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/ I Am Sending You A Message /
&&
Makimachi Residence
Kaoru kneeled down next to Yahiko's bed as he slept, his lips parted slightly as he inhaled and exhaled. He seemed to be sleeping peacefully for once, but Kaoru was certain that it wouldn't last for long. Nightmares terrified him, depriving him of much sleep during the day and night. Her blue eyes were locked on him, her hand reaching up to the sheet covering him, pulling it up around his shoulders to keep him warm. Her hand drifted to his face, letting her fingers lightly touch his cheek that was constantly damp with tears. She removed her hand from his face, closing her eyes tightly and clenching her fists.
'I hate them!' She felt like throwing something, anything to release her pain and rage. 'How could they do this to us! To him! Those bastards..if I were there, I swear I could've prevented any of this from happening.'
She continued to blame herself, feeling useless and horrible. She knew things were getting rocky. At every sound that took place in their home, her father would flinch and become paranoid. Why didn't she stay home? She chose to leave with a friend even when her father told her that he would like her staying inside. 'I disobeyed him and went out anyway,' she thought grimly, her lids lifting to reveal her darkened blue eyes. 'I'll make whoever did this pay. Whoever is in charge of this whole ordeal, they'll pay. Whether I live or not, I'll make sure of it.'
Yahiko shifted in his sleep, his brows knitting together briefly before relaxing, his fingers clenching his pillow gently. Kaoru ran her hand over his shoulder, standing up and bending down, placing a soft kiss on his temple before walking out of the room. She looked to him over his shoulder before closing the door, hearing the doorbell downstairs. She headed down the hall, looking over the railing and seeing Misao hurry to the door, undoing all of the locks. A bright smile came to her face when she opened the door, revealing a smiling Soujirou. She jumped into his arms and he gladly wrapped his arms around the petite girl, laughing.
"Good to see you too, Misao." He kissed her cheek lightly before pulling away, his blue eyes darting up to movement, seeing Kaoru coming to the end of the stairs. His smile faded briefly as he took in her pale complexion, but quickly came back as Misao pulled him in the house, closing the door.
&&
Aoshi stared at Soujirou carefully, looking to Rorenzo sitting in the drivers seat next to him. His fingers rapidly moved over the keys on his laptop, turning it to Aoshi when he pulled up a picture of Soujirou on the screen. Aoshi let a frown come to his face, "Who the hell is he? What is he to Kaoru?"
"Kaoru's ex-boyfriend, Soujirou Seta. Pictures were found of them in the Kamiya house, so he's all good. He was even a friend of Mr. Kamiya, a good friend." He brought the laptop back to him, "He has a small criminal record, nothing too serious I suppose. He has two DUI's and spent a little bit of time in jail for literally kicking the shit out of three men."
"He looks quite small to be able to do damage to anyone," Aoshi murmured, looking back to the large house Soujirou entered.
"Compared to you, sir, everyone is small," Rorenzo teased lightly.
Aoshi dismissed the remark. "Where was he on the night of the murder? Did he go through an interrogation?"
He ran a hand through his black hair, "Yes, he did. He was with a woman that night."
"All night?"
"Yes. We were able to reach the woman and he was with her all day, actually. He never left. He also attended the funeral."
"I see." He came to a pause. "Who was the woman he was with?"
"A miss Yumi Komagata. That's Mr. Shishio's woman, fiancé, or whatever. She's three months pregnant, so I'm sure she's not a suspect."
&&
Makimachi Residence
Kaoru let the twenty-year-old man pull her into an embrace, slowly letting her as close as she returned the hug. Her muscles relaxed as his warmth washed over her, his hand rubbing her back soothingly as he buried his face in her neck. Misao crossed her arms, a small smile sliding to her lips as she watched Soujirou comfort her the only way he knew how. In truth, she wanted the two to get back together. She never found out the truth behind their breakup and Kaoru never really talked about their relationship. It was a bad breakup, but they still acted as if nothing ever happened between them.
"Soujirou," Misao started, "how have you been?"
"Quite good," he mumbled, pulling away from his ex-girlfriend and current love interest. His feelings for her never wavered, but he kept that to himself.
"Got a girlfriend?"
