The Faerie Chronicles of Kenshin & Kaoru: Immortality, a Rurouni Kenshin fanfic by Raberba girl

Chapter 6

Kaoru had never done the usual things for her crush. The love notes, lovingly-packed lunches and so on had been her friends' ideas. Perhaps, however, that refreshing change is what caught Yamato's attention, because one morning before class, he sauntered up beside Kaoru's desk and casually asked her out.

"Wh-what did you, uh, say?" she stammered, sure she had not been hearing right.

He raised an eyebrow. "You, me, catching a movie Saturday night? Then, you know, maybe dinner and stuff? Or no?"

"Food is wonderful!" she yelped, then flushed crimson. "That is...sounds good. Or...actually, Saturday may not be a good night," she said, suddenly remembering a prior obligation, "but how about Sunday?" She just barely managed to catch herself from adding, "Please?"

Yamato grinned. "Sunday's a school night."

"Oh. Right."

"We could do lunch and a movie. Not breakfast, though, 'cause I sleep in late."

Kaoru laughed. "Lunch sounds good." She took in a deep breath to steady herself. "Look up the show times and call me." Yamato grinned, playfully flipped her ponytail, and moved away, leaving her to slump face-forward into her desk when he was no longer in her line of vision.

"Kaoru-chaaaan...!"

"No! No gushing yet!" she groaned at her friends. "Give me a minute!"

o.o.o.o.o

That Saturday, Kaoru was sent to do the grocery shopping on top of everything else. She was wandering through the aisles, looking for things on her list, when she heard some girlish giggling somewhere fairly close by. She didn't pay attention to it at first until one of the voices rose petulantly, "But Ken-jiichan doesn't like those, Neesan!" Kaoru looked over in surprise to see Aya and Suzumi surveying a shelf of brightly-wrapped packages.

"What? Of course he does, why wouldn't he?" Aya objected.

"He doesn't say anything, but didn't you notice the last time he ate it? He was making faces when he thought we weren't looking."

After a sigh, "Well, then pick something he will like, if you're so smart."

Kaoru hesitated, then gave in to impulse and went up to the girls. "Hello," she said awkwardly, and with such a nervously low volume that she had to repeat it louder for them to hear.

Suzumi peered over her shoulder curiously, and Aya turned around in surprise. "It's Ka-! Uh, Kaoru-san," she exclaimed, her face flushing.

"Hi," Kaoru said again, offering an embarrassed smile. "Are you guys...shopping for snacks?"

"For Mom and Ken-jiichan," Suzumi answered eagerly, turning all the way around. "The museum was being mean again, so he escaped and now he's helping us re-paint the walls! You want to come help?"

'The museum was being mean?' Kaoru wondered, having sudden visions of paperwork-and-angry-tourist monsters.

"Suzumi," her sister scolded, "you can't invite her. We're not even supposed to talk to her." Then she glanced apologetically at Kaoru. "Well, you talked to us first, so I guess it's okay - but you can't come back with us!" She paused. "Unless you want to. Uh...do you want to?" she asked tentatively, as if steeling herself for a negative answer.

"Yeah," Suzumi piped up. "Ken-jiichan will be so happy to see you! And surprised, heh." Her sister elbowed her, and she shut up.

Kaoru sighed. "Your mom's going to be there?" she finally murmured.

"Yes."

"Yeah!"

Kaoru hesitated another moment. "Okay," she finally agreed.

Suzumi cheered, and Aya looked surprised. "Really? You'll really come?"

"Sure. I just have to drop off the groceries at home first and escape before Mom saddles me with more errands."

Suzumi's face was shining, and Aya's surprise merged into such a bright, happy smile that Kaoru felt her heart melt at their obvious pleasure. "Okay! Come on, Kaoru-chan! San, sorry. Or neesan? Which would you like best?"

"I get to pick my honorific?" Kaoru said teasingly as they headed for the doors. "Let's go with..." There was only a brief moment of hesitation. "Chan."

"Yay!"

"You're the best, Kaoru-chan!"

The girls lived in a very small house, though it was neat and seemed to be in a good neighborhood. The smell of paint was strong as they walked up to the open front door. "Mom! Ken-jiichan! We're home!"

A pretty woman glanced over her shoulder at them with a welcoming smile, seeming young for a mother of teenagers. "Welcome back! Oh-!" she exclaimed as she saw Kaoru accompanying her daughters.

"Mom, this is Kaoru-chan!"

Kaoru held her breath, but the recognition on the woman's face lacked any unnatural intensity, merely expressing a mild interest. "Oh! Kenshin's friend, right? I've heard so much about you from him and the girls."

