A/N
I'm baaaacccckkkk! With, of course, a dozen apologies for not updating sooner. I apologize profusely for the delay (again)…but I had a few…problems. But, on a more positive note, I've sorted them out, and I'm ready to continue with this fic and I WILL finish it this year. That, I promise. One of the problems that I had was (looks ashamed) I sort of lost touch with the whole universe of Rurouni Kenshin. I don't know how that happened…but it did. However, I am pleased to say that two days of randomly wondering about Hiko Seijiro and what it would have been like if he was more involved with the events taking place in Japan…and about what would happen if Hiko and Soujirou had ever had to battle each other in the anime…got me back into the wonderful universe of RK. (Grins sheepishly) I'm sorry if that sounded weird, but…it's true.
I warn you though, this chapter is quite long. Fine, not quite, but very long. I apologize for that as well…but I really couldn't stop! Heh, but I hope it was interesting, despite its length.
Before I proceed further;
Black Metalmark: Heh, if Aoshi's jealousy is allowed to do whatever it likes, freely, I don't think dear, adorable Soujirou will be alive when Misao next inquires about him! I have to agree that Sano should run…as fast as he can (heh, he is an athlete too!). Saito doesn't do much to Sano in this chapter…'coz that's coming later. I completely agree with your point about Mrs. Kamiya…I mean, leaving aside the fact that they're related (which Aoshi and Kaoru don't know) doesn't Mrs. Kamiya realize that Kaoru's madly in love with Kenshin? Heh, but don't worry…things get better. But not for poor Mrs. Kamiya – oops! I shouldn't have said that! Well, thanks loads for the review, and I hope you like this chapter too!
RKfaN930: I guess…I didn't find too much time to update, did I? (Sweat-drop) I know…these extra school days are annoying aren't they? I mean, it's not like we don't have anything better to do! Well…education is important too…but, you know what I mean! Heheh, thanks a lot for the review…and I'm hoping that this chapter's as good as the last one too! Although it might be too long…
Kitsune KeNsHiN: I'm actually proud to say that my exams did go well; much better than I expected (I mean, I even surprised my entire family…which somehow makes me wonder about their 'faith' in me!). Yep, we have exams two weeks before school ends, 'coz we do the GCE exams and, well, they have it somewhere around May/June/July, and our school ends towards the end of June or the beginning of July. I did have some part of the summer holidays though, so that was good. Heh, I know it's probably a bit too late to ask this now, but how did looking for colleges go? I'm doing OK these days (apart from the fact that we've gotten a sudden change in the climate here and I've had this horrid cold and cough for about two weeks)…but more importantly, I've got back my determination to finish this fic! Heh, I've actually not thought too much about what Saito will be doing to Sano in return for his, er, 'favour' but we all know that whatever it is, it will be bad. Poor Sano – I think he's a bit too young to die though…so nothing too bad will probably happen to him. Or maybe it should…and then we'll get to see Hiko losing his temper… Yep, these people really should listen to Kenshin more, shouldn't they? When will they learn? Heh, there's more insight into Kenshin's past here, so I hope you like it – and there is more of Aoshi and Misao, although separately. Thanks for the review – and enjoy chapter seventeen!
Oniwabanshu: You'll feel like doing more than holding up a fist at the Toriyama athletes if you knew what I've had planned for the next couple of chapters! (just to warn you beforehand, so you can get prepared to beat 'em up!) Heh, glad you liked the previous chapter! (sigh) I know…you're completely right about what you said about updating. But, hopefully I'll be able to put up a new chapter something like every week-end or something since I'll probably have a bit too much of work during the weekdays, what with school-work and paranoid teachers. But, the good news is that I'm getting Christmas holidays on the 13th of December, so I'll have enough time then…for around three weeks, to update frequently (providing that my paranoid teachers don't get too paranoid to the extent that they plan extra classes during the hols…) Heh, Sano would not like to know that you're looking forward to his punishment. But then, what Sano doesn't know won't hurt him, will it? Heh, uh – gulps – do you think that, perhaps…you could…put those Kodachi away? I mean…pointy objects like those are rather dangerous for you…and for me too! Heh, thanks for the review! And hopefully you'll at least lower the Kodachi while reading this chapter?
Otokonotenken: Heh, thanks! It's interesting that you said I did the transitions well, 'coz before typing this chapter, I was starting to worry about the transitions...and I was thinking that perhaps I should do something to change the way I did them...but I think I'll keep them as they are then! Heh, it's not annoying telling me to update - it's actually something that helps me get it done! (along with a couple of threats!) I hope you like this chapter too! And thanks once again for the review.
Sexybod: Wow! It's that good! (feels all warm and fuzzy inside) thanks! Heh, 'twisted sense of humour' eh? Oohh...it seems like I'm going to do nothing here but thank you, but...really, thank you! I'm glad that the story seems to be going well so far...and that it's kept captured your attention this far...hopefully, it'll continue to do so! Thanks (again!) and I hope you like this chapter!
Lucifer's Lair: Heheh, thanks! I hope i've met your expectations with this chapter too! (Hopefully) Thanks once again, and enjoy chapter seventeen!
Well...without further delay: Chapter Seventeen! Enjoy!
Chapter Seventeen: Discovery
Mrs. Kamiya was seated on her bed, having finished whatever needed to be done around the house. In all honesty, she didn't know how she managed to complete the usual daily household chores, as her mind had been completely preoccupied. She fiddled with the pillow that was on her lap, an uncharacteristic frown on her usually pleasant face. She hadn't even been able to sleep last night…due to what she had witnessed…
"Aoshi and Kaoru…" she mumbled to herself, shaking her head almost immediately. What she had seen was wrong. It was all wrong. How could this be happening? Had Kazuko been correct? She hadn't believed it before, but what she had seen…the two of them embracing in the corridor – how was she supposed to still believe that Kazuko was wrong after seeing that?
'If there is something going on between them, it's your fault Kaeri…' she thought mentally, her heart sinking as she realized the truth in that thought. It was her fault; she should have told Aoshi who he was right from the start, instead of keeping everything hidden. If she had done that then Aoshi would know not to…to – 'But if I had told Aoshi, then I would have had to tell Hisashi and Kaoru too…and that would have led to a complete disaster…' she thought, knowing that that had been her main reason for lying to everyone.
She blanched as she realized that, despite her reasons for it, she had been lying to her family. Being someone with a number of strong morals, she couldn't believe that she had gone against one of the morals that she held dear to her; being honest with her family. She hadn't been able to do that when she had been a kid, as she had had too many problems with her father…but after getting married, she had resolved to be honest with her family. She couldn't believe that she just…ignored that decision and…lied.
"…What am I going to do?" she asked aloud, although deep down inside her, she knew what needed to be done. She had known all along about what she needed to do…but she had never really gotten around to doing it – and as a result of this, she might very well be the cause of something completely wrong taking place. If anyone had seen her then, they would have wondered at the stricken expression on her face; the stricken expression that gave the impression that she was about to risk losing everything she held dear to her.
'Oh god…I don't want to do this. I can't – how can I -?' she bit her lip hard, '…Oh Yuuji, what am I going to do?' As she stared hard ahead of her, at nothing in particular, she knew in her heart what she had to do. But she was just too scared to do it…
Kashiwazaki Residence:
"Misao, you do remember what the Doctor said, don't you?" asked Mrs. Makimachi, eyeing her jubilant daughter warily as she stood, blocking the entrance to Misao's room-door so that the girl couldn't leave just yet.
"Hai, Kachan," said Misao, sighing heavily, "I am not supposed to exert myself too much, but I can do more than what I used to do when I still had the cast on." Mrs. Makimachi still didn't look satisfied.
"You do realize that you still need to be careful don't you? Regardless of the fact that the cast is gone?" she asked, "…And your ankle can't bear too much weight on it yet, and then your knee shouldn't be strained too much unless you want to – "
" – Kachan, it's OK, I understood what the doctor said," interrupted Misao, doing her best to sound reassuring, "Relieved though I am that the cast is off, and yes, I will admit that I had a few reckless ideas, I don't want to ruin my chances for taking part in the tournament. I can be responsible sometimes you know…" she added, pouting at her mother. "I do have only six days left…"
"I'm sorry, it's not that I don't think you're responsible," sighed Mrs. Makimachi, "it's just that…I don't want you doing anything that will affect your future." Misao fought to control her impatience.
"Kachan, I won't, OK?" she asked, as soothingly as she could, "so can I please get out of my room and walk around now?" Mrs. Makimachi sighed heavily, before nodding.
