Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ If I Should Fall ❯ Chapter 3
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Dreamweaver 
Soujiro gets a surprise.
Anime/Manga: Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Romance | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 10.10.2004 | Updated On: 12.07.2004 | Pages: 4 | Words: 2.8K | Visits: 290 | Status: Completed
Soujiro gets a surprise.
Anime/Manga: Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Romance | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 10.10.2004 | Updated On: 12.07.2004 | Pages: 4 | Words: 2.8K | Visits: 290 | Status: Completed
Music_nerd101: lol You're welcome :-) I really like that song (obviously, or I wouldn't have quoted it lol). I've come up with a system for looking up lyrics when I don't know the song title and/or the artist: type (I'll use 'Everything you Want' as an example) "Lyrics He's everything you want he's everything you need" into a search engine (basically "Lyrics"- then quote a few lyrics that you remember) and it will usually come up with the title, artist and the full lyrics. It might even come up with what album its from. lol Just thought I'd let you know that-it might come in handy if your radio station is anything like mine-hardly ever letting you know the title of a song. In case you're wondering, the lyrics in this chapter are that of 'Comfortably Numb' by Pink Floyd. I have decided to write a bit of a commentary later in this chapter about Soujiro and his music, so enjoy!
And this chappie is dedicated to you for being my most interesting reviewer! :-D
Mysterious Samurai: Thank you! :-) Yes, by the end he will be. I'm trying to go somewhere with hiser, obnoxious demeanorbut yes, by the end he will (hopefully) be the Sou everyone knows and loves :-) .
Snow White: Glad you like it! I'll tryI have a hard time writing long chappies (my mind just runs too fast and I'm anxious to move on to the next one), but I'll try especially hard for you. ^_^ Thanks for reviewing!
Cathy Mark: Thanks! I will (hopefully lol).
Constant_reader: Here ye be. :-) Thanks for reviewing!
No way out!: ::bows:: Thank you! I didn't realize that I was deserving of a '-sama' lol. Here ye be! Hope you enjoy! lol
Captain of the 3 rd Unit of Shinsengumi: Yay! Okay, I'll be sure and finish it. :-D You gave me a great incentive! lol I'm glad you think it's good. Thanks for reviewing!
Silent Tears of Agony: Sorry, it slipped my mind. I had been sitting on that chapter for quite a while, putting off posting it so when I finally decided to post it it never occurred to me to let you beta-read it lol. -_- Luv you sweetie.
If I Should Fall
Chapter 3
- Hello?
Is there anybody in there?
Just nod if you can hear me.
Is there anyone home?
Come on, now.
I hear you're feeling down.
Well I can ease your pain,
Get you on your feet again.
Relax.
I need some information first.
Just the basic facts,
Can you show me where it hurts?
There is no pain, you are receding.
A distant ship's smoke on the horizon.
You are only coming through in waves.
Your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying.
When I was a child I had a fever.
My hands felt just like two balloons.
Now I got that feeling once again.
I can't explain, you would not understand.
This is not how I am.
I have become comfortably numb.
Okay.
Just a little pinprick.
There'll be no more ...Aaaaaahhhhh!
But you may feel a little sick.
Can you stand up?
I do believe it's working.
Good.
That'll keep you going for the show.
Come on it's time to go.
There is no pain, you are receding.
A distant ship's smoke on the horizon.
You are only coming through in waves.
Your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying.
When I was a child I caught a fleeting glimpse,
Out of the corner of my eye.
I turned to look but it was gone.
I cannot put my finger on it now.
The child is grown, the dream is gone.
I have become comfortably numb. -
Soujiro could hear Shishio walk into the other room, closing the door behind him, and quietly speaking with Yumi. A whispered conversation, a frustrated sigh. Soujiro had heard that sigh so many times in the past.
He looked around. The glass had been cleaned up, but the mirror still needed to be replaced. His hands throbbed, a constant reminder of last night's outburst. He wondered absent-mindedly what Shishio would say to him. What Shishio would say to the press. What Shishio would say to all the fans that had traveled who knows how far to see Soujiro fight.
"Meow."
Soujiro smiled and bent down to pick up Isis when Shishio burst into the room, causing her to scamper away.
"What the HELL did you think you were doing?"
