Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ To Love Again ❯ Chapter 4 ( Chapter 4 )
[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]
By: Silent Tears of Agony 
Anime/Manga: Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Romance / Angst | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 04.13.2004 | Updated On: 01.06.2006 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.3K | Visits: 653 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Romance / Angst | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 04.13.2004 | Updated On: 01.06.2006 | Pages: 3 | Words: 3.3K | Visits: 653 | Status: Completed
I now have twenty reviews! =Claps hands and jumps up and down= Actually technically it's twenty-one. A reader who had trouble reviewing with their computer was kind enough to e-mail a review. Yes, I'm easy to please. But that =doesn't= mean I'm easy!!! Ahem. Anyway, now that I've got that out of my system I guess I'll continue on with the story. :)
I'm glad everybody thinks Kenji is such a brat. I was trying to make him into one, but I wasn't sure if I had succeeded. I guess I did. :)
Title: To Love Again; Chap:4
--------------------------------------
"Woah. What's that?" Kenji's eyes were huge as he pointed at the motorcycle.
Kaoru smiled proudly. "That's my motorcycle." Noticing his excitement she added, "You're going to be riding on it with me." Kaoru noticed the surprise on his face but he tried to cover it. Kaoru sighed. She had her work cut out trying to get through to him.
"Not if I have anything to do with it."
Kaoru looked over at Kenshin. What was that about? "Excuse me?"
"You heard me. My son is not riding on that =thing=." He spat it out like it was a dirty word.
"I assure you Himura-san that I am a safe driver. I have been driving motorcycles since I was eighteen. I have an extra helmet for him. I =know= what I'm doing."
"I don't care if you've been driving it since you were eight. My son is not going on it with you! You assured me that you had reliable transportation."
"And I do!" 'Most of the time.' "You never said you had a problem with =what kind= of transportation it was. I would appreciate it if you would be more specific in the future so we can avoid these misunderstandings." She finished cooly. Suddenly she found herself strangely thankful for all the arguments her old boyfriend had forced her into. It had given her lots of practice on how to remain calm.
Kenshin clenched his teeth so tightly together he thought they would crack. She just =had= to be reasonable didn't she? He couldn't think of any way to retaliate. But neither did he want to give in and let this woman get the better of him. He really was worried for his son’s safety on that thing. Motorcyclists made up the majority of traffic fatalities...
That conjured up things he would rather not remember. He took a deep breath, trying to push thoughts of Tomoe out of his mind.
"Look. I said he isn't going on that =thing= with you or anybody else. And that's final!" Kenshin turned around to indicate that the discussion was over.
Kaoru's cheeks turned red with anger. 'The discussion's over just like that? Just because he says so?! Why of all the arrogant.......MOU! Men!' Kaoru wanted to respond to that. She really did. But she figured if she did, her job would be on the line. She had already talked back to him more than once today. So instead she stuck her tongue out at him. So it was childish. So what? What else was she supposed to do? Argue? She had already nixed that idea. Flip him off? That was *definately* a bad idea. Besides, she didn't believe in making rude gestures. Besides, it did actually make her feel kind of good. Right up until...
"I'm telling." Kenji's voice. Perfect.
Kaoru panicked. "What? No!" But it was too late. Kaoru looked up and could tell by the look on Kenshin's face that he had already seen everything. Her cheeks heated with embarrasment. "I...I...Sumimasen, Himura-san." She hung her head in shame and bit her lip.
Kenshin sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and finger. He was getting such a headache. 'What did I do to deserve this?'
"In the future Miss Kamiya, I ask that you show more respect toward me." He looked up at her. "Especially in front of my child." His voice was cold and full of supressed anger. He didn't like his authority being under-minded.
"Yes Himura-san." Kaoru's voice was quite, defeated.
Kenshin nodded his head once to indicate that the disscussion was over. Then he bent down to pick up Kenji and some of the tension visibly left his body. "Come on sport, let's see what we can do about that face, hmm?" He tickled Kenji's stomach, resulting in giggles from Kenji and a smile from Kenshin.
Kaoru sighed and couldn't help but smile at the scene in front of her. She didn't think she had seen either of them smile at all while she was with them. This was so much better than the empty look that they had been wearing all day. It was especially heart-wrenching to see that look on Kenji. No child deserved to be that sad. She looked at them again. 'This is how it should be.'
