Orphan's Paradise
Chapter 9: Charitable Service
Mystic Song
Disclaimer: I do not own RK
A/N: Thanks everyone for sticking with this, especially after the mix up with chapter 8! But chapter 8 has been replaced with the correct chapter (finally, I know) and here is a new chapter 9. You can expect chapter 10 next week! It's already finished, so it will be on time, I promise! Enjoy reading!
Last time:
Kenshin's eyes were smoldering now like they were last night, and it was very hard to ignore the heat that was building up in Kaoru's body. His fingers were trailing down her cheek, cupping her chin, and tugging her face towards him. She could feel his breath on her lips they were so close. Her eyes fell closed as she waited with bated breath what inevitably would happen next.
"What the hell is going on here?" Sano exclaimed when he pulled open the closet door to find Kenshin and Kaoru in a rather compromising position.
Kaoru gasped and scrambled out of the closet faster than a raccoon faced with a shotgun. She frantically dashed up the stairs and slammed the door to her room. Misao peeked her head out of her bedroom then and followed Kaoru with a concerned look on her face.
"Jesus Kenshin, I know you like your women, but cornering Jou-chan in a closet?" Sano was practically screaming at Kenshin.
Kenshin slowly stood up and plucked the umbrella from its holder. His cheeks were tinged an uncharacteristic pink. "Sano, relax. I found her in here reading this article. She was upset."
Sanosuke's face softened as he took the article from Kenshin. "Ah, I saw this. Poor thing. She doesn't deserve that." Sano then turned hard eyes on Kenshin, "But she doesn't deserve you taking advantage of her either." Sanosuke growled, pointing an accusing finger into Kenshin's chest.
"Oro!" Kenshin gasped, tripping away from the closet.
Sano shook his head in annoyance. "C'mon, let's go. We need to figure out how to fix things."
Kenshin solemnly nodded and followed Sano out the front door and into their car.
"Kaoru! Kaoru! What's wrong? Please open up!" Misao knocked on Kaoru's door, begging Kaoru to let her in.
There was no answer.
Misao sighed and quickly attacked the lock on the door. Within seconds Misao had sprung the lock and was walking into the room.
There Kaoru was, curled up, hugging a pillow to her chest. There were no tears, just a very red face and a shocked expression. "I knew you were going to come in here." Kaoru mumbled from her fetal position on the couch.
"Then why did you bother to lock the door when you knew I was going to come in anyway?" Misao asked, a small smile on her lips.
Kaoru shrugged. "It gives the illusion of privacy."
Misao giggled and cautiously sat next to Kaoru on the couch. When Kaoru didn't cower away, Misao deemed it safe to relax into the cushions. "So, wanna tell me what happened?"
Kaoru rolled her eyes. Of course she would cut straight to the chase. "Did you read the newspaper this morning? Or even just see the picture?"
Misao squinted one eye in thought. "No, I didn't read the paper." Kaoru was about to breathe a sigh of relief but then Misao continued, "But I did see it all over E! this morning."
Kaoru squeaked in embarrassment and sank further into the cushions.
"Oh relax!" Misao laughed, gently hitting Kaoru's arm in admonishment. "Worse things could have happened. Besides, you have every woman wishing they were you right now. That picture was H-O-T hot!"
"Misao!" Kaoru squeaked, "You're not helping!"
"Oh come off it. You liked it." Misao countered.
Kaoru's blush gave her away.
"See! And don't worry about what they say. Trust me, they're just jealous."
"But Misao, I don't want to come off as some-" Kaoru gulped and whispered, "hussy!"
Misao almost rolled off the couch laughing. "Kaoru! A hussy? Seriously, look at this." She grabbed the remote and turned on the TV and quickly pressing the mute button.
To Kaoru's horror the picture of her and Kenshin was blown up on the television. But then they flashed the only other pictures of her, which were from the press conference where she was dressed as a prep. The two definitely didn't seem to match.
"See, you gave a great first impression. The perfect goody-two-shoes girl. Then when the public starts to feel that you are too perfect, you show them a very human, very fun side. Give them a little something to talk about!" Misao said slyly and gave Kaoru a wink. "The press will only go ballistic over this for a day or two and then it's gonna die down once the next celeb couple breaks up or Angelina has another baby."
