STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. Rurouni Kenshin no me pertenece. Rurouni Kenshin ne m'appartient pas. Rurouni Kenshin não me pretence. Shall I go on?
I don't own any of the quotes I make reference to, Doritos, the songs I speak of, Pepto-Bismol, etc.
Quick little message from author: I think I jinxed myself. Last time I complained about having a hard time writing and after being done with this chapter, I should take that back: I didn't know what hard was until Chapter 12 rounded the corner! I apologize for the long intervals between updates, but producing quality material –or at least trying to- is a little time consuming and I refuse to post anything that I haven't slaved over as much as I consider it necessary.
There's a mystery character in this chapter and the inspirational music for each of its appearances would have to be "Non, je ne regrette rien", Cássia Eller version (the Édith Piaf one is good too, but I like the modern one better).
I've decided that if, by chance, a song has a strong influence on my writing, I'll give you guys the name in case you have it anywhere around so you can get the full Iram experience.
Also, some parts of this chapter are written in French; I took the liberty of placing the translations in parentheses, next to these sentences, so no one has to bother with scrolling up and down. Pardon my French –literally-, but it's been a while since I last used it, so it's a bit rusty.
Enjoy the show everybody, and thank you for the encouragement.
Chapter 12: The Hours of our Time.
Time has been transformed, and we have changed; it has advanced and set us in motion; it has unveiled its face, inspiring us with bewilderment and exhilaration.
-Khalil Gibran.
One must learn a different... sense of time, one that depends more on small amounts than big ones.
-Sister Mary Paul.
Time is the longest
distance between two places.
-Tennessee Williams.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
It was truly a beautiful morning: the birds were chirping and the skies were clear and bright.
It was undoubtedly a morning of the fairest caliber: Kaoru was chipper and her mood was sunny and light-hearted.
It was Friday: the wait would finally be over and, after a boring, uneventful school week, she would get to see him again, much to her heart's delight.
It was too good a day to be true and –make no mistake- warning signs such as these must always be heeded.
A shadow cast itself over the sun for the briefest of seconds, but none took notice of the ill omen; none wish to be faced with the inevitable until running away is no longer an option.
This would prove to be the first cloud to block Kamiya Kaoru's sun since the beginning of our tale: 'tis a long way till the silver lining…
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
08:35 hrs.
"Mademoiselle Makimachi: voudriez-vous bien lire le début du poème d'Alain Bosquet qui se trouve sur la page cent cinquante de vos livres, s'il vous plaît ?"
("Miss Makimachi : would you mind reading the beginning of the Alain Bosquet poem on page 150 of your books, please?")
"Poem? Which poem? "A wide-eyed Misao inquired hopefully- she had never been much good at foreign languages… "The weird one that talks about Palmolive bar soap and Gillete razor blades? The one that we read last week Miss Levaud? Would you like me to read it? Is that what you're asking me to do?"
"En français Mademoiselle Makimachi! En français!" ("In French Miss Makimachi! In French!") Miss Valerie Levaud snapped, drawing ever closer to the fidgety teen's desk, like a predator, cautiously circling round its prey.
"Umm… Je… Le livre… Aluette, gentil aluette?" she ventured guessing, her mastery of the French language stopping at 'Evian' and 'voulez-vous coucher avec moi ce soir?'.
"Vraiment! Avez-vous étudié quelque chose cette semaine, Mademoiselle Makimachi? Avez-vous fait vos devoirs ?!!"
("Honestly! Did you study anything this week, Miss Makimachi? Did you do your homework?")
"Umm... Oui?" In Misao's experience, affirmative action had always been the way to go.
"Oui? Très bien: vous n'auriez donc pas aucun problème por réciter la conjugaison du present indicatif du verbe être, n'est ce pas?"
("Yes? Very well then: you would therefore have no problem reciting the inflection of the verb 'to be' in the present tense now, would you?")