'I'm sure you have,' Kaoru thought behind her polite smile. "Nice to meet you."

Kenshin's voice came floating through the living room door at that moment. "Keiko-dono, where do you want-?" He came into the room, saw the girls, and promptly dropped the paint cans he was carrying. "Oro..." he murmured, looking down at his paint-splashed clothes.

"So sorry I made you ruin your clothes," Kaoru said sweetly.

Kenshin only wrapped his arms around himself and smiled very shyly. It was annoyingly heart-melting. "It's all right," he murmured almost happily. After a long pause, he suddenly blinked and shook his head, then knelt to deal with the mess as the girls scampered up with towels and a wastebasket.

"You don't have to help us paint," Keiko said apologetically as she climbed down from the stepstool. "I don't know why the girls dragged you over here when I'm so unprepared, I was just going to warm up leftovers for dinner...!"

"Don't worry about it," Kaoru assured her. "If you like, I can fix you guys something to eat."

Kenshin's head shot up in alarm. "No!" he burst out. Then, when everyone looked at him in surprise, he smiled disarmingly and added, "That is, you're a guest here, Kaoru-dono, you shouldn't have to worry about such duties. Go ahead and relax, we'll finish up soon."

Ignoring the chatter of the girls in the background, Kaoru narrowed her eyes. His reaction had been almost exactly the same as that of her family and friends whenever any hint was made about Kaoru's cooking. 'He knows me well enough to know that?!' "I want to cook," she challenged.

He gulped. "A-As you wish, Kaoru-dono," he said meekly, looking like a man steeling himself for execution.

"Oh, come on, my cooking's not that bad!" she burst out.

The girls started giggling, and Kenshin smiled ruefully. "As you have apparently guessed...this one has had first-hand experience of such a statement, that he has."

"When?" she said in exasperation.

He said nothing, only casually touched his chest, referring to the necklace that he somehow must have known was hidden under Kaoru's blouse. She glared at him, so he smiled in self-defense and escaped to the kitchen.

And so it ended up with Kaoru helping to paint and Kenshin cooking everyone an (obscenely delicious) late lunch. He was quiet while they ate, though that might have simply been due to the fact that the girls talked enough for ten people.

"What grade are you in, Kaoru-chan?"

"I'm a senior."

"Really? We're freshman! I wish we went to the same school!"

"Do you have a lot of friends, Kaoru-chan?"

"A few. Mimi-chan and Mika-chan are my best friends, and I also talk to a lot of people around school. What about you?"

"Oh, there's Haru-chan, Yuna-chan, Chidori-chan-"

"Sora-kun, Riku-kun-"

"Saki-chan-"

"Yuki-kun, Yûri-kun-"

"Why are you only saying the boys?!"

"'Cause those are the ones I remember first!"

Suzumi looked at Kaoru and said with a conspiratorial grin, "Neechan has a crush on every guy in school."

"I do not!"

Suzumi flipped back her ponytail. "Well, at least on a certain someone-"

"Just because I think Kyô-kun is hot doesn't mean I'd want to date him! Besides, he's head-over-heels for Honda-chan, anyway. What about you, Kaoru-chan?" Aya said abruptly. "Who's your crush?"

"What if she doesn't have one?" Kenshin put in.

Kaoru straightened, feeling slightly vengeful. "Actually, I do have a crush," she said, more insistently than she meant to. "In fact, we're going out tomorrow." Watching Kenshin, she saw his eyes widen and his mouth open a little, as if he meant to speak but didn't know what to say.

"Who is it, who is it?!" the girls were squealing, oblivious. "Tell us about him, Kaoru-chan!"

Now Kaoru was wishing that she'd kept her mouth shut. "Well...he's cute, a bit too cool but he has a nice smile, plays the harmonica, blonde hair-"

"So he's a foreigner?!"

Kaoru shrugged a little self-consciously. "Half. His mom's definitely foreign, but I'm pretty sure his dad is Japanese. He doesn't have an accent or anything."

"What's..." Everyone looked at Kenshin, who smiled (a little oddly, Kaoru thought). "What's his name, Kaoru-dono? ...Kensuke might know him if he's in kendô."

"He's not."

"What's his name, Kaoru-chan?" the girls insisted eagerly.

"Ishida-kun," Kaoru admitted.

"Ishida-kun!" they cried, as if trying it out.

"Ishida...?" Kenshin hinted.

Kaoru frowned. "What, do you know him?"

"Maybe."

Kaoru frowned some more, but was distracted by the girls. "What's his first name, Kaoru-chan?!"

