Disclaimer: . i do NOT own Rurouni Kenshin, or any of its characters!! or any names, or anything from that show. v_v im sorry i forgot to do the disclaimer for the last chapter. read on!
The evening was clear as it usually was, the air warm. The stars just beginning to shine their light onto earth, barely visable against the fading blue backround of the sky. Kenshin stood alone out in the small training yard of the school, staring at the garden shed, remembering when he and Kaoru had first met and he'd ran in when she was in her bath. He'd been sent into the shed to sleep as punishment. He smiled to himself, laughed gently. Then turned to look towards the school. It was just about dinner time. Everyone would be sitting down soon. The scene was so romantic as he imagined it in his head, walking until he arrived at the door. The light shone on her beautiful face, making her eyes glow, as her mouth curved into a gentle laughing smile at one of Yahiko's jokes. Of course, that's not what he REALLY saw when he opened the door.
"Oro. . . "
"HONESTLY YAHIKO! YOU HAVE NO MANNERS!" Kaoru was yelling at her student, eyes on fire, fists clenched.
"WHY WOULD I BE RESPECTFUL TO AN UGLY WOMAN LIKE YOU?!"
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"
"UGLY!"
"YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!"
Yahiko stuck his pink tongue out at her and quickly got up from the table, bolting out the door past Kenshin. Kenshin sweatdropped as Kaoru chased after the young boy, bowling the red-haired wanderer over in the doorway as he let out a resounding "OROOO!" and promptly fell over.
Sano looked up from his bowl of rice and smirked, giving his head a little shake, then continuing to scarf down his dinner like a hungry wolf. Ayami-chan and Suzumi-chan went into giggling fits, the littlest of the two eating another slice of eggplant.
Kenshin slowly pulled himself to his feet, mouth contorted into a dreading frown.
"They're at it again, that they are. And it's dinner time!"
"It's never stopped them before." Sanosuke said, tilting his head away from his bowl once more.
"And Megumi cooked for us tonight! It's great, why dontcha have some?"
The former Battousai walked defeatedly over to the table and sat on his knees, reaching out and taking a plate of delicately cut fish and rice, and pouring himself some green tea. He began to sip at it wearily, eating a piece of the fish afterwards. Suddenly he was jabbed in the side by Sano, who'd scootched over by this time and was glancing around with narrow, shifty eyes.
"You haven't been taking my advice!"
"Sano, you haven't given me any."
"Oh." He smiled sheepishly, his handsome face lighting up with an almost evil blush. "Then boy have I got some advice for you!" All this was whispered and he leaned to Kenshin's ear. "Meet me outside after dinner. We'll say we're going out to do some . . . Training, I guess."
"Ahahaha. . ." The laughter that Kenshin gave was distorted, his voice a bit higher then usual. Dr. Gensai looked at him with a blink for a moment, and Kenshin slumped under the gaze, and whispered back to Sano.
"Everyone knows we don't train, that we don't."
At about that time, Kaoru came stomping in again, dragging Yahiko in behind her by the collar of his shirt. She threw him into his spot at the table and he kneeled, rubbing a few scrapes on his face, glaring as his woman teacher took her seat as well and heaved a sigh like she'd just gotten great excercize. She adjusted the indigo ribbon in her hair.
"Dinner! Itadaki masu!" She clapped her hands together once, smiling broadly at all of them, even Yahiko, then she grabbed her own food and drink and started to devour it all. Miss Megumi also joined them, and as meal time came and went, Kenshin hadn't had the nerve to say a single thing to anyone.
*******************************************************
A harsh whisper startled Kenshin in the darkness.
"KENSHIN!"
"Oro? Sano, is that you?"
The tall thin figure then emerged from a deep black shadow, head cocked, spikey hair silver on top from the moonlight.
"Who else? Listen carefully. I'm going to tell you how to let the little missie know that you like her."
Nervously, the red haired warrior shifted positions, keeping his arms at his sides. But he waited for the other man to begin the teaching. The last time he'd spent time with a woman . . . He started to go off into thought but was dragged back to earth as Sano gave a sharp "NOW," the signs that he was about to begin.
"The Missie is a perculiar woman." He spoke as if he KNEW all about Kaoru. Kenshin tried to keep the happy look on his handsome face.
"What you need to do, is show her how strong you are. Fight her."
"Fight her?!" Kenshin sputtered. "I'm not going to fight Kaoru-Dono!"
Sano put his hands up, palms facing towards the sky, and he tilted his head, smirking a bit. Then he closed his hands into fists.
"If you want to let Kaoru know how you feel about her, you have to impress her first. Fight her. Be strong. But don't hurt her. Once you give her mercy, she'll fall right into your arms."
Uneasily, he whimpered the word "Oro", but bowed his head. Kenshin honestly didn't think this would work. But he decided to listen to Sanosuke. After nodding gently, he drew his eyebrows together, then looked up at his friend again, the corners of his mouth twisting. ". . . A-alright. I'll try it, Sano. And if it doesn't work. . . "
Sano laughed almost reassuringly. "Then we'll try again with something new."
****************************************************
The next day, Kenshin watched Kaoru out in the training area, her hands gripping the wooden sword tight. He sighed as he began to speak to himself.
"I don't think I can do this, that I can't. She's shown interest in wanting to train with me before, but. . . If I do something wrong, she'll never understand, that she won't!" He let out a deep almost miserable sigh. And slowly turned, grabbing his reverse-blade sword into his hand, he walked out of the room he was in and towards the backdoor, which he exited out of. Looking at Kaoru, she stopped and blinked at him.
