RK fic: Just What I Need
In my opinion, a really dumb story I wrote when I was 14. It's an AU Kenshin story centered around Kaoru who gets a job as a reporter, and her work with co-office-habitator Kenshin. Going back and reading this again, I think I wrote Kaoru out very annoyingly. However, the premise for the story is pretty interesting.
Near the end, my voice in the story changes. This is mostly due to the fact that I stopped writing for a year or more before I picked it up again.
So, I give you, in its raw unedited form, Just What I Need. C. 2004.
Name
My name? That’s the easiest part of the essay. I tapped my pencil on top of the crisp paper and stared at the clock. I had about another two hours to work on this. Not a lot of time considering third job would be the most important I’d ever have.
Name
My name? My name made a lot of people cringe. I didn’t know if I was very well liked. In fact, I knew I wasn’t. Everyone found me childish and annoying. That was okay. At least Misao didn’t think that way. Then again, Misao...never mind. We’ll worry about her later.
Name
My name?
I put the eraser to my mouth for a moment, then lowered it to the thick paper.
Kamiya Kaoru.
Now, on to the next question.
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Chapter 1: Elevator
“Name?”
I pressed the button on the intercom. “Kamiya Kaoru.”
"Miss Kamiya, may I inquire as to whom your business is with?”
I pressed the button again. “Hiko Seijuuro, ma’am.”
The woman on the opposite end of the little box spoke again. “Appointment?”
“Yes. Two-thirty.”
“Welcome to Hiten M. Times,” the voice said. I stepped back as the dark glass doors to the towering building opened and admitted me. As I stepped through, I could sense, out of the corners of my eyes, little cameras that were following my every move. I let my gaze wander up to them for a mere second before walking into the cool of the inside compared to the heat outside. Tightening my hand on my sleek black leather bag, I walked past the threshold confidently. My shoes made a loud clack on the polished floors.
The inside of Hiten M. Times was even more impressive than I’d imagined. Of course, I had heard a great deal of lies from people, but what was I to believe? It was the richest corporation in the city. Maybe even in the country.
Some of what I’d heard was true, like the intricately sculptured fountains, made of marble, that greeted me in the entrance, about five all together. And everything was so clean! The walls and floors literally glowed, and I could see my reflection wherever I looked. The walls were also made of marble, brown, and interpretive art paintings hung on them. Unlike a lot of places like this, no music floated down to me. I suddenly felt very small inside the large corridor.
Imagine me, Kamiya Kaoru, getting in to a place like this! I admit I was a bit intimidated by the prospect of meeting Hiko Seijuuro, who was said to be a very threatening man with a strict personality, but I wasn’t going to be afraid. That wouldn’t work for me.
I needed to get to the tenth floor, so I started to look for an elevator. On the way there, I passed a tall, spiky-haired man who was dressed casually. I wondered if perhaps he knew where an elevator was. In most cases I didn’t have far to look for one, but here...! Geez, were they hidden or something?
“Excuse me, sir!” I called out. The man, his hands shoved in his jeans pockets, turned. I bit my lip self-consciously as I hurried up. I had always been a little uneasy of my appearance.
“What can I do for you, missy?” His voice was deep and rolled on every ‘r’.
“Um, do you know where I can find an elevator?”
The man grinned. “New here?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“I’m on my way up. I’ll take you to the elevator,” he said. As I began to follow him, he turned and introduced himself. “The name’s Sagara Sanosuke.”
I introduced myself, and lengthened my strides to match his. “Do you work here?” I asked.
“Nah.” He waved a hand. “It’s not my thing. My best friend works here. I came to pick him up.”
Once again, I nodded. I was nearly running to keep up with Sanosuke’s long strides, and he was so much taller than me that I had to tilt my head back to look him in the face. I noticed as we were running that his eyes were chocolate-brown-same as his hair. They made me think of Misao’s puppy, Notaro. I smiled to myself.
I shouldn’t have been tilting my head like that. If I had been looking forward, I would have noticed that there was someone running my way. But I wasn’t, so that person and I collided.
“Hey!” I cried, even though it was partially my fault. “Watch where you’re going!”
My offender, a boy about thirteen, glared at me. He was even shorter than I was, with a head of bright red hair that he tied high on his head. Angry dark blue eyes glowered at me from under his bangs. He wore baggy pants and a dark t-shirt with the words ‘Divinity Destroyed’ written on it in fiery red, Romanized letters. Probably some band name.
“Watch where you’re going yourself,” he returned, growling. I frowned.
“Hey, Kenji,” Sanosuke said cheerfully. “Where are you off to in such a rush?”
“I’m looking for dad,” Kenji replied. It suited him, I decided. “I got a bee sting; I need some ointment.”
“A bee sting?” I asked. “Where?”
“Look, it’s none of your business-“
“Where?” I demanded again.
He sighed, and lifted his shirt up to his ribcage. There was a red, puffy sting on the skin just under his chest. “Sano, do you know where dad is?-“
He paused when I began to dig around in my bag. “What are you doing?”
“I have ointment for that,” I explained, pushing my hair out of my face as I bent to search the contents of my sloppily-kept bag. “My friend gets bee stings all the time. Now, where is that darned tube....”
