Chapter Nine

Disclaimer: RK does not belong to me.

Author's Note: Thank you for all the reviews I have received. It's nice to know there are people out there who likes my story -

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When Kaoru woke the next morning, she lay in bed wondering why her head was full of dazed and confused thoughts, and her stomach was churning the way it used to in school before a math exam. She knew something was wrong, and for a moment she couldn't remember what.

Suddenly it came to her. Kenshin. Kenshin had run off into the night with no explanation, and she might never see him again.

Her two roommates had tried hard the night before, but neither of them had come up with a way to get him back. All she could do was hang out at Razzles and just hope that one day he'd realize that Tomoe wasn't going to appear and that Kaoru wasn't so bad after all. She didn't look forward to this. She felt awkward and out of place hanging in the trendy bar. But she couldn't see any alternative, and she wanted to get Kenshin back more than anything in the world.

The feel of his arms around her, his body close against hers and his warm, demanding lips were still so real to her. She could remember every moment of the encounter last night, and she closed her eyes as she relived them again. Kenshin must have felt something, she decided. Nobody kissed like that unless they meant it. So it had to be guilt, as Megumi had suggested. Kenshin knew he should be searching for Tomoe, not spending time with Kaoru, and that was preying on his mind. If only they could find Tomoe, maybe he'd be able to get on with his life again. Kaoru just hoped that his future life would include her.

She went through the details of the evening again and again. He had enjoyed her company, hadn't he? She remembered the way they had laughed together over dinner, the way he looked at her. Surely she hadn't misjudged those things. He had cared about her and he had desired her too. She was fairly sure of that.

With a sigh, Kaoru dragged herself out of bed. She wished she had given Kenshin her address. If he had felt sudden remorse after he let her go, he could have called her or come to see her. Now he had no way of getting in touch with her over the weekend.

Kaoru felt as if she were living in a vacuum. Usually she looked forward to her weekends as times to explore the city, to go window-shopping or visit some of the galleries. But this weekend stretched bleak and endless before her---two long, horrible days before Kenshin had any chance of contacting her unless he showed up looking for her at Razzles.

After a long shower, Kaoru found her roommates in the kitchen.

"Oh, good, someone here is dressed," Megumi said. "Be a pal and go out and get us some food and the paper."

Kaoru grumbled good-naturedly, but gave in.

"And make it a real paper, not Tokyo Now," Megumi called after her.

Half an hour later, Kaoru returned, paper and noodles in had. The three women enjoyed a relaxing morning.

"So what are your plans for tonight?" Misao asked. "Big date, Megumi?"

Megumi looked up from the paper. "No, Sanosuke wanted to drag me to some club with some old college friends of his. But I hate clubs. I'll see him tomorrow. But tonight we should take Kaoru out on the town."

"Oh, but I was going to Razzles," she blurted out. "Just in case Kenshin shows up."

Megumi shook her head. "Bad idea. That makes you look to desperate. Let him sweat, and let him think he's lost you. If he really wants to see you again, he'll figure out a way."

Kaoru tried to digest this. Could she stand to stay away on the slim hope he'd come back to her? "But what if he comes in tonight and doesn't see me? He'll think I'm not interested."

"No way. He'll think you're upset and he'll start feeling bad and he'll figure out he's going to have to chase you."

"She's right," Misao said. "I've learned that one the hard way! We'll go out tonight, have a girls' night out and let Kenshin stew. We could go to that new bar we wanted to check out."

"You mean Bonkers?" Megumi asked. "Yeah, let's do that! It's Ladies Night, so it'll be cheap. How about it, Kaoru?"

"Okay," Kaoru agreed reluctantly.

"So, our night's taken care of, but we have to keep Kaoru perky during the day," Misao said.

On her walk to but the paper and noodles, Kaoru had half decided that she was going to patrol the theatres on the lookout for the mythical Tomoe, but her roommates were being so kind that she felt she had to go along with their plans.