"Kenshin. . . . "
"Kaoru-Dono. I wish to have a match, that I do."
***************************************************
The evening was clear as it usually was, the air warm. The stars just beginning to shine their light onto earth, barely visable against the fading blue backround of the sky. Kenshin stood alone out in the small training yard of the school, staring at the garden shed, remembering when he and Kaoru had first met and he'd ran in when she was in her bath. He'd been sent into the shed to sleep as punishment. He smiled to himself, laughed gently. Then turned to look towards the school. It was just about dinner time. Everyone would be sitting down soon. The scene was so romantic as he imagined it in his head, walking until he arrived at the door. The light shone on her beautiful face, making her eyes glow, as her mouth curved into a gentle laughing smile at one of Yahiko's jokes. Of course, that's not what he REALLY saw when he opened the door.
"Oro. . . "
"HONESTLY YAHIKO! YOU HAVE NO MANNERS!" Kaoru was yelling at her student, eyes on fire, fists clenched.
"WHY WOULD I BE RESPECTFUL TO AN UGLY WOMAN LIKE YOU?!"
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"
"UGLY!"
"YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!"
Yahiko stuck his pink tongue out at her and quickly got up from the table, bolting out the door past Kenshin. Kenshin sweatdropped as Kaoru chased after the young boy, bowling the red-haired wanderer over in the doorway as he let out a resounding "OROOO!" and promptly fell over.
Sano looked up from his bowl of rice and smirked, giving his head a little shake, then continuing to scarf down his dinner like a hungry wolf. Ayami-chan and Suzumi-chan went into giggling fits, the littlest of the two eating another slice of eggplant.
Kenshin slowly pulled himself to his feet, mouth contorted into a dreading frown.
"They're at it again, that they are. And it's dinner time!"
"It's never stopped them before." Sanosuke said, tilting his head away from his bowl once more.
"And Megumi cooked for us tonight! It's great, why dontcha have some?"
The former Battousai walked defeatedly over to the table and sat on his knees, reaching out and taking a plate of delicately cut fish and rice, and pouring himself some green tea. He began to sip at it wearily, eating a piece of the fish afterwards. Suddenly he was jabbed in the side by Sano, who'd scootched over by this time and was glancing around with narrow, shifty eyes.
"You haven't been taking my advice!"
"Sano, you haven't given me any."
"Oh." He smiled sheepishly, his handsome face lighting up with an almost evil blush. "Then boy have I got some advice for you!" All this was whispered and he leaned to Kenshin's ear. "Meet me outside after dinner. We'll say we're going out to do some . . . Training, I guess."
"Ahahaha. . ." The laughter that Kenshin gave was distorted, his voice a bit higher then usual. Dr. Gensai looked at him with a blink for a moment, and Kenshin slumped under the gaze, and whispered back to Sano.
"Everyone knows we don't train, that we don't."
At about that time, Kaoru came stomping in again, dragging Yahiko in behind her by the collar of his shirt. She threw him into his spot at the table and he kneeled, rubbing a few scrapes on his face, glaring as his woman teacher took her seat as well and heaved a sigh like she'd just gotten great excercize. She adjusted the indigo ribbon in her hair.
"Dinner! Itadaki masu!" She clapped her hands together once, smiling broadly at all of them, even Yahiko, then she grabbed her own food and drink and started to devour it all. Miss Megumi also joined them, and as meal time came and went, Kenshin hadn't had the nerve to say a single thing to anyone.
*******************************************************
A harsh whisper startled Kenshin in the darkness.
"KENSHIN!"
"Oro? Sano, is that you?"
The tall thin figure then emerged from a deep black shadow, head cocked, spikey hair silver on top from the moonlight.
"Who else? Listen carefully. I'm going to tell you how to let the little missie know that you like her."
Nervously, the red haired warrior shifted positions, keeping his arms at his sides. But he waited for the other man to begin the teaching. The last time he'd spent time with a woman . . . He started to go off into thought but was dragged back to earth as Sano gave a sharp "NOW," the signs that he was about to begin.
"The Missie is a perculiar woman." He spoke as if he KNEW all about Kaoru. Kenshin tried to keep the happy look on his handsome face.
"What you need to do, is show her how strong you are. Fight her."
"Fight her?!" Kenshin sputtered. "I'm not going to fight Kaoru-Dono!"
Sano put his hands up, palms facing towards the sky, and he tilted his head, smirking a bit. Then he closed his hands into fists.
"If you want to let Kaoru know how you feel about her, you have to impress her first. Fight her. Be strong. But don't hurt her. Once you give her mercy, she'll fall right into your arms."
Uneasily, he whimpered the word "Oro", but bowed his head. Kenshin honestly didn't think this would work. But he decided to listen to Sanosuke. After nodding gently, he drew his eyebrows together, then looked up at his friend again, the corners of his mouth twisting. ". . . A-alright. I'll try it, Sano. And if it doesn't work. . . "
Sano laughed almost reassuringly. "Then we'll try again with something new."
****************************************************
The next day, Kenshin watched Kaoru out in the training area, her hands gripping the wooden sword tight. He sighed as he began to speak to himself.
"I don't think I can do this, that I can't. She's shown interest in wanting to train with me before, but. . . If I do something wrong, she'll never understand, that she won't!" He let out a deep almost miserable sigh. And slowly turned, grabbing his reverse-blade sword into his hand, he walked out of the room he was in and towards the backdoor, which he exited out of. Looking at Kaoru, she stopped and blinked at him.
"Kenshin. . . . "
"Kaoru-Dono. I wish to have a match, that I do."
***************************************************