Soujiro licked his lips and sat back down. "I-I'm sorry"
"Yeah, well, sorry doesn't cut it." He sighed and began pacing the room. "I can't believe thisfuck, Soujiro, you KNOW better than this! Remember what happened last time? The whole Middleweight Championship is at stake! Don't you ever think before you do things?"
Soujiro stared at the floor, memorizing the weave of the carpet.
Shishio ran one hand through his hair, trying to collect his thoughts. Finally he stopped and sighed. "Let me see your hands."
Soujiro held his hands out obediently. Shishio unwrapped them and studied the wounds, all the while Soujiro began to wiggle his toes. It was an odd little nervous habit he had acquired as a child, much like how people tap their foot or start rambling nonsensically. Only this was much more inconspicuous, which was why he preferred it.
Shishio sighed and resumed pacing, making Soujiro wish desperately for some music. Music helped ease the tension.
Music could help you escape.
"You're still fighting on Sunday."
Soujiro looked up with a raised eyebrow but said nothing.
"I'm not going to let the public down just because you pull a little stunt like this. It's not going to kill you to fight with those cuts. If they hurt, too bad. It's your own damn fault."
Soujiro looked back down at the floor. "Yes, Mister Shishio."
"I'll have a doctor come in to look at the cuts. Try to stay out of trouble until then." With that, Shishio walked out, slamming the door behind him.
Soujiro sighed and headed straight for his CD case. Today it was a toss-up between Sarah McLachlan and Evanescence. He had taken a preference to female artists; he found their voices to be much more soothing than male ones, regardless of the style of music they sang to.
He finally settled on Sarah McLachlan, and set his stereo to repeat one specific track: Fallen.
--------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------
"Soujiro? Soujiro, are you awake?"
Soujiro cracked one eye open to see a very lovely woman looking down at him.
'Although she's not as pretty as Yumi.' He shut his eyes, but they suddenly flew open again. 'Wait a minute, where did that thought come from??'
"Soujiro, I'm Doctor Takani, I need to look at your hands."
Soujiro mumbled something inaudibly and turned towards her, holding out his hands. Nothing was said for quite some time, and Soujiro began to drift back to sleep. The wounds were deep with jagged edges. No one had explained to the Doctor how he got them, but judging by the broken mirrors in the room, she could guess.
"I see you like Sarah McLachlan." She said pleasantly, trying to make idle conversation. The silence had been unnerving.
"Yeah."
"She has such a pretty voice."
"Yeah."
Again there was an uncomfortable silence. Megumi sighed. "You really need stitches, but your manager told me not to give you any. He thought you would just pull them out. SooooI'm going to use this instead."
Soujiro opened his eyes to see her holding a small tube.
"What is it?" He croaked.
"It's a new product designed to take the place of stitches. It seals the wound and helps the edges to knit back together. And, the best part of all, it's painless."
"Kinda like a liquid bandaid?"
"To a degree, yes." She studied him for a moment. "Mister Shishio thought I should give you a tranquilizer, but you don't need one in the state you're in." She began to gather up her supplies.
"Umwhat did you say your name was?" He asked quietly as she stood to leave.
"Doctor Takani. I'm a family practitioner." She gave a little shrug. "But you can call me Megumi, if you like."
He said nothing and she turned to leave, but stopped when she heard a small voice.
"Thank you, Megumi."
Megumi smiled and walked out, shutting the door behind her.
"Well?" Shishio asked.
"I didn't give him any stitches, as you asked. He seemed really out of it so I didn't give him a tranquilizer, either."
Shishio frowned but said nothing.
"I need to go, I have patients waiting. Nice meeting you." She said the latter part more out of politeness than anything else. The man gave her the creeps.
Shishio said nothing back but gave a dismissive wave and walked into the other room.
----------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------
Yumi hummed contentedly. This was the first time in months that she felt truly happy. Soujiro had been right, Shishio didn't yell at her, for he was too preoccupied with yelling at Soujiro.
She stopped and frowned momentarily. Poor Soujiro.
She sighed and pushed all thoughts of the two men from her mind. This was no time to be pouting. After all, she was shoe shopping! You can't be sad when you're shopping for shoes!
The smile returned to Yumi's face. Las Vegas had some of the finest shoe stores in the state, and she was determined to hit every single one of them. She had $50 of her own, and had taken $100 out of Makoto's wallet the night before. That was sure to earn her a few harsh words when she returned, but she didn't worry about it.
