Chapter 3:
Disclaimer: Suzume-chan: Watsuki Nobuhiro...please...can you give me your copyright of Rurouni Kenshin?
Watsuki Nob.: Sorry but I can't! Coz Rurouni Kenshin will be mine...forever!
Suzume-chan: I knew it...TT...But I'm happy that this fanfic' is my copyright...& it's not yours:P
Watsuki-sama: (falls back anime-style) oro...
Sunshine poked through her eyelids.
Yes, sunshine!
Sunshine?
"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWNNN!" Kamiya Kaoru stretched her arms and rubbed her eyes vigorously. "Another bad day I suppose," she thought sleepily. As she got off the blanket, she felt so cold (A/N: Remember Kenshin's new air-con?). At once she knew what would happen later, but well, she thought, that was later. She sat at the bedside and placed her feet on the floor to look for her bedroom slippers. But when her feet touched the spot where her slippers used to be…
"Eh? Where are they?" Her eyes jerked opened and she looked down, only to see…
"My room's floor is tiled. This floor is made of marble……" Then, memories came flooding.
Flashback
"GET OUT OF THIS HOUSE!"
"But –sob/sob- I didn't—"
"I SAID, OUT! NOW!"
"-sob/sob- FINE!"
(door opened then slammed hardly.)
Later on…
"Hoi, you there, bartender, sake, two bottles."
Gulp-gulp-gulp……
My eyesight became blur. Then, everything became black, but before that, it was so faint, but there was a streak of red……
End of Flashback
'OK, I got drunk……so now……WHERE AM I!' she thought. Then thoughts welled up in her mind. 'Maybe I'm a rapist's victim now….MASAKA! Can't be! Or maybe a stranger saved me and brought me to his house…..nah…too good to be true. Who wants to save a stupid person like me. Or…maybe this is a prostitute house, then I'll be a sex slave. YADA YADA YADA! No way in hell will I be a sex slave! Or this is a okiya, then people will make me into a maiko or geisha." Kaoru just shook her head. "I need to be trained though to be one. Well, no interest," she thought while tilting her head.
Too many different opinions ran through widen-eyed Kaoru's brain. Some scared her, some made her scream mentally, and so many others…
Then, her morning torture occurred. My, my…
"Ha-chii!" Poor Kaoru started sneezing. Actually, Kaoru has sinusitis (or however it is spelled). I don't know how to explain this thing, but it's a type of illness that makes you react to cold by sneezing and having a slight runny nose. I think the symptoms may vary in different people, but anyway, I'm not so sure. All I know is that there will be sneezing and a runny nose. Still, it's not serious, the sneezing goes on for only a while and it can't be infected to the people around you. So, that's that. Back on. Kaoru knew she would get those sneezing since the room was terribly cold.
"Ha-chii!" Second sneeze. Kaoru covered her mouth with her hands for the sake of politeness.
"Ha-chiu!" Third sneeze. And with every sneeze, the sneezes become louder.
At the third sneeze, she heard a slight groan and sounds of covers ruffling against themselves. Kaoru got shocked. There couldn't be anyone else on her bed, right? And she was sitting on the bed so she should be able to detect anybody else getting on the bed, right? Slowly with terror, she turned her head back to look at the bed. And…
"Aah, nobody there…" she muttered to herself and sighed in relieve, facing the front again with a hand propped on her forehead, bringing her fringe up.
"Just my imagination, I guess, I'm so lonely in this world so maybe I just thought somebody was beside me."
Suddenly bad memories of loneliness and everything came flooding back into her head again. But before she could think of anything else, another sneeze came, and Kaoru did not make it in time to sniffle it. And of course… this fourth sneeze was bigger…
"HA-CHIIU!" Then the groans and ruffling noise came back, and this time it wasn't her imagination. Terror filled her again. This time she turned her whole body to face the other side of the bed, all to realize that there was a little couch there. It was covered with a blanket. It had a huge lump under it. Unfortunately, the blanket was not enough to cover the top of the 'lump', and some red stringy stuff appeared at the upper end of the blanket.
