Authors Notes: Hey guys! I'm sorts in school right now, but when the time comes to go home since I have only around a half an hour, I'll e-mail it home :)
Anyway, I thank all of you for the reviews! I'm really glad how well this story is going. I'm thinking about having Kaoru's house located near the ocean!
Anyway, this is chapter 5.
Chapter 5 – Just a little bit Closer
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Kaoru paced around the kitchen in annoyance. How could they even think of her doing all those things! Maybe one of them was actually a considering suggestion but every other one was just plain barbaric.
The advice was re-run in her mind. They were the following:
Have Kenji call you 'mom' when Kenshin is around – No
Flirt with Kenshin, try and catch his attention – No
'Accidentally' have him catch you in something skimpy – Already done and seriously an accident. No.
Ask Kenshin out one night and get closer – Wasn't it the guys job? No.
Talk to him.
The last of their advice was actually something Kaoru could consider doing. She had had a nice conversation with him the former morning before he left to pick up Kenji and bring him over and she was sure that he wouldn't mind doing it again.
Kaoru nodded her head. She decided to take the last of their advice and have a talk with Kenshin.
"Kaoru, there you are!"
Kaoru squeaked in surprise when a boy's voice interrupted her thoughts. She jumped a little and turned around to see Kenji standing in the open double-door entrance to the living room.
"Oh, h-hey kiddo! What can I do for you?"
Kaoru tried to re-gain her composure.
"Where were you at lunch time?"
Kaoru quickly glanced at the clock and saw that it was nearly 5:00pm and that noon seemed to just slip by without her even noticing. Did it really take them that long to explain things to her?
"I was…in my room, is all."
Kenji cocked his head to the side in confusion and crossed his arms.
"For almost two and a half hours?"
Kaoru laughed nervously and nodded, rubbing the back of her neck. Kenji just shrugged his shoulders.
"Well anyway, Yahiko is teaching me how to play poker so I'm just gonna go."
Kaoru laughed and nodded. Yahiko always had a way of entertaining the other kids with his little card games. She sighed as she flashed back on just how he learned those things.
Although the games were fun, the learning sessions definitely weren't…
-Flash Back-
Kaoru was quickly jogging down the sidewalk to her house, the sky readying a thunderstorm. She clung to her over-coat and quickened her pace. Her cell phone battery had given out on her so she couldn't phone Megumi who was closer by than her house.
Her house was located somewhat near the shore-line of the ocean. Although it wasn't bare with just grass and sand, and some trees did grow around her yard, the risk of the thunderstorm disturbing the waves just right made Kaoru's heart do a small flip flop.
She was just about to quicken the pace when a cry drowned out the thunder.
"No, please, don't!"
The plea of a young boy rang out through the rumbling of the heavens. Kaoru stopped in her tracks and looked around.
"Hello?"
Kaoru frantically turned and whipped her head around to find the source of the cry. She ran back the way she came, looking all around the alleys and in between houses to where she heard it.
"Please, stop it!"
Kaoru ran toward the voice and ran by an alley. She stopped, eyes widened. She saw a young boy being crowded by older men. They had weapons in their hands; Such as sticks or metal bars.
A young boy was huddled in the back of the alley, pressed against the brick wall fearfully. His face was bloody and bruised from being beaten on. He had fear written in his chocolate brown eyes and he trembled as they crept closer to him.
Kaoru couldn't let this happen. She didn't think about the consequences as she stepped forward, hands clenched.
"Stop this!"
The men stopped in their tracks and turned around. Kaoru identified that the leader of the group was the one who was one who just seemed to be watching. He gave Kaoru the elevator eyes, looking her up and down before he turned around fully.
"And what are you gonna do 'bout it…" He smirked as he licked his lips and chuckled at his coming comment. "Slap us…?"
Kaoru glared as she reached into her pocket and grabbed her cell phone. She slowly pulled it out, flipping up the lid. The men seemed to catch on and their eyes widened. She pressed the buttons '911' and let her thumb hover over the 'send' button.
"One more press of a button,… and you'll be behind bars in a matter of minutes…"
The leader of the group's faced darkened as he cursed under his breath. He signaled for his followers to move out. They quickly scattered and the leader just glowered at Kaoru.
"We'll get you back for this…"
He snarled at her and then ran off. Kaoru took a deep, shaky breath. She thanked the gods that they had bought her bluff. She quickly rushed over to the boy in need.
"Are you alright?"
The boy grunted and turned away; too stubborn to admit his weakness. Kaoru smiled sadly and placed a hand on his shoulder, causing him to wince slightly. Kaoru noticed a slight shiver from his body from the coming weather and his torn clothing and quickly shrugged off her over coat and placed it over his shoulders.
