Jinxed
Chapter 4: Hope
by Garnet xoxo
Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin.
Warnings: None.
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"Just a second!" Kaoru called to the officer in the hallway and willed herself to sound normal. To her surprise, her voice did not waver, but the noisy pounding continued.
She was still jittery with nerves as she unlocked and unbolted the door, taking a cleansing breath and hastily smoothing her dark locks. Biting her bottom lip, she was preparing to reach for the knob when she caught a glimpse of the tell-tale bruises on her upper arms. She cursed under her breath and dove for the black hoodie she had tossed on the floor earlier, doubting that she would be able to conjure up a believable lie to explain the markings. Verbally convincing an officer that she had not noticed anything unusual was going to be difficult enough and she did not want her disheveled appearance to betray her. She stared at the door which continued to vibrate due to the forceful knocking on the other side.
No, this was not going to be a simple task but she would do it... She would do it for him, for someone she did not know and had heard countless horror stories about. For some reason that she could not explain, she was drawn to him and wanted to know about his past. Her heart begged her to help him and insisted that he was, in fact, telling the truth. She was still terrified of him at the same time; his eyes were almost inhuman and so fierce, concealing so many secrets within their sparkling depths, and he had accidentally harmed her already. She was definitely afraid. But she would do this... She would take the risk, no matter what the consequences, so she took a deep breath and turned the knob.
"Good evening," she greeted, nodding slightly to the authoritative figure that now stood before her. "Can I help you?"
The man was as tall and lean as they come and sported a pair of harsh, calculating yellow eyes. His hair, black as night, was slicked away from his forehead although several unruly strands managed to rebel. He was clad in a simple dark blue police uniform and his lean, bony face rather reminded Kaoru of a wolf. He was definitely the most evil-looking cop she had ever crossed paths with.
"Detective Saitou Hajime," he began, extracting his shiny badge from a pocket within his overcoat. He practically shoved it in her face and gave her a couple of seconds to acknowledge it before yanking it back again. "We're searching for a fugitive named Kenshin Himura and we believe he may be in this building. Have you seen or heard anything out of the ordinary this evening, miss...?"
"Kaoru, Kaoru Kamiya. And no, I haven't noticed anything strange." Then she feigned alarm, widening her eyes. "Do you really think he's around here? Isn't he dangerous?"
The detective was silent before abruptly emitting a dry chuckle, nearly causing Kaoru to yelp in surprise. She smiled nervously, unsure of how to react, and fiddled with the hem of her t-shirt. His eyes studied her and she could do nothing but stare back, noting how startling the yellowish hue of his eyes really was. He also smelled terribly of cigarette smoke which made her nose twitch.
"Of course he's dangerous," Saitou finally responded, scoffing. "Otherwise I wouldn't be wasting my time hunting for his sorry ass. I'd have those idiots do it by themselves." He jerked his chin in the direction of a few officers that stood on the other end of the hallway. They were oblivious to the fact that they had just been insulted, although the blond one sneezed. "Anyway, enough idle chitchat. I'll be taking a quick look inside your apart--"
"--I just told you I haven't seen him," Kaoru blurted, desperate to change his mind or at least delay the search. She could not imagine where Kenshin was hiding; she was not even sure if there was an adequate place to do so. "I thinkI would have noticed by now if he was here..." She was unable to disguise the sarcasm in her voice and wondered if she had gone too far when he turned away from her, scowling.
"Chou!" Saitou called, ignoring Kaoru. He raised a hand and beckoned one of the officers he had recently insulted. The officer plodded over, seeming somewhat reluctant, and Kaoru nearly gagged once she got a good look at him. He had severely spiky blond hair, reminiscent of a straw broom, and he appeared to be permanently winking. He just looked wrongin that uniform and she wondered what kind of respectable police station would employ him. Obviously one of them had.
"Yessir," the blond deadpanned, focusing on Saitou with his one good eye. He cocked his head and waited expectantly, crossing lanky arms over his chest.
"Watch her while I search her apartment," Saitou ordered monotonously. He immediately stepped through her door without another word and disappeared into her living room.
"You wait over here, girly," Chou ordered with a terrible accent, grasping her arm in an attempt to move her elsewhere.