Curiosity got the better of Kaoru's whole. She got off the bed to fulfil her instinct's desire. Next, she kneeled on the ground next to the couch to pull off the blanket. Just as she was going to do that, the fifth sneeze came by. Oops…
"ha—ha—CHIIUU!" It was so enormous even though Kaoru covered her mouth in time.
Then, the lump under the blanket started to move. Kaoru's both hands came up to her mouth and grasped it in shock and panic, as she watched the lump move. Then, it happened. It happened. The top of the blanket slid lower and the top of the lump was finally exposed, without the need of Kaoru pulling it off. Kaoru found out that the lump was a human. Yes, a human.
Miserable Kaoru got the shock of her life. She sank to the floor from her kneeling posture, knees on the floor and leg spread out sideways, sitting in that position. As soon as she was comfortable and settled with her position, she went back to observing the person's head and face.
"Hmm…" she put her head on her right shoulder.
"Hmm…" she tilted her head to the left.
"What type of person is this? Who is this person?" she began thinking.
Then Kaoru realised that she had been referring to the person as a 'person', not as her, him, she, he or whatever, unknowing whether the person was a boy or girl. Her mind then averted to thinking what gender is this person.
Kaoru was going to decide the person as a boy from the face, but for some reason she deleted that guess for an answer.
"No, this can't be," thought Kaoru, chin resting on brought up hands.
"This person has long hair! I mean, yeah, some guys have long hair, but not as long as this!" As a matter of fact, Kaoru spotted the hair spread all over the pillow, giving its estimated length to the ever observant Kaoru.
"Hair approximately nearly down the back... plus it's red," thought Kaoru, one index finger under her lower lip, arms folded. So this person can't be a guy, can he? But this person had a face like a guy, but still the hair is long like a girl! Too long for a boy!" Kaoru went on guessing quietly.
Mentally screaming in utter confusion, Kaoru went: "ARE YOU A MALE OR FEMALE!" She started scratching her head like mad, causing hair to fly in all directions.
"Are you sexless or something?" Kaoru mentally asked to the person who was still asleep as if nothing happened. Fed up with trying to guess the person's gender, she stood up in frustration.
To herself she said softly, "Well, anyway I'll find it out soon after this person here wakes up…I guess." With that, she went onto the bed again in and got herself into kneeling position.
Not more than five seconds later, Kaoru felt a sneeze coming. Immediately she pinched her nose to stop the sneeze. And sure, the sneeze was blocked and she felt the ticklish thing in her nose. Relieved, Kaoru let go her fingers and exhaled deeply. But that didn't stop a sneeze escaping, and it escaped. At least it wasn't that loud already. Still, Kaoru stayed froze, afraid that the person on the couch might wake. Luckily the person didn't move at all.
'Ah, the sneezes aren't so loud anymore. Good! It's gone, I think," Kaoru allowed herself to relax. And kneel there whilst looking at that person.
Ma…n, I'm bored to death!
Kaoru just continued to kneel right there on the bed. Kneel. Kneel. Kneel. Kneel... Kaoru's head fell sideward followed by the body. Do you get the picture? If you don't, this is my definition: Kaoru is still in kneeling position, only that the right side of her head was on the bed. So the right side of her body was on the bed. Legs were sticking outwards, but still in kneeling pose. OK, you got it. Kneeling sideways.
Too boring...
With that, our friend here decided to explore the little place she was in.
'First, if I want to escape,' Kaoru stood up on the floor, scheming out an escape plan.
'I must know where am I. Then, I can know my situation, find a way out, and YES! Escapade done!' She banged one fist into the other hand.
Kaoru slowly tiptoed to the door. She took one last look at the certain 'person'. Dear person, we shall meet again – I guess? Please don't wake up!
She opened the door trying to be silent. Luckily the door didn't creak, or she might just as well wake the 'person'. Kaoru got out. In fear of making the clicking noise when closing the door, she just left it open slightly.
