Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. Only the plot, thank you very much.
A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed my fic so far! I will try to listen to your comments and suggestions and apply them to this fic as much as I can!
BTW – Kaoru didn't interrupt the same meeting twice, I just wrote it from a different point of view to any confused readers Sorry that I didn't write anything to show a different POV and a flashback.
WARNING: A moment where Kaoru and Misao are mean to telemarketers. But then again, so am I. Mild cursing.
Design My World
Chapter Two:
Monday, June 6th, 2005 – 12:30 PM
Tokyo, Japan
Kenshin sighed in frustration as he snapped another pencil in half. He couldn't get a plan that was perfect. He couldn't! It was impossible. The measurements didn't match. Hell, nothing matched!
He threw the broken pieces of the pencil into the garbage. There were about ten other identical pencil pieces in the bin.
"Kenny… How about we go get a lunch break? On me?" asked Kamatari Honjou, putting a hand on his shoulder in sympathy.
Kenshin mumbled an 'alright,' and an immediately happy Kamatari jumped up, yanked him up by the ear, and started dragging him out of the secluded building.
"Kamatari… ahh – that hurts! You know, I can walk for myself," Kenshin told him, as he was still dragging him by the ear.
"Oh, sorry, Kenny-hunny," he replied, letting go of his ear instantly.
"You know I don't like being called that," he muttered.
"I'm sorry, I forgot – again," Kamatari apologized.
"That's alright," he murmured. "So where are we going?"
"Down the block – there's a new place called 'Dong-Suk's Noodle Shop,'" he explained. "It's quite good, if you ask me,"
"You've been there?" inquired Kenshin.
"Yes, of course! Didn't I tell you?" Kamatari asked in confusion.
"Tell me what?" Kenshin questioned in equal confusion.
"I went there last night on a date!" he exclaimed.
"Oh, really? How was it?" Kenshin asked, half-bored as they walked down the sidewalk. He was trying to ignore the constant, 'Hey, gay fags!' from teenage drivers as they walked down the street.
"It was simply divine… you should've seen him, Kenny, he had the most gorgeous brown eyes…" Kamatari said dreamily, suddenly going off in another world.
"Kamatari…?" Kenshin asked. "You okay?"
"Oh, yes, Kenny, I'm fine…" he said, snapping out of his reverie of the previous night.
"So… are you going to see him again?" he asked.
"Oh, I don't know," he said sadly. "He didn't seem that interested. He asked for my number, though,"
"Er – well, there's still hope, right?" suggested Kenshin. He knew that Kamatari didn't do too well with men, but he said it to keep his hopes up.
"Yes! There still is, Kenny," he replied brightly. It was quite awkward to have a gay friend, in Kenshin's opinion, but he was a nice guy, so he didn't mind him too much.
"Here it is!"
Kenshin looked up and saw a simple noodle shop. It looked like just any other one, just had shiner windows. By the looks of it, it wasn't too popular because there was no line. They entered the noodle shop, where it smelt of udon and other Japanese noodles.
"Two, please," Kamatari requested. Kenshin felt that awkward feeling, once again. He looked around the shop. There were simple decorations – plain, brown wallpaper and simple, green plants were lying all over the shop.
"Weren't you here yesterday?" inquired a waiter.
"Yes, I was," Kamatari replied. "You remember me?" he inquired hopefully.
"Not really, you just looked familiar," answered the waiter.
"Well, it's nice of you to remember me," Kamatari replied, as they sat down.
Kenshin stared at the menu. All there was was… noodles. After ten minutes, he decided to have udon.
"I'll have the Dong-Suk Noodle Shop udon, please," Kenshin requested.
"Uh… give me a sec, hunny. Hm… I'll take the same thing. And a Coke," Kamatari said to the waiter, who nodded and left.
"So… why were you so upset at the office, Kenny?" asked Kamatari.
"Enishi is trying so hard for me to get fired… did you see what happened at that meeting today?" Kenshin asked in frustration.