"I think we should give her a make-over," Megumi said. "Decide on the right image for her."

"Good idea," Misao said.

"That arty look was all wrong," Megumi said, turning Kaoru around as if she were a doll. "Wrong coloring for one thing."

"I see her as a sort of sixties' revival," Megumi said. "You know, little mini dress with lots of flowers and buttons."

"Oh, yeah," Misao agreed. "That would be cute."

"Just one thing, guys," Kaoru interrupted. "I have no money to get a new wardrobe."

"That's okay," Misao said. "I know great a great cheap store that specializes in vintage clothing. I'm sure they'll have something."

"Cheap store, Misao?" Megumi asked, wrinkling her nose in horror. "I've never been to a cheap store in my life."

"You can get great stuff in cheap stores," Misao said.

"I can't believe that anyone would actually like buying clothes from such stores," Megumi said. "I couldn't wear anything from there." She looked so offended that Misao winked at Kaoru and they both laughed.

"But Megumi, you know I can't afford anything else at the moment," Kaoru remarked.

"Well, if there's not other alternative, I suppose I'll come with you," Megumi said, "although be prepared to take me out of the store if I have an attack of cheap-clothesitis."

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By four o'clock they were tired of shopping, but Kaoru was thrilled. She had a load of "new" stuff, including a flower print mini dress with a high waist and a row of pearl buttons down the bodice. Megumi offered to lend her black boots to go with it, and Misao suggested she put flowers in her hair. And when they went out that night, Kaoru was thrilled that several guys wanted to talk to her.

She was glad that she hadn't gone looking for Kenshin, until their bus passed Razzles on the way home. As she glanced inside the bar she was almost sure that she spotted him, sitting by one of the palms in the corner. Maybe he had waited for her all evening and had by now decided that she wasn't interested after all!

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On Monday morning she wore the mini dress to work with black leggings under it.

"You look great," Yumi commented as Kaoru took off her coat. "You got plans for a big date tonight?"

Kaoru shook her head. "I wish," she said.

"So the Kenshin thing turned out to be nothing?"

"It looks that way," Kaoru said, suddenly reluctant to go into details. "But Yumi," she added as Yumi was adjusting her headphones, "if anybody called Kenshin wants to put in an ad today, I'd like to know, please."

"You think he might?"

"I´m hoping."

"If he calls, I'll pass the call to you."

"Oh, no, don't do that," Kaoru said hastily. Kenshin would definitely recognize her voice. "Just take down the details and tell me about it."

"Very good, madam," Yumi said. "I'll say, 'this is Kamiya Kaoru´s social secretary.´"

Kaoru laughed as she put on her own headset. The morning went by quietly and uneventfully. Nobody who sounded anything like Kenshin called, and by lunchtime her spirits had fallen. All day Sunday she had convinced herself that he'd call first thing on Monday morning.

You got it wrong, as usual, she told herself. You and your romantic daydreams. You just fantasized that he was in love with you and it wasn't true. Maybe Megumi and Misao were wrong, she reasoned. Maybe the truth was that Kenshin wasn't feeling guilty, he was still in love with Tomoe. Maybe he'd tried to forget her by kissing Kaoru, but it had been no use. His heart was with the woman he loved.

Kaoru's phone lit up and she threw the switch. "Ohayo gozaimasu, Personal Personals. How may I help you?" she said.

"I'd like to place an ad." A girl's voice. Light, tense, a little nervous.

Kaoru said. "Go ahead please and tell me what you want to say."

"Okay," the girl said. "This will get into Friday's edition, won't it?"

"Sure."

"That's good. Then the copy should read like this---'Kenshin---I'm fine. I don't need anyone's help. Tomoe.´"

Alarms were ringing in Kaoru's head. She couldn't believe her luck. She actually had Tomoe on the line. Tomoe was here and she didn't want Kenshin around anymore. He'd see the ad and be satisfied that Tomoe was okay and then…then he could start thinking about Kaoru!