"Umm... Frère Jacques?" the emerald-eyed girl feebly attempted to keep up with the whole 'en français' bit, but finally decided to drop the act and excuse herself from the presence of the one teacher that made life in the seventh circle of hell seem like a picnic in comparison to this regularly torturous routine, her every good, bad and blah Friday crucifixions. "I give up! May I go to the bathroom, s'il vous plait?"
Rolling her eyes to reveal milky white orbs, clutching her chest tightly and then her left arm in actions reminiscent to those of heart attack victims, Miss Levaud allowed her least promising student to saunter out of her classroom in her flowy floral-print skirt and ballerina wrap-top.
Kaoru looked up from her copy of Oliver Twist and smirked: Friday mornings were always so much fun!
Her best friend would invariably act altogether stumped or thoroughly diva-ish and the student body's least favorite teacher (with the unfortunate exception of Greenburg and Mr. 'a-brilliant-mind' Daniels) would start displaying possible symptoms of either psychosis or schizophrenia, depending on what time of the month it was.
Ah yes, today was bound to be an excellent day!
Now, where was she? Oh, that's right: "What?" said the Master, in a faint voice.
"Please, sir," replied Oliver, "I want some more."
* * * * * * * * * * * *
08:50 hrs.
If there was something that Kenshin didn't want to see ever again, other than a naked Sanosuke –the heavens could not be that cruel!-, it was the current nightmarish image looming over his bed.
There stood his very tall, very muscular and very much male roommate in nothing but his Sponge Bob briefs: talk about a wake up call!
Fixing him with a piercing glare that could put environmentalists heedful of global warming at ease, the redhead just knew that envying the blind wasn't a very normal thing and that the disturbing imagery he had, precisely at this moment risen from sleep to, would be the subject of many heated discussions with the therapy group that he was most convinced with every passing second he would be joining soon enough.
"This had better be good." He growled out dryly.
Not one with a death-wish or particularly taken with the quality and range of musical sounds produced by Farinelli, Sano eagerly jumped at the chance to explain himself and avoid any and all maiming –he liked his body just the way it was, thank you very much! No 'rearranging' of body parts was, in the least, necessary!
"I just realized: I'm going to die a bitter, lonely old man, aren't I?!! I'm turning into Hiko, aren't I?!!"
Kenshin rubbed his eyes and frowned: wasn't a mid-life crisis scheduled for some time later on in the all too distant future?
Was this load of rubbish –mind you, Hiko really was a bitter man- the actual reason he was awake this early in the morning, on the only day in years that he had decided to sleep in?
"I beg your pardon Sano, but I never took you for the type concerned with becoming a spinster…"
"I'm serious Kenshin! I don't want to die without an heir, living in a secluded cabin somewhere like a complete hermit! I don't want my neighbors calling the police to complain about a weird stench coming from my apartment; hell, I want to be missed when I'm gone!" the loud man spluttered madly, pulling at his spiky nest of hair and pacing round the room.
"First thing's first: put some clothes on and, for all our sakes, switch to boxers King Sano!" the shorter of the two exclaimed, sitting upright against the headboard. "Now, tell me friend: how did all this come about and why couldn't it wait?"
"There's no time for clothes or your faboo fashion sense friend, not when time's ticking away and I have yet to figure out how to avoid being a total failure before death becomes me!!!"
"Sano… at the risk of sounding incredibly blunt and very much unlike my usually patient self… what the hell is going on?!!"
That caught the distressed male's attention! To hear Kenshin Himura curse and raise his voice in one fell swoop was enough to snap him out of his identity crisis and make him crumble.
"It's Megumi…She and I… We had a fight… She just left in a huff. It's… I don't know what's gonna happen." he confessed, slumping down on the bed by the other boy's feet.
Kenshin didn't know either. He didn't know what was going to happen or what he was about to hear, but it sure didn't sound promising…
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
09:00 hrs.
It was time to rise and shine.
A pair of bare feet padded towards the window, a pair of hands pulled the blinds open and a pair of solemn eyes took in the view that the small hotel room offered.
It was a pity that the stay had been so short for it looked far from a hostile city, at least from behind the protection of spanned glass.
