Chapter 10
Night soon fell upon the town and Kaoru skipped down the stairs with Megumi and Misao close in tow. Megumi had decided to give each girl a complete makeover, which could not have displeased her anymore than a root canal could.
"UGH do we have to wear this?" Misao groaned, pulling on her green knee length dress down.
"Yes, and you look fantabulous if I do say so myself. Maybe I should go into cosmetics." Megumi gloated.
"Well, we certainly look um… what's the word: whoreish? Kaoru muttered viewing her own navy one in the mirror. She bent over secretly taking some of the lip-gloss off.
(A/n that stuff drives me nuts.)
"Well it's your practical joke not mine." Megumi huffed adding more makeup to her face. "Are you sure this is a good joke to play on Kenshin?" she asked side glancing at a bewildered Kaoru.
"How'd you know it was Kenshin?" she blurted.
"Well you've been a bit miffed with him lately." She replied. "Do you think it's fair? No one deserves his or her heart to be toyed with Kaoru, no matter how awful you think someone is. It hurts more than anything, and you should know."
"Why were you helping me then?" Kaoru retorted.
"It's not up to me whether you want to rip someone's heart out, it's your choice but, if you do hurt Ken-san I'll be more than happy to console him for his loss."
"Anyways how about you Misao, how are things with Aoshi?" Kaoru interjected quickly changing subject.
"He's a completely hottie, but incredibly boring to listen to." She sighed exasperated. "I mean tea, Shakespeare, and poetry are great topics of conversation if you're a sixty year old British woman not a nineteen year old surfer!"
"I know I'm giving you two children way too much advice, but as the older, wiser, more mature, and prettier of you I will have to intervene again." Megumi commented mildly. "Think about it, Misao. If you really love Aoshi you should talk with him about himself, not change your personality, and drool over his looks. How shallow can you be?"
"Have you turned into the all-seeing Oz for crying out loud? We are teenagers; we have entitlement to mess around for at least one more year!" Misao retorted.
"Have it your way, but consoling Aoshi when he finds out that his girlfriend has been lying to him for weeks will be quite entertaining." At that the three made their way to Megumi's car to the local club RAGE.
Meanwhile at the club
Enishi and Kenshin arrived at the club. Seeing Sano at the club already indulging in a 'glass of who knows what.' Aoshi sat glumly next to him with a bored expression watching him guzzle down the beverage.
"Hey! Kenshinnnn, Enishiiiii, yooouve gotz to tries thiz." Came the half understandable slur from Sanosuke.
"Who's gonna take him home this time?" Enishi asked to no one in particular. "Not it" he exclaimed quickly.
"Not it" Kenshin followed. Last time he threw up in my car! It took weeks for me to get it out of the upholstery.
"I'll do it as long as he rides with his head out the window." Aoshi said watching with amusement as Sano started doing the chicken dance.
Entrance of Rage
"Hey I see Sano!" Megumi cried, briskly striding towards him. "And she's the one giving us advise" Kaoru murmured as she followed suit.
"Hey glad you could make it babe" Enishi greeted as he slinked an arm around Kaoru's waist. "Wouldn't miss it for the world sweetheart." She replied.
"Hey Aoshi!" Misao piped as she took a seat next to him.
"Misao." Aoshi nodded letting a rare smile grace his features.
"So do you want to dance Nishi?" Kaoru asked cutely, aware that Kenshin was watching her every move. "I'd love to Kaoru-kun" The song was fast paced and Kaoru began to move to the beat as she led Enishi to the dance floor.
Kenshin turned away. He could not take the sight of his best friend and the girl he fell for grinding against each other. The glass in his hand cracked from the amount of pressure being forced on it. This did not go unseen be the perceptive Megumi trying to awaken Sano from his nighttime slumber on the bar table.
"Hey, Aoshi, since Megumi's taking care of Sano do you want to go talk or something?" Misao asked casually trying to keep her voice from cracking. Aoshi nodded in agreement and the couple left the club and headed toward a nearby park.
At this time the song was over and Enishi and Kaoru walked back to the table. Enishi sat down and pulled Kaoru onto his lap where she leaned into him. "You may be a good surfer Enishi but you need to work on your dancing need a little work." She laughed.
"Well Ms. Kamiya, what I lack in footwork I make up in other things." He kissed her lightly on the lips as a surprised Kaoru blinked back at him.
'Enishi's really good at acting, if I didn't know better I'd think we were a couple!' Kaoru thought.
Kenshin had reached a new height of anger; the glass in his hand shattered, surprising everyone around him. He threw the now red-coated splinters to the floor ignoring the pain in his hand. "Kaoru we have to talk!" he bit out every word through ground teeth.