"Are you coming? Or are you just going to stand out there all day?"
Kaoru started and blushed. "Coming!"
.....................................
"Oh! Good heavens! What happened to you, little one?"
"Robby hit me!" Kenji looked as pitiful as he could. Mrs. Miller usually showed the most sympathy over whatever injustice befell her 'little one.'
And he milked it for all it was worth.
"Oh. Well, I'm afraid I don't know much about taking care of bruises." She shook her head sadly. She wanted to help, but she had never had any of her own children, therefore she didn't really know how to care for scrapes and the like.
"Here. Give him to me, I actually know quite a bit about taking care of brusies." Kaoru took Kenji from his father's arms and set him on the counter next to the fridge. She grabbed an ice pack from out of the freezer and wrapped it in a towel.
"Miss Kamiya, where did you learn to take care of bruises? Did you take a first aid class?"
"Iie. Ano. I just...fell down alot when I was younger." 'Close enough.' "Here, Kenji. I'm afraid we waited too long for it to reduce all the swelling, but this should help."
Kenshin's eyes narrowed slightly. In the little time he had known her, she hadn't seemed clumsy. Certainly not graceful, but not clumsy either. 'Maybe it was just teenage awkwardness. At any rate it's none of my business.'
"Well, Kenji, I better be going back to work."
"Do you have to?" Kenji whined.
"I'm afraid so. And be good for Miss Kamiya."
"Alright." Kenji heaved a sigh, as if it was the biggest task on earth. Which it probably was. For him anyway.
"Oh and Miss Kamiya? He's grounded. Which means no t.v. and no, Kozuke cannot come over." He vetoed his son's question before he could even ask it.
Kenji pouted but didn't say anything. Kenshin kissed him on the forehead and told him he should be back by six.
Kaoru cleared her throat and turned to Kenji after she heard the front door close. "So what do we do know?" She asked smiling sweetly. Kenji merely shrugged and continued avoiding her gaze. "Do you have any homework?" Kenji shook his head. "Well I do. Would you mind showing me where I can do it?" Kenji looked at her curiously.
"You have homework? But you're an adult."
Kaoru stifled a laugh. She didn't think Kenji would appreciate being laughed at. "Yes well, sometimes adults go to college. To learn more about...something...so they can get better at doing it."
"Col-lege." Kenji tested the new word. It sounded funny. He turned to Koaru. "So what do you learn?"
"Eh?"
"At the college." He said impatiently. Shouldn't she know what he was talking about? She had just said herself people go their to learn! He sighed. How was he going to put up with such a dumb baby-sitter? "You said people go there to learn things. What do you learn?"
"Oh. Well, I'm learning to be a youth counselor."
"What's a coun-sul-err?" Two new words in one day. Maybe she would be useful after all. He =did= like to learn. Not that he would ever admit it, of course.
"Oh. That's someone who helps people with their problems."
"Oh." It was clear from Kenji's body language that she had lost his interest. So she tried a different tactic. "So, Kenji. Would you like to show me your room?"
He shrugged. "I guess." He hopped off of the counter and grabbed his bag.
.........................................................
Kaoru bent over a picture frame on Kenji's desk. A very beautiful woman holding a child, who was quite obviously Kenji, was in the photo. Kaoru touched it lightly. "Is this your mother?"
"Leave it alone!" Kaoru jumped slightly at the force in his voice. Was the child's mother such a sensitive subject to everyone in this family?
"I'm sorry." Kenji glared at her for another second then turned back to emptying out his backpack. Kaoru looked around his room some more. It was very well maintained for such a little boy. Coming back around she spotted a stuffed bunny on his bed.
"Oh, what a cute bunny!" She started to pick it up but it was snatched up before she could.
"Don't touch that!" Kenji clutched it desperately to his chest, as if he was saving it from some great evil. Which he was. All baby-sitters were evil. Except his grandma. But that's a different story. Kenji continued to glare at her; his whole body shaking in his anger. "Don't touch my toys. Don't touch my pictures. Don't touch anything! This is =my room=!"
'Possesive little freak.' Kaoru instantly regretted her thoughts. That wasn't very nice of her. And she may not have agreed with the tone of voice he used, but he was right. It was his room, so she had no right to touch anything.
