Chapter Ten
Disclaimer: I don't own RK.
Author's Note: Here's another chapter. I hope that it's as good as the others. Thanks for everyone's support.
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Kaoru waited until Yumi went out to lunch before she called Kenshin´s home number. She'd agonized over this decision, she'd gotten all her ads messed up, and had to spend an hour straightening things out.
When she finally made the call, she prayed he wasn't home sick or something. What she wanted was a nice, anonymous answering machine.
She was in luck; she got it. The phone rang four times and then a recorded voice said, "Konnichiwa, this is Kenshin. I can't come to the phone right now, but if you'll leave your name and number and the time you called, I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Arigatou. Ja na!
Even his recorded voice had the effect of scrambling her brains. How could any voice sound so sexy? She wondered. What was it about Kenshin that turned her insides to jelly?
She tried to get herself together when she heard the beep and said, hesitantly, "Hi, this is Kaoru. You won't believe it, but I've got real news about Tomoe. If you want to hear it, meet me at Razzles at eight.
When she hung up, she was shaking. Going to the bar to spy on a client was bad enough; but she'd crossed the line! She could really get in trouble now, but if everything went as planned, Kenshin would be free of Tomoe and ready to move on to a new romance.
If not, at least she would have reunited him with the woman he loved.
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Five-thirty came around. Yumi gathered her things and put on her overcoat. "Are you coming?" she asked Kaoru.
Kaoru shook her head. "You go ahead," she said. "I just remembered something I forgot to enter in the computer."
Yumi shook her head in disbelief. "You sit there drumming your fingers all day and then, when it's time to split, you remember you haven't done something? I give up!"
Kaoru sat alone in the empty office. She knew she could leave if she wanted to. She could even go home for half an hour or so, but then she might risk running into her roommates and she'd have to explain why she was going out again. Megumi and Misao would think she was crazy trying to get the man of her dreams back with his ex-girlfriend again. They had told her to wait until he contacted her and she hadn't listened to them.
Around six-thirty, Kaoru decided to go out for something to eat. She was starving and there was a fast food restaurant at the end of the block. At least she could afford a hamburger and fries without totally blowing her budget, she decided.
She was just getting her coat when she heard the heavy tread of footsteps coming down the stairs. Who could be in the building at this time, except the janitor?
She sat there, still and tense, realizing for the first time the danger of being all alone in a large building at the night. If she screamed even the janitor might not even hear her. "Anyone here?" a voice boomed. Kaoru almost laughed with relief. It was Soujiro's voice.
Kaoru stepped out from behind the partition.
"I am," she said.
"Kaoru, what are you doing around this late?"
"I…was just finishing up some stuff," she muttered. She sure couldn't tell him she was using his electricity just to hang around after work. She waited for him to explode at her for not getting her stuff done during business hours. But he totally surprised her.
"Thank God you're here! I thought I'd really blown it this time. I didn't realize how late it was." He leaned across the desk, looking suspiciously friendly. "Do you think you can help me out? I'll pay you overtime."
What does he want? She thought. Still, she needed the money.
Soujiro continued. "Can you type?"
Kaoru almost burst into laughter. She bit back the words, about a million words a minute. What do you think you hired me for? "Sure," she said.
"I've got some important stuff here." He looked around as if making sure there weren't any spies in the place. "Really big stuff. I've been waiting for a story like this. Kickbacks from the city hall to the building industry. Okay, no big surprise, but this time I've got names, places and proof."
"All right, Soujiro, you give me the copy and I'll do the typing. We can get this to the printer ASAP.
For the next hour or so, she worked intensely, flicking through Soujiro's papers, correcting his grammar and deciphering his writing. Then she printed out the story.
Soujiro snatched up the papers, beaming at her. "Thanks a million, kid. I can't tell you how much you've helped me out, and I won't forget it. If this does what I hoped it'll do, we'll get enough advertising and P.R. to get this paper out of the red. Then you'll finally get a raise."
Kaoru was scrambling into her coat. She'd believe that when she saw the paycheck.
"Listen," Soujiro said companionable, "you want to come down to the print shop with me and then I'll treat you to dinner?"
"I'd like to," Kaoru said, "but I'm already kind of late for an appointment."
"I'm sorry," Soujiro said. "You had a date and I've screwed up your evening."
"Oh, no. It's okay," Kaoru said. "I'm glad I could help out."
"You did a great job, too," Soujiro said, "Go ahead and enjoy your evening. Take a taxi and charge it to Expenses."
"Thanks," Kaoru said. "I've got to run. Bye, Soujiro. Good luck with getting the story in."
She fled down the stairs and out into the darkness. With any luck she would make it by eight. Maybe this was her lucky day after all. Tomoe had called; she was going to see Kenshin again. She just hoped it would end the way she wanted it to.
Razzles was not too crowded on Monday evenings. Kaoru stood in the doorway, looking around expectantly. There was nobody who could be Tomoe, and there was no Kenshin, either. She experienced a moment's panic. They had already met and left without her!
Yahiko was working the bar. He came out to collect dirty glasses and almost did a double take when she saw her. "Hi, Kaoru," he said. "It really is you. How about that. What are you doing here?"
"I'm...supposed to meet a couple of friends here," she said. "I don't see them yet."
Yahiko raised an eyebrow. "Mixing with the fast crowd now? Seems like little Kaoru is growing up." He snared a last glass with his pinkie. "See you later, maybe," he said.
She was watching Yahiko make his way back to the bar when she felt a hand on her shoulder and spun around. Kenshin was standing there, breathing heavily as if he had been running.
"Hi," he said. "I hope I haven't kept you waiting long. Damn taxi decided to take a shortcut and we got stuck in a traffic jam behind a broken-down bud."
