Chapter Thirteen
Getting over you
Kaoru stared widely at the man sleeping next to her, watching him sleep. Is this for real? She's not dreaming, is she? She reached out to touch his face and quickly pulled away as if his skin scorched her skin. Yep, this is real… but of course she was still in the state of doubting it. It happened so fast that she herself couldn't believe it.
How did it happen?
She didn't know.
As she mused, her fingers began to touch his face again, exploring and tracing the contours of it. From his brows, to his nose, to his cheekbones until it rested on his perfectly carved jaw. She looked at him, his hair messily disheveled on the pillow, his face all smooth and calm as he peacefully slept.
Though he never said it yet, she knew he felt the same way as she does. She could see it in his eyes. Last night proved everything and she was glad he did the first move. Megumi's right. Jealousy can be a man's weakness… she grinned as she saw him slightly stir from sleep but did not made any move to rouse from it. And so, she continued observing his face.
So, they knew how they felt about each other, what will happen now?
Sure, it will be easy for Mr. Smarty-pants since he's a free man with no problems to worry about. He can easily drape an arm around her and proclaim that she's his newest girlfriend, be damned to whoever protests.
But to her, it was a whole lot new issue.
First of, her parents.
Her mother almost fainted when she learned that she's staying in the same roof with a man and that she's working as his housemaid. Her father may appear blasé, but she knew he'll be upset as well. What more if they learned that their daughter fell in love with the man she's staying with? They would think numerous, horrific, bad things since for the fact that they're living together in the same house.
Second, her punishment.
Aoshi knew nothing about her punishment. That she came from a wealthy family and had been doing this housemaid thing for the purpose of fulfilling her father's terms. He hates a lot of things and if he ever founds out that she's lying to him, who knows what he'd do! This may cause a lot of troubles with their new-found relationship. Things could get messy.
And third… who else? Kenshin.
She had been in love with Kenshin for like—since childhood! And all this time she thought she'd find a way to lure him back from Tomoe and be with him forever. Heck, she even imagined herself getting married with him someday. But now… everything's changed. Back then whenever his name came into her mind, she'd go all flushed and hop like a bunny rabbit around, which was really ridiculous by the way.
And now…
And now she couldn't feel the same "spark" anymore.
Yeah, she still loves him—but as a friend! Just like with Sano. Someone you could talk and lean onto when you're down and lonely. No infatuation or crush or love or anything. Nada! And it's odd to think that she's not smitten with her red-headed best friend anymore.
What happened?
…
…
And then Aoshi came into her mind.
Who would have thought she'd actually fall in love with him?
He's like the worst of the worst.
Why did she fell in love with him?
Kaoru smiled at the thought, because I'm having so much fun whenever I'm with you… his company always brings the joy out of her. All the bickering, quarrels, nonsense fights… she's enjoying every second of it. Everyday was different. Unlike with Kenshin…
She'd go all ga-ga whenever he's around. He's very nice, compassionate and loving. He's good looking too and very smart especially when it comes to things concerning numbers, ratios and algebra equations (Which by all means was her least favorite subject). She could describe him perfect as well.
But something's missing with these wonderful traits.
He's not Aoshi.
Aoshi Shinomori may be cold and indifferent but she could voice out her thoughts at him.
Unlike with Kenshin, again…
She always keeps smiling, acting nice and charming so he could notice her. She wanted him to forget Tomoe and love her. She and Tomoe had been competing for Kenshin for so long that she herself couldn't exactly remember when it all started. She wanted to be like Tomoe, which was a really bad thing. Acting like someone else and not being oneself is foolish. Megumi and the others had been telling her this. But no! She had to be her stubborn self and kept on pursuing the man she could never have.
It was stupid.
And the arrogant, egocentric, rude, bastard doctor made her realize all of these.
How ironic.
Her smile broke into fits of giggles when he frowned and groaned in his sleep as he kept on avoiding her exploring fingers away from his face. Aoshi's being his grumpy ol' self in the morning again.
"Psst! Wake up!" she cooed as she moved closer and pinched his nose.
He irritatingly swatted her hand away.
Oww! She winced and shook her hand as she angrily glared at him. I'll get you for that! She reached out to pinch his left cheek this time. Granted, Aoshi shot his eyes open and side-glanced at her. Noticing that he was glaring at her, Kaoru cheekily smiled and pulled harder on his cheek, "Well, about time you—aack!" she was stunned when Aoshi grabbed her wrist, pushed her to her side of the bed with him on top of her. Well, at least half of him pinned her down on the bed. He draped one leg over hers, his hand still held her wrist above her head while his head lazily rested on her shoulder. Kaoru looked down on him and saw a ghost of a smirk on his face before he closed his eyes and went back to sleep. The devil! Kaoru mentally yelled as she struggled to free herself. But to no avail, she was trapped between him and the bed. Her other hand was pinned beneath his torso and she couldn't move it. Kaoru irritatingly sighed and rolled her eyes, So much for revenge! She lay on the bed, realizing that pushing him would not do her any good.
