Sock-capades
By Allison
Disclaimer: Not for anyone who likes socks. Oh yeah, and Kenshin's inhere
too- nt my boyo, sad to say.
Allison: In this one shot, Ari's writing a journal entryfor about three
days, and trying to decide what to get Kenshin.for his birthday.other
than.you guessed it: SOCKS!
Kenshin: Hey, I like socks!
Ari: Shut it, you.
Kenshin: .eep.
Where the cherry blossoms start to bloom, Meet me here in my lonely room. We'll find our passion through our fantasies, And this time you can stay with me. All the misery that we knew before, Fades away when you are at my door. My heart will sing at every time we touch. .I know you want me just as much.
That's a song I heard today. A woman was singing it at her clothesline. Huh, kind of funny that someone from a culture that's usually so modest would be singing about that. Anyway.
For the record, I decided that it would be too much trouble for someone to try and read this if I ever wanted them too.so I'm back to writing in Japanese. He he he.it's okay. I had fun tying to tease Yahiko and Sanosuke and Kenshin in the first entry to really bother about it much.
Anyway. Like I said before. Anyway. It's odd, these little sayings- Nan'ki has none like that. But they just pop out of my mind with these other languages. I think they're called cliches, or something. Maybe I'm wrong on that.
I wonder what's for dinner.
There I go. Apparently, nothing much happened today that I want to write down. I'm not much of a writer, truth be told, although if I tried I suppose I could well enough. Not like I'm Basho or Lady what's-her-face that gave up nobility to become a nun and travel around.
So, what did happen today? Like I said, nothing noteworthy. Yahiko was late in for practice, so I made him do another twenty practice swings and all. He about bit the roof. like he does everything else when he's mad. Ha ha ha. Gotta love the little kid, though- he's all pep and spitfire. Except when he's around Tsubame- then he's a stoic samurai. You know, the romanticized version of one? That's him, regular lady's man. Hee hee.
Kenshin made some good breakfast; it's not fair, sometimes, how he can do things I can't. Simple things, like laundry. I tried doing laundry for two years before he came along- I figured out since then that you're supposed to soak the stuff before using soap. It helps. At any rate, he made.um. something cold, noodles of some sort with the regular pickled veggies. Good stuff; definitely what you need on a late summer morning. Put you right in the mood to go back to sleep. hee hee.
So after breakfast and practice, I went and took a nap. Again, good stuff- I could get used to getting enough sleep, given a few more years. Right now I'm not getting it all at once, or even as much as I'm supposed to, still, but it's a different feeling to be able to lie back and relax without worrying about someone sneaking up on you and stabbing you or something.
After a nap, I went to market, because Kenshin was going and I was bored. And Kenshin was going. Okay, okay, so maybe that's a little more than obvious, but still. We had a nice time, even just shopping for groceries. He talked a bit, and I hummed a bit, and everyone carried food. I thought it might rain on the way over, but it held off until we got back.
Which brings us up to now. I'm feeling really, really, claustrophobic right about now. cabin fever setting in. need, outside. gasp!
Ha ha ha.I feel almost silly sometimes. ya know, I saw one of Dr. Genzai's granddaughters pounce on something the other day. It looked like fun, so I'm gong to try it next time I go firefly hunting with them. She looked just like a little kitten or something. can we say Kawaii?
Well, I wonder what everyone's up to.
Betcha anything that Yahiko's trying to find a way to get some food. Kenshin's...um.we'll get back to him. Sanosuke's probably in a pub somewhere on the excuse that he didn't want to get wet. Or gambling. Or at Megumi's.he he he.and they think I don't notice.
Um.. Megumi's either with Sano or doing her clinic thing.and Dr. Genzai's being a doctor, of course.Let's see. That leaves Kenshin.
I wonder what he does when there's no chores to be done? Or when there's nothing to be done- does he write in something? Think, perhaps? About what? His past? His present? His future? I can't help but notice a look he used to get.it has a particular sound to it, even. Just the slightest whisper of difference, and he's got it again. Like he doesn't know why we let him stay or something.