"Yeah… he might as well killed you, Kenny. Hey, about that new girl – I heard she's some sort of dancer, or something. Heard she's hot," he replied, with a wink.
"Kamatari," Kenshin groaned. "Do you really have to say that here? Besides, I have a wife. And a son, thank you very much. I love them, not that – that stupid girl," he muttered.
"Kenny, don't get too upset. I heard she's actually pretty nice." Kamatari pointed out.
"From who? Her mother?" Kenshin murmured.
"No, silly, from Hiko," Kamatari explained.
"Hiko? Why was she visiting Hiko?" he inquired.
"I don't know, probably to get a job," he answered, stirring his Coke that was placed in front of him.
Kenshin nearly choked while drinking his tea. "WHAT? Get a job?"
"Yes, that's what I said, Kenny. You know, you really should get those hearing aids I suggested a few months ago. They work wonders," he explained.
"Why would she get a job? Especially here, if she's a dancer," Kenshin questioned, ignoring the remark about the hearing aids.
"Beats me, I'm no woman expert. Probably to get more money," he suggested.
The steaming hot udon dishes were placed in front of them. While Kamatari ate his food in joy, Kenshin just stared into the soup.
"Now, Kenny, don't be worried. If she's a professional dancer, she couldn't be that great at architecture, now could she? She won't get you fired, don't you worry," Kamatari reassured. "Besides, it's your uncle who's the head of the company. He gets to make those kinds of decisions. He wouldn't fire you,"
"Yeah, I guess you're right," Kenshin replied with a sigh. He grabbed his stirring noodles with his chopsticks and slowly chewed on it. "This is not bad, Kamatari, not bad at all,"
"See! I told you so," Kamatari said in glee.
"Ha… right," Kenshin murmured, taking another slurp of soup.
Kaoru sighed in exhaustion as she opened the door to her apartment. She had to find those college sketches, and if she couldn't she'd have to stay up all night making another one.
"Oh, Kaoruuuuu!" sang a high voice from the kitchen.
Kaoru grinned as she smelt a familiar aroma of sukiyaki. "Hey, Misao," Misao was a hyper, twenty year old college student that was her best friend in school and out of school. Her bright blue eyes always sparkled with excitement and her black braid always seemed to bounce from her energy.
"How was the interview today?" inquired Misao.
"It was great, I only need to show an example of something I drew or designed to the boss and I got the job!" she explained.
"Kaoru! That's awesome! Now I won't have to pay much of the rent, right?" Misao asked hopefully. Kaoru laughed. "Well, not until I graduate, at least,"
"Right, Misao, right," Kaoru said.
"I won't be much of a bother after I graduate," Misao told her, using a rice scooper to give Kaoru a scoop of rice with her dinner. Kaoru groaned. She knew a story was coming. "Aoshi-sama will ask me out, and then propose, and then we'll get married!" she said joyfully, dancing with the rice scooper.
"You have a wild imagination, Misao," Kaoru replied with a laugh.
"It will happen! He says 'I'm still too young,' but if I wait too long, he'll be too old! He'll ask me right when college ends, I know it!" Misao exclaimed.
"Okay, okay," Kaoru answered, rolling her eyes.
"Here you go," Misao said brightly, carrying a plate of sukiyaki to her.
"Thanks," Kaoru replied.
"This is just a thank-you to you for letting me stay here, the dorms are terrible!" Misao complained.
"Yes, I've heard many times, Misao," Kaoru sighed. "and you know that you're always welcome to stay here! You're my best friend,"
"Thanks, Kaoru!" Misao exclaimed, as she sat down next to her, gulping her sukiyaki down. "Sorry that I couldn't make it to your dance performance tonight. I have a HUGE American History exam tomorrow, and I needed to study,"
"That's fine, Misao, besides, you've seen it a million times," Kaoru replied reassuringly.
"I know, but I feel bad!" Misao explained, sipping her water.