"Okay Kenji. Lets make a deal. I won't touch anything of yours if you don't yell at me. You yell and the deal is off. The same thing goes for me. If I touch anything of yours without asking first, then the deal wil be over. Does that sound fair?" Kenji eyed her warily for a few minutes while he thought it over. Then slowly nodded his head. Kaoru smiled.
"Good."
And so their first uneasy truce was born.
(Hmm. This sounds like a good place to end it...but I won't. :)
..............................................................
Kaoru was exhausted. Not that she had any right to be. No matter how much she tried to coax him, Kenji did =not= want to play with her. So all afternoon Kaoru just watched him while he played with his toys by himself. Yet, the strain of it had left her emotionally exhausted. Kenshin had come home early, to which she was eternally grateful. She found out, to her horror, that Mrs. Miller left every day at 5:30. If Kenshin hadn't come home early she would have been left all alone with the little monster...err...Kenji.
Her cat, Misty, came up to greet her when she opened the door. She was purring but Kaoru figured it had more to do with the fact that it was the cat's dinner time, than Misty actually being happy to see her. She had found the cat in an alleyway when she was throwing her trash in the dumpster a few weeks ago. Starved and half-dead Kaoru had taken it inside and fed it immediately. Now that Misty had gained some weight, Kaoru could see that she was actually a very beautiful cat. Her fur was long, sleek, and gray. Kaoru could also tell by it's mannerisms that it was used to living with people. Why anyone would abandon such a beautiful creature was beyond Kaoru.
After she fed the cat, and ate her dinner, Kaoru practiced her kata. It helped ease her mind. Since she had talked to Misao earlier, she had been thinking about them even more than usual. She missed them so much but...she couldn't go back. Couldn't ever go back for fear she might run into =him=. Shaking her head to physically remove such thoughts from her head she put her bokken back.
She walked over to her coffe table and picked up her photo album. Maybe seeing pictures of her friends would help ease some of the home sickness. There was no particular order it went in. Kaoru had never had the discipline to make sure all the years and events followed in sequence. But hey, at least they were all in there. Which was pretty good for her. She smiled as she looked at the old pictures of her father and mother. And laughed at Misao's and Yahiko's antics. She swore they loved each other just as much as they professed to hate each other. She turned the last page and froze. Pasted there so innocently was the man who had made the last five years a living hell for her and all her friends. It was a group picture which would explain why it was still there; she had burned all the others. The man wasn't very tall. He stood only a few inches above Kaoru. He had short brown hair, brown eyes, and the most beautiful smile. Yet Kaoru knew from experience that it masked a very cruel spirit. Tears pricked her eyes as she gently touched the picture. 'Soujiro. Oh, Sou. Why? Why did you do such terrible things to the ones I loved. To me? I loved you. I gave you everything. Why...?' She pressed her fists into her eyes in an effort to keep from crying. 'I won't cry anymore. I'm stronger than that. I =will not= cry...'
That night Kaoru cried herself to sleep.
--------------------------------------------
Well, that wasn't as much angst as I had been planning on but at least know you know who 'him' is. For some reason I was tired of picking on Enishi. With that said yes, I am expecting many flames from Soujiro fans over this. There's already a lynch mob forming outside my window. Oh look, there's my cousin. =Waves= Hey Coconut-chan! She's a big Soujiro fan. Ah, but she kindly held her tongue when she found out Sou was the abusive ex-boyfreind. She also helped me get over my writer's block in this chapter. Isn't she great? :)
Before I get onto reviews. I would like to warn you that there will be a slight delay in the next update. I have been working on a new story for several months. I told my brother about it and last week he asked me if I was ever going to finish it. So I promised him I would at least complete the first chapter before I started on the next chappie of this story. Okay? Now onto the reviews! (Finally!) Hey, I heard that! :)
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< <<<<<<<<<<MY REVIEWS>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>
(mm.org)
reality loss -- Oh thank you! Yeah, I can't wait to see what happens with them either. :)
(ff.net)
koorime-princess12 -- Sorry I was a little late in updating. I had writer's block. >.<
Ayah -- Yes, they are =definately= getting together. Although if your blushing maybe not the way your thinking. Okay now I'm blushing. :)
Koneko maiden -- Really? I guess he's starting to...accept her. But he doesn't =really= start to warm up to her for a few more chapters. Well, now you know who 'him' is. Sorry if I dissapointed you. :-(
Mishorou Mie -- I'm Glad! :)
koorime-princess12 -- Thanks. Eventually he will. (But not yet. :)
dacrayZblaze1 -- lol. Well, I hadn't thought of it that way, but yeah I guess he is huh? I'm glad you are(liking it). :)
glasclach -- Yeah, he is a little cold here. I think I'll keep him mostly this way. I kind of like him like this. (But I trying to figure out how to work an 'oro' or two in there. I'm glad it has potential. :)
pyromistress -- Sometimes my computer won't let the little window pop up either so I totally understand. Well I'm glad you like it and think Kenji is a brat. (It sounds so weird saying that. =Wanting= a kid to be a brat.) :) Okay I'll be keeping you in mind. And thank you so much for taking the time to e-mail me! It means a lot!