“Who are you, lady?” the kid demanded. Oh, real polite. He was a regular charmer.
I made some more hasty introductions, still fishing around in my bag. Tissues, useless business cards, some candy, stress reliever....where was that stupid tube?
“Himura Kenji,” he murmured back politely.
I finally caught sight of the sting ointment, buried under my planner. “Aha!” I cried triumphantly, holding it up. “Now, off to the restroom with you...”
He made faint sounds of protest as I caught his arm. “Kamiya-san, please...”
Sanosuke was following us. I saw him step ahead and lead us in to one of those unisexual bathrooms, where I yanked Kenji over to the sink and ordered him to take off his shirt.
“Hey, miss, what the heck are you doing?” he demanded, as I ripped the shirt off his head. It was strange. Why did I suddenly care if the boy even had a brain tumor? I didn’t know him. Perhaps it was because I was so used to doing it for Misao.
“Be quiet!” I told him. “This won’t take long. It stings, right?”
He wrinkled his nose a bit. “Yeah, okay. It does sting a little.” He bowed his head as I reached out to rub a small dab of Benedryl on the irritated spot. He flinched away at the uncomfortable contact, and I couldn’t much blame him, but I treated the sting anyway.
“Are you allergic to bee stings?” I asked when I was finished.
“No,” he replied, pulling his shirt back on. Sano laughed.
“That kid’s not allergic to anything. Just like his dad.”
There they were mentioning his father again. I bit the inside of my mouth, wondering. “Perhaps we should let your father know about this,” I suggested.
“I was trying to do that before,” he retorted. “I don’t know where the idiot is.”
Idiot? I frowned. I’d never met a kid who spoke that way of his own father. What type of person was he?
“That’s not a very nice way to talk about your own father,” I said. Yay, Miss I-like-to-speak-what-I-feel.
His eyes flashed. “Yeah, and since when could you tell me what to do?”
I stepped back, hurt, and felt Sano’s hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry,” he said. “He’s always like that. He doesn’t get along with his dad very well...they have some....unresolved conflicts.” He rubbed the back of his head. I understood. If I asked, I would be butting into this man’s personal life with his son.
“Oh.” I looked back at the kid, who was glaring mightily at me from where he stood.
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A few seconds later, we were walking through the long halls again, in search of Kenji’s dad. We’d decided to go look in his office. So, here I was next to two perfect strangers, already late for my interview, and looking for someone I would most likely never meet again after this ordeal. Yeah, I was acting real smart.
Finally, we found the elevator, and hurried in as the button on the wall lit up. I leaned against the railing with a sigh as Kenji told Sano what floor to go to, and the taller man punched it in. Surely I would get yelled at by Hiko for not being on time. I flinched at the thought.
The doors began to close.
“Wait!” Someone suddenly called out. “Please, hold the elevator!”
Sano cursed under his breath and abruptly set a foot on the crack between the elevator and the floor of the building, effectively halting the closing doors. They opened back up again to reveal an out-of-breath redhead, his hair tied back at the base of his neck. Come to think of it, he looked a lot like Kenji. He wore a crisp, dark blue business suit and was clutching a briefcase.
“Kenshin!” Sano cried out in surprise.
Kenji seemed startled too. “Dad!”
Oh! So this was the kid’s father! Hearing that, I studied the man more intently. He was of a short height, just a bit taller than me, and when I peered closer, I noted that his eyes were lighter than Kenji’s, a curious purple color. He didn’t look like the type to yell or abuse. In fact....he looked pretty harmless.
This guy, Kenshin, stepped in to the elevator. Sano grinned and shoved Kenji forward. “Hey buddy, your son’s been looking for you.”
Kenshin looked a bit worried. “Kenji? Did something happen?” He glanced from Kenji to me. Did he think I had done something to...?
“I’m fine,” the boy muttered, “now.”
Kenshin’s brows lowered. “That doesn’t answer my question, Kenji.”
I watched the exchange curiously.
“I’m fine now!” Kenji repeated. “You were supposed to meet Sano and I in the lobby thirty minutes ago! I was reaching up to call you on the intercom because I couldn’t even find Sano, and you didn’t even answer!”
Kenshin opened his mouth to argue, but I stepped in quickly. “Your son got stung by a bee,” I said. “Don’t worry, he’s okay now. I put some ointment on him.”
The man’s gaze went to me. I chewed hesitantly on my lip. He was an incredibly good-looking guy. And, for some reason it seemed I held his complete attention, and the purple eyes were quite disarming.
“A bee sting?” he echoed. “Where?”
“His chest, sir-“
“I see.” Kenshin stepped forward, his eyes sweeping briefly over me. “Well, thank you very much for taking care of him, miss...?”
“Kamiya,” I filled in. “Kamiya Kaoru.”
“You’re Kamiya-san?” he asked, suddenly smiling. “I’ve heard a great deal about you. You’re supposed to be the Times’ new journalist.”
“I am, sir,” I nodded.
“I’m Himura Kenshin,” he said. “Paper pusher.”
