AN: Holy crap that was traumatizing…
This last chapter got the most negative feedback I've ever received. It just shocked me, that's all, I thought it was better than usual considering I feel like I've been slacking off really bad.
MZ. AMbER EYES : Um....I'm not sure I understand the "the Enishi part was shit" you mean what Kenshin said?
Plus many thanks to The evil witch, Ochanoko, and ChaOsViVi[RaiN for being so flattering with their reviews. I know many others have reveiwed and said nice things as well....but I'd have like 10 pages of thank-yous to be doing. So you guys know who you are.
Naiya-Chan : Yeah, I figured that payment for the dorms would all be included in the tuition, that's the way college works too. But to give a reason for Misao's circumstances it was the only one I could come up with (since it would be highly unlikely for Misao to be paying for her grandfather's nursing home). ::sigh:: It's time to go back to the lovely world of playing pretend. If it helps the story, I'm always going to be tweaking reality. There wouldn't be much of a TCFW if there wasn't.
edit: WHAT THE DEUCE?!!!! WHY WON'T IT LET ME INDENT?!!! The only thing I hate more than redundant speech and bad grammar is a paragraph without an indention. Just letting you guys know that the formatting is not my fault! ::cries::
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"I can't deal with men anymore!" Kaoru shouted, tossing her purse onto the couch and slamming the door to the bathroom. It was time for a nice, hot shower to calm her temper. She wished she could have beat Kenshin into the ground, but had to settle for whacking Kenshin across the face with her purse. It was satisfying enough, but she craved more. She wanted to see him writhing on the ground in pain, eyes wide open in horror, screaming his lungs out for mercy.
Hey, a girl could dream.
She didn't hear Misao in her room as she murmured "You said it." She too, had had enough of men. Her cell phone rang for the sixteenth time in ten minutes, and she picked it up. All the calls were the same now. Daisuke was to blame.
"Hello?" Misao asked.
"Um, is this the number for a Misao Makimachi?"
"Maybe it is. What do you want?"
"Depends on how much you charge."
"Then this is not the number for a Misao Makimachi. Hang up, spread the word, and rot in hell." Misao listened to the confused pause, heard the boy mumble something about bad information, and he promptly hung up the phone. She was about to do the same when her phone rang again. Frustrated, Misao took the call and shouted into the receiver.
"Look, whoever in the hell you are, stop calling me! This whore has gone out of business! I'm not fucking anyone anymore! I never want to see another dick again until I'm legally married!" Misao almost hung up, but then she heard a familiar voice.
"Uh…Misao?"
Misao turned bright red. Aoshi had called her. Aoshi, though Misao did not know this, had also turned a rather noticeable shade of pink. Aoshi could hear a gasp, followed by a whimper of humiliation, and Aoshi's resolve was swept away by sympathy. Misao was so young…she didn't need to be living a life like this.
"Misao, is there something you want to talk about?" He asked softly.
Misao squeezed her eyes shut, hoping to dam the tears. She nodded her head, but only a muffled shriek of emotional pain escaped her tightly clamped lips. Aoshi, of course, couldn't see this. He decided to pick her up anyway.
"I'm going to get on the elevator now…I'm on my cell phone. I'm coming to get you. We can go out to Starbucks or something…would you like to see that nice museum that just opened?"
Misao squeaked a 'yes'. Aoshi strode down the hallway, trying to remember which dorm she lived in. They had been practicing in there only a week ago, and yet he could not remember. Well, back then, he hadn't cared. But to hear a young girl on the other line crying her eyes out because she had made a wrong decision…well, Aoshi's parenting instincts kicked in. Baby-sitting Shina had gotten him in touch with them. Misao didn't look like she was sixteen at all, and he wondered how she could have possibly slipped into such a terrible situation. Turning a corner for the third time, Aoshi finally remembered what room she rented, and he opened the door, hanging up the phone.
