Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ To Love Again ❯ Chapter 10 ( Chapter 10 )
[ 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: 06.06.2005 | Pages: 4 | Words: 4.4K | Visits: 616 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Drama / Romance / Angst | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 06.06.2005 | Pages: 4 | Words: 4.4K | Visits: 616 | Status: Completed
Title: To Love Again; Chap: 10
Many thanks to my beta-readers: Night Imp and Pinay Tiger. They're so nice. :)
I just wanted to let you know about a really cool site my brother found! The address is www . amv . com
It’s an anime music video site where you can search for videos by title of anime, song, or artist (or all 3!).
You will have to create an account in order to download videos, but it's free. (Although they accept donations.)
If you do visit this site I highly suggest you check out a Trigun video called "Macho Macho Vash". It's set to the song "Macho Macho Man" by the Village People. It's hilarious!
-
Kaoru knocked on her neighbor's door, bending down to greet the little girl that answered. "Hi Ayame-chan, Is your granpa here?" The girl nodded and went off to find him. Kaoru's neighbor was a kind old man who had moved over here from Japan and was now caring for his orphaned granddaughters.
"Kaoru-chan how are you?" Kaoru smiled.
"Genzai-sensai," she still called him by his professional title even though he was retired. "I wanted to ask a favor of you. Would you mind feeding my cat tonight? I have to stay over at Himura-san's to watch Kenji."
"I would be glad to do so."
"Thank you. You still have the key to my apartment, right?" Genzai nodded.
"Kaoru-chan," he continued as she turned to leave. "How are things going? Have you made any friends yet?" Kaoru smiled and nodded. Genzai returned her smile. "I'm glad."
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Kaoru stared at the little boy across the table from her. "Are you sure you don't want to do anything? I should think you'd be bored just sitting here." 'I know I am.'
Kaoru suspected that might be the reason he was doing this, to drive her insane with boredom.
"Hmm." Kenji cocked his head and made a great show of thinking. "We could go outside and play."
"Kenji I'd be happy to play outside with you, but it's raining. I don't want you to get sick." Kenji glared at her fiercely, and Kaoru had to remind herself not to glare back.
"Then let's go to the toy store." Kaoru's eyebrow twitched. He was making these suggestions on purpose; he just had to be.
"Kenji, didn't I just say we couldn't go out in the rain? And you know I don't have a car to drive us there. I'm sorry, but all activities will have to be inside today." Kenji crossed his arms and pouted, leading Kaoru to think that maybe he really did want to do those things. Any knowledge that he was annoying her could possibly have been a bonus.
"Why don't we play a game? Or we could make a snack."
"Dirt would taste better than anything you make," Kenji grumbled. Kaoru's hand slammed down on the table, causing Kenji to jump.
'Whenever Himura-san is around he's such a good boy. But when it's just the two of us I get this. Is it just me? Am I a bad caretaker? Maybe Soujiro was right.'
"Kenji," she started after taking a calming breath. "That was very rude. I know your father teaches you better than that. I've let you get away with a lot but I think I should start punishing you when you misbehave." Kenji's eyes widened nervously. He had heard stories about nannies hurting children. Maybe he had pushed it too far this time.
Kenji slowly slid out of his chair, tensing when Kaoru touched his shoulder. Kaoru's heart went out to him, and she thought about telling him to forget it. But she really couldn't let him continue to think he could get away with this attitude.
Kenji swallowed thickly as they headed toward the stairs. She was taking him upstairs to make sure no one could hear him! But in the movies his aunt watched the victims were usually taken to the basement. They didn't have a basement, but he figured the garage would probably work. Wouldn't his dad be sorry for leaving him alone with Kaoru if he came home to find him hurt in the garage?
However, they weren't heading toward the garage. They had gone up the stairs and were now heading toward his room.
"Do you know how to tell time?" Kaoru asked the sullen boy. Kenji nodded glumly. "Then I want you to sit quietly on your bed for five minutes. You can count the time on your clock. While your sitting here I want you to think about why I'm punishing you." He knew why she was punishing him. Because she was sadistic and liked to torture little boys. There, he had thought about it.
Kaoru squeezed his shoulder and smiled. "I'll be over in the guest room."
Kenji stomped over to his bed and flopped onto it. So much for his dramatic ending. His dad had punished him often enough with timeouts; Kenji didn't think he would be too upset about it.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Kaoru walked over her bag and pulled out a schoolbook. She may not be able to accomplish much in five minutes, but at least it was a break. She looked up when she heard Kenji come into the room. It was a little early but she didn't want to be hard-nosed about it.
"Can I go now?" he huffed.
"I want to talk with you first." She gestured for him to sit next to her on the bed. "Kenji, I notice you have a habit of blurting out whatever comes to your mind. Can you guess why this bothers me?" Kenji rubbed his leg with his foot in a nervous gesture.
"I know what I said was rude," he mumbled. Kaoru nodded.
