The cool but crisp August wind raced the air, blowing the trees, grass, and anything else it came in contact with, in many directions. And the warm sun beamed down, shining with new hope and promise each day. Hope and promise, that is what Kaoru needed. For months now she was unable to keep up with payments, and the bills became overwhelming.
She sighed heavily as she walked out to collect the mail, knowing that in it would be bills, bills, that after looking over she would hide under her mattress, to ensure that Kenshin never found them.
Finally reaching the mailbox she sighed again, and opened it. A faint smile drew to her lips, because inside were only two objects. Pulling them out and looking at them, one was a magazine for Yahiko, and the other much to her disappointment, was another bill.
"Hey Ugly!" called a whiney voice from across the yard "Did I get anything?" Kaoru nodded her head and held out the magazine. He took it from her then walked off. "Oh....and are you feeling alright?" he asked, stopping in front of the gate.
"Yeah, I am......why?" he shrugged shoulders before he gave his answered.
" you just seem worried and a little sick is all.....and a lot more uglier than usual!' he let out a laugh and went running through the gate. She simply rolled her eyes before heading back to the Dojo. Walking up the stairs, and coming up to the door, she slid the envelope into her kimono before entering.
"What came in the mail miss Kaoru?" greeted the red head, as he turned to face the young girl.
"Only a magazine for Yahiko!" she said smiling. Kenshin smiled back before turning back to talk to his drinking companion Sano.
Kaoru continued on her quest to her room, and once there, she quickly shut the door and pulled out the bill. Squeezing her eyes shut she began to open it, inhaling deeply. Now the envelope was open, so with shaking hands she pulled out the folded parchment. The envelope feel to the wooden floor as her shaking hands began to unfold it. Her eyes merely scanned over it, not fully understanding what it was saying, so she read it again.
Tears began to fill her eyes, there was no way she was going to be able to pay off this debt. The letter told her that since she had not payed off the former debts, every month that it was late, until it was paid off, and extra one-hundred dollars, would be added. She already owed them a little over five hundred.
As the tears began to flow down her cheeks, she picked up the envelope, and walked over to her bed, where she placed them under her mattress, where the rest of the bills where hidden.
Wiping her eyes and straightening her self up, she walked out of the room to call her best friend Megumi.
Picking up the phone and dialing the number, she walked over and leaned into the corner, her face to the wall and head bowed. The phone rang, and rang, and rang, but her friend never answered it.
"Please Megumi pick up! Please!" she whispered into the phone. But she didn't, and she got the answering machine. She dropped the phone to her side, turning it off. She felt the tears coming back again, as her mind wheeled . That's why she dropped the phone to the floor when it started ringing.
"Miss Kaoru? What was that?" came a voice in the room next to her.
"Oh...I...uh....just dropped the phone!" she called back, as she bent down and grabbed it off the wooden floor. Looking at the caller ID, she found it to be Megumi calling.
Pressing the talk button, she quickly spoke into the phone.
"Megumi! Why didn't you answer when I called? Where were you?" Megumi just laughed at her younger friend.
"I'm sorry! I mis placed the phone! But now I'm here, so what can I help you with?"
"Can you meet me at the Akabeko?"
"Sure, why? Is something the matter?"
"Uhh....I'll tell you when we meet up? Ok?"
"Alright, I'll be there in a half hour, ok with you?"
"Yeah, I'll see you then."
"Bye!" then the line went dead. Kaoru hung up the phone, and walked back to her room to change into a better kimono. She changed quickly into a turquoise color kimono with dark green and light pink flower lining one side, and all the edges. Walking over to her mirror after changing she proceeded to pull her hair up, with a few strands falling around her face.
After a final inspection, she sighed and walked out of her room.
"Your all dressed up there missy, what's the occasion?" pried Sano, as he drank down another shot of sake.
"I'm going out with Megumi, I'll be back in a few hours." she replied smiling.
"Have a good time miss Kaoru, and be careful!" said Kenshin, before Kaoru walked out the front door, and down the steps.