"Alright then, I guess that there's nothing more than I can do here," she said, before moving away from the door, "but – "
" – don't worry, I'll be careful," said Misao hurriedly, flashing her mother a grin before walking towards the door slowly, as she somehow felt a bit awkward without the presence of the cast on her knee. The moment she started walking she could tell that her knee wasn't used to the absence of the cast either, but she didn't worry too much about that; it was only natural and it would take a while for her knee to get used to be without the cast.
A look of determination on her face, she walked out of her room and headed down the stairs, promising herself that she would stop at least for a second, if she thought that her knee was undergoing too much strain. Mrs. Makimachi watched her go, a small smile forming on her face despite her worry. It was good to know that the cast was off her daughter's knee – she could tell how much it had started to annoy the girl. Taking a deep breath, she turned and headed towards her room.
Mitsurugi High-School:
Hiko Seijiro ran his hands through his black hair, sighing inwardly. He couldn't believe the mess that his team was in. Yes, it was his team, regardless of the fact that a certain arrogant 3rd year considered it his team just because he was still the captain. What the coach of the athletics team couldn't understand was how everything had managed to go wrong in such a short space of time. Firstly, the school had chosen a new student as the captain of the team – without even consulting him until they had already told the student about it by which time it was way too late to do anything. He hadn't made too much of a fuss about it, as, having glanced at the chosen captain's record…he admitted that it was impressive. Hnn, impressive his record might be…but his personality…
Secondly, he had been called away with the death of his cousin and that had not only landed him with the trouble of looking after two little girls who were now orphans, but it had also caused one of the biggest blows to his team; Makimachi getting injured. And it wasn't a big surprise that the 'oh-so-great' captain had had something to do with it. Makimachi's injury had subsequently caused a lot of hatred to build up in the team – hatred against the captain…and it didn't help when the captain got Sagara and Myoujin landed in double-detentions for the simple reason of not coming for practice when in fact it had been the captain who had told them not to turn up. That damned kid…
Thirdly, he had come back to find out that the applications for the tournament had been messed up – and he shouldn't have been too surprised, given the negative energy that always made itself apparent when the Captain and vice-captain of the team were together. And if that wasn't bad enough, he had discovered a bit late that the long-jump and high-jump events had been cancelled completely…which resulted in a major change in the points system. Unfortunately for him and his team, a greater number of points was now allocated to the hurdles, which meant that that was one event that they had to do well in. He wasn't too worried about the boys' hurdles competitions…but the girls', well, that was a completely different story.
And fourthly, there were only six more days for the blooming tournament, and he wasn't sure whether he should call for extra practices or not…and he had discovered that if Makimachi didn't recover well enough, they'd lose all of the Under 17 girls' events, which would put them all at a great disadvantage. It wasn't Makimachi's fault, and he knew that…but it didn't stop himself from getting annoyed…
Fifthly – and this was the worst in his opinion – he hadn't known that that stupid, idiotic, rather naïve kid was coming back to school. If he had known that, that is to say if that baka-deshi had contacted him and told him that, he could have arranged for him to be named the Captain and the other new-kid to be named as the vice-captain. But no, Himura Kenshin just had to show up suddenly and surprise everyone…after the decision had already been made. If that baka-deshi had been captain, none of this would have happened. Makimachi wouldn't be injured, the team's morale wouldn't be down and I wouldn't be getting more grey hairs…
"Dammit…" he muttered, to no-one in particular, "I need a drink…"
"What was that, Hiko-san?" asked Nakamura-sensei, the head of the Sports Department. Hiko Seijiro shot the man a glare. It was also partly his fault that this was happening; he hadn't allowed him to change captains.
"Nothing," he mumbled.
"I do hope that your athletics team is training for the Inter-School tournament…" said Nakamura-sensei, "It would be nice to win and defeat Toriyama once and for all…"
"Tell me about it," said Hiko, shaking his head, "but I'm telling you, like I told you before, that if we lose, you'll have to blame the Captain that was chosen for this team…"
"Come now Hiko-san, we didn't know about the kid's personality – in fact, I still don't know whether he's as cruel and annoying as you say he is – "
" – Oh? So I'm lying now, am I?" interrupted Hiko, his blue eyes blazing. Nakamura-sensei shook his head hurriedly, not really wanting to make an enemy out of the big-made Athletics coach.
"No…all I'm saying is that, well, it's common knowledge that…you have a special liking for Himura Kenshin," he said, "And…that maybe you would be willing to do whatever it takes to make him the captain…"
"Are you saying what I think you're saying, Nakamura?" growled Hiko Seijiro, his eyes narrowing dangerously.
"Now now, Hiko-san, there's no need to – "
" – I do not favour Himura Kenshin, and you of all people should know that. I merely treat him with the respect, and the occasional whacks on the head that he deserves," he said, interrupting the other man, "All I want is for my team is for it to have a captain who everyone else will listen to…and I can assure you that everyone loves Kenshin, which was why I thought he'd be the best to take Saito's place." He stopped. "Even the principal of the school has a certain soft-spot for him, and you say that I favour him?"
"Uh…well, no, what I meant was – " Nakamura-sensei stopped, wondering why he was sweating, "Uh, never-mind. I…have to be going now. I'll…see you later, Hiko-san…" He turned around and disappeared in a flash, leaving Hiko not knowing whether to be amused at the man's apparent fear of him, or whether to feel frustrated at the thought that the man thought that he favored Kenshin. True, he may know Kenshin rather well…but that didn't mean that he favored the stupid red-head with the cross-shaped scar.
It was then that he realized that he hadn't had a single decent conversation with that baka-deshi of his. Yes, he had seen him during athletics practices and had managed to talk to him – but that was about things concerning the team…and not concerning the red-head's welfare. He frowned. Should I speak to him…and perhaps ask him exactly what's happened to him? He hadn't been surprised when everyone, that is to say Sagara, Makimachi, Seta, Myoujin and the rest of the team, greeted Kenshin cheerfully…and when they hadn't noticed that something was wrong with the red-head.
But he had noticed. It wasn't easy to spot – or else the others would have spotted the change too – but it was there. It was there in the kid's eyes…in his posture…and, more importantly, in his life-force. His life-force indicated to him that the 18 year old was carrying a heavy burden on his shoulders, and he knew that it couldn't be a normal burden, or someone would have eventually been told about it. Whatever the burden was, it was weighing down heavily on him…and yet, the baka still carried on as though everything was fine.
"I really should talk to him sometime…" he said aloud, rubbing his chin, "Perhaps after the tournament…when everything will certainly have calmed down a little…" He nodded, "And maybe then I can ask him about that peculiar scar on his face…"
Meanwhile:
"Kaoru…are you feeling better now?" asked Kenshin, as he and Aoshi made their way to their usual table and as he caught sight of Kaoru, seated next to Megumi. Kaoru nodded, smiling brightly at Kenshin and hoping that she wasn't blushing too much.
"Yep!" she said, cheerfully, "much better, thanks!" Smiling warmly, Kenshin sat down next to her, not seeing the amused glances that Megumi, Sano and Yahiko shared as they watched their two friends interact with each other.
"Aargh, can you believe that we only have another six days left for the tournament?" asked Yahiko, looking around the table with an indescribable expression on his face. Kaoru and Megumi exchanged glances and sighed as one as they sensed which direction this break-time conversation was going in.
"Nope, I can't," said Sano, shaking his head, "And, to be quite honest, I'm doubting whether we'll have a chance this year or not."
"Oro?" spluttered Kenshin, sending Sano a somewhat reproving glance. "Sano, that's not a positive thing to say…"
"Yeah, but what exactly about our team is positive? Misao's not taking part, we're going to lose – and even more so since there's more points allocated for the hurdles…and to top it all off, out team spirit seems to have expired…" said Sano. Yahiko nodded in agreement.
"Exactly," he said, "And I still find it hard to believe that we're still stuck with Saito as out captain…"
"Ano, but don't you think – "
" – So…are you saying that you're doing this – " Aoshi stopped, staring at Soujirou who had started speaking at the same time as him. Soujirou shot him a sheepish smile.
"Ahaha, gomen, Aoshi-san," said Soujirou, scratching the back of his head sheepishly, "You were saying?" Ara…did I say something wrong? Is that why he's glaring at me?
"…I was going to ask you whether you were taking part in this tournament for your school…or for something else," said Aoshi, turning his attention back to the others after sending Soujirou a nasty glare.
"Of course we're doing it for the school, baka!" said Sano, not affected at all by the glare that his senior sent him for calling him a 'baka.'
"Oro, Sano, I think that Aoshi meant was that we shouldn't worry too much about Saito," said Kenshin, shooting Aoshi a grateful smile, "Because we're doing this for our school, not for our captain."
