Chapter 28
Surprise
Kenshin and Kaoru walked hand in hand around the bustling city and enjoyed the warm sunlight of the perfect early summer day.
"How about we hit Aichi Law first and then take care of your registration after?" he smiled.
How could she ever begin to resist that smile? "Okay" she smiled back.
He pulled her closer to his side as they walked down the busy street. The idea of someone else even looking her way made him blind with jealousy. How in the world could he let her live on her own with perfect strangers even if he would only be a few minutes away? "No fucking way" he smiled inwardly.
The two walked for a few minutes and finally entered the registration building of Aichi Law. They saw that leaving early from home definitely had its advantages, as the line was extremely short. Kaoru sat nearby in the waiting area whilst Kenshin finished his registration paperwork and picked up his new schedule.
They walked out of the registration building and admired the environment, "Kenshin! Lemme see your schedule!" Kaoru asked.
Kenshin handed her a paper and she quickly went to work reading it over. "Oh wow, these classes look hard!" She took another look and started to laugh, "One of them is at 8 am! You'll be so late!"
Kenshin frowned slightly knowing full well that he wasn't a morning person, "Great" he groaned.
"Oh hold on Kenshin!" Kaoru stopped suddenly, "what about your dorm? Did you find out about that?"
"Not yet, the line was a bit long, so I just put my name on the waiting list. By then we'll be done with your paperwork" he replied.
They walked to Aichi Med School, which was all of a 5 minute walk away from Kenshin's school. Kaoru looked around at all the buildings in awe.
"Oh look" she pointed excitedly, "Lecture Hall! I bet some of my classes will be there!" She giggled gleefully at all of the surroundings. Kenshin meanwhile, furrowed his brows at the groups of young men and women standing around smoking and laughing.
"Better not end up like those slackers" he chided as he slid an arm around her waist and tugged her closer to his side.
She laughed off his over protectiveness and led them towards the registration building.
"Okay, lemme go take care of this paperwork and then we're off to find out about my dorm" Kaoru pulled a few folders out of her bag. After a few minutes of pushing around in the bag, she cursed under her breath and emptied the entire contents on to the chair. She crouched down in front of the chair and started to sift through the various pens, papers, envelopes, etc.
"Gees Kaoru, you carry your entire closet in that thing?" Kenshin teased. "What're you looking for anyhow?"
Kaoru frowned after not finding what she was looking for, "Shit…shit…shit! I don't have my wallet on me!"
Kenshin let out a sigh, "So what?"
"My id's are in there and some cash. I don't want to loose my stuff!" she replied completely agitated.
"Could you have left in the car? You were digging around in that suitcase of yours while we were driving!" he exclaimed pointing to her purse.
"Suitcase?" she screeched back. "Funny Kenshin!"
"Okay, okay" Kenshin raised his hands in hopes of calming her, "you want me to go and get it?"
"No, I have copies made already of my id's…" she muttered placing her things back in her bag.
"So why are you still here?" he replied. "Go and get registered!"
She shot him an angry glare before stomping off to join the line. "Little know-it-all" she muttered under her breath.
"Argh, it probably is in the car. Where else could I have left it? Damnit, how can I be so absent minded?" She continued to run through the events of the day, but the excitement and anxiety of the new school had taken up most of her energy. "Screw it, I'll just go look for it after this is done."
About 45 minutes later she walked back towards Kenshin who was sitting in the waiting area. He'd busied himself in a men's magazine conveniently placed atop the coffee table.
"Alright, all set. Thankfully they accepted the photocopies I had made" she sighed and then smiled triumphantly. "See! Always come prepared!" she announced.
Kenshin smiled and shook his head, "You're so silly" he rose from his seat and stretched and then glanced at his wrist watch.
"Ready for some lunch?" he asked.
"Well I am hungry, but what about the dorms? I still have to go and register for mine, and what if they call you and we're not there" she shot him a worried look.
He shrugged it off, "We'll worry about that later, right now my stomach is a lot more important!"
"Kenshin!" she whined.
"Come on, you sound like a child when you whine like that. I think I need to feed you!" he teased as he held her wrist and pulled her after him.