Then again: put an empty suitcase in your hand and you will be filling it with memories to take home; find yourself in a strange land and, as you write letters, you crazily wonder if you can fit yourself into an envelope and FedEx yourself home.
It was time to rise and shine; it was time to go home: joy and dread walk hand in hand, sometimes…
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
09:38 hrs.
"Is it just me, or is this day going by real slow, painstakingly so?" a certain obsidian-haired Kamiya Kasshin Ruy practitioner mused out loud.
"I swear, I see his lips moving, but all I hear is 'mwa-mwa-mwa' ad nauseum; he's like Charlie Brown's frigging teacher or something!" was Misao's mumbled reply as she stared off into the distance with glazed over eyes.
"Who knew a recount of Marie Antoinette's death could be so… so… unbelievably boring?!!"
"He's middle aged Englishman speaking of the French: need I say more?" was her colleague's tart reply.
"Someone needs to slip cyanide or belladonna into his cup of tea one of these days, preferably this day."
"Don't give me any ideas: I'm starting to get too tempted for my own good."
"Wake me for recess, will you?" Kaoru requested, letting her head fall forward on the desk/extremely flat, rigid and uncomfortable pillow.
"I thought it was my turn to nap during History!" was the complaint that abandoned the drama queen's lips.
"I almost died Monday; I need rest to recover from the shock."
Misao face-faulted, awed at how sneaky her friend could be, but promptly recovered, a clever idea coming to mind:
"Forget it! I'll just ask whoever's on my right to wake us up once Napoleon goes down in Waterloo."
"Like music to my ears."
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
09:42 hrs.
"When did you decide this?"
"I haven't decided anything yet!"
"Well… have you at least discussed this with Captain Souzou yet?"
"Do you see how my head is still perfectly attached to the rest of my body? What does that tell you?"
"That Captain Souzou is a 100% in the dark about this…"
"And I intend to keep it that way: for some reason I kind of like being alive and that's the way I want things to stay, so long as I can help it!"
"So… why tell Megumi? You didn't expect her to take this well, did you?"
"Have I already mentioned that I haven't decided anything yet? I just needed someone to confide in, and she just so happens to be my girlfriend: she didn't have to panic!"
"Sano, you know how her family is! You can't expect to tell her that you're thinking of dropping out of college and have it blow over well."
"No, but she is my girlfriend and I was kind of hoping that she would at least stay and talk it out with me instead of running off without even buttoning up her blouse!"
"I must say, I am astounded as to how you did not see this coming Sano. What you've chosen to do is pretty reckless, and even you-"
"Don't any of you people listen when I talk?!! I haven't chosen to do anything!"
Kenshin sighed and opted for placing a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon in front of his friend rather than voicing his own thoughts.
It was so undeniably typical of Sanosuke to behave like a loose cannon! When would he ever learn that the words coming out of his mouth held meaning and often served to define situations? This was big news and now was not the time to act rashly, as was his nature.
"You think I'm just a harebrained, immature good-for-nothing, don't you? The brunet asked bitterly "You think I'm nothing more than an irremediable fool and underachiever."
"I never said that Sano." his comrade stated evenly and honestly, taking a seat beside him. "Megumi did though, didn't she?"
"Word for word." was the saturnine reply.
A thick cloak of silence wrapped round the two men, prompting them both to leave their food untouched and, instead, maul over the predicament at hand.
"It sucks to have a conscience like Megitsune, doesn't it?" Sano spoke after a while, trying to make light of the situation and break the tension in the air.
"Are you serious about any of this?" Kenshin demanded to know, ignoring the miserable attempt at comic relief just made.
Sanosuke took his time, indolently picking at his breakfast, before giving an earnest answer to an up front, unpretentious question:
"That's the thing Kenny: I might just be…"
Sagara Sanosuke really knew how to mimic the one dearest to his heart with absolute perfection.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
10:11 hrs.
Blueberry pancakes or blueberry muffins? Blueberry this or blueberry that? Some decisions are just really tough to make and some people's wills are just too hard a nut to crack.