"...Yamato-kun."

"Yamato-kun!"

"Oh, Yamato-kun!"

"You have such a nice smile, Yama-kun!"

"Please play the harmonica for me, Yama-kun!"

"Kiss me, Yama-kun!"

"Cut it out!" Kaoru cried, feeling as if she was right back with Mimi and Mika. She glared at Kenshin again, but he was talking to the girls' mother again by this time and acting perfectly normal. Kaoru sighed, silently telling herself to stop being so paranoid. "What about you, Kenshin?" she suddenly burst out.

Everyone fell silent, surprised.

"This one?"

"Yeah. Is there a, a Mrs. O'Neill around or something?" Her heart was pounding, and she felt guilty, goading him like this. It didn't seem right, even though he deserved it.

Kenshin's expression shifted only a little, but in such a way that Kaoru wished yet again that she'd just kept quiet. The girls' mouths had dropped open, and they were looking back and forth between Kenshin and Kaoru, their eyes dancing nervously. Their mother abruptly got up on some pretense of getting refills for the drinks.

"...Well...yes and no," Kenshin finally mumbled, fiddling with his napkin. "At one point this one was...well, still is-" He paused. "I suppose you could say that we are separated, that we are."

Kaoru was taken aback. "Oh." Now she really, really wished she hadn't said anything.

"Ken-jiichan loves his wife soooo much," Suzumi said meaningfully, "but she barely even knows he exists anymore. He won't give up, though! He'll wait forever for her to come back!"

"Suzumi-dono," Kenshin started to say.

"It's why Ken-jiichan won't go out with Mom," Ayame whispered conspiratorially.

"Neechan!" Suzumi insisted as Kenshin flushed crimson, "Mom said not to tell anyone she likes him!"

"What?" Keiko said sharply as she came back in with a full pitcher. "What are you talking about?"

"Nothing," three voices chorused at once. The girls giggled nervously, and Kenshin looked away, his expression pained.

'Congratulations, Kaoru,' she told herself in disgust. 'You so do not need to be opening cans of worms right now.' "So!" she said brightly instead, "do you have any other plans for renovating the house?"

o.o.o.o.o

Kaoru was shocked when she realized that it had already grown dark by the time she felt ready to leave. Kenshin groaned as well, mumbling something about paperwork and someone called Chou. The girls put in some whiny farewell antics, and Kenshin promised to visit again soon. Keiko kissed him affectionately on the cheek, but when she lingered with a soft look in her eyes, he smiled sadly, kissed her hand with formal politeness, and turned away. Kaoru quickly pretended that she had not been watching.

Then of course was the inevitable moment, after the others had gone back into the house, when Kaoru realized that Kenshin would be obliged to offer her a ride home. She surveyed him coolly for a moment. "If I walk home alone, evil government goons will kidnap me or something?"

He sighed. "Possibly. Or not. Or your new...powers...might make themselves known again, and you would be fine either way. Who knows."

"What would you prefer me to do?" she challenged.

He gave her a Look. "You know better than to ask me that."

"And what if I want to walk home all by myself?"

He paused. Then, looking at her steadily, he said challengingly, "Do you want to walk home all by yourself?"

Kaoru looked out at the dim sky, the dark, lonely looking streets, and thought about going the whole way with phantoms, whether real or imaginary, hiding in every shadow and rustle of wind. "No," she admitted softly.

He smiled a little grimly, appearing to take no pleasure in his small victory. "Would you prefer to ride in the back or the front?"

She hesitated. Then she said, "The front."

He looked surprised, then pleased, then quickly ducked his head and hurried to open the door for her.

"I thought you had a chauffeur," she said skeptically when he had seated himself behind the wheel and was easing out.

"I do," he said, concentrating hard on his rearview mirror and maintaining a tight grip on the steering wheel. Kaoru noted uneasily that he did not seem entirely comfortable handling the vehicle. "But I was trying to draw as little attention as possible when leaving the castle, I wouldn't have wanted to make anyone wait all day while I visited, and Michiko-dono hates coming here, anyway."

"Why? Is she jealous of Suoh-san?" Kaoru teased.

"Of course."

Kaoru stared at him. "I was just joking! Geez, are all women in love with you or something?!"

He shot her a nervous look. "This one can't help it...they come at me, I try to put them off as best I can..."

"You know, you really do," Kaoru said wonderingly. "Everyone loves you. And you're too nice. You're too nice, you know that? It's why they can never fall out of love with you."

