Hello people! It's been a long time since I've written, but as I have promised you, I WILL finish this story I started. The show must go on! Below are the people I would like to thank . . .
RaPpIn uP: You go girl! Thanks for writing in though. Kintaro-Kusake: I totally agree with you, writer's block sucks, and then you have writers' cramp, that's just as bad . . . Thank you for the 50th review! Make Kaoru drunk? You sure about that? I'll think it up though. Starryll, Flyinangel777: Well it seems that people sure are reviewing! SilverLightning77: Well, the story is going to continue, hm . . . maybe Kenshin switches his personality . . . Kaoru-dono Himura, Lauren and Kuwabara. And lastly, dark-coyote, the damn chapter is here!
And the award goes to (Drum roll everybody!) KINTARO-KUSAKE FOR THE 50th REVIEW! You get an imaginary Kenshin and Kaoru porcelain figure that will be sent to your house! THANK YOU EVERYBODY! Domou-arigatou gozaimasu!
Kaoru snuggled close to Kenshin as they walked back into the house and two trained pairs of eyes watched them around the corner.
"What are we supposed to do now?" The young man asked the fair lady beside him urgently.
"How am I supposed to know? I knew we had to just watch them, I thought something big was going to happen or something. At least you told me that Kenshin was crushing on Kaoru," The lady snapped back.
"Well, we have to tell somebody at least," The young man muttered under his breath.
"All right, all right! Who then?"
"What about the girl with brown hair? That Tsune girl or whatever her name is?" The man suggested.
"Her name's Tsubame! Oh yeah, that's a good idea. What about the girl with the long pigtail? Erm, what's her name? Oh yeah! Misao-Chan!"
"Can't do that, she is bound to tell!"
"Well, the news will still come out in the end!" The lady shot back, clearly irritated.
"Fine! But let's not tell her alright?" The lady nodded her head and in a flash, they returned to the house.
Two weeks later, the news was out.
"We saw you!" Misao sang out after school when the six were walking back home. Kenshin and Kaoru were laughing at a joke Soujiro had just mentioned, unaware of what Misao had just said.
"I said, we saw YOU!" Misao hollered. Kenshin gave a startled look before regaining his posture. "Well, apparently you have, for you see me and you saw me, and you just said 'saw', you are you trying to say that you're actually 'sawing' me? Isn't it correct? Well, you see me, then 2 seconds later, it becomes you saw me right? So, technically, you're sawing me?" Kenshin launched into a long series of explanations to the befuddled teenager, while keeping a straight face as he spoke, amidst the laughter of his good friends.
"Stop it Kenshin!" Misao shouted to make herself heard. Kaoru was clinging onto Kenshin who had a silly smile on his face.
" Do you want me to saw Kenshin in to half? Or maybe five parts? It'll be a quick and easy job, and you get to eat him! Bet he wouldn't taste nice though," Kaoru replied breathlessly.
" Will you just stop it? I'm trying to make a statement here!" Misao yelled. Kaoru stood up, still clinging to Kenshin and making weak chuckles.
"I saw you and Kenshin snogging on the night of your sleepover!" Misao explained. The laughter immediately ceased and Kaoru had a look of anguish on her face.
"You actually saw it?" Kenshin asked, deathly pale. Misao shook her head, " Tsubame told me, which was told by Megumi and Sanosuke . . ." She let the sentence hang in mid air. Time could have frozen at that moment.
"Oh shoot," Tsubame swore. She knew she shouldn't have told the bubbly little girl. She was in so deep trouble.
" Get over with it now and forever Kamiya-san and Himura-san. In the end, the whole school is bound to know, it just depends on how they find out." Soujiro answered for the whole group. " So? Kiss now!" Tsubame urged the two of them.
"Excuse me?" Kaoru said hoarsely. Kaoru was going to continue when Kenshin pulled her into a warm embrace followed by a passionate kiss that could have gone on if Misao and Tsubame gave a loud gasp of shock, and a laughter from Soujiro. Kaoru pulled back eventually and stared at Kenshin. Kenshin gave an embarrassed smile.
" Like Soujiro said, just get over it." He muttered and gazed at the genuinely shocked girl, apparently surprised of his sudden moves.
By then, a crowd was forming around the group of six. The school had found out.
A few days later, it was made official. Kenshin and Kaoru, the famous duo was together. It hit the school big and even a small article was printed in the weekly edition of the school newsletter. In big bold words were 5 words: Kamiya and Himura, together . . . FINALLY!
Kaoru didn't like all the attention she was getting, and so was Kenshin. So they resolved, Misao and Tsubame were their bodyguards. And they were good at it too. They fended off the daily attacks and slander the popular girls and boys threw at the couple. It came before classes, during classes and after classes. The most popular time was after school. When the boys and girls slacked a whole lot. Pulling off their ties, leaving their shirts tucked out. It was the usual, except the worst came a week later, and it was a full-blown assault.
