Hello everyone!
Please don't murder me for being soooo incredibly late with this story. But now that school's over, things will go a lot smoother.
Keep reading!
Orphan's Paradise
By: Mystic Song
Chapter 4 – Dinner
It was Kaoru's turn to try. The tubes were already in the water. All Kaoru had to do was step over the edge and hop onto one of the tubes. But after seeing Misao flung off the tube by Omasu's expert driving, Kaoru was nervous to try.
Misao swam up to the boat and hoisted herself up onto a second tube. "Come on, Kaoru. It's really fun. I'll be here right next to you!"
"And I'll make sure to go easy on you!" Omasu called from the wheel.
Kaoru smiled weakly and slid out of the skirt she had put on. She cautiously stepped onto the small platform behind the boat and hopped onto one of the tubes. The boat started and tugged at the ropes tied to the tubes.
"Now hold on tight!" Misao warned just as Omasu pressed the gas.
The wind ripped through Kaoru's hair and she enjoyed the ride, watching the scenery whiz by.
"Omasu! You're going too easy on them!" Kaoru could hear Okon complain from within the boat.
The boat took a sudden turn, shoving Kaoru outside the wake and into rougher water. She hit a couple waves and bounced into the air, but her arms held her tight.
Misao was giggling and pointed at Kaoru, showing off how easy her ride was when Omasu took a turn in the opposite direction. Kaoru swung back into the wake and bumped Misao's tube, launching her outside of the wake. Misao screamed and clung tightly to her tube, her legs dangling off the side.
Omasu was about to make another round turn when Kaoru spotted a jet ski speeding into the open area. She pulled herself higher up onto her tube to get a better look and gasped. "M-Misao…." She sputtered.
Misao craned her neck around and she too gasped.
A gorgeous red haired man sped up to them on the Jet Ski. Kaoru was too engrossed with his chiseled body that when she rode up on the edge of the wake, she flew off.
The jet ski approached her faster than the boat did, and Kaoru felt herself being pulled up by two strong arms.
"Are you okay?" The man asked, his amethyst eyes glowing.
Kaoru felt like she was in a trance and wasn't sure she could answer. She had never heard him talk to her before, and his words were as smooth and as sweet as honey.
"Himura!" Okon called from the boat. "What are you doing here?"
Kenshin maneuvered Kaoru so that she was sitting in front of him. She held onto the handles and Kenshin placed his arms on top of hers. His sun kissed body was warm and comforting to the touch. He accelerated towards the idle boat and let it drift by its side. Kaoru was about to jump off of Kenshin's jet ski, but he tightened his hold around her.
"I just had a surprise encounter with Gohei." He said nonchalantly, eyeing each girl carefully and demanding an explanation.
Misao clambered up onto the boat with a guilty expression. "Kaoru and I were eating at that gas station and Gohei was there. He recognized me and came over to our table so I had Kaoru hide. Gohei wanted to know who Kaoru was and was hell bent on finding out. So when he went to search the bathrooms, we snuck out and left."
"Uh huh." Kenshin nodded and Kaoru could feel her face burn underneath his gaze. "Well I think it best that you and Miss Kaoru return to the estate. I will talk to you more there."
Misao's face turned red and she shrunk back into the boat.
Kenshin flipped on his engine and Kaoru turned around to face him. "Aren't you going to let me go with Misao? We have two jet skis here."
Kenshin gazed into Kaoru's defiant blue eyes. "Misao will leave by herself, drawing Gohei away from here if he still happens to be hanging around. Isn't that right, Misao?" Misao nodded at him and motioned for Omasu to take her to the dock. Kenshin watched the boat speed off before turning towards Kaoru. "You, Miss Kaoru, will follow me back to the house."
Kaoru was forced to face front as Kenshin took off towards the dock. "But I know how to get there myself!" Kaoru shouted back at him.
Kenshin chuckled in a way that made butterflies swarm her stomach, his chest brushing her back. A few minutes later, he pulled up to the dock, satisfied that Misao's jet ski had already left. He watched Kaoru carefully step onto the dock and untie her own jet ski, amused with her stubborn pout.
"I'm sure you can get back alright, but since I'm the better rider, you'll need my help in case you get into any more trouble." Kenshin said with playful undertones.
Kaoru cocked an eyebrow. "Is that so?" She started her jet ski and circled around Kenshin. "Let's go, then."
Kenshin moved out towards the middle of the lake and waited until Kaoru pulled up beside him. She did so, but made sure to splash him before speeding past him towards the overhang.
Kenshin was shocked and let a low chuckle cross his lips. "Okay, well if that's how you want to play…" His eyes flashed amber before he chased after Kaoru.
She was waiting just outside his cove, her hair falling out of its tie and spreading down her back. Her muscled arms were tan and her bright eyes were shining playfully, and aggressively. Kenshin was secretly thankful that there were no other boats around. They didn't need to see him chasing around a girl that was a few years younger than himself. But he couldn't resist.
Kenshin performed a few tight turns around Kaoru, expecting her to shrink back. But she stood up on her jet ski and watched him with a trained eye. He splashed her playfully, but she took that opportunity to accelerate rapidly and head towards Kenshin's dock. She launched off of a wave and was airborne, twisting around to stick her tongue out at Kenshin.
Kenshin jumped after her, landing right next to her and spraying some water onto her. She swerved around and drifted off to the dock, shedding her life jacket along the way.
Kenshin could feel his jaw drop and hoped that Kaoru didn't notice him gawking at her. Her body was fit and her skin creamy. He had the sudden desire to run his hands across her, to taste those smirking lips, to hear her pant beneath him.