Orange juice was a sure bet, bacon was at the top of the choice foods chain and breakfast down at the lobby was becoming an intricate analogy for a life quickly slipping into parody.
Some wrongs needed to be made right, certain ties needed to be cut loose and going back to one's roots seemed like the ideal location and means to start working on such demanding labors.
So much to do, so little to do it all in and a whole lot more to loose…
On this day it would be blueberry pancakes: a choice was made.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
12:52 hrs.
* Crunch, crunch, crunch – SLURP, SLURP – crunch, crunch- *
"Stop stuffing your faces for a second and listen to me!" Misao ordered in an impassioned plea for attention.
Eyeing her warily, her table companions sagely dropped all eating utensils, swallowed and turned avid eyes and ears towards the spokeswoman, ready to hungrily devour the female's wise words… all except Kaoru, that is, who was far too busy waging a loosing battle with her sticky excuse for spaghetti, courtesy of the school cafeteria.
"Kaoru!" the aforementioned chairwoman of the lunch council wailed impatiently, "Pay attention!"
"Thanks Major, but I'd rather not; the rest of the farm animals will have to suffice for today." she replied without bothering to look up from her plate, refusing to surrender or accept defeat at the strings of the gooey spaghetti blob that was her enemy.
Accustomed to the George Orwell reference, Danielle, Terry and Kaz –the usual suspects- took no offense at this and, instead, awaited further instructions from the orator or, in their steed, the commencement of some sort of gushy, over emotional speech. Of course, there was always the lingering possibility of Misao's rebuttal to her best friend's indifference…
"Before the party, you used to encourage my love life endeavors, now you condemn them: why is that?" she questioned austerely, an effect that was swiftly lost with the addition of the afterthought: "And don't think that I enjoy being compared to a fat pig in the least!"
"One: encourage might be too strong a word and two: your 'love life endeavors' end up with you trashed, giving some perverted looser a free lap-dance. Now, explain why I should become head-cheerleader for the 'let's act out our insanity project'?"
"One: you are one to talk about the night of the party Miss tipsy-cake! And numero two: because it's your job as BFF (Best Friend Forever) to be supportive no matter if it kills you!"
"Well, I guess that my invisible friendship hand-book is pretty outdated; when did a new edition come out?" Kaoru quipped sarcastically, stabbing pointlessly at her plate.
"You are insufferable!" Misao protested, frantically waving her arms in a histrionic display of melodrama.
"And you are far too determined in becoming the pebble, temptation, Maya, or whatever you want to call it, in Aoshi-lama's shoe, 40 days and nights in the desert, eternal quest for enlightenment, or whichever term you prefer to use that refers to his holiness' sexually frustrated condition."
The prima donna in question scowled, offended by the very suggestion that had just been placed on the table: "You just don't know! If you did, if you- I won't give up! He'll smile for me, you'll see!"
"Misao, there's no doubt in my mind that whenever the tall, dark, silent type of our universe cracks a smile, you will be the source.
Lord knows if you keep this up he might surprise us all by erupting into peels of laughter like volcanoes spew lava, but I'm tired of seeing you twist yourself into knots for naught.
For instance, on the eve of the party you looked really sexy and yet, snow cone said no-no: you can't top that red number.
What I mean to say is that maybe, instead of bringing out your mo-"
"Kamiya, you are a genius!!!" Misao squealed, interrupting her and practically swooning in delight, which had a certain someone crossing their ultramarine eyes and thinking harder than ever before.
"What did I say??? Do you have a fever? Have you finally snapped? Do you need a glass of water? Here; have my iced tea!"
To say that Kaoru was confused, was an understatement in itself. To say that Misao was now laughing maniacally, a mischievous glint in her eye, was double the trouble and fun.
"Sexy! You said sexy!!!"
"I already know that you consider me a prude, you don't have to keep on reminding me! Besides, it didn't even reach kinky decibels, so I don't get what's got you all worked up."
