I couldn't leave it at just the Prologue! I'm not that evil! Here's Chapter One! I hope you enjoy and please remember to review!
Kaoru had been orphaned at the age of ten. When people found out she turned away their sympathy by telling them she cherished the time she'd had with her parents and by remembering their teachings she had become stronger. She had always been surprised at the praise she received for managing to grow into a respectable young woman.
'Of course I grew into a good woman, I couldn't disrespect my parents by not being a good person.' she would think before walking away from whatever person that had made the comment. If there was one thing she would never do it was to taint her parents' memory by becoming something they wouldn't be proud of. She absolutely refused.
'Although…being an information mercenary probably wasn't high on their list of expectations for me.' she thought dryly as she sat on a bench in the middle of one of many streets in Tokyo. She crossed her arms as she looked around at the people walking passed her while wondering if any of them was the person who had contacted her earlier with the desire to employ her services.
She wondered briefly how this person had gotten her number but shook her head with a small smile. It didn't matter. This person had managed to get hold of her through her private number. That particular line of communication told Kaoru the person wanting to use her services had managed to get hold was close to someone who was also close to Kaoru. It was also the only reason the young woman was willing to meet with the person.
'Get your head out of the clouds, Kamiya, you need to look as though you know what you're doing.' she thought as she slapped her cheeks. She let out a breath before looking around once again. She frowned as she looked down at her watch only for her eyebrows to rise in surprise. The person she was supposed to be meeting was at least ten minutes. If there was one thing Kaoru couldn't stand it was when her possible clients were late in meeting her.
"Excuse me are you Miss Kamiya Kaoru?" she blinked before looking up at the soft voice. She had to keep her jaw from dropping at the sight before her. A young woman stood there in a black business suit. Her long black hair was tied back at the nape of her neck and her make-up was very subtle. Kaoru suddenly felt very underdressed in her plain t-shirt and jeans.
"Yes, that's me and you are?" she didn't want to be rude but in her business she had learned it was better to err on the side of caution. She briefly wondered why she hadn't gone into the safer career of accounting before shaking her head. She knew she wouldn't be as happy as an accountant
"My name is Yukishiro Tomoe. I had a friend of mine contact you for your services. This is quite a public place for a meeting." the woman continued in her soft voice as she sat down beside Kaoru. She blinked at the woman before letting out a soft laugh as she turned her attention back towards the people passing them by and ignoring them.
"It's a safety precaution. In this business you never know who you're going to meet so I make it a habit to meet in public for the first time." Kaoru told her. She glanced back at the other woman as she heard her laugh. The woman was smiling at her with her brown eyes twinkling at her in amusement.
"I understand. However, the matter I wish to discuss with you is better done in private as I don't want anyone to overhear what I am going to tell you." Tomoe told her. Kaoru weighed her options silently in her mind. She met the brown eyes again and felt something tighten inside her telling her to trust this woman. She wondered briefly why her instincts were telling her to trust this woman but knew not to question her instincts.
"Alright. Where do you want to go?" she asked. She watched as the woman's eyes widened in surprise. She bit back the smile as she had known the woman would be surprised by the sudden change of attitude on Kaoru's part.
"I thought it would take more convincing on my part to get you to talk with me privately." Tomoe confessed. Kaoru chuckled as she brought her hand up to her heart as she smiled at the woman. She felt as though they were kindred spirits and she found herself wanting to befriend this woman. Despite the rules she had placed on herself to never befriend her clients.
"Something inside me is telling me it will be okay to trust you. I only ask you don't betray my instincts in trusting you." Kaoru told her. Tomoe replied to the statement with a small smile before she stood up.
"I will do my absolute best to uphold your trust. Please, if you'll follow me I'll take you to my office." Tomoe told her. Kaoru nodded before standing to follow the slightly older woman as she led her through the throngs of the Japanese population trying to get to their jobs on time. Kaoru had always been surprise by human beings always in such a rush. She had always felt as though people should enjoy life rather than rush through it.
"I must also ask you a favor. Please, do not be surprised when you see where my office is." the woman said as they traveled. Kaoru blinked before nodding in understanding. She wondered briefly where, exactly, Tomoe's office could possibly be that would surprise her so much. She knew the woman wouldn't have warned her if she didn't think would surprise her.
"Here we are." Tomoe said. Kaoru looked up only for her mouth drop open in surprise even though she had promised not to be. She glanced at Tomoe to see the woman had a small smile on her face.
"Y-you're associated with the White Plum Restaurant? This is one of the oldest and most popular restaurants in the city!" Kaoru exclaimed. She watched as Tomoe's smile only grew at the exclamation. Kaoru had the feeling the woman was about to tell her something that was going to knock her off her feet.
"I'm not just associated with it. I own it." she told her. Kaoru had to physically keep hers jaw from dropping open. Tomoe continued to stand there with the gentle smile on her face as people entered and left the small restaurant in front of them.
The outside structure looked as though it belonged in the Meiji Era of Japan when it had first opened. Kaoru knew, however, from pictures she had seen that the restaurant had evolved with the times to make it modern but to also keep its history alive. She had always wanted to eat there but knew with the modest salary she made she wouldn't be able to afford. Now, she was standing in front of the owner.
