Hey everybody! Hoped you liked the first chapter and thanks to everyone who reviewed! Oh and for those who asked, in the first chapter there was a really big age difference between Kenshin and Kaoru because that's the age difference in the series. Kaoru is 17 and Kenshin 28, so 6 and 17…you know…same difference…For those who can't do math it's 11 years. Oh right sorry if the first chapter was a little short, I promise this one will be longer. Anyway hope you like this chapter and keep on reviewing!
Chapter 2- This Life
"Kaoru, where's Kaoru! We need you on now!"
"Ok! OK! Jesus Christ keep your fucking shirt on, I'm going!"
Kaoru ran in her 6-inch stilettos and jumped on the stage just in time as the curtains began to rise. She sighed and blew her hair out of her face, poked the inside of her cheek with her tongue and plastered a smirk on her pale face before looking out at the crowd. The dazzling white light that flooded the stage blinded her, but she kept her composure and her seductive smile, and the crowd began to cheer. Suddenly, a jazzy upbeat music began and she and a few other girls on stage began to dance. Money was instantly thrown onto the stage, and she could hear disembodied voices catcalling, hollering her name drunkenly at the top of their lungs.
Kamiya Kaoru, the 17 year old stripper.
Dressed in a black corset, black fishnet stockings and black stilettos, Kaoru danced to the music, swaying her hips and running her hands down her thighs, smiling as if she was having the time of her life. She was, of course, not having the time of her life. But she couldn't let any of that self-disgust or anger show on her face, or else she wouldn't get any money, and if she didn't get any money, she wouldn't be able to pay the rent.
She and the other girls performed their long, strenuous dance routine, sweating in their skimpy outfits and ignoring the obvious rude remarks that were made by the horny onlookers. Kaoru felt like they were like animals at a zoo, ogled at by little children, except the only difference was that lions didn't wear corsets and thongs, and they didn't get paid. When the curtains finally closed, Kaoru limped backstage and allowed the others to sweep the money off the floor. She walked into the change room and sat on the bench and kicked off her tiny little stilettos. She took off her outfit and put on jeans and a baggy red shirt, then combed her long, black hair and tied it in a high ponytail.
She went back outside and sat at the bar, putting her head in her arms and staring at the dark countertop.
"Here Kaoru." A longhaired girl standing behind the bar slid a pile of money across the table to the exhausted figure, and began to wipe a mug.
"Thanks Megumi." Kaoru put the pile of money in her purse and flopped back down onto the table.
"Something wrong?" asked Megumi, putting down the mug and observing Kaoru closely. The twenty-year old knew Kaoru; they had been working together for years at the same club.
Although the girl was very quiet and conservative sometimes, Megumi could always tell when she was feeling down. She filled a glass with orange juice and set it in front of Kaoru, patiently waiting for her friend to explain.
Kaoru lifted her head, staring miserably at the older girl. "Megumi, I hate this damn job! I would quit if I had a choice, but I don't. I just hate having to do this to myself, but once I'm able to get another job, I'm gonna get out of this fucking hell hole."
Megumi stared at the young girl sympathetically as she gulped down her orange juice. She patted her on the arm, trying to think of some way to help her.
"You know what Kaoru," she said suddenly. "If you really want another job, I have one for you. Are you really willing to do anything to get out of here?"
Kaoru's eyes lit up and she perked up immediately, almost strangling the older girl with her enthusiasm. "Yes Megumi, please! I'd do anything!"
Megumi leaned closer to Kaoru across the bar counter, and whispered in Kaoru's ear. "There's an open job for coke-dealers. All you have to do is deliver the stuff to the clients and collect the money, and you get paid a lot for it. But if you get caught they're not going to take the blame for you. Kaoru, are you sure you want to do this?" She looked her friend in the eye, almost willing her not to and immediately regretting that she had told her. The only reason why the job was open in the first place was because some clients had shot the previous person delivering the drugs, unwilling to pay the fee.
Kaoru stared down, and then turned her head to stare at the stage behind her. There were a couple of girls swinging around the poles in the center of the stage, winking at the audience and smiling their fake smiles. But Kaoru could see through their fake facades. She could see that it was killing them, the dancing, the men, the beer, the humiliation. Kaoru knew what it felt like; to be exposed to the world but being seen as nothing but an object. She became more and more furious as she continued to watch the women on stage. She turned her head to stare at Megumi straight in the eye, and Megumi was shocked to see that there was rage hidden in those blue-silver pools.
"When do I start."
A man sat behind a large wooden desk in a dark office, the blinds covering the window was shut tightly, and the door was locked. He had on a dark suit, his elbows on his desk and his fingertips were touching to form an arch, his eyebrows knitted. On the other side of the desk, sat another man, his face concealed in shadow, only his vivid red hair could be seen dimly in the room. He was smoking a cigarette; the bright illuminated end and the wisps of smoke curling up into the air were also visible, making the air almost unbearably stuffy.
"Is it done?"
"Yes, Kanryu is dead."
"And his party?"
"They are dead as well."
"Good. Well Himura, I have another assignment for you then." The man in the dark suit slid a folder across the table and stopped short of the edge. "Make sure you finish all of them. If you don't…" His dark voice echoed menacingly, and the man across the table responded with an angry silence. The unfinished threat hung in the air, and both men stared at each other through the darkness.
The man grabbed the folder from the table and threw his cigarette on the floor as he stood up and pulled back his chair. He glared at the suited man sitting behind the desk, his fingers still arched and his eyebrows still knitted. He sharply turned and reached out a hand to twist the doorknob.
"Remember, Kenshin. All of them."
The hand stopped in mid-air. He turned his head around to face the suited man with a glare of such anger and ferocity; the other man dropped his head and instead looked at the still burning cigarette on the floor. When he looked up again, the redhead was gone, the door was closed, and he was alone in the stuffy, dark room.
Kenshin sprinted slowly down the flight of stairs and exited through the lobby of the building. He went into the empty parking lot and stopped at a black and silver motorcycle. It was dark outside and the street lamps were on. Kenshin climbed on and turned on the engine, and rode off at top speed back towards his home. Speeding between cars and trucks at ease, Kenshin thought to himself, barely aware of the traffic lights.
Finally, arriving at an elegant, secluded house with stucco walls, Kenshin clambered off his parked motorcycle and entered. He quickly walked to the bathroom and took off his clothes and stepped into the shower.
Standing underneath the jet-power showerhead, Kenshin shook his wet hair, trying to rid himself of the fatigue that was slowly taking over him. He tried to wash away the blood that was caking underneath his fingernails. No use. He had bags under his eyes from lack of rest, and his skin was becoming paler with each passing day. But Kenshin didn't worry, it happened to him all the time. He'd eventually regain his health, and then go traipsing off to another assignment and feel like shit again. It was the same thing over and over. But that was his job, his life, and he probably wouldn't have it any other way. There was no longer a line that separated work and everyday life, it was all just the same thing. Himura Kenshin lived to kill.
OMFG! I feel so bad you guys! I'm really sorry! That's is seriously the worst chapter ever! I really need to bring in both characters at the same time…at least it's a little longer than the first chapter! Oh well don't hate me people I'll try and make the next chapter more interesting…( waaaah.
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