"No Kaoru –I mean, yes you are a prude, but that's not what I'm going on about. Look: you said that I was sexy the day of the frat party and that's when Aoshi finally paid attention to me. In conclusion, and in retrospect, more aggressive, assertive measures need to be undertaken; the road to success ne'er did run smooth, but I can pull it off with the right amount of effort!"
"I don't think that voicing his disappointment in you –however unjust a comment that was- qualifies as positive acknowledgement of you. I understand that if at first you don't succeed you try again, but doesn't the second turn usually involve different tactics in the hopes of reaching another more suitable outcome?
What I'm trying to say is that, maybe, his libido shouldn't be the target; there has to be another crack in his less than lustrous armor that you can pierce your way through." the voice of reason spoke euphonically.
A sound mind's advice, making logical comprehensions sound out, transports itself, nevertheless, to deaf ears when one is most involved in scheming plans of dubious nature, as was the case.
"Misao?" Kaoru whispered, pronouncing her soul sister's name with deadly caution, in fear of awakening the demoness that lurched inside and every once in a while took it upon itself to come out and play.
"I'm stopping at a Victoria's Secret after school: I have an excellent plan!" the adolescent announced energetically: and *pop* goes the weasel!
"Wait Misao, I didn't mean- dear gods, I've created a monster!!! Guys, help me out here!" Kaoru now switched to sounding her barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world*, spinning on her heel in expectation of the back-up crew.
The wind blew, crickets chirped, but not a human peep was emitted.
"Guys?"
Glancing around herself, she found only an evacuated area: those who had any sense in them had abandoned ship before Tsunami Misao swallowed them whole.
Just great! Now she was one lone soldier against the forces of nature: some odds those were!
{Sounding her barbaric yawp over the…*: "I sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world" (Walt Whitman).}
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
12:58 hrs.
"Kenshin, I've been meaning to ask you: what's up with those boxes in your room? Don't take me wrong, it's very manly of you to take up littering, but the contents of those boxes…" Sano piped up, a thoughtful expression crossing his face.
"The boxes, my curious friend, happen to contain a few of Tomoe's belongings, which I'm packing up and sending off to Italy." Kenshin explained, whilst cleaning up the messy living area.
"We still have Tomoe memorabilia lying around the place?" the taller of the two asked incredulously, remote control in one hand, bag of Doritos in the other.
"We used to still house some of her things, yes. However, said items have all been placed together in two boxes that will be dropped off at DHL on Monday." the lavender-eyed male further addressed the matter as he mopped the floor and backhanded his nosy roommate off the couch for resting his feet on the coffee table.
"I'm beginning to think that your ex lived in a giant Pepto-Bismol bottle! Now that the mystery has been cleared though, I feel truly relieved: all that pink bric-a-brac was making me wonder about you Kenshin!"
Kenshin scowled and decided to ignore yet another cheap shot aimed to emasculate his person: just because he was clean, orderly, actually enjoyed the mundane fulfillment of his chores and on occasion wore a hand-knitted magenta sweater that Tomoe's grandmother had made for him did not mean that he was gay!
Sanosuke, however, took special pride and pleasure in jokingly depicting him as someone of questionable sexuality, overlooking the fact that being the butt of said jests and jives was not something that he himself took particular pride or pleasure in.
"Have you called Megumi?" the redhead voiced instead.
"Only a gazillion times and I've left an equal amount of messages on her answering machine; next thing you know, I'll be reading poetry into it and acting wimpier and gayer than a hobbit!"
"Hobbits are not gay Sano; Tolkien merely narrated and through them gave voice and character to the lost value of friendship." the defender of 'The Lord of The Rings' patiently illustrated in a rehearsed manner; apparently this wasn't the first time that the dwellers of the Shire had been misjudged and he had had to step in and safeguard their integrity.
"Dude, all you said right there… That was so gay!!!"
Sighing in defeat, Kenshin headed over to a house plant in dire need of some gentle care and watered it.
"Anyway… what's up with the spring cleaning?" Sagara queried, tossing an empty bag of chips over his head.
"I always tidy the place up, something you never comment on, but am sure you appreciate..." Himura retaliated sarcastically.