In fact, she smiled gleefully at the thought of her own cleverness, Makoto never yelled at her like he did Soujiro.
Well, he did yell at her, but not as vehemently as he did at Soujiro.
That was one of the few reasons she stuck by the man - his bottomless wallet.
Yumi had never had money of her own. She was raised dirt poor. Throughout high school she had managed to hold down a job as a waitress, bringing the money home to her drunken father. That was how she met the young, talented, rich, soon-to-be-ex-boxer, Makoto Shishio. She waited on him at the Diner. They had been together ever since.
Yumi smiled at her reflection in the mirror, most specifically the silver high-heeled sandals she was trying on. Yes, she was definitely going to buy these.
She motioned the sales clerk over and handed the shoes to him. "I'll take these."
The sales clerk nodded. "Would you like to see any others, miss?"
Yumi thought for a minute. "Surewhy not."
Of course, just because they were together for eight years didn't mean they were married. Yumi frowned at the thought. For the first couple of years Makoto had kept promising to marry her. As soon as he had won the Middleweight Championship Title, he said. But then he was injured, and the promises stopped. And then he brought Soujiro home. And nothing more was mentioned about marriage.
"These, miss?"
"Yesthose."
------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------
"How many times have I told you not to take money out of my wallet?"
Yumi jumped slightly. She hadn't realized Shishio was sitting in the darkened room, watching her. "II'm sorry, you weren't around to ask."
She cried out as Shishio grabbed her roughly, his fingers digging deeply into her arms.
"Don't ever. do that. again."
His voice was icy, sending a shiver down her spine. That was the second time in the past three days she had heard those words. But when Soujiro said itit was different somehow. It didn't seem as menacing. When Shishio said it, it made her cringe.
"I-I wont."
He stood there for a minute longer, his fingers digging in to her arms painfully. Finally he let go and walked out, not bothering to shut the door behind him.
Yumi stared after him, rubbing her arms. Apparently Soujiro wasn't the only one who was becoming increasingly violent.
She heard a click to her right, and turned to see a robe-and-slippers clad Soujiro shuffle into the room, looking every bit like a sleepwalker.
"Yumi, have you seen Isis?" He whispered hoarsely.
Yumi shook her head. "No, I haven't."
His shoulders slumped and he stared at the floor for a moment. He had looked everywhere for her, where could she be? Slowly he cocked his head to the side and looked up at Yumi from under his bangs. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah." She said, slightly dazed and still rubbing her arms. "I'm fine."
Soujiro shuffled over to her till he stood right in front of her, staring deep into her eyes. Her breath caught. It was such a strange feelinga kind of giddyness
"You sure?"
Yumi nodded, breaking herself away from his penetrating gaze. "Yes Soujiro, I'm fine."
Soujiro sighed and turned around slowly, as if to leave, but instead he just stood there. Yumi raised an eyebrow. Why was he just standing there? Maybe he was trying to think of where his cat could be.
"Yumi?"
Yumi jumped slightly. His voice was now clear and strong and held a commanding note; a stark contrast to the tired, hoarse whisper he talked in before.
"What?"
Slowly Soujiro turned back around and shuffled closer to her, till they were almost touching. "Don't let him treat you like that. You don't deserve to be treated so badly. You've done so much for the two of us, and he's never even thanked you for it. Justdon't let him treat you that way, Yumi. Please."
Yumi blinked. Had he witnessed the whole incident? Had he seen other incidents?
Before she could respond, Soujiro turned away and shuffled back into the other room, leaving Yumi standing alone in the dark. She had never imagined Soujiro would say something like that. Soujirowho would either scream at you, or bury his head in the sand. She looked at the doorway that led into the adjoining suite, Soujiro's suite. The door was now closed, but she could hear Soujiro calling "Here kitty, kitty, kitty" in his tired voice. She shook her head. The whole thing left her feelingodd.
------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------
Kaoru sighed nervously. She had called to invite her brother to dinner the night before, and he had sounded unusually out of it. He said he had a promo in the morning, but he was sure dinner would be fine. Then he mentioned something about Yumi and his missing cat. She listened to him complain about not being able to find his cat for another ten minutes before she finally convinced him that he needed to get to sleep for the promo.
She was worried. As much as she wanted to tell everyone the news, she wasn't sure how Soujiro would take it.
"Are you okay?"
Kaoru smiled at Kenshin and nodded a bit too exuberantly. Kenshin couldn't help but chuckle.