"Misao?" he called. There wasn't any answer. The bathroom door opened, and he expected to see a tearful Misao, but imagine his surprise when Aoshi ran into a damp Kaoru, clad in only a small white towel.
"HOLY SHIT!" Kaoru screamed. Still in reach, Kaoru grabbed the toilet scrubber and began beating Aoshi with it.
"Get the hell out of my dorm you lecherous, foul man!"
"Kaoru…KAORU! STOP IT!" Aoshi held his arms up. "It's me! Aoshi Shinomori!" Kaoru turned on the hall light, and got a good look of a cowering Aoshi, trench coat and all.
"Oh…I'm so sorry. Forgive me."
"Go put something on," Aoshi grumbled, still averting his gaze.
"Oh!" Kaoru blushed, running down the hall to her room. Aoshi opened a door to his left, peering through a darkened room covered in band posters. A sullen Misao was sitting on her bed, the glow from her cell phone the only light in the room.
"Come on. Let's go." Aoshi offered his hand to her, and she took it.
It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
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Kenshin finished reorganizing the CDs. He didn't understand how the got so out of order, but there were a lot of customers that just put things where they didn't belong after deciding not to buy them.
"Himura, it's almost closing time!" shouted Yukino. Kenshin sighed, trudging toward the back of the store.. He pulled out his cell phone, scrolling down the numbers in his phone list. He paused at the one that read Yukishiro (904) 456-7352. Decidedly, he hit the call button, and waited.
The phone rang three times before someone picked it up.
"Enishi speaking."
"Yukishiro…" Kenshin paused, his heart beating rapidly. He wanted nothing more than to beat Enishi into outer space for being such a jerk to Kaoru, but realized he deserved no better himself.
"Who is this?" Enishi barked.
"This is Himura."
"Ah, the Hitokiri Battousai." Enishi paused. "How the hell did you get my number?"
"I have my sources."
"So what's this about? You want to take Kaoru from me too? You want to challenge me to a fight? Name the time and place, I'll be there."
"Actually, Enishi…I wanted to…help you."
"WHAT?!"
"You see…when I was grieving over the death of the boys, I went to this psychiatrist…and he wasn't the best you know, but he was pretty good. And I thought you might want to look into it. His name is-"
"Why would I need a psychiatrist?" Enishi spat.
"You don't know how to handle your grief over Tomoe. It was such a tragic way to lose her, your feelings are misplaced and you're hurting people Enishi, really hurting people. I don't want to see Kaoru stuck in an abusive relationship, and if she's going to stay with you anyway, I thought I might as well try and help you out to keep Kaoru safe."
Enishi was silent for a long time. Kenshin sighed.
"His name is Dr. Monou. Just give it a try."
Kenshin hung up then, exhaling loudly. He only did it for Kaoru. He wondered if she would speak to him ever again. Well, she seemed like the forgiving type…
"Hey, Kaoru?" Kenshin asked, after dialing another number.
"Don't you ever call me again, you lousy shithead."
Click.
Well, maybe she wasn't a woman of forgiveness.
----------------------------------------------------
"So, it was Daisuke?"
"Yeah…well, he was always asking me in class, just kidding about it. And I took him up on the offer one day, and I went over to his house just to study, because I thought he was kidding. Then he pulled out the money…and…I needed it so bad…"
"You know…the payment of your dorm is included in tuition."
Misao whirled around, taken by surprise.
"You mean…you mean I never had to do it?"
"I didn't say that. You were probably paying for more than the dorm, that's all. Food, books, and of course, tuition."
"Oh. So the money I was making wasn't really doing much."
"Nope."
"So Grampa lied, thinking that it would make me feel better if I thought I was contributing."
"Sounds like it." Aoshi nodded, cocking his head to look at an abstract painting from a different angle.
"Remember when you said you believed there was no such thing as love?"
"Yeah. What about it?"
"I think you're lying."
"I was."
"Aoshi, you're such a jerk."
Aoshi smiled, and walked to the next painting.
