Chapter 3
The Weasel Full of Tricks
She stood there just breathing in the smells of her home and it sickened her. The lights were all turned off and the air was heavy with different sorts of smells; the musty smell not only came from the messy living room area, but also the towering figure in front of her. The only source of light came from the windows, as it flooded in through the house and illuminated a few familiar objects around her.
She stood there, pinned to the door, not able to move a muscle. She stood there looking in wide-eyed horror and anticipation at him. It seemed like an eternity of just standing there in fear, waiting for something to happen. He stood there too, in the same spot, for the same eternity, staring at her, straight in the eyes. But his expression wasn't of horror or fear. His expression was of anger, rage, what else…hatred? Did he hate this little girl in front of him? "Please just say something, yell, scream, just do something. Stop staring at me like that…I can't take it" she thought.
Finally he broke the torturous silence, "who was that boy Kaoru?" his voice was ragged, words coming out in almost slurs, but his tone was still strong. His face was stern, no expression, except for those eyes. She couldn't peel her gaze away from his eyes…unblinking, filled with rage. She could tell there wasn't much of a choice for her to answer; his eyes demanded an answer, and quickly.
"Dad…that was, a friend. Just a friend from school. I fell and hurt my knee, and he offered a ride Dad. That's all" she replied, her voice weak and at the edge of breaking down into sobs. She was so strong usually, but in front of this man, she was a weakling, her voice coming out in nothing more than a whisper.
"Just a friend?" he asked, his expression questioning. Did he not believe her? "Kaoru, don't do anything to disappoint me or dishonor this family. Otherwise, you won't like the consequences". It was a warning; a threat.
All she could do was nod in agreement and understanding. And with that he disappeared back into the black of the living room.
She stood there a moment more, her eyes filled with unshed tears and she tore through the house, up the stairs and straight into her room. Crying, she went into the bathroom to change and decided she needed a shower to wash everything away.
"How can I possibly disgrace our family? He's the one that drinks all day, screams at us, treat us like garbage! How can he be so damn presumptuous and demand respect and obedience from us when he's like….THAT!" She let the water run all over her and winced at the pain it caused as soon as it made contact with her bruised knee, and let it wash away the constant flow of tears that came streaming down. Standing there, letting the water soak her made the day and its experiences dull a bit. Her thoughts went back to Kenshin, "I wonder if he saw anything. I hope not".
The rest of the evening went as usual. Her younger brother came home, and stomped straight into his room to play video games. Their mom kept their needs fulfilled and bought them everything that she possibly could without breaking her budget for bills. But she never rested. The woman never knew a day's peace, not from her husband, or her job. Through the years she managed to work her way up in the restaurant and earned a respectable salary as a senior manager. She managed to move her family out of the meager apartment they rented, and bought a home. It wasn't much, but the children each had their own rooms, and it was theirs! Her mother awoke from her days sleep and quickly began to check on her children. Kaoru heard her mother enter Yahiko's room and ask him how his day at school was. Her voice was so soothing even through the closed doors she emitted warmth and vitality. The woman then moved towards Kaoru's room, the floor squeaking beneath her steps. Quickly checking herself in the mirror to make sure she didn't look all puffy from her crying Kaoru replied "Come in" at the soft tapping on her room's door.
Her mother opened the door and walked in. "Hello honey how was school today?"
"Fine Mom" Kaoru replied as she quickly folded her towel over he bruised knee. No point in making her mom worry over nothing serious.
"Good sweety, will you help me set supper? I have to check on your father. That man hasn't eaten a morsel of food the whole day". Suddenly Kaoru was painfully aware of the bags and tiredness in her mother's eyes. How she wished that she could do more for her Mom.
"Okay Mom, I don't have homework anyway" as she quickly got up.
Kaoru quickly followed after her mother into the kitchen. The food was already prepared and Kaoru helped plate portions for herself, her mother, and Yahiko. Her mother plated a much smaller portion for her husband and turned to Kaoru, "okay, we'll all eat together upstairs. Make sure Yahiko washes up. I'll be there soon". And she disappeared into the living room.
Kaoru took the food upstairs along with a straw mat tucked under one of her arms. Yahiko was playing video games as she slowly nudged his room door open with her foot. "Hey clown, turn that nonsense off and go wash up for supper".
The boy frowned at her and stuck his tongue out as he quickly ran into the hallway towards the bathroom to wash up. He left the room door open, and as she lay down the mat on the floor she could here familiar sounds coming from downstairs.