"What you say can affect people. It can even end a relationship." She stared off to the side for a minute then smiled and brushed a hand through his hair. "I'm not trying to discourage you from expressing your thoughts. You're a very smart and kind boy. I enjoy talking with you. Just think before you speak sometimes, eh?" She tried to hug him, but let go when he pulled away.
Kaoru's heart dropped. "I don't hate you Kenji. Please know that." 'I wish I knew why you hated me.'
"Can I go now?" Kenji repeated his earlier request. Kaoru sighed and nodded.
'I suppose nobody's happy when they're first punished. I guess I should just let him entertain himself for now.' So instead Kaoru stretched out to finish her homework.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Kaoru closed her book and rubbed her eyes. 'I don't know how I'm going to make it through math class, it's so confusing.' Kaoru stretched her cramped muscles. 'It's awfully quiet. Maybe a little too quiet,' she started to worry.
When she got to Kenji's room her jaw dropped and she had to close it firmly to keep from yelling at him. "What are you doing?" Kenji turned his head and smiled far too innocently.
"Just playing with my toys."
"But why did you bring in all this," she picked up some of the powder littering the floor and sniffed it, "laundry detergent?" 'How'd he get it in here so quietly?' She looked over at the now empty soapbox. 'That's a pretty big box. You'd think I would have heard him struggling with it.'
"You wouldn't let me play outside, so I had to use something in place of the dirt."
"Dirt?" Kaoru looked around Kenji to see he had brought in his outside toys. His wet and muddy outside toys. "Oh no," she groaned. "I didn't know you were allowed to bring those inside."
"Daddy doesn't mind," Kenji lied. Kaoru grit her teeth.
"At any rate it’s a waste of soap. I should have been watching you better, I suppose, so I'll replace that. But you are definitely helping me clean up this mess." Kenji crossed his arms over his chest.
"You just like to punish me."
"Kenji, asking you to clean up your mess is not an unfair request." She kneeled down to salvage what soap she could. "Why did you even bring your outside toys up in the first place? You have plenty of toys in your room."
"I just felt like it." His voice was starting to sound edgy, so Kaoru had him take his toys back outside while she got the vacuum. By the time toys picked up and the carpet was finally clean, she realized it was time to think about dinner.
'Well I did promise Kenji his favorite food. Please let it be pizza or some other take out.' It turned out to be lasagna.
Figured.
"I don't know how to make that, but I'll try."
"Call my granma, she knows how to make it."
"Doesn't she live kinda far from here?" Kenji shook his head.
"She's staying at aunt Megumi's this week."
"I don't know," Kaoru hesitated.
"Please? You promised I could have my favorite food and granma's lasagna is my favorite. It's really good!" Kaoru laughed inside.
'As opposed to what mine would be if I tried? Well I can't say that I blame him. I don't like my own cooking most of the time.'
"Okay what's the phone number?" Kenji told her and Kaoru nervously waited for someone to answer.
"Hello?"
"This is Kaoru. May I speak with Himura-san?" There was a brief pause and then the woman on the other end of the line chuckled.
"It's been awhile since any one's called me by that name. My last name is Hiko now, but please call me Sara." Kaoru flushed lightly in embarrassment.
"I'm sorry for the confusion and for asking you this, but well . . ."
"Yes?" Sara urged her to continue.
"Well you see I'm watching Kenji tonight and I promised him his favorite dinner. He said it was your lasagna but I don't know how to make that and since you’re so close, I was hoping . . ."
"I'd be happy to help you," Sara cut in. "Just give me half an hour." Kaoru smiled gratefully, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Thank you so much."
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
About half an hour later Sara came over as promised, along with her husband and the rest of her family.
"You did not have to go with Himura-san?" Kaoru asked Sano when he came in.
"Nope, they didn't need me. You know Meg asked me the same question. I'm beginning to feel like I'm not wanted." He sniffed in mock sadness. Megumi clucked her tongue.
"Since you're acting so silly right now you can entertain the children while Kaoru, mother, and I make dinner."
Sano stuck his tongue out. "Who wants to be stuck in a room full of women anyway? A man could go crazy listening to all that tittering girl talk."
Megumi giggled after they went into the kitchen. "He's such a silly man, but it's part of why I love him."
"I thank you for helping me on such short notice Hiko-san. I'm not much of a cook and Kenji and I have been having a hard enough time getting along as it is." Sara patted Kaoru's arm.
"It's no problem. I enjoy cooking, and I thought I told you to call me Sara." Kaoru shook her head.
"I'd feel awkward doing that." The older woman smiled.
"You're so polite. Tomoe was the same way." Sara tried to strike up a friendly conversation as they prepared dinner. "So dear, how long have you lived here?"
"About six months."
"How do you like it so far?"
"Actually I've been so busy between work and school that I haven't really had time to explore the city."
"Oh, that's too bad. San Francisco can be a very exciting city."
"Mom, you and I should take her out this summer. You'd have some time then wouldn't you, Kaoru?"