“P-Paper pusher?!” I sputtered.
Sano and Kenshin both laughed. “Stop kidding the poor girl, Kenshin!” Sano cried. To me, he said, “He’s the photographer.”
“Oh,” I smiled. “That’s a pretty cool job.”
“Well, I’m not very good at it,” the redhead admitted.
I smiled, and he smiled. Suddenly the atmosphere seemed less tense.
The elevator groaned, shuddered, and stopped. We all looked around, confused. The doors weren’t opening. Were they stuck?
Sano was throwing a fit, kicking at the door with his foot. “Open! Open, damn you!” Kenji slumped against the wall with a loud sigh, ducking his head into his knees.
“Is it stuck?” I asked Kenshin. I could feel the worry in my eyes as I caught at his sleeve. Kenshin blinked twice, then smiled brightly at me.
“Don’t worry, Kamiya-san; if it is stuck, someone will be here to fix it in no time.”
I glanced at my watch. It was already two-twenty.
“I’m dead,” I sighed, leaning against the wall. “I’ll be late for my appointment and I’ll get fired.” Against my will, I felt tears threaten. Why did my sister always get it better than me?
Kenshin gave me another reassuring smile. “I’m sure you can have it re- scheduled,” he offered. “Hiko-san will have to understand if you got caught in an elevator.”
I nodded wearily, but inside I was fretting. Kenshin didn’t know what kind of financial situation I was in. I needed to start work as soon as possible, and a busy man like Hiko would most likely find time for me in no less than three weeks.
Kenji, from where he sat against the wall with his knees up, suddenly lifted his head and glared at his father. “This is all your fault.”
Kenshin sputtered, his eyes growing wide. “M-My fault?”
“If you had just met me and Sano in the lobby like you were supposed to, you would’ve been there when the bee stung me, and then I wouldn’t have been there when the bee stung me, and then I wouldn’t have had to go looking for you, and then I wouldn’t have run into Kamiya-san, so we wouldn’t be in this stupid elevator!”
“You’re making this sound like it’s her fault!” Kenshin accused, pointing at me. I shrunk against the wall, sensing an argument.
“I’m not blaming her for anything!” Kenji shouted. “It’s YOUR fault! You’re never on time! Mom-“
“This is NOT the time to bring her up, Kenji!” Kenshin was red in the face, and his fists were shaking at his sides. When angry, he exerted a frightening power.
“Hey, hey, guys!” Sano exclaimed, catching Kenji by the collar of his shirt before the boy could leap at his father. “Please! This is not the time to be arguing, am I right?”
Kenji crossed his arms and faced the wall, absently picking at some peeling wallpaper. Kenshin stepped back beside me, leaning the back of his head against the wall. I stared at him. He must have caught my stare, for he turned towards me. “I’m sorry,” he said simply, and gave me a weary smile.
I sighed and tilted my head up towards the ceiling. That was when I noticed the trapdoor. The trapdoor that I wagered led right on top of the elevator.
When I got an idea, there was no stopping me. They were normally good ideas, too. Something I suppose I could give myself credit for.
“We can get it moving again!” I blurted.
“Huh?” Sano glanced at me.
“We can get the elevator moving again,” I repeated. “I’m sure one of us can fit through that trapdoor.” I pointed at the object in question. “Then we can see what’s caused the breakdown and get it fixed.”
“How are we supposed to do that?” Kenji grumbled.
“Jump to one of the floors!” I responded cheerfully.
Kenshin appeared to be thinking. “It could work....that’s a pretty good idea, Kamiya-san!”
I beamed. I knew it was a good idea, and I couldn’t help it; who didn’t like to bask in success?
“So who’s gonna go up there?” Kenji asked. All heads turned his way, giving him a meaningful look. He got the meaning and stood up, shaking his head. “Oh no, not me....”
“You’re the smallest and the lightest,” I said. “It has to be you.”
He complained, but agreed. I made Sano stand in the center of the room, since he was tallest, and ordered Kenji to climb up on his shoulders. I suppose I was being a bit bossy, but oh well. This was an emergency.
Kenshin helped me steady Sano as the young boy clambered up his back like a squirrel. Once he was positioned, I told him to reach for the trapdoor and see if he could unlatch it. This was accomplished with a little tugging and cheering on from us.
I was so excited. Maybe this would make up for being late! If Hiko heard that I’d rescued everyone in an elevator, he’d surely let me keep my job. Perhaps I could even do a story on it!
Kenji opened the trapdoor with the flat of his hand, and I sighed as cool air touched my face. “Go on and climb out!” I directed.
He hesitated momentarily, but complied, hefting himself up from Sano’s shoulders and pulling his body on to the top of the elevator. For a few seconds, we waited, and then Kenshin called, “Do you see anything wrong?”
“Yeah,” he called back. “There’s a wire that’s been cut up here, but it doesn’t look like it was cut just now; I think someone rigged it to snap at a precise moment.”
I frowned. Why on earth would someone do something like that? “Can you fix it?” I asked.
“Nope. Too risky. It’s still pumped with electricity,” he replied.
Apparently, I thought, since the lights were still on. “Are we close to a floor?” I called again.