"You don't have to – I thought that you might get bored after a while," Kaoru answered.
"I don't," she lied.
"You probably think about, 'You Aoshi-sama' during my performance!" she teased.
"I can't help it! He's so… dreamy, his eyes… his beautiful eyes… he's so buff… and tall… and handsome… and quiet…" she fantasized, her eyes sparkling.
" – Which is funny, because he's silent and you're just a talking-machine," Kaoru teased again. Misao smacked her arm playfully.
"So what, if I talk a lot? There's so much to talk about!" Misao retorted.
"Like what?" she inquired.
"Like – I saw Aoshi-sama in the park today…" she said, which was one example.
"Really? I didn't take Shinomori as a park person," Kaoru murmured.
"I know! Neither did I. I asked him what he was doing there, and he didn't answer me. He just looked at me, like I was his everything," Misao explained, emphasizing 'everything.' "I know he'll ask me soon, I know it!"
"Yes, he will ask you soon, don't worry," Kaoru said sarcastically. "The last time you said that was four years ago, when you were graduating from High School.
"I know, but I was stupid back then. This time I know he's going to!" Misao whined.
"Okay, I believe you, Misao," she said, carrying her plate of what was sukiyaki to the sink.
"Good, because it will happen," she answered, mimicking her.
Kaoru laughed at her stubbornness, and headed to her bedroom. It was a small, cozy room that consisted of a queen-sized bed, a patio, white walls, a stereo (to play her favorite music,) and a bathroom. It was simple, but enough for Kaoru.
"I'll be taking a shower, if I get any calls, just tell them I'll call them back. And if they're telemarketers…" Kaoru began.
"… tell them to shut their face and shove their stupid product up their ass!" Misao finished, laughing hysterically.
"You know it," Kaoru replied, laughing along with her. It was Misao's idea to say that phrase that had made her laugh every time she said that. Kaoru turned on the shower and let it run for a few minutes to warm up. After it did, she stepped into the shower. It felt good to take a nice, long shower. She grabbed her shampoo – Herbal Essences. It was her favorite. It smelt so good! And she used it since she was a young teenager. Kaoru also had a secret reason why she used it. Her first boyfriend that she had while she was in college always told her that one of the reasons he loved her was how good her hair smelt. Stupid, but she liked it.
She started humming a tune – one that was one of her favorites. "I hope you never lose your sense of wonder, you get your fill to eat…"
"But always keep that hunger
May you never take one single breath for granted
God forbid love ever leave you empty handed
I hope you still feel small
When you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Living might mean taking chances
But they're worth taking
Lovin' might be a mistake
But it's worth making
Don't let some hell bent heart
Leave you bitter
When you come close to selling out
Reconsider
Give the heavens above
More than just a passing glance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
I hope you still feel small
When you stand by the ocean
Whenever one door closes, I hope one more opens
Promise me you'll give faith a fighting chance
And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance
Dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance
I hope you dance…"
She finished the song in pure happiness. It was her favorite song when she was eight. It was such a beautiful song. She turned the knob for the water off and stepped out, dried herself, and put her robe on. Kaoru sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror, after wiping it clean. She wondered if she was ever going to find 'true love' again. She loved him… and she never knew why he broke up with her.
She quickly changed into her pajamas. They were a pair of flannel pants and a t-shirt saying, "Boys stink. Throw rocks at them."
She came out of her bedroom and called, "Did I get any calls?"
"Uh… someone from the dance company, I think it was Soujirou, and one telemarketer," Misao recited, watching TV.
"What did he want?" questioned Kaoru.
"I don't know," Misao replied, flipping through the channels. She stopped on Fox, where she started watching, "The OC,"
"Ahh! Adam Brody is soooo hot," Misao drooled.
"Ah, so you're cheating on Shinomori?" She cocked an eyebrow at her.
"No! Aoshi-sama's much hotter… but Adam is too!" she exclaimed.
