Gunshot Roses
Chapter Eight
Warning: Harsh Cursing Below!
-------------------------
The door continued opening so he sat up to tell whoever it was off. He stared at the figure in the door way and lost all power to think properly.
"My God..."
The woman at the door took his breath away. Her raven black hair was pulled into a bun. Her lips were colored ruby red and other various paints were applied to her face to bring out the bright blue color of her eyes. Her top was dark blue with a trim around the low neck line in white. Her reprehensibly short skirt was black and her high-heeled boots came about to her ankle and hung loosely.
She took a few steps towards him, her boots clicking against the hard wood floor and her hips swaying sensuously. He was mesmerized by her movements, her grace, and her beauty.
She opened her mouth to speak but he did so first, "My God... Kaoru?" She bit her lip slightly and he stood with his feet flat on the floor, "Kaoru? What the hell is this?" He stepped closer to her.
"Kenshin... I..." she stammered and looked at the floor.
Kenshin gave her the once over again and something inside of him began to burn, "What the hell do you think you're doing dressing like this?! Do you want to get raped or something?! Not only Kanryuu would do something, but all the drunken slobs around here!! You look like a damn courtesan!! You know how much danger that puts you in?!!"
"Isn't this what you want..." she whispered, not looking at him still.
"What?!" he spat. "What the hell are you talking about?!"
She closed her eyes and shouted, "Isn't this the kind of woman you would want me to be?!" She gazed up at him with a look of disgusted. "I saw you with that... that woman.... that hooker!"
Kenshin paled and he looked at her surprised, "W-What?"
"That's right! I saw how you let her..." she starred off. She glared up at him again. "She was on top of you for God sakes!!! I thought you... I... I trusted you, goddamnit!!"
"That's why you did this?!" He clenched his fists. "What the fuck is wrong with you??!!"
She stared at him, eyes brimming with tears, "Don't you dare speak to me like that!! You're the one there's something fucking wrong with!! I don't know why I tried! This is ridiculous!! I should have known you'd be like all the others, only interested in my body!! I don't know why I was so foolish to think that you'd be different... You're just like all the rest... your just a damned cowboy!
"I guess I should know better then that, though," Kaoru stared at him, her eyes burning now. "I should know that no man is to be trusted... even one like you." She bit her lower lip again and turned towards the door. "Never come to the Kanryuu mansion again... Never try to help me... and... and... Never bother to think about me again!"
She ran towards the door, but Kenshin grabbed her arm. "Kaoru-... wait... I can ex-"
"Let go of me, you goddamn bastard!" she spat. His grip didn't loosen, so she did the next logical thing.
"Kaoru, I-"
He was cut off again by Kaoru's sharp palm meeting his cheek with a resounding smack. He loosened his grip for an instant and she slipped away. His hand went to his cheek and when he looked up, she was gone.
--------------
Kaoru walked into Kanryuu's home. Tears were streaming her face, as she walked up the stairs.
"Kaoru?" an icy voice called, startling her. She looked up to find Kanryuu's cold stare. "Where were you?"
"I was... um..." Kaoru turned away, unable to answer. He can't know... she thought to her herself, Otherwise, he'll kill Kenshin... He may have hurt me, but I do not want to be responsible for someone's death.
"Kaoru, I explicitly told you, that you were not allowed outside of these grounds," he starred down at her in disgust. "You deliberately disobeyed me! You thought I was a push over because I was being nice... However... you will find that I am not to be taken lightly!" He smacked her face with the back of his hand. Kaoru's hand went to her cheek as tears formed in her eyes. Kanryuu grit his teeth and continued, "You are not that strong I guess... to start crying form one simple smack."
Her hand left her face and balled into a fist at her side. "I am not crying out of pain... but out of defiance."
"Defiance?" he laughed. "You aren't that defiant now. Tears are streaming down your face... The same face that looks hurt. All you can do is stand there and clench your fists. You're nothing but a wild dog without her fangs. I control you, you see. I think you forget that fact. I own you and your family. I can do whatever I wish with you... And since there's no one around that can stop me... I don't think you're in a position to talk about defiance."
"I will kill you Kanryuu..." she muttered. "Someday, I will have my revenge. You speak of wild dogs, but look at yourself! You are lower then one!"
