Shattered Reminiscences

By Scarlet Rayne

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Chapter 3

"MARRIAGE?" She asked excitedly, eyes twinkling with excitement. Taking hold of Kaoru's wrists, she shook them eagerly for a confirmation.

Laughing lightly, she gently wriggled her hands free from the firm hold. "Yes, Misao, we're getting married … in about five months time."

"Five months! Why not now?"

This time, it was Kenshin who let out a soft chuckle. "We've got many things to plan, and many things to do," he paused. "Anyway, we thought it would be great if we were to wed in November."

Kaoru leaned back towards his chest, as his arms encircled around her waist. He bent his head over to her shoulders, quietly whispering something only meant for her ears to listen. She giggled in response, murmuring something back. He was gently playing with her fingers, when she took his left hand and placed it on her cheek, said something, and in result of it all he started laughing as she continued to beam at him.

Both of them were already lost in their own world, ignorant to the people around them, unmindful about their surroundings. The booming music, the noisy chattering, and the growing crowd seemed long forgotten.

Sanosuke and Sayo who were standing side by side just starred at them with quirked eyebrows, as they turned to face each other in unison. Grinning, he pulled her close and started yapping at what sounded like "if they can do it, so can we!", and started imitating the actions of the first couple. Sayo laughed at his childish-like humor, turned herself around, wrapped her hands around his neck and gave him a kiss on the lips. And as if on cue, a sappy, overly-romantic song came on, much to Sano's delight.

Dragging his darling to the dance floor, he started twirling Sayo around and around, disregarding her protests which were filled with a mouthful of giggles.

Misao, on the other hand, just sighed and took a quick swing of her beer. "I'm so to hire someone from the dating agency … just to fit into this damn group."

Four months had passed and Kaoru was getting more excited as ever. Every time she thought about her matrimony in time to come, the feeling of nervousness and anxiety entered her system like conjoined twins. But when the three were combined in one place, the result of it was an emotion concoction which she had never felt before.

It was like pure pleasurable electricity.

Humming to herself, she yanked her fridge open to look for some ingredients to bake a chocolate cake. Kenshin was coming over for dinner later, and she had already prepared the mustard fish, which was lying at the side of the counter, in the process of being marinated.

Seeing that she was short of eggs, butter, flour and a few other ingredients, she took no second thought and grabbed her keys, left the apartment and headed to the convenient store.

'Ten bucks for a kilo of flour?' her mind cried unbelievably. Because she didn't have enough time to run to the other store -which was located on the other side of the neighborhood, she had no choice but to purchase her provisions from the newly built area nearer to her place.

'That store could have sent me to bankruptcy if I shopped my groceries there.' Her mind prattled on. She was making her way home, complaining to herself about two-faced-overpriced-cheating-convenient-stores when her phone started vibrating vigorously. Coming to an abrupt halt, she rummaged through her handbag and hotly answered the call.

"Hello?"

There was a soundless reply on the other line.

"Hell… lo?"

Silence.

"HELLO?"

She couldn't hear a single sound.

"I have no time for this, speak up!"

There was still no answer.

Assuming that it was one of those useless prank calls that she often received, annoyance took no time seeping in, adding charcoal to flame up her anger.

The swindling new convenient store had just robbed her most of her money (which were happily sitting in her purse, for your information,) for less than six items, and now some idiot was trying to prank call her?

"You know what? Screw-"

"… Lu Tanrou." It was a whisper which was barely audible, but it would loud enough for her prickly ears to pick up.

"-you, you dimwitted- …"

Her speech died sharply at the tip of her tongue, when the vaguely familiar, sentimental name was processed and translated in her cerebrum. "… E-Excuse me?"

"My Tanrou, I've... I've finally found you."

Instantly the awfully familiar affection was recalled in her mind, as his voice started to ring a recognizable bell she once knew. 'It can't be,' her mind stammered, as her heart skipped a few beats.

"I won't let you go, ever again."

Again, the voice struck a signal in her brain. Panicking, she immediately ended the call, hands trembling as she felt a shiver run up her spine. Her heart was racing and her mind was getting delusional, much to her displeasure.

His voice.

His voice had always sent her a distressing feeling, despite her contentment.