"I was just pissed off and I wanted you off of my case about being gay. I am, in no way, attracted to men. I'm not really attracted to women either…everyone looks so…false."
"So that's why you wrote your song?"
Aoshi nodded. "But that's no reason for me to go explaining that there's no such thing as love. I think there is. I know there is. But there are some people that were destined to never encounter it."
"Let me guess….you're one of those people."
"Its quite possible. But I still have many years ahead of me. I won't know until something does…or doesn't…happen."
Misao sighed, slipping off her jacket. Summer was approaching, school was ending, and it was much too hot to be wearing the black garment. She pulled down her tank top, trying to cover her hips. Her jeans were too loose, falling from her bony figure. Aoshi chuckled as he watched Misao struggle with her wrongly proportioned clothing.
"Need a belt?" Aoshi began taking his off without waiting for an answer. Misao took the studded belt eagerly, cherishing the fact that it had only moments ago hugged the form of one of the most beautiful men alive. She pulled it around her waist, and hooked it on the smallest hole. This left about another foot of excess leather, and Aoshi laughed.
"You're such a tiny little thing. You'd go so well with Soujiro sometimes…"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Oh, I can tell Sou has the hotts for you, but he won't admit it out loud. Sometimes I think you two would really hit it off, but then you guys get into silly arguments…" Aoshi shrugged.
"Soujiro is such a freak."
"His hair?"
"No, the hair is cool. He's such a psycho, though…he DOESN'T STOP SMILING. Doesn't that bother the crap out of you?"
"Not really. I've seen him upset, and I've seen him mad, so I know what it's like to get breaks from the smiling, and believe me, I prefer his psychotic grins to his tears. The kid is like a freaking siren when it comes to sound. He can move even the most cold-hearted to sympathize with him."
"Weird…" Misao inspected a bronze statue before moving on to the next exhibit.
"Yeah."
"Hey, look, it's Kamatari!" Misao exclaimed. "Hey!" Misao started waving energetically. Aoshi popped her lightly on the back of her head.
"Not so loud, we're in a museum."
"Ow!" she glared up at him, rubbing the back of her head. She skipped on over to Kamatari, who looked pleased to see them.
"What're you doing here?" Misao asked. Kamatari smiled.
"Well, I was just looking for inspiration. I do a bit of painting here and there."
"Really? That is so cool. I wish I were artistic."
"You ARE Misao. You can SING." Aoshi reminded her.
"Hey, Kamatari," she went on, ignoring Aoshi. "Want to come with us to the park? We were going to eat lunch there. It'll be fun."
"I don't know…" Kamatari looked up at Aoshi.
"Come on…I've got enough money to cover all of us for food."
"Oh, don't worry, I'll pay my way!" Kamatari giggled.
Thirty minutes later, the trio was sitting down in the grass of the park neighboring the new museum. Aoshi, to be safe, had ordered a salad. Misao had french fries and a burger, while Kamatari had ordered some tofu meal that Aoshi could not identify. Misao had effectively obtained a sugar high from all her soda, and Kamatari had become equally bouncy. Aoshi himself was feeling quite alive and energetic.
"Wanna do something crazy?" Misao asked.
"Uh…sure," Aoshi replied, wondering what kind of trouble she would get them into…
"WOOOOOOOOOO! HELL YES!" Misao screamed, hands pushed forward in the 'rock on' symbol, greeting the wind. Aoshi hoped Misao wouldn't fall off his back as he circled the park's fountain containing a statue of Hermes for the third time. Kamatari was cheering them on, standing on the ledge of the fountain.
Aoshi stumbled, and came to a halt as he fought to catch his breath. Misao, laughing, slid off his back, running toward the fountain to greet Kamatari. Aoshi heard footsteps behind him, then a slightly heavier figure jumped on his back.
"My turn!" Kamatari shouted.
"Get off me!" Aoshi shouted, spinning around in a circle.