"I DON'T WANT IT DAMNIT. GET OUT OF HERE, TURN THAT DAMN LIGHT OFF!" her father screamed.
"You have to eat something; otherwise you'll just starve to death. Please eat a little bit" her mother pleaded. She was a strong woman, but the man was just too stubborn.
"JUST GIVE ME SOME MONEY BEFORE YOU LEAVE. I DON'T NEED ANYTHING ELSE. PUT THAT DOWN ON THE TABLE. I'LL EAT WHEN I'M HUNGRY". He always said that, but never ate. The food would cool and sit from evening to the next morning, and he wouldn't take a bite. What compels this man to do this to himself?
The bickering went on for a few more moments and Kaoru's heart ached in anguish. "We should be sitting around a table and eating as a family…not like this. Why is it like this?" She caught herself fighting back tears, and realized her mother was coming upstairs. Quickly she finished setting up the supper on the mat as her mother and Yahiko entered the room.
They sat there and ate together. Yet all of them were lost in their own thoughts. The food was consumed in silence so thick that Kaoru thought she would loose her nerve at any moment and burst out in tears. Quickly finishing her meal though, she collected the dishes and piled them into the tray once more. "I got dishes mom, you rest before work". And she was out the door, tears streaming down her face. "Thank goodness she didn't see me cry".
As usual her mom readied herself for work and reminded her children to finish their homework and go to bed on time. She spent a few extra moments with Yahiko who reveled in the attention his mother gave him.
Before she left, Kaoru's mother left a few bills of money for her husband. Kaoru followed her to the front door as she was walking out. "He has a bottle that should be enough for tonight, but if he bothers you guys just tell him the money is on the table. Make sure your brother goes to bed on time, and lock up tight okay? I'll see you in the morning honey. Bye!" With that she was gone. Although she was warm and affectionate, Kaoru never attempted to hug or kiss her mother much. She knew the moment she hugged her mom, her resolve would break and she would be nothing more than tears. Even in the past when she would cry over the harsh words and actions of her father towards her mother, Kaoru's mom would always tell her to be strong. "Why are you crying Kaoru? Don't cry like this, he won't stop this even if you do. You must be stronger, don't depend on anyone else except yourself". Those words had a profound effect on the young girl. She didn't feel comfortable crying anymore, at least not in front of any other person. Not even her mother.
She wearily climbed the stairs back to her room after locking and securing the door and windows on the first floor. It was still late evening and the sun was dipping down into the horizon. "It's funny how we can never tell the difference between night and ay in here. It's always so dark in here". She looked around once more before ascending the final steps in the stairwell.
Heading towards her brother's room, she grew irritated at the sounds of his video game being on once more. "Yahiko! Do you have homework to do?"
"Duh! I finished it in school! I'm not stupid you know!" Indeed, the boy wasn't stupid, and was always done with his homework especially since Kaoru was so strict about his grades.
"Well don't play that garbage all night. You have to go to bed soon".
"You're not the boss of me! Mom said I could play my game for an hour longer" and he stuck his tongue out at her.
"Fine!" she stomped out of his room closing it behind her. "Little pain in the ass" she muttered going back into her own room and closing her door.
She flopped down on the bed and began to look at some of her assignments, up coming exams, and other horrendous tasks she had to do for school. Some time later and she was completely immersed in her studies as her she looked up at the time. "Damn, 9:30 already?" She'd been so focused on her work that she forgot to check on Yahiko sooner. Quickly she walked out of her room and checked on her the little boy now asleep with his TV set still on. She turned off the TV and turned his lights out making sure to keep his little night-light on. Giving him one last glance from the door way she was startled as she heard the phone ringing. "Who the hell could that be at this hour?" she muttered as she sprinted back into her room and over to her table.
"Hello!" her tone was irritated and impatient.
"Oi, hi Kaoru, it's Misao. What's up?"
Kaoru's frown quickly melted, "Oh hi Misao. I'm fine. What's up?"
"Hehe, I was just checking on you for information on the ride home today" she was ready to break into giggles.
Her anger coming back to her, Kaoru remembered how her friend had all but deserted her with Kenshin in the first place. "Misao I am going to kill you when I see you. How could you do that? I was so embarrassed, and Kenshin probably thinks I am such a klutz!"
"Oh so you care about what Kenshin thinks huh?" Misao was pushing it.
