Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ TIMELESS ❯ Hopeless Dreams ( Chapter 4 )

TIMELESS

Warning: Major OOCness

***CHAPTER 4***

"From the future?!" Utter disbelief clouding his features.

"That's what I said. I'm from the future."

"And I'm from la-la land!" he snapped.

"But it's the truth!"

Battousai's amber eyes narrowed. "What kind of a joke is this?," he said, his tone light, but with temper still seething just below the surface.

"It's no joke," Kaoru said passionately. "You've gotta believe me! I'm telling the truth."

"All right," he said, and turned away.

For a moment Kaoru just gaped at him, then anger swept through her. "All right?! That's it, all right?!" Kaoru shouted following him. "What does that mean? All right you believe me or all right I'm a looney toon?"

"That's the most insane thing I've ever heard," Battousai muttered. "Surely you could have made up a better story than that."

Kaoru, thinking furiously for the thing she could say that would convince him, suddenly wished she had paid more attention to her history teacher instead of daydreaming about Mamoru in class.

She opened her mouth to explain but was cut dead by the look on his face. "No more," he said in a tight voice. "No more. Let's just drop the subject."

She blew out a breath of frustration and crossed her arms. He was like a bad-tempered wolf with fangs bared.

"So, where are we going?" Kaoru asked.

Battousai didn't answer and deliberately ignored her.

"Wow! You're very talkative," Kaoru said sarcastically. "I wouldn't be surprised if you have bad breath."

They walked together down the road in silence. Kaoru trying to limp a little faster wearing her Ferragamo sandals with pencil-slim heels.

"Hurry along," Battousai said. "It's been my habit to make a camp before dark. Seems I've been delayed a bit today."

Kaoru's eyes widened. He was a moody jerk! Now she felt as though she were going to be in his way. "All right," she mumbled.

She gritted her teeth against the urge to throttle him. `A lady is always composed,' she reminded herself desperately, mentally quoting an article in a fashion magazine. `Even in the most awkward of situations.'

They walked in silence a little farther, until the shadow of bluffs appeared above them.

"We can make camp in that little cove over there-get out of the dampness and build a fire to keep the animals away," Battousai said.

Kaoru could hear the splashing of water and knew that it was coming from the mountainside and settling into a stream that had to be only footsteps away. She could smell the freshness of the water and a faint odor of fish.

Battousai began to gather dried twigs and soon had a fire going, while he search for the stream. He soon appeared carrying a fish.

"Here, cook this," he said handing her his catch.

Kaoru's blue eyes throw indignant sparks. How dare he order her about as if she were a-a slave! A refusal rose on her lips, and then died when his forbidding eyes narrowed with silent warning on her rebellious face.

For a moment Kaoru stared at the fish as if she had never seen one before. "You-you wanted me to cook?" she sputtered.

"I'm just presenting you with your choices, either earn your keep, or don't be kept!"

How dare he use that tone of voice on her? It was curt, and reeked of the confidence of a man who expected unquestionably to be obeyed.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm sure. Now stop pestering me and cook that damn fish," he said through clenched teeth. He was trying hard to control his anger.

"All right then, don't say I didn't warn you." This man is going to look forward to his execution when I finished with him, Kaoru thought.

While Kaoru is preparing their supper, Battousai settled himself opposite her and observed his companion. Even though she had the body of a woman, she had a way of behaving like an insolent child. He leaned back on one elbow, mesmerized by her beauty all over again, no matter how much he would rather not let it affect him.

Gods! She was even more beautiful by firelight. Her loosened hair spread across her shoulders in shadowy reds. There was something about her that tugged at his heart. And though he was a man who preferred his life uncomplicated, he knew he'd have to find out more about this mysterious girl.

Who are you, Kaoru Kamiya? he asked silently. And what the hell are you doing out here?

While Battousai was busy with his thoughts-Kaoru was also busy with her own rebellious thoughts. His blazing arrogance struck her like a slap in the face. The man thinks entirely too much of himself.

