Chapter: 1
Summary: Kaoru, a depressed young hobo, trying to travel to a more accepting town were she could find her good friend, hitches a ride on a mysterious black locomotive. Kenshin, the mystifying conductor of this Kyoto bound metal box on wheels, finds her trying to hold her own against the larger more rough bums already stealing a free ride. Kenshin saves her and offers for her to stay at his house until she can find a job, but what happens when the only ray of kindness in her life is threatened? Will they find a way to stay together or will their lives pull them apart?
"Ok... so if I just jump on right before the train takes off and I hide when the conductors come around I can get a free ride to Kyoto?" She asked the tall man. His large spiky chocolate brown hair defied gravity and his deep soft eyes peered down at her twinkling. He wore ragged and ripped black jeans and a blue plaid shirt hung over his shoulder. The hot Tokyo night seemed to stick to his slightly dirty chest. He nodded, his eyes smiling down at her.
She looked up at him grinning back, the blossom of brotherly love present in her dark blue orbs. "So how much longer do you have?" She asked the stars twinkling above her in the vast velvet blue sky.
"My train leaves in an hour. But I still don't trust it." He said staring at the near by tracks angrily.
"Sano. You know you have to go. Megumi is sick and you're the only one who can help her. I'll come find you as soon as I can. Don't worry about it. Trains are safe and nothing will happen. Promise me you will remind yourself of Megumi every time you think about jumping off since I wont be there to remind you." She scolded him. He looked at her a goofy grin plastered on his face. "Promise!" She said harshly her eye brows furrowing in worry.
"Ok, ok. I promise." He said emphasizing the word promise. "I won't leave Megumi sick all by herself in Kyoto. But I want you to get there as quick as possible, I need to take care of you too." He said rubbing his hand through her hair. She pushed his hand away smiling and laughing.
"I just need some time on my own. I am this close to getting a job at the Akabeko and if I get a job I can support myself and buy back my fathers dojo. Then maybe I could come get you and Megumi and we could all live together in a home." She said clasping her hands together and wishing on the stars her dream would come true.
"Well Kiddo, that would be nice but if you don't get that job in a few months I need you to come find us. I know all the guys on the streets and with me gone they wont hesitate to try to 'take you under their wing'." Sano said in a warning tone. "If Megumi gets better and you aren't in Kyoto in three months I will come back to make sure you are alright." He said becoming serious.
"Sano I'll be fine. Don't worry. If I don't get the job I will be there in a month, two tops and if I get it I am sure I'll have the dojo and be there in three." Kaoru said smiling reassuringly.
"Alright. But I want you to get there as fast as you can. I don't want to worry about you." He said rubbing his hand through her hair again. She scrunched up her face and looked at him angrily.
"Don't do that." She said scrambling to fix her hair. He smiled staring at her angry frenzy in a loving way. He loved her as a sister but for a long while he had loved her. Up until he met Megumi he had planned on taking Kaoru as his bride one day. But that was when he was younger, just a child.
The loud shrieking whistle of a train could be heard in the distance and Kaoru stopped fixing her hair to look up at the slowly moving light coming closer to them. She looked up at him her earlier raging eyes turning a melancholy soft.
"Sano, be careful. Don't do anything stupid and remember, I love you." She said hot emotion-filled tears tugged at her eyes threatening to fall. She sniffled smiling up at him her eyes shining sadly. Sano's mouth was hanging open a bit; speechless. Instinctively he wrapped his large muscular arms around her shoulders in a loving hug resting his head on top of hers. Her head rested in the crook of his neck as a few tears slipped past her eyes barrier and soaked on to his bare shoulder.
She wrapped her arms quickly around his body her hands resting on his shoulders. "Kaoru, I'll miss you." He said the whistle blowing louder. He looked up and slowly began to walk towards a group of bushes. She moved with him and soon they were standing behind a small tree. Sano began to release her and she looked up to him. She sat down cross legged still holding his hand. He kneeled down placing his free hand on her cheek tenderly.
The train arrived and Sano looked behind him at it reluctantly. Sano just stared at her for a while soaking in her moon lit features. Her pale skin, her large blue eyes, her small fitted black tank top and her cut of jean shorts. The train whistled for take off and slowly began to chug away. Sano looked back at her quickly and leaned in pressing his salty lips onto hers quickly. He stood up and began to run towards a dark hole in the train. Really it was an open door that his buddies had left open for him but in the middle of the night it just looked like a hole in the train.