Kaoru felt a little better. "But it's still bad press. It makes Kenshin look bad!"
Misao shook her head. "No don't worry about that. The important thing is that it is in the press. You got his name out there; you're keeping it fresh in people's minds. That makes him more popular and a more familiar name. And you know people always like what's familiar to them. So you pretty much did him a huge favor." Kaoru looked up to Misao with a little hope. "Besides, I'm sure Kenshin loved every minute of it. Geez just look at his face! He is totally smitten."
"Gah!" Kaoru blushed and stuffed her face into the pillow.
Misao laughed. "And I guess you're totally smitten with him too then?"
Kaoru did not want to answer that question. "Do you know what he said to me? Just a moment ago downstairs?"
"What?" Misao asked, leaning forward anxiously to hear the answer.
"He said that he couldn't wait for it to happen again in the future!" Kaoru squeaked once again. Her face was so red at this point that Kaoru wasn't sure that it was ever going to return to its normal color.
"No!" Misao gasped and a huge grin split her face. "That's adorable!"
"Misao! No! I don't think I can ever face him again!"
"Oh hush Kaoru. How about we go eat something, maybe some more bowling, and then a movie tonight to get our minds off things? I'm sure that the boys are gonna come back from their meeting with a huge agenda planned out for you. So we might as well relax while we can!"
Kaoru nodded and allowed Misao to drag her out of her room and down the stairs.
Shishio stood at the front of the conference table, passing out his agenda for the next two weeks. He scheduled public appearances for Kaoru just about every day, shoving her into the public view in about every situation possible so as to cover up the little public display from the night before.
"We're already getting phone calls from big television shows like Oprah, Ellen, and Regis & Kelly, but I've declined them all. Instead, we're going for smaller acts, like public outings, benefit dinners, charity concerts, and then the occasional photo shoot or two." Shishio lectured as he gestured to different activities on the agenda.
Kenshin winced at the activities that he saw. He wouldn't even want to attend these let alone have Kaoru suffer through them. "Will I be attending these events with her?" He asked after a moment. He couldn't bear the thought of Kaoru sitting at a benefit dinner by herself as some boring geezer lectured on and on about the positive effects of some bizarre food in the every day diet.
Shishio looked up at Kenshin and Kenshin could swear that Shishio was grinning smugly. "Why no, of course not. I don't think that it would be a good idea for the two of you to be hanging around each other after last night's fiasco. It's bad enough that the two of you aren't chaperoned in your house."
"Chaperoned?" Kenshin growled, about to leap out of his seat.
Hiko reached a hand out to Kenshin's shoulder and pressed him down. "It's for her own good, Kenshin."
"Like you know what's for her own good." Kenshin spat.
"And you do?" Hiko countered.
Kenshin glowered and remained silent for the remainder of the meeting.
Kaoru and Misao had snuck out of the house in the middle of the day to go and play outside. It had been raining all morning, and judging by the dark looming clouds in the sky, it wasn't over yet. But Misao wanted to go swimming and wasn't going to take no for an answer. Judging by the mischievous glint in her eye, Kaoru suspected that they weren't going to be just swimming.
Misao packed a light bag with clothes and urged Kaoru to wear the one-piece bathing suit in her closet. Kaoru was not going to argue with that. She quickly changed into it and put on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt before meeting Misao downstairs.
"Are we going to the Aoiya?" Kaoru asked as they headed out back to the jet skis.
"Yeah, we'll need to be quick though." Misao quickly lowered the jet skis in the water, slid her bag in the cubby, and gestured for Kaoru to quickly join her in the water. Without a second glance, they putted out into the water and quickly took off towards the hidden overhang. Because there was thunder rumbling in the distance, there was hardly anybody out on the water and it took no time at all to pull into the Aoiya's dock.
As they secured their jet skis, Kaoru couldn't help but think back to the time when she saw Himura in all his glory riding out to their boat when they went tubing. He was so concerned and charming though cocky but nonetheless captivating. She sighed to herself, eliciting a raised eyebrow from Misao. Kaoru quickly shook the thoughts from her head and followed Misao past the house and towards the woods.
"Where are we going? Is there a pool back here?" Kaoru asked.
"Sort of." Misao answered cryptically. "We're almost there."