And because of this quite compromising situation, all she could do was to let her eyes wander around the room. This is boring… she had much more fun annoying him in his sleep and now she couldn't move an inch. And then her eyes fell on the clock on his bedside table. It read, 10:15.
"WHAT?" Kaoru gasped. She never thought they slept this late! Oh my God, I'm late! She then remembered that Aoshi's supposed to be in the hospital by now. Once again, she struggled under him. With all the strength she could muster, she pushed him off of her. Actually, Aoshi complied with her efforts of removing him since he's way too sleepy to tease her. He moved to his side and buried his head under his pillow.
"Doc, wake up! You're late for work!" she reached out and shook him lightly. That didn't work. Exasperatedly she sighed and shook him harder, "Get up! It's almost ten-thirty, you must get up!" he answered with a grunt and continued to sleep more.
"Aargh! I give up!" she jumped off of the bed and headed outside towards the bathroom.
After taking a quick bath and changing into clean clothes, Kaoru stormed back into his room and was shocked to see him still in the same position, lost in his own dream world. She planted her hands on her hips and disapprovingly shook her head. "And to think this guy's a doctor. Unbelievable…" Without much of a choice, she stood at the end of his bed and yelled, "Shinomori Aoshi, get up this instant!" she wished she had Misao's megaphone so she could use it on him just like what Misao did to her back then. She almost laughed at the thought but kept herself from doing so. She grabbed his feet and tried to pull him off of the bed.
Aoshi, half-asleep, grabbed the bed's headboard which caused Kaoru to topple on the floor on her bum with a loud thud.
Kaoru whined, gently rubbing her aching butt. Great, just great… she gritted her teeth, losing her patience as she stood up in much effort and glared at him. She jumped back onto the bed and shook him, "Doc, C'mon! Get your lazy ass up! I'm late for schoo—eep!" she gasped and was stunned to see him lazily raise his head and had his ice-blue-eyes glare at her. Her mouth twitched into a nervous smile as she raised a hand and said, "O-ha-you…" she yelped when he once again grabbed her wrist, pulled her against him and trapped her down on the bed once again.
Back to square one.
She rolled her eyes and then turned to see him awake and staring at her. "Ugh! I can't believe you!" she used her free hand to playfully yet forcefully swat his shoulder.
"What?" he innocently asked and raised both of his brows.
"You're awake!" she exclaimed, "Why won't you get out of bed when I asked you to?"
A smirk formed on his lips as he replied, "I had so much fun teasing you."
"How long have you been awake?"
"Way earlier than you… actually, I was able to brush my teeth and take a shower without waking you up. You're such a heavy sleeper." He teased, earning a cute pout from the other.
Kaoru narrowed her eyes, trying to look defiant and intimidating, "You're evil."
Aoshi didn't reply. He only laid there, silent and simply looking at her.
Kaoru felt uncomfortable with his stare and asked, "What?"
"Ohayou." He said and reached out to kiss her.
Her eyes widened at the sudden contact and then felt them close instantly as warmth coursed through her body. He slightly pulled away only to wrap his arm around her waist and pull her much closer. He then claimed her lips in a most searing kiss that almost drew Kaoru's soul out. They pulled away to catch some air they have lost with both eyes locked at each other. Both erratically breathed, Aoshi was still looking impassive while Kaoru remained panting and smiling goofily at him.
"Wow." She breathlessly said, her hand cupping his cheek, "What a great way to start my morning." But then suddenly she moved and tried to pull away, "Okay, now that you're all awake, get up and get dressed. You're late for work."
Aoshi tightened his hold on her and asked, "Who says I'm going to work?"
Kaoru stared at him wide-eyed, "Eh?"
"No one's leaving this bed or this house until I say so." Aoshi spoke again with hidden humor within his tone.
"Eh?" Kaoru was now definitely confused, "Does that mean—"
Aoshi nodded, "You're staying here. You're not going to school."
She looked at him with disbelief in her eyes, "Are you serious?" she shook her head as he again nodded, "I can't believe this…" she was not expecting this coming out from someone like him who pretty much valued time and his work. What's up with him? Concern suddenly filled her eyes as she reached out to touch his head, "Doc, are you alright? Are you feeling well?"
"I'm fine." He sternly replied, getting a little bit irked with her stubbornness.
"But— we can't! I mean—"
"We probably missed a lot since we're both late for school and work."