"I'm sure everything will be just fine. What's the worst that could happen?"
Kaoru shook her head. "I don't knowhe could try to beat you up."
Kenshin shrugged and put his arm around Kaoru. "I'm sure he won't."
Kaoru smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder, but straightened up suddenly when she noticed Soujiro entering the restaurant. She noticed him stop and stare at their table, obviously wondering why Kenshin was there.
He forced a smile and continued on.
"Hey Sou!"
Soujiro smiled a little wider. "Hey sis." He turned to Kenshin and gave a slight bow. "Hello, Mister Himura
And this chappie is dedicated to you for being my most interesting reviewer! :-D
Mysterious Samurai: Thank you! :-) Yes, by the end he will be. I'm trying to go somewhere with hiser, obnoxious demeanorbut yes, by the end he will (hopefully) be the Sou everyone knows and loves :-) .
Snow White: Glad you like it! I'll tryI have a hard time writing long chappies (my mind just runs too fast and I'm anxious to move on to the next one), but I'll try especially hard for you. ^_^ Thanks for reviewing!
Cathy Mark: Thanks! I will (hopefully lol).
Constant_reader: Here ye be. :-) Thanks for reviewing!
No way out!: ::bows:: Thank you! I didn't realize that I was deserving of a '-sama' lol. Here ye be! Hope you enjoy! lol
Captain of the 3 rd Unit of Shinsengumi: Yay! Okay, I'll be sure and finish it. :-D You gave me a great incentive! lol I'm glad you think it's good. Thanks for reviewing!
Silent Tears of Agony: Sorry, it slipped my mind. I had been sitting on that chapter for quite a while, putting off posting it so when I finally decided to post it it never occurred to me to let you beta-read it lol. -_- Luv you sweetie.
If I Should Fall
Chapter 3
- Hello?
Is there anybody in there?
Just nod if you can hear me.
Is there anyone home?
Come on, now.
I hear you're feeling down.
Well I can ease your pain,
Get you on your feet again.
Relax.
I need some information first.
Just the basic facts,
Can you show me where it hurts?
There is no pain, you are receding.
A distant ship's smoke on the horizon.
You are only coming through in waves.
Your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying.
When I was a child I had a fever.
My hands felt just like two balloons.
Now I got that feeling once again.
I can't explain, you would not understand.
This is not how I am.
I have become comfortably numb.
Okay.
Just a little pinprick.
There'll be no more ...Aaaaaahhhhh!
But you may feel a little sick.
Can you stand up?
I do believe it's working.
Good.
That'll keep you going for the show.
Come on it's time to go.
There is no pain, you are receding.
A distant ship's smoke on the horizon.
You are only coming through in waves.
Your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying.
When I was a child I caught a fleeting glimpse,
Out of the corner of my eye.
I turned to look but it was gone.
I cannot put my finger on it now.
The child is grown, the dream is gone.
I have become comfortably numb. -
Soujiro could hear Shishio walk into the other room, closing the door behind him, and quietly speaking with Yumi. A whispered conversation, a frustrated sigh. Soujiro had heard that sigh so many times in the past.
He looked around. The glass had been cleaned up, but the mirror still needed to be replaced. His hands throbbed, a constant reminder of last night's outburst. He wondered absent-mindedly what Shishio would say to him. What Shishio would say to the press. What Shishio would say to all the fans that had traveled who knows how far to see Soujiro fight.
"Meow."
Soujiro smiled and bent down to pick up Isis when Shishio burst into the room, causing her to scamper away.
"What the HELL did you think you were doing?"
Soujiro licked his lips and sat back down. "I-I'm sorry"
"Yeah, well, sorry doesn't cut it." He sighed and began pacing the room. "I can't believe thisfuck, Soujiro, you KNOW better than this! Remember what happened last time? The whole Middleweight Championship is at stake! Don't you ever think before you do things?"
Soujiro stared at the floor, memorizing the weave of the carpet.
Shishio ran one hand through his hair, trying to collect his thoughts. Finally he stopped and sighed. "Let me see your hands."
Soujiro held his hands out obediently. Shishio unwrapped them and studied the wounds, all the while Soujiro began to wiggle his toes. It was an odd little nervous habit he had acquired as a child, much like how people tap their foot or start rambling nonsensically. Only this was much more inconspicuous, which was why he preferred it.