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The couple had decided on a quaint Italian place they'd found after walking around a few blocks from the school. They both enjoyed a filling meal as Kaoru excitedly looked over their schedules and matched up free times where they could meet for lunch and studying.
Kenshin grinned through the meal at her, and was elated to see her so at ease for once. "Right, studying" he smirked.
After about half an hour, they sat back and planned the rest of the day.
"So it's now almost 1 o'clock I think we should head back to your school and see if the list has cleared up for the dorms and then we'll go back to mine" Kaoru instructed.
"Uh huh" Kenshin replied nonchalantly, "I just have to make one quick stop."
Kaoru looked at him and raised an eyebrow, "Where?"
Kenshin's eyes glimmered for a second with mischief, "An old friend I haven't seen in a while."
Kaoru's brows knitted, "What kind of friend? Guy or girl?"
Kenshin laughed, "Does it matter?"
"Mmm hmm, an old girl friend I bet!" Kaoru replied.
Kenshin laughed, "You're seriously insane sometimes you know that? Come on."
They walked back towards the car and Kenshin climbed in followed by Kaoru, "Where are we-"
"You'll see" he cut in.
They drove for a few minutes and Kaoru took in all the sights and sounds of the city. She pointed at places she'd love to shop at and then ruefully added that first she would need to find a job. Kenshin laughed in response as he kept his eyes firmly on the road ahead.
He eventually rounded a corner and pulled around to the entrance of a rather posh looking building. The valet person walked up to them and opened Kaoru's door for her as Kenshin dropped him a tip and walked to meet up with her.
"Kenshin, I feel so stupid dressed like this meeting a friend of yours" she whispered as they entered the main lobby. A grand chandelier hung down low from the ceiling in the sitting area, and they walked up to the main desk.
"Don't worry about it! It's all smoke and mirrors and all for the show. You look great" he held and hand as they walked.
"Good Afternoon" the desk clerk greeted.
"Himura Kenshin for suite 216" Kenshin responded.
"Ah, very good sir, welcome" the man bent to his right and handed Kenshin an envelope. "I must say that you'll enjoy your-"
"Thanks" Kenshin interrupted as he took the envelope and led Kaoru away.
"Kenshin! That was so rude" Kaoru chided.
He only smiled back at her as they waited for the elevator.
"Who are we meeting? Tell me already!" Kaoru pleaded as the large doors parted and they stepped inside. She mentally noted the posh black and gold carpeting even in the elevator car, the spotless walls and even a settee in the large space.
"She's the most important person in the world to me" Kenshin smirked as he replied.
Kaoru was a bit taken aback by his words and mentally fumed with jealousy.
He enjoyed the bit of jealousy the crept into her features, and continued. "She's really beautiful, smart, funny as hell. I can't wait till you meet her!"
"Oh a friend huh?" Kaoru gritted her teeth as spoke.
Just then they were interrupted by the chime of the elevator announcing that they'd arrived at the desired level. The two stepped out and walked a short distance of the carpeted hallway. Kaoru saw an emergency exit sign and noted it was the stairwell. But there was only one other door besides that in the hallway.
She saw Kenshin pull out a key from the envelope and push it into the lock.
"You have keys to her apartment?" she asked sarcastically.
Kenshin only smiled and wondered how far he could push her before she'd loose her calm and crack him over the head. He turned the lock and opened the door.
"Go ahead" he instructed to her.
"No!" she whispered back in anger, "It's YOUR friend, you go in first!"
He cocked an eyebrow and smiled. Without another word, he walked into the apartment leaving her standing in front of the doorway.
Kaoru fumed for a bit and contemplated on kicking his ass, but she didn't want to make a scene in front of his hoity-toity friend so she quietly just walked in behind him.
To her amazement as soon as she'd walked in and looked up, she saw nothing; no furniture, no other person than her and Kenshin. The entire suite was bare. She looked at Kenshin curiously, "What is this?"
Kenshin had crossed his arms over his chest and was looking at her thoughtfully. He drank in every expression that crossed her beautiful features. At first she'd come in completely angry and looked like a spitfire, "Beautiful" he noted. Then after looking up she blinked several times surprise to the empty suite, "So adorable" he added. And now she was looking at him with those great big blue eyes of hers wanting to know what was going on.