Kanryuu starred at her, his eye twitching slightly, "I would not say such things if I were you."
Kaoru continued, angered, "You only control people with money! You only control this town by paying people off! You are lower then dirt, Kanryuu! You-"
She was cut off by Kanryuu wrapping his fingers around her small neck. She gasped slightly, as his grip tightened. "I would not say such things if I were you," he said again.
She whimpered slightly and he released her neck, only to grab her arm and roughly drag her to her room. He pushed her though the door and onto the ground.
"This will be your punishment!" he growled. "You shall stay locked in here, until I see fit!" He slammed the door shut and locked it from the outside. "And don't expect a meal for a few days!"
She starred at the door from the inside of the room. Heaven help us, she prayed as she began to cry.
---------------
Kenshin walked downstairs, a few hours later, to find Sanosuke sitting in a chair, playing cards with Yahiko.
Kenshin clenched his jaw, already in a terrible mood, and called the rooster head over to him. Sanosuke hesitantly got up and walked over.
"Yeah?" he asked.
"You don't," Kenshin began, "by any chance, happen to know a young woman named Yumi, would you?"
"No..." Sano answered, looking up at the ceiling.
"He lies!" Megumi said, charging in. "It was him!! He did it!"
Kenshin looked back at Sano, who was inching away. Kenshin grabbed him by the shirt and punched him in the stomach.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Kenshin shouted. "Are you purposely trying to ruin my life?! After everything I've done for you?!"
"Calm down!" Sano said.
"Calm down my as-"
Sano pushed him down to a chair and he sat, looking annoyed. "It's true," Sano said. "I did tell Yumi to go to you. I really meant it as a joke, man. I didn't think the Missy would walk in at that moment." Sanosuke sighed, and sat down next to Kenshin. "If I wrote a letter to the girl, maybe she'd understand and all will be well again! So, cheer up! I'll take the blame."
Kenshin looked reluctantly at Sano and sighed, "Fine, but if doesn't come around, it'll be your head."
Sanosuke grinned "Yeah, yeah. Who's up for some drinks?"
"Me!" Yahiko answered.
---------------
Three days had gone by. Kenshin and his group were sitting the front hall of the hotel, wasting time.
The front door of the inn opened with a bang, and a heavily panting Soujiro walked in. Kenshin stood up and walked over to him.
"Kaoru..." he panted. "She's... Kanryuu... not good..."
Kenshin took his arm and sat him down in a chair, "What's going on?"
Soujiro took a deep breath, "Kanryuu found her coming in three days ago, and he's kept her locked up her room since. He's not allowing her any food, so the only food she gets is when Miss Bethany sneaks food into her room from the kitchen when Kanryuu's out on business..."
"What?!" Kenshin shouted, standing up. "We have to help her!"
Soujiro grabbed Kenshin's sleeve, "One more thing... Kanryuu got the letter meant for Kaoru. He now knows that she was with you that day. He's become even more bitter because of it, and I fear she'll remain locked away for more days then he originally planned. Because Kanryuu intercepted the letter, we fear that it wouldn't' be wise to send another one. And so... she is still quiet bitter towards you, Mr. Kenshin."
Kenshin starred at the ground in silence. "I see..." His shoulders slumped slightly and he sighed, "Then there is nothing I can do..." He started walking towards the stairs.
Megumi sighed quietly. Misao sat down and held her head in her hands. Sanosuke sat back on his chair and starred away. And Yahiko...
Yahiko looked around at everyone. At Megumi, Misao, Sanosuke, and Kenshin's retreating form. He looked at them all in confusion. Were they giving up this easily? How could that possibly be? These were the people who defied odds! Megumi, who, even though she was a woman, became a highly acclaimed doctor! Misao, who was as fast as lighting, and deadly, even though she was small! Sanosuke, who was the epitome of strength! And Kenshin! Kenshin, whose name is legendry! Kenshin, who was one of the best men the North had!
People like them were going to give up? And he was just supposed to accept this?
Like hell!
"What's the matter with you guys?!" Yahiko barked. "You're going down without a fight?! I can't believe this!"
Sano looked up, "Yahiko-..."