Kaoru pondered about it and found herself nodding to his reason, "You do have a point."
Aoshi smugly snorted, "No need to state the obvious."
She glared and childishly stuck-out her tongue.
He looked at her and wittily said, "Its better if you'd put that tongue into use."
Kaoru blushed at the comment and looked away.
He smirked and moved to rest on his back. Kaoru did the same and both stared up into the ceiling in silence.
"What do you want to do now?"
"Nothing."
"…"
"…"
"Aoshi?" the name rolled strangely around her tongue. Calling him by his name felt so strange.
"Hn?" he liked the way his name sounded on her voice.
Kaoru felt hesitant at first, but then she dared to continue, "Would you hate me if I lie to you?"
"It depends." He truthfully answered. He turned his head and looked at her, "Why do you ask?"
She shook her head and nervously laughed, "Nothing." She noticed him giving her a doubtful stare and quickly decided to change the subject. "This is nice."
"Hn?"
"Just lying here… on your bed…. Next to you."
"…"
"…"
"Kaoru?"
"Hai?"
"Last night… I saw you and Enishi—cuddling—outside. Care to explain?"
Kaoru glanced at him and then stared back into the ceiling. "A friendly hug, that's all."
"Is it?" he knew that hug meant nothing to her. But it was quite fun asking her these awkward questions.
"Hey, are you still jealous?" she turned to her side facing him with a huge grin on her face.
He turned to her and saw her adorably smiling up at him. "Should I?"
Kaoru half sat-up as she looked down on his curious blue eyes. "Hmm…" she looked thoughtful for a moment by placing a finger on her chin, "After kissing you and letting you sleep in the same bed with me—yup! I think you should really be jealous. Enishi's way ahead of you..."
"You're not funny." He nonchalantly stated, clearly stating that he's taking her words too seriously.
"Oh yeah?" she kept herself from smiling and went on with her mock anger, "Who say's I'm joking?" she instantly received a death glare from him. "Don't you want your cousin for me, Aoshi-sama?" she fluttered her eyes and asked in her sweetest tone.
He knew she was playing but of course he's not in the mood to play her little games. Just the thought of her and his cousin alone irritates him. "No." he stated in his most smooth, deepest tone.
Kaoru raised an eyebrow and asked, "Who's worthy of me, then? Tell me…"
Aoshi sat up without taking his eyes off of her. "Come here." He ordered, pointing on his lap.
Her cheeks promptly flushed as she looked onto his eyes and then onto his lap. He wants me to sit there? The situation's getting much more awkward in each passing minute. He's very sly and each remarks that slips out of his mouth always make her blush. She knew protesting won't do her any good and the temptation of being that close to him was too strong as well. Well, follow what you desire darling. That's the only rational thing to do. And finally without much of a hesitation, she moved towards him and bestrode his lap.
She looked up at him, still with flushed face as she asked, "What now?"
Aoshi wrapped his arm around her waist as the other reached for the back of her head, pulling her into a kiss. Kaoru knew what was coming and instantaneously wrapped her own around his neck. He urged her to open her mouth for him and she complied. Aoshi could have sighed in bliss just from the taste of her mouth, gaining all the liberty to explore the recess. The feel of her against him and the scent of her was enough to heighten up his desire for her.
The feel of it was incredible. So incredible that Kaoru herself couldn't find any words to describe it. She knew this was love she was feeling and definitely couldn't deny it anymore. She felt his fingers gently massaging her scalp and then gingerly running them through her long, bluish-black hair.
He tipped his head on the side to deepen the kiss, earning a moan from her. Her hands traveled from his neck down to his back, feeling each fine muscles twitching from her touch. Aoshi released her mouth and kissed her cheek down to her neck. Her scent alone could be an aphrodisiac.
Kaoru feeling all-dazed, laid her head on his bare shoulder as he continued to spread feather-light kisses on her neck and ear. She felt sorry for him. She knew how much he wanted her just as much as she wanted him. But things are still complicated. And giving in into temptation would make things worst. She was glad that he understands and that he will never push her do stuff that she doesn't like. He promised her last night that he won't do anything that would hurt her. His words meant so much to her and she knew he can be trusted.
He gave his one last kiss on her ear and finally settled into just holding her. Kaoru buried her head on the juncture of his neck and shoulder, inhaling his inimitable scent. He tightened his hold on her and they both snuggled there in silence. Not until Kaoru spoke and broke it.
"Why do you love me?" it was an innocent question, yet meant so much. She felt his chest rise and fall deeply, a sign that he sighed.
"It's hard to explain." He answered.
Kaoru shook her head and asked again, "Why do you love me, Aoshi?"
"Because…" he started, "You are different."
"Different?" she urged for him to continue.
