I know, I know, I know…. I'd say I'm sorry, but I'm not. I will admit that conversation was difficult to write. To say what needed to be said and yet still hold an air of ambiguity to it. Stick with me and I promise I'll make it up you. Thank you for all the continued support!
Sanosuke knocked. When he didn't get an answer right away, he knocked again, and tried the knob. It didn't turn and he rest his head on the door. Then abruptly it opened, and he looked up to see his best friend standing in the doorway.
She looked a mess. She wore jeans and a tee shirt, her dark hair tied messily in a bun on top of her head. Her face had clearly been made up for her to go to work but now he could see the streaks on her face from her tears. Without a word, he held his arms out. With a loud sob, she flung herself into his embrace.
He urged her back through the door and closed it behind him. They stood that way, for he wasn't sure how long until her cries finally subsided. He pulled back and pushed her hair from her face. "Tell me exactly what happened."
Absently, Kaoru wiped her cheeks with her hands and moved into the living room. He followed her and saw where she had placed a suitcase on the floor. He hadn't really helped her move but knew most of her clothes had come with her. Mostly her furniture was still at their apartment. "I worked late last night as I have to admit that I was putting off speaking to him. He had left a note that he wanted to talk to me this morning."
"And?"
"And then this morning he told me he was leaving town as the deal was done. That his time away would give me time to pack my things."
Sanosuke stared at her feeling hi eyes go wide. "That's what he said? Really?"
"Really."
He sat down heavily on the couch. "That doesn't make any sense." He muttered running a hand over his face. There was a knock on the front door and then he heard it open.
"Who the hell is that?" Kaoru asked, suddenly turning to see who entered. Megumi appeared, dressed in her usual attire of a dark skirt and button-down blouse. Kaoru whirled on him. "You called her? After I explicitly told you not to?"
"I wanted her here. I'm still trying to understand what happened!"
"I just told you what happened!"
"Kenshin apparently left and told her to move her things while he's gone."
"That's what you said, but I don't believe it." Megumi stopped and her dark eyes moved between the two before settling on Kaoru. "Kenshin told you to move out?"
"That's what I'm telling you."
"But I thought- "The brown eyes looked at him. Sanosuke met her unspoken question and shrugged. "I don't understand."
Dumbfounded, Kaoru stared at them. "What's to understand? He told me to move my shit!" She cried.
There was a beat of silence. Sanosuke glanced at Megumi, silently imploring for help. The tall woman shook her head, not sure how to respond. "I can call some movers to move your things straight away." She finally offered.
"Fine. Whatever." Kaoru moved down the hall to her room.
Sanosuke immediately jumped to his feet and approached the woman while she pulled out her phone. "What the fuck is going on?" He demanded quietly.
"You think I know?" She looked at him as she put the phone to her ear. "It doesn't make any sense." The woman seemed just as perplexed as he felt.
Whoever she called answered and she turned away, barking orders into the phone. Sanosuke stared down the hallway where his friend had disappeared, torn with exactly what he should do. Behind him he heard Megumi end the call. "Movers will be here in half an hour. Shouldn't take long to collect everything."
Slowly, he turned back to her. Her expressive dark eyes studied him. "What exactly happened?" Megumi asked him.
Sanosuke shook his head and ran a hand through his dark hair. "She called me and told me she needed to move; that Kenshin told her to move her things."
"Doesn't make any sense."
He looked up at her sharply. She had said that already. "What doesn't make sense?" He asked her.
The dark eyes looked at him. "After yesterday I thought…" She threw her hands up in exasperation. "Maybe I don't know what I thought." The woman shook her head. " It just doesn't make any sense. I'm almost positive that he bought it." She whispered.
"Bought what?" Megumi looked up at him and he was startled to see unshed tears in her dark brown eyes. "Kitsune, what did he buy?"
Before she could answer, a sharp shout came down the hall. "You two better not be making out or I swear to god, I will punt kick you out the window Sano!"
He swore and ran his hand over his face. "I think I preferred it when she just wanted to drink whiskey all night." He muttered.
"Because that would solve this." Was the quick retort.
He sighed and rose from his spot. "I"m sure the whiskey will be involved eventually." Sanosuke moved down the hall to the woman's room. He entered and paused, taking in the scene.