"Don't make me spank you, bad boy." Kamatari murmured seductively. Aoshi snickered, and turned to look at Kamatari's face as he leaned over his shoulder. "Just one ride around the park, just like Misao got. I'm a lady too, you know."
"Of course, miss." Aoshi ran up and down the length of the park, streaking past couples on benches, and Kamatari would shout things that would make absolutely no sense. As Aoshi sped through a yoga class, Kamatari squealed "I'm wearing the frosty pink panties today!"
Aoshi fell to his knees in front of the fountain. Misao hopped down, grinning from ear to ear. Kamatari leaned back into the grass, exhausted from screaming his lungs out. Aoshi flopped over to the side, breathing hard.
"How come I don't get a ride?" Aoshi grumbled, not intending the two to hear him. Kamatari and Misao exchanged a glance. Immediately, the two jumped at him; Kamatari grasped his legs and Misao jerked her hands under his arms. Together, they lifted a protesting Aoshi off the ground.
"Wait…wait…put me down. Put me down, guys. Hey…hey, if you DROP me, I'm going to be so pissed off…stop….stop running. HOLY SHIT YOU'RE GOING TO FREAKING DROP ME!"
"It's going to be okay!" Misao shouted, giggling. Aoshi tried turning his head so he could see where they were going. All he could see was Kamatari grinning evilly in front of him. He felt Misao climb up a step.
"What the hell?
"You wanted a ride, you're going to get one!" Kamatari exclaimed, and he and Misao swung him over the edge of the fountain.
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Soujiro looked down at the paper in his hands. The number looked really familiar. In all actuality, he knew whose number it was, he just didn't want to believe it. The number was written in a scrawled hand, on yellow notepad paper. Stained with what smelled like beer, it was not exactly what Soujiro would call a respectable note. Well, of course it wasn't. Kakyo, from Soujiro's 4th period class, had shoved the paper in his hand, laughing.
"If you want a decent fuck, call this number. I've heard she's not the best, but beggars can't be choosers, huh, Sou?"
"Why the hell are you giving me this?"
"Sou, a guy like you is too…pure. You need something to shake your life up a bit." At this, Soujiro turned bright red, both from anger and embarrassment. Kakyo chuckled and waved as he walked down the hall, slinging his book bag back over his shoulder.
At the present moment, Soujiro was fervently hoping that the number was a misprint. His nerves had been on edge as he tried to think it all out for the past few days. When Magdaria had come over to pick up Sano, he had been less than pleasant, and regretted it. He had always prided himself on his eerie cheerfulness. But he was just too angry, knowing that Misao was possibly….
No, she couldn't be. It was just a mistake. Maybe the 7 was supposed to be a 1. Or…it was just a joke in the first place. But who would hate Misao so much to make such a prank? She was on good terms with everyone from what he knew. And Kakyo wasn't one to give out false information on that type of thing.
Well, the only way to find out was to call. Shakily, Soujiro picked up the dorm's only phone. Wait, that would be too obvious. She would recognize the number on her ID. He had to call from the pay phone in the lobby. Determined, he jogged down the stairs to the first floor, headed straight for the pay phone. He punched in the numbers one at a time, hesitating over the last button, his veins circulating what he felt to be shards of ice…
The phone rang…
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"Hang on…someone is calling again." Misao leaned over Kamatari, reaching for her bag. She and Kamatari were lazily slumped on a park bench while a still-damp Aoshi was drying out on the sidewalk.
"You're so damn lucky we weren't arrested or anything," Aoshi muttered, still peeved.
"I don't recognize the number…" Misao bit her lip. Her present crisis was catching up with her, despite her day out. Aoshi glared at the phone.
"Let me see," Aoshi looked at the ID notice. "Looks like someone is calling from the lobby."
"Would you answer it please?" Misao asked.
"I think it would be more fun if I answered it." Kamatari giggled.
"While that would be much more entertaining, it would work better if I did since we both go to the same school. People know me and word will get around that I'm going to beat the shit out of anyone that calls her again, so…." Aoshi wasted no time in answering the phone before the voice mail message came up.