It had started to rain, but the rain was warm and comforting. Finally they arrived at a clearing in the grass, but it wasn't a pool like Kaoru had thought. Instead it was a giant swamp of-
"Mud! We're going swimming in mud?" Kaoru asked incredulously.
Misao giggled. "Yeah! It's fun! I promise!" Misao dashed towards the mud, stripping her clothes as she went and plunging into the muddy goodness.
Kaoru only hesitated for a moment before rushing in after Misao. As soon as her toes touched the cool mud she squealed. The mud squished beneath her feet and Kaoru shivered as she sunk deeper into the mud, letting it coat and stick to her skin. The constant rain kept the mud from caking on their skin, letting it run down their arms in thick, chunky rivulets.
"How on earth did you ever get into this?" Kaoru asked as she pushed her way through the mud.
Misao was attempting to back stroke, the mud framing the outside oval of her face and leaving the creamy center pale. "Okon and Omasu used to sit here and let the mud cake their skin, like an all natural facial. Sometimes they brought me with them, though I didn't like to sit around and wait for the mud to dry like they did."
"Obviously," Kaoru laughed.
The girls didn't stay there for too long, not wanting another repeat of the tubing incident, though Kaoru secretly hoped that Kenshin would come home early just so he could find her. But as she looked down at her muddy skin, she decided otherwise. They jumped into the lake water, which was getting cooler as the day wore out, and tried to scrub as much mud off as possible before hopping on the jet skis to get home. The remaining mud had dried on their skin from the wind of the jet skis, leaving small crumbs on the seat once they arrived back at the Himura Estate.
Wearing only their bathing suits and shoes, the girls slipped in through the back door and made a mad dash to their bedrooms. Once they arrived, Misao ordered for Kaoru to meet her in the lobby of the movie room once they were cleaned. Kaoru nodded her assent and made a beeline to the shower. She turned on the warm water and stepped inside, bathing suit and all, to scrub off the excess mud.
Kenshin looked hopelessly at Kaoru's itinerary on the drive back from the meeting. After they had discussed Kaoru's interactions with the press they talked about the plans for Kenshin's clothing line. Or more like the board discussed and Kenshin nodded absentmindedly. They decided that having Kaoru model the clothes in a photo shoot for them since having an average girl wearing high fashion clothes would boost sales.
Kenshin sighed, letting his head fall back onto his headrest. According to Shishio's itinerary, Kenshin wouldn't really get to see Kaoru for another week and a half.
"You're moping." Megumi eyed Kenshin suspiciously from the seat adjacent to him. "Stop it."
"Just because you're not going to be seen publicly with Jou-chan for a week doesn't mean you won't see her around." Sano tried to placate Kenshin.
Kenshin looked baffled. "You think that I'm moping because I'm not going to be hanging around Kaoru?"
Megumi nodded. "Well yes. Why else would you be moping?"
Kenshin averted his eyes to gaze out the window. "Why are you letting Shishio control all of our PR anyway?" Kenshin argued.
"Technically, Kenshin, you're the boss. You don't need to let him do anything. But since you allowed him to be in charge of your financial dealings, he can decide how our PR affects your financial growth. Plus he gets more leeway since he helped us get Kaoru here in the first place." Megumi answered.
"But maybe we can rearrange a few of these things and have you make cameo appearances, huh?" Sanosuke said, already pulling out a pencil and making notes on the itinerary.
"Sano, it's fine." Kenshin said, not able to keep his frustration out of his voice.
Sano shrugged it off and pocketed the itinerary just as the car pulled up to the house. Once inside, they ran into Misao descending the stairs in sweats. "Oh hey guys. Welcome back!"
Sano and Megumi waved tiredly to Misao and moved to another part of the house. Before Kenshin could escape to his room Misao asked, "Wanna watch a movie with me and Kaoru tonight?" She eyed the creased itinerary in Kenshin's hands warily, "It may be the last time in a while where we all get to hang out."
When Misao put it that way, Kenshin didn't dare pass up the chance to be around Kaoru. "Yeah, sure, let me just change and I'll meet you there."
Misao grinned and skipped off in the opposite direction.