Intuitively like anybody would do, Kaoru looked around at the place right in front of her.
Kaoru gasped.
"Oh my God…!"
Kenshin's POV
I was sleeping soundly, when something woke me up. No, it wasn't a something. It was a sound.
The sound was quite feeble; I couldn't make anything out of it with my brain. Every single part of my body felt tense.
Then the noise came again. This time it was louder, & I realised somebody in my room was sneezing. Just when I thought of getting up to attack whoever that was, I remembered that the 'somebody' was the girl I brought home last night. Who is she, anyway? I wanted to get up and greet her, but I knew she would probably faint of shock. Guess I better keep still for now.
"Ha-chiu!"
The third sneeze came by, and it was louder. I decided to 'perform' a little 'test' to test this girl here. I moved slightly in my blanket causing it to make a ruffling sound and faked some groans. I also made sure that my whole body was hidden under the blanket.
I went tense again, expecting her to hit me. But nothing happened, except for the next sneeze.
"HA-CHIIU!"
I did the groanings and ruffling sound again. Then I heard very light footsteps coming towards me.
"ha—ha—CHIIUU!"
My God, the sneeze was so enormous! Did she had manners to cover her mouth? OK, time to play-play with her again, so I moved.
But the blankets slipped over my head! Well, what could I do? I opened one eye a tiny-weeny bit and tried to make it unnoticeable. That young woman was looking right at me, tilting her head from right to left.
I shutted my eyes. What is this girl her thinking about me? Does she think I'm a rapist, or something?
There was a long silence. The sneezes had stopped. I peeked under barely opened eyes as I watched her going back to the bed and kneeled there.
OK, and I knew that I couldn't stay put like this for the rest of my life. How am I going to get up and show myself to her before she faints of shock!
The light footsteps were heard again. She was moving to the door. She opened the door silently and left it open.
Alright Kenshin, I thought to myself. Just do it and get up there and meet her like nothing happened! This is my only choice!
I let a few minutes pass before I got up and went to the door.
Time to meet you, young woman…
Normal POV
"Oh my God…!"
Kaoru looked at the place that was right in front of her. She realised that she was in an apartment, looking at how 'not-big' the living hall was.
But the thing that really shocked her was the object that was hung on the wall. It was a full-length Japanese sword. The sword was sheathed in a case.
'This person really can't have a katana in his place! Is he a murderer?' Kaoru wondered. 'I'm dead meat.'
Kaoru moved further into the living hall. The sofa was of pure leather and there was a cute little low wooden table on the floor. There was also a plasma TV and a few lampshades here and there. Beside the living room there was also a table and four chairs.
'Most probably the dining room,' mused Kaoru. 'The table and chairs are high and modern unlike the low Japanese ones…'
A rack was propped up on the wall but it was empty except for a few books and magazines. The problem, Kaoru realised, was that the walls were plain white and blank, except for that single Japanese sword.
Kaoru moved on to a door. She opened it and entered the kitchen. The kitchen was also empty apart from a few boxes on the floor. Then she noticed a refrigerator at the corner of the kitchen. Curious as usual, she opened it, just to find nothing except chocolate bars, yoghurts and fresh milks. The chocolate was so tempting, as Kaoru quite liked chocolates. She raised one hand to take one chocolate…
'Stop it, Kaoru,' she told herself. 'It could be poisoned.'
Silently and sadly, she closed the refrigerator.
As she walked out of the kitchen, Kaoru wondered why the place was so empty. Then, back to her own little world…her need to escape…but how…The access to the balcony was locked, the main door was locked, the windows were in the room—
The windows in the bedroom.
Kaoru decided to try her luck at the window beside the bed. Just when she was about to push the door opened, it opened and Kaoru bumped into somebody—the person.
She fell to the floor. "Ouch, ouch, ouch," she rubbed her waist. Then she looked up at the person. It was that red-haired person, and the person was staring down at her. Kaoru immediately got up.