He let out a chuckle, "No, I don't. Still single ever since raccoon girl broke my heart."
A small smile came to Kaoru's face as she shook her head at Soujirou's teasing, touching his arm lightly. "I would let you see Yahiko, but he fell asleep after eating. He should wake up in an hour or so, I'm not quite sure."
"That's fine. There'll be other chances to see the brat," he responded, giving a smile to her. "Let's just relax on the couch, ladies, and catch up."
&&
"I love you so much. Stay put."
His brown eyes shot open when the voice haunted his dreams, that for once, weren't nightmares. It was a memory, a memory of his family at the beach for his sixth birthday, but the voice of his mother before she died interrupted the pleasant scene. Yahiko sat up, the sheet pooling around his waist as his brown eyes stared at the closed door. Kaoru was nowhere in sight, but he was certain that she was somewhere in the house.
"Stop it! Please-let go! Don't do this!"
He rubbed his eyes with his small hands, pushing the voice of his mother aside as he climbed out of his bed. He tossed the sheet back on his bed when he pulled it off with him, his small feet carrying him to the window. He pushed the curtain, peeking out and staring at the road, recognizing one of the police officers from the station. He was smoking a cigarette, leaning against his red car as he daydreamed. Kaoru told Yahiko that police officers and detectives would be protecting them and as he remembered that, his brown eyes searched for any sight of Kenshin.
'Kaoru..'
He knew where the money was and he understood that people wanted him, not Kaoru. He knew that they would hurt and possibly kill her just for the hell of it, but he would lead them to her. He didn't want anything to happen to his older sister, thoughts of running away entering his mind several times. Anything to keep his older sister safe, but he figured that he wouldn't make it very far by himself. 'Kaoru would worry, too.'
He just wanted everything to go back to the way things use to be. He wanted to see Kaoru give him true, happy smiles and he wanted his parents back. He wasn't stupid though. He knew his parents' were gone for good, no matter how much he prayed and asked for them back. A tear slipped down his cheek and he reached up, wiping it away as he let go of the curtain, turning his back to the window and looking up to the door when it slowly started to open.
Kaoru poked her head in, giving a little smile when she saw that he was awake. She stepped in and closed the door, walking over to him and bending down, catching another tear with her fingers when it escaped his eye. "You didn't sleep very long," she told him softly, letting him wrap his arms around her neck and bury his face into her neck. He snuggled against her, tightening his grip when she stood up straight. "Soujirou is here. Would you like to see him before he leaves?"
He shook his head negatively.
"All right. I'm sure you're still tired anyway."
He nodded, letting her place him back in his bed.
"I'm sorry I wasn't here when you woke up. Soujirou came, so I had to go say hello." She paused, sitting down next to him. "Kenshin called today. Tomorrow, instead of today, we can go to the zoo like you wanted." She tilted her head, "Do you still want to go?"
He nodded once again, his hand darting out to grab her wrist when she tried getting up from the bed. She understood what he wanted. She motioned for him to scoot over, lying down and getting comfortable herself, letting him cuddle into her body. He rested his head against her bosom, closing his eyes slowly.
"I take it you like Kenshin." She paused, "I like him too–I mean, not like him."
He didn't believe her at all. He could tell when Kaoru became interested in a man.
"I believe he will find out who's doing this, Yahiko," he heard her murmur into his hair before he drifted off into a light sleep. "Just be patient.."
&&
Next Day
Makimachi Residence
Misao hugged Kaoru tightly, kissing her on the cheek. Kaoru did the same to her cousin, watching Misao bend down to Yahiko and kiss his forehead. She stood up, a big smile on her face as her eyes drifted to Kaoru's figure.
"I should be back around six, all right?"
Kaoru nodded, "We'll be here. Have fun at work, flirting with men all day."
Misao shrugged, "Hey, what can I say? I'm a young girl looking for Mr. Right." Her smile turned small as she glanced down at Yahiko, feeling uneasy leaving them alone. She knew Kenshin would arrive in several minutes, but after their time out together, Kaoru and Yahiko would be alone in the house. She had little faith in the people watching over the house. "Be careful, Kaoru," she spoke softly. "Call my cell if anything goes down, all right? I can't help but worry about you two."