Someone's going to have to get that through his head, eventually. Hope I get to- I enjoy doing stuff like that! Throwing truth in someone's face is always pleasant, well, almost always, but if it's a nice thing it's even better, because then they're happy afterwards. I'll have to go talk to him later.
I'm going to go see what he's up to, and be back. See ya!
Okay, I'm back. Good Lord, does he ever run out of chores to do?! He was washing the hallways. I told him to cut it out and stop being so damn useful. He seemed halfway confused but mostly kind of. um.grateful isn't quite the word. Anyway.
And Yahiko was, as I predicted, getting food. I didn't' bother him- bigger fish to fry and all.
I decided finally that it was alright to start asking people irrelevant questions. Or seemingly irrelevant, anyway. They are a lot of information to me. I get the feeling that it's a little either unnerving or irritating, or both; Sanosuke's teeth got set on edge when I jumped him for information. Ha ha ha.
There's just a lot to ask! I have no idea how this culture works internally, so I thought I had best start finding out, if I plan on staying here any longer. It's been what, five years?
So here's what I have already:
Sanosuke: does like Megumi (knew that already, but I got him to admit it), hates pickles, uses mostly fixed dice, although I strongly suspect he didn't do it right because he still ends up losing.
Yahiko: does like Tsubame (Got 'em to admit he kissed her- VICTORY!), loves pickles, hates it when Sano cheats at gambling because more often than not it's a bet between them two, can't stand classical music (not that I blame him- that opera can be boring) and he visits his parent's grave once a year. That last I got nicely, so don't be giving me any guilt about it, hear?
Kenshin: um. okay. he's 26.and. um.
Alright, so it's time to get some stuff on Kenshin. I'm working on it, alright?! I'll get back to you tomorrow. And I smell dinner; or at least, I smell the rice bag's open. Since even Yahiko's not stupid enough to eat raw rice, I'm assuming it's Kenshin making dinner.
Well, meth ten and see ya! -Ari
Day Two of Ari's Diary
Howdy- Well, today has been interesting, to say the least.
I found out a lot by just asking poor Kenshin. he must have felt like he was being grilled or something- he had that sound on his movements. Hee hee. poor boyo.
Anyway, here's the stuff:
Kenshin: Age 26, can't stand sake, likes opera (who knew?!), enjoys just thinking about stuff in his spare fishing time, eats pickles, but is neither especially fond of or spiteful of them. He has a favorite song, actually- but he wouldn't say. Baka.
More. He wears a 'magenta' gi, not pink. Hm. Could've fooled me.but that's his take o it. Oh well. Also, he wears his hair down in a ponytail because it won't do anything else. Just because it hates him. (Snicker.)
He likes white hakama, thank you, just because, and thinks that the smell of fresh laundry is very nice in the morning. Hm. Whatever you say, Kenshin. have at that laundry, boyo.
I started off innocently enough. Then I shot ahead to some more personal stuff. And, surprisingly enough, I got answers to almost everything. A few things seemed to make him seem, well, in pain, and I dismissed them quickly. I want to know stuff about him, not make him hurt.
He likes blue eyes. And he thinks that foreigners are alright, as long as they do not try and hurt anyone or attack Japan. But he does not like the weapons they brought with them- he said that you shouldn't be able to kill someone from a distance. It could make it much easier on you r conscience, he explained somewhat thoughtfully, and he didn't think that was a good idea. People already killed enough, regardless of guilt. I actually agreed with him on that- when guns were invented, people invented bombs. And then nuclear war came about. Vicious cycle and all that.
But. he said he also didn't think that the foreign influence was necessarily a bad thing. So I'm not sure where he actually stands on it as a whole. I think he has that quaint Japanese obsession with all things foreign. Ha ha ha. too funny. Too, too funny.
I asked him about some other stuff, like why he likes socks so much. I swear, every time he needs to get something from his room, it's socks. The other day, we were all out training, and he came back because he said he needed some different socks. I wonder what would happen if I got him some striped toe socks for his birthday.