Kaoru applied a thick lather of soap all across her body. Watching the suds pool around the drain, scenes from that morning flashed before her mind. Her face burned in embarrassment. They had almost kissed! And she would have kissed him back! She felt like such a fool. Here she was, supposed to be all poise, all class. She was supposed to sway the public, to convince them that Kenshin had a good heart, that he had been wronged and that he deserved a second chance. Yet there goes Kaoru, hanging all over Kenshin like one of his adolescent fans. He was used to fancy, high-class girls who oozed sophistication. Who was she to try and pretend to be one of them? He should kick her out now while they still had time and choose someone that was like, well, more like Megumi.
It was then that Kaoru realized that all of the suds had drained and that the hot steam had started to prune her fingers. She relished in the hot water for just a moment longer before flipping the shower off and grabbing a towel.
As she towel dried herself, she realized that she was supposed to watch a movie with Misao. She smiled and pulled on a black tank top and some light pink pajama bottoms. As she deftly pulled her hair into a lose braid, she vaguely wondered if Kenshin would be there. Kaoru scoffed at herself, quickly pulling on her socks and heading out her bedroom and down the steps.
"Now where did Misao say that movie room was?"
Kaoru had been wandering around for a good fifteen minutes trying to find that darned movie room. She walked by the kitchen twice and found herself in rooms she didn't know existed. She was seriously debating flopping down on the nearest couch and waiting until somebody found her. But just as she rounded the next corner, she ran face front into something hard enough to be a wall.
Kaoru rebounded backwards and looked up into a pair of steely blue eyes. Taking another step back, she realized that this stern face she was now looking into was the same face Misao had plastered all over her walls.
"Aoshi?" She gasped, and then added after his inquisitive look, "-san!"
"Are you lost?" Aoshi's deep voice asked, though it was more of a statement than a question.
Kaoru squirmed underneath his relentless gaze. "Um, yeah actually. I was going to find Misao so we could watch that movie. Except I can't really find where that would be." She added, the last bit in a huff.
Aoshi pivoted on his foot and walked in the opposite direction he had come. Kaoru found it extremely rude and was about to lash out at him when Aoshi paused and looked back at her. "Well?" He asked.
Kaoru snapped her mouth shut, realizing that he wanted her to follow him. So she quickly jostled after him.
After weaving through several rooms, Aoshi opened a door that lead into a lobby complete with a mini bar and popcorn machine. Kaoru, shell shocked, continued to follow Aoshi through the lobby and around the corner, and was awed by the oversized armchairs and the giant screen at the front of the room.
"Kaoru!" Misao squealed, jerking Kaoru out of her reverie. "I see you've brought Aoshi!" Misao was beaming.
Kaoru gave her a half smile, "Heh, yeah it's more like he brought me. I got lost somewhere around the kitchen." She turned to Aoshi and bowed in thanks.
A chuckle came from one of the armchairs. Kaoru looked up and saw a shock of red hair. Oh Kami, she thought, Why did he have to be here?
Misao ushered Kaoru to the front where two of the oversized armchairs were, Kenshin sprawled out on one of them. He looked over and gave the group a smile before slipping out of his chair. "So, what kind of move are we in the mood for tonight?"
"Romance!" Misao shouted, pumping her fist in the air.
"Action." Kaoru countered, giving Misao a challenging look.
"Oro?" Kenshin muttered, his hand flying to the back of his head. Kaoru looked over at Kenshin, surprised, and then giggled. Kenshin shot her a sheepish look before walking over to the large cabinets against the sidewall. He thumbed through them and plucked one that read "Australia."
"What do you think of this one?" Kenshin asked.
Misao and Kaoru both nodded their approval as Aoshi seated himself in one of the armchairs. Misao bounded after him and jumped into the same chair, tossing her legs over Aoshi's.
"Go sit down." Kenshin nudged Kaoru. "I'll be there in a minute." Kaoru paled. She was going to be sitting with him?
Kaoru gingerly seated herself in the second armchair, practically hugging one of the sides. The movie came on and Kenshin walked over, comfortably seating himself on the other half of the armchair, shooting Kaoru a bemused look.
As the movie wore on, Kaoru found it extremely uncomfortable to remain pressed against her side of the chair. Plus, she was tired and the movie was long. She allowed herself to relax and unfurl, her body now pressed firmly against Kenshin's side. Kenshin looked over at her and their eyes clashed. His amethyst eyes transfixed Kaoru. They were soft and held so much emotion: the lingering hurt and betrayal from Tomoe's incident as well as a new found contentment.