"Who are you?" Kaoru asked, pointing one finger at the person's face.
"Kenshin, Himura Kenshin. And you? What about you?" The person, or now known as Kenshin asked the young lady standing in front of him.
So the 'person' is a 'he'…
"Kaoru, Kamiya Kaoru." Kaoru bowed to Kenshin. Kenshin did the same.
"So, who are you?" Kaoru asked again.
"Why, didn't I just tell you that I'm Himura Kenshin?" Kenshin said, one eyebrow arched. "Are you that stupid?"
"No! You're the one who's stupid, not me! Don't you have any sense of language?" Kaoru exclaimed, placing her hands at her hips. "I'm asking you, who are you? Are you a kidnapper or rapist going after me or something?"
Kenshin just laughed. "Ah, Kamiya-san, I guess you got me wrong, didn't you?" He just continued laughing.
Kaoru arched one eyebrow, hands still at hips. She neared her face to him. "What's that suppose to mean, may I ask you, Himura-san?"
Kenshin tried to stop laughing. "Yare yare, time to get to business…"
"Business!"
"Listen. I'm a newcomer in Nagoya. I shifted from Tokyo for some particular reason." At the word 'reason', Kenshin looked away.
"OK, I'm listening, continue, please?"
"I came here yesterday. And last night, I wanted to get to know the streets in Nagoya, so I just took a stroll and found myself in a pub. OK?" Kenshin paused to make sure she was listening.
"Uh-huh. I got it. But what does your arrival to Nagoya has to do with me--" Kaoru pointed at herself. "--ending up here?"
Kenshin shook his head. "No! Just wait and listen, OK?" But suddenly Kairu started laughing.
"Alright, what got you laughing?"
"Nothing!" Kaoru said in between laughter.
"What!" Kenshin enquired. "Faster tell me, NOW!"
"OK, just chill, alright? You-you—your hair," Kaoru said. "Are you a sissy?"
"Nandatto! Of course no! What made you think that I'm sissy? 'Coz I'm not!" Kenshin said.
"Well, when you shook your head just now, your hair—it like—flew? Like a shampoo model girl with sleek long hair! Hahahahaha!" Kaoru just kept on laughing.
"Oh, sou ka?" Kenshin forgot to tie it up after waking up. "You wait here."
Kenshin closed the door behind him. Inside the bedroom, he could still hear Kaoru laughing softly. That girl…really…
Halfway through tying up his hair in the usual low ponytail, Kenshin wondered. He had expected the young woman to shriek like any girl would scream. But this Kamiya girl here did not.
Flashback
"Who are you?" Kaoru asked, pointing one finger at the person's face.
"Kenshin, Himura Kenshin. And you? What about you?" The person, or now known as Kenshin asked the young lady standing in front of him.
"Kaoru, Kamiya Kaoru." Kaoru simply said and bowed to Kenshin. Kenshin did the same.
"So, who are you?" Kaoru asked again.
"Why, didn't I just tell you that I'm Himura Kenshin?" Kenshin said, one eyebrow arched. "Are you that stupid?"
"No! You're the one who's stupid, not me! Don't you have any sense of language?" Kaoru exclaimed, placing her hands at her hips. "I'm asking you, who are you? Are you a kidnapper or rapist going after me or something?"
End of flashback
Kaoru had been so straightforward to him, whether he was a kidnapper or something like that. She didn't screamed the high-pitched scream like any girl would. Kaoru just…simply faced everything, Kenshin realised.
"Are you done yet?" Kaoru called from outside.
"Yeah!" Kenshin opened the door. "Ermm, we're not gonna discuss things, standing at the door here, are we?"
Kaoru just crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.
"It's better if we talk inside the room, Kamiya-san," Kenshin offered. The two of them entered the room. Only when Kenshin sat on the sofa where he had spent the night before and Kaoru on the bed, did they start their conversation again.