"Kenshin?" Kaoru called from the dock. She noticed that his head was bowed, his bangs covering his eyes. When he lifted his head his eyes were gleaming amber, much different from the playful amethyst from earlier. She was shocked but not intimidated, rather she was curious. The way he was looking at her was terrifying, but not because it posed a threat. She couldn't place the emotion that crossed his eyes. Hungry? Possessive? Did she cause that?
Kenshin had pulled up to the dock as Kaoru stood dumbfounded. He looked at her and chuckled, amused at her furrowed brow and clouded eyes. "Kaoru," he said, his voice dropping octaves.
She jerked her head up and smiled. "Took you long enough." She flipped her hair around and headed up the path back towards the house without a second glance. She breathed out a sigh of relief as many thoughts and emotions swarmed her mind. But her breath got caught in her throat when she felt a firm hand grab her wrist.
"Put some clothes on and meet me in the lounge." It was more of a demand than a request and Kaoru nodded out of shock rather than agreement before jogging up to the house and up to her room.
Kenshin meanwhile stayed behind on the dock to tell Misao to meet them in the lounge as well.
"What happened out there, Gohei?" A sinister voice jeered as a burly man stumbled into the dark room in defeat.
A shard of light illuminated Gohei's eyes, dark and full of fear. "She wasn't there. She went missing. That Makimachi-son-of-a-bitch was hiding her. Do they suspect us?"
The man hissed and slammed his hand on the desk. "If they didn't they wouldn't be hiding from you, would they?"
Gohei cringed and bowed. "I am sorry, please forgive me. It will not happen again. I will succeed."
The man straightened and the light caught his eyes. "Unfortunately, you will not have another opportunity to act until next week. You are dismissed."
Gohei breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, master." And he quickly left the room.
"This is not over." The man growled.
Kaoru flipped on her shower and quickly went through the motions of washing her hair and body. She didn't want to be the last one to show up in the lounge. She wished that she could enjoy the luxuries of the bathroom that day, but she supposed it would just have to wait until tomorrow.
As the water rinsed the suds from her hair, she reflected back to her and Kenshin's playful bout. She wondered how Kenshin could be so stiff one day, like at dinner, and then throw his cares away the next. If anything, Kenshin should be more uptight in public so he wouldn't do anything stupid. He probably shouldn't have even been outside to get her and Misao. But he did. He risked his image to save hers.
Kaoru slapped her forehead. 'This is not how things are supposed to be.' She thought. 'I'm supposed to be saving his image!'
But Kaoru was glad that he had gone out to get her. He showed her a different side that she liked, one that she could fool around with and enjoy herself with. If only he acted like that more often than maybe she would actually enjoy herself while trying to save Kenshin's image.
'But,' she thought as she stepped out of the shower and reached for a towel, "He showed me a dangerous side as well.' She quickly toweled her hair dry and slipped on a pair of jeans and a plain t-shirt. The heated golden stare Kenshin had given her sent chills through her body. Kaoru had never seen anything like it in her life, and she was curious to see what sparked Kenshin's change in emotion. Fastening her damp hair into a ponytail, she walked out of her room.
She didn't see Misao on the steps though Kaoru did see Misao's Jet Ski was docked at the pier. Kaoru rounded a couple rooms before she reached the lounge. Several couches were arranged with a coffee table in the middle and an empty fireplace on the far wall. A television hung in the corner and a bar sat empty in the back. There was nobody there yet, so Kaoru didn't feel guilty when she sprawled out on the couch. These were hard wood floors; she could hear a person coming a mile away.
"Boo." A deep voice said softly but still managed to scare Kaoru.
She sprang up from her position on the couch and came face to face with Kenshin. "Don't do that!" She scolded, clenching her fist to her side to resist the urge of slapping Kenshin upside the head.
Kenshin chuckled and sat beside her on the couch. Kaoru preferred this mood over the uptight one he displayed at dinner the night before. She sat up straight on the couch and looked around the room. "Where's Misao?"
"Should be here any second." Kenshin said, his arm draped casually behind Kaoru on the edge of the couch.
Just then a girl came sliding across the hardwood floors. "Ta-daa!" Misao crowed as she skidded to a halt in front of Kenshin and Kaoru.
Kaoru giggled and made room for Misao on the couch next to her as Kenshin stood up. He paced around for a minute, his expression thoughtful, and Kaoru and Misao exchanged worried glances.
"Now, I understand that this is Miss Kaoru's first time here, and you two are eager to get out and explore, but it is really too dangerous to let you two run around by yourselves." Kenshin berated, still pacing between the couch and the coffee table.
Kaoru scrunched her nose and Misao folded her arms. "I thought that now would be the best time to take Kaoru out since the press would have no idea she was here." Misao protested.
"And we have no idea who is out to get me and whether or not they know that Miss Kaoru is here." Kenshin replied just as easily. "I do not want to risk the safety of Miss Kaoru or you."
Misao stuck her tongue out at Kenshin and mumbled something along the lines of, "We don't need no protection."
Kenshin sighed and plopped back down on the couch next to Kaoru. "What do you say we do something fun. Inside."
"Like what?" Kaoru asked, folding her legs beneath her.
"Let's….make cookies." Kenshin suggested.
Misao shot up eagerly. "Oh, can we?"
"As long as I don't have to do any actual baking…" Kaoru said.
Kenshin looked at Kaoru quizzically before leading the two girls down to the kitchen.
