Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ The Perfect Life of Kamiya Kaoru ❯ Chapter 2 ( Chapter 5 )

A/n- I said most of what I wanted to say in the last notes, but now I have one more announcement to give. Are you ready?

 

NEW CHARACTER! WOOT WOOT! ^_^ No, I don't mean an OC, I mean an actual character from the series that is appearing for the first time in this chapter! ARE YOU EXCITED?! Eh? EH?!

 

Comprende? Gracias. (I'm not Hispanic)

 

 

Chapter 2:

 

Kamiya Kaoru drove down the familiar, people-lined street with ease in her blue Honda Civic. As she made her way toward the nightclub where she worked a few nights a week, Kaoru decided to swing by Starbucks for a quick pick-me-up. 'Stupid homework.... and of course the teachers have to just PILE it on us right before graduation...' she thought furiously, trying to smother a yawn.

 

Actually, grad night was still a month-and-a-half away. 'What I really need to worry about is that damn prom...' She hadn't planned on going at first, but Megumi had roped her into it by telling her all of the depressing stories she'd heard about people who had neglected going to their senior proms, including her own.

 

"Of course, I had my college entrance exams to study for during my junior year, so I couldn't go to that one. And then senior year, I was already in college and I had even MORE studying to do, so even if Akira hadn't asked me to go..."

 

It must be a wonderful feeling; the sensation of being wanted by a guy. Kaoru smiled a little wistfully as the first droplets of rain began to sprinkle over her windshield. Catching sight of herself in the rearview mirror, she forced her face into a scowl. Self-pity was not attractive on anyone.

 

Soujiro had already taken it upon himself to ask her to accompany him to their prom, more out of an obligation between friends than anything else. Kaoru had declined, arguing that since this was his last year as well, he should be spending his prom with someone special. Now she was beginning to regret her nobility. Prom was closer than graduation, she constantly reminded herself, and pickings were getting slim.

 

Despite the fact that she was nice enough and fairly pretty, news of her lengthy stay at St. Mark's had spread around school like a wild fire. Nobody would be caught dead at such a precious school function with the class psycho.

 

Soujiro had been the only one who'd bothered keeping in touch with her over the years and when she came back to school, he ended up being the one who stuck up for her time and time again, when the kids in class were at their cruelest.

 

Despite the fact that he was rarely seen out of Kaoru's company, Soujiro still remained one of the more popular senior guys in school, and would have no problem in finding a date, Kaoru was sure.

 

'Go figure,' she thought, pulling into the coffee shop parking lot. Heading in, she closed her now-wet umbrella and smiled at the young man behind the counter. She knew him personally.

 

Yukishiro Enishi blinked his blue-green eyes at Kaoru and smiled that disarming smile of his. Kaoru felt her cheeks heat up. When had he become so handsome? Oh yeah, he always had been.

 

"The usual, Kaoru-chan?" (I would so love to walk into a bar or something and get asked if I want my 'usual'! ^_^) Their little ritual began.

 

She strode over to him and was forced to stand on tiptoe to read the menu over his tall shoulders. He laughed as she unconsciously jumped up a little bit.

 

"What a little midget-girl..." He teased, shaking his head in feigned disgust. "Just settle on what you always get and save yourself the embarrassment..." Kaoru stopped hopping and pretended to pout.

 

"Oh shut up! It doesn't help that you've got all that pointy white hair in the way! You and your stupid dark sunglasses... not even bright out..." she continued to grumble as Enishi cheerfully began to arrange her tall vanilla latte with chocolate syrup and extra whipped cream.

 

She watched him and wondered at how much he had changed since they'd first met after Kaoru's first year at St. Mark's asylum. Enishi had been isolated from the other patients in a fit of rage and anguish.

 

~ * ~ * ~ Flashback ~ * ~ * ~

 

Kaoru jumped a mile high. "Who in the world is screaming?" she asked out loud.

 

A masculine voice seemed to be emitting shrieks, shrieks that made the hair on Kaoru's arms stand up; any time he felt it had gotten too quiet. Wandering down the bright, white hallway in search of the source, Kaoru was unaware that the scene would have been right at home in a horror movie.

 

The actual screaming finally stopped after a while, but as she listened closely, she thought the restrained, but heart-wrenching sobs that had taken their place was much worse.

 

She debated moving on. Maybe this person didn't want to be disturbed amid their grief. Even though her own father had recently passed away and Kaoru was no stranger to the pain of loss, and she would have done anything at the time for a single word of comfort from someone who did not carry a nametag saying 'Hello! My name is so-and-so', maybe this guy didn't see things that way.

 

However, in the end, the allure of an open door, unguarded and close-by, was too great. She scooted inside, ready to bolt if the room's occupant turned out to be unfriendly.

 

Curiously, there was a gurney in the middle of the room. It faced away from Kaoru, so she could not see its prisoner, but she could definitely tell that this was where the sobbing was loudest, and therefore it was most likely the source.

 

For another instant, she teetered on the edge of going around the gurney and finding out who or what was crying, but this time, she was spared the decision. The weeping slowly faded and a raspy voice called out from behind the gurney.

