Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Closed Doors ❯ Chapter 6

Standard disclaimers apply.

"Closed Doors"

Chapter VI:

"Kamiya-sensei, Himura-san of the Himura Training School wishes to speak with you. Shall I let him in?", asked her assistant Kakuya.

"Hai Kakuya-dono. Let him in. Arigatou," replied Kaoru after a few moment of thinking.

She lifted her gaze as Kakuya led him inside her receiving office. If given any other choice, she would not want to talk with Kenshin. However, she cannot do anything. He was an important client of their dojo.

Her other group meetings with him were normal. Aside from his uncomfortable stares at her that lasted as long as the meeting went on, nothing else alarming happened.

"Ohayou, Kaoru-dono."

Putting up a usual smile she greeted back. "Hai, Himura-san. Is there anything I could do for you?"

Kaoru heard a soft laugh from her visitor. She clenched her fists at her sides and made sure that the fake smile on her face was not at all affected. She waited for his next move.

"There's no need for you to sound so stiff and formal."

"I take it you didn't mean for this to be a business meeting."

"Hai, this is not a business meeting indeed. I was hoping I could take you out for lunch if you're available, de gozaru."

"Sumanu, I can't. Arigatou."

"If I give you business as a reason for you to come out with me, are you willing to accept?"

"You're a client, Mr. Himura."

"I'll take that as a yes. Okay then, I have something that I would like to discuss with you… over lunch."

"We can talk about it here in my office…"

"If you don't like lunch, we could have dinner. Hai, I think dinner would be better. What time shall I pick you up?"

"I don't remember I said yes."

"I'm a client Ms. Kamiya. I'll pick you up here at 7 in the evening okay?", Kenshin said turning on his heels.

"Wait Mr. Himura… Kenshin, matte…"

But before he completely closed the door, Kenshin peered inside her office again. "And I don't expect you to be in your training gi, de gozaru. Sayonara." And he was gone.

Kaoru stared long at the closed shoji before she shook her head. A small sigh came out of her mouth. She picked up a small bell to call Kakuya again.

"You called, Kamiya-sensei…?"

"H-hai. Please cancel my appointment with Mr. Inugami at 5 p.m. I have a dinner meeting tonight."

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Kaoru informed Yahiko about her meeting with Kenshin that evening. Its really like he didn't recognize him, maybe because Kenshin had cut his hair short now, he dresses up much differently from the Kenshin he met and the X-shaped scar was almost invisible now.

It was natural in her job business meetings like this of all sorts, and that's why Yahiko did not ask more.

At exactly 7 o'clock Kenshin was already at the dojo gates fetching her by his own carriage. But Kaoru expected this all along. She insisted to use her own carriage and driver. Kenshin was not able to anything since indeed it was just going to be 'a formal business dinner', according to Kaoru.

He led the way and stopped at a posh restaurant down town. This time, Kenshin persisted that they walk together as they enter. Kaoru only shrugged her shoulders.

After ordering, Kenshin laid his hands on the table and stared at Kaoru without blinking an eye. Kaoru unmindingly listened to the soft piano music playing at the corner of the restaurant. A few moments earlier, while they walk inside together, she really doesn't seem interested to talk to him and she did not, except for some of his questions that she needed to answer.

"How are you, Kaoru?", he suddenly asked.

She looked at him sternly.

"Why do you ask just now? We've been meeting each other for almost a week…"

"I had no chance to do so. And I thought you wouldn't want Yahiko to remember me, as I can see he doesn't recognize me."

She turned her attention to the pianist again.

"We're here because you told me that there's something important that we have to talk about, about the graduate students of your school having their formal teaching training with ours. There's really no need for you to make trite conversation."

Kenshin pulled out a deep sigh. Kaoru looked at him and felt that she wanted to take back what she had said when she saw the hurt in his eyes. Nevertheless, she remained stiff.

"Haven't you forgiven me already?", he softly asked.