After a moment, I heard his voice say, “Yeah, if we jumped hard enough we could make it.”
That settled things then. I smiled at Kenshin, even though I was quaking in my shoes. I hated heights! One of the reasons why I had insisted Kenji go.
I paused, gnawing furiously on my lower lip as Kenshin apparently waited for me to climb up first. He noted my hesitation and gently asked, “What’s wrong?”
I looked at him. “N-nothing,” I managed. “I’m fine.” This was my idea, and I wasn’t going to chicken out on it!
I got onto Sano’s shoulders the best I could, snapping back at his groaning retorts. “Geez, Jou-chan, how much do you weigh?”
“Shut up you stupid rooster head!”
I felt Kenji’s hands on my arms as he helped lift me out of the elevator, and my heart plummeted when I saw how far we were from the ground. Kenshin came out next, leaving Sano with no leverage. I peered back in at him.
“Don’t worry about me!” he said. “I’ll just wait here for you guys to fix this thing.”
“It’s a wonder no one’s noticed yet,” Kenshin murmured to me once he’d stood up. I giggled to alieve some of the fright I was feeling. Kenji was at the edge, preparing to jump.
“Are you guys ready?” he asked impatiently, glancing back at us. I suddenly shivered in the cool air that was flowing through the elevator shaft.
“Yeah,” Kenshin replied. “Go ahead and jump, Kenji, but be careful!”
“I will, I will!” Kenji snapped, swinging his arms back and forth to get more distance. As he hopped off the top for the next floor, I heard Kenshin gasp, and knew he was more worried than he let on. I smiled wearily.
Kenji stumbled at bit at his landing, but managed okay. From his perch, clinging precariously to the edges for his life (that space he was standing on certainly was tiny), he banged on the doors that normally opened with the elevator’s arrival. “Open up, someone!” he called. After a moment or two of this, there was a distant ding somewhere on the other side, and the doors opened, letting Kenji inside to the face of a very perplexed, very tall blonde man.
“Chou!” Kenshin called.
“What the heck are you doing down here, Himura?” Chou demanded, planting his hands on his hips. “What’s going on?”
“Our elevator got stuck!” Kenshin shouted back. “Can you get someone down here right away to fix the cord? Sano’s still stuck down there!”
“That rooster head?” Chou scoffed. “Let him rot in there!”
“Hey!” came Sano’s voice.
“Seriously, Chou, get some help...”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m on it,” the blonde man replied, lifting two fingers in salute. He gave Kenji a weird look before starting off down the hall. Kenji was holding the doors open for us.
“Come on, dad!” he shouted.
Kenshin looked at me. “Go on, Kamiya-san,” he urged gently. I looked at the distance from the elevator to the next floor. My heart suddenly lurched to my throat and my legs got wobbly.
“I...I can’t...” I found myself whispering.
“What?”
“I can’t....I have a terrible fear of heights...”
“Not a...phobia...?”
“No, not a phobia, but still...” I shivered, holding my arms for warmth. “I’m scared,” I admitted.
The next thing I knew, Kenshin’s arm was around my waist. I yelped indignantly at the intimate touch, but Kenshin merely tightened his hold and walked me to the edge. “We’ll jump together,” he said, “if you don’t mind.”
“Himura-san, no, you’ll fall....”
“No I won’t,” he persisted. “I’ve been trained in the martial arts; I have very good balance and I can jump pretty far.”
I took a deep breath and leaned against him awkwardly. I distantly heard Kenji yell “come on!” again, but I shut my eyes and blocked out all sound.
“Okay. I’m ready,” I said.
I was sailing through the air for one terrifying moment, my hands fisted in Kenshin’s jacket. Then, I was on hard ground again. Blinking, I opened my eyes and looked around. We had made it to the floor. Kenji was giving me an odd look. No wonder! I could feel the blood gradually returning to my face.
I laughed weakly and let go of Kenshin. “Sorry,” I mumbled, “I’m such a scaredy-cat.”
“No,” Kenshin amended. “And, it was the least I could do after you took care of my son.”
I smiled a little, and sank down to my knees. There was NO WAY I’d ever take the elevator again.
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Hwa....that was weird. And long! It’s been a while since I wrote a chapter that was nine pages! - Anyway, I hoped you liked that short little bit!
Notes: Here we are with the second chapter. Did I mention a lot of OOC will be going on around here? Maybe you couldn’t tell so much with the last chapter, and perhaps not this one either, but there will be some major OOCness when it comes to Kenshin. Just be on the lookout....and don’t kill me. ducks flying tomatoes [2nd chp start May 24 04]
Blah dee blah....school gets out soon! Yay!* throws confett*i And I, friends, shall not be a guppie any longer. (Yes...I was a freshman this year....) On to sophomore year! marches bravely ahead *people throw tomatoes at me* Blecch!
Like anyone really cares about poor little old me....anyway! On with the disclaimers....*sigh* Just give us the story, Laurika! It’s coming, I promise!
Disclaimer: Laurika: *sweetly* Watsuki-sama, may I please own RK? I’ll pay you a million dollars!
Watsuki: No.
