AN at the end! Enjoy!
It was way too early in the morning for phone calls, Kaoru thought as she rolled over onto her stomach. The loud chirping of her phone couldn't even be drowned out by the pillow she had placed over her head. She groaned as she reached out to pick up the device as it continued its annoying song. The person calling her, she didn't recognize the number, was being extremely persistent.
"Hello?" she mumbled as she buried her face back into her pillow. She was half tempted to fall asleep on the person on the other end. She felt as though it would be just revenge for calling her before she had her first cup of coffee. Everyone that knew her knew she couldn't function without her first dose of caffeine.
"Hello, Miss Kaoru, this is Kenshin. We met yesterday before you had your meeting with Tomoe, that we did." the voice greeted her cheerfully. She blinked blearily at the voice before yawning as her mind instantly supplied the image of a redhead.
"I only have one question for you…do you know what time it is?" she asked. She was sure she heard him laugh but blocked it out. She had no desire to talk someone when they were laughing at her because she was still sleeping.
"It is seven-thirty in the morning, Miss Kaoru. I was hoping you would join me for breakfast at this little café I know. Is nine o'clock alright with you?" he asked. Kaoru scowled before finally sitting up as she rubbed her eyes. She knew now that she was awake there was no way she would be going to sleep. It was how she had been since she could first remember.
"I promised Tomoe I would work on her request today. I need to get as much information about this particular person before I even think about diving head first into this problem. Believe it or not, I'm a very cautious person when it comes to my job." she told him as she attempted to keep defensiveness out of her tone. She stretched as she waited for him to respond to her statement.
"Then a good breakfast is the way to start the day. Allow me to treat you before you get involved in this." he replied. Kaoru had to bite back a smile at the stubbornness she could sense in the tone. She knew arguing with him was only going to end in a headache for her. She knew he wasn't going to give in.
"You're awfully persistent. Alright, if we can move up the breakfast to eight-thirty and you give me the address I'll meet you there." she told him. She heard him laugh and knew this time it wasn't because she was half asleep. She wanted him to know she could be just as stubborn as he was. She didn't give in to anyone unless she felt it absolutely necessary. She wasn't going to let him know she felt it was necessary to give into him so she could do her job.
"I'll agree to your conditions then. The café is just down the street from the west end of Tokyo University." he told her. She stood up and went over to the window of her bedroom as she kept the arm close to her ear.
"Very well, I'll meet you there. Bye, Kenshin." she said. She didn't give him a chance to return the farewell before hanging up. She stuck her tongue out at the phone as she threw it on the bed. 'I can't believe he woke me up this early! Gah, I want sleep!'
'Free food.' was the only reply her stomach gave. She groaned before disappearing into her bathroom to ready herself to go meet the redhead.
Kaoru found herself sitting in the café at the appointed time. It was bigger than she had thought it would be since it was listed as a café. She supposed it should have not been much of a surprise considering how close it was to campus. It needed the space to occupy all of the students who undoubtedly frequented the shop.
She watched in amusement as the redhead entered the shop with his hair still pulled back in a low ponytail. She was glad to see he wasn't wearing the suit he had been wearing when they first met. Instead he had on a plain t-shirt and jeans. He really looked as though he belonged with the students on campus instead of being a manager of one of the most well-known restaurants in Japan.
"Ah, there you are, Miss Kaoru. Oh? You haven't ordered anything yet?" the man asked as he sat down across from her. She blinked at him as his violet eyes met hers curiously. She returned the curiosity with a small smile.
"My parents taught me it is common courtesy to wait for all parties involved in an outside meal to arrive. Especially when the one that invited you hadn't made it yet." she told him. He chuckled as he folded his hands. She watched as he sent her a small smile before shaking his head with a soft sigh.
"So you waited for me even though it is clear you are starving?" he asked. She felt her cheeks turn red as her stomach grumbled loudly at his statement. She looked down at her stomach in horror as he chuckled at her. "Well, I feel it absolutely necessary now to pay for your breakfast. Order anything you would like."
Kaoru had no issue in doing exactly that. Once they received their orders they ate in silence. She had a feeling the meeting was about more than just him treating her to an early breakfast. It was easy to see in his eyes. He wanted to talk to her about something and she had the feeling she had no choice but to listen.
"You invited me here for something other than to just treat me to breakfast, didn't you, Kenshin? Spill the beans or I'm going to tell Tomoe her employees are hindering my job." she told him. He blinked at her before sitting his glass down from where he'd been taking a sip of water. He leaned back in his chair with a small smile playing around the corners of his mouth.