He smiled and walked over to her, taking her into his arms he turned her spun her around and held her against him by the shoulders.
She faced a full-length mirror set down on the mirror-like wooden floor. It reflected back their image and she looked at Kenshin through it, still confused. He smiled back at her reflection, "That's the person that lives here."
His words took a moment to sink in and she turned around to face him, "What?"
He nodded and held her face lovingly in both hands, "It's yours, well, ours" he added.
She was completely astounded, as if the wind had been knocked clear out of her. "Wha-what? You can't be serious!" she exclaimed as her hand went to her heart.
"Well I won't have you living with some strangers in a dorm" he softly answered. "I thought this was a bit more fitting for you." He walked towards the nearest window and took in the view as Kaoru still stood shocked in the middle of the room. "It's not too far from school, shopping centers, malls…" he went on but she couldn't hear anything he said.
Looking around the space she saw that it truly was better than any dormitory could've been. The space was massive it was just the living room area: high ceilings, large windows where pure sunlight could flood through, glassy wooden floors, and that was just one room!
"Kaoru" the sound of her name broke through her thoughts and she looked up at Kenshin standing in front of her now.
"Yea?" she replied softly.
"You like it?" he asked holding her gently by the chin. "Wait, don't answer just yet, let me show you the rest of it first."
He took her by the hand and she mutely followed as he showed her the rest of the rooms. A total of 3 bedrooms came with the suite, he added that they'd best be for any of their friends or family visiting them. The master bedroom was just as large as the living room, but also unfurnished. She noted the large panoramic windows, a balcony overlooking the city below, even a master bathroom complete with his and her fixtures.
The kitchen was next: black slabs of shiny granite on every counter top. Beautiful, sleek cabinets with stainless steel handles and knobs, a large counter-sink stainless steel armoire-style fridge, microwave, dishwasher, and others that she simply couldn't take notes of.
They walked back into the master bedroom and Kenshin spun her around into his arms, "You like it?" he asked softly. "If not, we can look around. I don't want it to be too small or anything."
Kaoru finally spoke up, "Kenshin it's beautiful, but…"
"But?"
"But what about my folks?"
"What about them?"
She shot him a knowing look, "You know what! They aren't even too cool about me dorming, and now I'll have to explain to them that I'm living with a boy away from home!"
"Oh I'm just some boy?" he smirked.
Kaoru sighed, "Be serious Kenshin."
"I am serious" he took both of her hands, "I don't plan on letting you go far from me regardless of what anyone says and I'll apologize in advance for this, but I don't care what your family thinks. I love you more than anything and that's that!"
She looked down at the floor, not knowing what to think or say. "If I say no to him, he'll be crushed. If I say yes then mom and dad will flip. Argh, I barely got past being able to go this far for school and now I have to deal with this!"
"Kaoru" she looked up again at him, "I don't plan on stealing you away from your family you know. I want to do everything possible to make them just as happy as I can make you."
She looked at him through curious eyes again, "huh?"
He casually slipped something from his pocket and took her left hand, "I really didn't want to do this in any corny way, but…" and without another word he slipped on a perfect princess cut diamond ring on her finger.
Her heart stopped for a moment and her hand would've trembled violently if not for him still holding it. "K-Ken-" she started to stutter.
"Don't say anything just yet" he interrupted, "hear me out first. I want this to be more than just a promise between me and you, which is why I'd given you the first ring. No matter what, that means more to me than anything that's just how I feel. This ring" he emphasized by brining her left hand to his lips and softly brushing a kiss on the top of her palm, "is for everyone else to know just what my intentions are."
She was still dumbstruck and speechless looking up at him.
He continued, "And those intentions are that after everything is said and done with school I intend to make you my wife."
Kaoru looked up at him, those final words suddenly hitting her harder than anything else. She still had no words for him, but he understood everything by the smile that slowly crept across her face, and unshed tears gathering in her eyes.
He quickly wrapped her into an embrace, "No crying remember?" he softly reminded.
They parted several moments, and passionate kisses later. "When did you manage to arrange all this?" she asked in astonishment.