Why should I let that little monster get into my goody bag? she thought.

Yet there's something in his eyes, something lost and lonely that drew her a little toward him. Something that brought back very strange memories.

As if she had known him before!

Now where had that thought come from? she wondered.

Damn the man!

He obviously had a seriously attitude problem.

And a great butt.

"Must have something to do with the shape of his brain," she grumbled.

Well, I'm not about to be cowed so easily, Kaoru swore. And this is one samurai who will soon have a few lessons coming!

After she was finished cooking, Kaoru handed him his share. He accepted it with a nod.

"Enjoy," Kaoru said smirking.

Battousai took a bite of his food and nearly choke. Merciful gods! This poisonous concoction is enough to wipe out the entire Shinsengumi. Come to think of it, maybe if they had food like this we could've won the war easily.

Kaoru watching his face, smiled with satisfaction. Revenge, she thought, can be sweet.

"Well, how was it?" she asked putting an innocent face.

"Disgusting," was his only reply.

Kaoru gave an offended sniff. "Hmph………is that the thanks I get, you ungrateful one?"

"Me, ungrateful!" Battousai looked indignant. "Miss Kamiya, I nearly choked to death by your cooking. Are you trying to poison me?"

Kaoru's blue eyes narrowed with malicious glee. "I wish," she said with relish.

Battousai looked extremely peeved by her reply. "Don't you know how to make a decent meal?"

"I've got news for you. I couldn't cook in Wolfgang Puck's kitchen."

He glanced at her, straight brows pulling together in suspicion. "Who is this Wolfgang?"

"Nobody you'd know. Only a world-renowned chef and restaurateur."

Battousai just grunted and muttered `crazy woman' half under his breath.

"Besides, in my time we have fast-food chains, vending machines, canned goods and instant food that you only have to pour hot water, wait for 3 minutes and it's done."

"But you're a woman, you at least should know how to cook."

"Excuse me! First of all, in my time women aren't men's slaves. We women say what we want, do what we want. We aren't put on this earth for the sole purpose of cooking your meals."

"What if you get married? Your husband will expect you to cook his meals, clean his house and take care of his children."

Kaoru rolled her eyes. "What he needs is a maid and a nanny, not a wife."

Battousai scowled at her and tossed his meal in the fire.

"Hey! Aren't you going to finish your meal?"

"Do I have to? I'm not exactly a masochist and I still value my life, you know."

"It's not right to waste good food, what with so many starving people. And not only that, you should say a prayer before you eat."

"Yeah, and with you cooking that's usually a good idea."

"Do I detect perhaps a hint of sarcasm?"

Battousai just glared at her and propped his back against the rock with his sword upright and leaning on his shoulder. He lowered his head tiredly and closed his eyes.

"What are you doing?"

He glanced up. "Going to sleep."

"But what about me? Where do I sleep? I'm not sleeping on that!" she wailed pointing at the ground. "It would ruin my dress!"

He gave her a look that could have frozen molten lava. "Look," he growled. "I'm a man whose patience is running out, and the last thing I need is some future girl whining to me about her fucking undergarment."

"This is not an undergarment and I do not whine," she said stiffly. "I pout."

"Pouting is generally a silent endeavor," Battousai remarked. "Maybe you're out of practice."

"Savage!" she sputtered. Men, phooey! And they wonder why there's a women's lib!

Fuming, Kaoru stood uncertainly, staring morosely into the night, and wondered for the hundredth time how she got into this mess.

Taking care to choose the farthest corner, she gingerly sat down with her back against the rock and crossed her arms, trying to ward off the chilly night.

Welcome to ancient Japan, Kaoru thought miserably. Shivering, she hugged herself tightly staring into the flames.

"Cold?" His word sprang at her from the darkness.

"A little," she admitted through chattering teeth.

"Want me to keep you warm?" he asked teasingly.

"Not on your life, buster," she said, eyes blazing. "Put one hand on me and I'm gonna slap you silly. Besides, you have a terrible bedside manner," she spat at him with a spirited toss of her heavy shimmering hair.

