Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ TIMELESS ❯ Through the barriers of time ( Chapter 1 )

TIMELESS

Standard Disclaimers Apply

WARNING: Major OOCness

***CHAPTER 1***

Present Day, Tokyo

Kaoru Kamiya stood among a throng of well-wishers. Although the wedding was being celebrated in lavish style, she was the only one who did not share wholeheartedly in the celebration.

Kaoru had come solely for the purpose of proving to herself that she could endure anything, even the marriage of the man she love, to another.

"Tedious things, wedding," whispered a middle-aged man behind her.

"Yusuke!" His wife said indignantly as she turned to glare at him.

"Don't mean I wouldn't marry you back then, Makiko," he answered with a reassuring pat on his wife's arm. "It's only this noise and folderol I object to. Making a nuisance of oneself with bands and fanfare, tying up traffic and freezing the-the nether regions of one's guest, it ain't right." He brushed up one end of his neat mustache with a forefinger. "Marry nice and tidy, that's the right thing to do."

"Well, that's all very fine," his wife replied in a hushed voice. "But you have a granddaughter scarcely four. What shall I tell her? Just elope, my girl, or better yet go to Las Vegas and be done with it?"

"Now, dear," he began, only to have his speech cut short by his wife.

Kaoru turned away from the quietly bickering couple. She had often declared that if she couldn't have Mamoru, she would never marry. How those fateful words had come back to haunt her these last days.

Marriage! Marriage! The word fairly buzzed in her head as Kaoru allowed her vision to trail over the crowd ahead. She recognized a few faces, but none in particular caught her eye. Yet it seemed that the entire world was composed of couples. She felt vaguely conspicuous to be without a man at her side, but quickly brushed the thought aside. She would survive today. Or would she?

Following her thoughts, her gaze swept forward until it came to rest on the tall figure of Mamoru, the man she loved since she first saw him. His exceptional height, which was accentuated by a mane of black hair and a broad pair of shoulders, was distinctive in any setting. Dressed in formal suit, he stood a head above those nearest him. Memory supplied an image of his stupendous good looks multiplied tenfold by the contrast of his white suit.

With a tiny shiver of suppressed emotion, Kaoru averted her eyes. No one knew that by the power of his charm he had made her feel all the things she had thought nature had denied her. She had felt beautiful, womanly, desirable, and wanted by a man. Then three weeks ago he had told her he would marry another. All her girlhood dreams were dashed to pieces. How foolish of her to think that a 26-year-old man like himself, gorgeous, rich and intelligent would even love a 17-year-old high school. Ugly, tomboyish, violent and a horrible cook.

Kaoru drew herself up until it felt as if an iron bar had been thrust down her backbone. Pride had driven her to brave the day rather than hide away in misery. She had been taught by her father on how to behave in any and all situations. Only he had forgotten the lesson that covered a broken heart.

Finally her hand was clasped firmly by a masculine hand wearing a wedding band. Then the startled eyes of Mamoru were staring down at her. The next instant he recovered from his surprise, and his expression changed. He smiled at her, those devastatingly gorgeous smile that make her knees wobbly. "Kaoru, is that you? My God you look stunning!" he said.

Indeed, she look quite enchanting, in an off-the-shoulder white dress with matching sandals. One side of her curled hair was held by a pearl barrette. The only jewelry she's wearing was the diamond-and-pearl earrings that belonged to her mother.

"Mamoru," she heard herself say stiffly. "Congratulations and I wish you all the happiness in the world."

That was not what she had meant to say. She had prepared a hundred times. Her words were to have been witty, bittersweet, enigmatic, and most of all memorable. But now the moment had slipped by her, and he was speaking again. What was he saying?

"……so glad you could come." He gave her a peck on the cheek.

The brush of his lips sent a tremor through her that seemed strong enough to shake the chandeliers. When he straightened, he didn't look at her but turned quickly to the lady standing beside him. "This is my bride, Reiko."

Kaoru nearly cried out at the curt dismissal, but she was being handed along and then the lady's face swam into focus. The woman was the ideal bride: young, beautiful, healthy and wealthy.

"Kaoru," the bride said coolly. "Thank you for coming." And kissed her on the cheek.

"Best wishes, Mrs. Yamada." Kaoru gave the couple a fleeting smile and hastily moved away.

