Lie to Me
Chapter Two: It all starts with a little lie�
[Misao]
This is not a good day for me. I had always hated Mondays.
Okay, Misao. Remember what your singing teacher told you? Take a deep breath and use the strength of your diaphragm to project your voice. Following the exact instructions, I belted out as I continuously banged on the door, �Kaoru Kamiya! Get your butt out here this instant!� Ugh! Of all the days she decided to sleep late, it just had to be today. On her book signing. �Kaoru! Kaoru! Open the door!�
Silence.
I swear this girl is really getting on my nerves. �Kaoru, I know you are awake! You have book signing today!�
Silent still.
I gritted my teeth in irritation and threatened, �If you don�t open this door this instant I�ll barge in!�
Nothing.
Oh, this girl is surely going to get it. I narrowed my eyes and took a few steps back. One� Two� Three!
**BAM!**
I warned her but she didn�t listen. Oh well, the door can be fixed later. I was so shocked when I turned to her. It seemed as if she didn�t sleep the whole night. �Kaoru? Are you alright? You look like��
�Like what?� she snapped as she narrowed her eyes piercingly at me, raising her eyebrows.
�Oh nothing�� I squeaked. I know that �don�t-mess-with-me-I�m-not-in-the-mood� look far too well. �Better fix yourself up. Jiya is already on his way. He better not catch you in bed. You know how he is. He�ll drag your butt out��
�But I�m not in the mood!� she whined.
Oh really? Like I didn�t notice. I sighed audibly and with my most cheerful voice, I said, �Oh Kaoru stop that! You�ll get in the mood once you see all those people lined up to see you.�
�I don�t think so.�
I always knew Kaoru was a stubborn girl. However, no one can lose with my persistence. I grabbed her arm and coaxed, �C�mon Kaoru!�
�No!�
�But you can�t back down. Everyone is expecting you there! The press will be there!� I pleaded almost desperately. You know what? Sometimes I ask myself why I even care. It�s not even my career. But�
�That�s where you are wrong Misao! Everyone is expecting a Kamiya to sign there.�
�Oh no you don�t! I know what you are thinking�� Oh please no! I know that line too well.
�Misao��
�No!� Maybe if I say this over and over again she�d change her mind. But then again� I can use this for my own advantage� hehehe. I�ll just play along.
�Please!�
�No!� I said more firmly, crossing my arms to my chest. I turned my back on her but I angled my face in a way that I could see her facial expression at the corner of my eye.
At this point, Kaoru was on her knees with her hands clasped. �Please pretty please with sugar on top? This will be the last.�
Good thing my bangs hid my face or else she would have clearly seen the smile forming on my mouth. �That�s what you said the last time!� I said with a firm and serious tone.
�C�mon, I�ll give you anything you want!�
Bingo!!
I turned around with a sly smile on my face and repeated using my sweetest voice, �Anything?"
�Yes!�
Don�t be too eager sister dear, I have thought about this a long time ago. I chuckled softly and said to keep her suspense, � But you have to promise me that this is the absolute last time that you�ll ever make me do this!�
�Promise,� Kaoru said with much conviction that you�d actually thought that she is in a court trial or something. �So what�s the catch?�
Relishing my moment of triumph, I said slowly, �I want that shirt Soujiro Seta wore on his last concert, Tenken.�
Kaoru�s eyes almost bulged out of its sockets as she exclaimed, �What!? But you know I love that shirt! Did you know how many girls I had to wrestle in his concert to catch that?�
Well, you should think twice the next time you offer to give me anything, my mind mentally screamed. But of course, I can�t tell her that unless I wanted a severe bokken-whacking this early in the morning. So I just decided to give her a knowing smile. �I know. I was there. So, do we have a deal?�
�Alright, deal. Now let�s fix you up.�
Here comes the torturous part. �Ouch, Kaoru!! Careful with the braid!� See? Oh well, Soujiro�s shirt is worth it. I giggled softly as I raised up the shirt to my nose, inhaling his wonderful scent of� sweat. Oh well, at least it�s sexy sweat not fat sweat. Now what? I am categorizing sweat? I should get myself a new hobby.
�Misao! Hold still! I have to tie it in a ponytail!�
I stilled myself, rolling my eyes and sighed, � Why do I allow you to do this to me?�
�Because I am your favorite sister and you love me?�
�You are my only sister, Kaoru.�
�That�s right! And I love you!�
Even if I can�t see her face from behind, I knew she was smiling. She is sooo loving this. �Kaoru?�
�Hmmm?�
�I better meet some blue-eyed gorgeous hunk��
~~~~~
[Kaoru]
After hours of soaking in the tub, I finally stepped out of the bathroom. I stood in front of my walk-in closet in silence as I allowed thoughts to flood my mind.
Now, what should I wear? You probably think that I am too vain. Not really. Let�s just say that I fix myself up every time I go somewhere. Why? It�s quite simple.
You�ll never know when you are going to meet the man of your dreams.
I for one do not want to meet my prince charming wearing rags. Not that Cinderella wasn�t appealing in rags, but I don�t think I would want my love story to go in that direction.
After I picked out my dress, I gave an audible sigh. I had almost forgotten how tiring it was to fix Misao up. Nothing short of a warm and relaxing bath sufficed.
