Trapped in the Prison

By: Yummei-sama no Hanashi

Author's note: Another day, another fic. This one I just read, and I was so fascinated with it that I decided to use it as inspiration for this fic. Only, to tell you the truth, I used the plot a bit, and twisted the rest bang out of order.

Nywayz, it's going to be a one-shot. A bit of a long one, I might add. But I'm going to divide it into two or three chapters, so maybe it's not such a one-shot after all. –smiles- I rated it R because there's going to be some un-PG-13-ish stuff near the ending.

Please enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin or this story I read. That is all.

Part I: Undoing

He was an angel.

That was my first impression when I met him. The moment he stepped into the light of our foyer, I knew so suddenly that a celestial being had graced our home. How could I not think such thoughts? After all, who could see beautiful, flowing red hair in the streets every day? Who could stare into those lavender orbs without being knocked off their feet?

And who could stand such an innocent, carefree smile without feeling the urge to sigh?

The angel in our foyer most beautiful being I had ever seen.

And that led to my undoing.


"Hi! I'm Kenshin Himura!"

Those were the first words he said to us. As soon as the music of his voice caressed our ears, we couldn't help but blink. The boy had spoken such simple words, but we, who were a little shocked by his unique appearance, were, needless to say, blown away.

Misao, my younger sister, giggled at the sight of him. Though she had a man of her own, the tall, mysterious, and handsome Aoshi, I could see the red tinge on her cheeks from where I was standing.

Megumi, my older sister, nudged me. She had that familiar spark in her eyes, which always told me she was planning to flirt. "He's cute," she murmured into my ear.

And I?

I, Kaoru Kamiya, resident kendoist, was speechless. Never in my seventeen years of life had I seen a more beautiful man. Never had I seen a smile so heart-stopping. Never in my life had I felt so light that I could float off into the clouds, yet so heavy, that I had to sink into the earth. I had never felt so self-conscious in my entire life. I was suddenly worrying over the state of my hair, my posture, my clothes! The moment I got a grip on myself, I thought I had, for a moment, turned into Megumi.

Our father cleared his throat, jolting me out of my reverie. "Kenshin is my good friend Hiko's son," he told us. "He will be staying here until some... issues at his home are resolved."

At the mention of "issues," all four of us raised our eyebrows, but we politely waited for the two men to explain. "My mom and my dad have to settle their divorce, that's all," Kenshin explained nonchalantly. "No big deal."

I had to butt in then. I just couldn't take such an attitude towards family. This boy may have made my knees weak, my heart rate increase, and my body melt in pure infatuation at first sight, but his words made me fume.

"No big deal!" I blurted out. "This is a divorce were talking about here! Don't you care about custody and all that legal stuff? Your family is in danger! Your future could be at stake! You're caught between a tug of-"

Dad silenced me with a look. I went slightly red once I realized what I had just done. Misao and Megumi giggled.

Kenshin, however, smiled at me in a rather sorry way. "I'm sorry if it bothered you..." he said in an apologetic manner. "I had no idea you had such a strong feeling for family..."

His answer bummed me out, just as his sudden appearance did. I stood there staring at him and trying to fathom what he had just said. Was that an insult or a compliment?

My father cleared his throat again, causing me to be aware of my surroundings once more. I closed my mouth and backed away. "Kenshin's going to be staying here for the next few weeks and possibly over the summer. Be nice to him, okay?" he asked sternly.

Megumi laughed in a lilting manner. "Oh, I'll be nice," she said seductively.

"Megumi!" Misao and I exclaimed warningly. She just went "ohohoho!" I could swear fox ears popped out from her head.

Dad rolled his eyes as Kenshin smiled sheepishly. "Don't mind Megumi," Dad said. He put his hands on Megumi's shoulders. "She's nineteen, so I don't think you'll be spending any time together. You're seventeen, aren't you?" Kenshin nodded.

Seventeen. Our gap was a year. I was sixteen then, younger than him. Did that mean he'd be spending more time with me?

Dad walked over to Misao. "Shorty here is Misao," he said, ruffling her hair. "She's fourteen."

"Hey!" Misao yelled indignantly. "So what if I'm a little short?" We all laughed, including Kenshin.

"And this is my little tomboy, Kaoru," Dad said, putting his hand on my shoulder. "She's sixteen, closest to your age, Kenshin. Why don't you two stick together?"

My father seemed to have sealed my fate.

He offered his hand to me. "Let's be friends, ne?" Kenshin asked me, grinning. I looked at him inquisitively. But I couldn't find the right words to say to him. Without anything else in mind, I had no choice but to give back his smile and shake his hand.

"Sure."

Or maybe I was the one who sealed my fate.


In just a couple of days, Kenshin had become practically part of the household.

He helped with the cooking.