He sighed again and nodded, burying his nose on her hair, "You are poles apart from the numerous women I've met before. Most women would gawk and swoon on my feet… but you… you prefer to have a row with me than tell me nonsense stuff and flatter me with various compliments. You're the only person who dared to defy me, annoy me and made me do things that I'm not usually fond of. You're unpredictable, odd, and always send my nerves in haywire. I never thought a girl who possesses all the negative traits I wanted in a woman would be the woman I'd fall in love with. Most women would love to trade places with you right now, I can tell."
Kaoru was touched with his words, despite of the insults. No one ever appreciated her this much. Just from the fact that he thinks she's poles apart from the other women who admires him made her happy. "You're not very vain, are you?" she teased, slightly pulling away to see his face.
He snorted and shrugged his shoulders, "I'm not. It's just the way I see it."
"Your past—girlfriends… are they the same with these women you're talking about?" she wasn't really sure if this is the best time to ask him about his past relationships. But curiosity got the best of her and ended up asking.
He shook his head and replied, "I don't know. Some loved me because they think they admired me, some because of my family background, some because of money, while others just plainly wanted me as a trophy for them to brag about." He sighed and tightened his hold on her, "Kaoru, why do you love me?" he suddenly returned the question, looking straight into her eyes.
She broke into a huge smile and replied, "Because you're very easy to annoy. I love it whenever we exchange verbal insults, laugh whenever we physically attack each other, and definitely enjoyed it more whenever I see that impassive face of yours show signs of jealousy. I love being with you. To tell you the truth, I get really bored when you're not around. You're…" she paused, feeling a little out of breath when she saw herself within those ice-blue-eyes, feeling as if he's actually looking through her. She swallowed the lump on her throat and lightly touched his face with her fingertips. "You're everything I wanted in a man…" she whispered, a little breathless.
Aoshi looked at her, her hair quite disheveled and falling beautifully on her back, her eyes half-lidded as she followed each movement of her fingers, her face flushed from her thoughts, her mouth slightly-parted and plump from their previous kisses, begging for more. And she was straddling his lap which made it much harder for him to control himself. His body wanted to grab and take her while his mind mentally reminded him his promise to her. Aoshi's known to keep his words. He would never hurt her.
He grabbed her wrist and stopped her wandering fingers. She looked at her wrist and then back to him as he asked, "Then, will you stay with me?"
Kaoru's brows furrowed, "Stay with you?"
"Yes."
"As a housemaid?"
"No."
"…"
"…"
"B-but…"
This time, it was Aoshi who creased his brows, "Why? Don't you want to stay with me?"
Kaoru quickly shook her head and waved her hand, "No! It's not that!" the least thing she wanted right now was him being upset with her. Not now that they've just admitted something special to each other. "It's just because I…"
"I'd go and take consent from your parents if you want to." He seriously spoke, his eyes sincerely staring at her.
Damn, this is hard. She bit her lower lip and muttered, "I think that wouldn't be a good idea at all…"
"What do you mean?"
Kaoru was nervous, desperately finding other ways to explain it to him. "Um… hey, even if I ever plan on moving out, we can still see each other, right? I'll transfer from one house to another and then that's it! I'm not leaving the country or anything…" she wanted this conversation to end, silently praying that he'd stop putting her on-the-spot.
Aoshi didn't say anything. He just sat there and stared at her in silence, which made it much more complicated for her. He's not convinced; she could tell by the way he's looking at her.
"Fine." He suddenly spoke.
"Eh?" Kaoru almost choked.
"You do have a point." He begrudgingly nodded.
Kaoru stared at him with mouth agape. Did he just— She immediately recovered from her state of shock and grinned, "No need to state the obvious." She teased. And so to avoid encountering much harder questions, Kaoru got up from his lap and smoothed her blouse and pants.
Aoshi easily released her, realizing that they'd been staying in bed for so long, his back was aching. He watched her pull her hair back into her usual pony-tail hair-do as he mused. He knew Kaoru's hiding something from him. He noticed it by the way her fingers fidgeted on her blouse, laugh nervously and looking away from his eyes, avoiding direct contact. But of course he's not going to push her to tell him whatever this thing she's hiding. He knew she'd tell him someday. When the right time comes, she'd tell him everything. And with this thought, he agreed on not questioning her further.
"What do you want for breakfast?" she then asked.
He smirked and stared at her, "You."
Kaoru faked a laugh and nodded, "Very funny." She crossed her arms and asked again, "Seriously, what do you want?"
He dismissively waved a hand and stood up from the bed, "Whatever you're cooking."
She shrugged her shoulders and said, "Okay," she then turned towards the door and went outside. She headed down the stairs not before hearing him say,
"Anything but bacon and eggs. Please spare me."