"…And don't you think that Saito would be satisfied if we lost? I mean, it won't matter much to him, since he's going away this year…but we'll have to bear with the fact that we lost to Toriyama again," said Soujirou, smiling.
"While we're on the topic of athletics, is anyone going to see Misao today?" asked Megumi, as the boys suddenly became pensively quiet. Kaoru nodded.
"I'll be going to see her," she said, "I went to see her yesterday too…and she seemed OK…" She grinned evilly at Aoshi, before turning to Soujirou, "Soujirou, did you go and see her recently?" Soujirou nodded, smiling.
"Hai, I stayed the night at her place yesterday," he said, confused as he saw his friends – Kenshin and Aoshi excluded – flashed knowing grins at each other. "Eeto…did I say something wrong?"
"No, no, of course not," said Yahiko, trying not to laugh, "Uh, what did you do over there?" Soujirou shrugged casually.
"We were just talking…about stuff…and Misao was really excited about taking her cast off," he said, his eyes brightening as he remembered the expression his best-friend had had on her face as she told him the 'good' news.
"So…she is going to take part in the tournament then?" asked Megumi, quietly. Soujirou nodded, sighing inwardly.
"Hai…nothing I said could change her mind…" he said, "but she did promise me that she'd stop if she felt, for the briefest of moments, that something could further happen to her injuries…" Kaoru looked skeptically at him.
"And you really think that she'll stick to that promise? Instead of being stubborn and continuing with training?" she asked. Soujirou stared at Kaoru through slightly wide eyes, before he shook his head, smiling.
"Whatever else she might due as a result of her stubbornness, I know that Misao will never break a promise," he said, "And I firmly believe that she'll stick to what she promised me."
"If you have so much faith in her…then I guess there has to be some truth to it…" said Kaoru, sighing, "Although I'm just worried in case she damages herself further." She shook her head, "but then again, if she really wants to do this…then I guess we should let her…" Aoshi exchanged a cold glance with Soujirou, who smiled at him although he was getting more confused by the moment.
"Heh, yeah, Sou and Aoshi over here were worried about the same things," said Sano, grinning.
"Eh?"
"Oh yeah, you weren't here were you, Kaoru?" asked Yahiko, catching on to what Sano was trying to do, "Well, to make a long story short, Soujirou over here and Aoshi…well, over there, had an argument about Misao."
"Ehhh?" Megumi smiled at the astonished expression on Kaoru's face.
"Soujirou was saying that we shouldn't let Misao take part in the tournament, in case further injuries affect her in the future," said Sano, "And Aoshi was saying that if Misao really wanted to take part, then we should all just shut up and let her." Soujirou actually frowned for a brief second when he saw the cold look that Aoshi sent him before turning his attention to his untouched food.
"Iie, Kaoru…it wasn't an argument," he said, smiling almost immediately, "it was just…a discussion. Right Aoshi-san?"
"…Yeah," muttered Aoshi, not even bothering to look up at Soujirou. Kenshin, seeing the wide grin on Kaoru's face gulped. Something told him that it couldn't be good for someone if Kaoru was looking this happy.
"Ohh, Aoshi-san, that reminds me, did I tell you how worried Okasan was when you returned late, the other day?" asked Kaoru, a somewhat evil glint appearing in her blue-eyes as she stared at Aoshi who suddenly had a feeling that he wasn't going to like this. "Remember, when you went to Misao-chan's place to give her those books that I couldn't give her?" The glint in Kaoru's eyes gleamed brighter, causing Aoshi to gulp involuntarily, "I mean, you did come back two hours later…so, quite naturally she was worried…"
"Oro…" Kenshin looked completely clueless as to why his friends, except for Soujirou, were staring at Aoshi with different levels of amazement clear on their faces. He blinked. Oro…I'm sure that I told them about Aoshi visiting Misao… "…Didn't I tell you guys that Aoshi did go to see Misao the other day? I'm sure that I told you…"
"Yeah, you did," said Megumi, snapping out of her amazed stupor, "but you never told us that he stayed at her place for two hours."
"Ororo…was I supposed to tell you that?" asked Kenshin, looking lost. Sano shot him an exasperated look.
"Yes, given what…we've found out…" he said, not wanting to blurt out everything in front of Aoshi; at least, not just yet.
"What were you doing at her place for two hours, Aoshi?" asked Yahiko, trying to keep from grinning, "I mean…surely you can't have just been sitting in silence, staring at each other…?" Everyone grinned as they caught sight of the pale red that flashed across Aoshi's face before it disappeared.
"No…we weren't doing that…" he said, keeping his voice controlled. Sano grinned.
"Then what on earth were you doing?" he asked, "I mean…I can think of quite a few things that a guy and a girl could do when they get together…" He couldn't help but shiver at the iciness of the glare that Aoshi was sending him, "…Or maybe you just sat and talked…?" he asked, hurriedly.
"…Yes, we just talked," growled Aoshi, his hand practically crushing the mineral-water bottle that he was holding.
"Really? Are you sure?" teased Megumi, not affected the slightest bit by the glare Aoshi sent her way, after which Aoshi quickly transferred the glare on to Kaoru, who just beamed cheerfully at him.
"Ano…Aoshi-san is telling the truth guys," said Soujirou, smiling. Why are they giving Aoshi-san such a hard time? Is that why he doesn't seem to like me much? Because everyone's giving him a hard time and so he thinks that I'm the same? "Why don't we just believe him?"
"Soujirou's right," said Kenshin, smiling at the younger boy, "We should believe Aoshi; I mean, what else would he and Misao be doing if they weren't talking?" He saw the skeptical glances that Megumi, Sano, Yahiko and Kaoru sent his way and sweat-dropped, "Oro…" What is going on here? This one doesn't understand…
"Soujirou's right, is he?" asked Sano, raising his eyebrows at the brown-haired athlete, "How would Soujirou know what happened? It's not like he was there…"
"Yeah, how do you know?" asked Yahiko.
"Well…Misao told me about it when I was there yesterday…" said Soujirou, smiling as usual, "She said that Aoshi-san didn't need to come and see her…because he wasn't a close friend or something, and that we, being her friends didn't even come to see her…" He smiled brightly at Aoshi. "She was really grateful towards you for going to visit her, Aoshi-san…"
Aoshi knew that Soujirou hadn't meant it that way. He knew that Soujirou was merely repeating what Misao herself had told him last night, when Soujirou came over to her place, and he, being outside in the gardens of the Kamiya-Residence, had heard it. And yet, he couldn't help but bristle angrily when the words came out of the brown-haired boy's mouth. 'You really don't like people pointing out the obvious, do you?' asked one of his inner-voices, sounding smug, 'I mean…you aren't a close friend of the girl's anyway…Soujirou's merely telling the truth…'
"Aoshi-san?" asked Kaoru, worried that he was glaring at Soujirou without saying anything.
"…Hnn?"
"Are you OK? You were just…staring at Soujirou," said Megumi, trying not to smile. Aoshi turned his ice-blue eyes on her, shaking his head.
"…No, I just – " He stopped when he heard Kaoru's giggle, and his attention therefore turned back to her – and he remembered that she was the one who started everything in the first place. This time, it was Kaoru's turn to gulp when she saw the gleam in Aoshi's ice-blue eyes. "…And I heard from Kamiya-san that you didn't have too much of a bad time when Kenshin came to see you the other day too…" he said, surprised with himself, as this wasn't something that he usually did.
It was everyone's turn to stare at Kaoru this time, causing her to blush deeply. "W-What!" she asked, defensively, not daring to look at Kenshin, embarrassed.
"Oh you sly…dog…" said Sano, a wide grin appearing on his face, "You never even told us…" Kenshin flushed.
"I – well, you didn't seem interested…" he said, not daring to look at Kaoru. Watching the two of them seated next to each other, their faces red, Megumi smiled. They sure did make a cute couple. If only they'd realize their own feelings for each other now…"
"So that's why you were in such a good mood today, grinning to yourself and stuff," said Yahiko, smiling, "You were on a high after Kenshin visited you!"
"Yahiko," warned Kaoru, looking up with her face red to glare at him. "Besides, Kenshin only came because Aoshi-san told him that I was sick and because he said that it would help me feel better…" she shot Aoshi a grateful look, which Aoshi didn't know how to respond to.
"Ano…" Everyone turned to look at Soujirou, "…What exactly is going on? I'm afraid…I do not understand…" Yahiko and Sano groaned aloud, whereas Megumi just shook her head. Honestly, the boy was just too cute.
"Kenshin went to see Kaoru when she was ill, Soujirou," she said, sending him a warm smile, "And that made the both of them happy…you know why, right?"