Speaking of, he pulled a me and didn't mention it when his birthday passed y not but two months ago. Stupid idiot. How is he supposed to tell me off when I don't tell them on my birthday if he won't do that very thing? So I'm looking for something nice. Megumi suggested I either sleep with him (Um. No.) or get him. socks. Needless to say, she wasn't much of a help.
Sanosuke gave me the same answer. They're in cahoots on this, I know it. Stupid, stupid people.
I think. I'm going to get him. pocky.
Ok, Ok, so I'm desperate here. Maybe he'd like a journal thingy too. It's a big help to write it all down. He should know how to write, right? Damn. too many factors. Give me a fight anyday where I can measure strength against speed, and I'll give you my pocky.
I discovered something: I'm obsessed with pocky!
It's hard not to be. the stuff's good.
Anyway.
Maybe I could give him a song? That sounds like it'd be a good thing. I'd have to find a good one, though- and I'm not sure how I'd present it. You can't exactly wrap it, you know. Maybe write it down? I don't know. (Groan.) Too much work. Too. Much. Work.
I'll ask Yahiko and Tae and Dr. Genzai tomorrow. They'll know.
Meth ten and out- Ari
Day Three of Ari's Writings
Hi.
I am going to kill Yahiko. He told me socks. OR a kiss. That's slightly more doable, but still. what is it with Kenshin and SOCKS?!
And Tae.and Dr. Genzai.all told me, "socks". Pink ones. Or ones with little flowers stitched on the side.that was Yahiko.
I don't understand. How can it be so damned hard to give someone ya like something for their birthday?! And how damned hard can it be to at least find out what THEY WANT?!
Gr. Snarl. Spat.
Anyway.
Like that word. I am at my wit's end here. What is there that he wants? He's not really a guy that's easy to shop for- he'd just as soon get more laundry than some pants or. socks.
Sigh.
I think I'll try one more person.Kenshin.
I hate it when I have to ask people about themselves with the intent of using the knowledge. And when they're going to find out about it. Crap, crap, crap.
(whine!.)
Ket isn't helping much. he says about the same thing as everyone else.
Socks. WHAT THE HELL IS WITH THE DAMN SOCKS?!
Okay, I feel better now. Maybe I should get him socks. nah. Too blah. Hm. maybe pocky is the answer to all riddles.
Nope. Not giving up my pocky. No sir. Not me, not this woman. Uh-uh. Nope.
I am going to talk to Kenshin now. wish me nimbleness of mind and quickness of breath, you know how hard it is to back him into a corner.
Later- Ari
Really, Later-
I'm back. Kenshin's here, too; yeah, big surprise, I know. But he asked to talk to me and he's busy poking innocently about, waiting for me to look up from my writing. Good thing my writing is a bit farther away from him- far enough he can't read it easily. Hee hee hee.
I can't help but wonder what he's thinking again. He's got that oh- so-lovable 'innocent me' air about him right now- I can hear the difference in the way he moves. Ha ha ha! I love it! I need to learn how to do that one of these days.
So here goes: I'm going to FINALLY ask him what he wants for his birthday. Deep breathe in, let it out slowly-
Socks. He said socks. I can not believe he just said socks. That's what he said. He thought about if very carefully, and then said brightly: "Socks!"
God.
That's it. He is NOT getting any socks from me. I absolutely refuse to get him something so uncreative as Socks. No.
Good God.what kind of person asks for SOCKS for ANYTHING?!
Freak. guess it's back to square one. Sigh. A journal it is, then. Maybe I can find him a nice one- there's just not a lot in this society for guys. plenty of hair ribbons and the such for women, but nothing for men. I mean, he doesn't smoke, he wouldn't want a weapon of some sort, and I doubt he wants a hair ribbon. Not that I have one, anyway, but that's beside the point.
I'll go looking then. Socks. freak.baka deshi. how am I supposed to get him socks and expect him to be happy?! Or rather, me feel like I've actually accomplished something here?! I am going to kill the next person that mentions socks to me.
Meth ten and out- socks, good Lord. -Ari
Allison: .hee hee. Kenshin: I didn't know you were so against socks. Ari: KILL! Kenshin: AAAAAAAAH! (Runs away and hides. in his sock drawer.) Ari: I.HATE.SOCKS!!!