"Forgiven you? For what?", there was bitterness in Kaoru's voice. "If you're talking about that thing that had happened to us almost ten years ago… that was over, Kenshin. I've forgotten about it already."

"Then why so you treat me like this? Doushite de gozaru ka? Why are you so cold?"

"You're a client of my dojo. There's no way I could ever treat you terribly, nor don't mind you or even turn you down as one important client. What kind of treatment do you still ask for?"

"I don't know Kaoru. I also don't know. But the only thing I know now is that you're not the same Kaoru I've met before."

"I think you're getting confused, Kenshin. I'm not anymore the 17 year-old Kamiya Kaoru you've met that had fallen head-over-heels in love with a sore loser. You're not different from this country, are you? I'm here to know what do you want to happen with those ten graduates of your school inside mine. And it starts and ends there. Occasional lunches and dinners are part and parcel of the job, that's all."

Kenshin only shook his head from what he had heard. He thought that this is not yet the right time to win Kaoru's heart again. He will wait for the right time and do everything. The only thing he knows is that in his heart, he needs to correct what he had believed to be the biggest mistake of his past, next to his being the hitokiri battousai.

For the time remaining that night, Kenshin did not open any other topic except business matters. Kaoru might have to know some information so that she could make his students feel at home inside the Kamiya Dojo while training to be good sword masters in the future.

As hours passed, Kenshin observed that Kaoru has been slowly letting down her defenses. When he took her back to the dojo, again in separate carriages, she rewarded him with a faint smile.

That smile is okay for me, he said to himself while he watched her close the gates. A smile is okay for me…

… for now.

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

When Kaoru arrived at her office before she head to her daily rounds at the dojo, she saw a big bouquet of white roses on top of her table. She took the small card there and read the small message that was written:

Ohayou gozaimasu. Kenshin Himura.

Kaoru assessed the feeling she felt with Kenshin's surprise. She tried not to feel happy about it but she felt herself smiling. About to reach for her shinai to finally get going when Kakuya came in and told her that Kenshin was at the dojo gate.

She went to the dojo entrance still wearing her training hakama when she saw Kenshin with his own assistant.

"Ohayou Kaoru…", he greeted.

"Ohayou Himura-san. You're kindda early."

"Aaa. I was just going to ask you if you got what I sent you."

"Hai. Arigatou. You shouldn't have bothered."

"Its not a bother for me, de gozaru yo."

Silence came in between them. Kenshin decided to speak.

"I hope you like white roses. I just guessed what you'd probably like."

Kaoru thought deeply. In fact, white was her favorite color of roses. But she doesn't wasn't Kenshin to feel like triumphant.

"White is fine. I see you had given your assistant a very hard time looking for them because you know too well they're rare here in Japan. But all of them are the same. The color would hardly matter when the flower is all dried up and withered."

She heard him try and hide the sigh that escaped from his lips. She blamed her sharp tongue for saying things like that but she refrained herself from doing it. The pain her mouth had given him was no match for what she had went through. She waited for him to speak.

"H-hai, Kaoru. I know you must be busy. Gomen nasai for disturbing you. Sayonara."

"Sayonara," she said turning away, not even smiling.

Kaoru went straight to the dojo and made the rounds she was supposed to have made in the first place. And coming back to her office, Kakuya told her that Mr. Tahada was in her receiving room waiting for her. Work was continuous for her that day so she did not had any time to think about Kenshin Himura and his future role in her present life.

~õ~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

Saturday morning when Kaoru told Yahiko that she will meet Sanosuke that night.

"Oh yeah. He went to my house just the other night. I told him you still live here at the dojo that's why he probably visited you. He looks fine, isn't he?"

"Hai. He still looks fine after five years of traveling alone."

"Time surely flies fast, neh? Send my regards to the rooster, and tell him I'd love to continue our sake session in my house."

"Sure. I'll tell him."

~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~

There. I hope you like it. Please review. Thanks for all your posts! Please continue!