Well, actually it didn�t do.
I still feel awful and irritatingly empty. I need to amuse myself. Take a break. Get my mind off things. I am not the type of person who watches television or movies to entertain myself. I�d rather that I go somewhere peaceful and think. That�s it! But� where should I go? I know. I�ll just go to the park and play with Dr. Genzai�s granddaughters. Yahiko and Yutarou should be babysitting those two girls, just about now.
Wait! Did I just say Yahiko and Yutarou?
Then the park is a big no-no! I am looking for peace of mind not a major migraine. But, where else can I go?
Ugh! Nowhere!
Then it came to me. I�ll just go to the lake. Why? Because that�s where Prince Derrick found the Princess in the tale �The Swan Princess.�
I am definitely losing it. But, as my mother always said, fantasies are free. That�s why I am exploiting it to its very limits. However, there is one itsy-bitsy important detail thing she forgot to tell me. The price of making that fantasy a reality is somewhat�
Unattainable.
I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn�t realize that I was going the wrong way. Oh well, I have the entire day to make it there. I wonder what Misao is doing right now? Is she enjoying herself? I hope so�
~~~~~
[Misao]
Whew! This is so tiring! I can�t believe Kaoru passed this one out! I haven�t seen so many bishounens lined up. I am so getting used to this! I just flash them my most dazzling smile and they�re at their knees.
�Hi! Thanks for buying my book! To whom shall I address this?�
�Souzo Sagara.�
I scribble a couple of words, smile disarmingly at him and on to the next cutie.
O my. Can somebody please catch my jaw? I think it has plummeted to the ground. My! My! My! This is my lucky day! Tall gorgeous hunk alert� with blue eyes! I stared at him under the dark sunglasses I am wore. I swear, my face is exploding this minute! Keep you composure, Misao. Act cool.
�Hi! Thanks for buying my book! To whom shall I address this?�
�Aoshi Shinomori.�
Aoshi. The name that will be forever imprinted in my heart.
Shit!
Did I just wrote it down?
�Umm� Aoshi-sama� I mean, Aoshi-san, your book seemed to be damaged, I� think we have an extra stock here.� I stuttered nervously while rummaging the box beside me frantically.
�No need for that, Miss Kaoru Kamiya.� With that, he took the book from my desk as I looked at his facial expression in horror. Wait a minute, is that a smile? I sat up straight from my chair and beamed at him. �I hope you enjoy it.�
�Actually,� he said. �I have read it already. Can I invite you for dinner so we can discuss its contents?�
This is my lucky day! I had always loved Mondays!!
�Sure, let�s meet at the Akabeko about seven-ish?�
�I�ll see you there, Miss Kaoru.�
I stared at his retreating figure, gaping. He has the most beautiful butt! Just then, it came to me causing blood to drain from my face.
I am not Kaoru�
Ugh! I knew I hated Mondays!!!
~~~~~
[Kaoru]
I've been down this road walkin' the line
That's painted by pride
And I have made mistakes in my life
That I just can't hide
Oh� I believe I am ready for what love has to bring
Got myself together, now I'm ready to�
�Hey there, pretty lady!�
Ugh! That was my favorite part. I glared at the man who called me and continued walking away from him.
Got myself together, now I'm ready to�
�Don�t be a snob pretty lady. I was calling you.�
�Get your hand off me,� I said icily as I looked at him incredulously, raising my eyebrow.
He tightened his grip around my arm, pressing a dagger to my side. He threatened, �Give me all your money or I�ll stab you.�
Oh, puh-lease.
And I suppose you are expecting me the scream for my prince.
No way.
I may want my prince charming to sweep me off my feet but I definitely am not a damsel in distress in need of saving. I can perfectly handle myself.
�Give me all your money or I�ll stab you.�
I rolled my eyes and with one swift move, I twisted his arm, took the dagger from him and punched him on the nose.
He took steps back, dazed at what just happened. He lounged at me but I dodged his attack easily. Gathering all my strength, I clenched my fist and gave him my most beautifully perfected uppercut.
�Now, strong man. Why don�t you give me your money?� I smirked, waving around his dagger mockingly in front of him.
�Bitch!� he called out as he ran away from me.
Now that was interesting. This day isn�t so boring after all. Now where was I�
Got myself together, now I'm ready to sing
I've been searchin' my soul tonight
I know there's so much more to life
Now I know I can shine a light
To find my way back home
I stopped singing when I arrived at the lake. I gazed at the picturesque view the lake made. It is really breath-taking. As I turned my head at the left side of the lake, I saw the most handsome man I had ever laid eyes on. And� he was staring back at me.
The man of my dreams.
Could he be my prince charming?
There�s only one way to find out.
I fainted.
Author�s Notes:
I�m glad you appreciated this fic. I wrote the first chapter when I was really depressed. Let�s just say that this fic comes from the core of my heart just like �Taking Chances�.
Hehehe� surprised you there, didn�t I? I didn�t want to portray Kaoru as a damsel in distress so I made her fight the mugger. I based the fight scene at that episode when the police where looking for Kenshin. Kaoru gave one of them a mean uppercut. Hehehe�
About the fainting part, I have a special plan for that. =) Read and Review!!!