Laurika: *pouts*
Yes, it’s true....I am just a starving writer! I don’t own anything except for my fanfics and my underwear! *sobs into hankie*
To Chapter Two...
Near the end, my voice in the story changes. This is mostly due to the fact that I stopped writing for a year or more before I picked it up again.
So, I give you, in its raw unedited form, Just What I Need. C. 2004.
Name
My name? That’s the easiest part of the essay. I tapped my pencil on top of the crisp paper and stared at the clock. I had about another two hours to work on this. Not a lot of time considering third job would be the most important I’d ever have.
Name
My name? My name made a lot of people cringe. I didn’t know if I was very well liked. In fact, I knew I wasn’t. Everyone found me childish and annoying. That was okay. At least Misao didn’t think that way. Then again, Misao...never mind. We’ll worry about her later.
Name
My name?
I put the eraser to my mouth for a moment, then lowered it to the thick paper.
Kamiya Kaoru.
Now, on to the next question.
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Chapter 1: Elevator
“Name?”
I pressed the button on the intercom. “Kamiya Kaoru.”
"Miss Kamiya, may I inquire as to whom your business is with?”
I pressed the button again. “Hiko Seijuuro, ma’am.”
The woman on the opposite end of the little box spoke again. “Appointment?”
“Yes. Two-thirty.”
“Welcome to Hiten M. Times,” the voice said. I stepped back as the dark glass doors to the towering building opened and admitted me. As I stepped through, I could sense, out of the corners of my eyes, little cameras that were following my every move. I let my gaze wander up to them for a mere second before walking into the cool of the inside compared to the heat outside. Tightening my hand on my sleek black leather bag, I walked past the threshold confidently. My shoes made a loud clack on the polished floors.
The inside of Hiten M. Times was even more impressive than I’d imagined. Of course, I had heard a great deal of lies from people, but what was I to believe? It was the richest corporation in the city. Maybe even in the country.
Some of what I’d heard was true, like the intricately sculptured fountains, made of marble, that greeted me in the entrance, about five all together. And everything was so clean! The walls and floors literally glowed, and I could see my reflection wherever I looked. The walls were also made of marble, brown, and interpretive art paintings hung on them. Unlike a lot of places like this, no music floated down to me. I suddenly felt very small inside the large corridor.
Imagine me, Kamiya Kaoru, getting in to a place like this! I admit I was a bit intimidated by the prospect of meeting Hiko Seijuuro, who was said to be a very threatening man with a strict personality, but I wasn’t going to be afraid. That wouldn’t work for me.
I needed to get to the tenth floor, so I started to look for an elevator. On the way there, I passed a tall, spiky-haired man who was dressed casually. I wondered if perhaps he knew where an elevator was. In most cases I didn’t have far to look for one, but here...! Geez, were they hidden or something?
“Excuse me, sir!” I called out. The man, his hands shoved in his jeans pockets, turned. I bit my lip self-consciously as I hurried up. I had always been a little uneasy of my appearance.
“What can I do for you, missy?” His voice was deep and rolled on every ‘r’.
“Um, do you know where I can find an elevator?”
The man grinned. “New here?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“I’m on my way up. I’ll take you to the elevator,” he said. As I began to follow him, he turned and introduced himself. “The name’s Sagara Sanosuke.”
I introduced myself, and lengthened my strides to match his. “Do you work here?” I asked.
“Nah.” He waved a hand. “It’s not my thing. My best friend works here. I came to pick him up.”
Once again, I nodded. I was nearly running to keep up with Sanosuke’s long strides, and he was so much taller than me that I had to tilt my head back to look him in the face. I noticed as we were running that his eyes were chocolate-brown-same as his hair. They made me think of Misao’s puppy, Notaro. I smiled to myself.
I shouldn’t have been tilting my head like that. If I had been looking forward, I would have noticed that there was someone running my way. But I wasn’t, so that person and I collided.
“Hey!” I cried, even though it was partially my fault. “Watch where you’re going!”
My offender, a boy about thirteen, glared at me. He was even shorter than I was, with a head of bright red hair that he tied high on his head. Angry dark blue eyes glowered at me from under his bangs. He wore baggy pants and a dark t-shirt with the words ‘Divinity Destroyed’ written on it in fiery red, Romanized letters. Probably some band name.
“Watch where you’re going yourself,” he returned, growling. I frowned.
“Hey, Kenji,” Sanosuke said cheerfully. “Where are you off to in such a rush?”
“I’m looking for dad,” Kenji replied. It suited him, I decided. “I got a bee sting; I need some ointment.”
“A bee sting?” I asked. “Where?”
“Look, it’s none of your business-“
“Where?” I demanded again.
He sighed, and lifted his shirt up to his ribcage. There was a red, puffy sting on the skin just under his chest. “Sano, do you know where dad is?-“
He paused when I began to dig around in my bag. “What are you doing?”
“I have ointment for that,” I explained, pushing my hair out of my face as I bent to search the contents of my sloppily-kept bag. “My friend gets bee stings all the time. Now, where is that darned tube....”
“Who are you, lady?” the kid demanded. Oh, real polite. He was a regular charmer.