"Whatever," Kaoru replied, dialing the number for the dance company.
Ring… Ring…
"Hello?"
"Hey, Sou, it's Kaoru. Did you call?"
"Yeah… I just wanted to say goodbye… I mean, today was your last day, right?"
"Yes, it was. Oh my gosh, it was!"
She heard a laugh at the other end.
"Sou! Ohmygosh, I'm going to miss you so much!"
"Me too, Kaoru, me too. But we can still get together, right?"
"Yeah,"
"I had a great time working with you,"
"Me too…"
There was a silence, and the man on the other end ended it. "Goodbye, Kaoru,"
"Bye, Sou…"
There was a click on the other end, and Kaoru hung up right after that.
"Who called?" Misao asked.
"It was Soujirou," Kaoru answered.
"I knew it!" Misao shouted to the screen, even though it applied to Kaoru too. She rolled her eyes, and headed towards her room.
"Where are you going? Don't you want to watch The OC with me?" Misao inquired.
"Yeah, but I have to find those drawings…" Kaoru began.
"Oh, right, okay," Misao interrupted, stuffing a handful of popcorn in her mouth.
Kaoru opened the closet where she kept her college stuff in. It was dusty, because she hadn't opened it in a long time. "I should have done this before I took a shower…" she groaned. She started from the bottom, working her way to the top.
After an hour, she found a sketch she made of the set design for, "Guys and Dolls," it was pretty good, but she remembered that she had made better. She sighed as she began looking for more.
After three hours, she finally found the right one. It was the set design she had made for, "A Misummer Night's Dream," It was perfect. She squealed in joy as she placed it on her bed.
But she felt like she needed to show something else – it didn't seem like enough. She searched some more, and found a blueprint of the design for the mall in downtown Tokyo. She completely forgot about this! Kaoru had originally made it for the mall, but ended up not submitting it, because of the lack of time she had.
Now this was impressive. She had full detail about the mall, each measurement precise and every angle perfect.
"Yes!" She nearly screamed, as she rolled it up along with the set design and placed it by the door, so she wouldn't forget it in the morning.
Kaoru looked out of her bedroom by the television, and saw Misao, snoring away.
She retreated back to her room, fell on her bed, and instantly entered deep sleep.
To My Reviewers:
Shimmering tear Haha! Thanks so much! Don't worry, it'll turn out K/K… eventually.
Lili125 Wow! You liked it that much? Haha thanks a lot!
Moomoo Thanks, moomoo! I just hope I don't get a writer's block while writing this… ugh I hate them!
Kher thanks! I'll try writing more descriptive scenes. And about the Kaoru and the meeting thing, I wrote the explanation at the top. Thanks, again!
Gabyhyatt thank you! I'll try to make this chapter as good as the first!
RK9 wow, long review! Haha thanks so much! Yeah, I tried to get that Kenshin/Kaoru conflict going on there. Yep, I might not do that flashback thing anymore but I will only if I have to, because it even confused me:- thanks for your comments!
Blooded wyngs why isn't it good if Kenshin already has a family? Don't worry, it's going to turn out just fine with Kenshin and Kaoru. I took your advice with the names, btw ;-D
Jeez um… Kaoru isn't going to be a homewrecker. Trust me. And it will turn out K/K. Thanks for reviewing, though!
Kawaii Meeh All your questions will be answered by the next chapter or the one after wouldn't want to spoil the story, now would I? ;)
Royal BlueKitsune No, Tomoe's not dead. She did try to hush the baby many times before, so they tried to do that 'Ferberizing' method. Unfortunately, it wasn't working. ;)
1kenshinlover yep, me too. K/K is the best.
Mizz-Clumsy yeah… my note at the beginning of this chapter explained that :-P
The Ancient Mariner's Wish Well, that's good to know! I like my stories being different than others
Thanks for reading this chapter! Please review! It would mean the world to me. I'd read and respond to every one!
See you in the next chapter!