"There you go."
The boy mumbled a small 'thanks' and tugged the cloth closer to himself.
"Why…did you help me…"
Kaoru barely heard his slightly demanding question because it was whispered and raspy. Kaoru didn't even skip a beat as she smiled and placed her arms on her knees.
"I wasn't going to let them take advantage of you. Besides. You weren't the only one at risk if they didn't leave."
The boy raised his head and looked at her with confusion riddled in his chocolate eyes. Kaoru smiled nervously as she held up her cell phone to him to reveal that there was nothing on the screen, indicating that the battery was long gone.
His eyes widened and he looked between the cell phone and her.
"You mean…you were bluffing…?"
Kaoru laughed a little and rubbed the back of her neck, nodding. The boy looked down, hiding his eyes again as his shoulders began to tremble. Kaoru quickly placed her hand on one of his shoulders.
"Are you still cold?"
The boy shook his head as he raised a hand and rubbed them against his shaded eyes. When he brought his hand back down, his tan arm was slightly dampened. He was crying.
Strangely, Kaoru felt as though she didn't need to console him. She simply smiled and placed a hand on his head and rubbed slightly.
"Do you have any parents…?"
The boy shook his head solemnly. Kaoru smiled again and ruffled his messy black hair.
"Don't worry, kiddo…you can stay with me."
Even though the boy knew that he should be praising her at the moment, or hugging her, or something that thanked her, he couldn't help himself correct her.
"...I'm not a kid…my name's Yahiko Myojin…"
Kaoru laughed and nodded. She smiled once more as she stood up and lent a hand to Yahiko and awaited him to take it. The thunder roared yet again, almost warning them that the storm was going start whether or not they were sheltered.
Yahiko hesitantly took it and she hauled him up.
"C'mon. if we hurry back to my house, we can tend to your wounds and avoid the rain."
He paused a moment. He looked at the face of the woman who saved him and this time, he didn't wipe away the tear that had strolled down his cheek. He smiled brightly and nodded his head. Kaoru smiled as well as she then turned back front to the sidewalk and started to make her way back to her house again.
Questions filled her head. Such as what was this boy doing in such a group and not an orphanage? Or what caused them to get so angry? Did he try to escape? She was so caught up in trying to figure out why he was in the state he was, that she didn't even noticed the raindrops that had slowly started to fall.
Kaoru paused a moment and then focused her eyes. She realized that it had started to rain, finally.
"Shoot!"
Without further ado, Kaoru sprinted into a run, still tugging the young boy behind her. She chuckled to herself. Well, at least she'd still be able to tend to his wounds and nothing could prevent her from that. She felt warm, knowing someone else other than herself was finally going to be present in her lonely house-hold.
Even if it was a young boy. There's nothing wrong with taking care of someone. Nothing at all…
-End of Flashback-
Kaoru sighed as she ran a hand through her hair. Yahiko had spent some time observing the group of men that had him as their 'slave', watching them play poker and learning in the process.
Suddenly, a knocking on her door brought her out of her thoughts. She quickly ambled over to her door and opened it. To her surprise, Kenshin was standing in the doorway. The surprise on her face must have been obvious because a small chuckle arose from Kenshin.
"Mr. Himura! What are you doing here so soon?"
Kaoru stepped aside and let Kenshin come in. Kenshin simply chuckled again and smiled as he took off his coat and held it in his arms. Kaoru offered to take it and Kenshin loosened his grip on it. Kaoru hesitantly took it, her hands accidentally brushing against his arms as she gathered the coat in her own.
She turned around and walked toward the coat rack, her face slightly flushed red. At times like these, she was glad that her coat rack wasn't next to the door. She regained her composure and turned back to face him as he told her the reasons of his early arrival.
"Well, supposedly my boss could see how 'tired' I was because I was late showing up for work and so he sent me home to 'rest'."
A frown laced Kaoru's lips.
"Mr. Himura, were you late because you helped me cook breakfast?"
"No, I wasn't late because I helped, I was late because I cooked breakfast."
Kenshin gave off a small grin when Kaoru scowled and punched him half heartedly in the arm. She then sighed and sat back down by one of stools by her bar-like-table.
"Hey don't worry about it. It's no big deal. Actually, I should do this more often. It's nice to be let off early."
Kenshin smiled as he shoved his hands into the tightly sewed fabric of his jean pockets. Kaoru smiled and shrugged her shoulders, indicating that she wouldn't mind participating in that event.
"Well, I can get Kenji if you like, but he's in the middle of a learning session of poker. Teacher: Yahiko." Kaoru laughed slightly.
Kenshin shook his head.