pure62883 -- Does that stand for something? (Like some kind of scientific equation?) Sorry I'm always asking dumb questions like that. :) I'm glad you think its good.
Bobthetechnicality -- I'm sorry. When I said by, I meant it was sung by her. I know she didn't write it (I don't know who did). I'll keep your suggestion in mind to avoid confusion in future stories. Well...I did say I didn't mind if people don't read it didn't I? So I guess now I have to live with it. :-( (I'm never saying anything like that again. :)
Dorkette -- Whoo! You got guts girl! (Your name) Well, I'm glad you think so. :)
Ginny-cry -- Oh thank you so much! Now I just have to figure out how to work her into the story again. :)
gaby (hyat -- He is? Yeah he is. :)
ewunia -- Oh I'm glad you think it's different. I'll work really hard to keep it original. :)
Zerianyu -- Thats okay. I'm lazy all the time. :) You can keep saying it's cute, trust me I won't stop you. :)
I'd also like to thank the following people for adding me to their author alert list:
CEEGEE, gaby (hyat, Selena Maxwell, koorime-princess12, satan-ov-desire, dacrayZblaze1, Story Weaver1, Zerianyu, glasclach, sabella/pan, The Monster in your Dreams, Angel of the Deceased(baka Coconut-chan :), are-en1
And the following people for putting me on their favorite author's list:
The Monster in your Dreams, Angel of the Deceased, Selena Maxwell, Shade16, Lady Katherine2
I'd like to thank everybody SO MUCH! You make me feel really good about myself. (I have some self-esteem issues. Everybody in my family does. -_-) But don't be afraid to let me know how I can improve. I =want= to improve.
TTFN (ta-ta for now) ~STA~ ;)
I'm glad everybody thinks Kenji is such a brat. I was trying to make him into one, but I wasn't sure if I had succeeded. I guess I did. :)
Title: To Love Again; Chap:4
--------------------------------------
"Woah. What's that?" Kenji's eyes were huge as he pointed at the motorcycle.
Kaoru smiled proudly. "That's my motorcycle." Noticing his excitement she added, "You're going to be riding on it with me." Kaoru noticed the surprise on his face but he tried to cover it. Kaoru sighed. She had her work cut out trying to get through to him.
"Not if I have anything to do with it."
Kaoru looked over at Kenshin. What was that about? "Excuse me?"
"You heard me. My son is not riding on that =thing=." He spat it out like it was a dirty word.
"I assure you Himura-san that I am a safe driver. I have been driving motorcycles since I was eighteen. I have an extra helmet for him. I =know= what I'm doing."
"I don't care if you've been driving it since you were eight. My son is not going on it with you! You assured me that you had reliable transportation."
"And I do!" 'Most of the time.' "You never said you had a problem with =what kind= of transportation it was. I would appreciate it if you would be more specific in the future so we can avoid these misunderstandings." She finished cooly. Suddenly she found herself strangely thankful for all the arguments her old boyfriend had forced her into. It had given her lots of practice on how to remain calm.
Kenshin clenched his teeth so tightly together he thought they would crack. She just =had= to be reasonable didn't she? He couldn't think of any way to retaliate. But neither did he want to give in and let this woman get the better of him. He really was worried for his son’s safety on that thing. Motorcyclists made up the majority of traffic fatalities...
That conjured up things he would rather not remember. He took a deep breath, trying to push thoughts of Tomoe out of his mind.
"Look. I said he isn't going on that =thing= with you or anybody else. And that's final!" Kenshin turned around to indicate that the discussion was over.