Allison: Ari, settle down. Here, have a donut. Ari: AH! DONUT! NO! (Runs away and hides. in her pocky drawer.) Allison: Bwa ha ha ha.
Where the cherry blossoms start to bloom, Meet me here in my lonely room. We'll find our passion through our fantasies, And this time you can stay with me. All the misery that we knew before, Fades away when you are at my door. My heart will sing at every time we touch. .I know you want me just as much.
That's a song I heard today. A woman was singing it at her clothesline. Huh, kind of funny that someone from a culture that's usually so modest would be singing about that. Anyway.
For the record, I decided that it would be too much trouble for someone to try and read this if I ever wanted them too.so I'm back to writing in Japanese. He he he.it's okay. I had fun tying to tease Yahiko and Sanosuke and Kenshin in the first entry to really bother about it much.
Anyway. Like I said before. Anyway. It's odd, these little sayings- Nan'ki has none like that. But they just pop out of my mind with these other languages. I think they're called cliches, or something. Maybe I'm wrong on that.
I wonder what's for dinner.
There I go. Apparently, nothing much happened today that I want to write down. I'm not much of a writer, truth be told, although if I tried I suppose I could well enough. Not like I'm Basho or Lady what's-her-face that gave up nobility to become a nun and travel around.
So, what did happen today? Like I said, nothing noteworthy. Yahiko was late in for practice, so I made him do another twenty practice swings and all. He about bit the roof. like he does everything else when he's mad. Ha ha ha. Gotta love the little kid, though- he's all pep and spitfire. Except when he's around Tsubame- then he's a stoic samurai. You know, the romanticized version of one? That's him, regular lady's man. Hee hee.
Kenshin made some good breakfast; it's not fair, sometimes, how he can do things I can't. Simple things, like laundry. I tried doing laundry for two years before he came along- I figured out since then that you're supposed to soak the stuff before using soap. It helps. At any rate, he made.um. something cold, noodles of some sort with the regular pickled veggies. Good stuff; definitely what you need on a late summer morning. Put you right in the mood to go back to sleep. hee hee.
So after breakfast and practice, I went and took a nap. Again, good stuff- I could get used to getting enough sleep, given a few more years. Right now I'm not getting it all at once, or even as much as I'm supposed to, still, but it's a different feeling to be able to lie back and relax without worrying about someone sneaking up on you and stabbing you or something.
After a nap, I went to market, because Kenshin was going and I was bored. And Kenshin was going. Okay, okay, so maybe that's a little more than obvious, but still. We had a nice time, even just shopping for groceries. He talked a bit, and I hummed a bit, and everyone carried food. I thought it might rain on the way over, but it held off until we got back.
Which brings us up to now. I'm feeling really, really, claustrophobic right about now. cabin fever setting in. need, outside. gasp!
Ha ha ha.I feel almost silly sometimes. ya know, I saw one of Dr. Genzai's granddaughters pounce on something the other day. It looked like fun, so I'm gong to try it next time I go firefly hunting with them. She looked just like a little kitten or something. can we say Kawaii?
Well, I wonder what everyone's up to.
Betcha anything that Yahiko's trying to find a way to get some food. Kenshin's...um.we'll get back to him. Sanosuke's probably in a pub somewhere on the excuse that he didn't want to get wet. Or gambling. Or at Megumi's.he he he.and they think I don't notice.
Um.. Megumi's either with Sano or doing her clinic thing.and Dr. Genzai's being a doctor, of course.Let's see. That leaves Kenshin.
I wonder what he does when there's no chores to be done? Or when there's nothing to be done- does he write in something? Think, perhaps? About what? His past? His present? His future? I can't help but notice a look he used to get.it has a particular sound to it, even. Just the slightest whisper of difference, and he's got it again. Like he doesn't know why we let him stay or something.
Someone's going to have to get that through his head, eventually. Hope I get to- I enjoy doing stuff like that! Throwing truth in someone's face is always pleasant, well, almost always, but if it's a nice thing it's even better, because then they're happy afterwards. I'll have to go talk to him later.