"Oh no: you found me out! I'm a closet clean-freak! Please don't tell anyone, I'm not ready to come out yet! Those Chinese take-out boxes I leave scattered 'bout and the state of my room are all decoys, that way no one will suspect anything: no one must ever know!"
"Sano… that wasn't even funny." he stated flatly, quirking his eyebrows.
"I try." the spiky haired boy affirmed with a shrug. "So seriously, who's coming over to inspect the state of our crib? Is Hiko stoppin' by or somethin'?"
"No one's coming over to inspect anything. If you must know, a friend's coming over to study this afternoon." Kenshin verbalized, a hint of a smile touching his lips.
"This girl have a name?" Sano asked with a chuckle: the guy was so transparent, it was sad.
"Why would you assume… Kaoru."
Really, was there a point in lying? Was he being that obvious? Wasn't his roommate a tad too cocky for his own good? Wasn't this all just slightly too deplorable?
"Missy's coming over?" Said utterance was backed up by a conceited face-splitting grin. "You two really hit it off, didn't you?"
"She's only coming over to study math for a while."
"Couldn't you ask her out on a real date?"
"Why would I do that Sano? She's just a schoolgirl for crying out loud!"
"I'll give ya that she's not how I pictured she would be and I'm not even sure she's legal, but hey, God works in mysterious ways."
"How you pictured she would be? She who?"
Suddenly, Sagara Sanosuke was being cryptic: this was a terrifying novelty and bloodcurdling development; Roy gets bit by one of his own tigers and a rooster head shows signs of intelligent life: what was the world coming to?
"Your soulmate." he answered simply.
"You're right; God does work in mysterious ways: he gave you a brain and yet, you were destined not to use it."
"You wound me…"
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
13:03 hrs.
A woman selling flowers seemed only an outstretched hand away and then, she suddenly blurred and faded into the scenery.
The image of a boy and a girl carving something into a tree -most likely their own names- rolled by in a flurry of rainbow-like hues.
A homeless man sitting by a corner shop, holding up a sign, became nothing more than a wisp of wind and a distant memory.
Memories were nice things to have; they did hurt sometimes, but they were worth a smile and the rebirth of situations and people long forgotten… or ever present.
Pain often sprung from the uncertain possibility of reliving said memories anew; however, with the passage of time, the ache weakened and so they became rays of light and sudden sunbeams on cloudy days.
Throughout a storm, they turned into a warm quilt of delightful colors and names, faces and cozy spots, circumstances and events.
They relived and revived into scenes from a dichromatic film, no longer sitting still in passive wait: one heartfelt embrace when thunder roared overhead; one gentle kiss when lightning struck.
Is there anything more beautiful and touching than a memory? Is there anything as wondrous as a sill frame in constant movement? Is there anything as melancholic as a smile accompanied by a crystalline tear?
"You okay back there?" the taxi driver asked, looking into the rearview mirror.
"I'm fine, thank you. How long will it be until we reach the airport?"
"Depending on the traffic, I'd say a little over an hour."
The cabbie shrugged as his passenger chose to remain silent and, once again, became absorbed with staring out car window.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
13:40 hrs.
"Is it just me, or is this day going by real slow, painstakingly so?" a certain sable-haired high school student mused out loud.
"I swear, I see his lips moving, but all I hear is static! The only doubt in my mind is who's tuned to the wrong frequency, him or me?" was her colleague's mumbled reply as she stared off into the distance with glazed over eyes.
"Who knew learning about sound waves could be so… so… incredibly boring?!!"
"He's a bitter scientist that got fired from NASA and now makes a living teaching ignorant, uninterested high school students the basic laws of the universe: need I say more?" was Misao's tart response.
"Someone needs to slip mercury into his coffee or put one of those homemade bombs in his briefcase one of these days, preferably this day."
"Don't give me any- actually, do you happen to have any bomb-building instructions handy?"
"Wake me when school's out, will you?" Kaoru requested, letting her head fall forward on the desk/extremely flat, rigid and uncomfortable pillow.