"I know I promised not to be surprised…but I can't keep it…I'm mind blown." she told her. She watched as the other woman covered her mouth as she laughed softly.
"I'll take that as a compliment then. Come, let's get inside to my office and we can talk over lunch. I don't know about you but I haven't eaten today and I'm starving." Tomoe told her. Kaoru opened her mouth to protest only to shiver as Tomoe shot her a look. "No protests. Think of it as thanks for agreeing to meet me."
"R-Right. You can be a scary woman, Tomoe." she told her. Tomoe just smiled over her shoulder as she led her through the busy tables of the restaurant. Kaoru tried extremely hard to keep from feeling self-conscious in her clothes as everyone around her was dressed nicer. Including the waiters and waitresses.
"Here we are." Tomoe said after they had climbed a set of stairs in the back that led to one door. Kaoru watched as she opened the door to reveal a large modern office that looked as though it didn't belong in the building. Kaoru felt as though she just stepped from the past into the future. It was interesting but seemed to embody the woman she had just met.
"Oh, Kenshin, I wasn't expecting you so early. I thought you'd still be in Kyoto visiting Aoshi." Tomoe said Kaoru blinked as she peered over the other woman's shoulder. A young man stood at the desk with his bright red hair tied into a low ponytail. His eyes looked violet in the lighting from the overhead light and there was a vicious looking cross shaped scar on his left cheek. He was also dressed in a black suit and Kaoru wondered if he helped with the restaurant.
"Saito showed up. I felt as though it would be best for all involved if I left, that I did." the man answered. Kaoru blinked at the odd way of speech as she followed Tomoe into the office and closed the door behind her.
"You two need to learn to get along. At any rate, this is Kamiya Kaoru. She's the one I told you about last time we met." Tomoe said as she motioned to her. Kaoru grinned at the man and he returned it kindly. "Kaoru, this is Himura Kenshin. He's a manager of mine who helps me keep our sister restaurant in Kyoto open."
"It's very nice to meet you, Kenshin. I hope I'm not interrupting a meeting." she said with a small smile. She watched as the young man opened his mouth only to be interrupted by Tomoe.
"I wasn't expecting him until tomorrow so it really doesn't matter if you are. He needs to learn how to call a person to let them know he's coming. Now, Kenshin, please…leave." Tomoe said with a bright smile. Kaoru watched as a strained smile spread across the red head's face as he began to make a retreat towards the door.
"Of course, Tomoe. Please, enjoy your meal and visit, Miss Kaoru." he told her as he disappeared through the door. Kaoru smiled as she felt a blush spread across her cheeks at the formal way he had addressed her.
"Are you blushing? I suppose I can't blame you. Kenshin is quite handsome." Tomoe said. Kaoru jumped before turning to look at the woman as the blush got brighter. She slapped her hands over her cheeks only to groan in embarrassment as she saw the mischievous grin on the other woman's face.
"A-ah! Tomoe, I'm sorry! This is so unprofessional of me!" Kaoru said as she collapsed in a chair in front of the desk. She watched as the other woman sat down in her chair on the other side of the desk.
"I also apologize for teasing you. I always find it amusing when Kenshin manages to enchant women without knowing it. He'll be getting his far amount of teasing later." Tomoe told her with a grin. Kaoru had to bite back a groan. She hadn't meant to pull the red haired man down with her. She hoped he'd forgive her for causing him trouble.
"Well, you would know more about that than me. You've brought me here for a reason and I hope I don't sound too rude in asking what the reason happens to be." Kaoru requested softly. She watched as Tomoe blinked causing her to swallow. She really hoped she hadn't upset the woman. She was beginning to like her.
"Yes, I have. Oh, there's the food! Come in!" Kaoru's head dropped as Tomoe was once again distracted by a knock on the office door. She waited in silence as the meal was set up on the desk before the waitress left. She watched as Tomoe began to eat before also starting on her plate. She wasn't sure how long they ate in silence before Tomoe finally broke the silence once she was finished.
"There are rumors about how good you are at this particular job. I want to know, before we begin, if they're true." Tomoe asked. Kaoru blinked before looking down at her hands as they folder together. She watched as her knuckles turned white before she took a deep breath.
"I don't like to brag. However, I give everything to my job whether it be successful or not. If you ask me for a piece of information I will do everything in my power to get it. That is why I do not ask for payment until afterwards. If I fail to get what you want then you don't pay and I keep my mouth shut if it's illegal. However, I do tend to not take jobs if it involves illegal behavior." Kaoru told her. She looked up to see Tomoe was smiling at her gently with her eyes glinting happily.
"Excellent! I assure you the information I request is…let's put it this way, it is information about a person who cannot be touched by the police. This will be my way in helping them make sure this man will be stopped." Tomoe told her. Kaoru furrowed her eyebrows as she had no idea who she was talking about.
"Who is it and what information do you want?" Kaoru asked. She met Tomoe's eyes as the woman's smile dropped from her face.
"I need information on the weapons he has been smuggling into the country. Along with information on the people he has been sneak in to use those weapons. He is planning a strike on Japan that if it is not stopped who knows what chaos will be caused." she revealed. Kaoru blinked.
"Who in the world?"
"His name is Shishio Makoto and he is determined to destroy this world."