Kaoru jumped when she felt Kenshin's arm touch her back. His eyes told her that it was okay, and she let him maneuver her so that she was lying comfortably across his lap. His smell was overwhelming, pine and ginger overriding her senses and quickly lulling her to sleep.
Kenshin looked down at the sleeping beauty in his lap. She was so peaceful looking, her pale complexion giving her an ethereal glow in the dim light. His fingers deftly ran through her ebony tresses that were as soft as silk. Kenshin vowed then and there that he was going to protect her from the press and from the person who was planning his demise.
Aoshi and Misao looked over at the pair and exchanged knowing looks.
The movie ended a few hours later, by then Kaoru was fast asleep. Aoshi nudged Misao awake and escorted her out of the room, silently waving his hand in farewell in Kenshin's direction. Kenshin lingered in the chair for a moment longer, not wanting to move the sleeping beauty in his lap. She looked so innocent laying there, not a wrinkle on her face, and her fingers were curled into his shirt. He carefully removed her cool fingers from his shirt and drew her body into his chest. Then he gracefully stood up; Kaoru cradled in his arms, and carried her up to her room.
Kenshin laid Kaoru softly down in her bed, drawing the covers up and around her body. His hands brushed her body. Kaoru moaned softly and opened her eyes. "Kenshin?"
"Yes Kaoru," He said, pausing in his motions to gaze into her sleepy blue eyes.
"Thank you. For everything." She yawned, raising one hand to cup his face briefly before letting it fall lazily above her head.
Kenshin was stunned by her touch but smiled softly back at her. "Of course, anything for you."
Kaoru hummed in appreciation and drifted off to sleep once more. Kenshin pushed Kaoru's bangs away from her face and bowed down to kiss her sweetly on the forehead. "Good night, Kaoru."
Kaoru was the epitome of kindness for the following week. Every morning Megumi would dress Kaoru up as a doll, wearing bright flowing skirts and dresses and curling and braiding her long black hair. Then she would be dragged off to the zoo, the aquarium, art museums, outdoor concerts, and then some. Kaoru was always returned to the house by nightfall and that's when Misao would come rescue her and sneak off to the Aoiya's dojo. Misao worked for Aoshi most days and therefore couldn't accompany Kaoru during her excursions.
Kaoru sighed in contentment, curling her toes into the polished hardwood floor and firmly gripping the bokken in her hand. With even breaths and deliberate movements, Kaoru worked out the kinks in her kata. It had been so long since she had been able to really practice her father's unique style, and now she had the opportunity to practice it, cherish it every night. It was almost like she was with him again as a little girl. It gave her peace. For that Kaoru would gladly sit through all of the benefit concerts and distinguished speaker lectures just to get these few peaceful moments with her bokken.
It's not like she minded the museums and exhibits. She had a wonderful time. She just didn't like how fake she had become. The normal Kaoru wouldn't go to the aquarium wearing a long black halter-top dress, pausing to read every sign and giggling when the press surprised her at each turn. She would rather run around with her friends, squealing at the octopus and cracking jokes about the electric eels. But she was grateful for the experience none-the-less.
After Kaoru worked through her kata, Misao challenged Kaoru to a duel. It was a relaxing sparring match where the girls lightheartedly jumped and danced around each other. After it ended, the girls drank tea with Okon and Omasu before being ushered back to the Himura Estate and up to bed.
Rinse. Wash. Repeat.
Kenshin was frustrated, to put it lightly, and for a stupid, juvenile reason. Every day for the past week Kenshin had gone into his office downtown. He was a zombie, not really paying attention to his task and just going through the movements. Every night he'd come home, wandering his house just to get a glimpse of silky black hair or a whiff of jasmine. But every night he'd be let down. His house seemed barren without her running around, her laughter filling the halls. Instead he'd fall asleep with his television on where the news showed her out in town, reading the signs in the art exhibits or giggling at animals behind glass. And every night the press revealed tidbits about Kaoru that he did not know.
"…The skyscrapers in the city are so different than the country environment Kaoru grew up in…"
"…Kaoru enjoyed the concert in the park. Her mother bought her a viola when she was little in hopes that she would learn…"
"…Apparently Kaoru is a sap for ice cream, chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream to be exact…"
Kenshin growled. These were things he should have known first, if only he had the opportunity to see her. Where did she go at night? Why was she never home? Didn't she want to see him?
