DISCLAIMER: Nope! I don't own Rurouni Kenshin or any other things related to the show!
A/N: I am frick happy! I finally finished downloading both parts of Inuyasha Movie 3: Sword of World Conquest! Not that you guys need to know! Aha ha ha. :D
Okay FYI, as you guys all should know already, italics are flashbacks (unless I'm showing it for emphasis on something!)! On with the chapter!
CHAPTER SIX
Kaoru stared at the gift in her hand and unwrapped it from its untidy wrapping. Inside, she found a portrait of herself.
It was skillfully drawn. She knew Kenshin must have taken much time drawing this. She was in awe at this beautiful picture of herself.
Then she remembered the questions Kenshin asked.
Why didn't she trust Kenshin?
Well, she couldn't trust anyone. I mean look at her mom. Her mom was her best friend and she'd left her.
The doctors said she had had the tuberculosis for awhile. They even said that she had come in a few months ago to get treatment. Her mother, however, did not allow Kaoru's father or Kaoru know any of this. Kaoru remembered all the times her mother would get into a coughing fit, but she'd always say with a smile that she was alright.
Her mother had lied to her. How could she trust anyone else if her best friend lied to her?
Kenshin had seemed different though. That day at the park, he'd been so kind. She thought she could trust him.
But he made her smile so easily, like her mother had. She didn't like that.
"Kaoru! Kaoru, where are you?" Kaoru's mother called out.
A fifteen-year old Kaoru lifted her head from the book she was reading. Her mother appeared around the corner of their house, clothes and hair in disarray.
Kaoru laughed at her mother's disheveled form. Her mother looked so…funny. She couldn't stop laughing. Her mother, who always had everything in place looked chaotic as ever.
"What's so funny, Kaoru?" her mother inquired. She raised an eyebrow at her laughing daughter.
"Oh, mom, you're hilarious. A riot," Kaoru said in between laughs.
"Hmph!" her mom said, "I suppose you don't want to help me out then, huh?"
"With what, mother?" Kaoru asked, finally settling down.
"I'm not telling!" her mother said, walking away with a mischievous grin.
"Mother!" Kaoru shouted, running after her mother, laughter spouting out of her mouth once again at her mother's childish look.
"Kaoru?" a voice said, taking Kaoru out of her reverie. It was Misao.
"You're back! You zoned out there for a bit, Kaoru!" Misao chirped. Kaoru looked at Misao, not talking.
"Well, what are you doing there? Come on! The bell is about to ring!" Misao ordered, grabbing Kaoru's arm and leading her inside the building.
………………………..
"It's your birthday? How come I didn't know that! Happy birthday!" Misao said later at lunch. Misao and Sanosuke found out that it was Kaoru's birthday from reliable sources (a/n: actually, I couldn't think of a way to have them find out, so yeah. Aha ha.).
Kaoru just nodded her head at the enthusiastic girl.
"Well, missy, you should have said something! Kenshin would've like drawn you a picture or something. For everyone's birthday, he always goes and just draws pictures for people. That's just like him, though. He's always broke," Sanosuke added.
"Oro!" Kenshin exclaimed, "No I'm not. I'm just not good at picking out presents."
"Yeah, you should have Himura draw you something! He is such an artist!" Misao said. Kaoru just stared at her. She couldn't really say that Kenshin had given her a present already, so she just left the blank face on and just ignored the trio.
"Uh, actually…" Kenshin began, scratching the back of his head.
Kaoru got up then to empty her tray.
"Hey, wait up Kaoru!" Misao called out. She ran after Kaoru so she too could empty her tray.
"Uh, is there anything wrong between you and Himura? There's like this tension or something," Misao asked. Kaoru shook her head.
"Come on, we have like fifteen minutes before lunch is over. Let's go outside for a walk!" Misao decided and started walking to the front entrance. Kaoru just followed the short black-haired girl.
They ended up just walking around the building, a silence consuming the two.
"So, are you doing anything for your birthday?" Misao asked, breaking the silence, "If we'd known it was your birthday today, Saturday could have been planned to be your birthday party. Wait, you and Himura didn't even join us to go see the movie. Where did you guys go?"
Kaoru continued walking, ignoring the girl.
"Hey, I'm talking to you, Kaoru!" Misao shouted at her back. Kaoru turned her head to give Misao a bored look.
"What is up with you?" Misao asked, eyes burning with fury at the impassive girl in front of her.
"Why do you not say anything ever? What happened between you and Himura? Well, Kaoru?" Misao demanded.
Kaoru did not say anything to her. She turned her head around and continued walking, but didn't look where she was going, so she bumped into the person in front of her.
"Whoops, sorry," the person said. Kaoru looked up at the man she bumped into. He was a tall man with white hair though his face looked young. Behind him stood a girl a bit taller than Kaoru with eyes black as coal and raven hair tied back.
"Uh, excuse me, miss, but you don't happen to know where the main office is, do you?" the girl asked in a quiet voice.
"The main office is just through those doors. Take a left into the first hallway. It's the first door," Misao told them, coming up behind Kaoru.
"Thank you," the girl replied. She and the white haired boy walked past them and to the front entrance.
"Wonder who they are," Misao wondered out loud. Kaoru shrugged her shoulders. The bell rung just then, so the pair walked back inside the building.
…………………………
"I, uh, hope you liked the picture, Kaoru," Kenshin said that afternoon as he and Kaoru walked home. Well, Kaoru hadn't really consented Kenshin walking with her, but she really couldn't tell him to go away.