"…Eeto…because…they like each other?" asked Soujirou, uncertainly. Megumi nodded.
"Yes," she said, "and that's why the two of them a blushing so hard."
"I am not blushing!" snapped Kaoru, "Stop making things up about Kenshin and me! Honestly, do you really think that – " A cough from beside them cut Kaoru off, and she turned to see who it was.
"Sensei!" exclaimed Sano, seeing Hiko Seijiro standing there, the usual smug expression on his face, "What brings you here?"
"Not you, Sagara," said Hiko, smirking at the expression on Sano's face. He turned, instead, to Kenshin. "I need to talk to you Kenshin…" Kenshin nodded, wondering what was going on. All that he knew was that it had to be something important, or Hiko Seijiro would never bring himself into the noisy, over-crowded cafeteria.
"Hai," he said, partly relieved to leave his friends and thus their teasing. "I'll see you all at athletics practice then…" Smiling at them all, he turned to follow Hiko Seijiro outside. Sano and Yahiko frowned as they stared after the two of them.
"I wonder what that was all about…" muttered Sano, thoughtfully.
"Does it really matter?" asked Megumi, "I mean we all know that Ken-san will never get into trouble…" Kaoru nodded, agreeing with her friend.
"Yeah, but now we'll have to tease him another day…" said Yahiko, sighing heavily. "About this ugly beast over here…" Soujirou sweat-dropped and held Kaoru back from strangling Yahiko, which ended up with him getting pretty beat up.
"Sou-chan! Why did you do that! Gomen!" exclaimed Kaoru, "Yahiko, I'll get you for that one day…I swear I will." Yahiko shrugged.
"I don't mind…but I wasn't the one who started it," he said, "Aoshi started it all, didn't he?" Aoshi met Kaoru's gaze and knew immediately that he was going to regret his earlier actions.
"Oh, don't worry about him," said Kaoru, looking even more evil than before, "I'll take care of that." Yahiko sighed as he glanced at his wrist-watch.
"Aargh, I've got to go and meet Ito-sensei now," he said, standing up, "I'll see you later…"
"…And I need to use the bathroom…" said Soujirou, standing up as well.
"I'll come with you," said Kaoru, before letting out a loud yelp as she realized what she said. "I – I didn't say that…did I?"
"Whoa, what aren't you telling us?" asked Sano, grinning at Kaoru's flushed face.
"Eeto…"
"What I meant was that after Sou-chan finishes with the bathroom, he'll be returning to class…and I'll go with him when he does," said Kaoru, embarrassed.
"Hai, hai," said Megumi, standing up as well, "Just don't let me find out that you're cheating on Ken-san." Kaoru glared at her.
"Kitsune, where're you going?" asked Sano, surprised. Megumi whacked him lightly on the head.
"We're making those silly presentations for Geography, remember? And since, unfortunately I might add, you and I have been paired up, we need to go and make sure everything ready for it…" she said, "Come on, Sano…"
"Do I have to?" asked Sano, "Can't you go and set everything up on your own?" He growled as Megumi tweaked his ear.
"Get your ass off that bench and come with me, now," she said, in a rather commanding tone. Sighing to no-one in particular, Sano stood up and followed her.
"I'll see you later then, Aoshi-san," said Kaoru, grabbing her bag without noticing something slip out of it, and smiling at Aoshi before walking away with Soujirou, who was puzzled when he smiled at Aoshi and yet again received a cold glare. Aoshi let out a long sigh when he was finally left alone; he couldn't help it. As…interesting as these people were, he really liked it when things were peaceful and quiet…and unfortunately, as he had realized on his first day back, those words could not, in any way, be associated with the people he had shared this table with.
"…Why so quiet? Don't you enjoy hanging around with your pesky friends?" Aoshi sighed inwardly. A meeting with him was the last thing that he needed.
"What do you want?" he asked, without looking up as his amber-eyed cousin sat down opposite him.
"Now is that any way to greet your favourite cousin?" asked Saito, raising his eyebrows.
"…My only cousin, you mean," muttered Aoshi, staring at his tray of still untouched food. Saito simply smirked, adjusting so that he was more comfortable with his position on the bench.
"Indeed, I – " Saito broke off and pulled something out from under him. It was a small, pink coloured note-book with a white flower in the middle of it. " – Anyway, I see that you don't have much of an appetite…" he continued, flipping open the note-book in curiosity.
"…So?"
"That tells me that you're getting fed well at your dear mu – " Aoshi looked up sharply, his face expressionless although his eyes showed that he was begging for answer. He had been kept in suspense for too long that he was actually willing to plead with Saito for an answer. His desperation disappeared for a second however, when he saw the look on Saito's face. It was a look of amusement…mingled with surprise…and a certain bit of evil too.
"Stop speaking in riddles, and just tell me whatever you want to say," said Aoshi, not bothering about the strange expression on his cousin's face.
"…Hey," said Saito, slowly.
"…What?"
"…Since when has my dear cousin developed feelings for a young-woman?" If Aoshi had been eating or drinking anything, he would have choked and probably, if he was like Sano or Yahiko, would have spat out whatever he had in his mouth.
"…What...?" he asked, not sure whether he heard Saito right. It was then that he saw the small notebook in Saito's hand – the notebook that Saito had been looking through for a while.
"It says here under a list titled 'Kaoru's list of things to do – and to do immediately' that thing to-do no.2 is; 'do SOMETHING and get Aoshi-san and Misao-chan together. Resort to dire means if necessary, but don't let Aoshi-san get suspicious,'" Saito looked up at him, the amusement clearly visible in his eyes. If Aoshi ever wished that he could die, it was then. Of all the people to have read this…it had to be…him.
"I – what – " he stopped, aware that he was stammering and that he never stammered, "…can I see that?" Saito shook his head.
"No," he said, smirking, "But tell me, when it says 'Misao-chan' here…is it…Makimachi that this girl is referring to?" His smirk widened as Aoshi flushed, "…As in, the same itachi that I know of?" Aoshi mentally cursed Kaoru.
"…I – "
" – Oh look…guess what no. 1 is; 'get Misao-chan to admit her feelings for Aoshi-san'…" interrupted Saito, looking as though this was perhaps the best news that he had heard in his entire life. Aoshi sent the best possible glare that he could muster in his cousin's direction.
"Saito, leave the stupid notebook aside and – "
"And here's another surprise…" interrupted Saito, "No.1 has been crossed out with a single line, with a scribbled note next to it…saying – " Saito chuckled, " – 'Complete; Misao-chan admitted that she likes him.'" Aoshi stared wide-eyed at Saito for a minute, before bowing his head as the full meaning of what his cousin had read out hit him, his cheeks growing warm. Looking across at his cousin, Saito smirked. He had never seen his cousin this flustered…even when he was a kid. It was as though he was experiencing a different, more human side to his 'little' cousin. And since it was something that he could tease him about, he liked it.
"A…A…Aoshi-san…" Saito and Aoshi looked up as Kaoru stood by the table, breathing heavily as though she had run all the way there. Aoshi, forgetting the embarrassment he had and will continually have to go through because of her, frowned.
"Kaoru-san…" he said, "I thought…you were going back to class…" Kaoru nodded, regaining her breath.
"Aa, I did, but then I realized that I had dropped something here and I was looking for it," she said, looking towards the side of the bench where she had been seated earlier and only catching sight of Saito then. "S – Saito-san…" she said, "Uh, I'm sorry if I'm interrupt – my notebook!"
"…It's yours?" asked Saito, seeing the girl's eyes widen as she saw that her notebook was open…and that he was reading it. "It's quite an interesting notebook, I must say," he glanced at Aoshi, "don't you think so Aoshi? Especially the first and second points on this list…" Aoshi, to stop Saito from seeing his flushed cheeks, turned towards Kaoru with a small glare aimed at her. Kaoru looked extremely pale as she stared at Saito.
"I – didn't – "
"Ah, you have a 'crush' on that stupid red-head, do you?" asked Saito, who was continuing to read through the list. Kaoru turned red again. As Saito looked up, he caught sight of Aoshi and Kaoru, both of them blushing as they stared at him. He couldn't help but notice their striking resemblance. And judging by the immature way they act, it's rather obvious that they're related. They must have inherited that from Mrs. Kamiya.
"I – uh, can I have that back please?" asked Kaoru, softly. Saito raised his eyebrows at her.
"Why don't you allow me to read the rest of this highly fascinating list?" he asked. Kaoru looked at Aoshi, desperately.
"…Just give it back to her…" he said, not really wanting to help her after the trouble she got him into, but god only knew what else that she had written in that list. And it would really make Saito's day if there was anything else about him written in that.