"You're sharp. I wouldn't expect anything less from someone Tomoe hired for this particular job." he replied. She just crossed her arms. She wasn't going to say anything until he actually answered her question. "Very well…I came here to warn you. That man is more dangerous than you think. There's very little information that you can gather on him without getting his attention. You don't want that."
"Oh, you mean information like he's spent a little over fourteen million dollars in transporting certain items to his headquarters in downtown Tokyo. Or how about the fact he has hired roughly ten new employees in high paying positions but all of their information to put them on payroll is mysteriously blank? There is also the fact that all of them arrived in Japan under assumed names because they are wanted under their real names in other countries. And the one that I personally find out the most was the person everyone thinks is him, the guy that makes all the public appearances, isn't actually him but a fake?" she whispered furiously as she leaned forward. She watched as his eyes went wide at the information she had just blurted out to him before she smirked. "All of this information that you and Tomoe already knew, right?"
"Well, yes, we did. However, I know Tomoe didn't tell you all of that before you left her office. How did you find out all of that without gaining his attention? I know how Shishio works; if he thought you'd been gaining intelligence on him he would have already had someone at your door." Kenshin finally said once his eyes had gone back to their normal size.
"Well, first of all I managed to hack into the mainframe of his computer system from my own little computer. While it's not completely full proof I have the machine set up to change the IP address every three to five seconds making it hard to trace. That's how I got most of the information. The information about the guy who makes public appearances not being the true Shishio, well that wasn't exactly brain science." she revealed. Kenshin leaned forward so his elbows were on the table with his hands supporting his chin.
"You've got me intrigued, Miss Kaoru, that you do. Please continue." he said with a small smile. She tilted her head before laughing. He looked like a child who wanted her to continue with the Christmas story she had been telling.
"Shishio's wife never interacts with him in public. From all the articles I found online she said she couldn't keep her hands off of him. So why, when they are in front of audience does she never even touch him? Newlyweds, even the famous ones, usually at least hold hands in public or give small kisses. She's done neither. It also helps that I found the man's name, Sadojima Hoji, under his picture in a locked area of the employee profile page on their website. It was easily hacked into." she finished. She watched as he leaned back with a sigh and amused smile on his lips.
"You are really good. I suppose I won't have to worry too much about you and Misao while you're doing this job." he told her. She sent him a smile.
"My thanks. Unfortunately, I'll still have to get into the building and get onto their actual computers to get the information Tomoe wants. I tried to hack into it but the system is far too complex for my little computer to handle. I'll need to see what I'm up against. That is where Misao will be able to accompany me." she said. He nodded before chuckling softly under his breath. She tilted her head curiously wondering what he was thinking about her.
"You really do amaze me, Miss Kaoru. If I can be of any assistance, please do not hesitate to ask." the smile he sent her caused Kaoru's cheeks to heat up. She wondered what it meant if her heart rate sped up because he was smiling at her.
"Thank you. I do have a question for you. Why do you call me 'Miss' but not Tomoe?" she asked. She watched as head tilted to the side.
"Well, I respect you. Not to say I don't respect Tomoe, I do. It's just we're friends while I've just met you. I hope it doesn't bother you." he told her with a smile. She found that it didn't bother her as much as it probably should have. He was right, after all. They had just met so they had to build the friendship up.
"I understand. Well, I should get to work. Thank you for the breakfast Kenshin." she stood up from the table with a bright smile. She began to walk towards the door before pausing slightly. She bit her lip as she took a deep breath. She turned back slightly to meet his eyes as he had been watching her leave.
"You will let me know when we're friends, right?" she asked. She watched as his eyes went wide before glazing. She was about to ask if she had done something wrong before he seemed to shake himself out of his daze.
"I'm not very good at knowing when I cross lines, Miss Kaoru. I've always been a little clueless on how to classify my relationships." he replied gently. She blinked before her smiled widened even more than it already was.
"Well, I'll make sure you know when we're friends, Kenshin. I'd like to think we're on our way there. Bye!" she ran out without looking back. If she had she would have seen Kenshin staring after her.
'Those…words…they're exactly…get hold of yourself, Himura! Now is not the time for this!' he shook his head to clear his thoughts. He couldn't afford, mentally, to go down this particular road. Oh, god, the memories. Snow. Blood. Hot, searing pain. The smell of Jasmine permeating the air.
"Sir?" he jumped as a voice interrupted his painful trip down memory lane. He put on a smile to assure the waitress he was alright. He watched as she walked away before letting out a soft sigh. He had known what the consequences would be if he met with her on his own. Tomoe had tried to warn him but he had ignored it. He let out a deep breath as he stood up.