 

"Who's there?! Come over here so I can see you!" A bit miffed at being ordered to do something she had finally decided not to do, Kaoru nevertheless conceded, thinking it was the least she could do for intruding. She gasped.

 

The occupant of the gurney was completely strapped down, and Kaoru could see why. The boy appeared, coincidently enough, to be around her age, and looked nothing short of - wild...

 

He had a head full of unkempt white hair that made him look oddly older, and, despite his obvious efforts to stifle the sound, a choked sob still escaped his lips every now and then. His arms worked furiously against their bonds and Kaoru noticed with shock that there were streams of blood coming from punctures that looked like bite marks.

 

"Are you okay?" Kaoru spoke softly, as if trying not to startle the young man, even though he was already startled at who his intruder had turned out to be. She winced at her own words. 'Smooth, Kamiya. Some random maniac is strapped down and bleeding, and all you can think to do is ask him if he's okay...'

 

The boy's blue-green eyes were bloodshot and may have been frightening to someone else, but as they frantically scanned over her face, Kaoru was strongly reminded of a helpless child... "Here, let me get you some water."

 

Without waiting for a reply, she went over to the sink and filled a disposable paper cup with water. The guy only watched her silently with sea foam eyes full of wariness. As she moved closer with the small offering, his entire body seemed to tense up, and he stared up at her more coldly than any mass murderer could have.

 

Kaoru's eyes narrowed to hide her brief moment of panic. He was obviously tied down for a good reason. Maybe she should get out of there before he decided to start playing mind games with her.

 

At her hesitation, the young man took it as an opportunity to study her more closely. She couldn't have know what he'd seen in her that day that made him relax; maybe he finally realized that she intended him no harm.

 

"I won't bite you or anything. I've got enough flesh in my system for one day," he croaked, gesturing grimly toward his wounded, upper limbs. "They had to tie me up after I started biting myself."

 

Encouraged by this statement, strange and morbid as it was, Kaoru found the joint in the gurney and was able to tilt it into a sitting position so that the boy could drink properly.

Gratefully, he drained the contents in the cup and asked for more. Kaoru complied, feeling slightly annoyed that he was continuing to boss her around. As soon as he was quenched, he spoke.

 

"What's your name, girl?" At this blunt question, Kaoru felt her temper explode.

 

"How can you sit there and make demands of someone you don't even know, and then rudely ask for their name when you haven't even offered them yours?!" He gave a cool, but lopsided grin.

 

"Well, I am tied up and incapable of moving; not to mention I didn't ask for your company."

 

"OF ALL THE TACTLESS, MORONIC---!" Kaoru raged, completely losing her head and striding toward the door with no intention of ever coming back. Suddenly, she heard wheezing laughter behind her. "DON'T LAUGH AT ME!"

 

"I'm sorry. I really am! I was just trying to see how far I could push you. I don't want you to go; I haven't talked to anyone for days."

 

"I'm not going to stay just to be someone's sick amusement!" She growled, practically breathing fire even though he had sort of apologized.

 

"I know. My name's Yukishiro Enishi, and I'm sorry I made you angry..."

 

She paused in silent consideration; then Kaoru walked slowly back to his side, still a bit stiff, and said, "Fine then, but if you piss me off again, I'll knock you out, then never come back, got it?"

 

Enishi gave a surprisingly good-natured grin considering the circumstance. "I promise I'll take the warning to heart... Now… a name, please?"

 

"Kamiya Kaoru."

 

"That sounds familiar..." as he was busy thinking, Kaoru suddenly realized something.

 

"You aren't related to Yukishiro Tomoe-san, are you?" He stared at her, wide-eyed, with a lost expression dominating his face once again. This time, however, he actually tried, furiously, to remain calm.

 

"My sister is dead."

 

~ * ~ * ~ End Flashback ~ * ~ * ~

 

Taking a deep draught of coffee, Kaoru glanced at her handsome, white-haired companion. After sharing their grief with each other those first few months, Kaoru and Enishi became very good friends. Both knew what it was like to lose a loved one and so they could relate well to each other, even now, after they had been released from the asylum.

 

"Enishi-kun, do you have anything special planned around, say, the 20th of next month?" she inquired in a would-be casual tone.

 

"Depends, why?"

 

"Want to go with me to my prom?"

 

"Sure." And that was it. No fuss. No flirtatious comebacks. That was the way their relationship worked. They saved the catty comments for when they were both feeling mischievous, like when Kaoru had first walked in. She grinned happily.

 

"All righty then! I need to head out now, even though I'm --- GAH! LATE AGAIN!!!" she dashed off like a mad woman, throwing a few crinkled bills on the table and shouting goodbyes over her shoulder.

 

Enishi was left smiling gently and greeting his next customer with much more enthusiasm than usual.

 

 

~~~A/n- Gah! Nothing to say here. Later! ~Ali...-_-

 

Oh wait! yeah I do. Can't believe this slipped my mind but, KENSHIN APPEARS NEXT CHAPTER! WOOT!