Clothes were all over the place, two of her suitcases were filled, but not closed. He could see she stood just inside her closet. He approached her slowly. For the first time since he had entered, she was still and calm. Her dark blue eyes were staring at a dress on a hangar. He didn't recognize it, but cautiously stepped forward.
"This was the first dress I wore."
He blinked and glanced at it again. It was hard to fully see it on the hangar, but he thought he recognized the dark blue material. "I remember."
"He told me I was intriguing."
Sanosuke searched his own recollection of that night. He recalled how the redhead had fleetingly glanced at her and then had done a double take when Kenshin had really looked at the woman. "He also said you were beautiful."
The woman's bottom lip quivered. "He told me that again."
Taking another step towards her, he fought the urge to reach out and touch her. "When?"
Kaoru swallowed. "Two nights ago." She murmured. Ducking her head, she rubbed her eyes with her fingers. "I can't take them."
"Then don't."
The azure eyes looked up at him. "For a brief moment I thought it was real. I was going to tell him. I put it off because I was scared and then I thought he was going to tell me the same thing. But he was a stranger to me this morning. And then he told me he was leaving."
Sanosuke studied her. "What did he say to you this morning?" There had to be something she wasn't telling him.
Shaking her head, she finally pushed past him and out of the closet. "He told me that he was leaving and, in his absence, I could move my stuff."
"What else?"
"That's it." He stopped and looked at the ring on her finger. "He asked me if I had changed my mind."
Sanosuke attempted to see if he could unravel anything else the redhead could have meant. "Changed your mind considering what?"
"Our arrangement ends in just a few days. We had agreed; three months." She smiled bitterly. "Told me that we are on the same page."
"I don't think- "
"It's over."
Kaoru walked into the bathroom. She had already cleared her toiletries from the counter. He didn't say anything as he watched her take the ring from her finger and place it on the counter. "Time to go back to reality."
"Jou-chan- "
"I need to pack." In response, there was a distant ring. "The movers are here."
"Jou-chan."
The woman stopped and glanced over at him. "I'm sorry I yelled at you about calling Megumi. It's probably better to have the help. And I like her." She sighed. "Once we're done, can we please go get drunk?"
Her phone buzzed and Megumi sighed, resisting the urge to answer it. They had finished packing Kaoru up by early afternoon and now she watched as the woman proceeded to get drunk. Not that she could blame her. She still had no full idea what was going on, short of what the woman had said. When Sanosuke had called her, she had not expected his request.
"Call some movers. Jou-chan is moving out."
"Moving out of where?" She had asked blithely, fighting back her grin.
"Kenshin's place."
The smile immediately faded. Megumi had stared at her phone. "Kitsune? Are you there?"
"I"m sorry. Can you repeat that?"
The words had left her speechless. After what had transpired the day before, she had thought the move would be in a different direction. She wasn't fully sure what had occurred behind the closed doors of Kenshin's office, but Anthony from Cartier had left with a smug grin on his face.
Even still was Kaoru's insistence that Kenshin had told her to leave. That left her even more bewildered.
Her phone buzzed again, and she finally gave in. She saw she had several missed calls from Aoshi and one from Kenshin. Given the redhead had left town and the nature of the situation she found herself in, she had decided not to return to the office. Though she was nursing her vodka soda, and the pair were currently ordering their second round of shots, she couldn't fully bring herself to feel guilty. Except Aoshi rarely called her unless there was an issue.
The man answered on the first ring. "Where are you?"
"I'm dealing with a situation."
"Drinking in the middle of a workday is how you handle it?"
Uttering a soft curse under her breath, she couldn't help but glance around. How the hell did the man know?
"I see everything." He answered the question she hadn't even asked aloud. There was something unnatural about him.
"Seriously, if I didn't know better, I'd think you were spying on me."
"And you should be aware that is my job to know these things. You left in the middle of the morning and have yet to return to the office. I'd like to know why."
Megumi couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "You don't already know?"
"I wouldn't be asking if I did."
She couldn't help but snort at his response. "I'm dealing with a situation." She repeated.
"What situation?"
"Really Aoshi, I thought you were better at your job."