"Meeting with her will only cause you to remember things you would rather forget, Kenshin. As your friend I implore you not to do this to yourself." Tomoe's voice echoed in his head as he walked out of the café. He let out another sigh as he eyes glazed over. It had been so long but it seemed the pain would never go away. He swallowed as his hand reached up to touch the scar on his cheek. He deserved the jagged reminder Tomoe had given him for his sins.
"Huh?" he blinked as his cell phone began to go off. He reached into his pants pocket and pulled the device off. He looked at the text message Tomoe had sent him indicating she was agitated and that he was late for his shift at the restaurant. "Oro? She sounds mad, that she does!"
"You know, for a guy who has one of his employees pretend to be him in the public eye…he really likes to build showy buildings." Misao whispered to Kaoru as they stared up at the huge skyscraper in downtown Tokyo that housed the headquarters for Shishio's corporation. Kaoru found she had no choice but to agree with Misao's statement. The building certainly made a statement. It looked as though it had been covered in light and shone brightly against the other darkened skyscrapers.
Kaoru let out a soft sigh as she looked down the watch on her wrist. It nearly midnight and she was fairly certain no one would be in the building. At least she hoped so. Explaining why she and Misao, two people who shouldn't be there, would be very tricky. She glanced at Misao with worry in her stomach. She really, really hoped Tomoe had been right to say the girl was good at her job as a ninja.
"What? Why are you looking at me like that? What did I do?" Misao asked once she realized Kaoru was staring at her. The blue eyed girl laughed as she scratched the back of her head. She should have realized the other girl would notice her staring. It wasn't a surprise if she thought about it.
"I'm just hoping that you actually know what to do." she replied as she turned away from her friend. She rolled her eyes as she heard Misao fall to the floor in surprise. She didn't bother to look back to see if she was right about her falling. The groan that accompanied the loud thump told her she was right.
"You still have so little faith in me?!" Misao cried. Kaoru sent her a look that told the other girl to keep quiet. She didn't need them to be busted before they even made it into the building itself. She had a bad feeling that with Misao being with her that the job was going to be much harder than it normally would be.
"I wonder why? If you don't lower your voice we're going to be caught and sent to jail before we even set foot inside. Let me figure out how to get passed this lock. It's more complicated of a lock than what I thought would be on the back door of the building." Kaoru said. She studied the lock before blinking as Misao stepped up to it. She watched as the woman played with the lock for only a few seconds before the door open. Kaoru felt her jaw drop open.
"H-How?" she whispered. Misao turned to look at her with a small smile on her face that clearly boasted of her awesomeness. Kaoru had to bite back the urge to tackle the girl just to wipe away that smile.
"I may seem like I don't know what I'm doing, Kaoru, but that's how the Oniwanbanshuu operate. We have to keep our secrecy so we can do our job accurately. Trust me, Kaoru." Misao told her. The other girl smiled gently before nodding as she finally realized Misao knew what she was doing.
"Alright, alright. You've convinced me. I'm sorry for doubting you, Misao. You have to understand that all I've ever seen you do is klutz out." Kaoru pointed out. Misao made a face before holding her hands up.
"I understand. Apology accepted. Let's hurry and see if we can get what you're looking for. I doubt we'll have much time considering how much security Shishio has. I feel as though we have a short window of time." Misao told her. Kaoru nodded before going through the open door quickly. She knew Misao would be able to keep up with her.
She made her way quickly, but silently, through the hallways. She had spent the rest of her memorizing the blue prints of the building. She had known that there would be little time to do what she wanted to she needed to know the layout to make the most of her time. She continued to run looking for the small computer room that she knew was her best option to get in, get the information, and get out without being noticed.
She stopped in front of the door that hid the room she had been looking for. She let out a deep breath as she reached out to open the door. She was relieved when it easily opened and she entered. She approached the middle computer of the three computers that were in the room. She looked up as Misao also entered the room while closing the door behind her.
"Well, now what? It seems we're in your domain instead of mine." Misao said. Kaoru winked at her as she pulled out a small device from her pocket. It looked like a USB drive but for some reason Misao felt it was a little more complicated than that.
"I'll plug this nifty device into the computer system. It'll get pass the mainframe security and search for the terms I've programed it to look for. It shouldn't take more than a few minutes for it to finish then we can leave." Kaoru said. She turned to the computer and quickly set the device up. She watched the screen as the program began to break through passwords and firewalls to get to the information she needed.
"I didn't know you knew so much about technology, Kaoru. It's a secret you hid very well." Misao said with a small smile. Kaoru turned to look at her before shrugging her shoulders.
"I have to know the technology if I'm going to be successful in this particular career. It looks as though we've both kept secrets from each other even though we're friends." Kaoru replied. Misao chuckled as she scratched the back of her head.