"I can walk myself. And I have a name, you know," Kaoru spat, attempting to jerk her arm away. She wrinkled her nose as it picked up the unique scent of gunpowder; he absolutely reeked of it.
Kaoru wanted to run away from the weirdo and chase Saitou inside but she knew it would only get her into more trouble. As far as she was aware, law enforcement had the authority to search your home without a warrant during emergencies. There was absolutely nothing she could do at this point.
They stood against the wall adjacent to Kaoru's apartment door and waited in silence for what seemed like an eternity; this unfortunately provided her with an abundance of time to worry. Had she acted suspicious or was he searching every apartment on this floor? If they were scouring every room, that would explain why they had taken so long to get to her door in the first place. She still could not comprehend how Kenshin had ended up here of all places and she wondered how they had found out. Someone must have either witnessed him enter the complex or the cops had seen him run in this direction. Either way, they were much closer than they probably realized. In her mind's eye the detective was slinking around like a dog on all fours and sniffing for clues. She expected that he would burst into the hallway at any moment, dragging a handcuffed Kenshin behind him.
Eventually, Saitou emerged without a sound. He smirked at her.
Kaoru gulped, having trouble breathing due to the tension in the air and the fact the arrogant expression remained plastered on his face. Did he know she was lying and he was waiting for her to break down beneath his predatory wolfish stare? Had he found Kenshin? She wanted to scream.
"Let us know if you see anything," Saitou said gruffly before finally relinquishing her gaze. "There will be officers all over this building until we are sure he's gone elsewhere. Come on, Chou."
Saitou fished a packet of cigarettes from his coat and lit one up as he walked away, his legs taking large strides across the worn tan carpet. He left a cloud of smoke in his wake. Chou followed closely behind, and as soon as they stepped into the elevator, Kaoru's knees nearly buckled beneath her. She temporarily used the wall to support herself before finding the strength to stand, wavering. Her mind raced and she released a slow, controlled breath in an attempt to calm her nerves. This day had been much too long and now, with a fugitive on her hands, she doubted it would end any time soon. So much for catching up on some well-deserved rest tonight.
Tentatively, Kaoru reentered her apartment and glanced around. Nothing appeared to be disturbed and this surprised her somewhat, considering that Saitou probably had the authority to tear through every item she owned. She was thankful that he had not felt the need to do so.
She shut the door behind her, locking and bolting it because it suddenly seemed so necessary, and surveyed her surroundings once more before searching for Kenshin. Her apartment was drab, to say the least. She had intended to do some redecorating when she moved in a couple of months ago but there was never adequate time. Everything was white and gray for now and it just so happened that she despised those colors. But there was nothing to be done until she had some time off. That was another thing that would not happen any time soon; she was sure of it.
She padded forward and checked the living room first. Her eyes fell on the television which was still alerting the population that Kenshin was on the run. Watching the reports now caused an indescribably strange feeling to wash over her, knowing that she was the one responsible for hiding him from the world. She could not even imagine what would happen if it was discovered that she was aiding him. In fact, she decided, she would not think about the possibility. At least not for a long while. She swatted at the power button on the TV and with a grimace, switched it off.
"Kenshin?" she called softly, sapphire eyes darting back and forth. Not a sound was heard in response.
She walked a circle around the large burgundy couch before heading to the kitchen, which sat to the left of her front door. It was small and simple, providing only the most basic of cooking needs. Not that she possessed the ability to cook, anyway. Out of everyone she had ever known, she was the only person who could not even cook rice correctly. It always ended up being sticky, crunchy, or burnt. Sometimes--and she hated to admit this--it was all three of those things. She scrunched her nose at the thought.
"Kenshin?" she asked again, crossing her arms. She was starting to become irritated. She had gone through so much to help make sure that Saitou didn't discover him, and now he was hiding from her too? An exasperated sigh tumbled from her pink lips.
She turned and padded down the short hallway that led to her room, the bathroom, and a tiny outdoor balcony. After briefly poking her head into both rooms without seeing a trace of him, she slid the glass balcony door open and peered outside. The moon was full and bright, casting everything in an ethereal blue glow, and the cool, fresh air felt lovely against her skin. The view here was far from pretty but at least her balcony faced away from the busy roads; she could see the forest that was probably a mile or two's walk away. Everything else, from the dirty parking lot to the ugly green trash bins, was an eyesore.