"Why do you keep your hair long? You're a guy, aren't you?"
Kenshin smirked. "I'm a guy, and this is my special style."
"Style. Yeah, really." Kaoru rolled her eyes.
Another smirk from Kenshin.
"OK, whatever… So, you shifted from Tokyo to Nagoya, walked through the streets, and ended up in a pub. Then?"
Kenshin took a deep breath before continuing his part.
"I was enjoying some red wine, when a drunk young woman, which is you, Kamiya-san, came towards me, and tripped on me."
"Uh-huh?"
"So, I thought that a teenage girl like you isn't safe to be drunk in a pub, alone, so I brought you home with me." Kenshin hid about the part where he saw sadness in her drunk eyes.
"Yeah," Kaoru said dreamily. "I got drunk last night," her words trailing away.
"Kamiya-san? I have some questions for you."
"Nani?" Kaoru simply said, still dreaming away.
"Is there something wrong with you? Do you have any problems?" Kenshin asked in concern.
Kaoru came back to reality. "Nothing. It's just that--"
"Yes?"
"Nothing." Kenshin noticed a hint of disappointment in Kaoru's voice.
"Really?"
Kaoru shrugged. "Not really, but, well, it's of none importance," Kaoru knew she was lying. The truth is that I'm living in hell…
"OK. So, nothing is nothing. That's it." A long silence came. Kaoru broke it.
"Ano sa, Himura-san," Kaoru said softly.
"Yeah?"
"Do you think, whether I can stay in this house with you?" Kaoru quickly said everything in one breath, knowing that that was quite an embarrassing question.
"Why?" Kenshin asked in surprise.
"N-no-nothing. It's just that—"
Kenshin gave a sigh. "Alright, you won't tell me anyway. The problem is your clothes and belongings. Are you gonna live forever with that T-shirt and jeans?"
"My belongings are at my stupid father's house—oops!" Kaoru covered her mouth with one hand. "Sorry, Himura-san! J-just p-pretend I didn't say anything…"
Kenshin got up and crossed his arms in triumph. "Ah, so that's it. You ran away from home. And why?"
"Nothing." Kaoru pouted stubbornly and looked away.
"Right, let's forget that you ran away, but your belongings? You've got to have your own things to stay here, Kamiya-san."
"I'll get it after breakfast." Kaoru simply said. At the word breakfast, Kaoru's stomach let out a small rumbling noise. Her face turned pinkish. "Excuse me, Himura-san, but when's breakfast? I—I didn't have anything for two days except for sake," Kaoru said in embarrassment.
Kenshin just laughed. "Yare yare, looks like we have forgotten about breakfast, haven't we? I'm getting hungry myself." He looked at his digital wristwatch. It was already 11 something in the morning. "I guess our breakfast will be an early lunch."
"Haraheta…" Kaoru groaned as another sound escaped from her stomach. She gripped her abdomen in her arms.
"Fine, fine, let's get ready then!"
Himura Kenshin and Kamiya Kaoru found themselves outside the apartment grounds, facing a road full of cars.
"Alright, Kamiya-san! You're a long-time Nagoya resident, so tell me, where should we eat?" Kenshin nearly had to shout with all the noises of buzzing cars ahead of them.
"I don't know. I'm trapped in the house nearly everyday," Kaoru said in bitterness.
"Oh. Sorry Kamiya-san, didn't mean to hurt you."
"It's nothing." Just then Kaoru's stomach growled again. "Haraheta…"
"Only one solution," Kenshin said in a manner-of-fact way. "Tenken."
"Hey, Kenshin, what's up? Don't know the way around?" Soujirougave a hearty slap on Kenshin's backas they walked down the street.
"Nope. And my new friend here, whose a long-time resident here in Nagoya, doesn't know anything about getting around here," Kenshinremarkedas he pointed at Kaoru who was walking beside him.
"Are? Who's your new friend?" Soujirou tilted his head to have a clearer view of Kenshin's new friend.