Shishio sighed and resumed pacing, making Soujiro wish desperately for some music. Music helped ease the tension.
Music could help you escape.
"You're still fighting on Sunday."
Soujiro looked up with a raised eyebrow but said nothing.
"I'm not going to let the public down just because you pull a little stunt like this. It's not going to kill you to fight with those cuts. If they hurt, too bad. It's your own damn fault."
Soujiro looked back down at the floor. "Yes, Mister Shishio."
"I'll have a doctor come in to look at the cuts. Try to stay out of trouble until then." With that, Shishio walked out, slamming the door behind him.
Soujiro sighed and headed straight for his CD case. Today it was a toss-up between Sarah McLachlan and Evanescence. He had taken a preference to female artists; he found their voices to be much more soothing than male ones, regardless of the style of music they sang to.
He finally settled on Sarah McLachlan, and set his stereo to repeat one specific track: Fallen.
--------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------
"Soujiro? Soujiro, are you awake?"
Soujiro cracked one eye open to see a very lovely woman looking down at him.
'Although she's not as pretty as Yumi.' He shut his eyes, but they suddenly flew open again. 'Wait a minute, where did that thought come from??'
"Soujiro, I'm Doctor Takani, I need to look at your hands."
Soujiro mumbled something inaudibly and turned towards her, holding out his hands. Nothing was said for quite some time, and Soujiro began to drift back to sleep. The wounds were deep with jagged edges. No one had explained to the Doctor how he got them, but judging by the broken mirrors in the room, she could guess.
"I see you like Sarah McLachlan." She said pleasantly, trying to make idle conversation. The silence had been unnerving.
"Yeah."
"She has such a pretty voice."
"Yeah."
Again there was an uncomfortable silence. Megumi sighed. "You really need stitches, but your manager told me not to give you any. He thought you would just pull them out. SooooI'm going to use this instead."
Soujiro opened his eyes to see her holding a small tube.
"What is it?" He croaked.
"It's a new product designed to take the place of stitches. It seals the wound and helps the edges to knit back together. And, the best part of all, it's painless."
"Kinda like a liquid bandaid?"
"To a degree, yes." She studied him for a moment. "Mister Shishio thought I should give you a tranquilizer, but you don't need one in the state you're in." She began to gather up her supplies.
"Umwhat did you say your name was?" He asked quietly as she stood to leave.
"Doctor Takani. I'm a family practitioner." She gave a little shrug. "But you can call me Megumi, if you like."
He said nothing and she turned to leave, but stopped when she heard a small voice.
"Thank you, Megumi."
Megumi smiled and walked out, shutting the door behind her.
"Well?" Shishio asked.
"I didn't give him any stitches, as you asked. He seemed really out of it so I didn't give him a tranquilizer, either."
Shishio frowned but said nothing.
"I need to go, I have patients waiting. Nice meeting you." She said the latter part more out of politeness than anything else. The man gave her the creeps.
Shishio said nothing back but gave a dismissive wave and walked into the other room.
----------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------
Yumi hummed contentedly. This was the first time in months that she felt truly happy. Soujiro had been right, Shishio didn't yell at her, for he was too preoccupied with yelling at Soujiro.
She stopped and frowned momentarily. Poor Soujiro.
She sighed and pushed all thoughts of the two men from her mind. This was no time to be pouting. After all, she was shoe shopping! You can't be sad when you're shopping for shoes!
The smile returned to Yumi's face. Las Vegas had some of the finest shoe stores in the state, and she was determined to hit every single one of them. She had $50 of her own, and had taken $100 out of Makoto's wallet the night before. That was sure to earn her a few harsh words when she returned, but she didn't worry about it.
In fact, she smiled gleefully at the thought of her own cleverness, Makoto never yelled at her like he did Soujiro.
Well, he did yell at her, but not as vehemently as he did at Soujiro.
That was one of the few reasons she stuck by the man - his bottomless wallet.
Yumi had never had money of her own. She was raised dirt poor. Throughout high school she had managed to hold down a job as a waitress, bringing the money home to her drunken father. That was how she met the young, talented, rich, soon-to-be-ex-boxer, Makoto Shishio. She waited on him at the Diner. They had been together ever since.
Yumi smiled at her reflection in the mirror, most specifically the silver high-heeled sandals she was trying on. Yes, she was definitely going to buy these.