"Embarrassed, Aoshi?" asked Saito, enjoying the discomfort of the two relatives (although they didn't know it). "But I have to say, I never knew that you had – " Saito glanced at his hand as the notebook disappeared from it in a flash. Kaoru, still embarrassed nodded at him and Aoshi.
"I'll see you around then, Aoshi-san," she managed to say, before turning around and running away as fast as she could. Aoshi watched her go, a sinking feeling entering his gut. Saito stared after her for a second before turning towards Aoshi, with a gleam in his amber-eyes.
"…So – " Aoshi stood up hurriedly, not caring whether he was clearly showing Saito his discomfort or not.
"…I have to go and…see someone now…" he said, nodding at Saito.
"Oh? Is Makimachi in school?" asked Saito, grinning as he watched Aoshi flush, before glaring at him and walking away hurriedly. Saito stared after him, the grin turning into a smile. So…you've found someone, eh, Aoshi? Okasan will have a field day…but…Makimachi? What exactly do you see in the itachi? He grinned. It looked like things were going to get…interesting, to say the least. As he sat there waiting for the bell to ring, he wondered what he could do to rile Himura up, concerning the Kamiya girl who was in love with him…and who Himura certainly did seem to care about. This should be fun… He stood up suddenly. "But first…I need to find Sagara…"
Meanwhile:
"I honestly don't know, sensei," said Kenshin, as Hiko Seijiro waited expectantly for an answer from him, "she wants to take part in the tournament…but she only had her cast removed today, so it's difficult to say whether or not she'll definitely be able to part." Hiko sighed.
"Dear god…this is all going wrong…so totally wrong…" he mumbled, running a hand through his black hair, "and have any of you gone to see her? Has she said anything?"
"She's told Soujirou, Aoshi and Kaoru that she's taking part," said Kenshin, "but she promised Soujirou that if she felt as though she was endangering herself, she'll stop at once."
"And does Seta think she'll really do that?" asked Hiko, raising his eyebrows. Kenshin nodded.
"Soujirou said that he trusts her and that she wouldn't break a promise," he said, "Besides, we do have six more days, sensei. Once Misao gets used to moving around again, and if everything goes well, she will be able to take part."
"I don't know…" muttered Hiko, shaking his head, "…I don't know about anything anymore…" He sighed, "It's bad enough that I have problems at home…but to have to come here for these problems?" Kenshin stared at the man he had known for a very long time, curious.
"Oro?" he said, surprised, "…Problems at home?" He stared hard, "But…sensei, you live alone…" Hiko shook his head, understanding Kenshin's surprise.
"Not anymore…" he said. "What?" he asked, as he saw Kenshin's violet eyes widen.
"You – you – you got married!" spluttered Kenshin, wondering who in their right mind would actually want to marry Hiko Seijiro. He was just thinking that it must have been an arranged managed, when he was whacked on the head by a glaring Hiko.
"No, I haven't suddenly gotten married," said Hiko, "And what's there to be surprised about, even if I do get married?" he shook his head. "No, I'm actually looking after my two nieces now…their mother – my cousin – passed away, so I'm their 'guardian.'"
"ORO! You're looking after children?!" exclaimed Kenshin, earning himself another whack on the head.
"You have a problem with that?" asked Hiko, glaring at him again, "I did look after you for a while too, remember?" Kenshin nodded.
"Yeah, and that explains why I've turned out this way…" he mumbled, shaking his head. "Where are your nieces? I mean…what do they do when you're here in school?"
"I've left them with a kind, elderly neighbour who just loves kids," said Hiko, looking relieved, "but I don't think that Ayame and Suzume like her very much; apparently she's not as fun as Misao and Makimachi-san."
"Misao? Makimachi-san?"
"Aa, the day I returned, I left them with Makimachi-san," said Hiko. Kenshin nodded, remembering the two little girls that Sano had said were 'cute' who had been running around Misao when they had gone to see her.
"…So why don't you ask Makimachi-san whether she can look after them then?" he asked, "I mean…they seem pretty young…and it would be best for them to be around someone they like, don't you think?"
"Kenshin, are you out of your mind?" asked Hiko, "Oh no, forgive me, you don't even have a mind in the first place. How can I ask Makimachi-san to do that? I don't even know her…"
"But you know her daughter," said Kenshin.
"Yes…but…it still doesn't feel right…" said Hiko, "I can't ask her for favours when I don't even know her…"
"Oro? And when has that stopped you before?" asked Kenshin, skeptically. He was whacked on the head again.
"Don't try to get smart with me, fool," growled Hiko, "if you do, I'll give you another cross-shaped scar like the one you already have…" He shook his head, muttering about how stupid some people could get, and not noticing how rigid one of his best athletes had gone. "In any case, that's all that – " He had turned back to Kenshin, to see him standing extremely still, his face blank. " – Kenshin?"
"… …Gomen, sensei…" said Kenshin, his voice dull, "You were saying…?" Hiko frowned, not fooled by the weak smile that Kenshin attempted to give him. His eyes were hollow for god's sake – how could his baka-deshi expect him not to see that and notice something was wrong? The bell signaling the end of break-time rang, but Hiko ignored it and Kenshin didn't bother mentioning that it had rung. As Hiko stared at the red-head, he remembered what he had been thinking earlier, and he frowned. He knew that he had resolved to ask Kenshin about what was wrong after the tournament…but it seemed like he'd have to ask him now. For his sake.
"Come with me," he said, turning around abruptly and walking away from the staff-room they had been standing outside.
"…Sensei, I have a lesson now…" said Kenshin, slowly.
"I'll make sure you get excused later on…" called Hiko, walking away. Frowning slightly, Kenshin followed him…and realized after a while, that they were heading towards the grounds where they had their athletics practice. He stopped, wondering why he had been brought here. He looked questioningly at his coach.
"Sensei?"
"I brought you here to get some privacy…when I ask you this," said Hiko, not showing much emotion on his face, "what happened to you?" Kenshin stared at him, blinking once or twice and wondering whether he had heard everything right.
"…Sensei?"
"You heard what I said Kenshin," said Hiko, "What happened to you?" He and Kenshin seemed to be involved in a staring contest for the next few minutes – a contest which Hiko finally won, when Kenshin averted his gaze, letting out a long sigh as he did so.
"I just had…an accident, sensei," he said, ignoring the pain that entered his mind and now seemed tenfold, as he thought of the accident.
"Yes, I noticed," said Hiko, "but…what I want to know is what happened in that accident." He saw the boy's averted gaze and frowned. "I don't have all day you know…" When Kenshin finally started speaking, it seemed as though his mind was far, far away…it seemed as though, apart from the fact that the 18 year old boy's body was right there before him, his spirit had moved back in time…to the day the accident had taken place. Hiko Seijiro could only watch and listen as Kenshin's eyes turned hollow, and as his voice sounded almost lifeless.
"There was a girl, sensei…called Tomoe…" started Kenshin, a little colour coming back into his face as he thought about the girl, "…She was, well, that is to say…we were in love…"
"Tomoe? Are you ready?" he called, entering the house and looking around, hoping to spot his black-haired girl-friend somewhere downstairs. "Tomoe?" he called, moving into the living room.
"I'm here," called Tomoe, sounding a bit breathless as she entered the living-room. Kenshin turned around and his eyes widened at the sight of his girl-friend, dressed in a strapless white dress that didn't cling too much to her body to make it indecent, but that didn't hang loose enough to make it baggy. Her hair was let loose from its usual ponytail and the thick black strands of it framed her face before finally ending half-way down her back. A pair of white, tear-drop shaped earrings complimented her whole outfit, as did the small hairclip that she wore that was studded with white and purple stones.
"T-Tomoe…you look…" his voice trailed off as he wracked his brain for a suitable adjective.
"…Nice, maybe?" asked Tomoe, smiling at the cute expression on her boy-friend's face. Kenshin shook his head vehemently.
"No, that's too…general," he said, "How about beautiful?" he smiled back at her, "or…breath-taking?" His smile widened as he saw the blush form on her face. "I take it that's a good enough word?" Tomoe smacked him lightly in the chest.
"Stop teasing me!" she said, looking mock-hurt. Kenshin looked serious.
"Teasing? I'm not teasing you…why would I want to do that?" he asked, before he pulled Tomoe to him in a flash and placed his lips over hers, cutting off whatever she had been about to say.
"Neesan, are we going or not?" asked the black-haired boy as he entered the living-room hurriedly buttoning up the jacket of his suit, "I think we're going to be – " Kenshin and Tomoe pulled away from each other when they saw him.