Kaoru laughed and resumed towards the kitchen.
Tomoe looked at her brother in disbelief, "Pardon?"
Enishi shrugged his shoulders and drank his tea, "I said she wanted to make Aoshi jealous last night. That's why she hugged me."
Slowly, the look of surprise on Tomoe's face vanished as she started laughing, "Oh. Finally…" her laughter wasn't cruel. It was all wholehearted, which quite startled Enishi. Amusement danced around her eyes.
Her brother glanced at her and suspiciously questioned, "That's not an evil laugh. Why am I not hearing it from you?"
Tomoe stopped laughing and stared back into her brother's curious eyes, "Why should I? I'm happy for our cousin, Eni-kun…"
"Seriously?" and all this time he thought she's only using that as an excuse. "I thought you hated Kaoru-san."
The dark-haired beauty shook her head and waved a hand, "I never said I hated her. It's just her being Kenshin's best-friend bothers me. That's all."
"And now you're glad that they're finally together?" Enishi unsurely asked again.
"Perhaps," Tomoe shrugged her shoulders, "Yes. Aoshi needs someone like Kaoru-san. She's very—lively… as what Kenshin always describes her… A girl like her can easily balance Aoshi's—surliness…"
Enishi laughed and nodded, "Yes, she's lively alright."
His sister looked at him in full mischief, "Hmm… is my baby brother smitten by Kaoru-san too?"
He shrugged his shoulders and then turned to her, "To tell you the truth… I almost fell for her, nee-san."
"Really?" Tomoe never expected that answer. She was just only teasing.
This time he sighed, "But then I realized falling for her would be useless now…"
Tomoe noticed something odd with her brother, which she rarely sees. A frown crossed her features, "Eni-kun… what attracted you to her?" seriously, she wanted to know. What caused them to fall for her that easily? Is she that easy to love? First Kenshin, then Aoshi and now her brother, Enishi. She knew Enishi's quite the ladies man, flirting around girls and enjoying his youth. But falling for a girl like Kaoru quite surprised her. He could have a thousand of much prettier and much more voluptuous women out there. But then here he was, confessing that he almost fell for Kamiya Kaoru. The same girl she's so insecure of.
Enishi looked thoughtful for a moment and then replied with a grin, "She's cute, funny and smart. Sometimes clumsy but never fails to amuse everyone around her."
Tomoe feigned a hurt look on her face and shook her head, "Funny, it's the same word Kenshin said to me a few years ago. Kaoru-san is really something, I must admit."
Enishi laughed, "She is."
"How are you handling this, Eni-kun?" Tomoe asked her voice filled with concern.
Enishi shrugged his shoulders again, "I'm fine, nee-san. It's a good thing I managed to stop myself from falling deeply before it destroys me."
"Are you sure?"
He laughed and threw a wide grin towards her, "Yes." He firmly replied, a sign that he wanted to immediately end the conversation.
"Mou! I still don't get it, Kenshin!" Kaoru moaned, throwing the pen away, burying her face between her hands. Yes, she did ask for Kenshin to tutor her in Algebra. That's why they're sitting on the school's rooftop, pondering on various Linear and word problems. But no matter how hard Kenshin had been patient on teaching her, nothing registers clearly inside her head. It seems her brain refuses to receive such arduous problems itself.
Kenshin smiled and said, "You're improving, Kaoru-dono. At least you know how to factor numbers. Now all you have to do is to transpose—"
"I don't understand what you're saying." Kaoru despairingly said, "Why do I have to learn this stuff anyway? It's not like I'm going to compute the square root or measure each ingredients I have."
"One must learn how to compute things even the smallest—"
"What? Like that guy from A Beautiful Mind? What's his name again? Ru—Rus—"
"Russell Crowe?"
"Yeah, Russell Crowe!" Kaoru nodded, "Geez, Kenshin. Not everyone's like that guy. Like ME for example!"
Kenshin laughed, "Don't think so low of yourself, Kaoru-dono. You're a very smart girl. It's just that you already enclosed your mind towards Algebra, telling yourself that you can't do it, that you do."
Kaoru narrowed her eyes on him, "You're always making sense. Is that one of the perks of being smart?"
"I am not that smart, Kaoru-dono."
"Oh shush! Stop acting so modest. You know you're smart! Everyone knows that."
Kenshin smiled and said, "I guess that'll be a compliment. Thank you."
Kaoru smiled back and then stared up into the bright blue sky, "Ne, Kenshin."
"Hai?"
"How's Tomoe-san doing?"
He turned to her and questionably stared at her. It's not everyday you get to hear her asking about Tomoe's well-being. It was just plain odd. Just like hearing Tomoe asking about Kaoru's well-being. "She's doing fine. Why do you ask?"