Kaoru just gave him a brief look and continued walking.
"So you did like it?" Kenshin asked. He thought he heard mumbling from her.
"Huh?" he asked.
"It was okay," Kaoru whispered ever so quietly. Kenshin smiled widely at that.
"You said something!" he exclaimed. "Is it because it's your birthday and you're talking?"
Kaoru turned around at that and gave him a look, though he couldn't tell what it meant.
"Is that a look of irritation or something?" Kenshin asked.
"Do you always have to talk?" Kaoru countered.
"You're sure talkative today! Are you still mad at me? I don't really know why you're mad at me," Kenshin said.
Kaoru just ignored him then.
"Why are you mad at me? Why don't you trust me? Did I do something wrong?" Kenshin asked. He looked back on Saturday for anything he did that might have offended her. He couldn't think of anything.
"Okay, forget it. You're not mad at me still right? That's why you're allowing me to walk with you, right?" he continued.
Kaoru badly wanted to sigh at his foolishness. He did not know when to shut up, did he? She still was mad at him for making her smile. But the picture was done so well. He had obviously put his heart and soul into it.
So, why was she mad at him? Because he reminded her of her mother. Her mother who was her best friend who'd left her. Her mother who had always made her smile at almost anything
"So, how was your day?" Kenshin asked, interrupting Kaoru's train of thought.
…………………………
"Goodness Kenshin! I didn't know you held such artistic abilities! This looks almost exactly like Kaoru! Course I saw that sketch you had on Saturday! But your coloring skills have made this picture come alive!" Yumiko exclaimed when she saw the picture Kenshin had drawn.
When Kenshin and Kaoru had arrived at Kaoru's house, her aunt and father had surprised Kaoru with a mini surprise birthday party.
"I agree with you Yumiko! This boy sure has talent. Why don't you pursue art?" Koshijirou father questioned.
"Ah, uh, well, my parents believe that I shouldn't pursue such foolish things. 'A doctor is what the world needs, not a foolish boy who draws.'" Kenshin quoted his father.
"But your talent, dear, is so immense!"Yumiko said. Kenshin chuckled at that. She left the room then so she could go prepare dinner.
"Your parents won't allow you to pursue art, then," Koshijirou said. He chuckled then. "Kaoru here has to decide still. She has many talents, though."
Kaoru who had obviously remained silent throughout the conversation raised her eyebrow slightly just then. Her father laughed at this.
"Kaoru, can you help me out, dear?" Yumiko called from the kitchen. Kaoru stood up and left the room to help her aunt.
……………………………
"Thank you for allowing me to eat dinner with you guys," Kenshin thanked later that evening.
"It's a pleasure having you here, Kenshin! You needn't be so polite, anyways. You are always welcomed here!" Yumiko replied, a grin on her face.
"Okay," Kenshin answered and left the house.
"He is such a nice, young man, Kaoru. You should be glad that you befriended such a nice person," Koshijirou said.
Kaoru left to go to her room instead of answering.
A/N: Okay, guess what? I think I finally know where this fic is going (well, I had the main idea, but I didn't know the definite direction it was going)! And if things go the way I want it to, I'm going to make this a trilogy! Aha ha. I even have the titles picked out if I make this a trilogy! Aha ha. I am so sad, ne?
Have I told you guys Kaoru and Kenshin's age? Aha ha. I don't think I have. Sorry. Aha ha. Kaoru just turned 16 and Kenshin is 16. They are both sophomores:D Well, since I'm explaining unexplained stuff right now, I might as well add this: everything they say, unless I say otherwise (like if I say that that person said it in English), is in Japanese. Course, I can not write Japanese so I have to write it in English! But you have to have an imagination and pretend they're speaking in Japanese!
Guess what? I've acquired like 5 mosquito bites for being outside for like 15 minutes! Waaah! It's sad! BUT! I have put on anti-itching creme, so it helps a lot! Aha ha. I am so crazy...
REVIEWERS
Coke-48-Kenshin: Oh. Okay. I don't cry easily, though I laugh easily. n.n Oh, you didn't like his perspective. Heh. It's okay. I probably won't put it in his POV much. thanks for reviewing!
Kute Anime Kitty: Actually, there are plenty of stories out there with Kaoru having the problems! You probably haven't gotten to them yet! Thanks for your review!
Star: Yeah, I was really hyper when I wrote that chapter. Aha ha. I was on a Mountain Dew high and a 'Yes! I did good on my report card!' high. Aha ha ha. Thanks! I hope you did well on your finals as well (Oh, it doesn't matter that you told me that. Anyone can put anything in my reviews. I mean, I write a lot of crap in my A/N so it doesn't really matter to me!)! I'm sure you did really well:D You liked it? Okay. I won't do it in his perspective much however. Thank you for reviewing!
Czarina: it's okay that you didn't review the last chapter:D I'm glad that you think these chapters were interesting (my opinion: they sucked. Heh) what changed her mind? Aha ha. The smile! Thanks for reviewing!
Chakitattyla2h8: wow, did you read my mind or something (that won't happen till the tail end of the story though!)? Shh! Don't tell anyone that! Aha ha. thanks for reviewing!
Drawkcab: Ooh, don't eat yourself because of my pathetic story! I don't want any guilt put on me if you die eating yourself because of my fic! Aha ha. You're funny:D thanks for the review
And thanks for reviewing also to Snue, Spark the Light Master, Lynn-Minmay, Brittanie Love, 1kenshinlover, and jessa!
Oh, and thanks for reading my fic to the shy readers who don't review! n.-