"Well . . ." Kaoru started to decline the offer. 'Why shouldn't I go? There's no one to stop me now.'
"Sure, I'd like that."
Megumi smiled in surprise. She had noticed Kaoru's hesitation and had expected her to decline.
"Well, good. I look forward to it."
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
"Mmm. It smells so good. You sure I can't convince you to stay with us forever?" Sano looked at his mother-in-law hopefully. Sara smiled and reached up to pat his shoulder.
"Aren't you forgetting your wife, dear? I know she cooks as well as I do." Sano scratched his head and glanced over at his wife who was glaring at him while helping her son into his chair.
"Yeah well, it just tastes different from what Megumi makes." Hiko snorted.
"You think we eat like this all the time? She only makes the good stuff when we're visiting." Sara placed a bowl of salad on the table and sat next to her husband.
"It sounds like you're volunteering to skip desert tonight." Kaoru tuned out Hiko's ensuing grumbling when she noticed Megumi serve her son's dinner. Perhaps she should do the same for Kenji, since his father wasn't here? But would the boy let her? She decided to give it a try and was surprised to receive not even so much as a glare. Maybe tonight wouldn't be a total disaster after all.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
"Thank you again for coming over." Kaoru stiffened in surprise when Sara hugged her then awkwardly hugged the older woman back.
"It was no problem. I was able to spend more time with Kenji and I had the pleasure of getting to know you better. If you need me again, don't hesitate to call. I don't live too far away."
Kaoru waved goodbye and bid them a safe journey in the rain. "Well Kenji, its time to get ready for bed. Then maybe we can play a game." Kaoru furrowed her brows when she didn't hear a response. "Kenji? Are you in here?" She popped her head into the entertainment room. There was no sign of the boy and Kaoru was starting to get a little annoyed.
'Well maybe he's in his room.' She quickly ascended the stairs and headed into his room. She even checked under the bed and in the closet when she couldn't find him right away. After she check both bathrooms her annoyance started to turn into worry.
'Don't panic, he misses his dad so maybe he's in his room somewhere.' It didn't make a whole lot of sense but Kaoru was starting to run out of ideas.
Kenji wasn't anywhere in his father's room. Kaoru stood in the middle of Kenshin's room, chewing on her knuckle, as she was wont to do when she was anxious. She didn't know whether she wanted to cry or scream, but was trying not to do either one.
'Think, Kaoru, think! Where could he be?' She took a deep breath in an effort to calm herself. 'Earlier he wanted to play outside and go to the toy store. Oh no!' Kaoru ran down the stairs and out the front door. 'Please just let him be outside. Please!'
"Kenji!" Kaoru gulped in air and listened for a response. She called a second time and ran around to the back when she didn't hear anything.
"Kenji, if you're out here answer me!" She was surprised when she was hit by a mudball. "What?" Kaoru turned to see Kenji glowering at her. "What are you doing out here? Do you know how worried I was about you!" Kenji continued to pelt her with mud.
"Quit telling me what to do! You're not my mother, you have no right!" Kaoru held her hands up to deflect the blows.
"Nobody said I was trying to be your mother. However your father left me in charge while he's gone and that means you need to listen to me." Kenji clenched his fist and his body trembled from a mixture of the cold and his anger.
"Why are you still here? Nobody's ever stayed this long. Why can't you just leave us?" Kaoru tried in vain to dodge the mudballs he started throwing at her again.
"Kenji . . . hold on . . . would you . . ." Kaoru picked up a handful of mud and threw it at him. "STOP IT!" Kaoru's hand flew to her mouth in horror as Kenji stared at her in shock. Then Kenji smiled, tossed a mudball at her and ran off. Kaoru blinked a few times then chased after him. They ran around the yard for a few minutes before she tackled him.
"Feel better now?" Kenji nodded eagerly. "Good, because I'm still very mad at you." Kenji gulped. "Come on, let's go inside before we catch a cold." They walked up to the porch, where Kaoru told Kenji to strip down to his underwear. She did the same, grateful that she wasn't wearing white underwear even if Kenji was too young to care.
"We're going straight to the bathroom. The fewer puddles we make the better." She told Kenji to get the bathing articles while she filled the tub.
"Ok kiddo, into the tub."
"I can wash myself you know." Kaoru lathered up the washcloth and started to wash the mud off of Kenji's body.
"I'm sure you can, but I want to make sure everything comes off." She turned the faucet back on and leaned his head back so that she could wash his hair.
"Ah! You're pulling too hard!" Kaoru lessened her scrubbing at Kenji's complaint.
"I'm sorry. You have so much mud in your hair, I want to make sure I get it all out." Kaoru rinsed his hair then lifted him out of the tub.
"But daddy let's me play in the tub for awhile," Kenji protested. Kaoru sighed and toweled him off.