She shook her head, "Nothing… why? Don't I have the right to ask?"
"No, no… it's not like that. It's just—"
"Unusual?"
"Hai."
Kaoru sighed as silence engulfed the two.
It was her who broke the silence and spoke first.
"I'm over you Kenshin."
A long pause,
And then Kenshin replied, "Really?"
"Hai."
"…"
"…"
"I'm glad… but we're still friends, aren't we?" he hopefully asked, turning his head to stare on her face.
Kaoru giggled and turned her head towards him, "Of course! You, Sano and I had been friends since we're kids. You two are my best friends… how could I not be your friend?" she smiled and gave him a playful pat on the shoulder, "Silly Kenshin."
Kenshin was glad that everything finally turned out like this. Ever since he and Tomoe had been a couple, he had been so worried about Kaoru distancing herself away from him. He knew Kaoru likes him and to be honest, he felt the same thing as well. But he had thought wrong after meeting Tomoe. He realized that he wasn't really in love with Kaoru. He only treated her as a sister, a friend and nothing else.
"But that doesn't mean that I don't feel love for you anymore." Kaoru's smile vanished and was now replaced by a saddened look. She looked away, refusing to meet Kenshin's amber eyes. "I still love you… but I'm more ready to let you go." After hearing his engagement with the beautiful Yukishiro Tomoe, Kaoru finally decided to deny her feelings away.
And for the fact she already found someone else who's more willing to return her feelings despite of the constant arguments they always shared.
Up until now, Kaoru's still bewildered for the fact that she and Aoshi are together—more than a professional relationship, that is.
"Kaoru-dono." Kenshin disrupted her thoughts.
"Hai?" she absently spoke.
"I don't know if I should ask this…"
"Spit it out!" Kaoru playfully spat.
Kenshin turned to her and gravely looked into her eyes. Kaoru suddenly felt uncomfortable. "Why?"
"Eh?" she blinked at him and his one word question.
The redhead hesitated for a moment and then went on with the question bothering his mind, "You've gotten over me. What happened?"
Kaoru and Kenshin shared a companionable silence for a moment not until Kaoru replied, "I met someone else…"
"And?" Kenshin's not thoroughly satisfied with her answer.
"I fell in love with him."
"…"
She sighed and continued, "I thought I was in love with you Kenshin… perhaps, I was wrong after all."
"Kaoru-dono…"
"Remember the first time we met?" she immediately interjected.
"Hai." Kenshin answered, nodding despite of the fact that she quickly changed the subject.
A smile crept on Kaoru's lips as she started to reminisce, looking up into the clear blue skies, "You were so adorable in that little purple hat and jumper, ne?"
Kenshin blushed at the memory of his so-embarrassing way of dressing courtesy of his wonderful, ever so-loving step-dad, Hiko. "If that's what you think… I guess…"
A soft laughter came from the stunning girl beside him and said, "We were in the park back then, I was on a swing with Sano pushing me behind. Eventually he pushed the swing too much that caused me to fall straight into the ground, face down." She heard Kenshin laugh as well and nod, his head tipped up, a sign that he's reminiscing their memories together as well. "I managed to pull myself up and then started crying. I could hear Sano fidgeting behind, muttering apologies. And then the next thing I knew, there was a hanky offered forth me. I looked up and I saw you… your eyes, so innocent, large and had the most unusual color or purple held me. I stopped crying."
Kenshin leaned against the railing and said, "You look so dirty back then. The least thing I could do was offer you my handkerchief to stop you from crying."
"I know," Kaoru happily replied, "You were three years older than me. I was quite surprised to see an older kid standing in front of me. I took your handkerchief and blew my nose." A blush appeared on her cheeks at the memory, "After that day, we had never seen each other again. I never knew your first name… Well, not until high school."
"You bumped into me," They both shared a look and he continued, "and we recognized each other."
Kaoru enthusiastically agreed, "And after that we're inseparable."
"People used to tease us, predicting that you and I would be a couple someday." Kenshin mused.
"Yeah."
"To be honest, I thought the same thing too."
Kaoru was surprised by this and swiftly whipped her head towards him, "What?" had she heard him wrong? Did he actually admit that he thought they're going to be together? Geez, I must have lost it…
Kenshin managed to smile despite of the evident shock his words caused her. "Back in high school, I have always admired you. I watched you everyday since your school's next to ours. You're growing beautifully, Kaoru-dono. But the thought of our friendship and that I'm six years older than you hindered me from confessing. Not until Tomoe transferred into our school… when I met her, some things changed." He lowered his head, suddenly finding his algebra book quite interesting than her eyes, which were not intently focused on him.
Much to her dismay, Kaoru nodded and weakly replied, "You fell in love with her."