Out of nowhere, something sounded behind her and before she had a chance to turn and investigate, a calloused hand clamped over her mouth. She struggled briefly before she felt herself being turned around to face him. Her captor gazed into her eyes for a fleeting moment, hesitating before releasing her mouth from his grasp.
"Kenshin," she whispered in disbelief. She wore a dazed expression, her mind clouded by the night's tiring events, before another emotion materialized on her face. Her eyebrows furrowed and her voice was harsher, louder this time. "What did you do that for? You could have--"
"Shhhh," Kenshin warned, silencing her with a stern look. His voice was light and feathery, nearly masked by the wind. "I was afraid you would scream if I just appeared out of nowhere, sorry."
"I'm not a kid, you know," she retorted. Realizing her mistake, she clamped a hand over her own mouth this time. Quietly, she added, "Let's go inside. They're gone."
Kenshin took one last look outside, assuring himself that he had not been spotted, before following Kaoru through the door. He felt more exhausted than he could ever remember feeling. This whole situation was requiring more strength than he anticipated; he was not only being worn down physically, but mentally as well. And this was only the beginning. The beginning of a long, demanding journey that he might not even survive.
She led him down the hallway and stopped suddenly, whipping around to face him. She studied his countenance, especially his eyes, and she noted that he did not glance away. Most people became uncomfortable if someone stared at them too long, like there was a deep dark secret buried within their eyes and they had to look away immediately, lest someone excavate it. But Kenshin's gaze was so open and honest that she had to look away, focusing on the peach carpet instead.
His mouth upturned ever so slightly as soon as she gazed down at the floor. She was fascinating. He had never known anyone that could go from bitchy and violent to innocent and shy in a few short minutes. He was amused. But then he remembered that he had just caused this beautiful young woman to break the law and all traces of a smile disappeared. Then he also recalled harming her earlier, when he was unable to control his temper, and grimaced.
"I'm sorry for dragging you into this," he started, his mind striving to find the right words. "I don't want to put you in any more danger so I'll be leaving now. I just wanted to thank you... for what you did." He forced a soft smile as she raised her head. "And for believing me."
She fixated her sapphire gaze on his lavender eyes, surprised. She had not expected him to be willing to leave so soon. Where would he go? The cops would surely be scouring this area for a while and the public, knowing that he was rumored to be in this area, would be on the lookout as well. She could not allow him to leave, not yet. Not after she had risked so much by lying to that detective about his whereabouts. He had come too far.
"Aren't you hungry, though?" she asked, her voice laden with concern.
"Well yes, but--"
"No buts! I don't have much of anything besides instant ramen and cereal, but it's better than nothing. You have to eat," she scolded. She shook her head in disapproval and her long black bangs danced above her eyes. "And by the looks of it, you could use a shower as well."
A rosy blush spread over Kenshin's cheeks and he scratched the back of his head, embarrassed. "But--"
"I said no buts!"
Back to herself again, I see, Kenshin thought as he was dragged to the bathroom by a very persistent Kaoru.
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Author's Note: Okay, we've made it through a pretty big chunk of the plot-building suspenseful stuff now. Maybe the next chapter (which I'm thinking about having up by tomorrow, hint hint) will be refreshingly fun. Just Kaoru and Kenshin getting to know each other a bit, hehe. Oh, and if you're wondering exactly where he was hiding, you'll find out next time.
Thanks for all of the great reviews!
SzaharaTheSame: Thanks, I'm glad that they don't seem OOC to you. I can't stand reading AU stories where they're not even kinda similar to how they should be. I don't want mine to turn out that way.
Faeroen: Thanks! I hope this chapter was to your liking.
Sulou: Thank you.
Michika-chan: I'm happy that you like the way I portray Kaoru. She's definitely not a pushover and I didn't want her to come off that way. Thanks.
Paramecio: Beautiful, huh? Thanks:D
JMai: Thank you! I'm glad you enjoy the excitement.
Onhiro: Yep, she definitely would've been a goner otherwise. Thanks for reading.
Ayasora: I was worried about making her believe him so quickly, but I felt justified because of how she comes to trust Kenshin so quickly in the anime. To me she's always seemed pretty prone to making rash decisions. Thanks!
Blossompetals: Yay, thanks!