He grabbed her arm with his clean hand and dragged her towards a corner of the bar before she could respond.
"Listen Kaoru" Kenshin grabbed both of her wrists and pushed her flat against the wall. "Enough is enough. I get the point. I know what you've been doing, and believe me, it worked okay." His harsh tone was heard even over the loud music and conversations of the club.
His bangs covered his eyes, but Kaoru felt the intense emotion and urgency in his voice. A lump built up in her throat rendering her speechless. His breaths were raspy and he was close enough so that she could feel the heat radiating from his body.
"What do you want me to do? Hmm? Say I'm jealous. Well I am and it makes me sick to see you with him." Kaoru was dumbfounded. Sure she thought he would get mad but not go completely insane over it.
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At this point Enishi stood up intending to go after her. "Don't" Slender fingers latched to his arm holding him back.
"Megumi-san? Why not, there's no telling what Kenshin will do when he's angry." Enishi tugged on his arm.
"She needs to hear what he has to say."
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"Now are you happy?" he was yelling now. "Is this what you wanted? You do not want to toy with me Kaoru" She winced as the grip on her arms tightened sure to leave a bruise the next day. The concrete against her back was chilling but not as cold as the Kenshin she faced at this moment.
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"Are you crazy?" Enishi cried out. "You've never seen Kenshin angry before, he can't control himself."
"Still, she needs to hear it. You don't understand. She doesn't understand. Amakusa didn't treat her right. She doesn't understand emotional pain anymore!" Megumi's eyes began to tear up and a few stray drops escaped.
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"Every time you're with that stupid bastard it tears me up." His voice lowered to a husky whisper. "You won't see him. I won't let you."
Kaoru regained her voice back and her temper. "You will not decide who I see and who I don't. You're just like my Uncle and I will not be controlled." She yelled.
"Don't you get it? It's not about you anymore. You made me fall in love again and I won't let anyone take that away again." The anger had slowly ebbed away. Though his tone was still forceful, it was gentler.
'Love' Kaoru thought back to the last time she thought she was in love. It was empty. He left.
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"What are you saying Megumi?" Enishi asked urgently. "What do you mean she doesn't understand it?"
"She took everything in at one time. Being left alone can tear someone up. It's painful to lose something precious like a parent. Multiplying that by four is a pain, well; it can make anyone go insane. But, she, she was strong; she found a way around it. Locked them all inside, put a smile on and ignores it." The tears were streaming down her face now.
"The human body takes the path of least resistance; after a while pain goes numb, you can't feel it anymore. Emotions are the same, keep ignoring it and ignoring it you just can't feel it anymore.
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"Kaoru, I know you care about me, you wouldn't go through with any of this if you hated me." He was pleading now. "Don't hurt me anymore." He looked into her eyes where amethyst pools filled with hurt looked for comfort. He leaned in, covering her lips with his own. He pulled away slowly, searching her face for any emotion.
"I…I…"Kaoru stammered. All of a sudden she couldn't string a coherent thought. Things Megumi said earlier kept running through her mind.
"Do you think it's fair? No one deserves his or her heart to be toyed with Kaoru, no matter how awful you think someone is. It hurts more than anything, and you should know."
'I should know? How would I know?' Scenes where Kenshin gripped Kaoru's scared form on the Ferris wheel came to mind. 'I was afraid? He made me feel better, but he says I'm hurting him?
'How? I haven't touched him so why?' She thought.
"Kaoru?" worried eyes scanned hers.
Kaoru composed herself. "I'm fine" she replied. "I…I have to go." She whispered touching her head with her hand, as if it could clear her mind and ducked under his arms.
"Kaoru are you okay, did he do anything to you?"
Kaoru looked up at her pretend boyfriend. Green eyes held genuine worry as he looked down at her. That is when he noticed the bruising red marks on her upper arms.
"What the hell did you do?" Immense rage and possessiveness consumed Enishi as he pushed Kenshin.
"You touch her again, friend or not, I'll make you pay." He growled.
"Stop it. Just drop it. Megumi, take me home, I'm tired." Kaoru demanded. Megumi nodded and reached for their coats. They exited the club without another word.
Enishi glared at Kenshin and followed. Kenshin sighed, 'this is turning out way more complicated then I'd hoped it would. I should have told her a while ago.' He thought.
Hey guys, I know bad me I haven't updated since October. Don't expect another one till after exams. Yeah I know really angsty right. Did you like it? I might make a pre/sequel that's a little more serious with history like what happened with Amakusa cuz believe it or not I do have it sorta planned out.
Review and tell me if I should or not! I like to see if I will get any readers before I write.
Anyways I got this really cool Patrick watch from Burger King. But that's beside the point entirely.