"I didn't know sleeping with me was part of your job" Kenshin whispered hotly onto her face.

Chapter 3

Kaoru blinked three times, forcing herself to believe that Kenshin wasn't really there. She blinked again, making double times sure. The guy rolled her eyes and he closed the distance between their faces. Kaoru gulped, watching his lips open up to kiss her.

"Eeeeeeeeeeeeeekkkkk!"

Slap!

Kenshin's head hurt when he fell onto the bed. He massaged his face and felt it swelling in pain. He breathed hard as his hand balled into a fist. He stood up with flaring eyes fixed intently on the fuming Kaoru.

But all was even. She was as angry and as frustrated. She had the white blanket all over her like she was having hypothermia on a great day of sunlight. Neither of them spoke nor budged a move. They were just staring at each other, waiting for either of them to talk.

But the woman always has the mouth.

"How dare you…" Kaoru growled, tightening her grip on the blanket.

A mocking scoff was Kenshin's eager reply, slipping into his pants. Kaoru looked away, her face turning crimson. "Me? You're the one who went into my room last night…"

"Me!" it was almost a yell. "I never go into rooms with perverts! I'd rather sleep outside and die than have your slimy pervert paws on my…"

"Do you honestly think I'd lay myself on the line with an annoying girl like you who don't even have a figure that could be considered a woman's! You have small boobs, you're short and you're fat…" he chuckled, "Please…I'd rather stay a virgin my whole life!"

Kaoru's eyes expanded and her jaw hanged low. Her ex-boyfriends or any other guy for that matter always told her she was sexy. They never made any comments about how she looked or how she dressed. This redhead was the first man to ever had the nerve to tell her that her breasts were small, that she was short and that she was fat. She fumed again, her eyes turning red as if they were about to shed tears. Slowly, bitter water ran down through her cheeks. Incessantly.

Kenshin stood dumbfounded in front her, his back feeling chilly. Sure he had watched a gazzilion girls cry but he never saw anyone crying this way. He never felt so sorry for someone. He never felt…guilty. He sighed, the urge to put his arms around her building up inside him. He shifted uncomfortably as Kaoru hiccupped, brushing her tears with her finger.

"Look…" Kenshin scratched his back, looking away. "I…"

"I'm leaving…" Kaoru cried, standing up and slipping into her flipflops. "I shouldn't have stayed in the first place" she hiccupped again and in a split second was gone from his bedroom.

If he grew to be a man with love, he would have asked her forgiveness. But since he grew tolerated and spoiled by his uncle, the egocentric side of him turned over. He snickered loud enough for Kaoru to hear it. "I don't really care if you do. Actually, it would be my pleasure…" and he mockingly executed a curtsy.

Kaoru's eyes swelled even more and her tears poured harder. "Fine. Have fun with your goddamn life!"

And as if my magic, she instantly disappeared through the door.

Kaoru's stepmother straightened her sunglasses and rested her head on the window, watching the greeneries pass her by. Beside her was Seijuro Hiko, driving wordlessly with a cigarette stuck between his lips. She sighed.

"Do you think Kaoru's okay with Kenshin?" her voice sounded worried.

It wasn't surprising. Kyoko had only met the guy once and he notable didn't make a good impression. It was during their wedding. At the reception. Everyone wore their best and glasses tattered everywhere. Mouths ceaseless talked to other mouths while others simply watched the glittery decorations around the pool. But it was not the unremitting cackles of the visitors that troubled her, it was the presence of this young man, sitting alone while smoking a Marlboro.

"That's Kenshin." Hiko suddenly told her from behind, seeing her looking at him with intent. "That's the Kenshin I was talking to you about"

Kyoko nodded, not sure how to react. He didn't look nice, but he looked unmistakably handsome. His face was flawless except for that cross mark that detailed on his face. "He looks like a gangster from my old days" she told Hiko, eyeing him. "I don't think I like him"

"Yeah" the old man agreed, "He's quite a kid. He was orphaned when he was very young. The consequences made him arrogant and bitter. Pretty stubborn. And you wouldn't want Kaoru hanging out with him"

"Poor kid then" she looked sympathetic. "But I think he shouldn't be that way. And I definitely think my Kaoru can knock some good sense out of the guy"

Hiko chortled, as if Kyoko was joking, "He'd be the last person you'd want around your daughter, believe me"

A spark of interest flickered in her eyes. She smiled mischievously. "And why is that?"