"Don't "Yahiko" me! I can't believe this! Someone is in trouble! Someone needs help! Someone we have come to like! And we're just sitting here on our backsides? I don't think so! We help! And we do it now! Are we gonna let Kanryuu make Kaoru cry another tear? I don't think so! She's the damsel and we're the heroes! And what do heroes do? They take up their arms and fight till no one's standing!"
Misao squealed, "He's right! We gotta help Kaoru! I mean, she's such a good person and no one deserves to be in that position except Kanryuu himself!"
Yahiko grinned, "Alright! Who's with us?!"
Sano gave a cocky smile, "Guess you can't do without me!"
Megumi grabbed her medicine chest, "I'll be here to bandage you up whenever you need me!"
Soujiro laughed, "I know I'm not really "one of the gang" but you know everyone back home and I will always be there to help!"
Yahiko chuckled, "Alright! That only leaves one! Kenshin? What's it gonna be?"
Kenshin starred at everyone, emotionlessly. They all gave him hopeful looks. He broke down and smiled, wearily, "You know I'd always help her, whether or not she hates my guts." He walked towards the group.
"Alright!" Yahiko said, his fist shooting into the air. "The Kenshin group is back!"
"You've grow up a lot, Yahiko," Kenshin smiled, patting his head.
Yahiko grinned and rubbed his nose, "Yeah well."
"Well then," Kenshin said, "tonight, we fight!"
------------
A/N:
Well, it's not long, but I like it . . . kinda . . . I just really wanted to post this for you guys! Sorry for the shortness!
Sorry for the long time! I wrote the original event that was supposed to happen here, and then my computer broke. So, after much reflection and thought, I decided that the original storyline didn't portray Kaoru in the way I wanted it to. She seemed like a young girl, when I want her to seem as a mature woman. So I re-wrote it to be this, and that took a while, because I had to think about what was going to happen, but it actually works out better this way because the timeline is moving along quite nicely. And the whole "Yahiko speech", was very spontaneous.
So all in all this version is better then the old. (I wonder if Koishii approves . . . she read the first idea)
In other news, a new story of mine might be out soon . . . Might . . . I don't know . . . haha anyway . . .
Ciao
Chapter Eight
Warning: Harsh Cursing Below!
-------------------------
The door continued opening so he sat up to tell whoever it was off. He stared at the figure in the door way and lost all power to think properly.
"My God..."
The woman at the door took his breath away. Her raven black hair was pulled into a bun. Her lips were colored ruby red and other various paints were applied to her face to bring out the bright blue color of her eyes. Her top was dark blue with a trim around the low neck line in white. Her reprehensibly short skirt was black and her high-heeled boots came about to her ankle and hung loosely.
She took a few steps towards him, her boots clicking against the hard wood floor and her hips swaying sensuously. He was mesmerized by her movements, her grace, and her beauty.
She opened her mouth to speak but he did so first, "My God... Kaoru?" She bit her lip slightly and he stood with his feet flat on the floor, "Kaoru? What the hell is this?" He stepped closer to her.
"Kenshin... I..." she stammered and looked at the floor.
Kenshin gave her the once over again and something inside of him began to burn, "What the hell do you think you're doing dressing like this?! Do you want to get raped or something?! Not only Kanryuu would do something, but all the drunken slobs around here!! You look like a damn courtesan!! You know how much danger that puts you in?!!"
"Isn't this what you want..." she whispered, not looking at him still.
"What?!" he spat. "What the hell are you talking about?!"
She closed her eyes and shouted, "Isn't this the kind of woman you would want me to be?!" She gazed up at him with a look of disgusted. "I saw you with that... that woman.... that hooker!"
Kenshin paled and he looked at her surprised, "W-What?"
"That's right! I saw how you let her..." she starred off. She glared up at him again. "She was on top of you for God sakes!!! I thought you... I... I trusted you, goddamnit!!"
"That's why you did this?!" He clenched his fists. "What the fuck is wrong with you??!!"
She stared at him, eyes brimming with tears, "Don't you dare speak to me like that!! You're the one there's something fucking wrong with!! I don't know why I tried! This is ridiculous!! I should have known you'd be like all the others, only interested in my body!! I don't know why I was so foolish to think that you'd be different... You're just like all the rest... your just a damned cowboy!