"Would you like to find out what my bedside manner is really like, princess?" he drawled mockingly.

"Forget it! I don't want to have nightmares."

He suddenly tossed her his gi he got from his sack. "Wear that to keep you warm. You'll catch cold from wearing an undergarment of all things."

"For the third time, this is not an undergarment. This happens to be a Versace original. I paid over ¥102,850 ($850) for this dress."

"That much?! Merciful gods-you've been robbed! With that kind of money, you can feed a lot of starving families out here."

"You don't understand, do you?" Kaoru demanded. "But how could you, stuck out here in the boonies? You probably buy all your clothes from a mere peddler. But I gotta admit this is the first pink gi I've ever seen. Very original."

"It's not pink, it's magenta," he said indignantly. "If you don't like it, then hand it back to me."

"I was just teasing you. If you said it's magenta, then it's magenta. Who am I to argue?" she said in resignation. "Much as it pains me to be civil to you," she said soberly, "I do thank you."

"For what?"

She toyed with the sleeve of his gi, uncomfortable, uncertain of her footing on this ground. She could stand toe-to-toe and fight with him. This was much trickier. It skirted the edges of liking him and that seemed unwise. "For everything," she said at last.

"You're welcome," he said fidgeting. "Go to sleep. I need to visit Mr. Shakkuu Arai tomorrow."

"What is your name, by the way?" Kaoru asked.

"Why do you want to know?"

"Oh, I don't know, perhaps it's because I have a fetish for collecting names. Are we going to have an argument over a silly name. I just wanted to know. Is that a crime? So sue me."

There were a few moments of charged silence. Then suddenly he said, "My name? Kenshin." He waited three heartbeats before adding "Himura."

Sleep came less easily to Kaoru. Her body demanded rest, but her mind whirled with activity. She thought back on the day's events.

Mamoru was married!

A tear rolled down one cheek as she stifled the sob building in her throat, knowing it would do nothing but rouse the man sleeping not far away from her and send renewed pain surging through her chest.

Fate had not connived a wonderful future for her. She loved Mamoru, loved him with all the boundless love her young heart was ready to give. There was no denying it. Was she to become maudlin at every reminder of love?

"No!" she told herself sternly. "Don't think about it, Kaoru, it's ancient history, over and done with. You're going to get on with your life if it kills you," she added with grim determination.

Yet, images, stark and unbidden, flashed across her troubled mind. What were they doing tonight? Cuddling? Kissing? Exchanging words of love?

Pain lay waiting in her like a deep pool-pain compounded of stress and anxiety. Pain for her stillborn dreams, so easily slain by a man who did not care in spite of all her protestations of undying love.

Life had held a lot of disillusionment for Kaoru Kamiya!

She could vanish without a trace. Who would notice?

Who would care?

Kaoru shook her head, impatient with herself. She must be very tired indeed to give in to such self-pity.

She struggled to keep her eyes open but the dancing flames had a hypnotic effect. Before she was lulled into a fitful sleep, her last thoughts were: I hope he's impotent.

Kaoru walked down a long, darkened aisle. Like tunnel tapering away toward infinity, there seemed to be no end to it. Softly at first and then gradually rising, she heard whispering voices at the edges of the darkness on either side of her. She could not understand them but the hair at her nape bristled.

Suddenly a pin-prick of light appeared ahead of her.

Panicky thoughts whirled through her mind. Where was she? Why was she here? She clutched her hands only to realize that she carried a bouquet of flowers.

The light grew. Like a lantern's glare, its intensity blocked out all before it.

She turned to flee but there was nothing behind her, no way back from which she had come. Turning around she faced the widening circle of white light.

The voices became more distant now. In the darkness beyond her view she knew that she was being watched.

"Poor Kaoru, so eager to believe him!"

"Who can blame a man for trying to save himself?"

"But to think she believed his promise sincere!"

"A vile-tempered, sharp-tongued tomboy!"