Kaoru walked down the streets, the cool wind still blowing. She ran over in her mind about how she was going to tell things to Megumi, and she was still thinking when she reache the tiny restaurant. She was snapped out of it when Megumi snapped her fingers in front of her face.
"Earth to Kaoru!" she giggled.
"Ah! Oh...sorry! I was just thinking!"
"Ok, so what did you want to talk about?"
"Lets go inside and order then we'll talk." Megumi simply nodded her head, and followed the younger girl inside.
After being led to a table, and both ordering the soup and salad, with a glass of water, Megumi began to pry at her friend again. But before she could, Kaoru started.
"Megumi, I don't know what I'm going to do! And I can't tell Kenshin! And, and, and...everything is going so wrong right now!" she mumbled out, and she would have kept going, if Megumi hadn't stopped her.
"Whoa whoa whoa! Slow down, now....what's the problem?" and Kaoru began the stories, telling her about all the bills, and all the money she owed, and her friend listened intently. When she finished she broke down in tears.
"Shh! Don't cry Kaoru! We'll think of something!"
"I hope so..." trailed Kaoru wiping away the tears. Megumi covered her hands with hers.
"I know so!" then she smiled, and tat made Kaoru smile back. "Now let's eat, and have a good time, and when we're done, I'll have a solution." Kaoru nodded her head, and hey smiled and laughed the rest of the time, while waiting for the waitress to arrive.
"I got it!" exclaimed Megumi as they were leaving! "We'll get jobs!"
"Jobs? What job do you have in mind!"
"Well, I read an add in the paper, it's pretty good work!"
"And what do you mean by that?" Kaoru asked as she looked suspiciously at her friend.
" I mean it's good money! And when I mean good, I mean good!"
"How much do they pay?" her friend laughed.
"About three hundred a month!" then Megumi laughed even more at the sight of her friend.
"Your kidding! Right?"
"No...I'm serious Kaoru!" Kaoru loved the idea of earning that much money. And if she did, she could pay off all her debts, then everything would be fine again!
"Wow! Ok.......good money...but we would be earning it by doing some type of work! So tell me Megumi, what is this job." Her friend only smiled, a mischievous smile.
She sighed heavily as she walked out to collect the mail, knowing that in it would be bills, bills, that after looking over she would hide under her mattress, to ensure that Kenshin never found them.
Finally reaching the mailbox she sighed again, and opened it. A faint smile drew to her lips, because inside were only two objects. Pulling them out and looking at them, one was a magazine for Yahiko, and the other much to her disappointment, was another bill.
"Hey Ugly!" called a whiney voice from across the yard "Did I get anything?" Kaoru nodded her head and held out the magazine. He took it from her then walked off. "Oh....and are you feeling alright?" he asked, stopping in front of the gate.
"Yeah, I am......why?" he shrugged shoulders before he gave his answered.
" you just seem worried and a little sick is all.....and a lot more uglier than usual!' he let out a laugh and went running through the gate. She simply rolled her eyes before heading back to the Dojo. Walking up the stairs, and coming up to the door, she slid the envelope into her kimono before entering.
"What came in the mail miss Kaoru?" greeted the red head, as he turned to face the young girl.
"Only a magazine for Yahiko!" she said smiling. Kenshin smiled back before turning back to talk to his drinking companion Sano.
Kaoru continued on her quest to her room, and once there, she quickly shut the door and pulled out the bill. Squeezing her eyes shut she began to open it, inhaling deeply. Now the envelope was open, so with shaking hands she pulled out the folded parchment. The envelope feel to the wooden floor as her shaking hands began to unfold it. Her eyes merely scanned over it, not fully understanding what it was saying, so she read it again.
Tears began to fill her eyes, there was no way she was going to be able to pay off this debt. The letter told her that since she had not payed off the former debts, every month that it was late, until it was paid off, and extra one-hundred dollars, would be added. She already owed them a little over five hundred.
As the tears began to flow down her cheeks, she picked up the envelope, and walked over to her bed, where she placed them under her mattress, where the rest of the bills where hidden.