I made some more hasty introductions, still fishing around in my bag. Tissues, useless business cards, some candy, stress reliever....where was that stupid tube?
“Himura Kenji,” he murmured back politely.
I finally caught sight of the sting ointment, buried under my planner. “Aha!” I cried triumphantly, holding it up. “Now, off to the restroom with you...”
He made faint sounds of protest as I caught his arm. “Kamiya-san, please...”
Sanosuke was following us. I saw him step ahead and lead us in to one of those unisexual bathrooms, where I yanked Kenji over to the sink and ordered him to take off his shirt.
“Hey, miss, what the heck are you doing?” he demanded, as I ripped the shirt off his head. It was strange. Why did I suddenly care if the boy even had a brain tumor? I didn’t know him. Perhaps it was because I was so used to doing it for Misao.
“Be quiet!” I told him. “This won’t take long. It stings, right?”
He wrinkled his nose a bit. “Yeah, okay. It does sting a little.” He bowed his head as I reached out to rub a small dab of Benedryl on the irritated spot. He flinched away at the uncomfortable contact, and I couldn’t much blame him, but I treated the sting anyway.
“Are you allergic to bee stings?” I asked when I was finished.
“No,” he replied, pulling his shirt back on. Sano laughed.
“That kid’s not allergic to anything. Just like his dad.”
There they were mentioning his father again. I bit the inside of my mouth, wondering. “Perhaps we should let your father know about this,” I suggested.
“I was trying to do that before,” he retorted. “I don’t know where the idiot is.”
Idiot? I frowned. I’d never met a kid who spoke that way of his own father. What type of person was he?
“That’s not a very nice way to talk about your own father,” I said. Yay, Miss I-like-to-speak-what-I-feel.
His eyes flashed. “Yeah, and since when could you tell me what to do?”
I stepped back, hurt, and felt Sano’s hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry,” he said. “He’s always like that. He doesn’t get along with his dad very well...they have some....unresolved conflicts.” He rubbed the back of his head. I understood. If I asked, I would be butting into this man’s personal life with his son.
“Oh.” I looked back at the kid, who was glaring mightily at me from where he stood.
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A few seconds later, we were walking through the long halls again, in search of Kenji’s dad. We’d decided to go look in his office. So, here I was next to two perfect strangers, already late for my interview, and looking for someone I would most likely never meet again after this ordeal. Yeah, I was acting real smart.
Finally, we found the elevator, and hurried in as the button on the wall lit up. I leaned against the railing with a sigh as Kenji told Sano what floor to go to, and the taller man punched it in. Surely I would get yelled at by Hiko for not being on time. I flinched at the thought.
The doors began to close.
“Wait!” Someone suddenly called out. “Please, hold the elevator!”
Sano cursed under his breath and abruptly set a foot on the crack between the elevator and the floor of the building, effectively halting the closing doors. They opened back up again to reveal an out-of-breath redhead, his hair tied back at the base of his neck. Come to think of it, he looked a lot like Kenji. He wore a crisp, dark blue business suit and was clutching a briefcase.
“Kenshin!” Sano cried out in surprise.
Kenji seemed startled too. “Dad!”
Oh! So this was the kid’s father! Hearing that, I studied the man more intently. He was of a short height, just a bit taller than me, and when I peered closer, I noted that his eyes were lighter than Kenji’s, a curious purple color. He didn’t look like the type to yell or abuse. In fact....he looked pretty harmless.
This guy, Kenshin, stepped in to the elevator. Sano grinned and shoved Kenji forward. “Hey buddy, your son’s been looking for you.”
Kenshin looked a bit worried. “Kenji? Did something happen?” He glanced from Kenji to me. Did he think I had done something to...?
“I’m fine,” the boy muttered, “now.”
Kenshin’s brows lowered. “That doesn’t answer my question, Kenji.”
I watched the exchange curiously.
“I’m fine now!” Kenji repeated. “You were supposed to meet Sano and I in the lobby thirty minutes ago! I was reaching up to call you on the intercom because I couldn’t even find Sano, and you didn’t even answer!”
Kenshin opened his mouth to argue, but I stepped in quickly. “Your son got stung by a bee,” I said. “Don’t worry, he’s okay now. I put some ointment on him.”
The man’s gaze went to me. I chewed hesitantly on my lip. He was an incredibly good-looking guy. And, for some reason it seemed I held his complete attention, and the purple eyes were quite disarming.
“A bee sting?” he echoed. “Where?”
“His chest, sir-“
“I see.” Kenshin stepped forward, his eyes sweeping briefly over me. “Well, thank you very much for taking care of him, miss...?”
“Kamiya,” I filled in. “Kamiya Kaoru.”
“You’re Kamiya-san?” he asked, suddenly smiling. “I’ve heard a great deal about you. You’re supposed to be the Times’ new journalist.”
“I am, sir,” I nodded.
“I’m Himura Kenshin,” he said. “Paper pusher.”
“P-Paper pusher?!” I sputtered.
Sano and Kenshin both laughed. “Stop kidding the poor girl, Kenshin!” Sano cried. To me, he said, “He’s the photographer.”