I'm going to go see what he's up to, and be back. See ya!
Okay, I'm back. Good Lord, does he ever run out of chores to do?! He was washing the hallways. I told him to cut it out and stop being so damn useful. He seemed halfway confused but mostly kind of. um.grateful isn't quite the word. Anyway.
And Yahiko was, as I predicted, getting food. I didn't' bother him- bigger fish to fry and all.
I decided finally that it was alright to start asking people irrelevant questions. Or seemingly irrelevant, anyway. They are a lot of information to me. I get the feeling that it's a little either unnerving or irritating, or both; Sanosuke's teeth got set on edge when I jumped him for information. Ha ha ha.
There's just a lot to ask! I have no idea how this culture works internally, so I thought I had best start finding out, if I plan on staying here any longer. It's been what, five years?
So here's what I have already:
Sanosuke: does like Megumi (knew that already, but I got him to admit it), hates pickles, uses mostly fixed dice, although I strongly suspect he didn't do it right because he still ends up losing.
Yahiko: does like Tsubame (Got 'em to admit he kissed her- VICTORY!), loves pickles, hates it when Sano cheats at gambling because more often than not it's a bet between them two, can't stand classical music (not that I blame him- that opera can be boring) and he visits his parent's grave once a year. That last I got nicely, so don't be giving me any guilt about it, hear?
Kenshin: um. okay. he's 26.and. um.
Alright, so it's time to get some stuff on Kenshin. I'm working on it, alright?! I'll get back to you tomorrow. And I smell dinner; or at least, I smell the rice bag's open. Since even Yahiko's not stupid enough to eat raw rice, I'm assuming it's Kenshin making dinner.
Well, meth ten and see ya! -Ari
Day Two of Ari's Diary
Howdy- Well, today has been interesting, to say the least.
I found out a lot by just asking poor Kenshin. he must have felt like he was being grilled or something- he had that sound on his movements. Hee hee. poor boyo.
Anyway, here's the stuff:
Kenshin: Age 26, can't stand sake, likes opera (who knew?!), enjoys just thinking about stuff in his spare fishing time, eats pickles, but is neither especially fond of or spiteful of them. He has a favorite song, actually- but he wouldn't say. Baka.
More. He wears a 'magenta' gi, not pink. Hm. Could've fooled me.but that's his take o it. Oh well. Also, he wears his hair down in a ponytail because it won't do anything else. Just because it hates him. (Snicker.)
He likes white hakama, thank you, just because, and thinks that the smell of fresh laundry is very nice in the morning. Hm. Whatever you say, Kenshin. have at that laundry, boyo.
I started off innocently enough. Then I shot ahead to some more personal stuff. And, surprisingly enough, I got answers to almost everything. A few things seemed to make him seem, well, in pain, and I dismissed them quickly. I want to know stuff about him, not make him hurt.
He likes blue eyes. And he thinks that foreigners are alright, as long as they do not try and hurt anyone or attack Japan. But he does not like the weapons they brought with them- he said that you shouldn't be able to kill someone from a distance. It could make it much easier on you r conscience, he explained somewhat thoughtfully, and he didn't think that was a good idea. People already killed enough, regardless of guilt. I actually agreed with him on that- when guns were invented, people invented bombs. And then nuclear war came about. Vicious cycle and all that.
But. he said he also didn't think that the foreign influence was necessarily a bad thing. So I'm not sure where he actually stands on it as a whole. I think he has that quaint Japanese obsession with all things foreign. Ha ha ha. too funny. Too, too funny.
I asked him about some other stuff, like why he likes socks so much. I swear, every time he needs to get something from his room, it's socks. The other day, we were all out training, and he came back because he said he needed some different socks. I wonder what would happen if I got him some striped toe socks for his birthday.
Speaking of, he pulled a me and didn't mention it when his birthday passed y not but two months ago. Stupid idiot. How is he supposed to tell me off when I don't tell them on my birthday if he won't do that very thing? So I'm looking for something nice. Megumi suggested I either sleep with him (Um. No.) or get him. socks. Needless to say, she wasn't much of a help.