"Hello?" Aoshi demanded.
"Uh, yeah, is this the number I call for…" Soujiro didn't know how to phrase it without attracting attention from the other students milling around in the lobby. He tried altering his voice, hoping no one would recognize it.
"A good fuck?" Aoshi answered for him. Soujiro's mind went blank at the blunt response. And just what was a man doing answering the phone? He could have sworn it was Misao's cell phone number. Soujiro sighed in relief. So he had been wrong…
"Listen, Misao isn't doing that kind of shit."
Soujiro's heart skipped a beat.
"Get the word out that if another sex-crazed asshole calls this number, an Aoshi Shinomori will personally kick his ass."
Soujiro blanched.
"Wh-what?!"
"You heard right. Stop calling this number or I will hunt you down and shred you to pieces, and I will make sure that not even your own soul will recognize your body when I'm through with you."
Soujiro hung up immediately. Aoshi? Aoshi and Misao? It was better than Misao being a whore, but….he had no idea…
Crushed, Soujiro dragged himself up the stairs. Misao was annoying anyway. They fought too much. They had artistic differences. It would have been bad for the band.
"The band!" Soujiro cried. If Aoshi and Misao were together, that would still create problems. Aoshi was supposed to be the main attraction, and if he was taken, that would mean less fan girls, less popularity, less of a chance of making it in the music world…
{Oh hell. What does it matter anyway, we were never that good in the first place. I had to practically force everyone to join. I'll just…announce my resignation and tell everyone else that they're free to go.}
Soujiro entered the dorm. Aoshi of course, was out with Misao. Sano was with Magdaria. Kenshin was at his parents' house spending time with his new sisters. Soujiro turned the lights out, went back to his room, and fell face first into his bed.
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Enishi walked down the street; rain splashing down onto the asphalt, pouring into the gutters. He never particularly liked being soaked to the bone, but he did not have much of a choice. He was meeting Kaoru at a coffee shop, and he was not going to be late.
His gait turned in to that of a run as his boots crashed through the puddles, sending muddy droplets of water scattering into separate streams as they searched for another pool to collect in. The coffee shop was no far now, and he slowed his pace. Enishi entered the store sopping wet with a grin on his face.
Kaoru did not look happy to see him.
She was sitting by herself at the window, watching the water trickle down the glass. Enishi did his best to dry off by shaking himself out, and headed for the table. He sat down, expecting Kaoru to be slightly amused by his appearance, or at least giggle, but she didn't turn her gaze from the window.
"Hey," Enishi stated.
"Hey," Kaoru responded dolefully. She removed her chin from her palm, settling her hands in her lap. She smiled, though he could tell her heart was not in it, and turned to a silent waiter who had come to take their orders. Kaoru asked for water, while Enishi asked for hot tea. How could she stand water, Enishi thought, when all she could see was water? It was sliding down the window, pooling in the streets, rushing in the gutter, dripping from his hair…Enishi sighed and gave a shiver, hoping his tea would come soon.
"Is something the matter?" Enishi asked. He did not like Kaoru's mood. She picked at the neckline of her shirt, a modest tee that suited the summertime well. It was blue, another reminder of the pesky rain, and complemented her black capris well. Kaoru sighed, and moved her hands back into her lap. Had she heard him at all?
"Is something the matter?" Enishi announced more clearly. Kaoru turned to face him, a little startled, but she did not smile.
"Well…I just want to talk to you. About things." Kaoru replied.
{Things, hm? This can't be good.} Enishi's eyes narrowed as he tried to place his finger on what Kaoru was preparing to say. He waited, and still she said nothing, and he could not predict her words.
"Your tea, sir." The waiter picked up the saucer, effectively balancing the steaming cup of tea. Enishi stirred it and took out the tea bag as he reached for the sugar. Kaoru sipped her ice water, setting it back down in front of her. Again, Enishi was irked. Ice water? On a day like this? She had to be out of her mind.