"Ah! Kamiya-chan! What are you doing with my cousin here?"
"Cut the '-chan' thing before I kill you, Seta-kun!" Kaoruwarned Soujirou. "And you know Himura-san?"
"Well, of course! He's my cousin, dude!" Soujirou replied. "Don't you know?"
Kenshin who was walking in the middle asked, "Kamiya-san, Soujirou, you know each other?"
"Duh! We're in the same school!" Kaoru and Soujirou said in unison, causing the both of them to stare with each other with widen eyes.
Kenshin stopped walking. "Same school! Well, then, Kamiya-san, we'll be in the same school when the holiday ends, 'cause I'm going to the same school as Sou here."
"Whatever," Kaoru mumbled. Just then, Soujirou said, "There! We've reached the food stalls."
"FOOD!" Kaoru nearly drooled at the sight and smell of food.
"She's desperately hungry," Kenshin explained to Soujirou.
Soujirou smiled as usual. "Kenshin, you don't know her," Soujirou said as the three of them seated themselves at a table. "She's in the same class as me, and Kamiya-chan is always hungry. Has a big appetite, eats a lot compared to the other girls in class, even fights with the boys to see who eat the most…"
"Wow. OK, I didn't know that," Kenshin said at surprise as he looked at Kaoru who was already scanning the food menu.
"The funny thing is, she does not get fat or even plump. She remains thin and slim. Weird, right, Kenshin?" Soujirou continued.
"And one more thing." Soujirou tilted his head to Kenshin. "Kamiya-chan here is a very tomboyish sort of girl. I don't know but she's just like that." Kenshin secretly looked at Kaoru who was still stuck in the menu. "A very nice and friendly girl. Everybody, boys and girls, seem to get along with her easily." Soujirou propped his chin on raised hands. "But I know that Kamiya is hiding a dark secret, something that has been haunting her for quite some time…"
"How do you know?" Kenshin asked quietly.
"Most of her smiles are a mask, a total fake. I know, because I'm the same as her. Like you know, my parents got killed a long time ago, right under my nose… let's forget that. But still, there are times where she is genuinely happy. Weird person, this Kamiya girl."
"Sou ka…" Kenshin wondered.
"Oh yes, how did you get to know her?"
Kenshin explained the whole incident to his cousin, including the part where she was going to stay under the same roof him.
"Then you'll have to have a big supply of food at home, Kenshin?" Soujirou chuckled.
Kenshin shrugged. "Not a problem. Have you forgotten my big appetite as well?"
"Oh yeah… You and Kamiya, same type of aliens…" Soujirou said.
Then Kaoru called Kenshin. "Himura-san, can we place the orders now?"
"Sure."
"Err, how much can I eat? For your spending budget, I mean."
"As much as you want to. My credit card is unlimited and is paid by the family. Help yourself. And what about you, Soujirou?"
"Can't eat much. I've had my breakfast earlier. Just get me an ice lemon tea."
Kenshin summoned the waiter. "One lemon juice for him –pointed at Soujirou-. As for me, ermm…" Kenshin scanned the menu. "Ice lemon tea and a bowl of oyakudon, please." The waiter wrote away the orders.
"And you, miss?" The waiter asked Kaoru.
"Can I have a plate of tori teppanyaki? And also a plate of grilled salted salmon, and…ermmm… two onigiri… and a glass of orange juice. Thanks." Kaoru closed the menu and put it aside.
She noticed Kenshin staring at her with an awkward weird stare. "What?" she pouted. "Nothing" was the reply.
Shortly, the food arrived.
"Itadakimasu!" The three of them said, and Kaoru, probably the loudest one. And they dug into their food.
At the junction, Kenshin and Kaoru drifted away from Soujirou.
"Thanks for your help, Tenken!"
"No prob', dude! And take good care of Kamiya-chan!"
"CUT THE –CHAN, SETA-KUN!"
"Satisfied, Kamiya-san?"
"Huh?"
"You're not hungry anymore, are you?"