Kaoru's cheeks turned red with anger. 'The discussion's over just like that? Just because he says so?! Why of all the arrogant.......MOU! Men!' Kaoru wanted to respond to that. She really did. But she figured if she did, her job would be on the line. She had already talked back to him more than once today. So instead she stuck her tongue out at him. So it was childish. So what? What else was she supposed to do? Argue? She had already nixed that idea. Flip him off? That was *definately* a bad idea. Besides, she didn't believe in making rude gestures. Besides, it did actually make her feel kind of good. Right up until...
"I'm telling." Kenji's voice. Perfect.
Kaoru panicked. "What? No!" But it was too late. Kaoru looked up and could tell by the look on Kenshin's face that he had already seen everything. Her cheeks heated with embarrasment. "I...I...Sumimasen, Himura-san." She hung her head in shame and bit her lip.
Kenshin sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and finger. He was getting such a headache. 'What did I do to deserve this?'
"In the future Miss Kamiya, I ask that you show more respect toward me." He looked up at her. "Especially in front of my child." His voice was cold and full of supressed anger. He didn't like his authority being under-minded.
"Yes Himura-san." Kaoru's voice was quite, defeated.
Kenshin nodded his head once to indicate that the disscussion was over. Then he bent down to pick up Kenji and some of the tension visibly left his body. "Come on sport, let's see what we can do about that face, hmm?" He tickled Kenji's stomach, resulting in giggles from Kenji and a smile from Kenshin.
Kaoru sighed and couldn't help but smile at the scene in front of her. She didn't think she had seen either of them smile at all while she was with them. This was so much better than the empty look that they had been wearing all day. It was especially heart-wrenching to see that look on Kenji. No child deserved to be that sad. She looked at them again. 'This is how it should be.'
"Are you coming? Or are you just going to stand out there all day?"
Kaoru started and blushed. "Coming!"
.....................................
"Oh! Good heavens! What happened to you, little one?"
"Robby hit me!" Kenji looked as pitiful as he could. Mrs. Miller usually showed the most sympathy over whatever injustice befell her 'little one.'
And he milked it for all it was worth.
"Oh. Well, I'm afraid I don't know much about taking care of bruises." She shook her head sadly. She wanted to help, but she had never had any of her own children, therefore she didn't really know how to care for scrapes and the like.
"Here. Give him to me, I actually know quite a bit about taking care of brusies." Kaoru took Kenji from his father's arms and set him on the counter next to the fridge. She grabbed an ice pack from out of the freezer and wrapped it in a towel.
"Miss Kamiya, where did you learn to take care of bruises? Did you take a first aid class?"
"Iie. Ano. I just...fell down alot when I was younger." 'Close enough.' "Here, Kenji. I'm afraid we waited too long for it to reduce all the swelling, but this should help."
Kenshin's eyes narrowed slightly. In the little time he had known her, she hadn't seemed clumsy. Certainly not graceful, but not clumsy either. 'Maybe it was just teenage awkwardness. At any rate it's none of my business.'
"Well, Kenji, I better be going back to work."
"Do you have to?" Kenji whined.
"I'm afraid so. And be good for Miss Kamiya."
"Alright." Kenji heaved a sigh, as if it was the biggest task on earth. Which it probably was. For him anyway.
"Oh and Miss Kamiya? He's grounded. Which means no t.v. and no, Kozuke cannot come over." He vetoed his son's question before he could even ask it.
Kenji pouted but didn't say anything. Kenshin kissed him on the forehead and told him he should be back by six.
Kaoru cleared her throat and turned to Kenji after she heard the front door close. "So what do we do know?" She asked smiling sweetly. Kenji merely shrugged and continued avoiding her gaze. "Do you have any homework?" Kenji shook his head. "Well I do. Would you mind showing me where I can do it?" Kenji looked at her curiously.
"You have homework? But you're an adult."
Kaoru stifled a laugh. She didn't think Kenji would appreciate being laughed at. "Yes well, sometimes adults go to college. To learn more about...something...so they can get better at doing it."
"Col-lege." Kenji tested the new word. It sounded funny. He turned to Koaru. "So what do you learn?"
"Eh?"