Wiping her eyes and straightening her self up, she walked out of the room to call her best friend Megumi.
Picking up the phone and dialing the number, she walked over and leaned into the corner, her face to the wall and head bowed. The phone rang, and rang, and rang, but her friend never answered it.
"Please Megumi pick up! Please!" she whispered into the phone. But she didn't, and she got the answering machine. She dropped the phone to her side, turning it off. She felt the tears coming back again, as her mind wheeled . That's why she dropped the phone to the floor when it started ringing.
"Miss Kaoru? What was that?" came a voice in the room next to her.
"Oh...I...uh....just dropped the phone!" she called back, as she bent down and grabbed it off the wooden floor. Looking at the caller ID, she found it to be Megumi calling.
Pressing the talk button, she quickly spoke into the phone.
"Megumi! Why didn't you answer when I called? Where were you?" Megumi just laughed at her younger friend.
"I'm sorry! I mis placed the phone! But now I'm here, so what can I help you with?"
"Can you meet me at the Akabeko?"
"Sure, why? Is something the matter?"
"Uhh....I'll tell you when we meet up? Ok?"
"Alright, I'll be there in a half hour, ok with you?"
"Yeah, I'll see you then."
"Bye!" then the line went dead. Kaoru hung up the phone, and walked back to her room to change into a better kimono. She changed quickly into a turquoise color kimono with dark green and light pink flower lining one side, and all the edges. Walking over to her mirror after changing she proceeded to pull her hair up, with a few strands falling around her face.
After a final inspection, she sighed and walked out of her room.
"Your all dressed up there missy, what's the occasion?" pried Sano, as he drank down another shot of sake.
"I'm going out with Megumi, I'll be back in a few hours." she replied smiling.
"Have a good time miss Kaoru, and be careful!" said Kenshin, before Kaoru walked out the front door, and down the steps.
Kaoru walked down the streets, the cool wind still blowing. She ran over in her mind about how she was going to tell things to Megumi, and she was still thinking when she reache the tiny restaurant. She was snapped out of it when Megumi snapped her fingers in front of her face.
"Earth to Kaoru!" she giggled.
"Ah! Oh...sorry! I was just thinking!"
"Ok, so what did you want to talk about?"
"Lets go inside and order then we'll talk." Megumi simply nodded her head, and followed the younger girl inside.
After being led to a table, and both ordering the soup and salad, with a glass of water, Megumi began to pry at her friend again. But before she could, Kaoru started.
"Megumi, I don't know what I'm going to do! And I can't tell Kenshin! And, and, and...everything is going so wrong right now!" she mumbled out, and she would have kept going, if Megumi hadn't stopped her.
"Whoa whoa whoa! Slow down, now....what's the problem?" and Kaoru began the stories, telling her about all the bills, and all the money she owed, and her friend listened intently. When she finished she broke down in tears.
"Shh! Don't cry Kaoru! We'll think of something!"
"I hope so..." trailed Kaoru wiping away the tears. Megumi covered her hands with hers.
"I know so!" then she smiled, and tat made Kaoru smile back. "Now let's eat, and have a good time, and when we're done, I'll have a solution." Kaoru nodded her head, and hey smiled and laughed the rest of the time, while waiting for the waitress to arrive.
"I got it!" exclaimed Megumi as they were leaving! "We'll get jobs!"
"Jobs? What job do you have in mind!"
"Well, I read an add in the paper, it's pretty good work!"
"And what do you mean by that?" Kaoru asked as she looked suspiciously at her friend.
" I mean it's good money! And when I mean good, I mean good!"
"How much do they pay?" her friend laughed.
"About three hundred a month!" then Megumi laughed even more at the sight of her friend.
"Your kidding! Right?"
"No...I'm serious Kaoru!" Kaoru loved the idea of earning that much money. And if she did, she could pay off all her debts, then everything would be fine again!
"Wow! Ok.......good money...but we would be earning it by doing some type of work! So tell me Megumi, what is this job." Her friend only smiled, a mischievous smile.