"Enishi," said Tomoe, smiling, "He looks good, doesn't he, anata?" Kenshin nodded; yes, Yukishiro Enishi did look surprisingly refined in a tuxedo, although he was just 14 at the time. Enishi pushed his glasses up his nose, scowling at Kenshin before smiling at his older sister.
"And you look exquisite, neesan," he said. Tomoe giggled. With a brother like Enishi and a boy-friend like Kenshin, she had to be the most complimented female alive in the world. She shook her head at the two men as they shot her curious glances.
"You look downright handsome, anata," she said, turning to Kenshin who just smiled at her, happy that he had actually managed to get the black-suit done properly. "Well then, shall we go now?" she asked, looking at Enishi for confirmation, "Yamagata-san will not really approve of us getting late for her anniversary dinner…"
"Why do we have to go for this dinner in the first place, neesan? And why do we need to dress up like this?" asked Enishi, watching as his sister made sure that the windows nearby were locked.
"Because, Enishi, Yamagata-san and her husband have always been very good friends of Okasan," called Tomoe, checking the kitchen door, "And it's only natural for us to continue to be civil to her; Okasan would have appreciated it." She headed towards the two men again, linking her arm with Kenshin's. "Come on; let's get going before we really are late."
"But neesan, how are we getting there?" asked Enishi, hoping against hope that the blue car he had seen outside wasn't…Kenshin's.
"Kenshin's driving us there," said Tomoe, shooting her brother a 'look.' "We discussed this before, remember, Enishi?"
"…But – neesan, he…he only just got his license…and – "
" – Enishi…please, can we just go?" interrupted Tomoe, a small frown appearing on her face, "Please?" Looking at his sister for a minute, Enishi sighed in defeat.
"Hai," he said, "but he better drive carefully."
"Don't worry about it, Enishi, I will," said Kenshin, smiling at the younger boy as they all walked outside, looking the front door behind them, and got into the car with Tomoe sitting in the front with Kenshin, and Enishi sitting in the back. During the drive to the fancy hotel, Tomoe and Kenshin conversed casually, with Tomoe teasing Kenshin a little, before reverting to a few serious issues. That was how it was with the couple; they could talk about absolutely anything and enjoy themselves…as long as they had each other to talk to. Enishi, in the back, kept quiet, sulking no doubt, at having to go with Kenshin for the dinner.
When they finally arrived at the hotel, they parked the car and walked inside, heading for the restaurant the dinner was being held in. Tomoe and Kenshin were in the lead, their arms linked, and Enishi brought up the rear, scowling as he watched the special smiles that his sister kept on giving Kenshin.
After everyone made a big fuss over how beautiful 'Tomoe-chan' looked, resembling her mother greatly, and how handsome young Enishi was and how handsome he would be in the future…and how lucky 'Tomoe-chan' was to have such a cute boyfriend, the trio finally managed to sit down. Most of the people present were in their middle-ages, which meant that the conversation wasn't really entertaining for the teenagers, although Kenshin did his best to listen to what was being said when he was spoken to. After dinner and after making many toasts to Mr. and Mrs. Yamagata (who were slightly drunk at that point) and after Tomoe gently pried away the half-empty glass of wine that Enishi had drunk from, the trio found themselves becoming rather bored. Tomoe whispered something in Kenshin's ear, to which he smiled before looking questioningly at her. She nodded. Telling Enishi to stay where he was as they were going to be back in around half an hour, Tomoe and Kenshin stood up, excusing themselves (and were teased quite a lot) before walking away.
A while later, they were in the now quiet park, sitting side by side on one of the white benches, staring up at the stars. Tomoe's head was resting on Kenshin's shoulders and he in turn had his arm wrapped around her.
"Kenshin…"
"Hai?"
"Do you think…that we'll always be able to be like this?" Kenshin looked down at Tomoe, wondering why she sounded a little bit…wary.
"What do you mean, Tomoe?" he asked, gently.
"I…I suddenly have this feeling that…this will not last…" whispered Tomoe, her eyes, hidden from Kenshin's view, showing her fear. Kenshin hugged Tomoe tightly.
"No, Tomoe…you shouldn't think like that," he said, "If you go to think too much about things, then you'll never get to enjoy life…" Tomoe sighed.
"You're right…" she said, "We should enjoy these moments that we have together…and we should treasure them greatly…"
"I know that I certainly will," said Kenshin, softly. Tomoe smiled. She knew that he would too.
"And I will too," she said. She felt Kenshin relaxed and turned her attention back to the stars. "Ne, Kenshin…if something does happen to me – "
" – No, Tomoe, please, don't say that," interrupted Kenshin, tensing up.
"Just listen," said Tomoe, "if something does happen to me, will you promise that you'll continue to live your life?" Kenshin pulled Tomoe away from him so that he could stare at her. She noticed the frown on his face and the mixed emotions in his eyes just as he noticed the fear in her eyes.
"How can I live without you, Tomoe?" he whispered, shaking his head. If it had been in any other situation, Tomoe would have smiled, thinking that she was the luckiest girl in the world.
"No, Kenshin, I'm being serious," she said, "Will you promise me that?"
"Tomoe, I – " Kenshin stopped when she placed a finger to his lips, and he stared at her, stricken.
"Promise me, Himura Kenshin," said Tomoe, softly. Kenshin stared hard at her, before closing his eyes. When he opened them, he pulled Tomoe towards him again and kissed her, willing his fears away by mentally repeating to himself that nothing would go wrong. A bird, probably an owl, hooted from somewhere, and Kenshin pulled away from Tomoe, smiling gently at her.
"I can't promise you anything like that Tomoe," he said, at last, "although, I promise you that I certainly will try…" Tomoe smiled brightly at him. That was all that she needed. She knew that Kenshin would try, especially when he promised to.
"Thank-you," she said, glancing absentmindedly at the silver watch on her wrist, "I knew I could – Kenshin! Look at the time! We're late!" Kenshin gasped. He hadn't realized that time had flown by so soon.
"We promised Enishi we'd be back in half-an hour, didn't we?" he asked. Tomoe nodded.
"And we're almost one and a half hours late!" she exclaimed. Kenshin shook his head, chuckling.
"He's never going to speak to me after this," he said.
"Not if I can help it," said Tomoe, "he just needs to get used to the fact that his neesan needs to be happy too. Once he realizes that, I'm sure he'll love you."
"If you say so, Tomoe," said Kenshin, standing up and helping her to her feet, "Let's go." Due to the fact that they were really late, and that Tomoe was really worried that her brother would have been left alone, she urged Kenshin to speed up. At first, he was reluctant to do so, but then he realized that anything could happen to the fourteen year old Enishi, so he agreed, a little apprehensive at first, but then calming down and getting used to it.
In twenty minutes, they were almost at the hotel. Instead of deciding to park in the car-park, Kenshin told Tomoe as he continued to drive that he'd wait by the front of the hotel, in the car, while Tomoe went inside and got Enishi. Tomoe agreed. They were almost at the front of the hotel, and Tomoe had opened the car door, ready to get down, when headlights suddenly shone on the small rented car that she and Kenshin were in. Kenshin blinked at the sudden brightness, just as Tomoe did the same. Her eyes adjusted to what was going on sooner than he did, and she screamed as she saw the car speed towards them, obviously out of control.
"Kenshin!" she screamed, not bothering to jump out of the car like she should have when her mind screamed at her to do so. Instead, she leaned towards Kenshin, her eyes wide and a foreboding feeling in her gut. Kenshin's eyes only adjusted to the bright light when the car was an inch or two away from them. Reflexes kicking in, he automatically tried to push Tomoe away from him, knowing that it was too late. None of them had time to react in any other way, before the car smashed into them. None of them cared much about anything else but about making sure that the other was going to be harmed the least. And none of them saw the little boy standing outside the hotel where he had been anxiously looking for the blue-car. None of them saw his eyes widen in horror, or heard the heart-wrenching scream that escaped from his mouth.
When Kenshin managed to open his eyes, the first thing that he had felt was a stinging, unbearable pain in his leg. Remembering what had happened in a flash, he looked furtively around him. Everywhere he looked he saw shattered glass and – his eyes widened – blood. Hearing an almost inaudible gasp from somewhere close-by, he turned to his left and he thought his heart almost stopped beating. Tomoe.
"To-moe…?" he called, his voice hoarse even as he reached out to her, ignoring the pain that seared through his whole body as he attempted to move. "Tomoe…!" Her eyelids fluttered open, revealing an almost empty pair of eyes. Kenshin felt the fear rise in his chest. "Are you…OK, Tomoe?"