"Kenji, the water is way too dirty for you to soak in. And by the time I empty the tub, clean it, then refill it, it will be too late. It's already past your bedtime. Just consider this your punishment for not listening to me earlier." Kaoru had a hard time holding back a giggle when Kenji poked his bottom lip out in a scowl. Kaoru mock scowled back at him then kissed him on the nose.
Kenji's nose twitched and he cocked his head. "You're nice. I've only had a few nice nannies." He lowered his head until he was staring at his toes. "Most of them didn't seem to care about me. I once overheard my uncle Sano say they were too busy trying to impress my dad." His lower lip started to quiver.
"Whenever they acted like that around my daddy, he always got real sad. So I wanted to show them that we didn't need them. That daddy and I were fine on our own." He lifted his head up to look at Kaoru; the tears in his eyes making them appear even larger than usual. "Some of my nannies started telling me I was bad child. Is it true Kaoru? Is that why they didn't care about me, because I was too bad?"
Kaoru held him close to her, her heart clenching when she felt his small body shake under the force of his sobs. How long had he felt this way about himself? "Oh, honey no. I've seen a lot of good in you. And I'd really like it if we could be friends." Kaoru leaned back and took in a breath that was more of a hiccup.
"Really?" Kaoru smiled and wiped his tears.
"It's all I've ever wanted. I promise I won't try to get your dad's attention." Kenji smiled.
"O-okay." Kaoru wiped away the dirt smudges he had received after she hugged him.
"I'm going to take a shower now. I want you to put on your pajamas. Don't answer the door and stay out of the kitchen." She didn't want him to accidentally hurt himself if he got into any sharp objects. Kaoru set to cleaning the tub as quickly as possible.
-
I don't feel like writing an author's note because I'm too depressed.
RECOMMENDED FANFIC: “An Amorous Catastrophe” by Kokoro Kakera HP. It’s an absolutely hilarious one-shot!
MY REVIEWERS
dragon lover ryushi – The next chapter is here! Yay! Thanks for the review!
Pinay Tiger – I’m glad you like the bond I created between Kenshin and Kenji. I always would have liked my dad and I to have that kind of bond. (It’s getting better!) Thank you for all of your help. It means a lot to me. And thanks for your review!
laku – Well, they covered new ground in this chap. I’ll try not to rush the relationship though. Thanks for reviewing!
RedAndBlackDragon – Here’s the next chapter. What does atm stand for? (Besides automatic teller machine.) Thanks for the review!
DidiHoney – :Grins mysteriously: You’ll just have to wait and find out won’t you? Thanks for reviewing!
maggie – I’m glad you think so. Thanks for reviewing!
Reignashii – Well, we’ll see. There will be a little action at the end of the story. Kamatari will definitely be a guy. I haven’t decided yet if I want him to wear women’s clothing. Thanks for reviewing!
Strawberry’d – I’m glad you like the plot. I’ve found other stories with similar plotlines so I know it’s not that original. But it’s still nice to hear praise. It is SO much fun making Sou as deranged as I can. lol Indeed, what would the plot be? Thanks for reviewing!
vixenia – You thinks the story is angsty? Yeah! I’m so happy. That’s what I was aiming for. Thanks for reviewing!
MysticalElfGoddess – Yeah! Soujiro creeped you out! I have done my job. Thanks for the encouragement and for reviewing!
iris dreamer – I like your name. Thanks for the review!
royal blueKitsune – Here’s my update. Thanks for reviewing!
Triste1 – Well, I don’t think it deserves that much excitement. Oh, yeah I don’t like that either when I’m confused and I have to go back to read the last chap because the author hasn’t updated for awhile. (And now I’m guilty of that. Eek!) I know a lot of people like Sou, so I’m still waiting for flames. So everyone been saying “I like him, but you’re doing a good job of making him evil.” lol I’m trying to work up the nerve to write a story where Kenshin is the bad guy. But it’s hard because I like him so much. I spell checked this chapter so hopefully it will be better. Thanks for the nice review!
Easy-Company-506/101 – I still haven’t figured it out. Any hints? Is it from a show or a song? Thanks for the review!
Via x Infinito – Aww. :blushes: Thanks. Kenji’s attitude will improve a little. But it can’t improve totally, right? lol Yes, he does. Thanks for the review!
kawaii meeh – I know he is, but it’s fun writing him this way. Thanks for the review!
devilish angel 4eva – Thanks for the review!
Starr Stealer – Thank you for your encouragement and assuring me of your support!
Tree – Yes, shocking isn’t it? Guess what, I wrote more! I like your name. Thanks for the review!
sabella/pan – You read it through out the day? How sweet. I know I would be very embarrassed too. Yeah, when you’re married you get to see him with his hair all messed up too. lol I’m glad you got a beta-reader. Thanks for the review and for the offer! I appreciate it.
DragonBlade666 – Yeah, they are fun! I’m glad you can handle Soujiro. Thanks for the review!
Nekotsuki – I read your omake chapter today and it was hilarious! You write comedy well. Yeah, now I wonder what that looks like too. lol Thank you for such a nice review!