For a dazed moment Kaoru stood staring at nothing. Her thoughts careened back to Mamoru's glance of utter surprise. It was clear that he had not expected her, perhaps had not wanted her presence. Chagrin edged under her surprise and stung like a rash across her cheeks.

She turned to scoop up a frosted champagne glass just as a waiter passed her with a tray. By nature she preferred fruit punch to wine, but her heart was beating too quickly and her hands were shaking. Perhaps the wine would calm her.

Without thinking, she gulped it down. Almost at once, a shaft of pain shot up into her head, and with it came a threat of the release of the emotions she had been banking down ever since their gazes met.

Mamoru had nearly cut her dead! How dare he worry that she might not know how to conduct herself!

She quickly consumed the rest of the champagne to douse the agitation within her. When her glass was empty, she reached for another and moved silently to the periphery of the room to watch and listen. Glancing about, she thought once more that only she was without an escort.

No young man had ever courted her. They all must think that she's too violent and unrefined for their taste. Being an adjutant master of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu, she spent her time practicing with her father and teaching the ideals of their school. She first met Mamoru when she was just 13, and instantly developed a huge crush on him. Much to the amusement of her father, she became an avid subscriber of fashion magazine. She was always up-to-date with the latest trends, down to the push-up bra Julia Roberts used in her film `Erin Brokovich.'

Kaoru wanted to impress Mamoru and let him think that she's old enough for him. And eventually, her schoolgirl crush developed into something deep. Mamoru once told her that if he's going to marry, he's going to marry someone like her. It was one of the happiest days of her life and she carried that thought with her.

She had begun spinning out the daydreams that she had always denied herself , dreams of marriage and children, and most of all, of love. No doubt she had made a fool of herself over Mamoru. Her only comfort lay in the fact that no one else knew. She'd not confided in a single soul, not even her best friend Misao.

Across the room the orchestra suddenly struck up a tune. Moments later Mamoru and his bride walked in the middle of the floor for the first dance.

Through her misted view, Kaoru watched them embrace, bitterness and resentment twisting inside her. The murmurs of approval from onlookers confirmed Kaoru's hazy impression that no bride had ever looked more lovely.

Kaoru suddenly thought of all the empty hours that would never be filled by a man's kisses and embraces, and unsensible tears flooded her eyes.

As the music and the applause of the wedding guests whirled about her, she moved away from the sight of the handsome bridal couple moving in perfect harmony and into the shadow of one of the Corinthian pillars that formed the gallery of the dance floor.

She will always love Mamoru. No doubt about that. Why did he have to marry that woman? He said that she was the one he's going to marry. Now she's all alone. Her parents had passed away last year in a car accident. Though, she didn't have to worry about financial matters, her father left her with a large trust fund, the thought of being alone scared the living daylights out of her, even though she tried hard not to show it.

Kaoru jerked her head toward the pair, who were still dancing alone on the dance floor. Lurking always in the back of her mind had been the suspicion that Mamoru's attention to her was too wonderful to be genuine. Why should he have chosen her when there were so many more beautiful and mature women to choose from? Now she knew. It was just a game for him. And she's the toy.

Memory flashed through Kaoru's mind, of the fool she had made of herself the evening Mamoru had come to tell her his news. How she had clung to his sleeve and begged him to reconsider.

Kaoru felt flushed and then chilled and then flushed again. Every nerve in her body was screaming, the silent shrieks running up and down her arms and legs like swarms of ants. And beneath it all was the bracing chill of the champagne she had imbibed. She felt suddenly reckless, giddy with grief and shame and a rage so strong she trembled as she stepped forward to lift yet another glass of champagne from a passing tray.

Lifting her eyes from the glass, she focused on the happy couple still twirling about the floor. How certain they were of themselves and their position in the world. It should have been her that's dancing now with Mamoru, not that woman! Feeling humiliated, cheated, and goaded by the courage of wine, Kaoru stepped out onto the dance floor and into the path of the bride and groom as they would have spun past her.

She smiled as they stumbled into her, heard their startled gasps, and felt more than saw dozens of eyes turn curiously toward her. Let them stop and stare, she thought. She had eyes only for the deceitful groom.

As if he guessed what was coming, Mamoru put out a hand toward her and said in a warning tone, "Kaoru!"