“Oh,” I smiled. “That’s a pretty cool job.”
“Well, I’m not very good at it,” the redhead admitted.
I smiled, and he smiled. Suddenly the atmosphere seemed less tense.
The elevator groaned, shuddered, and stopped. We all looked around, confused. The doors weren’t opening. Were they stuck?
Sano was throwing a fit, kicking at the door with his foot. “Open! Open, damn you!” Kenji slumped against the wall with a loud sigh, ducking his head into his knees.
“Is it stuck?” I asked Kenshin. I could feel the worry in my eyes as I caught at his sleeve. Kenshin blinked twice, then smiled brightly at me.
“Don’t worry, Kamiya-san; if it is stuck, someone will be here to fix it in no time.”
I glanced at my watch. It was already two-twenty.
“I’m dead,” I sighed, leaning against the wall. “I’ll be late for my appointment and I’ll get fired.” Against my will, I felt tears threaten. Why did my sister always get it better than me?
Kenshin gave me another reassuring smile. “I’m sure you can have it re- scheduled,” he offered. “Hiko-san will have to understand if you got caught in an elevator.”
I nodded wearily, but inside I was fretting. Kenshin didn’t know what kind of financial situation I was in. I needed to start work as soon as possible, and a busy man like Hiko would most likely find time for me in no less than three weeks.
Kenji, from where he sat against the wall with his knees up, suddenly lifted his head and glared at his father. “This is all your fault.”
Kenshin sputtered, his eyes growing wide. “M-My fault?”
“If you had just met me and Sano in the lobby like you were supposed to, you would’ve been there when the bee stung me, and then I wouldn’t have been there when the bee stung me, and then I wouldn’t have had to go looking for you, and then I wouldn’t have run into Kamiya-san, so we wouldn’t be in this stupid elevator!”
“You’re making this sound like it’s her fault!” Kenshin accused, pointing at me. I shrunk against the wall, sensing an argument.
“I’m not blaming her for anything!” Kenji shouted. “It’s YOUR fault! You’re never on time! Mom-“
“This is NOT the time to bring her up, Kenji!” Kenshin was red in the face, and his fists were shaking at his sides. When angry, he exerted a frightening power.
“Hey, hey, guys!” Sano exclaimed, catching Kenji by the collar of his shirt before the boy could leap at his father. “Please! This is not the time to be arguing, am I right?”
Kenji crossed his arms and faced the wall, absently picking at some peeling wallpaper. Kenshin stepped back beside me, leaning the back of his head against the wall. I stared at him. He must have caught my stare, for he turned towards me. “I’m sorry,” he said simply, and gave me a weary smile.
I sighed and tilted my head up towards the ceiling. That was when I noticed the trapdoor. The trapdoor that I wagered led right on top of the elevator.
When I got an idea, there was no stopping me. They were normally good ideas, too. Something I suppose I could give myself credit for.
“We can get it moving again!” I blurted.
“Huh?” Sano glanced at me.
“We can get the elevator moving again,” I repeated. “I’m sure one of us can fit through that trapdoor.” I pointed at the object in question. “Then we can see what’s caused the breakdown and get it fixed.”
“How are we supposed to do that?” Kenji grumbled.
“Jump to one of the floors!” I responded cheerfully.
Kenshin appeared to be thinking. “It could work....that’s a pretty good idea, Kamiya-san!”
I beamed. I knew it was a good idea, and I couldn’t help it; who didn’t like to bask in success?
“So who’s gonna go up there?” Kenji asked. All heads turned his way, giving him a meaningful look. He got the meaning and stood up, shaking his head. “Oh no, not me....”
“You’re the smallest and the lightest,” I said. “It has to be you.”
He complained, but agreed. I made Sano stand in the center of the room, since he was tallest, and ordered Kenji to climb up on his shoulders. I suppose I was being a bit bossy, but oh well. This was an emergency.
Kenshin helped me steady Sano as the young boy clambered up his back like a squirrel. Once he was positioned, I told him to reach for the trapdoor and see if he could unlatch it. This was accomplished with a little tugging and cheering on from us.
I was so excited. Maybe this would make up for being late! If Hiko heard that I’d rescued everyone in an elevator, he’d surely let me keep my job. Perhaps I could even do a story on it!
Kenji opened the trapdoor with the flat of his hand, and I sighed as cool air touched my face. “Go on and climb out!” I directed.
He hesitated momentarily, but complied, hefting himself up from Sano’s shoulders and pulling his body on to the top of the elevator. For a few seconds, we waited, and then Kenshin called, “Do you see anything wrong?”
“Yeah,” he called back. “There’s a wire that’s been cut up here, but it doesn’t look like it was cut just now; I think someone rigged it to snap at a precise moment.”
I frowned. Why on earth would someone do something like that? “Can you fix it?” I asked.
“Nope. Too risky. It’s still pumped with electricity,” he replied.
Apparently, I thought, since the lights were still on. “Are we close to a floor?” I called again.
After a moment, I heard his voice say, “Yeah, if we jumped hard enough we could make it.”