"I need to use the toilet, help me tell the others not to wait for me. I'll meet you guys in the canteen okay?" Kaoru told Misao and Tsubame cheerfully. Misao and Tsubame nodded and smiled back before carrying on with making sketches of the octopus they were dissecting and working on in threes. As Kaoru walked out of the science laboratory, she caught a glimpse of Kenshin playing with the other guys at a nearby table.
Kaoru wiped her hands and headed out of the toilet as the bell rang for break time. Just as Kaoru walked out of the toilet, a bunch of girls came by, all of them chattering and talking amongst themselves. When they saw Kaoru, they talking ceased and a silence took over them.
"Well, well. Now whom do we have here? The Kamiya girl eh? Where's your ickle Kenshin? Left you already? I told you girls, he wasn't interested in small fry like her, and he's mine!" One girl said and the girls around her laughed. Kaoru's heart plummeted when she recognised the girl who had just spoken. It was one of the popular girls. It was the most infamous one in actual fact too.
It was the dreaded Teri Tesuki.
She had built a reputation of herself among everybody in the school, and especially the girls. She was known to date a boy and ditch him in the next few days. She probably had bedded so many boys in the school; it was a wonder how she never got pregnant. And she always bragged to other people about the fantastic gifts she got from her past boyfriends, leaving them broke and their heart broken.
Teri cornered Kaoru, forcing her back into the toilet, all the while having a strange gleam in her eyes.
"So, what do we do girls? Get her in or what?" Teri spoke. The girls around her spoke their opinions. Some wanted her hair to be pulled. Make her jump around like a rabbit. Some even wanted her head in the toilet bowl. Teri complied. Teri complied with all of them.
"Now what do you feel like? I've been in this school longer than you have. Have you ever heard of my reputation, or do you think that it should be kept away from goody two shoes kind of people like you? One day, or let's say today will be the test. What would you do? Scream? Shout? Or try to defend yourself?" Teri sneered and laughed maniacally as she and her fellow followers took turns dunking Kaoru's head into the toilet bowl. They held her head in the toilet bowl for a few seconds, before increasing it again and again. Before long. Kaoru had to hold her breath underwater for close to 2 minutes before she came up, gasping for the cool air to keep herself alive.
The next thing they did was to use anything to hit Kaoru. Kaoru's face was bashed repeatedly and blood oozed from her nose and the side of her mouth as the torrent of fists and objects came down on her, injuring her badly. Not long later, the insults came down in full scale. Out came the words as Kaoru tried to defend herself. The kicking came and it went. The next thing she knew, Kaoru was hopping on the floor. Maybe it was better if her life just ended. She had met the sweetest boys ever, had him for a boyfriend, she got good grades, she had a lovely family, what else did her contented girl like herself need anymore?
Just as the thought streamed into her mind, darkness consumed her . . .
"Where's Kaoru?" Kenshin wondered.
"Oh, she went to the washroom, why don't we start?" Misao said and stared at her plate of pizza and spaghetti as hunger overtook her.
"Okay, I guess so. Itadakimasu!" Kenshin shrugged. Little would he have known that Kaoru was in trouble . . .
Kenshin paced the school gate frustrated, where was Kaoru? It wasn't like her to be late, and where had she gone during lunch and after that for the next two lessons? She was there in the morning, where was she now? Kenshin ran his hand through his hair, what was going on?
Just then, Teri Tesuki walked past him and smiled superiorly that gave the impression of 'I know something you don't'. "Hello Kenshin, you're cute as usual," Teri flirted and gave him a seductive smile.
"What are you doing around here Tesuki-san?" Kenshin growled.
"Bet you never knew what had happened to your precious Kaoru," Teri mocked him. Kenshin was filled with surprise, "What do you know about my girlfriend?" Teri winked at him, "Wouldn't you like to know? If you do, how about a kiss, I'll tell." Kenshin raised his fist and approached Teri slowly, " Try me." He spat icily. "Now, now. Manners boy. Where are they? In the toilet?" Teri snickered and walked off with her group. " Toilet?" Kenshin asked himself, utterly confused. The toilet, toilet, what did the toilet have to do with Kaoru? Then he recalled hearing Misao saying that Kaoru had been in the toilet.
Something clicked in his mind, and Kenshin sprinted towards his group of friends who had just come out of the building looking deathly pale. A sick thought overtook him and he felt queasy. What they were going to say wasn't going to be nice. Not nice at all.
" We found Kaoru. She was. Hospital. Bashed up. Teri Tesuki. And other people. Almost dead. Called hospital. Ambulance brought her." Misao said in broken sentences breathlessly, tears welling in her eyes but she refused to cry.
Kenshin staggered and swayed, he would have fainted if it weren't for Aoshi who held him up. " I wasn't there for her," Kenshin whispered hoarsely. Kenshin was a wreck; he sat on the floor muttering incoherent sentences to himself. The world just wasn't fair.
Kaoru had been brought to a nearby hospital to receive treatment and care. She was immediately brought to the ICU unit for immediate attention. The heart pulse monitor showed that Kaoru still had a heartbeat albeit a weak pulse. Tubes were inserted here and there and Kaoru was hooked onto a life support machine just to keep her an inch from death. Whoever did this was going to pay.