"I.. It can't be. He.. He wouldn't. Of c-course he wouldn't." her attempt to reassure herself was in vain, as the feeling of uneasiness ransacked her state of mind. All of a sudden the old memories came running back, jolting her senses into another trance of the mind with familiar voices drumming in her head. Evidently it was making her feel extremely tense, with unwanted nostalgia accompanying the tension.

She felt like throwing up.

She had tried to forget about it, forget about him. And eventually, she did. She had successfully moved on, because she was strong enough not to break. Because she had Misao to give her support, to pull her back together when she faltered.

Because she had Kenshin.

'It must have been someone else,' she consoled herself agitatedly, even though her heart thought otherwise.

'It just had to be,'

Vastly oblivious to her surroundings at that moment, she did not notice the tall figure that gradually overshadowed her, bit by bit. But fortunately for her, subconsciously she started noticing the sunlight that was deliberately vanishing from eyesight, causing her to snap out of her thoughts. Looking up, what greeted her only caused her to drop her phone in pure alarm.

"I would."

Both her hands immediately covered her mouth in reflex, as her clear blue eyes shot up wide open. Her things which fell immediately from her grasp were ignored, as she starred at the person right in front of her, mind entirely blank.

The eggs broke, and the plastic that wrapped around the flour tore.

She could not believe her eyes.

"It's been a long, long time, Kaoru."

"I-I.. I… Y-You.. " completely lost for words, she continued gazing at him, astonishment visible in every movement that she took. Finally managing to shake herself out from the bewilderment, she asked alarmingly. "W-What are you doing here?"

"I'm rather surprised you don't know," he said coolly, but the cynical™ smile never escaped his rosy lips. Walking closer towards her, she slowly backed away with every step that he took.

"E-Enishi…" she muttered for what seemed like ancient in her memory, his name like salt on her lips. As unfamiliar as it was, it brought back uncountable memories. Memories that she had almost forgotten, until a few seconds ago.

It had, after all, been three years.

Collecting herself together, she tried to think straight. Struggling to concentrate at her situation, her brain started to slowly stir and process, but with great difficulty. Then, after what seemed like eternity, her mind started clicking as the awareness of the situation dawned upon her.

If … Enishi had really, really come back to Japan because of her, that must mean…

Her face shot up to meet his.

He smirked.

"I'm not going." She answered, before he could even open his mouth. "I'd rather jump off a cliff and kill myself."

His smirk was immediately swept away. "You are coming back to Shanghai, back with me."

"You cannot make me," she started, raising her voice.

"I can, and I will. I do not care what you want or what you think, but you will return to me, just like the last time."

Her temper started to arouse. She felt him belittling her as if she was some sort of a possession, instructing her to do something, and as if she was going to comply with his every wish, like a servant girl.

Once again.

Shooting him a deadly glare, she said slowly. "Over, my, dead body."

"I am not asking you, or your permission," he said flatly. "You are coming, weather you like it or not."

"I would rather die and rot than to go back to you," she spat. "Don't you remember? I hate you." She said, feeling irritated. "I loathe your every being, it makes me sick."

Her words made him flinch from the inside, but being the person that he was, he remained impassive.

There was a long dreadful silence that hung in the air. With unimaginable patience that even he himself didn't know he possessed, he broke it off with another one of his derisive smirks.

"I see."

She narrowed her eyes.

And waited.

He did not say anything after that, making her even more annoyed than she already was. She knew him too well for him to just submit to her determination. She knew he was going to say something else.

And he did.

"It must be because of that man you're with that's doing this to you, Tanrou. But I forgive you, since it's entirely that bastard's fault." He said darkly. "Himura Kenshin, his name. A member of the police force, the one you started dating for the past year."

She winced at his information about her fiancée. Yes, she had expected an absurd comeback, (seeing that it was Enishi she was dealing with) but surely not something that had something to do with Kenshin.

Rubbing his chin gently, he continued. "Your anniversary was just a few months ago, wasn't it? Celebrated in that filthy restaurant down the road from your house."

How did he…

All of a sudden, understanding instantly smacked her silly as her eyes widened.

He must have been spying on her for heavens knows how long, digging up every information from her personal life without her knowledge. Her anger rose up, as her face twisted into a frown. Typical psychopath.