"MISAO! Wholly shit you are such a pain! Of course not, it's just that…ummm…I don't like meeting new people and them thinking that I am a complete retard who trips over her own two feet!"
"Okay, okay, okay. Forget that, tell me about the ride home? How did you like his car?"
"Argh, it was fine. He dropped me home and that was it". Kaoru usually enjoyed spending hours on the phone with her friend, but this topic was a bit irritating.
"Oh come on Kaoru, I set up with in the perfect situation with a hot guy and you're flaking on me about the details? I thought we were friends?" she was begging.
"Misao! I can't over the phone. What if dad hears? It'll be my head! I'll tell you what, if you let me get off the hock for now, I'll tell you all about it tomorrow morning. Promise!"
"Keh, fine! You suck though! Majorly suck!" And with that she gave a final giggle and bid her friend good night. "See you in the morning, and you can't get out of it then!"
Kaoru hung up the phone and lay down on her bed. Staring up at the ceiling she began to wonder about the coming day. Her eyes slowly wandered around her small bedroom. It was the lightest shade of peach she could find. A few mismatched lamps on her dresser and night tables gave the room a soft glow. She didn't really enjoy putting posters on her walls. It seemed to be too much clutter, and she always liked organization for her to be able to gather her thoughts. Aside from a few clothes on a near-by chair, and her books sprawled out on her bed, her room was tidy; exactly how she liked it.
She let out a small sigh and rolled over on her right side, curling her knees against her and stared into space. "I wonder what Kenshin will say to me tomorrow? Umm wait…why do I care? Argh, he's cute though".
The next day as exactly as Kaoru had expected. Misao wouldn't leave her alone until she told the little nuisance every last detail. The two girls walked in the glory of a bright new day on their usual route to school. Misao listening intently at every detail her friend divulged and of course adding in her own giggles of approval.
After she was done telling her friend everything there was to say, Misao was a bundle of excitement…more so than usual.
"Oh Kaoru, you two would make such a cute couple! God, I would be so happy!
"Umm, are you insane Misao? We hardly know each other, and besides, my dad would string me up on the roof by my neck if he ever found out". Kaoru's father wasn't exactly the passive type. He made sure to instill one rule into his daughter's head…NO BOY FRIENDS! It was shameful, dishonorable, and completely against his wishes.
"He doesn't have to know! Besides, I know you like him. The way you get all freaked out by just standing next to him". Misao was not going to drop it.
"What? Like him? I don't think so! Like I said, we're two different people!" Kaoru was fighting a blush at the very thought of her and Kenshin…together!
"Um I thought you just said you didn't know him very well? So how do you know you guys are so different from each other?"
"Argh, she's got me!" Misao was quick to pounce on that little detail, but thankfully they had reached the school gates by then and Kaoru quickly evaded her friend's interrogation by quickly calling out to the first familiar face. "Good Morning Sano!"
Sano turned from the group of guys standing with him and walked in the girl's direction as the two made their way into the school yard. They met half way as Sano quickly diverted his attention past the two girls standing in front of him.
"Oi Kenshin! What's up? Over here!"
Gasp. "Kenshin! Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit! It's too early for this already" Kaoru turned around to see the red head walking away from his parked car and grinning at the three friends. He was in the school uniform today and looked as handsome as ever in the navy blazer and crisp white shirt. Kaoru didn't miss the fact that his muscles still protruded slightly from beneath the layers of clothing. She gave Misao a glance who was already smiling at her with way too much enthusiasm for Kaoru's good!
"Morning guys!" Kenshin beamed at them. "Kaoru, how's your knee?"
"Ah, it's fine Kenshin. Thanks for asking". "Damn you Kaoru, DO. NOT. BLUSH!"
"Good to hear that Kaoru". He gave her another glance and she thought for a moment he would practically bend down to check her knee for himself, but Sano interrupted.
"Hey Kenshin, come over and met a few of these guys."
"Okay. Ah, see you later in class Kaoru. Misao, later!" and he walked off after Sano.
All she could do was giggle and smile after him like a brooding little school girl! "Stop staring at him for god's sake!"
She turned and looked at Misao who was still smiling but she was way too quiet! This worried Kaoru!
"What? No silly comments this time?"
"Hehe, no! Let's walk and talk shall we?"
This bothered Kaoru. Every time Misao was unreasonably quiet; she knew there was something cooking in that brain of hers. It would be some half-baked plan that would not only embarrass Kaoru, but cause way too much trouble.