"At the college." He said impatiently. Shouldn't she know what he was talking about? She had just said herself people go their to learn! He sighed. How was he going to put up with such a dumb baby-sitter? "You said people go there to learn things. What do you learn?"
"Oh. Well, I'm learning to be a youth counselor."
"What's a coun-sul-err?" Two new words in one day. Maybe she would be useful after all. He =did= like to learn. Not that he would ever admit it, of course.
"Oh. That's someone who helps people with their problems."
"Oh." It was clear from Kenji's body language that she had lost his interest. So she tried a different tactic. "So, Kenji. Would you like to show me your room?"
He shrugged. "I guess." He hopped off of the counter and grabbed his bag.
.........................................................
Kaoru bent over a picture frame on Kenji's desk. A very beautiful woman holding a child, who was quite obviously Kenji, was in the photo. Kaoru touched it lightly. "Is this your mother?"
"Leave it alone!" Kaoru jumped slightly at the force in his voice. Was the child's mother such a sensitive subject to everyone in this family?
"I'm sorry." Kenji glared at her for another second then turned back to emptying out his backpack. Kaoru looked around his room some more. It was very well maintained for such a little boy. Coming back around she spotted a stuffed bunny on his bed.
"Oh, what a cute bunny!" She started to pick it up but it was snatched up before she could.
"Don't touch that!" Kenji clutched it desperately to his chest, as if he was saving it from some great evil. Which he was. All baby-sitters were evil. Except his grandma. But that's a different story. Kenji continued to glare at her; his whole body shaking in his anger. "Don't touch my toys. Don't touch my pictures. Don't touch anything! This is =my room=!"
'Possesive little freak.' Kaoru instantly regretted her thoughts. That wasn't very nice of her. And she may not have agreed with the tone of voice he used, but he was right. It was his room, so she had no right to touch anything.
"Okay Kenji. Lets make a deal. I won't touch anything of yours if you don't yell at me. You yell and the deal is off. The same thing goes for me. If I touch anything of yours without asking first, then the deal wil be over. Does that sound fair?" Kenji eyed her warily for a few minutes while he thought it over. Then slowly nodded his head. Kaoru smiled.
"Good."
And so their first uneasy truce was born.
(Hmm. This sounds like a good place to end it...but I won't. :)
..............................................................
Kaoru was exhausted. Not that she had any right to be. No matter how much she tried to coax him, Kenji did =not= want to play with her. So all afternoon Kaoru just watched him while he played with his toys by himself. Yet, the strain of it had left her emotionally exhausted. Kenshin had come home early, to which she was eternally grateful. She found out, to her horror, that Mrs. Miller left every day at 5:30. If Kenshin hadn't come home early she would have been left all alone with the little monster...err...Kenji.
Her cat, Misty, came up to greet her when she opened the door. She was purring but Kaoru figured it had more to do with the fact that it was the cat's dinner time, than Misty actually being happy to see her. She had found the cat in an alleyway when she was throwing her trash in the dumpster a few weeks ago. Starved and half-dead Kaoru had taken it inside and fed it immediately. Now that Misty had gained some weight, Kaoru could see that she was actually a very beautiful cat. Her fur was long, sleek, and gray. Kaoru could also tell by it's mannerisms that it was used to living with people. Why anyone would abandon such a beautiful creature was beyond Kaoru.
After she fed the cat, and ate her dinner, Kaoru practiced her kata. It helped ease her mind. Since she had talked to Misao earlier, she had been thinking about them even more than usual. She missed them so much but...she couldn't go back. Couldn't ever go back for fear she might run into =him=. Shaking her head to physically remove such thoughts from her head she put her bokken back.
She walked over to her coffe table and picked up her photo album. Maybe seeing pictures of her friends would help ease some of the home sickness. There was no particular order it went in. Kaoru had never had the discipline to make sure all the years and events followed in sequence. But hey, at least they were all in there. Which was pretty good for her. She smiled as she looked at the old pictures of her father and mother. And laughed at Misao's and Yahiko's antics. She swore they loved each other just as much as they professed to hate each other. She turned the last page and froze. Pasted there so innocently was the man who had made the last five years a living hell for her and all her friends. It was a group picture which would explain why it was still there; she had burned all the others. The man wasn't very tall. He stood only a few inches above Kaoru. He had short brown hair, brown eyes, and the most beautiful smile. Yet Kaoru knew from experience that it masked a very cruel spirit. Tears pricked her eyes as she gently touched the picture. 'Soujiro. Oh, Sou. Why? Why did you do such terrible things to the ones I loved. To me? I loved you. I gave you everything. Why...?' She pressed her fists into her eyes in an effort to keep from crying. 'I won't cry anymore. I'm stronger than that. I =will not= cry...'