His bride's gentle gaze suddenly sharpened and her mouth thinned as she gaze at Kaoru.

Kaoru realized that even a beautiful woman could be made less so by ugly thoughts. Smiling a smile that had no connection to her heart, she lifted her nearly empty crystal glass. "Congratulations! You had made the biggest mistake of your life!"

Kaoru trained her gaze hard upon Mamoru's shocked face and whispered, "We could have been happy together. You had your chance, buddy! And you just blew it! I lied when I say that I wish you all the happiness in this world. I hope you have a miserable life, you pathetic loser!"

Turning, she walked out of the ballroom, uncaring for the whispers that followed her.

Behind her, she heard the incredulous voices of the people and knew that she would never again be invited to any wedding event in Japan. But, amazingly, she did not care. Like the champagne rushing hotly through her veins, she felt warm, strong and inviolate. Tomorrow, when she and the world were sober, she would no doubt regret every second of the last minutes. But not now. And maybe not tomorrow.

She walked aimlessly in the busy street of Tokyo, oblivious to the stares of the passersby. She hardly felt the cold. Kaoru walked quickly without even caring what direction she was going in, as long as it took her away from Mamoru. A taxi splashed her as it passed, but she ignored her wet sandals.

She glanced at her reflection in a shop window, but except for the fact that she was drunk, she looked much the same. Kaoru turned from the window and looked across the street. Suddenly, something caught her eye. It was a small antique shop. She made her way across the busy street toward the shop. She dazedly opened the door and walked inside. An odd assortment of objects were displayed at every corner of the shop. The light inside the room was subdued, the temperature was stuffy. There was something familiar about the smell of the place, something that gave Kaoru a sudden and altogether unwelcome feeling of déjà vu-a combination of the scented candles, the smell of herbs and spices, the rich scent of the decaying flowers, a suggestion of some heavy, musky perfume.

"Can I help you?" a forceful-looking woman asked from behind the counter.

"No thank you, I was just looking around," answered Kaoru.

"You're troubled, aren't you?" asked the woman.

"Eh?" Kaoru looked confused at the woman's sudden question.

"A period of confusion and change will follow. There is something in the past, something or rather someone waiting for you," she said cryptically.

Before Kaoru could question her, she continued, "We cannot build a fortress strong enough to hold back the changes of life. We have to continue our journey, on and on, over the mountains we see in the distance, and into the unknown. There is a chain binding you and someone from the past."

Kaoru was more confused than ever. What in the world is this woman saying? She opened her mouth to question the woman but she was interrupted again. " I have something here that's a perfect match for your dress, " she said.

The strange woman reached inside the glass case and took out a gold locket. She then handed it to Kaoru.

It was a simple locket. There were no eye-catching designs on the jewelry. Engraved at the back of the locket was the word `timeless.'

Before she knew what she was doing, Kaoru was reaching inside her purse and paid for the locket. She didn't know what possessed her to buy it in the first place.

Upon arriving home, she immediately went to her room and put on the locket. She looked at herself in the mirror and suddenly the image of an unknown man appeared. She couldn't see his face for it was blurry. But the stranger held out his hand, beckoning her.

Suddenly, Kaoru felt lightheaded. But when she tried to move, nothing happened. The next moment she slipped gratefully into a long, dark slide where cool shadows and forgetfulness waited.

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Wine + Broken Heart = Major chaos. A deadly combination. ::hehehe:: We all know that Kaoru is a mean drunk. Plus, I'm a KIKAC supporter, so Kaoru will be an ass-kicking character here. I want her to be a smart-alec. I'm going to try to add some comic relief in this one. THANKS TO ALL WHO READ AND REVIEWED MY FIC!

Oro-chan - Kill Kaoru! Heavens no! I love that tanuki girl. And I'm a sucker for happy endings.

Someone - K+K waff? I'll try.

Kamimura Kaoru - Battousai + Kaoru. Probably, since Kenshin is a teenager in this fic. One thing is for sure Kenshin is going to be OOC here.

JML -- I've always been curious on the outcome if somebody from our time went back in the past. I think it's major chaos.

Chibi-angel - You have my undying gratitude for pre-reading my story. ::BOW:: Thanks so much! ::hugs::