"But I thought it was my turn to nap during Physics class!" was the complaint that abandoned the weasel's lips.
"You suggested buying lingerie and God knows what else to entice Aoshi; I need rest to recover from the shock."
Misao face-faulted and growled, but promptly recovered, a clever idea coming to mind:
"Forget it! I'll just ask whoever's sitting in front of me to wake us up once Mr. Iha looses his voice"
"Like music to my- d'you know, I just had a strange sense of déjà vu."
"Weird…"
"Yeah…"
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
14:00 hrs.
He swept, he mopped, he sponged, he scrubbed, he polished; he acted like the freaking Queen of England was coming over for tea and biscuits.
"Just a schoolgirl my ass!" Sanosuke thought to himself as he walked out the door.
In his mind, there was no need to see Kenshin further degrade himself -soon enough he would be wearing a dress, make up and his flaming red hair in pigtails-, or stick around to witness two mumbling idiots entirely disregard the attraction they felt for one another in the name of stubborn denial.
"Love may well be a many splendored thing," he thought, "but in the hands of those two, it's simply pathetic."
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
14:18 hrs.
"Here's your boarding pass; flight #254 will be boarding at gate 12B. Thank you for choosing American Airlines and have a nice flight."
Commercial America suffered from rehearsed speeches, fake smiles and false undertones. Most families were not without these faults. Nearly all individuals were affected by this artificial protocol, counterfeit etiquette and deceptive cordiality of a plague.
Politesse, courteous manners and refinement ingrained since birth, as well as innate grace and finesse, incited the lone traveler that holds our interest to say that which few of the other journeyers that waited in line had bothered or taken the time to utter:
"Thank you."
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
15:14 hrs.
"You'll thank me later!"
And with that, she was gone, faster than a speeding bullet or someone whose pants had just caught fire.
And in that moment, Misao decided that this guy really had her friend all worked up: there had been actual fidgeting on Kaoru's part when grilled on the scoop about her new love-interest and she had even asked how her hair looked before making Misao swear that she would stay away from the delicates department of all stores within a thousand mile radius and taking off.
That made her wonder: who was this new mystery meat? Who was this Himura Kenshin who could make her very own nunnish Kamiya Kaoru's heart skip a beat or two?
Naturally, she assumed that a little investigating would be in order but, as for now, the mall had her name on it; crossing one's fingers behind one's back invalidated a promise, right?
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
16:05 hrs.
Crossing her fingers and bracing herself for what was to come, Kaoru took a deep breath and fixedly glared at the apartment's door: so sue her if she had been hungry and stopped for a snack on the way over! No one could blame her, considering Tae's so-called spaghetti had proved to be more than she could chew –let alone swallow-, and having forgotten her watch on her dresser that morrow, she had no way of guessing if she was late or not.
The elevator had been broken and she had had, therefore, to climb an impressive amount of flights of stairs before reaching her destination, which contributed to her erratic breathing and racy heart.
Crossing her fingers and bracing herself for what was to come, Kaoru took another deep breath and fixedly glared at the door: so sue her if she was only making up excuses to cover for her nervousness! She could only his heart was beating as fast and as loud as her own…
On the other side of the loft's entrance, Kenshin fretted like never before in his life.
So what if she was five minutes late? Girls had a tendency to be fashionably tardy and he knew she didn't own a car; she would still show… right?
Why was he acting fifteen again? This was ridiculous, silly and if Sano were there, there was no doubt in Kenshin's mind that he would be laughing hysterically.
He couldn't help but wonder though… did she have a lump in her throat and a knot in her stomach too? Were her palms as sweaty and was he throat as dry?
The doorbell rang.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
16:05 hrs.
Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. I would like to welcome you all to flight #254, destination…
This was a baby crying, this was a seatbelt clicking all buckled up, this was a man sneezing and this was bubblegum popping: this was an airplane cabin.
This was a heart beating steadily, this was a brain processing, this was called putting up a front and this was fighting back tears: this was how it felt to force oneself to keep on breathing.