Miko Kagome Archer – I’m glad you liked it. Thanks for the review!
TimeWarper – Yes, she was. I’ll eventually explain how she lost it. Thanks for the review!
Many thanks to my beta-readers: Night Imp and Pinay Tiger. They're so nice. :)
I just wanted to let you know about a really cool site my brother found! The address is www . amv . com
It’s an anime music video site where you can search for videos by title of anime, song, or artist (or all 3!).
You will have to create an account in order to download videos, but it's free. (Although they accept donations.)
If you do visit this site I highly suggest you check out a Trigun video called "Macho Macho Vash". It's set to the song "Macho Macho Man" by the Village People. It's hilarious!
-
Kaoru knocked on her neighbor's door, bending down to greet the little girl that answered. "Hi Ayame-chan, Is your granpa here?" The girl nodded and went off to find him. Kaoru's neighbor was a kind old man who had moved over here from Japan and was now caring for his orphaned granddaughters.
"Kaoru-chan how are you?" Kaoru smiled.
"Genzai-sensai," she still called him by his professional title even though he was retired. "I wanted to ask a favor of you. Would you mind feeding my cat tonight? I have to stay over at Himura-san's to watch Kenji."
"I would be glad to do so."
"Thank you. You still have the key to my apartment, right?" Genzai nodded.
"Kaoru-chan," he continued as she turned to leave. "How are things going? Have you made any friends yet?" Kaoru smiled and nodded. Genzai returned her smile. "I'm glad."
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Kaoru stared at the little boy across the table from her. "Are you sure you don't want to do anything? I should think you'd be bored just sitting here." 'I know I am.'
Kaoru suspected that might be the reason he was doing this, to drive her insane with boredom.
"Hmm." Kenji cocked his head and made a great show of thinking. "We could go outside and play."
"Kenji I'd be happy to play outside with you, but it's raining. I don't want you to get sick." Kenji glared at her fiercely, and Kaoru had to remind herself not to glare back.
"Then let's go to the toy store." Kaoru's eyebrow twitched. He was making these suggestions on purpose; he just had to be.
"Kenji, didn't I just say we couldn't go out in the rain? And you know I don't have a car to drive us there. I'm sorry, but all activities will have to be inside today." Kenji crossed his arms and pouted, leading Kaoru to think that maybe he really did want to do those things. Any knowledge that he was annoying her could possibly have been a bonus.
"Why don't we play a game? Or we could make a snack."
"Dirt would taste better than anything you make," Kenji grumbled. Kaoru's hand slammed down on the table, causing Kenji to jump.
'Whenever Himura-san is around he's such a good boy. But when it's just the two of us I get this. Is it just me? Am I a bad caretaker? Maybe Soujiro was right.'
"Kenji," she started after taking a calming breath. "That was very rude. I know your father teaches you better than that. I've let you get away with a lot but I think I should start punishing you when you misbehave." Kenji's eyes widened nervously. He had heard stories about nannies hurting children. Maybe he had pushed it too far this time.
Kenji slowly slid out of his chair, tensing when Kaoru touched his shoulder. Kaoru's heart went out to him, and she thought about telling him to forget it. But she really couldn't let him continue to think he could get away with this attitude.
Kenji swallowed thickly as they headed toward the stairs. She was taking him upstairs to make sure no one could hear him! But in the movies his aunt watched the victims were usually taken to the basement. They didn't have a basement, but he figured the garage would probably work. Wouldn't his dad be sorry for leaving him alone with Kaoru if he came home to find him hurt in the garage?
However, they weren't heading toward the garage. They had gone up the stairs and were now heading toward his room.
"Do you know how to tell time?" Kaoru asked the sullen boy. Kenji nodded glumly. "Then I want you to sit quietly on your bed for five minutes. You can count the time on your clock. While your sitting here I want you to think about why I'm punishing you." He knew why she was punishing him. Because she was sadistic and liked to torture little boys. There, he had thought about it.
Kaoru squeezed his shoulder and smiled. "I'll be over in the guest room."
Kenji stomped over to his bed and flopped onto it. So much for his dramatic ending. His dad had punished him often enough with timeouts; Kenji didn't think he would be too upset about it.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Kaoru walked over her bag and pulled out a schoolbook. She may not be able to accomplish much in five minutes, but at least it was a break. She looked up when she heard Kenji come into the room. It was a little early but she didn't want to be hard-nosed about it.
"Can I go now?" he huffed.
"I want to talk with you first." She gestured for him to sit next to her on the bed. "Kenji, I notice you have a habit of blurting out whatever comes to your mind. Can you guess why this bothers me?" Kenji rubbed his leg with his foot in a nervous gesture.
"I know what I said was rude," he mumbled. Kaoru nodded.
"What you say can affect people. It can even end a relationship." She stared off to the side for a minute then smiled and brushed a hand through his hair. "I'm not trying to discourage you from expressing your thoughts. You're a very smart and kind boy. I enjoy talking with you. Just think before you speak sometimes, eh?" She tried to hug him, but let go when he pulled away.