She motioned the sales clerk over and handed the shoes to him. "I'll take these."
The sales clerk nodded. "Would you like to see any others, miss?"
Yumi thought for a minute. "Surewhy not."
Of course, just because they were together for eight years didn't mean they were married. Yumi frowned at the thought. For the first couple of years Makoto had kept promising to marry her. As soon as he had won the Middleweight Championship Title, he said. But then he was injured, and the promises stopped. And then he brought Soujiro home. And nothing more was mentioned about marriage.
"These, miss?"
"Yesthose."
------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------
"How many times have I told you not to take money out of my wallet?"
Yumi jumped slightly. She hadn't realized Shishio was sitting in the darkened room, watching her. "II'm sorry, you weren't around to ask."
She cried out as Shishio grabbed her roughly, his fingers digging deeply into her arms.
"Don't ever. do that. again."
His voice was icy, sending a shiver down her spine. That was the second time in the past three days she had heard those words. But when Soujiro said itit was different somehow. It didn't seem as menacing. When Shishio said it, it made her cringe.
"I-I wont."
He stood there for a minute longer, his fingers digging in to her arms painfully. Finally he let go and walked out, not bothering to shut the door behind him.
Yumi stared after him, rubbing her arms. Apparently Soujiro wasn't the only one who was becoming increasingly violent.
She heard a click to her right, and turned to see a robe-and-slippers clad Soujiro shuffle into the room, looking every bit like a sleepwalker.
"Yumi, have you seen Isis?" He whispered hoarsely.
Yumi shook her head. "No, I haven't."
His shoulders slumped and he stared at the floor for a moment. He had looked everywhere for her, where could she be? Slowly he cocked his head to the side and looked up at Yumi from under his bangs. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah." She said, slightly dazed and still rubbing her arms. "I'm fine."
Soujiro shuffled over to her till he stood right in front of her, staring deep into her eyes. Her breath caught. It was such a strange feelinga kind of giddyness
"You sure?"
Yumi nodded, breaking herself away from his penetrating gaze. "Yes Soujiro, I'm fine."
Soujiro sighed and turned around slowly, as if to leave, but instead he just stood there. Yumi raised an eyebrow. Why was he just standing there? Maybe he was trying to think of where his cat could be.
"Yumi?"
Yumi jumped slightly. His voice was now clear and strong and held a commanding note; a stark contrast to the tired, hoarse whisper he talked in before.
"What?"
Slowly Soujiro turned back around and shuffled closer to her, till they were almost touching. "Don't let him treat you like that. You don't deserve to be treated so badly. You've done so much for the two of us, and he's never even thanked you for it. Justdon't let him treat you that way, Yumi. Please."
Yumi blinked. Had he witnessed the whole incident? Had he seen other incidents?
Before she could respond, Soujiro turned away and shuffled back into the other room, leaving Yumi standing alone in the dark. She had never imagined Soujiro would say something like that. Soujirowho would either scream at you, or bury his head in the sand. She looked at the doorway that led into the adjoining suite, Soujiro's suite. The door was now closed, but she could hear Soujiro calling "Here kitty, kitty, kitty" in his tired voice. She shook her head. The whole thing left her feelingodd.
------------------------------------------------------ ------------------------------------------------
Kaoru sighed nervously. She had called to invite her brother to dinner the night before, and he had sounded unusually out of it. He said he had a promo in the morning, but he was sure dinner would be fine. Then he mentioned something about Yumi and his missing cat. She listened to him complain about not being able to find his cat for another ten minutes before she finally convinced him that he needed to get to sleep for the promo.
She was worried. As much as she wanted to tell everyone the news, she wasn't sure how Soujiro would take it.
"Are you okay?"
Kaoru smiled at Kenshin and nodded a bit too exuberantly. Kenshin couldn't help but chuckle.
"I'm sure everything will be just fine. What's the worst that could happen?"
Kaoru shook her head. "I don't knowhe could try to beat you up."
Kenshin shrugged and put his arm around Kaoru. "I'm sure he won't."
Kaoru smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder, but straightened up suddenly when she noticed Soujiro entering the restaurant. She noticed him stop and stare at their table, obviously wondering why Kenshin was there.
He forced a smile and continued on.
"Hey Sou!"
Soujiro smiled a little wider. "Hey sis." He turned to Kenshin and gave a slight bow. "Hello, Mister Himura