"No."
Kenshin recalled that Kaoru had ordered another three dishes after her first order. You have an amazing stomach, Kamiya-san…
As they walked back to the apartment grounds, Kaoru remembered that she had planned to go to take her belongings after eating.
"I'll go with you," Kenshin offered.
"It's alright, Himura-san. I'll manage my ownself."
"Oh yeah, right, like you'll be able to carry bags of things along with you alone." Kenshin marked sarcastically. Kaoru gave in, and they took a taxi to the Kamiya residence.
"You're sure your father will let you in?" Kenshin asked in the cab.
"Today's a weekday, and it's still around 12 noon. He won't be back till 8," Kaoru said as she looked out of the window.
At the gates, Kenshin paid the fares and followed Kaoru as she took her own set of keys and opened the small entrance gate beside the main gate. The big house looked inhabited inside, except for the three cleaners cleaning the house. Kaoru warned them not to tell her father that she had been back, and they listened obediently.
Kaoru took the stairs to her room. "Kenshin, I might need you help."
"Told you." Kenshin gave another smirk in sarcastic triumph.
"Help me pack, please."
They took out all Kaoru's school books, magazines, books, pieces of important paper, stationery, clothings, photos, handphone, her one and only soft toy and whatever important junk Kaoru kept in her room except for the mini hi-fi set. Kenshin and Kaoru fitted everything inside the two large baggages, the rucksack for school and the sling-bag. Kaoru took down one baggage and her sling-bag as Kenshin helped take the other baggage and her rucksack.
"Anything left?" Kenshin asked.
"Nothing. All my things are thrown inside my room, except for snacks. Oh, snacks!" Kaoru smaked her fingers. How could I forget my beloved tid-bits?"
Kenshin slapped his forehead in disbelief. Kaoru ran into the kitchen and stuffed all her chocolate bars, instant cup noodles and biscuits inside her sling bag.
"Alright, I'm done. Let's go." Kaoru opened the gate and flagged down another taxi.
"My wardrobe is not big enough to fit in your things with mine. I'll have to get another one," Kenshin said, looking down atthe thousandsof 'junk' Kaoru had brought along.
"Never mind," Kaoru waved one hand. "For the moment, let's just keep everything in the bags first.
It was already night. Earlier, the both of them had sorted out the kitchen and had dinner which was the instant cup noodles.
Kaoru yawned. "I'm so tired!"
Kenshin looked up from packing his own things properly. "Then go to sleep!"
"But there's only one bed. And I'm not sharing the same bed with you. No way!" Kaoru exclaimed.
Kenshin stopped, thought hard, and continued with his job. "Then, why not take turns. One night you sleep on the bed and I sleep on the sofa, then the next night is vice versa, and so on. Is that fine with you, Kamiya-san?"
"Wakatteru yo, Himura-kun!" Kaoru replaced the surfix –san with –kun unknowingly herself. But it left a great impact on Kenshin. Earlier he had been Himura-san, and in less than 24 hours, he's now 'Himura-kun!
Well, so let it be…
"And that means today's my turn to sleep on the little couch there?" Kaoru pointed to the couch in the bedroom.
"Yes. And I will sleep on the bed!" Kenshin said with a grin.
Kaoru was rummaging her bags again. "I'll take a short bath first. Or do you want to go first, Himura-kun?" She stood up with her night T-shirt and shorts and towel.
She's calling me Himura-kun again…
"It's OK. You go first."
"Hai!"
It was 10 at night. Kenshin and Kaoru had taken their bath and brushed their teeth.
Kaoru took her pillow and blanket that she had brought from her ex-home and laid them on the couch. Meanwhile, Kenshin was already in the bed. She got herself tucked up on the couch.
2 minutes later…
"Himura-kun, this sofa is too small and unsuitable for sleeping!" Kaoru complained. "I can't sleep like this!"
"I know. I slept there myself last night. Guess you'll have to keep up with it until I get a new futon!" Kenshin said sleepily but amused.