"I guess I should know better then that, though," Kaoru stared at him, her eyes burning now. "I should know that no man is to be trusted... even one like you." She bit her lower lip again and turned towards the door. "Never come to the Kanryuu mansion again... Never try to help me... and... and... Never bother to think about me again!"
She ran towards the door, but Kenshin grabbed her arm. "Kaoru-... wait... I can ex-"
"Let go of me, you goddamn bastard!" she spat. His grip didn't loosen, so she did the next logical thing.
"Kaoru, I-"
He was cut off again by Kaoru's sharp palm meeting his cheek with a resounding smack. He loosened his grip for an instant and she slipped away. His hand went to his cheek and when he looked up, she was gone.
--------------
Kaoru walked into Kanryuu's home. Tears were streaming her face, as she walked up the stairs.
"Kaoru?" an icy voice called, startling her. She looked up to find Kanryuu's cold stare. "Where were you?"
"I was... um..." Kaoru turned away, unable to answer. He can't know... she thought to her herself, Otherwise, he'll kill Kenshin... He may have hurt me, but I do not want to be responsible for someone's death.
"Kaoru, I explicitly told you, that you were not allowed outside of these grounds," he starred down at her in disgust. "You deliberately disobeyed me! You thought I was a push over because I was being nice... However... you will find that I am not to be taken lightly!" He smacked her face with the back of his hand. Kaoru's hand went to her cheek as tears formed in her eyes. Kanryuu grit his teeth and continued, "You are not that strong I guess... to start crying form one simple smack."
Her hand left her face and balled into a fist at her side. "I am not crying out of pain... but out of defiance."
"Defiance?" he laughed. "You aren't that defiant now. Tears are streaming down your face... The same face that looks hurt. All you can do is stand there and clench your fists. You're nothing but a wild dog without her fangs. I control you, you see. I think you forget that fact. I own you and your family. I can do whatever I wish with you... And since there's no one around that can stop me... I don't think you're in a position to talk about defiance."
"I will kill you Kanryuu..." she muttered. "Someday, I will have my revenge. You speak of wild dogs, but look at yourself! You are lower then one!"
Kanryuu starred at her, his eye twitching slightly, "I would not say such things if I were you."
Kaoru continued, angered, "You only control people with money! You only control this town by paying people off! You are lower then dirt, Kanryuu! You-"
She was cut off by Kanryuu wrapping his fingers around her small neck. She gasped slightly, as his grip tightened. "I would not say such things if I were you," he said again.
She whimpered slightly and he released her neck, only to grab her arm and roughly drag her to her room. He pushed her though the door and onto the ground.
"This will be your punishment!" he growled. "You shall stay locked in here, until I see fit!" He slammed the door shut and locked it from the outside. "And don't expect a meal for a few days!"
She starred at the door from the inside of the room. Heaven help us, she prayed as she began to cry.
---------------
Kenshin walked downstairs, a few hours later, to find Sanosuke sitting in a chair, playing cards with Yahiko.
Kenshin clenched his jaw, already in a terrible mood, and called the rooster head over to him. Sanosuke hesitantly got up and walked over.
"Yeah?" he asked.
"You don't," Kenshin began, "by any chance, happen to know a young woman named Yumi, would you?"
"No..." Sano answered, looking up at the ceiling.
"He lies!" Megumi said, charging in. "It was him!! He did it!"
Kenshin looked back at Sano, who was inching away. Kenshin grabbed him by the shirt and punched him in the stomach.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Kenshin shouted. "Are you purposely trying to ruin my life?! After everything I've done for you?!"
"Calm down!" Sano said.
"Calm down my as-"
Sano pushed him down to a chair and he sat, looking annoyed. "It's true," Sano said. "I did tell Yumi to go to you. I really meant it as a joke, man. I didn't think the Missy would walk in at that moment." Sanosuke sighed, and sat down next to Kenshin. "If I wrote a letter to the girl, maybe she'd understand and all will be well again! So, cheer up! I'll take the blame."
Kenshin looked reluctantly at Sano and sighed, "Fine, but if doesn't come around, it'll be your head."
Sanosuke grinned "Yeah, yeah. Who's up for some drinks?"
"Me!" Yahiko answered.