Kenshin smiled, "Not too long ago. Remember the time I told you I was going with Sano to work on his car? Well we took a drive and scoped out a few places before deciding on this."
Almost forgetting about the ring until he mentioned it, Kaoru looked down at the perfect shining stone in the middle of her ring finger. "I-I don't know what to say. This is so much Kenshin" she looked up at him, "I want to be able to carry my own weight but you're just burying me under all these gifts and things and…"
He silenced her with a kiss, "It's not about you or me anymore. It's about us so stop that nonsense okay?"
She reveled under the warmth of his breath and in his arms for a moment, before her expression changed again. Kenshin noted the frown, "What's wrong now?"
"My parents" she simply replied.
He sighed and pulled her back into an embrace, "We'll cross that bridge soon enough."
"But-" she started but was interrupted when he pulled her into a hug.
She mumbled something in his chest after a few minutes, as he only continued to hold her tightly to him. Finally she managed to pull back a bit, "Kenshin! What about your dad? What did he say about all of this?"
"What can he say?" Kenshin replied matter-of-factly, "it's my life."
Kaoru gave him a disapproving glare, "Kenshin! It's not your life remember, it's ours! I don't want to sneak around his back too you know. Alright, I'll make you a deal. You talk to your dad and I'll talk to my mom at least about this living arrangement, deal?"
She groaned inwardly thinking how the world she could ever bring up such a topic with her mom, "oh by the way mom, Kenshin and I are sort of engaged and we'll be living together in an apartment while going to college. She's gonna flip."
Kenshin thought about it for a moment, but knew he really didn't have any other choice but to agree, "Alright I'll talk to him. Happy now?"
She nodded excitedly and smiled.
"Well I guess we should get outta' here" Kenshin finally spoke up.
"Wait!" Kaoru exclaimed.
"Hmm?"
She reached up and gave him a kiss. Long and passionate as it was, they finally broke apart. "Thank you for all of this" she softly added.
He only smiled back loving the look in her eyes. A flash of mischief passed through his features once more, "Hey K?"
She looked up at him.
He smirked, "How bout we christen this place?"
Kaoru giggled as Kenshin closed the gap between them again.
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The black BMW pulled up in the drive way and the striking red head made his way inside the house. Kenshin grinned to himself as her scent still clung to his every fiber. Sometimes he just couldn't get enough of her, which was what also prompted him to arrange for their living arrangements together. That and the fact that he just couldn't fathom the idea of her living with someone else.
The plan had been to surprise her earlier, but first he needed to make sure she'd even be attending Aichi Med School. There was still another surprise in store for Kaoru as he hadn't yet told her about the part time / internship he'd taken up at one of the most prestigious law firms in the city.
He casually strolled in and was shoving the car keys in his pocket as he walked by the sitting room. Upon a quick glance inside he saw the familiar figure of his father quietly sipping his tea and reading through the paper. Kenshin walked by without a word, but a certain promise he made rang clearly through his head.
He stopped a few feet from the sitting room and sighed heavily. "Damnit, it's a good enough time I guess…" he muttered before back tracking.
A moment later the red head appeared in the doorway of the sitting room. He stood there for a few seconds wondering if he even wanted to do what he had set out to. His father was still enveloped in the paper and taking absentminded sips of his tea. "Shit, what to say?" Kenshin glared.
Kenshin let out a sigh and turned to leave, "Another time…"
"Kenshin?"
The young man turned around in the doorway and shot the man a sideways glance.
Hiko was quiet for a moment, initially shocked over the fact that his son had actually listened to him and stopped. "I wonder if something's wrong." He cleared his throat, "Did you need something?"
Kenshin took a breath as images of Kaoru flashed through his mind again, "That girl has no idea what I do for her sometimes…"
He turned around and walked back into the room, "Yeah actually I needed to talk to you for a few."
"Sit down. I'm listening."
Kenshin sat down rigidly and wondered where to start. He took a silent breath and started, "I got accepted to Aichi Law School and Kaoru got into Aichi Med" he replied in a monotone voice. He never did know how to speak to his unless he was yelling or being rude.