The plan was simple enough: take off, read a book, watch a movie, sleep a while, land, go through airport formalities, pick up luggage, search for payphone and make a call that no one in their right mind would feel at ease doing; all in all, nothing much to worry about.
…oxygen mask will automatically deploy from above your seat. Pull the facemask towards you…
"Breathe. Just breathe."
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
16:06 hrs.
"Hi."
"Hey!"
"When she draws up the corners of her mouth into a dazzling smile, she reveals the cutest of dimples…"
"When he smiles, the corners of his eyes crinkle up adorably…"
He stepped aside and she walked in. The door shut itself closed.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
Time to let this pass
(the time it takes, the time it takes to let go)
Time runs through our veins
(it starts and stops and starts and stops again)
We don't stand a chance in this threadbare time
(the time it takes, the time it takes to let go)
Time to let this pass
(the time it takes, the time it takes to let go)
-Understanding in a Car Crash, by Thursday.
Reviewer Responses:
To missaw: Sorry that I couldn't give you your Christmas gift, but to make up for it, this chapter is much longer than normal and I would still like to offer this chapter to you, in celebration of the New year instead. My sister also has a terrible singing voice and I am thankful that she doesn't enjoy caroling. However, if you decide to get up on your chair and start singing, I won't mind; your reviews are so lovely, they make up for anything! Thanks tons and bye now!
To Kakiyaku Mai: I didn't get if that last part of your review was meant to be sarcastic or not… I guess my perception's getting rusty. Thanks for commenting and please, feel free to continue reading my story and drop a line once in a while.
To chibi-tanuki: Thanks! Update soon? Unfortunately, not as soon as I would have liked; I'll try to do something about that…
To VanyD: As soon as I have the time, I'll be sure to go check your fic, kay? I notice you left two reviews for me, which means that you have been anxious about this installment: I hope that I did not let you down or defraud your expectations. I am very happy to hear that chapter 11 was your favorite, given that it happens to be mine as well! I am incredibly sorry about the delays and the extended periods of silence between chapters: I'll try to do something about that, but you must understand that, sadly, I need a lot of time to write. I know where the story is going and I have a thousand ideas for it, but it sort of has a mind of its own and writes itself out. With every unexpected turn I take, I have to make amends and guide the storyline back onto its initial track; let's say that this fanfic is kind of like a runaway train and, most of the time, not even I know what to expect. I do appreciate you putting up with me though, so thank you for the patience and for such flattering reviews!
To leiko47seta: Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Your review was one of the most uplifting ones I've received to date! Monk really is a funny show, isn't it? I would have to agree with you: my take on life isn't all that common, but I suppose it could be even more messed up than it already is. ^_~ Do keep reviewing, and sorry about my little creative breaks: I hear they aren't that popular…
To EnjeruJoshin: Oh, I don't know… Topping a marriage proposal might be tough, but saying that headbangers take notes from me? Not bad, not bad at all… In fact, I think it's just one notch down from the marriage proposal which, FYI, I'm still considering: hey, all that Rurouni Kenshin stuff sounds really tempting! Thank you for being such an original reviewer: it's people like you that make all difference. When I am able, I'm going to go read one of your fics; I'm sure that you are only underestimating yourself and that your writing can be quite powerful and emotional. Never put yourself down, kay? Till next chapter, big bear hugs!
To Ocean Fish: Hello deary! As it would be, you are the only person to answer my question about Kenshin's studies and… you got it right! What tipped you off? Was it the mention of protractors or how neat he is? Possibilities are infinite… Hmm… Imagine if there actually were Rurouni Kenshin action figures… I think there would probably be a stampede of insane fans flooding all toy stores as we speak! You would make a great salesperson for Mattel! Anyhow, storywise, K+K are not going to get it on… at least not yet. At the moment, it's a bit too early for our lovebirds to take such a big step; they are, after all, still discovering each other and there are still plenty of well-kept secrets that must be unveiled. Well pookie, I'm tired so it's good night to you, till next we meet again. Bye!
Bye people. Don't forget to review and don't forget to be intrigued!