---------------
Three days had gone by. Kenshin and his group were sitting the front hall of the hotel, wasting time.
The front door of the inn opened with a bang, and a heavily panting Soujiro walked in. Kenshin stood up and walked over to him.
"Kaoru..." he panted. "She's... Kanryuu... not good..."
Kenshin took his arm and sat him down in a chair, "What's going on?"
Soujiro took a deep breath, "Kanryuu found her coming in three days ago, and he's kept her locked up her room since. He's not allowing her any food, so the only food she gets is when Miss Bethany sneaks food into her room from the kitchen when Kanryuu's out on business..."
"What?!" Kenshin shouted, standing up. "We have to help her!"
Soujiro grabbed Kenshin's sleeve, "One more thing... Kanryuu got the letter meant for Kaoru. He now knows that she was with you that day. He's become even more bitter because of it, and I fear she'll remain locked away for more days then he originally planned. Because Kanryuu intercepted the letter, we fear that it wouldn't' be wise to send another one. And so... she is still quiet bitter towards you, Mr. Kenshin."
Kenshin starred at the ground in silence. "I see..." His shoulders slumped slightly and he sighed, "Then there is nothing I can do..." He started walking towards the stairs.
Megumi sighed quietly. Misao sat down and held her head in her hands. Sanosuke sat back on his chair and starred away. And Yahiko...
Yahiko looked around at everyone. At Megumi, Misao, Sanosuke, and Kenshin's retreating form. He looked at them all in confusion. Were they giving up this easily? How could that possibly be? These were the people who defied odds! Megumi, who, even though she was a woman, became a highly acclaimed doctor! Misao, who was as fast as lighting, and deadly, even though she was small! Sanosuke, who was the epitome of strength! And Kenshin! Kenshin, whose name is legendry! Kenshin, who was one of the best men the North had!
People like them were going to give up? And he was just supposed to accept this?
Like hell!
"What's the matter with you guys?!" Yahiko barked. "You're going down without a fight?! I can't believe this!"
Sano looked up, "Yahiko-..."
"Don't "Yahiko" me! I can't believe this! Someone is in trouble! Someone needs help! Someone we have come to like! And we're just sitting here on our backsides? I don't think so! We help! And we do it now! Are we gonna let Kanryuu make Kaoru cry another tear? I don't think so! She's the damsel and we're the heroes! And what do heroes do? They take up their arms and fight till no one's standing!"
Misao squealed, "He's right! We gotta help Kaoru! I mean, she's such a good person and no one deserves to be in that position except Kanryuu himself!"
Yahiko grinned, "Alright! Who's with us?!"
Sano gave a cocky smile, "Guess you can't do without me!"
Megumi grabbed her medicine chest, "I'll be here to bandage you up whenever you need me!"
Soujiro laughed, "I know I'm not really "one of the gang" but you know everyone back home and I will always be there to help!"
Yahiko chuckled, "Alright! That only leaves one! Kenshin? What's it gonna be?"
Kenshin starred at everyone, emotionlessly. They all gave him hopeful looks. He broke down and smiled, wearily, "You know I'd always help her, whether or not she hates my guts." He walked towards the group.
"Alright!" Yahiko said, his fist shooting into the air. "The Kenshin group is back!"
"You've grow up a lot, Yahiko," Kenshin smiled, patting his head.
Yahiko grinned and rubbed his nose, "Yeah well."
"Well then," Kenshin said, "tonight, we fight!"
------------
A/N:
Well, it's not long, but I like it . . . kinda . . . I just really wanted to post this for you guys! Sorry for the shortness!
Sorry for the long time! I wrote the original event that was supposed to happen here, and then my computer broke. So, after much reflection and thought, I decided that the original storyline didn't portray Kaoru in the way I wanted it to. She seemed like a young girl, when I want her to seem as a mature woman. So I re-wrote it to be this, and that took a while, because I had to think about what was going to happen, but it actually works out better this way because the timeline is moving along quite nicely. And the whole "Yahiko speech", was very spontaneous.
So all in all this version is better then the old. (I wonder if Koishii approves . . . she read the first idea)
In other news, a new story of mine might be out soon . . . Might . . . I don't know . . . haha anyway . . .
Ciao