"Hai." He finally looked up to her, his eyes filled with remorse.
"I always admired Tomoe-san, do you know that?" she turned away and looked up into the skies again. "She's very beautiful, intelligent and popular. Everybody likes her—well, except me, of course." She admitted with a small laugh, "I hated her. I'm jealous of her especially whenever I saw her clinging on your arm or when she can easily steal you away from my small attempts of conversation. I was so mad at her not only because you fancy each other… but because she took you away from me. Ever since you've met Tomoe-san, we've never spent time together. You forgotten about me, Kenshin. I was so upset. Sano was there to comfort me, but then that wasn't enough for me at all. He had his own affairs especially when Megumi came into the picture." She hugged her legs against her chest as she continued, "I was so left out. I lost my two best friends and that made me hate Tomoe-san much more. I'm so jealous of her that I wanted to be liked her… and I knew that's plain stupid."
"Kaoru-dono, I never thought—" Kenshin was so speechless right now. How long had he been ignoring her? "I'm—sorry…" his head slowly lowered in shame.
Suddenly, Kaoru giggled and waved a dismissive hand, "Don't be! I've learned my lesson well! It's unfair seeing you all happy while I'm on the corner brooding for my loss. I wanted to be happy too, Kenshin. I have to have someone to love and to care for…" a smile lit her face as she mused, "And I found him…"
Kenshin smiled as well and nodded, "I'm glad that you did, Kaoru-dono. I'm glad to see you happy…" for a second there he thought she was about to cry. Her words hit him straight in the head and Kenshin never felt much guiltier before. But when he saw that little smile on her face, he knew he was forgiven.
"Me too…" she answered with a sigh and the both shared yet another companionable silence.
"Kaoru-dono?"
"Hai?"
"You don't really have to be jealous of Tomoe at all. In fact, Tomoe's feeling insecure of you as well."
Kaoru snorted and waved a hand, "Stop making jokes, Kenshin. You're not funny."
Kenshin smiled and shook his head, "I'm not joking, Kaoru-dono, that I am not."
She looked at him and found his eyes truly held sincerity within them. "How?"
"Well," he guiltily grinned, "I tend to tell a lot of stuff about you in front of her and she'd go pounding my head, yelling that I had no respect for her. Honestly, why would she do that? I'm her fiancé now. There's no need for her to feel insecure…" with a sigh, his shoulders sagged, "Women."
Kaoru smiled in sympathy and pat her best friend's shoulder. "Poor Kenshin…" she cooed, earning a blush from the man.
He turned to her and then asked, "Kaoru-dono… who's the one responsible for this?"
"Eh?" Kaoru innocently gaped at him, having not a single idea of what he's talking about.
"You're over me… who's responsible for that?" Kenshin repeated.
She smirked and replied, "You'll never believe me if I tell you."
"Who?"
"You wouldn't want to know."
"Kaoru-dono…" he persisted.
Seeing his purple puppy-dog eyes, Kaoru irately glared at him and said, "Quit it! I'm not telling!"
"Please…"
God! Why do I always have to put up with this? With a sigh, she finally gave up and said, "Are you sure you want to know?"
"Yes!"
"It's," she hesitated for a moment and then continued, "It's Aoshi."
Silence.
She cracked an eye open and stared at him, "Kenshin?"
"Aoshi? Shinomori Aoshi? Tomoe's cousin, Mr. Ice block, cardiac doctor, your insufferable boss, is that the Aoshi you're talking about?" Kenshin could not believe what he's hearing.
She meekly nodded.
"Kaoru…"
"I know… it sounds ridiculous, but it's true! I fell in love with him…" now her whole face was blushing with the direct proclamation of her feelings towards the doctor in front of Kenshin. This feels so awkward… she thought, looking away from him.
"But you two—Kaoru-dono, I don't think this is a good idea at all." He suddenly looked worried, shaking his head in the process.
Kaoru suddenly felt curious, "Why?"
"Have you forgotten about the predicament you're in? Have you told him already about that?"
"Well—not yet, but I'm planni—"
"What if your parents finds out? What will you do?" Kenshin interrupted.
"Kenshin…"
He suddenly turned to her and gravely stared into her eyes, "Kaoru-dono, you two are living in the same house together. What would the others think?"
Kaoru's brows furrowed and answered back, "You sounded like my mother."
"That's exactly my point. What if your parents learn about their daughter having a relationship with the same man she's living with? Your mother will go berserk. Do you realize that?"
Now that Kenshin mentioned it, Kaoru found herself pondering on his words. He's right. Mom would go on with another rant about society status and stuff that makes my ears bleed… dad—well, he'd probably kill me and— oh shit, what am I supposed to do now? Her eyes went wide at the realization. She looked at Kenshin in horror and muttered, "I hate to say this, Kenshin, but I think you are right."