"Enishi, it's time we went our separate ways. It's nice that you came into town to see me, but we're living so far away from each other it would be impossible to…" Kaoru trailed off.
"It would work out. I could transfer."
"Enishi, what do you see in me? What do you see in our future? I don't understand why you are so bent on making this work….I mean, do you want to get married? Are you just holding on so I can be there when you need me?"
Enishi's mouth dropped open, but he did not emit any sound. He was shocked, having not expected talk of marriage.
"I…well…I think it would be nice if we stayed together long enough to get married, yes…I suppose…" To tell the truth, Enishi had never thought about it. Why did he want Kaoru so badly?
"Enishi, I'm sorry. I can't stay with you anymore. You're hurting, and as a result, you've unleashed that hurt upon me."
"You don't know how to handle your grief over Tomoe. It was such a tragic way to lose her, your feelings are misplaced and you're hurting people Enishi, really hurting people…"
The blood drained from Enishi's face. He ran a hand through his white hair, and took a deep breath. He was searching for words, and explanation, an excuse, but he could think of none.. Just what had he done? He had ruined the last thing precious to himself.
"Kaoru…I'm…so sorry."
"I know you are. But you need to learn how to move on, and you can't do that by hanging on to me."
Enishi sat there, staring at his tea. Himura…he had put her up to this…
"This is about the Battousai, isn't it?"
"I wish you wouldn't call him that."
"Himura. This is about Himura. He put you up to this. Or…you're teaming up against me…"
"What are you talking about?"
"He called me earlier today. He had the nerve to suggest I visit the psychiatrist he went to after that whole incident at the summer camp!"
Kaoru looked genuinely surprised. Not exactly happy about this revelation, but surprised. She took another sip from her water, and smoothed down her shirt again.
"Well, I had nothing to do with that call considering I am not speaking to him any longer and even dared to call him a lousy shithead."
"What happened?"
"That is not something I am here to talk about. I think Kenshin gave you a good suggestion. You should try some therapy. You need to let go of Tomoe, and you need to let go of your anger."
Something flickered in Enishi's head. He saw, suddenly, why he wanted to keep Kaoru forever. She reminded him of his wonderful sister, the girl he no longer had. If he kept her, if he married her, he would have his sister forever, kept inside a gift box and nestled in tissue paper.
"Kaoru, I'll go to therapy if it makes you happy. But you'll stay with me won't you?"
"No."
"Please, Kaoru, you're the only thing I have left to love."
"You don't, love me, Enishi. Don't you get that? YOU DON'T LOVE ME. You beat the crap out of me when you snap. You aren't the same romantic boy I knew those years gone by. You're some kind of beast, some grief-stricken child. You can't handle what life deals you, and you need to get away from everything you ever knew, and start over."
Enishi felt his hand twitch, and it curled into a fist. He tried desperately to hold it down, to prove her wrong. But he couldn't help it. She was still talking, still lecturing him, still bringing back the face of his sister. She was dead, a bullet lodged in her head. She was slowly decomposing in a casket in the earth.
He didn't know what he intended on doing, but Enishi flew at Kaoru. She moved, and his arm collided with the back of the booth. Kaoru stood, and Enishi pulled himself back to face her. Kaoru leaned over the table, quite calmly, then backhanded him across the face. Enishi's jaw dropped in shock. His right eye began to tear from the sting of her knuckles smashing into the soft skin under his eye. She had hit him, and hard.
"How did you like that, Enishi?"
This was the Kaoru he knew. Strong. Determined. Why had she always cowered under him until now? Why hadn't she done this before?
"I'm sorry it had to lead to this, but that's how it feels. That's how it feels to be your girlfriend, and I can't deal with it anymore. If you come by my dorm again, I will get out my bokken and have no hesitations about beating the shit out of you. Go get help."
And with that, Kaoru stormed out of the coffee shop, leaving behind her half empty glass of water.
