Chapter Three
Reunion

Days became weeks, weeks became months, which in turn became years. In the blink of an eye, six years had already passed us by. We had managed to sail through high school and university together, our friendship never wavering, even for a bit. In fact, it had only gotten stronger over the years. And in these past four years, I had always thanked my lucky stars every night for sending someone like Soujiro into my life.

Actually life became quite a bit easy after high school. Perhaps a bit easier was an underestimate. Looking back, I wasn't really pretty at all, my eyes were always dull from being harassed and to the point I don't even cared about what I looked like. Perhaps that might been one of the main reason I was an outcast there. While in college I finally developed into a woman, I was a late one but I did get there. Tokyo University, it was the best time of my life, only three of us from high school went there that I know of, Sano, Soujiro and me. No one who harassed me went there, so I was able to start new.

"Kaoru, time to wake up!" whispered my brother in my ear, nudging me with his hand.

"Five more minutes," I mumbled, diving deeper into my comforter.

"Five more minutes, and that's it, alright?" I nodded my head in reply. I could feel my bed dip a little as my brother sat down beside me, stroking my head gently. Just then, my door burst open to let in another two more people.

"Is she still asleep?" I recognized Akira's voice immediately.

"Let her sleep for a little while longer," my brother answered.

"Aish, Aoshi! You spoil her too much!" That was definitely Soujiro. Stupid cow. "Kao," Soujiro said softly.

"What?"

"Kao."

"What?"

"Nothing."'

He paused for a millisecond.

"Kao."

"What?" I asked, frustrated.

"Nothing."

"Kao." I decided to ignore him. He can go on saying my name for all I care.

"Kao." Soujiro said again, but this time followed with Aoshi and Akira. "Kao." "Kao."

"Aish! Alright! I'm up! I'm up! Now stop calling my name!" I muttered sitting up, as

everyone laughed.

"Works every time!" said Sou-chan triumphantly, throwing a fist into the air as I smacked him on the back of his head.

After I had managed to shoo them out of my room, I proceeded to go through my daily morning routine. I hesitated over what to wear for the day. Today was, after all, a very important day for me. It was my first day of job hunting! Needless to say, I was excited. I was grateful that my brother had been understanding about the whole matter after I had announced it to everyone over dinner yesterday night.

Flashback

"I want to find a job, elsewhere." I announced.

"Why?" he asked, as all three of them put their forks down and turned to look at me.

"You don't have to go looking for a job. You can come and work at Dad's company. Our company."

"I know. I know. But I don't want to start working at the company just yet. I want to start out on my own first. Without any strings attached." I answered.

"Why?" Akira asked.

"I don't want the workers thinking that I got the job handed to me on a silver platter just because I am the sister of the owner. That would make everyone lose their respect for not only me, but also Aoshi."

"Why? Akira worked at the company just like that too, and nobody was disrespectful towards him… or was there?" said Soujiro, earning a knock on the head from Akira.

"That was because Akira has had working experience! I'm just a freshie, and I want to prove myself to everyone that I could make it without anyone's help," I answered.

"Are you trying to imply something? After all, I am going to be working at the same company as them starting tomorrow, you know," said Soujiro, glancing sideways at me.

"Stupido! That's different! You've had experience before. Remember the time when you got to be an intern at Han Corporations? Apparently, you did so well that the manager just had to write you a recommendation letter for future reference!" I pointed out.

End Flashback

I managed to gain permission from my brother, after he made me promise him a number of things. Like, for example, here are just a few, over the top of my head :

1. Call him whenever I'm free.

2. Remember to eat my meals.

3. Never try to hide anything from him, especially if it is trouble at work.

4. If the people there were treating me badly, I am required to quit my job and work at our company. No excuses.

So, yeah. He may have overdone the protective brother bit, but I knew he was doing it because he cared. I decided on wearing a pair of black pants paired with a white long-sleeved collar shirt which had light pink crystals studded on the edge of the collar in fancy swirls, which I left unbuttoned at the sleeves and folded up over my black coat. I opened the door, and stepped out, doing a little twirl for them to see my outfit.

"Aren't you supposed to be wearing a skirt instead of pants?" my brother asked, walking over to my dresser to look at my vast collection on sparkly bobby hairpins.

Ever since I mentioned that I loved those kind of hairpins after receiving my very first pair as a present, they had taken it upon themselves to buy me some every time they spotted a really nice one. Being the only girl in a household of three guys does have its perks. He lifted a pair with little pink roses on it and gently clipped them onto my hair.

"Aoshi, it doesn't really matter whether I wear a skirt or not!" I told him, as Soujiro slipped a black beret over my head and Jae handed me my bag, which I slung over my shoulders.

"Anyway, I'm ready to go!"

"Breakfast first, little girl," said Akira, guiding me to the kitchen.