"Because…" Hiko's hands found their way to her waists. "He dates a lot of women simultaneously…takes different women to bed and breaks up with them as fast as one snap" He snapped his fingers. "A playboy if you will"

"Hmm" Kyoko inhaled his strong scent of almond. "It seems your family has SOME legacy…"

Seijuro arched his eyebrows and planted a gentle kiss on her lips. "I've quitted the family business long ago"

Kyoko blushed and went back to watching the trees.

Kaoru stormed out of the manor in rage, roughly brushing the tears away from her swollen red eyes. How dare he! He didn't have the right to talk to a woman like that. Just because she didn't have the physique like that of the models of a playboy magazine doesn't give any man any right to call her horrible things just like what that horrible guy just said.

Yes, she accepted the fact that her boobs weren't that big. But they weren't that small either. It didn't matter anyway because breast size doesn't define the essence of a lady. Manners do. Yes, she was short. Hell, she knew that was an advantage! Most men are tall and if women were tall…would that look good? And who the devil does he think he is? He wasn't even tall himself! Fat. Kaoru could not fathom how he could have said that to her face to face! Calling a woman fat was unforgivable if she wasn't really fat. She knew all her life that she was skinny.

Kaoru's blood rose, realizing that her car was broke. Damn! She had no other options than walk. Walk to the nearest inn or gas station or pay phone where she could get help from her step mom who in the first place lent a hand into putting her into this revolting, unpleasant situation. Bad idea, Kaoru. They would push you to go back.

"But I won't!"

She growled again, realizing that she was also hungry. Oh, the luck! She was probably a mile away from the manor and the car when an idea hit her. Her friend, Misao was just living next town. A glint of hope gave her strength and she reached for her bag only to find out another stroke of misfortune. Shit!

She had left it in the mansion.

Kenshin gave out a sigh of exasperation, confirming that Kaoru was really gone. He knew her absence was a cause for a drink but the more he thought of her crying, the more he wanted to scratch himself. I shouldn't have said that.

He shouldn't have. But he never believed that it was best to keep silent when unsure of the senses. He was definitely sure of his senses. His eyes told him she was short, small-boobed and fat. His ears told him she was rude and his nose told him she was….she was…

Jasmine. He could still smell her fragrance lingering throughout his house.

He shook his head, disgusted by the thought. He smelled other girls who smelled better. But her scent was simple but captivating. What the hell am I thinking! He tried to snap out of it and drank a lot of sterilized milk. He never drank milk. But this morning was different. He had to find another way to forget things other than drinking…

He was enjoying himself when a faint sound reached his ears. It was a beeping sound coming from the living room. He stared in wonder, thinking that he never leaves his phone in his room. He instinctively put the glass of milk down and began to look for the beeping sound. And he spotted a mint-green bag that could only belong to the girl he was thinking of right now.

Kaoru.

The sound insisted and he reluctantly fumbled on the bag. His hand found the machine and he brought it to his ears. "Hello?"

But the voice didn't let him talk.

"Kaoru, are you okay? I'm worried sick about you! Did you talk to Himura already? Did you find someone to be his wife yet? I've been trying to call you but you wouln't answer...where are you…?"

The voice was sharp but the tone of concern was evident. But the incessant questions annoyed him a lot and hurt his ears. Without second thought, he clicked the phone off and threw the cellular back to her bag.

Kaoru would come back for it. He knew it well.

It was as if everything was against Kaoru that day. Just last night, her car broke, she met an insane wacko who called her a beggar, and accidentally slept with him literally and right now she forgot to bring her stupid bag! Could life get any worse?

Oh, yeah. She told herself as raindrops began to fall one by one.

"Aaaaaaarrrrrgggggghhhhhh!" she shouted at the very top of her lungs, unmindful if any other creature heard her and thought she was going out of her mind. All she was thinking of right now was to go and see Misao. But she couldn't just leave her bag there. Everything she needed was in there. Her cellular, her money, her credit cards, her parents' picture and most of that all was the bag itself, which her ex gave her.

Kaoru's shoulders slumped and she felt herself getting horribly wet by the rain. It was hard. Spontaneously hurting her face as it fell on her roughly. She took a look at herself and noticed that she was wearing the same clothes she wore that night. They were wet for the second time and was now in 'see-through' condition.

But she felt herself going dizzy.

She looked at the heavens and saw nothing but rain falling. There was nothing around her except for the rain. There were no houses, no gas stations….nothing. Her head was spinning now. She just realized that she felt weaker and weaker by the second. Everything was wet and she felt cold. Very cold. She felt herself going crazy.

After that, darkness…