"Oh, no," she said, thinking how wonderful he looked with his hair blown every which way and his coat flapping open. "I just got here myself."
"I'm so glad I went home after work," he said, "or I wouldn't have gotten your message in time. You want to sit down and have a drink? Is your news something to celebrate?"
"It may be," she said.
He looked at her face and he actually blushed. "Look, I'm sorry about the other night," he said. "It just wasn't a good time…I mean I couldn't handle that sort of relationship right now. I hope you weren't too mad at me."
"It's okay," she said. "I guess I understand what you're going through and that you've got to sort this Tomoe thing out first."
"Exactly," he said. "I know you're really nothing like her, but I still couldn't help feeling---" He broke off, shrugging his silence. "Let's sit and order a drink okay?"
He ushered toward a table in a corner.
"Oh, not that one," Kaoru said. How about here?"
"If you want," Kenshin said, looking surprised. "Only, we're going to get jostled by everyone who comes in."
Precisely, Kaoru thought. She didn't want to risk not seeing Tomoe arrive. She hoped Tomoe wouldn't freak out at the last minute and not show up. If she didn't, Kaoru would have to tell Kenshin how she got her information and that might make him mad at her. He might demand to have Tomoe's address and phone number and she couldn't give them to him, could she? She remembered how intimidating he had been before when he was angry. She certainly didn't want to go through that again. She began to wish she had never thought up this crazy scheme.
But then I'd never have been with Kenshin this evening, she thought. Every minute with him is worth any amount of risk.
Kenshin hailed a passing waitress and ordered a bottle of champagne.
"I don't know if my news is that good," Kaoru said cautiously.
"If your news is that she's alive and safe and well, then that's good enough for me," he said.
This was it, the moment she had been dreading. She was going to have to tell him the truth. "Well," she began, "as you know, I work for Tokyo Now."
"So you used your nose for news in the search," he said, smiling at her hopefully. When he smiled, his eyes still flashed in that magic way, making Kaoru think that he still felt something for her, no matter what he said or how he acted.
"Not exactly," she said. "You see, this ad came in to out personal ad department and the caller's name was Tomoe and---"
She broke off because Kenshin was staring past her, at the doorway. Standing between the two potted palms was a lovely girl dressed head to toe in black. She was wearing a long black skirt, high black boots, a black cape and a shapeless black hat on her hand. Kaoru could immediately see that there was a slight resemblance to herself, although her skin didn't have Kaoru's healthy glow to it. But their hair was both black and long.
The girl looked around impatiently. She was wearing red lipstick which emphasized her pout. Then she spotted Kaoru and came toward her. "Hi," she said. "You must be Kaoru, although I can't say that we look much alike. Only Kenshin would think such a dumb thing, but he hasn't seen me for a while."
Suddenly she was aware of him. She took a step away from the table.
"What are you doing here?"
"Looking for you. What else?" Kenshin said. "I had no idea Kaoru was actually going to find you. Kaoru, you're a miracle worker."
"Kaoru, you're a sneak," Tomoe said, pushing back her hair savagely from her face. "How could you trick me when I told you I didn't want to see him?"
"Look I know what you said, but I just thought---"
Kenshin interrupted. "She knew I've been going crazy searching all over for you. I mean, didn't you see my ad?"
"Sure I did," Tomoe said. "I just didn't want to answer it. I'm a new person, Kenshin. I'm starting a new life, entirely on my own and I'm doing just fine."
"You don't look like you're doing fine at all," he said. "When did you start dressing like that?"
"I happen to think I look good. So do lots of other people," Tomoe said.
"But it's not you."
"How do you know what's me and what's not?" she yelled. "You don't know me at all. You've been too busy playing Mr. Executive in Tokyo while I was stuck at home with that monster, and you just left me there."
"It wasn't going to be for much longer," Kenshin said gently . "We agreed, you'd come to Tokyo as soon as you finished college. You weren't supposed to quit with only one semester left."
"I couldn't take it another minute," Tomoe said. "You should have known that."
"Didn't it occur to you that I've been worried about you?" he demanded.
"Oh, big deal," Tomoe said.
"It's true, Tomoe," Kaoru added. "He hasn't been able to think about anything else except finding you again."
Tomoe eyed her with cold blue eyes. "Look, Dear Abby, or whoever you are, stay out of my life. I don't need your help. Next time if I place an ad, just put the ad in as I've given it to you and mind your own business."
"What do you mean?" Kenshin demanded.
"I just tried to put an ad in this morning, telling you I was okay," she said. "But Mother Theresa here wanted to do more than type ads, so she persuaded me to come down here tonight to tell me how you're doing these days."
Kenshin was staring at Kaoru. "You're the ad taker? Why didn't you tell me?"
Kaoru nodded, feeling miserable. The whole world was ganging up on her. She didn't even have a chance to answer because Tomoe went on. "So now I hope you're all satisfied. You wanted to see that I'm fine. Well, I'm here, and you can see help, and now I'm going. Okay? Bye."
Kenshin jumped up. "Hold on, Tomoe, you can't just leave like this. You and I have to talk. Sit down."
He grabbed her arm.
"Let me go, Kenshin," she said, wrenching her arm free. "I don't wan to talk to you. I know what you'll try and it won't work this time. I just want to be left alone."
She started to push her way out of the door. Kenshin looked after her, then back at Kaoru, not knowing what to do next. "I can't let her go now," he said. "I have to straighten things out." He touched Kaoru´s shoulder. "Wait here for me, will you? I'll be back as soon as I can."
The waitress arrived with the champagne as Kenshin ran out of the door. Kaoru looked after him. "You better wait awhile before you open that," she said. "I don't think we're going to be celebrating tonight."
TBC