That night Kaoru cried herself to sleep.
--------------------------------------------
Well, that wasn't as much angst as I had been planning on but at least know you know who 'him' is. For some reason I was tired of picking on Enishi. With that said yes, I am expecting many flames from Soujiro fans over this. There's already a lynch mob forming outside my window. Oh look, there's my cousin. =Waves= Hey Coconut-chan! She's a big Soujiro fan. Ah, but she kindly held her tongue when she found out Sou was the abusive ex-boyfreind. She also helped me get over my writer's block in this chapter. Isn't she great? :)
Before I get onto reviews. I would like to warn you that there will be a slight delay in the next update. I have been working on a new story for several months. I told my brother about it and last week he asked me if I was ever going to finish it. So I promised him I would at least complete the first chapter before I started on the next chappie of this story. Okay? Now onto the reviews! (Finally!) Hey, I heard that! :)
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< <<<<<<<<<<MY REVIEWS>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>
(mm.org)
reality loss -- Oh thank you! Yeah, I can't wait to see what happens with them either. :)
(ff.net)
koorime-princess12 -- Sorry I was a little late in updating. I had writer's block. >.<
Ayah -- Yes, they are =definately= getting together. Although if your blushing maybe not the way your thinking. Okay now I'm blushing. :)
Koneko maiden -- Really? I guess he's starting to...accept her. But he doesn't =really= start to warm up to her for a few more chapters. Well, now you know who 'him' is. Sorry if I dissapointed you. :-(
Mishorou Mie -- I'm Glad! :)
koorime-princess12 -- Thanks. Eventually he will. (But not yet. :)
dacrayZblaze1 -- lol. Well, I hadn't thought of it that way, but yeah I guess he is huh? I'm glad you are(liking it). :)
glasclach -- Yeah, he is a little cold here. I think I'll keep him mostly this way. I kind of like him like this. (But I trying to figure out how to work an 'oro' or two in there. I'm glad it has potential. :)
pyromistress -- Sometimes my computer won't let the little window pop up either so I totally understand. Well I'm glad you like it and think Kenji is a brat. (It sounds so weird saying that. =Wanting= a kid to be a brat.) :) Okay I'll be keeping you in mind. And thank you so much for taking the time to e-mail me! It means a lot!
pure62883 -- Does that stand for something? (Like some kind of scientific equation?) Sorry I'm always asking dumb questions like that. :) I'm glad you think its good.
Bobthetechnicality -- I'm sorry. When I said by, I meant it was sung by her. I know she didn't write it (I don't know who did). I'll keep your suggestion in mind to avoid confusion in future stories. Well...I did say I didn't mind if people don't read it didn't I? So I guess now I have to live with it. :-( (I'm never saying anything like that again. :)
Dorkette -- Whoo! You got guts girl! (Your name) Well, I'm glad you think so. :)
Ginny-cry -- Oh thank you so much! Now I just have to figure out how to work her into the story again. :)
gaby (hyat -- He is? Yeah he is. :)
ewunia -- Oh I'm glad you think it's different. I'll work really hard to keep it original. :)
Zerianyu -- Thats okay. I'm lazy all the time. :) You can keep saying it's cute, trust me I won't stop you. :)
I'd also like to thank the following people for adding me to their author alert list:
CEEGEE, gaby (hyat, Selena Maxwell, koorime-princess12, satan-ov-desire, dacrayZblaze1, Story Weaver1, Zerianyu, glasclach, sabella/pan, The Monster in your Dreams, Angel of the Deceased(baka Coconut-chan :), are-en1
And the following people for putting me on their favorite author's list:
The Monster in your Dreams, Angel of the Deceased, Selena Maxwell, Shade16, Lady Katherine2
I'd like to thank everybody SO MUCH! You make me feel really good about myself. (I have some self-esteem issues. Everybody in my family does. -_-) But don't be afraid to let me know how I can improve. I =want= to improve.
TTFN (ta-ta for now) ~STA~ ;)