Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin
The Consequences of Falling in Love
Chapter two: New Neighbours
A large digital clock flicked from 13.12 to 13.13 in a large public building milling with people heading in different directions.
"The train from Kyōto is now arriving to platform fifteen." A voice rang out in the speakers in the Tokyo main station.
A man in his late twenties stepped out of the train from the first class car. He was not tall yet he carried himself with a certain self-confidence that made him noticeable. He wore a tidy black suit and a blue shirt with a white collar. But it wasn't his impeccable clothing that drew him attention; it was his long flaming red hair pulled together in a low ponytail at the nape of his neck that really made people noticing him. Carrying a small suitcase and a briefcase the man walked through the train station in a firm pace, his well polished black shoes shining as the interior light hit them. He emerged from the station and spotted the limousine waiting for him.
'Right on time on time as always.' he noted with a small satisfied smile on his lips.
"Himura-san" The driver spoke and opened the door for the red headed man to enter. He gave the driver his cases and got into the vehicle. Sitting comfortably in the limousine the driver asked;
"Where may I take you sir?"
"Home please, it's been a long week and I need some rest."
"As you wish sir." The driver spoke and drove off.
In approximately thirty minutes they arrived at a luxurious apartment complex. The driver retrieved Himura's luggage from the trunk and gave them to the short man. Thanking the driver he strode off to his building. Well inside he took one of the elevators to the top floor where his apartment was located. He slid the key in the lock, entered and then locked the door again. He dropped the cases in the foyer deciding to unpack them later, after all it was Saturday and he had been working overtime the entire week and he considered that he should be rewarded with some leisure time.
After taking off his shoes he went into the kitchen to pour himself a glass of bottled water from the fridge. Kenshin frowned slightly upon the sight of his almost empty fridge. It seemed like it would have to be takeout for dinner. He brought the water to the living room and sat down on the couch closing his eyes and emitting a long sigh. His apartment was his refuge and it was good to be able to relax for a moment but he didn't feel like sitting and doing nothing since he had been sitting at a desk during most of the past week. Glancing at his wristwatch he noticed that it was 14.06. He picked up the phone from the sideboard next to the couch and punched in a number. Three signals were heard before a male voice answered.
"Hello?"
"Sōjirō, it's Kenshin."
"Oh, Kenshin, you're back from Kyōto, how is you're uncle?" Sōjirō asked with a cheerful tone in his voice.
"Feh! The slave driver is just fine!" Kenshin muttered.
Sōjirō chuckled slightly at Kenshin's answer.
"But I didn't call to talk about Hiko. Are you free this afternoon and evening?"
"Yeah, why?"
"I was thinking of going to the gym. I feel like climbing for a while and then we could order some take out?" I've been sitting still for almost an entire week and I feel like a sack of potatoes. I must do some kind of exercise." Kenshin explained.
"Sure, when shall we meet?" Sōjirō asked
"Shall we say in one and a half hour, I have to unpack my things and change clothes. I'm still in my suit."
"Ok, see you at 15.40 then"
"Yep, that's great, bye."
"Bye."
And they hung up.
Kaoru felt someone stroke her left arm softly. "Kaoru wake up we're home now" Misao said gently.
Kaoru fluttered her eyes open and looked out the window. They had stopped in a garage. She unbuckled her seatbelt and stepped out the car and stretched her body. Misao and Okina stood waiting for her outside while Sanosuke already had taken her large suitcase inside the large mansion. She grabbed her cabin bag and purse and the party ventured into the manor through a door connecting the garage with the house. They stepped into the scullery and took off their shoes and put slippers on their feet.
Kaoru's family was the owner of a large international company that her grandfather had founded. Her whole family except for herself was working for the company. Kamiya Okina was chairman of board and his son in law, Kaoru's uncle, Sagara Sōzō was president of the corporation. Sagara-san was Sanosuke's and Misao's father and was married to Kanako who was the eldest of Okina's two children. Kaoru's father, Kamiya Koshijirō, had taken it into his mission to preside over the foreign branches of the company thus the reason why she hadn't completely grown up in Japan but mostly in Sweden and to some extent in England. They moved to Sweden since her mother was half Swedish half Japanese and she had grown up in Sweden herself.