Kaoru moaned at her place.
"Ne, Himura-kun," Kaoru murmured.
"Nani?"
"Ano, thanks for helping me, especially for letting me stay here with you, considering our gender," Kaoru said sheepishly, feeling glad that Kenshin couldn't see her blushing in the dark.
"It's nothing, really, Kamiya-san. Don't worry," Kenshin said, staring at the ceiling. "Oyasumi nasai."
"Oyasumi nasai, Himura-kun."
Within minutes, Kaoru was fast asleep. Meanwhile, Kenshin continued staring at the ceiling, remembering Tomoe, his first love. Then his thoughts averted to his new friend, Kamiya Kaoru. This girl had problems…
Flashback
"Is there something wrong with you? Do you have any problems?" Kenshin asked in concern.
Kaoru came back to reality. "Nothing. It's just that--"
"Yes?"
"Nothing." Kenshin noticed a hint of disappointment in Kaoru's voice.
"My belongings are at my stupid father's house—oops!" Kaoru covered her mouth with one hand. "Sorry, Himura-san! J-just p-pretend I didn't say anything…"
Kenshin got up and crossed his arms in triumph. "Ah, so that's it. You ran away from home. And why?"
"Nothing." Kaoru pouted stubbornly and looked away.
"But I know that Kamiya is hiding a dark secret, something that has been haunting her for quite some time…"
"How do you know?" Kenshin asked quietly.
"Most of her smiles are a mask, a total fake. I know, because I'm the same as her. Like you know, my parents got killed a long time ago, right under my nose… let's forget about me case. But still, there are times where she is genuinely happy. Weird person, this Kamiya girl."
End of flashback
Kenshin made up his mind to try his best to help her.
And they will live under the same roof. Kaoru isn't that type of girly-girly type of girl. But that doesn't mean that feelings for each other won't surface. Kaoru is still a normal girl and he's a normal boy. If that really happens, would he be ready to accept it after his recent break-up with Tomoe?
Suddenly Kenshin remembered his resolution he just made a few days ago: Wake up and forget about the bitter past, because there's always a brand new day.
Let's just see what will happen with Kamiya-san and I, plus my future life here in Nagoya.
A/N: So, here's your long-awaited Chapter 3 of "Spirit of Life"! I'm so sorry that I didn't update sine last December. I was so busy in my first year in secondary school, and my parents took away my Internet access for months! So, here's your long-awaited Chapter 3 of "Spirit of Life"! I'm so sorry that I didn't update sine last December. I was so busy in my first year in secondary school, and my parents took away my Internet access for !
At the end of my previous chapter, the preview for this chapter was that Kaoru seeks advice from Kenshin, then they would soon begin their year in high school. I'm sorry but I've changed the plans. So, this is where Chapter 3 is up to. I'll try my best to upload Chapter 4 A.S.A.P, but I must make sure I get my reviews first! So, pls. review! I accept any advice from you all, readers, to improve my fanfic' to your standards. And thaks to all who reviewed my previous chapter!
No more previews for future chapters anymore, in case I change the storyline again, OK? Now, R&R!
Glossary: Yare yare: My, my! Ano sa/ano: 'Ermm' or 'Listen here' Haraheta: I'm hungry… Oyakodon: Rice bowl with chicken, onions, and runny, semi-cooked eggs. Tori teppanyaki: Chicken teppanyaki (teppanyaki is meat/vege' grilled on a griddle in front of the diner) onigiri: triangular chunks of rice wrapped with slices of dried seaweed itadakimasu: a greeting before you start eating that means 'I will receive" Wakatteru yo: I understand/I got it Nani?: What? Nandatto?: an angry, aggressive way to say "What?" in disbelief Oyasumi nasai: Good night Are?: (pronounced as a-re, not the English 'are') to sound out a sign of surprise Sou ka?: Oh, so, that's right, isn't it? YADA YADA YADA!: NO, NO, NO!