"Oi Misao! Don't give me that crap. What are you thinking?" Kaoru would be damned if she got caught in another one of her best friend's hair-brained schemes.
"Oh nothing, I was just thinking that we hadn't hung out in forever! Let's go out some time this weekend? What do you say Kaoru?"
"Hmm, maybe she's not plotting! Ah, I'll have to check with mom, but I'm sure she'll say yes. What do you have in mind?"
"Ah, the usual. Nothing special. Let's make sure and confirm a day and time okay?"
Looking at her friend skeptically, Kaoru reluctantly agreed. "That was easy. Too easy!"
Asking her mom permission to hang out with Misao was no trouble. The girls had known each other forever and besides that, Kaoru's mother trusted her daughter completely.
"Just don't stay out too long; I don't want your dad complaining that's all. Have fun!"
"No worries Mom, I'll be home on time!" Kaoru was excited to have some time out with her friend and away from the turmoil's at home. Misao had told her to dress casual, but then changed her mind and asked her to wear something "nice and casual". "What the hell is 'nice and casual' supposed to mean" she thought standing in front of her mirror. Misao mentioned that she wanted to go to a new video arcade that had a nice restaurant, and as much as Kaoru hated to be in crowded places, she agreed.
"I need to be out of this house!" she thought as she sifted through her closet. "Crap, what to wear?"
She quickly picked out a respectable length denim skirt with a pink tank and cardigan set. "Ah, comfortable, casual, and still cute! Perfect!"
She quickly showered and blew dry her hair. "What to do with my hair? Should I let it out?" Quickly deciding against it, she tied it up carefully into her usual pony tail and secured it with matching pink ribbon. She applied some lip gloss and spritzed herself with her favorite body spray. Taking one last look in the mirror she grabbed her purse and headed down the stairs.
The first floor of the house was in its usual shadows. Kaoru dug through the shoe closet for a particular pair of comfortable sandals to complete her outfit. She promised Misao to be at their usual corner at 12 pm sharp! Finally she dug out the sandals and slipped into them.
Her mother silently made her way from the living room. "Oh honey that color pink looks so pretty on you!"
Smiling she replied, "Thanks mom. I won't be out too late, promise! But I am running late to meet up with Misao, so I'm leaving now".
Before both women could utter another word, he spoke.
"Where is she going?" Silence. Kaoru's mind raced as she thought of him stepping out of his little cave and inspecting her. She knew that he would be mad about her going out alone, about her clothes, and definitely at her.
"She is going out with her girlfriend! Don't worry she asked me first." her mother snapped back.
Kaoru let out a breath that she didn't even realized she had been holding. She looked at her mom who quickly half mouthed; half whispered "Go" and gave her a smile.
As Kaoru shoved her keys into her purse and exited out the front door she could still hear angry mumbling coming from the living room behind her mother. She looked back at her mom and whispered "Thanks Mom!"
With that she stepped out into the beautiful sunny September day. How wonderful it felt to be out of that house. Wonderful and guilty at the same time because she knew Yahiko would leave soon to go play at the neighbor's and her mom would be alone with that man. Kaoru took in a deep breath and took in the smells around her. Fresh, clean, crisp; she instantly felt invigorated and unconsciously smiled. "Beautiful" she whispered to herself.
Misao was waiting at the usual corner and waiting very impatiently at that.
"Kaoru! I thought you wouldn't show. I was just about to call your house!"
"Hehe, sorry. Dad was a bit grumpy so Mom had to come to the rescue as I made my escape". That calmed Misao down right away as Kaoru smiled.
"Oh…sorry. Everything cool?"
"Eh, the usual! Anyway…let's a move on huh?"
Smiling once more, the girls began to walk together and started their chatter as they made their way to the bus stop.
It didn't take long at all on the bus, and the ride was comforting for Kaoru as Misao was unexpectedly quiet. Kaoru thought about school, her family, and Kenshin. "I wonder what he's doing today?"
Misao leaned in and broke her chain of thoughts "Hey Kaoru, the next stop is us."
They two girls climbed out of the bus and walked a few short blocks to the new spot. As usual Misao was a bundle of excitement. While they walked Kaoru remembered something very important, "Misao, where's Aoshi?"
"Oh, he's home. I told him I was going to hang out today and I think he appreciated the time to catch up on some work".
"Hmm, she let Aoshi have an entire day to himself? That seems a bit off!"