"Aunt Tae," Kenshin said to Mom, "Why don't I cook you some breaded shrimp?"

As soon as he was done, my mother tasted it. "Ah, how delightful!" Mom exclaimed. "Even a boy cooks better than Kaoru!" She turned to us, we who were in front of the TV. She put her hands on her hips."You could do well to follow his example and help out a little in the kitchen!"

He helped Dad clean the car.


"I'll turn on the hose, Uncle Koshijirou," Kenshin offered.

"You do that, son," Dad said. He turned to me and said jokingly, "I don't need you as a son anymore, Kaoru-chan. Revert back into a daughter."

Ah, if I were allowed to punch Dad into orbit, I would.

He helped with homework as well.


"There's an easier way to solve an augmented matrix, you know," Kenshin told Misao as he scribbled the equation on her notebook. "Just do it like so…" He scribbled, his tongue sticking out. "…And voila!"

"Wow! You're even faster than Megumi, the math genius!" Misao exclaimed, impressed.

"Oh Ken-san…" Megumi sang out as she sauntered into the room. "Do you know how to solve this calculus problem?"


The short and short of it was that he had become part of the family.

Too bad it was just a part of him that was showing.


Soon, he had to go to school with me. He would be in another year level, no problem.

"It's just too bad I don't know anyone at school except you, Kaoru-chan," Kenshin said. I grinned at him.

"With your attitude, Kenshin, I don't see why you won't make any friends!" I assured him. He put an arm around my shoulders good-naturedly. I went slightly pink.

"What's this, Kaoru-chan?" my friend, a slight wavy-haired girl named Ayane sang out. 'You never told me about you boyfriend." My other friend, Soujiro, laughed.

"We just hooked up yesterday," Kenshin told them, his arm still around me.

"Kenshin!" I yelled, forgetting for a moment he was a kendoist as well. As I made to kick him, he sidestepped to avoid my foot. "We are NOT boyfriend and girlfriend!" I made to punch him, but he deflected it with arm.

"Wow!" I've never seen Kaoru's punch deflected before!" Soujiro exclaimed. He also had a penchant for swordplay, and was impressed. He bowed. "I'm Soujiro Seta! What's your name?"

"Kenshin Himura," Kenshin said, bowing to Soujiro. Kenshin turned to Ayane. "And you are?"

"Ayane Kawasashi," she stated simply as they bowed to each other as well.

"Wait," Soujiro said. "You said Himura, right? Are you the heir of that big company, Hiten Mitsurugi Corporation?"

"You know my dad's company?" Kenshin asked.

"Of course we do," Ayane said quietly. "Led by Seijuro Hiko, sells different kinds of heavy equipment. And you're heir to that, aren't you?" Kenshin nodded rather modestly.

"Did someone say Hiten Mitsurugi?" someone from behind asked. It was Sanosuke Sagara, the intern at our school. He taught a self-defense class, and we think he's in love with Megumi, but I'm not too sure.

"Sano!" Ayane exclaimed. "Good to see you!"

"Hiten Mitsurugi's the brand name of almost all our equipment," Sano told Kenshin. "Wow! That means you'll get to inherit a multi-million company!"

Kenshin rubbed the back of his neck. "I…I guess so…"

"Ah! So modest!" Soujiro laughed.

"I did tell you, Kenshin, you would make friends easily," I told him once we started walking to school again.

He had made friends, and I was happy for him.


Enishi Yukishiro annoyed me. Oh, how he annoyed me. He thought I had a big crush on him. Fortunately not the case. How I hated him then.

He had a reason to think so. After all, he was handsome, athletic, and smart. He was a kendoist as well, which made him think we were two peas in a pod. I however, would say he's alone in his pod. I'm in another.

But he never seems to get the hint.

That day, we were watching the track and field meet in between our school and a rival one. Enishi was our pole-vaulter.

Kenshin and I were sitting in the stands, and that white-haired boy I despised managed to see me. (I hypothesize it's because I was rather near Kenshin's hair, and it's so easy to pick out from a crowd.) He waved and put his thumb up.

"Root for me, okay?" he called. I stuck my tongue out, hoping to incense him. For some reason, he must have thought I looked cute because he just laughed and sprinted away.

"Who was that?" Kenshin asked.

"Enishi Yukishiro," I muttered. "What a loser. He always manages to ruin my day. He thinks I have a big crush on him, which is totally not true. What a jerk!"

I'd manage to regret saying that to Kenshin later.


Two weeks had passed, and it was nearly summer. By then, our daily routine had been established. Kenshin would wake me up (I was now careful to always wear pajamas as nightgowns hike up to reveal underwear) then we would have breakfast together (I had to be quick in finishing my pickles… he steals them). After that, we would walk to school along with Soujiro, Ayane, and Sano.

