Ange: I'm back! Everyone gasp for joy. My grades aren't perfect but they're better than before. Much sorrys for the long wait but hopefully some of you can understand. So thrilled for the review responses I got and thanks to all who reviewed and even those who didn't. I changed the riddle because it really didn't fit. I'll find some use for it later on. Anyways enjoy the chapter, review, and forgive me for the lateness. Not necessary in that order though.
Disclaimer: I don't even know why I bother with this anymore…
The Torture
Chapter Tres: Meetings
Riddle me this:
I am the red strings that bind your soul
The one thing that you try to deny
The driving force that controls your destiny
You may run, you may hide but know that I will find you
Fight me all you will but soon you'll be mine once more
Reject me all you want but still I exist
What am I?
-
-
-
-
… I am fate
She was sticky with sweat, her body slick and smelly with her lank hair plastered in disarray around her face. Bruised and sore it hurt her to breathe much less remain standing but she couldn't have felt more satisfied.
-
Kaoru loved the gym. She loved the pain and pleasure it gave her. She loved how it unleashed her innermost masochist so that each day she can continuously set her limits and then break them. For her the gym was her reason for being, she didn't know any other way and that was fine with her.
-
But even though she loved the gym Kaoru hated the one that she had no other choice but to go to. This gym was too superficial for her tastes but since it was the only one available near her she either had the option of going or not and it was clear which one she had to pick.
-
So for six days a week two hours a day, she had to endure the torture of big- breasted bimbos who only come to pick up men or have affairs with their personal trainers. But the men were worse, yelling with bestial grunts as they lifted weights so that all attention could be diverted to them. She honestly didn't know whether to be amused or embarrassed- perhaps a mixture of both?
-
Bearing the company of such narcissistic people didn't really faze her although it did get trying at times. What Kaoru really came to the gym for was to get stronger because one day she's going to take over the family dojo that her father now runs. That may be years away but even so she still wants to be strong- strong like her father so that she can make him proud, stronger that her mother who left them all behind years ago, strong for her brother so that he can always depend on her, and above all she will become strong for herself just to prove that she can.
-
And she'll be dammed if she lets a lot of Barbie blow up dolls and Ken wannabes stand in her way.
-
It was in this ongoing pursuit for strength and greatness that caused Kaoru and him to meet. They were two separate people from two completely different worlds coming together to later disrupt the course of their daily lives.
-
Maybe it was fate.
-
Perhaps it wasn't.
-
In either case it can simply be labeled as an event that simply happened and who were they to question it?
"Hey," he greeted her, "would you like to catch a cup of coffee with me?"
-
"Sure," she replied, already drawn in, "but as long as you're buying."
-
So with a short laugh to show his agreement the pair walked off to the nearest café shop, the exhaustion from their extraneous activities already long forgotten.
-
And this innocent meeting between strangers irreversibly intertwined Kaoru's life so much so that she will forever remain changed by the handsome stranger later know as
…Kenshin.
A/N: I hope this chapter satisfies you all. I wasn't sure how their flashback meeting should be. I'm not good at flashbacks either so it was kind of tough. But I never read any story where they meet at a gym so that's original at least. Anyways that's all I have to say other than the fact that forgive (yes, again) for such a lame title but I'm never good at that sort of thing.
Critique Assessment
Shintachi: You reviewed for all three chapters! Wow you're the best as of this moment! I'm glad you like this story so much and hopefully you'll stick around and keep reviewing!
GranolaBar: Good thing you did because now I just earned myself a review. Hopefully this will live up and even surpass my other stories.
Aznmoonstargurl: You like math? What is wrong with this generation? Thanks for the review!
Royal blueKitsune: This isn't asap but it's as good as it can get. And yes my grades are out of the red zone now so hopefully my stories will become more frequent.
Reignashii: Hopefully you did well on your report card. I obviously did since I can update finally. Thank goodness for that.
Mayfuyu hotaru: yay, you're back! I'll try to get reviewing on one of your stories some of your alerts are still unread in my inbox. Fan fiction is such an addiction.
Silent Tears of Agony: You are completely right. Hopefully this one was hard enough for you.
MabuiMiyoko: I'm always glad to have another reader. And the only reprieve I can offer to you is to read on.
Firalyn Tiatra: Thanks for the great review and yeah Tomoe's case is unfortunate but that makes this story so interesting, right?
Surface Dweller: Sorry this isn't as soon as you would wish but at least it's updated, right? And yeah Kaoru's life sucks but maybe it'll get better, or not. You'll just have to read to find out.
Blooded wings: You suck at riddles? Yeah, well you and me both.
Triste1: Your review is so long and I couldn't thank you enough for it. I couldn't believe that you could come up with so many compliments for this story I was ecstatic and it simply just made my day.
Haru my Lovely: Kenshin's coming so no worries.