Oops. -cough-
Sorry for the wait! I received a very good review on chapter three that basically made me think long and hard about my story, and I got into a sort of depressed funk as I tried to rework the plot in my head.
So I read some RK humor fics and drew some fluffy KxT and KxK pictures, and then I was able to attempt to rewrite some portions of this chapter.
...I think I just made it worse.
Probably, once I finish this story, I'll do major rewrites on most of the chapters to smooth out some kinks and to get more actual 'plot' in, and not just Remembrance arc canon.
But for now, I don't want to keep you waiting forever and ever while I try to come to terms with what I've written.
So you lucky people get a cruddy story! -dance-
Disclaimer: I dun own Kenshin or any of his friends. I dun own Barbie dolls or anything like them.
Those privileges belong to Watsuki-sama and Mattel, so don't bother me.
C:
Chapter 4:
At long last, it was summer vacation.
This was good for several reasons:
1. There was no school, which meant more time to practice kata and watch TV,
2. Megumi spent all day at the public pool, so she had less time to hurl insults at anyone and everyone, and
3. Both Megumi and Kaoru's birthdays were in summer.
Kaoru smiled brightly at the last thought. Every year, her parents would take her somewhere special for the day, and then they'd eat cake and ice cream in their kitchen.
And then, of course, there were always the presents.
Megumi would receive boxes upon boxes of dolls, while Kaoru was given kendo gear of various sorts, and sometimes people got creative and gave her the things that few people knew she liked: gift certificates to ice cream parlors, movies with more quotable lines than plot, hair accessories, and Swedish fish.
She adored Swedish fish.
Putting thoughts of gummy candy aside, she concentrated on the task at hand. She had decided that Kenshin's dojo was seriously lacking in décor and was now attempting to spruce it up with whatever she could find. So far, she'd added some rugs, curtains around the windows, a table and a couple of cushions.
'A table for two,' she thought absently, arranging the cushions.
'But there's only one in the dojo...'
The thought reminded her of her resolution to give Kenshin interaction with other dolls, and she stood up from the dojo with a smile on her face.
Megumi was at the pool, after all.
Grinning to herself, she slipped into Megumi's room and immediately set Kenshin next to Tomoe-chan. Satisfied that they were close enough to converse, she turned her attention to the other dolls once again. Her nose wrinkled as her eyes slid over Iizuka-chan's cocky grin.
'It.'
Kaoru giggled at the thought and resumed her perusal of the dolls, finally resting her eyes on one with black hair that seemed to be intent on escaping his forehead protector. Eyes that nearly matched Kenshin's in their amber intensity glared at her, a smirk painted on his lips.
She wasn't certain she wanted to know his name.
There were other dolls on the shelf; Okami-chan smiled cheerily, her graying hair tied up neatly. Some dolls smiled, some glared, some smirked, and some just stared.
But only one had deep, deep sorrow etched into her expression.
Though Kaoru thought she saw a hint of a smile flicker across her face...
The days melted into each other like the blue mud ice cream Kaoru loved so much. 'Blue mud' was her personal name for a two-scoop ice cream cone, one of chocolate and the other of blueberry.
But at any rate, summer was passing quickly.
Every day, Kaoru would take Kenshin to visit with Tomoe-chan while she examined the other dolls. It had taken some careful questioning, but she'd managed to get Megumi to tell her the names of most of the dolls on "the shelf".
"Hello, Okita-chan, Saito-chan," she nodded to each doll, and then glanced through the sea of dolls. "And hello to you, too, Souzo-chan, Ikumatsu-chan."
Satisfied that she'd greeted her favorite dolls, besides the ones she'd learned of first, she cut herself off from the world and began to daydream.
Tomorrow was Megumi's birthday.
This meant, of course, that her sister would spend all day at the mall and then come home to a few mountains of new dolls.
She wondered if any of them would be for this shelf.
Smiling widely, Kaoru shook herself free from her thoughts and turned her attention back to Kenshin. Once she deemed that he'd spent long enough talking to Tomoe-chan, she scooped him up and waltzed out of the room...
...And straight into Megumi.
To say Megumi was furious just might be putting it mildly.
To say she was frothing and screeching would probably be more accurate.