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Aoshi entered the dorm later that evening around 7. He was actually in a cheerful mood, though it did not show well. The only thing different about him was that he didn't glare or grunt at his roommates.
"Hey Aoshi," Kenshin mumbled from the couch as he stared at the TV screen.
"Hey," He replied. Kenshin's head whipped around, following Aoshi's figure into the kitchen. Never in his life had he been greeted so…nicely from Aoshi.
"Aoshi, dude!" Sano said, muffled from his head being lodged in the refrigerator. Food was scarce in the house once he had added himself to the number of inhabitants in the cramped dorm.
"Don't call me dude." Aoshi replied, though he said it with a hint of a smile on his face. Sano paused to take his head out of the fridge and give Aoshi a curious stare before diving back in.
"Soujiro," Aoshi greeted, pouring himself a glass of orange juice. Soujiro stormed by without a word. Aoshi paused, shrugged, and took a gulp of his drink.
"Did somebody give him a scare in the shower or something?" Aoshi asked.
"Who?" Sano asked, having not seen the icy demeanor of his fellow roommate.
"Soujiro. He's got his panties up in a twist."
"Naw, I didn't even know he was home. I walked in and Kenshin was here watching TV and he didn't say anything."
The front door slammed. Aoshi took that to be the departure of Soujiro.
"Himura!" Aoshi called from the kitchen.
"What? Make it quick, my favorite show is coming up!"
"What's up with Soujiro?"
"I dunno, I came home and all the lights were out and I didn't know he was home. Was that him that just slammed the door?"
"Yeah!" Sano yelled from the icy depths of the freezer. There wasn't even a simple ice cube left: Aoshi had taken the last three.
"That's weird…" Kenshin trailed off when his show came on.
"I still want to know why Soujiro was being uncharacteristically pissy." Aoshi muttered, staring into his cup.
"I have no idea. Now shut up, the show started." Kenshin waved his hands at the two boys.
"How was your date with Magdaria?" Aoshi asked.
"It was cool. We went to a poetry reading but the guy that was there sucked, so we left. Besides, Saitou was there, and he made up this lame excuse about being a Creative Writing teacher, which meant he enjoyed literature…what bull…"
"Sano, he is a Creative Writing teacher."
"I KNOW that. I just meant that he doesn't like literature, it was just some job he got stuck with. He hates everything the students write."
"That's because we're students and we're still learning. You know, I'm glad I never took that class."
"You should. Soujiro is always praising your writing. So long as you got some other teacher besides Saitou, you'd be cool."
"Crap, that reminds me, I'm supposed to have that new song finished for rehearsals tomorrow." Aoshi sighed, forcefully setting his cup down on the table and jogging back to his room to search for the papers.
"Aw, shit, I haven't gone down to the music room to practice once this week. It sucks not having my own drum set…" Sano grumbled.
"Actually, I quite enjoy the fact that you do not own a drum set. Now would you kindly shut up? I am watching a show, that I am."
"Did you sniff anything?" Sano asked. Kenshin did not move. "Hell-oooooooooooo!" Sanosuke waved his hand vigorously in front of Kenshin's face, but he didn't blink.
"Dammit…" Sano picked up a spare key and headed out the door for the music room. Kenshin was left in blissful silence with which to enjoy his television show.
---------------------------------------------
"Kaoru? You okay?" Misao asked. Kaoru had just walked into the dorm while Misao had been reading a magazine.
"Yeah. I'm fine."
"You're soaked…"
"I walked home from that coffee shop a few blocks away."
"I see…were you meeting anyone there? Say…a cute little Kenshin Himura?"
"I want nothing to do with that Gloom-and-Doom Jackass."
Misao's face fell. She had been so sure that the two had been attracted to each other. Sure, the only reason their relationship would have worked would be the "Opposites Attract" theory, but still, she had felt that they were so perfect for each other. Kaoru squeezed her hair out on the doormat, and Misao closed her magazine and tossed it aside. She wasn't going to sit by and not know what was going on.