Hiko's eyes flashed with joy, "Congratulations" he smiled. His heart soared and swelled with pride, but he stayed calm save for the smirk on his face. His little boy had gotten into law school and there just wasn't enough he could say, but he didn't want to embarrass Kenshin.
"Yeah, thanks" Kenshin muttered back not looking at the man directly, "Congratulations and that silly grin. I guess I couldn't have asked for more." Kenshin continued, "Listen, there's something else…"
Hiko waited for him to continue, but he didn't. "What else Kenshin?"
Kenshin finally looked at him squarely in the eyes, "I got a condo in the city near school for me and Kaoru. We ah, we'll be staying there when college gets under way. Also, I gave her an engagement ring."
Hiko was flabbergasted, "Uh…I see…well…I mean you're old enough to make your own decisions I suppose. This is a bit rushed and all, but I'm happy for you son. She's a wonderful young lady."
"We're going to wait until we're both done with school to actually marry and you know do the whole kids thing so don't worry about that" Kenshin added slightly uncomfortable with the topic.
His father gazed downwards and smiled, "Just take care of each other son" he looked back up at Kenshin, "and thanks for coming to me."
Kenshin's tension lessened slightly, "I just wanted to let you know in case her parents get all crazy and try to stop us."
Hiko's brows knitted, "Wait, you did this behind their backs? I mean I guess I should've expected you to do this without telling me, but what made her think it was a good idea…"
"I surprised her" Kenshin interrupted.
"Ah."
"Well yeah, it's not like her father is about to hand her off to me at the moment."
"Kenhin, they won't appreciate this…"
"I know but she's going to talk to them soon" Kenshin quickly countered.
Hiko rested back against the couch a bit relieved. He thought about his son and the undeniable similarities in how he chose to live his life. "If you ever need any help Kenshin, you can come to me at any time."
Kenshin looked towards him, "I…um…thanks. I appreciate that." Suddenly sitting down with his old man didn't seem entirely as difficult as he thought it would be. It felt good to have him on his side and secure to know that he could turn to him for help.
Hiko looked towards his one and only one son and wondered what else he'd surprise him with next, but grateful that he'd at least included him in this much of his life.
Just then Kenshin's cell phone went off. Hiko picked up the tea and sipped quietly while Kenshin answered the phone.
"Kaoru, what's up?"
Hiko looked up at his son. The sound of his voice sounded a bit stressed.
"So what K, he needed to know eventually…" Kenshin answered, his tension slowly returning.
"What?" Kenshin exclaimed and stood up from his seat, "What about you? Did he…"
Hiko saw the fury in his sons' eyes and put down his tea and paper.
"You know what, gimme 10 minutes and I'll be right over."
He clicked his phone off and looked up at his father and was relieved to see the questioning look in his eyes. Sometimes he did need someone to share his stress with, preferably an adult that knew what to do in these situations.
"Her father found some pictures in her wallet or some crap and now he's goin' off on her. I'm gonna go down there and try to talk him."
Hiko raised an eyebrow, "He's actually taking responsibility for himself."
Kenshin didn't wait for answer and walked out. He went for the front door and saw his father walking behind him. Turning, Kenshin gave him an inquisitive stare.
Hiko looked up casually, "Well if you're going to confront her parents, you might as well have one on your side."
Kenshin's mouth hung open for a few minutes before he regained his senses and nodded. "He's actually gonna' go with me? Well I guess I could use his help in this."
The two men headed for Kenshin's car and started on their drive not knowing what to expect at the rides' end.
Kenshin drove in a comforting silence with his father. His thoughts however, were only consumed by one person at the moment. A hint of amber flickered in his eyes over hearing about her father's sudden spurt of violence, "Kaoru". The Beemer sped up as Kenshin closed the distance between him and her.
END CHAPTER 28
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Hey all, well I guess this is the second to last chapter officially. I have just about one more and I think an epilogue if there's a need for one. Other than that I think it's moving at a better pace. Ken and his dad had a bit of a heart to heart and honestly I think it's a huge step in the right direction for their relationship. I didn't want them to completely get all mushy and stuff.
Special thanks to Antica and 3NAJ!
Sooooo…please do remember to review.