Maybe he scared her off? That incident in the closet had been a little much, he'd agree with that, but he couldn't keep himself away. He never met anyone who captured his attention so. Whose natural beauty had him tongue-tied. Whose personality was as unique as it was refreshing.
He wanted to see her. He missed her.
Being with Kaoru was like a breath of fresh air or a splash of cool water to the face. And he so desperately needed that after the situation with Tomoe.
Kenshin sat up straighter in his chair and reached for his phone. He needed to stop letting others do his work for him. He certainly had not been pulling his weight in the company since Tomoe, letting the others carry his slack and leaving his decisions to others like Shishio. He needed to take charge and do things his way, the way they were supposed to go.
He dialed Sano's number.
"'Ello?" Sano answered a moment later.
"Sano, I need you to change Kaoru's schedule so that she spends the day with me tomorrow."
"Why hello to you too." Sano chuckled. "So you want to change Kaoru's schedule. Eh, that's not gonna be able to happen. At least not until Monday." Sano said uncomfortably.
Kenshin's blood slowly began to boil. "What do you mean?"
"Well Shishio has a pretty tight lock on Kaoru right now. I can't reschedule anything! Believe me, I tried. She's stuck until the photo shoots this Friday."
"Tell me, what does she have tomorrow?" Kenshin demanded.
"Actually she's going to see her friends in the orphanage and take them all out to see one of your movies."
Kenshin cocked an eyebrow. "Give me the address of the orphanage. I'll be meeting her there."
"Are you sure you want to do that? Tomorrow is the only day she got to choose where she wanted to go. I don't think she'll like you crashing her time with her friends."
"She'll still have time with them." Kenshin argued. "You know I haven't seen nor heard from her in a week? Not even a glimpse, Sano!"
"Calm down, Kenshin," Sano placated Kenshin's raising voice. "I can't keep you from doing what you want, and I like how you're thinking for yourself, finally, but just be careful of Jou-chan. No cornering her in any more closets, for instance, you understand?"
Kenshin chuckled but took his words seriously. "I promise to be careful."
"Good." And with that Sano hung up.
Kenshin sighed and let his head fall back. Sano was right about Kenshin not thinking for himself. He didn't want to imagine how many things he had let slide, both in his personal life and in his business.
The next morning, Kenshin strolled confidently to Hiko's office. He opened the door unannounced and said, "Listen, there are a few things we need to change."
Hiko chuckled, "It's about damn time, baka-deshi. Close the door."
Shishio sat behind his desk in his office with a smug smile on his face. "Welcome, Yukishiro-san, I was wondering when you were going to show up."
A man with white hair and round spectacles sat across from Shishio, his eyes glinting with madness. "I see that the situation is treating you nicely. Why, I understand that you are practically running the company since Himura-san's emotional health has been compromised."
Shishio flashed his wrist, his pricey watch catching the light in the room. "Just one of many benefits this situation has to offer. But tell me, what brings you here now?
"I am here to collect my end of the bargain." Yukishiro-san said, leaning forward and folding his hands under his pointed chin, "I created this opportunity for you. Now I want what was promised to me."
Shishio cocked his head to the side. "Enishi, isn't his emotional demise enough? What more do you want?"
"I want to destroy him!" Enishi seethed. "Just like he destroyed me. I want to tear him apart. Give me the girl."
Shishio chuckled. "You certainly give this girl a lot of credit if you think that she holds as much of Kenshin as your sister once did."
Enishi gestured to Shishio's office. "If he didn't do you think you would have all of this? You wouldn't be able to get away with half of the things that you do now if your using Kaoru did not drive him crazy."
Shishio seemed to contemplate his words. "Well, we did have a deal. But I am not done with her yet. Let me milk the girl for as much as she is worth, and then you can have her. It won't be much longer now."
Enishi smiled wickedly. "Thank you, Shishio."
"Now get out. I have more plans to make with Gohei." Shishio said.
With that Enishi bowed and left the room.
A/N: So what did you think? Probably were bummed after that little cliffy in the previous chapter. But no worries, more coming soon!