There was a beat. "I was making a joke about you drinking, but now I can't help but wonder. Where are you?" Behind her Sanosuke and Kaoru clinked glasses and drank down their shots. "You're actually at a bar in the middle of the day?"
She sighed. "Kenshin apparently told Kaoru to move out."
"What?"
"That's what she claims."
Silence and then, "What?"
"Do I really have to repeat myself?" She asked, pinching the bridge of her nose.
There was a beat. "That doesn't make any sense."
"That's what I said!" Her voice raised; she caught the attention of the brunette.
"Oi! Kitsune! Why aren't you drinking with us?"
Megumi waved her hand dismissively at him. "You're with Sagara? Is Kaoru with you as well?"
"I told you; I'm dealing with the situation."
"Megumi, I don't understand." She felt her shoulders sag as she heard the man's voice come through the line. Because she knew him, she could discern the confusion in his voice. "What is going on? Why are you getting drunk with them in the middle of the day?"
She sighed. "First of all, I'm not the one getting drunk. And second, did you miss the part where I told you that Kenshin told Kaoru to move out?"
"Were you not here yesterday?"
"What does that mean?" She snapped. Aoshi had always been there for her and at times she prided herself that she could decipher his cryptic comments. but even this one confused her given the recent turn of events.
''I take it then you will not be returning to the office?"
"No." A thought occurred to her. Kenshin would have landed on the coast and could possibly need her. If it wasn't for the fact that she had also spent the better part of the last six months on this deal, she'd tell the man to get lost. "Did something happen?"
"Kenshin was merely looking for a file. I can have Clara pull it."
"Fine. Is that all?"
"Megs," The name that only Aoshi called her had her growing still. "What happened?"
Megumi sighed. "I don't really know. They apparently spoke this morning before Kenshin left and during the conversation, he told Kaoru to leave."
"Was she the one who decided she didn't want to be involved any longer? I don't fully know if I'd believe that, but at least that I could understand."
The woman looked up at Sanosuke. She recalled the conversation that the pair were in love with each other; that neither of them had recognized it. She shook her head. "Based on her reaction? I don't think she was the one who ended it."
"It doesn't make any sense." He repeated again, the same thing she had been saying since the moment Sanosuke had called her.
"I know! But I'm sitting here watching them getting drunk after Sano called me to arrange movers. She's moved her stuff out." Megumi sighed. "Their agreement was to end in a few days anyway so on some level, it does." A thought occurred to her. "Have you seen or spoken to Kenshin since this morning?"
"Not directly, not since last night. He messaged me, probably after he tried to call you about a file."
"Business as usual."
"This is going to get worse." She heard the man sigh. "Maybe you should be getting drunk in the middle of the day."
"Jealous?"
"I'm not sure."
Watching the pair bicker, Megumi sighed. She had come to care for both of these people, though the brunette was proving to be more of an enigma that she had realized. Two nights they had spent together, and while plenty had happened, Sanosuke had allowed her to set the pace and tone. She would do what she could now, for both him and the woman who she considered a friend. "Since I'm the one who got stuck dealing with the fall out, maybe I should get drunk."
"Call me if you need anything." She ended the call.
"Kitsune! You drinking with us?"
The bartender glanced at her, the bottle still in her hands. She met Sanosuke's dark eyes. He tilted her head to the side and offered her an imploring look. Kaoru on the other hand, was clearly nursing her heartbreak. The brunette had gotten it right on at least one aspect; Kaoru was clearly in love with the redhead.
Megumi shook her head and offered the man a grin. "Why the hell not?"
The town car finally came to a stop in front of his building and Kenshin let loose a breath he felt he had been holding the past two days. When he had left Friday morning, he had been anxious. He couldn't quite shake the woman was avoiding him after their one night together. She had come home late and retreated to her room before he could discuss anything with her. He wanted to try and speak to her before he left but felt as though the words kept getting stuck and he didn't have time to meddle through what he wanted to fully say. However, he thought they were on the same page, and he had left, though feeling slightly at unease about the whole scenario.
There had been some slight haggling on the final sale of the Gold Coast Resort, something he had been prepared for; Megumi had done her job well and was only slightly surprised the file he needed had come from his Clara instead of the taller woman. Tagahashi had signed though, and he was now the owner of a new hotel.