Kaoru's heart dropped. "I don't hate you Kenji. Please know that." 'I wish I knew why you hated me.'
"Can I go now?" Kenji repeated his earlier request. Kaoru sighed and nodded.
'I suppose nobody's happy when they're first punished. I guess I should just let him entertain himself for now.' So instead Kaoru stretched out to finish her homework.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Kaoru closed her book and rubbed her eyes. 'I don't know how I'm going to make it through math class, it's so confusing.' Kaoru stretched her cramped muscles. 'It's awfully quiet. Maybe a little too quiet,' she started to worry.
When she got to Kenji's room her jaw dropped and she had to close it firmly to keep from yelling at him. "What are you doing?" Kenji turned his head and smiled far too innocently.
"Just playing with my toys."
"But why did you bring in all this," she picked up some of the powder littering the floor and sniffed it, "laundry detergent?" 'How'd he get it in here so quietly?' She looked over at the now empty soapbox. 'That's a pretty big box. You'd think I would have heard him struggling with it.'
"You wouldn't let me play outside, so I had to use something in place of the dirt."
"Dirt?" Kaoru looked around Kenji to see he had brought in his outside toys. His wet and muddy outside toys. "Oh no," she groaned. "I didn't know you were allowed to bring those inside."
"Daddy doesn't mind," Kenji lied. Kaoru grit her teeth.
"At any rate it’s a waste of soap. I should have been watching you better, I suppose, so I'll replace that. But you are definitely helping me clean up this mess." Kenji crossed his arms over his chest.
"You just like to punish me."
"Kenji, asking you to clean up your mess is not an unfair request." She kneeled down to salvage what soap she could. "Why did you even bring your outside toys up in the first place? You have plenty of toys in your room."
"I just felt like it." His voice was starting to sound edgy, so Kaoru had him take his toys back outside while she got the vacuum. By the time toys picked up and the carpet was finally clean, she realized it was time to think about dinner.
'Well I did promise Kenji his favorite food. Please let it be pizza or some other take out.' It turned out to be lasagna.
Figured.
"I don't know how to make that, but I'll try."
"Call my granma, she knows how to make it."
"Doesn't she live kinda far from here?" Kenji shook his head.
"She's staying at aunt Megumi's this week."
"I don't know," Kaoru hesitated.
"Please? You promised I could have my favorite food and granma's lasagna is my favorite. It's really good!" Kaoru laughed inside.
'As opposed to what mine would be if I tried? Well I can't say that I blame him. I don't like my own cooking most of the time.'
"Okay what's the phone number?" Kenji told her and Kaoru nervously waited for someone to answer.
"Hello?"
"This is Kaoru. May I speak with Himura-san?" There was a brief pause and then the woman on the other end of the line chuckled.
"It's been awhile since any one's called me by that name. My last name is Hiko now, but please call me Sara." Kaoru flushed lightly in embarrassment.
"I'm sorry for the confusion and for asking you this, but well . . ."
"Yes?" Sara urged her to continue.
"Well you see I'm watching Kenji tonight and I promised him his favorite dinner. He said it was your lasagna but I don't know how to make that and since you’re so close, I was hoping . . ."
"I'd be happy to help you," Sara cut in. "Just give me half an hour." Kaoru smiled gratefully, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Thank you so much."
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
About half an hour later Sara came over as promised, along with her husband and the rest of her family.
"You did not have to go with Himura-san?" Kaoru asked Sano when he came in.
"Nope, they didn't need me. You know Meg asked me the same question. I'm beginning to feel like I'm not wanted." He sniffed in mock sadness. Megumi clucked her tongue.
"Since you're acting so silly right now you can entertain the children while Kaoru, mother, and I make dinner."
Sano stuck his tongue out. "Who wants to be stuck in a room full of women anyway? A man could go crazy listening to all that tittering girl talk."
Megumi giggled after they went into the kitchen. "He's such a silly man, but it's part of why I love him."
"I thank you for helping me on such short notice Hiko-san. I'm not much of a cook and Kenji and I have been having a hard enough time getting along as it is." Sara patted Kaoru's arm.
"It's no problem. I enjoy cooking, and I thought I told you to call me Sara." Kaoru shook her head.
"I'd feel awkward doing that." The older woman smiled.
"You're so polite. Tomoe was the same way." Sara tried to strike up a friendly conversation as they prepared dinner. "So dear, how long have you lived here?"
"About six months."
"How do you like it so far?"
"Actually I've been so busy between work and school that I haven't really had time to explore the city."
"Oh, that's too bad. San Francisco can be a very exciting city."
"Mom, you and I should take her out this summer. You'd have some time then wouldn't you, Kaoru?"
"Well . . ." Kaoru started to decline the offer. 'Why shouldn't I go? There's no one to stop me now.'
"Sure, I'd like that."