It all sounded too good to be true. So why aren't I feeling overjoyed, she wondered.

"Are you still there?" the light voice demanded---a voice very similar to her own. Kaoru remembered the way Kenshin had reacted when he first heard her voice. It was obviously only the similarities between her and Tomoe that had attracted him to her in the first place. She reminded him of his love.

"Yes, I'm here, Kaoru said. "I was just entering the words in the computer. I've got it now. May I please have you name and address?" As she copied down the words, her brain was racing. Kenshin would go on trying to get Tomoe back until she convinced him she didn't want him anymore. I f only Kaoru could get them together, just once, then maybe they could sort things out. Of course the worst thing that could happen would be that they made up and got back together. She'd be taking a risk of losing him to Tomoe forever…But he never really was mine in the first place, she thought wistfully.

She realized she was taking another big risk when she said, "Excuse me, but the Kenshin in this ad wouldn't be Himura Kenshin, would it?"

"How did you know that?" the tight voice demanded.

"I … um happen to be a friend of his," Kaoru said, "and I know how worried he's been about you."

"He worries too much," Tomoe said, "And he always overprotected me like crazy. That's why I'm putting in the ad. To let him know that I'm okay and I'm a big girl now and I can take care of myself---and to tell him to stop bugging me."

"Tomoe," Kaoru said, "look, I know I'm butting in where I probably have no right to, but I think it would mean a lot to Kenshin if you just saw him for a few minutes and told him yourself how you feel."

"No way," Tomoe said. "I'm not meeting with him and putting up with one of his lectures on how to run my life."

"But he's not like that," Kaoru said. "He told me he understood that you had to live your life you way. He really just needs to know that you're fine."

"What's it to you?" Tomoe demanded. "Are you his girlfriend or something?"

"Just a good friend," Kaoru said. "He can't get on with his life until he knows you're okay."

There was a tense silence. Then Tomoe said, "I didn't call the paper to talk to Dear Abby. I just want to place the ad, that's all."

"Okay," Kaoru said. "I'm sorry I interfered. The ad will run on Friday."

"Fine," Tomoe said. Kaoru expected her to hang up and was angry at herself that she hadn't managed to set up a meeting between Kenshin and Tomoe. Now she'd be in an agonizing position, knowing Tomoe's address and telephone number but not being able to give them to Kenshin.

"Thank you for calling Tokyo Now," Kaoru said, reverting to her business self.

"Just a minute," Tomoe said. "Before you hang up, I just wondered…."

"Yes?" Kaoru asked.

"How is he?" Tomoe said quietly. "He's okay, isn't he? I mean he's getting along fine now?"

Kaoru wasn't to let another chance slip away. "I'll really get in trouble if I chat with a client during working hours," she said, "but I'll tell you what, if you'd like to meet me at Razzles tonight, I could tell you everything I know."

There was a pause, and then Tomoe said. "I don't know. I've got to think about it. Razzles, you say?"

"Yes. Do you know where it is?"

"Sure," Tomoe said. "I know where it is all right. I just can't afford it." And she laughed. With the laugh, the tension in her voice vanished and she sounded like a young, friendly girl again.

"I'm on the same tight budget," Kaoru said.

"So why don't we choose somewhere other than Razzles?" Tomoe asked.

"But it's so convenient," Kaoru said.

"Well…okay," Tomoe said. "What did you say your name was?"

"Kaoru," she said. "And Kenshin says I look a lot like you, so you'll probably recognize me."

"I'll bet you don't look a thing like me," Tomoe said, but she sounded pretty cheerful. "Kenshin hasn't a clue about what I look like. He thinks I'm the happy little prom-goer, and never been kissed. Don't worry, though, I'm sure we'll find each other. Is eight o'clock good for you?"

"Fine. I'm looking forward to it," Kaoru said.

The line went dead. Kaoru stared at her computer screen while she pondered if she had the nerve to go ahead with the next part of her plan.

TBC