"Did you two get in a fight?"
"He gave me some bullshit lecture about dark and light and that we could never work out because I'm too scared."
"Well, he was wrong about you being scared…but you probably should have listened to the dark and light part. Was it a philosophy issue? I mean, did he talk about his beliefs and such?"
"Well…sort of. He just rambled on about acceptance and respecting things at both ends of the spectrum.-"
"Yeah, you should have listened to that part. That's probably been building up for years." Misao rolled her eyes. Both Kaoru and Kenshin were being hard-headed.
"Well, I already told him he was a lousy shithead-"
"Oh, Kaoru, you didn't!" Misao whined.
"I did. And I just broke up with Enishi."
Detail by detail the whole story spilled while Misao sat by, mesmerized. Kaoru paced around as she explained everything, getting angrier and angrier with each plot twist. Misao's mouth dropped open at all the right moments, and she sighed and huffed with Kaoru over how idiotic the two boys had been.
"I can't believe you slapped him…well, both of them. That's just classic. I wish I could do that."
"Technically I hit Kenshin with my purse."
"It still counts."
"So what have you been doing all day?"
"Oh…nothing…" Misao grinned. Just then, Kamatari walked out in one of Misao's dresses.
"It's a bit snug, don't you think? Makes my thighs look fat- oh dear!" Kamatari's hand went up to his mouth in lady-like surprise. Kaoru froze in shock.
"What in the HELL is that?!"
"Hey, be nice, he's a human being!" Misao snapped back.
"Don't worry, girlie, I get this all the time. My name is Kamatari!" He extended a hand in greeting. Kaoru shook it mechanically, then turned to go back to her room.
"Don't you want to play dress-up with us?" Kamatari asked after her.
"No thanks…I'm going to bed. I've seen everything today and my brain needs to take some time off."
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Soujiro sat on the bench by the river, looking at all the sailboats pulled back by their docks as they waited for the storm to drift away. It had stopped raining by the time Soujiro had gone out, but dark clouds and a cool wind remained. On another bench quite close to his, a boy with shock-white hair sat huddled in a black trench coat and sunglasses Soujiro did not see often. It looked cool on him…but the boy looked so…put out.
"You ever think about just ending it all?" the boy asked. Soujiro looked at the water again, then back. He hesitated before answering.
"Yeah."
"Is that normal?"
"I dunno…I think so. It depends on the circumstances…and how serious you are about it. Every adolescent gets to that point where they want to just…leave it behind." Soujiro murmured.
"Yeah."
They were silent again. The boy did not introduce himself, and showed no intention to.
"Water looks inviting today." The boy muttered. Soujiro looked back at the river, wondering what he meant. It was raining, for Pete's sake…wait…
{Oh, I know what he means now.}
"I dunno…I'd want to go as quickly as possible."
"Is it a girl?" the boy asked. Soujiro smiled sardonically. How true…how well this boy seemed to know him.
"Yeah. What about you?"
"Yeah, I guess so. But it's more than that. It's about…family, lost love, being a purposeless existence."
"I see.. So what should we do about it?"
"I don't think I would fear death." the boy nodded his head at this, as if to reassure himself.
"I don't either. But…" Soujiro trailed off.
"Something about that isn't the right choice."
"Yeah."
"Do you think we're just pretending…that we're trying to find an excuse to keep on living? That we really do fear death?"
"No…I think we fear ourselves. I think we fear that we are willing enough to embrace death with open arms. What's more frightening than a person without hope?"
"I'm sure there's something scarier …but…what you say rings true. Thanks." The boy stood, and began walking away. "If it weren't for you…I don't know. I think I'd be at the bottom of the river."
"Same goes back to you, man. " Soujiro sighed. "Same goes back to you."
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Anoooother AN: Guess what? 18 page chapter. The story is close to being 200 pages long (It's like 150 right now). I did most of this while listening to the X/1999 soundtrack. It soooo helps the mood. REVIEW!!!