Megumi smiled in surprise. She had noticed Kaoru's hesitation and had expected her to decline.
"Well, good. I look forward to it."
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
"Mmm. It smells so good. You sure I can't convince you to stay with us forever?" Sano looked at his mother-in-law hopefully. Sara smiled and reached up to pat his shoulder.
"Aren't you forgetting your wife, dear? I know she cooks as well as I do." Sano scratched his head and glanced over at his wife who was glaring at him while helping her son into his chair.
"Yeah well, it just tastes different from what Megumi makes." Hiko snorted.
"You think we eat like this all the time? She only makes the good stuff when we're visiting." Sara placed a bowl of salad on the table and sat next to her husband.
"It sounds like you're volunteering to skip desert tonight." Kaoru tuned out Hiko's ensuing grumbling when she noticed Megumi serve her son's dinner. Perhaps she should do the same for Kenji, since his father wasn't here? But would the boy let her? She decided to give it a try and was surprised to receive not even so much as a glare. Maybe tonight wouldn't be a total disaster after all.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
"Thank you again for coming over." Kaoru stiffened in surprise when Sara hugged her then awkwardly hugged the older woman back.
"It was no problem. I was able to spend more time with Kenji and I had the pleasure of getting to know you better. If you need me again, don't hesitate to call. I don't live too far away."
Kaoru waved goodbye and bid them a safe journey in the rain. "Well Kenji, its time to get ready for bed. Then maybe we can play a game." Kaoru furrowed her brows when she didn't hear a response. "Kenji? Are you in here?" She popped her head into the entertainment room. There was no sign of the boy and Kaoru was starting to get a little annoyed.
'Well maybe he's in his room.' She quickly ascended the stairs and headed into his room. She even checked under the bed and in the closet when she couldn't find him right away. After she check both bathrooms her annoyance started to turn into worry.
'Don't panic, he misses his dad so maybe he's in his room somewhere.' It didn't make a whole lot of sense but Kaoru was starting to run out of ideas.
Kenji wasn't anywhere in his father's room. Kaoru stood in the middle of Kenshin's room, chewing on her knuckle, as she was wont to do when she was anxious. She didn't know whether she wanted to cry or scream, but was trying not to do either one.
'Think, Kaoru, think! Where could he be?' She took a deep breath in an effort to calm herself. 'Earlier he wanted to play outside and go to the toy store. Oh no!' Kaoru ran down the stairs and out the front door. 'Please just let him be outside. Please!'
"Kenji!" Kaoru gulped in air and listened for a response. She called a second time and ran around to the back when she didn't hear anything.
"Kenji, if you're out here answer me!" She was surprised when she was hit by a mudball. "What?" Kaoru turned to see Kenji glowering at her. "What are you doing out here? Do you know how worried I was about you!" Kenji continued to pelt her with mud.
"Quit telling me what to do! You're not my mother, you have no right!" Kaoru held her hands up to deflect the blows.
"Nobody said I was trying to be your mother. However your father left me in charge while he's gone and that means you need to listen to me." Kenji clenched his fist and his body trembled from a mixture of the cold and his anger.
"Why are you still here? Nobody's ever stayed this long. Why can't you just leave us?" Kaoru tried in vain to dodge the mudballs he started throwing at her again.
"Kenji . . . hold on . . . would you . . ." Kaoru picked up a handful of mud and threw it at him. "STOP IT!" Kaoru's hand flew to her mouth in horror as Kenji stared at her in shock. Then Kenji smiled, tossed a mudball at her and ran off. Kaoru blinked a few times then chased after him. They ran around the yard for a few minutes before she tackled him.
"Feel better now?" Kenji nodded eagerly. "Good, because I'm still very mad at you." Kenji gulped. "Come on, let's go inside before we catch a cold." They walked up to the porch, where Kaoru told Kenji to strip down to his underwear. She did the same, grateful that she wasn't wearing white underwear even if Kenji was too young to care.
"We're going straight to the bathroom. The fewer puddles we make the better." She told Kenji to get the bathing articles while she filled the tub.
"Ok kiddo, into the tub."
"I can wash myself you know." Kaoru lathered up the washcloth and started to wash the mud off of Kenji's body.
"I'm sure you can, but I want to make sure everything comes off." She turned the faucet back on and leaned his head back so that she could wash his hair.
"Ah! You're pulling too hard!" Kaoru lessened her scrubbing at Kenji's complaint.
"I'm sorry. You have so much mud in your hair, I want to make sure I get it all out." Kaoru rinsed his hair then lifted him out of the tub.
"But daddy let's me play in the tub for awhile," Kenji protested. Kaoru sighed and toweled him off.
"Kenji, the water is way too dirty for you to soak in. And by the time I empty the tub, clean it, then refill it, it will be too late. It's already past your bedtime. Just consider this your punishment for not listening to me earlier." Kaoru had a hard time holding back a giggle when Kenji poked his bottom lip out in a scowl. Kaoru mock scowled back at him then kissed him on the nose.