After school, it would be just the two of us who'd go home together. This particular day, as we were going home, I asked, "Summer's coming. Are you still staying until then?"

Kenshin smiled. "Of course, are you kidding? I like staying in your house." He took my hand, and I blushed as he played with my fingers while he spoke. "Besides, I like being around you." I blushed more and hung my head to hide it.

But if I hadn't, I would have never missed that strange glint in his eyes.

As the cicadas were starting to sing, I had assessed my feelings for Kenshin. I had never felt something so strong before. The feeling was the feeling of lead characters I only read about in Megumi's romance novels. Whenever I was with him, what I felt was summed up as nervous happiness and desperate care, something even I couldn't explain. But it was never love, or at least that's what I wanted to believe.

I came to adore even more his silky crimson locks, his amethyst pools they call eyes, and the playful smile that was perpetually present on his face.

I came to be frustrated by the way he treated me. At times, he was close and intimate. Sometimes, like I was a fragile piece of glass. Sometimes, too, he treated me as a little sister.

And when I found out how frustrated I was, I couldn't help but be surprised. I, the tomboy of the family, had become self-conscious around a boy. I was feeling something for him, no doubt. Only, I kept hoping that it was anything but love. But I still wanted to be more than a little sister to him.

But to tell you the truth, I should have hoped he treated me more as a younger sister than anything else. After what I had seen a little while after, you wouldn't wonder.


"Kaoru!" Megumi called. "Kaoru!"

I ran down the hall and skidded to a halt in front of the kitchen, where Megumi was. "If you think you can get me help with dinner, you've got another thing coming," I snapped, quite annoyed because she disturbed my kata exercises.

"Of course I'm not asking for that," Megumi snapped back. "I feel no need to poison anyone tonight." I was about to blow a fuse when she said, "Kenshin called. He wants you to bring a book he borrowed to him." She shook her head. "Silly guy, going to the library without taking the book he wanted to return." Then she looked slyly at me. "Or maybe he just wants to see you…" She laughed that derisive laugh of hers as I blushed madly.

Honestly. When I get the chance to slap her, I swear I would.

I dressed up and went out of the door with his book. I had walked a few blocks when I saw him at the corner of the street. The crowd was quite thick, so that when I looked again, I could only see the tip of his ponytail swinging into the turn of the street.

That's not the way to the library, I thought, confused. Mystified, I went to follow him.

As I dodged the people coming toward me or coming from behind me, I got more and more confused. He was taking me to the sleazy district of the city. What's going on? I thought, panic rising in me.

I saw his red hair whip around to follow the rest of him into a building. I couldn't believe my eyes.

He entered a place I knew and hated. A night club, and it wasn't even too dark yet.

My mind whirled. It couldn't process what I was seeing quite properly. I knew boys had these kind of tendencies, but this - this was the angel I met, the one who made me feel special, protected, loved.

Or was he?

I hesitated. Would it be all right to go in? Or am I invading his privacy?

I decided to go in. This is urgent, this is bringing him into the good side again, or something, I thought. Maybe he's just looking for something. I seized upon that excuse – his excuse. I would just drag him home and scold him there.

That was the plan, anyway.

I entered the club. I was immediately revolted by the sights, the sounds, and the smells. Scantily-clad women (even under-age looking girls) were dancing on stage, on poles, and tables, men and even some women looking on with a somewhat hungry look in their faces. All of them looked entertained. The music pounded into my ears, causing them to hurt. The odor of alcohol and cigarette smoke hung heavy in the air and prevented my lungs from functioning properly and my brain to register what I was seeing. All I know was that I picked Kenshin's hair out of the crowd by instinct.

Then it registered. God knows I would have rather it didn't.

My "angel" was there, sitting at a table, but in a sense, he was not the angel I had originally met. He was drinking, and signs that he had been drinking a bit heavily were littered on his table. A cigarette was in his mouth, and there were also many cigarette butts on the ashtray. There was a woman on his lap, almost naked and giggling as he stroked her breast. Another woman was stroking his cheek, murmuring softly into his ear (which I suspected were indecencies), while another licked off the alcoholic substance that was flowing on his chin as he drank. He had a smirk on his face. Then I caught his eyes.

They were amber.

This isn't my angel! I thought wildly. The angel I knew was not like this. My mind felt numb and I was breathing in a shallow way. I was now heedless to the pounding music, to the gyrating bodies, to the heavy odor of alcohol and smoke, to the people who bumped me in their overzealous activities. I was trying to take in the sight in front of me.

I tried. God knows I tried.

It was more than I could take, though. Feeling nauseous and ready to cry, I rushed out of the club.

I couldn't take my mind off the expression of his amber eyes.

It was like he wanted me to see it.

And it made me want to hurl.


TBC…

Author's yammer: Thanks for reading and wait for the next installation!