"I think you worry too much," Kaoru tossed with a light smile. "But I will call if anything happens, all right? Try not to worry so much, Misao."
'I don't think you worry enough, Kaoru.' She nodded, placing a hand on her shoulder as she passed her cousins, leaving the house. She closed the door quietly, paying no attention to the cars full of police officers watching her home. It was a little nerve wrecking at first, but she became use to it quickly. Making her way to her car, she unlocked the door and climbed in, seeing the mailman a few houses down the street. She debated on whether she should stay and wait, but looking at the time, she had to hurry and get to work.
Minutes after Misao left the driveway, a red car took her place. Kaoru let the curtain fall over the window, holding her hand out for her younger brother. He took her hand, watching her grab his coat before she opened the door. Kenshin heard the front door shut and his gaze lifted as he got out of his car, seeing that Kaoru and Yahiko were already heading his way. A smile came to his lips as they neared, his eyes locking with Kaoru's.
"I don't think I've been to the zoo ever since I was a child," he spoke, Yahiko opening the back door himself and climbing in. Kaoru shut the door, watching him click his seatbelt. Her blue eyes lifted to see Kenshin opening her door, a smile coming to her lips as she made her way over. She thanked him quietly as she climbed into the passenger seat, reaching for her seatbelt as he rounded the car.
"Same. I haven't been to the zoo since I was ten. My parents—" 'They normally took Yahiko.' "I haven't been since I was ten," she repeated with a quieter voice. "So, that man—Cho, he still hasn't spoken?"
"No, he's keeping quiet no matter what's thrown at him." He paused, pulling out of the driveway, "I heard there was a man here yesterday. Soujirou Seta, was it?"
"Yes," she responded. "He's harmless. He's a close friend of the family," she told him, the small smile lingering on her lips. "So, don't worry about him. He came to visit since we haven't seen him in a while," she continued, playing with her fingers. Yahiko sat quietly in the back, watching his older sister closely. Her shoulders were tense, her cheeks were tinted with a light blush—it was all he needed to prove that he was right. His sister was becoming infatuated with the red headed man.
His overprotective senses kicked in. He trusted Kenshin, he liked the man, but he didn't want anyone getting close to his sister. They only had and needed each other, so he thought.
"Where's your cousin, Misao?"
"She went to work. She works in the mall at some clothing store. She'll be home around six."
"I see." He came to a pause, stopping at a red light. "I've been meaning to ask you about Yahiko attending school—"
"Oh—no," she interrupted hurriedly, shaking her head and letting her gaze drift to the window. "He won't be attending a public school, if that's what you want to know. He's not ready for that. I hired a man to come next month and he's going to be home schooled. A Mr. Gensai, who is well known as a home schooling teacher. He knows my Aunt very well, so I know for sure that he's safe to be around." She smiled, "He'll have a few other classmates, three at the most, so he'll be able to be around other people finally."
"Is he ready to be around strangers?"
"I'm not sure, but I don't want to keep him locked up in a house. That's why we decided to go the zoo, a step to getting use to going back out. He needs to start opening up. I'm starting to worry about him," she murmured softly, Yahiko finding interest in the scenery passing them by.
"You should also worry about yourself, Kaoru."
&&
Kaoru ran her fingers through her black hair as she watched Yahiko hurry into the goat pen, his hands pushed together as he held the food for the young goats. Numerous children his age were with him, laughing when the young goats rushed to them and greedily ate out of their hands, slobbering on them in the process while licking their hands. Her blue eyes darted to a mother who walked over to her daughter, bending down and wiping her empty hands off with a sanitation wipe.
Kenshin slipped his hands into the pockets of his pants, glancing at Kaoru with his amethyst orbs to see her gazing at the mother and daughter. He could only guess what she was thinking of or how she was feeling at that very moment. His eyes drifted back to Yahiko, watching him feed the young goats, interest floating into his brown eyes. Kaoru also returned her gaze to her younger brother, smiling when she saw his usual unresponsive eyes lighting up by the second.