Kenji's nose twitched and he cocked his head. "You're nice. I've only had a few nice nannies." He lowered his head until he was staring at his toes. "Most of them didn't seem to care about me. I once overheard my uncle Sano say they were too busy trying to impress my dad." His lower lip started to quiver.
"Whenever they acted like that around my daddy, he always got real sad. So I wanted to show them that we didn't need them. That daddy and I were fine on our own." He lifted his head up to look at Kaoru; the tears in his eyes making them appear even larger than usual. "Some of my nannies started telling me I was bad child. Is it true Kaoru? Is that why they didn't care about me, because I was too bad?"
Kaoru held him close to her, her heart clenching when she felt his small body shake under the force of his sobs. How long had he felt this way about himself? "Oh, honey no. I've seen a lot of good in you. And I'd really like it if we could be friends." Kaoru leaned back and took in a breath that was more of a hiccup.
"Really?" Kaoru smiled and wiped his tears.
"It's all I've ever wanted. I promise I won't try to get your dad's attention." Kenji smiled.
"O-okay." Kaoru wiped away the dirt smudges he had received after she hugged him.
"I'm going to take a shower now. I want you to put on your pajamas. Don't answer the door and stay out of the kitchen." She didn't want him to accidentally hurt himself if he got into any sharp objects. Kaoru set to cleaning the tub as quickly as possible.
-
I don't feel like writing an author's note because I'm too depressed.
RECOMMENDED FANFIC: “An Amorous Catastrophe” by Kokoro Kakera HP. It’s an absolutely hilarious one-shot!
MY REVIEWERS
dragon lover ryushi – The next chapter is here! Yay! Thanks for the review!
Pinay Tiger – I’m glad you like the bond I created between Kenshin and Kenji. I always would have liked my dad and I to have that kind of bond. (It’s getting better!) Thank you for all of your help. It means a lot to me. And thanks for your review!
laku – Well, they covered new ground in this chap. I’ll try not to rush the relationship though. Thanks for reviewing!
RedAndBlackDragon – Here’s the next chapter. What does atm stand for? (Besides automatic teller machine.) Thanks for the review!
DidiHoney – :Grins mysteriously: You’ll just have to wait and find out won’t you? Thanks for reviewing!
maggie – I’m glad you think so. Thanks for reviewing!
Reignashii – Well, we’ll see. There will be a little action at the end of the story. Kamatari will definitely be a guy. I haven’t decided yet if I want him to wear women’s clothing. Thanks for reviewing!
Strawberry’d – I’m glad you like the plot. I’ve found other stories with similar plotlines so I know it’s not that original. But it’s still nice to hear praise. It is SO much fun making Sou as deranged as I can. lol Indeed, what would the plot be? Thanks for reviewing!
vixenia – You thinks the story is angsty? Yeah! I’m so happy. That’s what I was aiming for. Thanks for reviewing!
MysticalElfGoddess – Yeah! Soujiro creeped you out! I have done my job. Thanks for the encouragement and for reviewing!
iris dreamer – I like your name. Thanks for the review!
royal blueKitsune – Here’s my update. Thanks for reviewing!
Triste1 – Well, I don’t think it deserves that much excitement. Oh, yeah I don’t like that either when I’m confused and I have to go back to read the last chap because the author hasn’t updated for awhile. (And now I’m guilty of that. Eek!) I know a lot of people like Sou, so I’m still waiting for flames. So everyone been saying “I like him, but you’re doing a good job of making him evil.” lol I’m trying to work up the nerve to write a story where Kenshin is the bad guy. But it’s hard because I like him so much. I spell checked this chapter so hopefully it will be better. Thanks for the nice review!
Easy-Company-506/101 – I still haven’t figured it out. Any hints? Is it from a show or a song? Thanks for the review!
Via x Infinito – Aww. :blushes: Thanks. Kenji’s attitude will improve a little. But it can’t improve totally, right? lol Yes, he does. Thanks for the review!
kawaii meeh – I know he is, but it’s fun writing him this way. Thanks for the review!
devilish angel 4eva – Thanks for the review!
Starr Stealer – Thank you for your encouragement and assuring me of your support!
Tree – Yes, shocking isn’t it? Guess what, I wrote more! I like your name. Thanks for the review!
sabella/pan – You read it through out the day? How sweet. I know I would be very embarrassed too. Yeah, when you’re married you get to see him with his hair all messed up too. lol I’m glad you got a beta-reader. Thanks for the review and for the offer! I appreciate it.
DragonBlade666 – Yeah, they are fun! I’m glad you can handle Soujiro. Thanks for the review!
Nekotsuki – I read your omake chapter today and it was hilarious! You write comedy well. Yeah, now I wonder what that looks like too. lol Thank you for such a nice review!
Miko Kagome Archer – I’m glad you liked it. Thanks for the review!
TimeWarper – Yes, she was. I’ll eventually explain how she lost it. Thanks for the review!