That settled things then. I smiled at Kenshin, even though I was quaking in my shoes. I hated heights! One of the reasons why I had insisted Kenji go.
I paused, gnawing furiously on my lower lip as Kenshin apparently waited for me to climb up first. He noted my hesitation and gently asked, “What’s wrong?”
I looked at him. “N-nothing,” I managed. “I’m fine.” This was my idea, and I wasn’t going to chicken out on it!
I got onto Sano’s shoulders the best I could, snapping back at his groaning retorts. “Geez, Jou-chan, how much do you weigh?”
“Shut up you stupid rooster head!”
I felt Kenji’s hands on my arms as he helped lift me out of the elevator, and my heart plummeted when I saw how far we were from the ground. Kenshin came out next, leaving Sano with no leverage. I peered back in at him.
“Don’t worry about me!” he said. “I’ll just wait here for you guys to fix this thing.”
“It’s a wonder no one’s noticed yet,” Kenshin murmured to me once he’d stood up. I giggled to alieve some of the fright I was feeling. Kenji was at the edge, preparing to jump.
“Are you guys ready?” he asked impatiently, glancing back at us. I suddenly shivered in the cool air that was flowing through the elevator shaft.
“Yeah,” Kenshin replied. “Go ahead and jump, Kenji, but be careful!”
“I will, I will!” Kenji snapped, swinging his arms back and forth to get more distance. As he hopped off the top for the next floor, I heard Kenshin gasp, and knew he was more worried than he let on. I smiled wearily.
Kenji stumbled at bit at his landing, but managed okay. From his perch, clinging precariously to the edges for his life (that space he was standing on certainly was tiny), he banged on the doors that normally opened with the elevator’s arrival. “Open up, someone!” he called. After a moment or two of this, there was a distant ding somewhere on the other side, and the doors opened, letting Kenji inside to the face of a very perplexed, very tall blonde man.
“Chou!” Kenshin called.
“What the heck are you doing down here, Himura?” Chou demanded, planting his hands on his hips. “What’s going on?”
“Our elevator got stuck!” Kenshin shouted back. “Can you get someone down here right away to fix the cord? Sano’s still stuck down there!”
“That rooster head?” Chou scoffed. “Let him rot in there!”
“Hey!” came Sano’s voice.
“Seriously, Chou, get some help...”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m on it,” the blonde man replied, lifting two fingers in salute. He gave Kenji a weird look before starting off down the hall. Kenji was holding the doors open for us.
“Come on, dad!” he shouted.
Kenshin looked at me. “Go on, Kamiya-san,” he urged gently. I looked at the distance from the elevator to the next floor. My heart suddenly lurched to my throat and my legs got wobbly.
“I...I can’t...” I found myself whispering.
“What?”
“I can’t....I have a terrible fear of heights...”
“Not a...phobia...?”
“No, not a phobia, but still...” I shivered, holding my arms for warmth. “I’m scared,” I admitted.
The next thing I knew, Kenshin’s arm was around my waist. I yelped indignantly at the intimate touch, but Kenshin merely tightened his hold and walked me to the edge. “We’ll jump together,” he said, “if you don’t mind.”
“Himura-san, no, you’ll fall....”
“No I won’t,” he persisted. “I’ve been trained in the martial arts; I have very good balance and I can jump pretty far.”
I took a deep breath and leaned against him awkwardly. I distantly heard Kenji yell “come on!” again, but I shut my eyes and blocked out all sound.
“Okay. I’m ready,” I said.
I was sailing through the air for one terrifying moment, my hands fisted in Kenshin’s jacket. Then, I was on hard ground again. Blinking, I opened my eyes and looked around. We had made it to the floor. Kenji was giving me an odd look. No wonder! I could feel the blood gradually returning to my face.
I laughed weakly and let go of Kenshin. “Sorry,” I mumbled, “I’m such a scaredy-cat.”
“No,” Kenshin amended. “And, it was the least I could do after you took care of my son.”
I smiled a little, and sank down to my knees. There was NO WAY I’d ever take the elevator again.
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Hwa....that was weird. And long! It’s been a while since I wrote a chapter that was nine pages! - Anyway, I hoped you liked that short little bit!
Notes: Here we are with the second chapter. Did I mention a lot of OOC will be going on around here? Maybe you couldn’t tell so much with the last chapter, and perhaps not this one either, but there will be some major OOCness when it comes to Kenshin. Just be on the lookout....and don’t kill me. ducks flying tomatoes [2nd chp start May 24 04]
Blah dee blah....school gets out soon! Yay!* throws confett*i And I, friends, shall not be a guppie any longer. (Yes...I was a freshman this year....) On to sophomore year! marches bravely ahead *people throw tomatoes at me* Blecch!
Like anyone really cares about poor little old me....anyway! On with the disclaimers....*sigh* Just give us the story, Laurika! It’s coming, I promise!
Disclaimer: Laurika: *sweetly* Watsuki-sama, may I please own RK? I’ll pay you a million dollars!
Watsuki: No.
Laurika: *pouts*
Yes, it’s true....I am just a starving writer! I don’t own anything except for my fanfics and my underwear! *sobs into hankie*
To Chapter Two...