She let out a laugh when a goat neared Yahiko from behind, butting his rear and causing him to fall over. Kenshin couldn't help but let a chuckle escape his lips, watching Yahiko lift himself up on his hands and knees, glaring back at the goat before he stood up straight. Brushing his hands off of his pants, his mouth formed a thin line, his brown eyes darting to Kaoru since he heard the laugh come from her.
It was nice.
Kenshin watched as the same goat ran off, doing the same thing to other children. A bratty animal, he thought as Yahiko walked to Kaoru, holding out his hand for more money to feed the goats. She placed a quarter in his hand, giving him a smile as she told him that they could go see the alligators next. He watched the girl quietly, watching as her slender hand came up to tuck silky black strands behind her left ear, her eyes trained on her younger brother as he ran over to the food.
She was beautiful, but she was nothing more than a girl he had to help protect along with Yahiko. Her blue eyes locked with his, clearing his throat due to the fact of being caught staring. It was a bit embarrassing. He simply gave her a small smile. He had a job to do and it wasn't busying himself with thinking about the teenager.
&&
Makimachi Residence
Kenshin opened Yahiko's door, the small boy slipping out of the car with a candy bar in his hand, half melted. Amethyst eyes traveled into the car, closing his eyes briefly when he saw chocolate fingerprints on his seat. He closed the door shut, offering to walk Kaoru to the front door as she searched for her own spare key. She stopped, giving him a smile when she remembered that the mail had been delivered already.
Yahiko stood with Kenshin, busy with his chocolate bar. He glanced up to watch Kaoru pull the mail from the mailbox, making her way back over to them as she looked through the envelopes.
Kaoru Kamiya
She stopped, searching for a return address when she didn't recognize the writing. She flipped it over, staring at the smiley-faced sticker holding the flap down firmly. She didn't hesitate in opening the letter, oblivious of Kenshin making his way over to her with Yahiko close behind. He saw the envelope and he noticed her shoulders become tense as she eyed it. He became curious.
She flipped it open, pulling out pictures with her brow raised.
Blood.
She flung the pictures away from her as if they scalded her, her hands covering her mouth as she gasped, her eyes wide. Kenshin moved Yahiko out of the way, picking up one picture and his face immediately twisted in a frown, the picture a close-up of Mrs. Kamiya's lifeless face. His eyes darted to the other pictures, a candy bar dropping next to him as Yahiko stared at the pictures lying on the grass.
"Be a good little boy—"
He twitched.
"I love you so much—"
Kenshin covered Yahiko's eyes with one strong hand, looking to Kaoru.
"Kaoru!" He dropped the picture, catching Yahiko as he tumbled backwards.
He snapped her out of it, her watered eyes flying to his. "What kind of sick joke—"
"Get Yahiko inside," he told her firmly, picking up the unconscious boy easily and handing him to his sister. "Now," he added, moving her away from the pictures and picking them up when she hastily headed to the house. He didn't miss her trembling as his fingers touched her briefly.
He saw Aoshi making his way out of a black car, heading to him with another man. He ignored them, sorting through the pictures to only find each and every one of them disturbing. Pictures of both of the parents' dead—several close-ups of their wounds, one of Cho in his act of violating Mrs. Kamiya, and the last of a family picture. Scribbled underneath the faces of Yahiko and Kaoru was the word soon, while their parents' had their faces scratched off.
Aoshi took the pictures from the short redhead, glancing at only one before stating an obvious decision where Kenshin could only nod. "They can't stay here."
- - - - - - -
It's been quite some time since I updated, I know! Just know that I will never abandon the story for a year or two like some authors. That's crazy! I don't think I'll even abandon it for a month. A longer chapter with more added in..some S+K. More Soujirou in next chapter possibley. Tell me what you thought! Sorry for any mistakes (knowing me, there are some!). Thanks for those who have been reading and reviewing:o)
Faust: Wow! Spain! I heard it was nice there! Hope it was a fun vacation!
Nette JP: I'm a fan of K+Y sibling love too! It's just nice..and I'm glad you liked the picture touch. Revealed here what the pictures were of! Not the nicest thing to receive in the mail!
MikaylaMae: Thanks! Hope you liked this chapter also..and yes, things don't look to be getting any better.
Wolf Jade: Not in all cases, lol. I'll agree. I like Soujirou too and more will be revealed about him in later chapters.