"Tanuki," she shrieked, drawing out every syllable of the hated nickname, "what in the name of kami-sama are you doing in my room?" Kaoru was suddenly glad that it was Megumi's birthday the next day; it gave her a reasonable excuse.
"I haven't gotten your present yet, and I wanted to make certain I didn't get you a doll you already have." The lie easily fell from her lips. Megumi closed her mouth and gave Kaoru a considering glare.
"Well whatever. Get out of my room," she growled, flouncing past her sister.
Kaoru grinned inwardly. She was getting better at fooling Megumi!
'Yeeessss!'
Kaoru was grinning.
It was a grin that threatened to outshine even the happiest grins of the pink-clothed dolls in Megumi's room. One could practically hear an announcer in the background, proclaiming the wonders of some toothpaste while Kaoru's teeth sparkled away like jewels.
Megumi was at summer camp.
The very thought had her grinning like an idiot again, and she practically sang as she skipped through the house, ready to practice kata until her arms fell off.
'No more insults, no more black looks, no more nicknames,' she thought to herself as she gracefully ran through her kata.
And best of all, Megumi would be absent for Kaoru's birthday.
She could just kiss her parents.
Not only would she be free of Megumi's insults for a month, she also wouldn't receive a gag gift from her, like she did every year.
Last year it had been a bath set, complete with shampoo, body wash, and conditioner.
There had been a card with the gift, a scathing comment written inside about how a certain sweaty Tanuki should pay more attention to bathing.
This year, she was free.
And she fully intended to enjoy every second of it.
Setting her bokken on the rack, she skipped towards her room to retrieve Kenshin so he could spend some quality time with Tomoe.
This was going to be fun.
After a couple of days, Kaoru got the bright idea to simply have Tomoe move into Kenshin's dojo.
It was, after all, a table for two.
She found it odd, however, that the same day she decided that Tomoe should live with Kenshin was the day that most of the dolls from "the shelf" mysteriously worked their way onto the other shelves throughout the room.
Brushing it off as a coincidence, she concentrated on finding something she could use as a futon for each doll. Up till now, Kenshin had had to sleep standing up.
'That can't be comfortable,' she mused as she rummaged about, searching for anything futon-like. Eventually her questing hands felt something squishy and firm, and she eagerly brought whatever it was to her face.
A piece of foam met her gaze, and she smirked in triumph.
But wait.
A piece of foam. One. Not two.
'Oh well.'
For the first night in months, Kaoru didn't have a black envelope to add to her collection.
At first she had simply been confused when, upon returning with her glass of water, the spot on her floor that Kenshin usually occupied was strangely empty.
Thinking that perhaps he hadn't finished yet, she'd gone back to the kitchen and drank her water there, setting her cup on the counter.
But he still hadn't appeared.
Curiosity aroused, she glanced about her room.
And saw him lying quite happily on top of the 'futon' with Tomoe-chan.
A slow, secret smile spread across her face as she bounced into her bed and snuggled underneath the covers.
Tomoe-chan had been just what he needed.
Kaoru loved being right.
Oh, summer was glorious. There were no more midnight murders, Megumi wasn't around to taunt and tease her, and her birthday was quickly approaching.
She wondered if Kenshin would give her a present.
Mentally slapping herself, Kaoru briskly turned towards the dojo to practice for the day. Of course he wouldn't get her something. It wasn't like he was human. It wasn't like he lined his gi with yen.
She would know by now, considering how many times she'd washed it.
Still, she couldn't help but wish...
Groaning, she picked up her bokken and attempted to clear her thoughts.
'I will not attach human qualities to inanimate objects, I will not attach human qualities to inanimate objects...' she chanted to herself, squeezing her eyes shut.
'...Aww, who am I fooling. I even 'attach human qualities' to my bokken, for kami's sake. Now, let's kill some air, bokken!'
Kaoru opened her eyes slowly. Suddenly, she bolted upright, a lopsided smile on her face.
It was her birthday.
The first things she did were picking up Kenshin and Tomoe and skipping towards the kitchen. The smell of pancakes assaulted her senses, and she paused, sniffing appreciatively.
"Happy birthday, Kaoru."