"FINALLY! We're here!" Misao squealed
Kaoru looked up and saw a colorful sign displaying the store's name: "Barcode: Arcade, Bar and Grill"
"Bar!" Kaoru had never stepped foot inside a club or bar, what was Misao getting her into?
"Don't worry, it's just that they have a regular restaurant for everyone that doesn't want to only play video games. Come on Kaoru I don't want to be late!" Misao practically dragged Kaoru inside to take in the environment.
As Misao spoke to one of the employees about getting a table, Kaoru took a glance around the place. There was loud music playing in the background, neon lights and signs, and enough beautiful young people to make her slightly uncomfortable. She also didn't appreciate the stares and comments that a few guys made as her and Misao had entered. Normally she would've turned around and cursed out the fools, but she a bit caught off guard by the trendy space around her. There was an escalator right in front of them that led upstairs to the arcade area. It was light by a neon blue light that bounced off of the white walls and seemed to wash over everything. To the right of the escalator was a short stairwell leading downstairs to the restaurant/bar area. It was pretty dimly lit and even though it seemed pretty small, the place was packed with young 20-something year olds carelessly socializing with one another.
Misao turned to Kaoru and smiled sweetly "Let's grab some food hon, I am famished!" And she proceeded to go down the stairwell after the employee headed towards their table before Kaoru could even protest. Kaoru carefully climbed down the stairs after her friend and reluctantly stepped into the dark room. There were just a few soft lights hanging from overhead near the bar and around the perimeter of the place. The rest of it was pretty much small candles placed on the table tops. Kaoru noticed that they were walking towards the back of the restaurant and nervously passed by packs of gorgeous guys and girls, desperately trying to keep up with Misao. "The squirt has no problem squeezing past people" Kaoru mentally cursed while trying to navigate through the crowds. They were now passing the bar and Kaoru did her best to keep her attention diverted from the throngs of handsome guys just sitting and lounging around. As she did, a guy stepped back from his place at the bar and into her path and Kaoru slammed right into him. Looking up she apologized and was thankful for the dark setting because she was sure that she was blushing. She looked up and he was gorgeous, with dark eyes and dark hair and a black leather jacket. He simply looked down at her apology and remarked "I didn't mind at all sweetheart".
"Gasp! What did he just say? Argh, the asshole!" She gave him a dirty look and kept moving.
Trying to focus on where her friend was Kaoru heard Misao's chuckle. "Wait, why is she laughing and with who?"
Kaoru focused her attention towards the direction of the laughter and noticed that it was accompanied by two other voices. Very masculine ones if she heard correctly! Just then, she was able to focus her eyes on a booth against the back wall of the restaurant. And there in front of her was not only her friend Misao, but also Sano and…"KENSHIN!"
She felt all the blood in her face drain, her stomach instantly knot up, and her heart dropped. She stood there frozen for a few seconds "Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap! This stupid…"
"Kaoru, over here" Kenshin waved at her.
"Great, now he probably thinks I'm a retard" she muttered as she very stiffly walked over to them.
"Hi Sano….H-Hi Kenshin" she barely made the words come out of her mouth. She didn't even notice what Sano looked like, all her attention was focused on the red head sitting in front of her. Dressed in dark dress pants, she couldn't tell if they were black, and an olive sweater shirt, he looked so delicious. His hair was tied back with a leather strap and the only bit of jewelry he had on was his watch.
"What are you guys doing here?" Like she needed to ask!
Kenshin spoke up before the other two could reply.
"Well Misao thought it be a good idea if we could all meet up and hang out. Besides this place opened up and seems pretty cool and I wanted to check out a few hot spots in town. Come and sit down Kaoru, you look like you need some food and quick!"
Kaoru shot a look at Misao only to be met by mischievous, smiling eyes. "She planned this! Argh, how could I be so stupid! Misao, you little whore, I am going to kill you!"
She slid into her seat next to Kenshin as Misao was already perfectly positioned in her seat next to Sano who was busy looking through the menu. "Of course, I sit next to Kenshin" she thought as a bead of sweat fell down her brow. "How the hell am I going to get through this with HIM sitting next to me?"
End Chapter 3
Hehe…I really enjoyed writing that last scene. Don't you just hate it when your friends set you up like that? Anyway, I promised that the dark mood of the whole home life would ease up a bit, and I can assure you that you'll find beginning of the next chapter very amusing! LOL…I am thinking major mischief!
Well as always, your reviews are like gold so please don't hesitate.
Thank you 3NAJ for the lovely reviews!
Arrigato! D