I hurriedly finished a blueberry muffin and downed my orange juice, then I stood up.

"Alright! I'll be leaving now!" They walked me to the front door, waited until I had pulled on my black heeled boots, then one by one, they took turns to kiss me on the forehead and wished me luck.

I stepped out into the crisp morning air, took a deep breath, crossed my fingers together and wished for the best.

I peered up at the tall glass building, one hand shielding my eyes from the glare of the morning sun.

Mitsurugi Ryu Corporations, founded by Hiko Seijuro. The name had a familiar ring to it. As I stood outside the building pondering to myself whether I should enter or not, I suddenly snapped my fingers as it came to me, earning me a few curious stares from passerby. I remembered Aoshi telling me, a long time ago, how the owner of Mitsurugi Ryu Corporations, who had now passed down the company to his heir and was now retired, had once been good friends with our father. This was my chance. Since they were good friends before, Mitsurugi Ryu Corporations was definitely not a rival company with the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu Corporations! I mentally cheered to myself.

I pushed open the double glass doors and let myself in. I gaped in wonder at the sight before me. The whole place was filled with people. There were men and women in expensive business attires everywhere, some with files under their arms and some talking into their mobile phones, all looking important and purposeful. As I made my way towards the reception center, still feeling half dazed, I managed to hear snatches of other people's conversations.

"…valid assessment of the market…"

"…purchasing power parity…"

"…net foreign investment and the market for foreign currency exchange…"

"…logistical assessment…"

Oh…my…god…I am in trouble. I am in so much trouble. I don't even know half of what they were talking about! Why didn't I just take up the offer to work at Akira or my family's company? Why? Why? Why? Why did I have to go and open my big mouth and tell everyone that I wanted to prove myself first? I mentally kicked myself and it was all I could do from turning around and running straight out the double doors.

"Good morning, may I be of help to you, miss?" asked the lady behind the reception counter, smiling kindly.

"Um, yeah, I'm here to apply for the position as a junior marketing assistant. You guys posted an ad in the newspaper a few days ago," I answered, crossing my fingers behind my back, hoping against hope that it was not already filled.

"Alright, if you would just wait a few minutes while I double check about it…"

"Sure thing. Take your time," I said, gazing around at my surroundings, as she spoke into the receiver.

A few moments later, she had directed me to the thirtieth floor, where I was told that the boss himself would interview me in a few minutes. To say I was nervous was putting it mildly. I was a jumble of nerves. I settled myself onto a chair nearby and twisted my fingers over and over again. It was a bad habit of mine. Whenever I got nervous, I would twist my fingers together. I could feel my palms begin to sweat. This was a bad idea. A very, very bad idea. Just as I was about to get up and leave the place once and for all, a voice called out my name.

"Kamiya Kaoru? The boss would like to see you now."

I mentally cursed myself as I followed her through a series of long corridors before coming to a stop in front of two large wooden doors. Ooooh, nice! She knocked on the doors and led me in.

"Mr. Himura, this is Ms. Kamiya."

"Alright, thank you. You may leave now," he said. She let herself out, not before catching my eye and giving me an encouraging smile. After she had left, I kept my gaze fixed into the richly carpeted floor, shifting from one foot to another.

"Please have a seat." I made my way towards the chairs in front of his desk, shuffling my feet slowly, with my gaze still fixed on the floor. Oh no.

Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no –

"Look up," he ordered. His voice was so sharp that I obediently raised my head, only to stare right into his piercing golden eyes. I blinked and shifted my gaze away. There was something about his eyes that I just could not put my finger on.

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-one. Going on twenty two," I answered.

"Any qualifications?"

"I have a degree in Business and Marketing from Tokyo's Business University."

"Work experience?"

"Well…" I stumbled, "none."

"The job of a junior marketing assistant is not easy. Do you think you would be able to cope with it?"

"I could always try. Besides, as long as I'm happy working here, everything would work themselves out."

"Why choose Mitsurugi Ryu Corporations?"

"Um…," I stuttered. Why Mitsurugi Ryu Corporations? Why? Why?

"…uh…because…because…because Mitsurugi Ryu Corporations is one of the most established corporation and it would be an honor for me to work for it." I gave myself a mental cheer. Yes!

"What high school were you from?"

I blinked my eyes in confusion. What kind of question was that? Nevertheless, I answered him dutifully. "Kyoto, District of Cherry Blossom High." There was a moment of silence. Then he said the four magic words.

"When can you start?"

"Anytime," I answered, breaking into a smile.

"Now?"

"Sure!"

"Yumi, please tell Ms. Yukishiro from Marketing to come up to my office," he said, speaking into the phone.

"Ms. Yukishiro is not in yet, sir," came the reply.

"Then please tell Megumi to come up."