Sanosuke gave me the same answer. They're in cahoots on this, I know it. Stupid, stupid people.
I think. I'm going to get him. pocky.
Ok, Ok, so I'm desperate here. Maybe he'd like a journal thingy too. It's a big help to write it all down. He should know how to write, right? Damn. too many factors. Give me a fight anyday where I can measure strength against speed, and I'll give you my pocky.
I discovered something: I'm obsessed with pocky!
It's hard not to be. the stuff's good.
Anyway.
Maybe I could give him a song? That sounds like it'd be a good thing. I'd have to find a good one, though- and I'm not sure how I'd present it. You can't exactly wrap it, you know. Maybe write it down? I don't know. (Groan.) Too much work. Too. Much. Work.
I'll ask Yahiko and Tae and Dr. Genzai tomorrow. They'll know.
Meth ten and out- Ari
Day Three of Ari's Writings
Hi.
I am going to kill Yahiko. He told me socks. OR a kiss. That's slightly more doable, but still. what is it with Kenshin and SOCKS?!
And Tae.and Dr. Genzai.all told me, "socks". Pink ones. Or ones with little flowers stitched on the side.that was Yahiko.
I don't understand. How can it be so damned hard to give someone ya like something for their birthday?! And how damned hard can it be to at least find out what THEY WANT?!
Gr. Snarl. Spat.
Anyway.
Like that word. I am at my wit's end here. What is there that he wants? He's not really a guy that's easy to shop for- he'd just as soon get more laundry than some pants or. socks.
Sigh.
I think I'll try one more person.Kenshin.
I hate it when I have to ask people about themselves with the intent of using the knowledge. And when they're going to find out about it. Crap, crap, crap.
(whine!.)
Ket isn't helping much. he says about the same thing as everyone else.
Socks. WHAT THE HELL IS WITH THE DAMN SOCKS?!
Okay, I feel better now. Maybe I should get him socks. nah. Too blah. Hm. maybe pocky is the answer to all riddles.
Nope. Not giving up my pocky. No sir. Not me, not this woman. Uh-uh. Nope.
I am going to talk to Kenshin now. wish me nimbleness of mind and quickness of breath, you know how hard it is to back him into a corner.
Later- Ari
Really, Later-
I'm back. Kenshin's here, too; yeah, big surprise, I know. But he asked to talk to me and he's busy poking innocently about, waiting for me to look up from my writing. Good thing my writing is a bit farther away from him- far enough he can't read it easily. Hee hee hee.
I can't help but wonder what he's thinking again. He's got that oh- so-lovable 'innocent me' air about him right now- I can hear the difference in the way he moves. Ha ha ha! I love it! I need to learn how to do that one of these days.
So here goes: I'm going to FINALLY ask him what he wants for his birthday. Deep breathe in, let it out slowly-
Socks. He said socks. I can not believe he just said socks. That's what he said. He thought about if very carefully, and then said brightly: "Socks!"
God.
That's it. He is NOT getting any socks from me. I absolutely refuse to get him something so uncreative as Socks. No.
Good God.what kind of person asks for SOCKS for ANYTHING?!
Freak. guess it's back to square one. Sigh. A journal it is, then. Maybe I can find him a nice one- there's just not a lot in this society for guys. plenty of hair ribbons and the such for women, but nothing for men. I mean, he doesn't smoke, he wouldn't want a weapon of some sort, and I doubt he wants a hair ribbon. Not that I have one, anyway, but that's beside the point.
I'll go looking then. Socks. freak.baka deshi. how am I supposed to get him socks and expect him to be happy?! Or rather, me feel like I've actually accomplished something here?! I am going to kill the next person that mentions socks to me.
Meth ten and out- socks, good Lord. -Ari
Allison: .hee hee. Kenshin: I didn't know you were so against socks. Ari: KILL! Kenshin: AAAAAAAAH! (Runs away and hides. in his sock drawer.) Ari: I.HATE.SOCKS!!!
Allison: Ari, settle down. Here, have a donut. Ari: AH! DONUT! NO! (Runs away and hides. in her pocky drawer.) Allison: Bwa ha ha ha.