Kaoru was kept in the emergency ward for the next few days before she was able to actually live without the life support machine. It was terrible. The scars had cut her deeply, the bruises ruined her face, the scars and scratch marks she received from Teri and the other girls healed slowly, but surely. It wasn't just a physical scar; it was a scar that swept through her heart too. It tore her heart to shreds.
For days, her parents and sisters came in to try and cheer her up. They brought her fruits, cards, flowers and even pictures of everybody. Kaoru seldom accepted then but just kept quiet and stared blankly at the beige wall around her. But she did take one picture. It was the picture of Kenshin and her, together and smiling. It was the Kenshin's first day in Kyoto High and it was during the lunch period. And there they were, not knowing what laid ahead of them . . . the pure bliss they shared, the innocence . . . Kaoru cried when she saw the picture; it was just too much for her to take.
And every night was just pure torture. The dreams Kaoru had were just terrifying. Mainly, they were dreams of her family, her friends, Teri and . . . Kenshin. Would her family still love her? Would her friends treat her still the same? Would Teri leave her alone in the end? Would Teri get her revenge? Would Kenshin still love me? Would Kenshin still care for me? Would Kenshin . . . It was just too much too bear.
When Kaoru was moved to a normal ward, her friends came in practically everyday. They tried to comfort her, give her the joy of friendship, it was a difficult stage, but she would come out of it in the end, the all said. But something was out of the picture: there wasn't any Kenshin in the group. And one day, Kenshin came alone.
Kenshin entered the ward and stared around him. For days, he had internal battles: should he go or just leave her alone until she came out? Was this safe? What if Kaoru hated him for not being there for her? Sometimes, he didn't have the heart to practice his kendo with his master at all. Eventually, he made the decision that he would have to go.
Kenshin stared at the 4 beds in the ward. One was empty while the other three had the patients in them. Kenshin approached a nurse that had walked past the ward. "Excuse me, but is Miss Kamiya Kaoru here?" Kenshin asked politely. The nurse gave him a small smile and replied, " The girl with the black hair? Oh, I think she just entered the washroom. You could wait here for her though, she won't be a minute." Kenshin thanked the nurse and sat on an empty plastic chair and waited.
Kenshin didn't have to wait long. Kaoru was soon out and Kenshin stood up to greet her when she emitted a frightened squeak and rushed back into the toilet and slammed the door shut. It was already too late, Kenshin had seen her. Kaoru's face was sunken and her hair was messy, her usually bright eyes weren't twinkling anymore, but were filled with gloom and misery. But what Kenshin missed most was her intoxicating laugh and her smile.
Kaoru sank onto the white linoleum tiles and sat in the darkest corner when she heard a rapping on the door and a voice she had missed. "Kaoru, please come out, I need to talk to you," the voice pleaded. Kaoru shook her head and whispered hoarsely, "Go away, and just leave me alone!" Kaoru sobbed in the corner like a broken tap, there was no way she could face Kenshin.
But Kenshin was adamant, " Come on out, or else I'll break the door down!" Eventually, Kenshin heard a click from the door and two black eyes peer out. "Kaoru, please, just here me out," Kenshin pleaded. Kaoru came out of the toilet and stared defiantly at the lanky teenager, "What? If you're not going to say any-" Before Kaoru had finished her sentence, she was pulled into Kenshin's strong arms once again. "I Love you, Kaoru," Kenshin whispered into Kaoru's ear as Kaoru broke down and cried. As Kenshin let go of the frail girl, Kaoru broke into a smile, "And so do I, Kenshin." The smile had made Kenshin's day.
The next day, Kaoru was discharged from the hospital. Kenshin smiled as he saw the girl walk out of the white building. " Welcome back, Kaoru!" Kaoru's friends yelled out as Kaoru ran into Kenshin's outstretched arms.
"It wasn't me!" Teri said defiantly at Kyoto High's principal.
"Well, it's not just you Ms Tesuki, apparently a whole group of you are convicted of this crime. Mr Himura himself was the one who reported the case. The whole toilet scene was evidence enough. You really should be responsible for your actions." The principal replied ferociously, "You will be suspended from school for a month along with your 'friends'. And your parents will be informed. That would be all. You are dismissed." With an air of finality, the principal opened the door and ushered the blonde girl out.
"Well, it sure does seems that the girl is getting away from everything," Teri said sullenly, "Well, I just guess we just have to make her life more miserable." The last thing heard was a shrill laughter from the office as the teen disappeared round the corner.
Kaoru hugged Kenshin tightly as they gazed at the stars on the rooftop. They were on the roof of Kaoru's house and lying down on the cool tiles. "All's well that ends well, don't you agree?" Kaoru giggled.
All right, party's over, get a move on already, nothing left, no scene, move it people, you're jamming the place! All right, after such a long time, I'm finally out with the next chapter. Don't expect a new one anytime soon.
Next chapter: Kaoru's drunk, Yahiko is in! Tsubame's new love, Aoshi is out of this place! Kaoru's learning something new!
Read on people! And press that button, just below you guys. Come on, push it, a little bit more, yeah, that's it! (