As I sat there waiting patiently, I finally took in my surroundings. The room was really spacious and nicely furnished. Its walls were all wooden, as was the writing table. Numerous books were stacked up neatly on the bookshelf behind his seat and on the left was a glass case filled with awards and trophies, no doubt won by the corporation. To the right were couches with a glass top coffee table. Simple but nice was the only way I could think of to describe the office.

A knock was heard at the door.

"Come in," he said standing up, motioning for me to do so too. A girl in her mid twenties entered the room. She had waist length black hair which she pinned up using a diamond hair clip. Her face was lightly made up and she was dressed in a simple black sleeveless dress with a silver belt dangling at the hips. All I could think of was, wow, she's beautiful, as she made her way towards us, her heels hardly making a sound on the carpet.

"Good morning, Mr. Himura," she greeted, bowing slightly.

"Morning. Megumi, this is Kaoru. Kaoru, Megumi. From now onwards, Kaoru will be working as a junior marketing assistant here. Can you please show her around the place and introduce her to everyone?" he asked.

"Sure, Mr. Himura," Megumi answered smiling at me, as she led me out of the room. Just as we were about to reach the doors, I swiveled around to face him again.

"I'm sorry, sir, it's none of my business but are you by any chance on bad terms with Ki Kasshin Ryu Corporations?"

"Kasshin Ryu Corporations owned by Kamiya Aoshi?" he asked, furrowing his brows.

"Yeah! Yeah, that's the one!"

"No, we're on pretty good terms with them. In fact, we've done numerous joint ventures with them."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, sir," I replied, bowing my head slightly before exiting the room.

He lowered himself back onto his chair and stared at the door which they had gone through as he thought to himself. It's been six years, Kaoru. Six long years and you haven't changed a bit. Don't you recognize me? Most importantly, don't you remember me?

After Megumi had showed me around the place and got me acquainted with everyone else, I headed towards my desk and whipped out my cell phone. I dialed Aoshi number and waited patiently as it rang a few times before he finally picked up.

"Aoshi-sama! I got it! I got it! I got a job!" I cried gleefully into the phone.

"You did? Where?" yelled Akira, equally excited.

"Mitsurugi Ryu Corporations!" In the background, I could hear Soujiro and Akira yelling at my brother, asking him whether it was me on the phone and whether I had gotten a job. I could hear scuffles going on, and it was a while before someone got back on the line.

"Kao-chan! You got a job! See, I told you, you could do it!" yelled Soujiro before the phone was snatched away from him.

"Kaoru! Congratulations! What are you working as?" Akira asked.

I could hear my brother threatening them in the background. Then he said, "Kaoru? You still there?"

"Yeah! I'm still here. Anyway, I'm working at the Mitsurugi Ryu Corporation as a junior marketing assistant. I know it's not much but it's a start!"

"Mitsurugi Ryu Corporation? Previously owned by Hiko Seijiro but now taken over by his son?"

"Yeah! That's the one! And I know he's not a rival of the Kasshin Ryu Corporations because he mentioned that both of you guys have done numerous joint ventures!"

"Um-hmm. Anyway, when's your lunch break?"

"Around 12.30. Why?"

"We're coming over to pick you up for lunch. Hold on, Soujiro wants to speak with you."

"Kao! If you look into your bag, you'll see a little tupperware filled chocolate chip cookies. Eat it if you feel hungry or whenever you have one of those mini breaks, ok?"

I ruffled through my bag and sure enough, there was a tupperware. "When did you put it in there?" I asked.

"When you weren't looking. Duh," retorted Soujiro.

"Aish! Thanks loads. You're the bestest! Anyway, I need to go now. Wouldn't want to be caught slacking on the job during my first day. See you guys at lunch!" With that, I hung up, popped a cookie into my mouth and started to do my work.

Half an hour later, Megumi came over to my cubicle to check up on how I was doing.

"Oh, and Ms. Yukishiro would like to see you now in her office. She's the Head of the Marketing Department."

"Do you know why she wants to see me?" I asked Megumi, twisting my fingers again.

"Don't worry, it's probably nothing."

Megumi showed me to Ms. Yukishiro's office and gently patted me on the shoulder. I took a deep breath, knocked on the door and entered.

"Good morning, Ms. Yukishiro," I said politely, bowing slightly.

"Good morning. Have a seat," she said, gesturing towards the chairs in front of her. As I made my way towards them, I lifted my head to look at her and immediately froze in my tracks.

"Tomoe? Yukishiro Tomoe?"

A/N: sorry this chapter was so short. i'll get a better one next chapter. and i wanted to focus their lives right after college, where the relationship are more serious so i can put more drama into it... i hope u don't mind i skipped a lot of their high school life. the high school life was just an intro to show the relationships.

Next chapter: Recognition... seems like they all remember each other, Kaoru hasn't forgotten kenshin, (in a bitter way) neither has tomoe. Tomoe and Kaoru, with Kenshin in the middle