bed.
"Kaoru, I'm not going to lie to you, I did kiss Sakura." as Kenshin talked Kaoru cringed at the mention of the kiss. "But it didn't mean anything." Kenshin said hopefully.
Kaoru shook her head. "Kenshin, a kiss never means anything when you can get in trouble for it." Kaoru said laughing from exhaustion. She put her hand on her forehead from being so disappointed in kenshin. "You wouldn't have kissed her if it didn't mean anything." Kaoru said slowly in a hushed voice.
"But you don't understand Kaoru-"Kenshin started before she cut him off.
"No Kenshin you don't understand. You told me to trust you, to trust that I could love you and that I wouldn't get hurt. You told me to open my heart, and I did. I came to school that morning to find you, to tell you that I thought about it and decided I could trust you. But Kenshin, when I see you kissing another girl I know you aren't thinking of me. And I know you don't trust me. So how can I ever trust you?" She said tears beginning to roll down her cheeks.
Her nose began to run no matter how hard she tried to stop it. Kenshin looked up to her frowning a look of remorse tripping over his face. "But Kaoru I-"Kenshin said when kaoru interrupted him again.
"Kenshin! I don't want to hear it." Kaoru said slowly closing the window.
"But Kaoru, I love you." Kenshin whispered at the closed window. His head hung low he walked to his car. His drive home was silent as his heart continued to crack and break. Tears welled up in his eyes but he blinked them away refusing to cry.
He wanted to be like a manly man, not crying if his life depended on it, but when he hurt this much he didn't care if he was on national TV crying. He had to press his palm to his chest it hurt so much; though the pain was not tangible he couldn't help but feel like the pressure on his heart reduced the hurt.
His vision grew misty and he blinked trying to stop the tears. They wouldn't seem to go away; every time they would go away new ones would form. Kenshin shook his head trying to rid her image from his mind. He couldn't stop thinking about how she looked before she shut her window. Her long black hair was in a high ponytail but most of it had fallen out into her eyes.
Her lips were small and her dangerously blue eyes were filled with disgust. She stood her arms crossed looked angrily down at him. The worst part about the whole thing was the fact that she was staring at him; she didn't have that look of disgust for anyone else but him.
The look of treachery and betrayal upon her face was directed at only him. If he had known Kaoru would be so hard to get then hurt him so much he would never have accepted ditching with her. He only went because he thought she was hot. Then he only stay with her and practically stalked her because he though it would be fun. She was hard to get so he wanted her.
She was new and different and he needed a change. Then he began to actually like her. Soon he could tell he was falling hard for her. Now he realized that he just hit the ground then tumbled off a cliff.