"I guess you're right. Well, it doesn't really matter anymore. We know now and if you ever need help after this job let me know. I'll be more than happy to help you." Misao told her. Kaoru blinked before smiling in gratitude.
"Thanks, Misao. I may very well take you up on that offer." they sat in silence for only a moment longer before the computer beeped. "Oh, we're done. Let's get out of here before anyone thinks something weird is going on."
"Yeah." Misao agreed. Kaoru quickly followed their previous steps and had them out on the street in under a minute. She shared a small smile with her friend before they both broke out into giggles.
"Tell Tomoe I'll give her a call tomorrow to let her know what I found out." Kaoru told her. The black haired girl nodded before heading off in the opposite direction Kaoru would take to get home. Kaoru watched until Misao's figure disappeared before heading to her own home.
"Alright, let's see what information we managed to get." Kaoru said under her breath as she plugged the device into her own laptop. She watched as all the information loaded. She began to scroll through the documents she'd managed to snatch before pausing as one file name managed to catch her attention over all the others.
"Shishio's birth certificate? Why would that be under lock and key?" Kaoru murmured as she clicked on the file. Her eyes went wide as she scanned the information on the scan of the birth certificate that had opened up on her computer screen. "B-birth date…1843?! H-How is that possible?!"
She continued to stare in stunned amazement even as her phone began to ring. She didn't even think about who would be calling her so late at night. She couldn't hear anything as there was a loud buzzing in her ears. She was pulled out of her astonishment as her answering machine picked up the phone call.
"Miss Kaoru? This is Kenshin, Tomoe wanted me to call to check on you. It seems as though Shishio's building has caught on fire. Please, call me back as-"
"Kenshin?" she had managed to get to the phone before he finished his message. She was sure she heard him let out a relieved breath but didn't say anything about it.
"Ah, I guess you were asleep. I should've told Tomoe there was no reason to worry. I'm sorry for waking you, Miss Kaoru, that I am." he replied. She let out a small laugh before shaking her head. She was about to rely before frowning as there was a knock on the door.
"Kenshin, did you all send someone to check on me?" she whispered into the phone.
"Not that I know, Miss Kaoru." he replied. She swallowed as fear began to swell in her stomach. Something was telling her this was not good. She slowly approached the door and opened it while keeping Kenshin on the phone. Her eyes went wide at the man standing in her doorway. He was smiling at her but what surprised her the most was the sword he had in hand.
"I'm sorry, Kaoru Kamiya, but you're going to have to die." he told her. She dropped the phone as Kenshin began to call her name. She was about to reply before the man turned as hand was placed on his shoulder.
Kaoru watched as a much taller man appeared in a trench coat. She swallowed as she met his ice cold blue eyes. She wondered if he had also been sent by Shishio to get rid of her. She continued to watch as he put his other hand in his coat as he turned to the smiling boy with a glare on his face.
"This girl is under our protection. Go tell Shishio if he tries to approach her one more time I will have his head." the other man told the boy. Kaoru watched as her original visitor smiled before bowing then leaving. Kaoru let out a small relieved breath before jumping as the taller man turned towards.
"Uh, thanks?" she said hesitantly. He shook his head at her.
"Misao requested I help protect you. I just got in town and was coming over to talk to you." he replied. She tilted her head.
"You know Misao?" she asked. He smiled suddenly causing Kaoru to blink at the huge change it caused. He no longer looked like an ice block but actually like someone she would be willing to approach. Unfortunately the smile went as quickly as it came.
"I do. I'm the Okashira of the Oniwanbanshuu. Aoshi Shinomori." he introduced. Kaoru was about to reply to the introduction before suddenly Kenshin appeared behind him breathing hard. Kaoru watched as the man named Aoshi looked down at the shorter redhead.
"You're alright…I'm glad." he managed to wheeze. Kaoru chuckled as she shook her head as realization hit her. He must have panicked when she didn't answer him when he had started calling for her on the phone she had dropped on the floor.
"Thanks to Aoshi. You didn't have to run all the way here, Kenshin." she told him. He shrugged as he straightened up from where he had bent over to catch his breath.
"I felt as though it was necessary, that I did." was his reply. She rolled her eyes and was about to invite them in for tea before a clicking sound made her turn.
The last things she remembered was Kenshin yelling for her to get down, Aoshi grabbing her arm to pull her close, a loud explosion, and heat. Lots of heat. Then everything went black.
I hope you enjoyed! I really hope you'll review! This story hasn't got many reviews and it makes me very sad :( I just love hearing from you guys about what you have to say about the story! I also love speculations about where the story could possibly go! Once again, review, review, review! Please and thank you! See you in the next chapter!