"…My body…I feel…" her voice trailed off, and Kenshin, squinting his eyes, was able to make out the dark stains that seemed to cover her pure white dress completely. "…Your face…" Startled, he raised his hand to where she was looking at and, to his surprise, felt blood…and a strange sort of mark on the left side of his face. "It's…a…cross…" gasped Tomoe, weakly. Kenshin shook aside his shock and turned to his girlfriend.
"Don't talk, Tomoe, you're going to be fine," he said, as reassuringly as he could. He could already hear an ambulance nearby, and his heart screamed at it to hurry. Tomoe needed the help. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you…" He managed to reach out and clasp her hand in his, paling further when he felt the iciness of her skin. "…Tomoe?"
"…I don't think…I can…" Tomoe stopped, gasping for breath, "…K-Kenshin…" Kenshin shook his head as her eyes turned on him, telling him what he didn't want to accept.
"No," he croaked, "No, don't – you can't…don't do this to me, Tomoe…" he pleaded, his eyes filling with tears as he saw the pain that was practically over-flowing in her beautiful eyes.
"…remember…" whispered Tomoe, her words getting softer, "…remember your promise…" she gasped for breath just as her eyelids fluttered again, "anata…remember your pr-promise…" She reached out and gingerly touched the fresh scar on his cheek, not noticing how he winced. The last thing that he saw her do was smile tenderly at him, before gasping one more time. The hand that had been touching his scar fell limp…and her eyes closed slowly. She was gone.
"Tomoe?" he whispered, pushing aside all rational thoughts, "…Tomoe?" he received no answer. "TOMOE!" And that was the last thing that he remembered, before he blacked out, emotionally exhausted and physically injured.
Hiko Seijiro could only stare at Kenshin as he finished recounting his story concerning the accident. His mind was reeling; he had known that someone had died in that accident that had been the cause of Kenshin's leaving town and being unable to even walk properly…but he had never known that it was someone important to Kenshin.
"…And that's what happened," said Kenshin, his eyes still hollow, as the image of the severely injured Tomoe flashed across his head causing him to wince. Hiko cleared his throat.
"I…didn't know…" he said, quietly, "...So that's the reason why you've been walking around with a heavy burden on your shoulders?" Kenshin nodded, not surprised that the coach had figured it out; he had had a feeling that he would notice something was wrong when he returned.
"I killed her, sensei…what heavier burden could anyone possibly have?" he asked. Hiko raised his eyebrows.
"You killed her? You were only in the car and you weren't the driver of the other car that caused it to happen," he said, "And what happened to the driver of the other car anyway?"
"He was drunk," growled Kenshin, "…And he survived the accident." Hiko inhaled sharply. It was rather cruel that the person who was responsible for the accident was still alive whereas an innocent girl had to die. But then again, that was fate, wasn't it? The two of them stood where they were, facing each other but not saying anything as their thoughts were far away.
"What happened to her brother?" asked Hiko, remembering about the fourteen year old that Kenshin had mentioned. He wondered at the saddened expression on Kenshin's face. Surely nothing can have happened to the boy?
"He saw everything happen…and…he went into shock, from what I was told," said Kenshin, his shoulders slumping, "He was there at the small funeral that we had…" he sighed, "and he said that he'll never forgive me for – for killing his…neesan…" Kenshin smiled ruefully, "And I can't really blame him for that…" Hiko's mind recoiled inside him, telling him that what Kenshin was doing to himself was wrong. Why the hell was his baka-deshi blaming himself for something that wasn't his fault?
"Where is the kid now? Is he even in Japan?" he asked.
"Aa…" said Kenshin, looking up at him with a saddened gleam entering his eyes, "He's in Toriyama right now…" Hiko's eyes widened, wondering why he had a bad feeling in his gut, "You remember Toriyama's star athlete, sensei?" Hiko frowned slightly, before nodding. "Well that's him…Yukishiro Enishi." The expression on Hiko's face was classic.
Meanwhile:
As they sat through their History class, Soujirou and Yahiko couldn't help but glance occasionally at their black-haired friend. Why? Well, it wasn't normal – even for Kaoru – to sit in class staring at the book on her desk with her face bright red. Yahiko glanced at Soujirou, his eyebrows raised as though asking him what had happened. Soujirou shook his head to indicate that he didn't know, before glancing at Kaoru again. Ever-since she had run out of class saying she had left something at the cafeteria, she had been like this. Had something…happened?
Even though Kaoru was staring down at her History text-book, her mind was far, far away from the topic that they were discussing then ('how sensible was it for swordsmen to declare that they would never kill again during the times after the fall of the Tokugawa shoganate?'). She couldn't believe what had happened. She just couldn't.
'Dammit…of ALL the books to fall out of my bag, it HAD to be THAT one!' she growled inwardly, before her face turned red as she remembered what Saito had said about her and Kenshin. 'Well that's what you get, baka, for writing down 'Kaoru & Kenshin' in a notebook…that you bring to school!' She had to admit that that particular inner-voice was true. 'But STILL…why did SAITO of all people have to find that notebook!'
Her eyes widened as she remembered Aoshi's flushed face…and Saito's comments on point no.1 and 2 on her 'list.' She knew those two points by heart; they were about Aoshi and Misao-chan. 'Oh.My.God.' She fought off the urge to scream as realization dawned on her. Aoshi and Misao-chan. Aoshi had been there…and…Saito could possibly have told Aoshi about the points…and that meant that – 'Oh Kaoru, you are SO dead…'
Kashiwazaki Residence:
Misao was lying down on the grass outside her house, her arms spread out on either side of her as she breathed in the scent of fresh air. She couldn't believe how good she felt. She had walked around the whole fairly large garden a couple of times before getting bored and jogging on the side-walk – which her mother didn't see. In any case, her knee or her ankle hadn't hurt much when she had been jogging; it was only when she increased her speed into a sprint that the pain hit her. She had had every inclination of just continuing with the sprint when she remembered the promise that she made Soujirou the night before. Sighing heavily, she had stopped running and gone to lie down on the grass. Soujirou had been very clever when he had made her promise him to stop if she ever thought she was risking her health. He knew that she would never break a promise, much less one that she made to him.
She smiled as she remembered what the two of them had overheard her mother and grandfather say when they had gone downstairs to the dining room for dinner. The two adults hadn't heard them enter the dining room, and it turned out that they had been talking about Soujirou and Misao – which somewhat surprised the two teenagers. They just heard Mrs. Makimachi saying 'If I have ever had a son, Otosan, it's definitely Soujirou…' before they were spotted and were told to sit down and start eating. Misao, having known Soujirou for as long as she did, smiled when she saw the unsaid emotion in the boy's blue-eyes as they sat down at the table. She had had a feeling that that was something Soujirou would never forget in his life and she was glad.
As she lay there on the ground smiling, her thoughts immediately wondered off to a certain 18 year old; a certain good-looking 18 year old. She felt her cheeks grow warm as she simply thought of him, before her smile disappeared as she remembered what she had told Kaoru the other day. She couldn't believe that she had said that either, as she had never been the type to put herself down. But she had her reasons, and she knew that she couldn't argue with them.
Why would someone as good-looking as Aoshi fall for someone as plain and simple as her? Aoshi could get any girl he wanted without any problem…and here she was, aiming too high. She sighed heavily, feeling an unfamiliar emotion surge through her. It was just too bad that Aoshi was the first person she had actually loved in this sense. And it was just awful that the first person she loved didn't even care two hoots about her. 'How do YOU know that? Are you a mind-reader or something?' asked one of her inner-voices, sounding exasperated, 'look, you don't know whether he has feelings for you or not, and I understand that you don't want to hurt yourself which is why you're trying to tell yourself from NOW that things won't work out between the two of you…but COME ON, how can you be so SURE?'
"I don't know…" mumbled Misao, aloud, "I mean, I'd love it if he had feelings for me…but is there a point in getting my hopes up for nothing?" 'Hopes or not, you can't ignore the fact that he's drop-dead gorgeous…' Misao had to agree with her inner voice on this one. He was gorgeous…she flushed as she found herself dreaming wistfully about him again, before she shrugged. It was nice, to dream about him.
Mitsurugi High-School:
After telling their literature teacher that Kenshin had gone off to meet Hiko Seijiro, Aoshi was quiet for the rest of the lesson even when the teacher asked him whether Kenshin was planning on coming for the lesson at all. How was he supposed to know? It wasn't like either one of them had told him anything. Shrugging inwardly, he turned his attention back to the lesson…or rather, he tried to, but found that he couldn't.