Kaoru's eyes snapped open and she flashed a smile at her father as he ruffled her hair affectionately. She took his hand when he offered it, and the two of them walked into the kitchen together.
Once she had settled down with a plate of pancakes, she turned to her father again.
"So where are we going today?" she asked, squirming slightly. Her father smiled from behind his newspaper at her impatience.
"There's a kendo tournament today that we thought we'd see," his smile widened at her squeal of excitement, "but that's not until the afternoon. So, you can pick where we go this morning."
Kaoru squinted her eyes as she brought a finger to her pursed lips. Where could they go...?
Her face broke into a smile when she decided.
"Can we go to that sword museum we used to visit all the time?" she suggested, already wondering if they had any new swords or kendo gear.
"Of course, Hime. Now, eat your pancakes."
Still grinning, Kaoru happily obliged.
It had been a thoroughly exhausting, and satisfying, day. A satiated smile spread across her face as she flopped onto her bed, thoughts still on the presents she had just opened.
Someone had given her ice cream certificates.
She grinned, fingering the slips of paper in her pocket. Suddenly, she felt something that was most definitely not paper. Curious, she tugged on it and brought it to her eyes.
A blue hair ribbon.
And a note.
With shaking fingers, she spread the paper open and read it.
"Happy birthday, Kaoru."
It was so simple, but it was written in tiny, precise strokes on a small piece of paper that she recognized as coming from her scrap pile, and the ribbon itself was the exact same hue as her eyes. Tears welled in her eyes as she fingered the paper fondly.
'Best birthday ever.'
Kenshin and Tomoe-chan weren't on their 'futon'.
Brow furrowed, she glanced around the room. She was certain she had tucked them into it before she'd taken her bath. Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind.
Maybe Kenshin had gotten another black envelope.
Panic rising in her, she ran towards Megumi's room.
But neither doll was there.
Of course, that did wonders for her current state of mind.
Not.
Blind panic seized her, and she rushed through the house, searching for the dolls. If he had left her...
She caught a faint coppery scent wafting in through the kitchen window.
Never breaking stride, she rushed through the back door.
And witnessed the single most horrifying scene of her life.
It was everywhere; absolutely everywhere. It coated the lawn, spattered the bushes and was spread liberally across the ninja dolls, Tomoe-chan and Kenshin.
It ran down Kenshin's cheek from the cross-shaped scratches, one of which was fresh.
It stained the ground underneath Tomoe-chan's mutilated body, or what was left of it.
Blood.
So much blood...
A tear slipped down her cheek as she sank to her knees.
'No...'
She had been too late, always too late to stop Kenshin from hurting others, from hurting himself. Every time a doll turned up missing, the light in his eyes dimmed slightly.
Now that Tomoe was gone...
Numbly, she picked up the two dolls, feet set on the familiar path towards the bathroom.
She wasn't going to let Tomoe-chan disappear unless Kenshin caused it himself.
Once both dolls were clean of blood, except for the deep scratches on Kenshin's cheek, she opened the door to her room and set Tomoe-chan on the 'futon'. Kenshin, she clutched to herself tightly as she crawled underneath her covers.
He needed comfort tonight, and by the kami she was going to give it to him.
She could have sworn she felt tears soaking her nightgown as she drifted into sleep...
--
Glossary:
Kata – a routine for practicing various forms of martial arts; in this fic, kendo
Tanuki – Raccoon dog, Kaoru's derogatory nickname
Bokken – a wooden sword
Kami – God, spirit, deity
Hime – Princess
AN: Well, that's the last of the Tomoe arc. -sniffle-
And uhm.
Happy birthday to Kaoru.
n.n'
Just a couple notes for those of you who care.
"movies with more quotable lines than plot"
I was thinking of "Napoleon Dynamite" and "The Princess Bride" when I wrote that. I honestly have no idea where the Swedish fish came from.
Ask my muse.
And hey, whaddya know. I'm a big 16 year old girl now. Woohoo. -eats cake-
Once again, I must ping uber-luff at my beta, Misaoshiru. Without her, this fic would become twice as scary due to strangely worded sentences and bad grammar. -cue spooky music-
The KxT moments are hereby dedicated to my beta. :D