"Tadaima!" Misao called as they emerged from the scullery into a corridor that led to the large foyer. To their left was the entrance and right in front of them was the arched doorway to the parlour. Opposite the entrance door but slightly to the left was the stairs that spiralled clockwise to the first floor, to the right of the stairs was a short hallway that led to the kitchen.
"Okaeri!" Came the joyous voice of Kanako. The slender woman with her black hair in a bun at the nape of her neck came walking towards them through the kitchen door, her green eyes sparkling. Misao was a copy of her mother with the same hair and eyes.
"Welcome home Kaoru!" Kanako said as she swept the raven haired woman in a hug.
"Thank you," she answered "it feels good to be home".
Sanosuke then came sauntering down the stairs. "I've put your suitcase in the guestroom." He said to Kaoru and glanced down at his watch; 14.02.
"Damn I'm late, she's going to kill me." he said turning towards his mother. "I have to go, I'm supposed to be picking Megumi up in ten minutes. We're going to take a look at that penthouse I talked about earlier." He said with hurry in his voice as he made his way back to the garage.
"We're meeting the estate agent in forty minutes so I'm kind of in a hurry." And with that he was off.
Kanako smiled at her son's retreating back and then turned towards Misao and Kaoru. "Well, I'm going back to the kitchen. It's the chef's day off so I'm making the dinner for tonight. Misao, why don't you follow Kaoru to the guestroom?"
"Sure mom!" The green eyed girl answered her mother as she took Kaoru by the hand and bounded up the stairs hauling Kaoru behind her.
"Sano, you're late!" Came Megumi's agitated voice when she entered the silvery SUV.
"Yeah, Yeah, I know, but you know I was at the airport picking up Jou-chan. And the traffic was rather heavy when we headed towards the mansion so that's why I'm late." He retorted with a hint of irritation of his own in his voice and then added:
"Kitsune."
He knew she was going to complain about him being late but this time the cause of the delay was beyond his control.
Megumi just glared at him, but then enquired in a softer but sly voice "How is the little Tanuki by the way?"
"She's just fine and glad to be home." He answered chuckling, glad that his girlfriend wasn't pestering him about his late arrival.
After about twenty minutes they reached their designated location; a luxurious twenty-five storey building. There were other posh apartment buildings surrounding the particular building Sano and Megumi entered. The area was much coveted and the couple was lucky to get the chance of buying an apartment in this area. However, the monthly fee was huge and they weren't sure they could afford it even though they both had well paid occupations. But Sano had a plan. If they liked the penthouse he would ask his sister and cousin to move in with them, he just hoped that they would think it was just as great idea that he thought.
"Welcome, Sagara-san, Takani-san." The agent greeted them in the foyer with a courteous bow.
He led them to the elevators and let the couple enter one of them before he stepped in. The elevator transported them to the top floor and they stepped out of the elevator onto the soft blue carpet that covered the floor of the corridor. There were only two apartments on the floor and the doors of them were positioned opposite one another. The agent led them toward the door on the right, opened it and let them pass through the entrance. Before Megumi entered the penthouse she glanced at the neighbouring door and read 'Himura' on a brass plaque positioned at eyelevel to the left of the entrance.
The penthouse was very spacious and airy. It had three bedrooms and two bathrooms and in addition to that there were also a study and a living room on the upper floor. The walls were painted in light colours and the windows which faced the generous terrace stretched from the parquet floor to the ceiling. Sano and Megumi loved the apartment.
"Soooo… how is your boyfriend? Do you miss him? It must be hard to be apart from each other like this, I don't think I could ever handle having a distance relationship." Misao's questions and statement rained over Kaoru. They were sitting on Kaoru's bed talking about everything and nothing.
"Well" Kaoru started. "We haven't been apart for that long and I haven't yet started longing for him." She said with a small smile.
"Besides I think a couple should be able to be apart for a while without breaking down."