His mind was still reeling with what Saito had said, or rather, with what Saito had read out from Kaoru-san's notebook. He, for the live of him, couldn't believe what had happened during that last couple of minutes of break. Saito had sat down when the others had gone and had actually managed to get him riled up by saying something, or rather by starting to say something about his 'mother' when he had been…distracted by the more interesting things written in the notebook he had discovered. If that wasn't bad enough…Saito had to go and…and read that about…
He bowed his head feeling his cheeks grow warm again, for no apparent reason – or was there a reason? Feeling his inner voice starting to wake up, he hurriedly shook his head, mentally willing himself to focus on the lesson and not on unnecessary things. 'Hey…come on, you just heard the best news of your whole life!' said his inner voice, having woken up, 'It looks like Misao does have a thing for you!' He shook his head vehemently. That wasn't true – or rather, that couldn't be true. What would someone as…as cheerful and bubbly…and easy-going…see in someone as…quiet, held-back and…well, cold like him? 'Is that a tinge of REGRET that I discerned when you thought about that?' He would have glared at his inner voice if he could, but, unfortunately, he couldn't.
Of course it wasn't regret. It didn't really matter if someone didn't like him. He was used to it. Well, almost all the girls he had met during his teens had loved him…but that was for an entirely different reason. And he just couldn't see Misao liking him, and he had to admit that, even if it made him feel rather…uncomfortable. His eyes widened. Uncomfortable? Why would he feel uncomfortable just because he thought that Misao couldn't possibly like him?
'How many times must I point this out to you? Never-mind, I'll point it out to you again; you're intrigued by Makimachi Misao – I mean, why else would you constantly think about THIS girl, when, no offence to Misao or anything, you've met a couple of prettier girls before? Why do you spend time mulling over this particular girl?'
He frowned. Why did he spend time thinking about her? Perhaps…because he hung around with people who seemed to love her a lot? Yes, that made sense…everyone he talked to (i.e. everyone he hung around with at break-time) knew and loved Misao. 'Oh for the love of – honestly, when are you going to start using your BRAIN?' reprimanded his inner voice, sounding rather frustrated, 'If that's the only reason why you think so much about Misao, then why, oh Mr. 'I'm-so-cold-and-unemotional-that-no-one-can-possibly-like-me', do you seem to hate Seta Soujirou so much?'
Hate Seta Soujirou? He didn't hate Seta…did he? He frowned; if he didn't hate him, then…why did he constantly shoot him cold glances, especially when the kid hadn't done anything to him? His frown deepened. So…what his inner voice was trying to point out, then, was...he shook his head. No way. No freaking way. He was past that stage of adolescent 'crushes.' (Well, actually, he had never been to that stage, but anyway!) He…he couldn't be…it – it didn't seem...right, somehow…
'Grow up and accept it, A-o-shi. Why else do you hate Seta Soujirou for no reason at all? Why else do you find yourself thinking more and more about that girl? Why else do you think that you ARGUED with someone over something about the girl? Why else did you blush – ah, I KNOW you did – when Saito was…teasing you about her?' he listened to his inner-voice, not quite sure about what he was supposed to say, 'You're in love with her, Aoshi. The question shouldn't be 'it can't be' or 'why' or 'how'…it should be 'what should I do from here?'
Aoshi stared hard at the opened book on his table, the statements his inner voice made whirling around his head. But…she would never – 'Remember point no. 1 in that list Saito read out? Remember what Saito said was written there? About her feelings?' Aoshi flushed, feeling…strange…
How could he believe that? How would Kaoru-san know about Misao's feelings? He ignored his inner voice (that said that Kaoru was one of Misao's close friends after all) and frowned. So far in his life, he had managed to get through without being hurt too much. He remembered his friends back in Eigamura; Hannya, Beshimi, Hyottoko and Shikijou…and how they had all been on the receiving end of unrequited love. He knew how they had gone moping around, glaring at him when he simply gave them a knowing look which said 'I told you so.' He had avoided that kind of 'moping around' in his life this far…and…well, was it wise of him to risk getting hurt now? Especially when he already was alone in the world? He shook his head. No, he shouldn't dwell on this any longer – if he did, it would really eat him up. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and started counting to ten, trying to calm himself down in order for him to concentrate on the lesson.
Kamiya Residence:
Mrs. Kamiya was seated on the couch, staring at the TV that was in front of her, but her mind far away from it. She had made up her mind; she would do it. Today. It was for the best, and – she gulped – it would probably ruin her family…but it was worth it if she could stop something horrible from happening between Kaoru and Aoshi. She knew that it would be difficult, and she even wondered whether Aoshi would believe her or not. Well, if he doesn't believe me, he can always call Kazuko and find out.
"Kaeri? Kaeri – oh, there you are…" Kamiya Kaeri jumped up startled, as she heard her husband's voice from nearby. She spun around, her heart beating fast. What's…what's he doing here? I didn't even hear the car…
"H-Hisashi," she said, managing to give him a weak smile, "What are you doing here? Are you ill?" Hisashi shook his head as he headed towards the office-room.
"No, I just realized that I forgot some important documents and I need them for the meeting that I'm going to be having today," he said, his voice sounding muffled as he entered the study-room. Kaeri couldn't stop herself from sighing in relief. She had honestly thought that he had found out about – she shook her head, managing to smile. She was being paranoid.
Hisashi shifted various files and piles of papers around on his desk, looking for the 'important documents' that he needed. He couldn't remember whether he had put them into a file or not. He growled impatiently.
"Come on, it has to be here somewhere…" he muttered, wondering whether he should call for Kaeri since she was much better at finding things. "Kae – " He stopped when he found the file and grinned. He had managed to find it. Moving away hurriedly, in his hurry to get back to the office in time, he nudged one of the glass paperweights on his desk, causing it to topple off, on to the ground. Old reflexes kicking in, he reached over hurriedly and managed to grab it before it fell, grumbling when he dropped the file in the process. Replacing the paperweight, he bent down and started picking up the papers that had fallen from the file, not caring what he picked up as he stuffed it in the file in his hurry to get back. He didn't notice the odd slip of paper that he picked up in his rush; the odd slip of paper that was faded, showing that it was rather old...the odd slip of paper that would have had his wife turn white with worry. Finally stuffing everything back in, he walked briskly out of the room.
"I'll see you at dinner Kaeri," he called, smiling at his wife before walking outside and hurrying towards his car. He didn't notice his wife relaxing as he shut the front door behind him, and neither did he notice the relieved sigh she released.
An hour later:
He sat in his office, sipping the tea from his cup as he looked through the file he had brought from home. His meeting was in another hour and a half, so he had plenty of times to go through the documents and make sure they were up to standard. Putting aside the paper he had been reading – concerning the shares of his company – he picked up the next sheet of folded paper, frowning as he saw it. The paper was a pale shade of yellow – a yellow that signified its age.
"That's strange…I thought these documents were done up last week…" he mused, aloud, before unfolding the paper. It only took a quick glance at the format for him to notice that it was a letter; a hand written letter. "Hand-written? I thought these things were typed…" he mumbled, wondering whether or not he should call his secretary and ask her whether she had bothered to check the file before she had given it for him to take home, when he saw who the letter was addressed to. Kaeri. The letter was addressed to his…wife? Curious, he pushed his reading glasses back up his nose and started reading, hoping that he wasn't breaching his wife's privacy as he did so. The letter had after all, been in his file.
His dark-eyes widened after he had read the first paragraph of the letter. The hand that was holding the old letter was crushing it – probably destroying the paper – but he didn't care. This – this was…he re-read the paragraph he had just read, unable to believe it. Kaeri…his Kaeri…had been – had been – feeling a sense of fury bubble up inside of him, he skipped the rest of the letter and glanced at the bottom, hoping to spot who the letter was sent from. Shinomori Yuuji. He gasped. That name sounded familiar…he suddenly frowned. Wasn't Yuuji the name of Kaeri's best-friend? And…and didn't the kid staying in the house with them have the surname Shinomori?
His anger mounting as an explanation – the only possible explanation for what was going on at home – entered his head. He did his best to push it out of his head, but he couldn't. Glancing at the letter again, he resolved to read the rest of it…before going home and shoving it in front of his wife's face, demanding an explanation.
A/N
PHEW…that was long. I'm terribly sorry about the length of this chapter, but I didn't want to stop without advancing the plot a little bit more. I hope it was interesting…although, maybe it wasn't…
Heh, I was actually going to stop the fic after Kenshin had his little 'flashback' but I thought that it seemed like the chapter centered too much on Kenshin, instead of on Aoshi or Misao…so I added more – and now my brain had dried up.
I hope you enjoyed chapter seventeen! Reviews will be completely welcome (although I guess I don't deserve them for not updating for so long!)
See ya soon!
Siriusgirl1