"No, that's alright. I just stopped by. I actually should probably get going. I don't want to intrude."
Kaoru shook her head frantically.
"No, no, you're not intruding at all! It's actually nice to have someone my age to have a conversation with."
Kaoru smiled and laughed a little bit when Kenshin shrugged his shoulders and scuffed his feet a little bit on the floor.
Kenshin rubbed his arm awkwardly. It felt so strange. He didn't know what to say to start another conversation. Something about Kenji? Nah, it would be too…pressured. Almost as if he were trying to impress her or something of the sort…
"Do you want to go for a walk?"
The question had caught Kenshin off guard a little bit. He shook his head a little to clear his mind as he blinked a few times as if to wake himself from his small daze.
"Pardon?"
Kaoru simply shrugged her shoulders and shifted her gaze here and there and a light pink blush spread across her face. She cleared her throat slightly and repeated her question.
"Would…you like to go for a stroll or…something?"
Kenshin's eyes widened. He then shrugged and his shoulders, a smile played on his face.
"Sure. Why not?"
Kaoru smiled brightly and walked over to the door and opened it. She ushered for him to follow and he did so. She closed the front door and started to make her way down the shore line of the beach. Kenshin followed hastily, avoiding the large sand mounds so not to get sand in his shoes.
Kaoru walked all the way to where the tide swayed in and out and the sun had started to dip under the horizon. She hadn't put on her shoes so she wouldn't have to go through the hassle of getting them off. She splashed some of the water with her bare feet and turned around and started to giggle slightly.
Kenshin had plunked down onto the sand and was haphazardly wrestling with his shoes, trying to remove them. She placed a hand over her mouth as she felt a stronger laugh come about. She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted to him;
"Try untying them first!"
Kenshin stopped his grappling and stared at her a moment, his foot still in his hand. He slowly looked at his shoe and pulled the lace, the bow coming undone and slowly slid the shoe off. He then slowly looked back at her before his shoulders slumped down and an annoyed look appeared on his face before untying the other.
Kaoru laughed again and waited until he was finished. Once he had removed his socks, he stood up and sauntered over to where Kaoru awaited, the tide splashing up against the back side of her feet. They started to walk side by side.
"So…what's happened the last twelve years of your life…?"
Kaoru broke the silence again with a question that just seemed to never leave her mind. It was starting to bug her, yet now that she asked it, it almost seemed as though she was asking too much.
Kenshin just bit his lip and shrugged his shoulders.
"Well, you know…just the usual. Taking care of Kenji, working,..."
Kaoru simply nodded her head. She knew now that they both were on the same level. Not as parent and baby sitter, but like high school class mates. She sighed just slightly and looked over her shoulder and gazed at the sun that was slowly dipping under the ocean's horizon.
"…It's beautiful, isn't it…"
Kenshin smiled and looked at the sunset for a second. He then looked at Kaoru and his smiled deepened while his eyes glittered brightly.
"…Yeah…"
Kaoru laughed a little and turned her head back and looked at Kenshin to find him staring at her. She finally got the message and blushed and quickly continued walking. Kenshin only chuckled as he jogged to catch up with her.
-
Kenji had just finished his learning session of poker from Yahiko. He snickered as he thought about how he was going against his dad's will. He had a feeling his dad probably wouldn't' approve of learning a gambling game but oh well.
He stood up and stretched. He then looked around slightly. He could have sworn he heard his fathers voice a little while ago...
"…Dad?"
Yahiko tapped Kenji on the shoulder. Kenji turned around and looked at him. Yahiko smiled as he pointed to a near-by-window that viewed the back 'yard' of the house. Kenji made his way over to the window and peaked out.
Down below on the shore of the beach, his father was walking side by side with his care taker and it looked as though they were chatting about something…
'Wait…'Kenji squinted his eyes a little to get a better view. His eyes then widened as he registered what he picked up. It looked more like his father was…teasing his care taker, rather than chatting with her. Kaoru's face was slightly red while his father's face was gleaming brightly, his mouth lifted up in a smirk.
Slowly, a small smile crept onto his lips. His eyes softened as he watched them. That was probably the first time he had seen his dad look so carefree. Relaxed. Actually enjoying himself.
Sure, Kenji had noticed his dad trying to get a wife, in his point of view, a step mother, but things never did turn out quite right. No one was really fit for his dad. He snorted with a smile. His dad was just one special kinda guy. Kenji's fists tightened in eagerness.
Maybe, just maybe, things would turn out right…
Maybe…he'd finally have…someone to call a 'mom'…
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A/N- That's all for now! I'm sorry if this is short but I think it would end nicely right here! Anyway, please update!
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