Kenshin dragged his breath in a sigh and said, "Kaoru-dono, I want you to know that I have nothing against Shinomori-san. He may be the least guy I was expecting for you but I know you have your reasons. I'm only worried about your relationship with your parents, Kaoru-dono."
"I know that! In fact I've been thinking about that since this morning… Oh, Kenshin! What am I going to do?" she helplessly asked.
"I think you should tell them."
"But—"
"It's the wisest thing to do." He looked down at her and said, "Trust me."
Kaoru swallowed a lump on her throat, feeling utterly confused.
That night, Kaoru went home completely exhausted. All the activities in school drew the life out of her. All the professors seemed to have planned to torture them before winter break comes. She went inside as much of not acknowledging Aoshi, who's sitting in the couch watching TV.
"You look tired." He commented, dropping the remote and staring at her.
Kaoru moaned and dropped down on the couch next to him. "Dead beat." She corrected.
"What did you do today?" he asked, his eyes staring at her in mock anger, "Something silly and stupid, perhaps?"
She gave him a death glare and then moaned again, this time rubbing her temples. "Shut up. I'm not in the mood to argue right now…"
"And do you think that would stop me from torturing you?" a mischievous glint appeared on his eyes as he saw her glare daggers at him again. "Fine." He suddenly stood up and headed towards the kitchen.
Kaoru laid her head back against the couch and then asked out loud, "Have you eaten dinner yet?" she didn't hear an instant reply. Not until he returned with a glass of water and Advil on his hands.
"No, but I won't force you to cook in that state." He finally replied and then handed her the Advil. She popped it in her mouth and then drank the water, muttering thanks before lying against the couch again.
He stood up and took his coat as he headed towards the door.
"Where are you going?" she shot upright and asked in alarm.
He glanced at her and said, "Outside. I'll get us some food. Your stomach's telling me you haven't eaten yet as well."
She was about to protest when suddenly, her stomach made funny noises that immensely embarrassed her. A blush crossed her face as she sighed and said, "Yeah, you're right."
With a small smile, Aoshi exited the house and went to the nearest ramen stand. He knew ramen's one of her favorites and probably the most reasonable food to buy since he's not planning on going further the city. After almost an hour, he returned and saw her jovially jump out of the couch and helped him prepare the food.
"Mmm…" she smelled the hot ramen and delightedly squealed, "I haven't eaten this for ages!"
Aoshi inwardly smiled, remembering the last time Kaoru treated him in a ramen house days before he hired her as a housemaid. It's almost been six months since they first met. He can't believe it took him that long to realize his feelings for her. He watched her eat, observing the way her eyes sparkled just by the mere taste of ramen, and how un-lady-like she ate the whole thing.
His thoughts were disturbed when she turned to look at him and asked,
"Doc, if you're not gonna eat that, I'd be more willing to do it for you." She pointed on the untouched ramen in front of him.
Aoshi scowled and sarcastically spoke back, "How many stomachs do you have? You're starting to look like a cow to me."
Kaoru pouted and answered back, "What did you say?"
He tauntingly shook his head and sighed, "A deaf cow at that. Pity."
Kaoru ended up muttering incoherent words before she stepped into the kitchen and left him alone eating his own meal. A victorious smirk plastered on his face.
Further that night, they started another silly argument until Kaoru overreacted and swore never to be touched by him again. Of course, Aoshi ignored this comment and went straight to his room as he shut the door behind him. He stood there and heard her yell and stomp her way to her room. After he heard her shut her door with a bang, Aoshi opened his door, half-ajar before going to bed.
He knew she wouldn't last.
And he was right, of course.
By midnight, he heard the familiar creaking of his door, a sign that it was being opened and soft footsteps thudded the wooden floor of his bedroom. A smile pulled the corner of his lips as he felt the other side of his bed deepen from the added weight. And the next thing he knew, she was laying next him, snuggling against his neck.
He had won.
"Even in the dark I could tell you're looking smug," she commented, wrapping an arm around his neck as his snaked around her waist. He pulled her tightly against him, his nose buried on the top of her head.
"So?" he replied back, intending to sound casual.
"Don't think highly of yourself." She yawned, snuggling closer to him, smelling him.
She tried hard to control herself but it seems she can't control the urges of her own body anymore. The need to feel his touch made her almost dizzy. It was addicting. She tossed and turned on her bed and despite of her tired state, she couldn't force herself to sleep. She gave up and went outside her room.
And so here she was again. In his bed.
"I'm not." He replied, tiredness evident on his voice.
And with the warmth they shared, both refused to banter each other and drift into a soundless sleep.
TBC