"Really, I always thought that if you don't feel that you can't be without each other, then there's no point in being together at all." Misao revealed.
"If I had a boyfriend I wouldn't want to be apart from him at all." She continued.
"Oookay then.. maybe you were a leech in your past life" Kaoru giggled.
Misao glared at her with a deep frown between her eyebrows.
"But now that you mention it, I think better call him and tell him I have arrived." She said with a nervous laugh and jumped off the bed, afraid that Misao would attack her with vicious fangs that seemed to be growing in her upper row of teeth.
"I think I should call dad and my grandparents as well." Kaoru called over her shoulder as she skipped through the bedroom door heading for the stairs.
"Kanako" Kaoru called when she came downstairs and went towards the kitchen.
Upon entering the kitchen she saw Kanako by one of the counters making a salad.
"Kanako?" she asked again.
"Oh, Kaoru. Yes what is it dear?"
"May I borrow the phone to call dad and my grandparents and my boyfriend as well?"
"Of course dear, there is a phone in the parlour. You won't be disturbed there."
Kaoru went back to the foyer and into the parlour. She found the phone and dialled the number to her grandparent's house.
Misao watched Kaoru leave the room when her cell phone rang. She flipped it open and answered.
"Hi, it's Sano." Came her brother's voice.
"Oh, hello" She said hesitantly. "I thought you and Megumi were looking at an apartment."
"We are and we love it. There's just a small problem with it"
"What is that?" Misao asked half-heartedly. She was a tad envious of them for finding a luxurious apartment. Sano would move out and she would be stuck in the house with their annoying 13 year old brother Yahiko.
"It's too big for just Megumi and me..and…"
"And.." Misao enquired curiously.
"And I was thinking that maybe you and Jou-chan could move in with us."
"Are you serious" Misao squealed.
Sano had to take his phone away from his ear to spare his eardrum.
Meanwhile Misao started giggling madly.
"Yes I'm serious." Sano said amused. He was standing on the terrace of the penthouse admiring the view.
Misao was cheering in the phone.
"Can I take that as a yes" He asked.
"Of course!" Misao exclaimed happily.
"Is Kaoru there too?" Sano continued.
"No she's making phone calls at the moment."
"Oh, okay. Don't forget to ask her when she's done then."
"Are you kidding! How am I supposed to forget something like this!" Misao was bubbling with joy.
"I guess you're right about that." Sano said with a crooked smile and then he hung up.
Misao made a victory dance on the bed and then scrambled down on the floor and run down the stairs calling for her mother.
"What did they say?" Megumi asked eagerly when Sano re-entered the penthouse.
"Misao is on and if I know my sister right she will convince Kaoru to agree too, if she for some reason would think that it is a bad idea" Sano answered with glinting eyes.
Megumi flipped her hair and turned to the agent with a smile.
"We'll take the apartment."
"Very well. I will arrange the paperwork for you and then we can meet in two days to sign the contracts." Answered the agent with a polite smile on his face.
They left the apartment with the agent and stepped inside the elevator and the doors started closing.
"Hold that elevator please!" Came a male voice from the corridor and a short red headed man jogged towards the elevator with a bag in his left hand.
He stepped inside and greeted them politely.
"Himura-san this is your new neighbours Sagara-san and Takani-san." The agent introduced.
"Pleased to meet you!" Kenshin said with a bright smile.
"Likewise" Answered Sanosuke and gave a shrewd smile of his own.
Megumi said nothing but looked at the redhead curiously. He was shorter than she but still very attractive and a sly smile started to curve her lips.
"When are you moving in then if I may ask?" Kenshin asked Megumi and she was quickly awakened from her thoughts.
"Well as soon as all the paperwork is finished I suppose." She answered and flipped her hair.
"Ah" Kenshin replied.
The couple and the agent stepped out of the elevator when it reached the lobby while the elevator continued down to the garage with Kenshin.
'They seem like nice people; at least they seem to be more enjoyable than the grumpy old man and his surly wife that lived there before.' He thought as he walked towards his dark green Jaguar. He started the engine and quickly drove out of the garage to meet Sōjirō