"He'd find her embrace colder than a witch's teat!"

Her mouth worked spasmodically in protest but her words made no sound. Who were the disembodied voices who jeered at her? Perspiration broke out upon her upper lip and brow.

The light burst upon her with blinding suddenness. There before her was an altar. Every pew was filled with people craning forward eagerly for a better view of her.

Her heart pounded in heavy, slow strokes that tapped at her temples with a pressure bordering on pain. But her eyes were fixed on the man at the foot of the altar, his back to her.

Love, pure and unfettered, burst from her, but her hands were shaking as she quickened her step. Mamoru waited at the altar to marry her!

She called his name, unmindful of the new rumblings of the crowd. If only she could reach him in time, no one would ever be able to take him away from her again. She stumbled as she reached him, her hand groping awkwardly for his arm.

He turned and looked at her. Instead of Mamoru, it was Kenshin. Contempt, pity and distaste marred every line of his handsome face.

She recoiled from the intensity of his gaze. And then she noticed that he was not alone. Beside him stood an unknown beautiful woman. Upon her finger was a gold wedding bond so bright it hurt Kaoru's eyes.

Soft despair and hopeless grief roiled up from her bowels as she turned away. The jeering faces, leers and knowing smiles pressed in on her.

She turned to flee, yet her legs wouldn't work. Laughter ricocheted off the vaulted ceiling and shook the lead-glass windows. Humiliation clawed at her, shredding her emotions into ribbons of shame, rage and inexpressible pain.

No! she cried. No! You mustn't laugh! Mustn't!

Kaoru jerked awake, gasping for breath as if she had run a long race. Sagging weakly back against the rock, she waited for her heart to cease galloping. Her back ached and her fingers were stiff with cold. Even her shoulders ached from the effort of sitting for long hours.

A tremor of the dream's aftermath shook her. She felt both feverish and cold. She turned to look at her sleeping companion. Suddenly, his whole body began shaking with spasms and he breathed deeply. "No! Please don't!"

His voice, though hushed and husky, had an urgent, desperate quality to it. Intrigued, she drew closer and saw that his eyes were still shut. He was dreaming!

"No! Please! Don't leave me! TOMOE!!!"

Who the hell is Tomoe, Kaoru thought.

AUTHOR'S RAMBLINGS:

Again, I would like to thank my avid readers and reviewers. I sort of twisted the RK manga/anime timeline. So if you find something out of the ordinary, don't flame me pls. About the scene where Kaoru asked Battousai to say a prayer before he eats, well, Japanese don't pray before they eat, at least non-Christian Japanese. I asked my friend whose sister married a Japanese if they pray before eating, and she said no. So, let's assume that Kaoru's a Christian. Also, note the church wedding dream sequence. Please don't be too hard on me. I have a weak heart and besides, Christmas is just around the corner ::hehehe:: Suggestions, criticisms, bring them on.

Blue jeans - If she can cook, then she wouldn't be Kaoru, now would she? Her imperfection is what endear her to me. BTW, I love your fic about Phobos & Deimos. Do you know of any other fics about them?

Tako & Nim - I love OOCness.

Dora-chan - Yup! There'll be a lot of bickering. A nice change from the usual meek rurouni.

Lieveit1 - I was a bitch in my review, wasn't I? Gomen, sometimes I just can't shut my mouth. What's the question? I forgot.

LSR-7 - Comic relief? Nah, I sort of given up on that. I'm not really good at it.

Nemo - I'm sorry if you didn't like the ending. It's just so hard to come up with anything nice. When are you going to update `Complicated Love'?

Vesca - I'm running out of ideas on how to make fun of our modern conveniences. Perhaps in the next chapters. As soon as I get my brains intact. ::hehehe::

JML - Please update your fic. I'm really curious on Tomoe and Kenshin's son. I hope he's not Kenji though. I've deleted that offending word in chapter 3. ::hehehe:: Me and my attempt at dramatic descriptions. Jeez!