Kenshin had been ready to leave that evening, anxious to return to the city. However, the older man had insisted he stay at least the night to see what amenities he would have to work with once the transfer had fully taken place. He had stayed and met with the staff, already beginning to build relationships and deliver assurances there would be no turnover just because he was now the owner. He had made several attempts to call Kaoru; all went straight to voice mail. Making one last try to return early, his flight had been delayed due to weather. At long last he had managed to return to the city late Saturday, and he realized all he wanted to do was share his good fortune with the beguiling woman who had entered his life.
The anticipation of seeing the woman again was building and he tapped his foot impatiently as the elevator slowly took him to their apartment. Finally reaching the penthouse, Kenshin unlocked the door, excited to see her. He fell against the door, marveling at the turn everything seemed to have taken in his life. He couldn't help himself from grinning. It was late in the day, but given the nature of her work, this was generally the time she would return. He felt like a child, ready to start whatever his future would bring, as long as Kaoru was by his side.
"Kaoru-dono! I'm home." He called. As the words rolled off his tongue, he recognized that he liked how they sounded. He could get used to this.
There was no answer, though he hadn't exactly expected one. He stepped into the living room and saw no one. The flowers he had delivered for her late yesterday were sitting on the coffee table. He had given the doorman permission to put them inside the apartment, wanting her to come home to them last night. He noticed the note was untouched, but maybe she hadn't spotted it.
Kenshin strode down the hall to her room. He knocked, but there was no answer. He couldn't help but glance at his phone and saw it was just after ten. She was probably still at work. He decided champagne would be in order, both for the deal and for their future.
He called down to the front desk. "What would it take to get a bottle of champagne?"
The front desk clerk stuttered but ensured he could have it within the next thirty minutes. Feeling buoyant he changed and pulled out his laptop.
Given that he didn't have much to look over, his attention strayed, and he looked around the room. He glanced once more at his phone, thinking maybe the woman would have messaged him, but there was nothing. There had been no words exchanged between them while he was gone. He hadn't left any voicemails for her, recalling the woman rarely checked them. Still, sitting here now, he was somewhat surprised to note that she also hadn't called, or messaged, him. Not even after he had sent her flowers.
A feeling of unease slipped into him then and he sat back and looked around, feeling as though something was off. It struck him that that the wine fridge the woman had insisted on bringing was missing from the living room. He sat up and looked around again. The woman hadn't really made small details that reflected she lived here, nothing to the living room anyway. But the wine fridge had sat in the corner; and now it was missing. He rose and once more moved down the hall to her room.
He knocked again thought he didn't expect an answer. After a second knock, he turned the knob. it twisted easily in his hand and he opened the door.
The room was empty. Kenshin looked around and found no trace of the woman. The bookcase she had brought was also gone, along with the books. The bed was adorned in the grey duvet he had used before her arrival and not the green spread she had brought with her. Spotting the door to the closet partially open, he crossed to it and discovered the numerous dresses he had bought her in their brief time together. Fingering the one from the most recent event, he recalled how she had glowed in it. He moved to the bathroom. All of the woman's toiletries were gone. He frowned as he spotted something glitter on the counter. Flipping the light on, he moved towards it, wondering where she could have gone. He focused on the object and narrowed his eyes as he recognized it.
On the counter was the engagement ring he had given her weeks ago. Alone, the diamond sparkled in the light,
"No." He whispered.
Kenshin picked up the ring and moved through the room again. The drawers were empty, devoid of clothing. None of her pictures were on the dresser top and the alarm clock and charger were missing from the nightstand. He moved back to the closet, where he had encountered her numerous times. Nothing hung from the hangars except the gowns. "No!" He cried it out again. The outside phone rung, telling him someone from the downstairs needed up. He rushed to the phone and answered.
"Himura-San, the champagne you ordered is here."
"Do you know of Kaoru-dono?" He asked.
"Kaoru-dono?"
"The woman who has been residing with me?"
"Oh. She moved out yesterday. She left her keys at the desk." There was a pause. "Do you still want the champagne?"
We had to know it would get worse, before it gets better. Again, I want to thank everyone for the continued support. Kisses until next time!