She just knew him too damn well.

It was so Enishi of him to begin with.

"And your wedding is to be held a month's time from now," he added. "I'm not sur-"

"You have no right," she seethed, cutting him off. He threw her a menacing look, and when he saw her expression, he knew at once she directed that statement on his action about spying on her.

"I have every, single, damn right, Kaoru. And you will come back home with me." He growled.

She narrowed her eyes in irritation.

"Come home with you?" she snorted. And almost immediately, her face twisted into a scowl. "Why can't you just get the hell out of my life and leave me alone?" she asked, voice coloured with frustration.

"Because, my darling Tanrou," he said in a mock anger, "You are mine, and the things that I own do not depart from me unless I allow it to."

"I am … yours? I am YOURS? I do NOT belong to you or anyone else, especially you for that matter! I'm not some screwed up belonging of yours that you can kick around if you wanted to, so GET THAT FACT THROUGH THAT THICK SKULL OF YOURS!" she flared up, picking up an un-cracked egg and threw it at him, but he dodged the hit easily.

"In case your head was up too high up in the clouds, let me enlighten you. I came here, here in Japan, just to avoid your cursed damn being!" She picked up a handful of dirty flour, and flung the powder towards him.

Again, he evaded it effortlessly. "You ruined my life, Yukishiro. You had given me every reason to hate my existence, and because of you, I fell into deep depression." She fumed, face flushed with rage. "You killed me then, but guess what?" she said in mock sweetness. "I got back my life, when I left you. It was the best moment in all of my days. I moved on, and the events that fell into place was everything I could ever dream of,"

She starred defiantly at him.

"-and the best part of it was that you weren't in it."

He just stood in his same position, unwavering from the outside.

"You have some nerve, Enishi. To come here, thinking that I'm some bitch that you own, and demanding that I go back to that hellhole of yours."

But he was burning with fury by her verbal abuse on the inside, and it took whatever left-over patience he had to remain calm, and to look like he wasn't at all disturbed by her insults and her attacks toward his dignity.

"You can thrash me to death if you like, Enishi. But read my lips. I will NEVER follow you back to Shanghai, more or less return back to you." She scowled, tone challenging.

He was silent.

"Go do something conservative for once, and drown yourself in the sea." She spat, turning her back against him. She walked away, but before she could take another step, he voiced out.

"You really don't think I'm stopping here, now do you?" he asked calmly.

She stopped, and even though he could not see her face, he knew she was listening.

"Listen to what I have to say, and then you can choose. Either way, it would still end up in one conclusion, that I can promise you."

In cases like these, he could foresee it all. Her choices, her selections, her submission. it was all in time to come.

Readable like a book.

She was his, after all.

Author's Note: My Gosh, it took me days to complete this chapter. I had to re-write it like 6-7 times, and I'm so sick of reading it now :P. Some words may seem unsuitable, but it's because I can't seem to crack my brain up for the right ones.

Anyway.

This chapter was a little difficult to write for me, since I'm not familiar in writing scenes where Kaoru gets angry and retorts with boldness. I had to edit many, many times, and because I've read it so many times along the way, most likely I wouldn't be able to spot a(n) mistake/error even if it was laid out in front of my eyes.

So dear reader, I'm sure now you'll know what to do when you see them, ey? ;)

Footnotes: Lu Tanrou is a name translated from English (which means smooth; self-possessed, or in shorter terms Lovely darling) by some Chinese generator that I found. Suddenly I couldn't seem to remember what "lovely" or "darling" was in Chinese, and I was too lazy to ask my mom.

This chapter is about Enishi and Kaoru's first encounter, in three long years. He wants her to return back to Shanghai with him, but she's not willing at all to comply. This chapter revolves mostly around Kaoru talking, but it ends with Enishi, who's going to have his share of talk, but that would be in the next chapter.

Much love to my lovely commenters, it was very, very encouraging, to say the very least :). Many thanks to Triste1 for pointing out the mistake, and the one who was complaining about her boss was Misao (in chapter 2). As for the next scene, the one who said "I thought this was my shopping trip……" was Kaoru. :)

And yes, OOC means Out Of Character, for those of you who asked.

Please (and kindly) leave me a review :D!