Kaoru watched his figure run through the patch of grass between her and the train. He ran fast along side the train trying to catch the hands of his friends reaching out to help him up. He caught one of their hands and got his footing on a bar hanging below the opening. He stood up and turned around watching her as the train began to pick up speed. He smiled and gave a small wave.
She stood up and waved openly, tears beginning to stream from her eyes. In the light he couldn't see her tears, only her wide smile. She wanted to run after him but she remained rooted in her spot her legs refusing to move. She sniffled and began to cough lightly. A bright blinding light shone into her eyes and she threw her arms up to protect her vision. She looked at the source to find it was a swerving flash light.
"Who's over there?" The voice boomed through the night air. She quickly began to run, her legs finally finding the strength to move but in the wrong direction.
That was Kaoru's life two and a half months ago. Back when she had hope and a lively disposition. She had a bright outlook on life and all she wanted was to get a job to support her and her friends in Kyoto. However, she failed to produce a job and she was having trouble keeping the men away from her. If she didn't have the help of Misao and Aoshi, her bum friends she would have surely been dead or worse.
So now she needed to gather what little pride she had and find her way to Sano and megumi in Kyoto. Were a job was waiting for her, along with Sano. She couldn't get the job she needed and all she could for the remaining time was mope around and try to part from her beloved town. She loved Tokyo because that is were she grew up and lived, even if it wasn't a good life.
Kaoru stood in the doorway of Misao's old apartment. It was a dead building that a bunch of hobos and bums lived in. Misao and Aoshi needed a home so they had a place to stay in between their applications and interviews for jobs. Both of them had majored but had never gotten a job and were kicked out of their houses because of their love. Misao had wide sea green eyes and kept her black hair in a long braid. She wore a lot of green and blue clothes. Aoshi had icy blue eyes and long black hair that fell into his eyes and wore a lot of black.
Kaoru was holding a bag in her hands of all of her possessions. Tears were streaming down her cheeks and she could only stand there as Misao hugged her tightly. "I promise I'll be back as soon as I can. Besides, Sano is in Kyoto." She said smiling through her melancholy features.
"Kaoru, I'm going to miss you. Be careful and as soon as you are all together and healthy, come home!" Misao said sobbing into her shoulder as she reluctantly let her go still holding onto her hands. Kaoru looked stoic as her severe sadness overwhelmed her to the point of tears. But she wouldn't let herself get so worked up right now or she couldn't run strait.
Just like that night two and a half months ago the same sounding whistle pierced through the air. She looked up and gave Misao another quick hug and stared lovingly at Aoshi. Misao was a short girl with a long black braid hanging down her back and sea foam green eyes. Aoshi was a tall man with icy blue eyes and dark black bangs hanging over his face. They were a cute pair but they were hard to leave. Kaoru gave Aoshi's arm a quick squeeze and he flashed her the smallest of smiles.
She quickly ran out from behind the bushel of trees towards a slowly moving train. Kaoru ran as fast as she could the bag she was holding bumping against her legs. She was coming up on a large red cart and just as Sano had said she waited until it had picked up speed and no one was looking and she jumped on quickly, throwing her things on first.
Her breath was heavy and labored and with her already high emotions she couldn't help but release her angry tears as she looked out the door and waved at Misao and Aoshi. She watched their bodies shrink back into small black dots and she leaned against the wall of the train peering around the darkness. She placed her bag next to her and closed her eyes the tears dripping continually from her blue orbs.
She sniffled but tried to stay quiet anyway. Even though no one in the train could hear her in the back, she still felt like people were just on the other side of that rickety wall. She knew on the other wall were probably cows or coal or even another empty cart. She sat there trying to keep control over herself but she couldn't help but allow her face to twist into a frowning, crying mess.
"You'll get over it." A rough male voice came from a darkened corner in the cart. Her tears continued to flow but her face screeched to a halt and bent into fear. "Who-Who's there?" She asked her voice shaky and at the brink of breaking.
"Don't be a little girl. I'm just like you. I won't reveal your presence." He said sarcastically.
A/N: i know it's a bad spot to end and it's to short but i'll have it updated by the 6th of july, i promise. You all can flame me if i don't.