He drove silently for a long time, with such ghosts in his expression that Kaoru was starting to wonder if she would ever find anything to say to him that wouldn't lead to melodrama. So she finally lost her temper. "Will you stop that?! Why can't you talk normal to me for once?!"

He laughed. "Apologies."

"No! That's not good enough! For one thing, why can't you just say Sorry, like a normal person?!"

He was giving her a wide-eyed, slightly frightened look. "Kaoru-dono..."

"And stop with the soap opera dramatics! I'm sorry about - about your wife, but please, what with all the government conspiracies and magic fairy dust and heaps of flirty women, you're like some - some manga character or something! Be normal for a change! When was the last time you were normal?!"

He was staring at her again, looking as if he was seriously considering the question. "Well...never."

"Watch where you're driving!"

Kenshin veered back into the road just in time to avoid plowing into someone's mailbox. "Apologies."

Kaoru rubbed at her temples. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be yelling, I'm being an idiot."

"Don't worry about it."

Kaoru glanced over at him again. He was watching her, smiling a little, looking as content as a child hugging its favorite toy. "Why do you like me so much?" she asked.

He jerked his eyes abruptly back to the road. "Well," he said, sounding suddenly very adult and distant, "you're a very intelligent, spirited young lady, exactly the sort of person we keep an eye out for hiring." His voice softened as he added, still staring firmly out the windshield, "Also...exactly like my wife is like. This one misses her very much."

Kaoru swallowed. She wanted to put out her hand to touch him, to comfort him, so she kept her hands firmly clasped in her lap. Kenshin didn't seem like the type to give a double meaning to words like those, but you never knew.

Kenshin's voice returned to that distant brisk tone as he added, "Even if it turns out that you decide to part ways with Himura Castle as soon as you are financially independent, this one is certain your career will be impressive."

"All this Himura Castle stuff is a front, isn't it."

His eyes darted towards her, then away.

"You keep spouting all this school-and-career stuff, but all you really care about is getting your hands on Himura descendants and, what, using them as pawns in some kind of anti-government conspiracy?"

"It does sound bad, doesn't it," he said sheepishly.

Kaoru sighed. "Kenshin...can you...can you please- tell me about my family? My real family?"

He looked over at her sympathetically. "This one cannot tell you much."

"Cannot or will not?" she challenged.

He grinned that sheepish grin again. "Your parents were good people," he said evasively. "Your father was an honorable man, and very strong. He loved your mother very much, yet he kept the will to live after her passing, and did his best to fulfill his duties and raise you well."

Kaoru blinked. "Raise me?"

"He only got so far," Kenshin added in a unconvincing-sounding rush. "You don't remember him, of course; and your mother...your mother died when you were very small."

"And then you, what, came along and dropped me off with Mom and Dad- with the Arais, right?"

"...Pretty much, yes. Of course, they moved a few times, which threw this one off. We were very happy to find that they had come back to the castle after all."

"Come back to the castle?"

Kenshin smiled a little at her. "Don't you hear it call to you, Kaoru-dono?"

She was quiet, wondering how seriously to take him.

"You have...strong ties to Himura Castle. Your mind may not remember, but your heart - and your magic - does. Do you not think about it more often than most high school students think about musty old museums?"

'Yeah,' she did not say aloud, 'but I also think about the owner way more than a high school girl has any right to think about a twenty-four-who-knows-how-old-year-old.' She frowned. 'And if I end up falling in love with you, Mr. O'Neill Kenshin, I'll kill you!' She refused to be yet another casualty on his annoying 'All the women are crazy about me' list.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked apprehensively.

"Why do you want to know?" she challenged.

"Well...your expression is a little frightening, that it is..."

She grinned. "It's a secret."

"All right."

They had reached Kaoru's house by now, and she sighed a little as she unbuckled her seat belt. A whole car ride alone with Kenshin, and she had barely learned a thing. She kept letting herself get distracted by him.

"Well," she said as he came around to say good-bye. "Good night."

"...Good night," he said softly, gazing at her.

She lifted her chin. "So, I'm going to leave now."

He blinked, then shook his head a little and smiled. "This one will, as well. Good night, Kaoru-dono."

"You said that already."

"Oro?"

To be continued...

Author's Notes: Huh, maybe I was at least starting to get into Kingdom Hearts when I wrote the painting scene. I can't remember. ^^;

To clarify, because I'm never going to actually write it now, Aya & Suzumi's mom is in love with Kenshin, but does not of course realize that he's her many-greats-grandfather (her jerk ex-husband is out of the picture by now). She is fully aware that Kenshin's not interested in her romantically, she just hasn't managed to get over him yet. I randomly picked "Suoh" as her surname.