Summary – Kenshin has a new plan and a new person to torture!
It's Lost
Part the Third: Kaoru's turn.
Laundry had always been Kenshin's job since the day he arrived at the Kamiya Dojo. And so, it was not unusual to see him washing the clothes mid-morning after breakfast. The sleeves of his sea green gi was pulled up and tied so that it would not get wet. He was elbow deep in bubbles and around him Ayame and Sazume were playing with a red top that Kenshin had given them. It was old but it was faithful and the girls took great care of it.
Mid-morning was also the time of day that you would find Yahiko and Kaoru hard at work with their training. Kaoru of course taught and it was actually Yahiko who was practicing. It usually took a good hour of the two running around for them to actually get to the practicing part of the morning. Kenshin understood that their relationship was more of a big sister/little brother relationship while his had been more of a son-with-a-father-who-believed-in-tough-love. If that was what one could call it.
Kenshin also knew that in two more minutes, Kaoru would ask him to warm up a bath for her – she had a few visits to make to people her family knew and who had been hounding her to visit them. Two of the families had a couple of young men who might be interested in her, but with his plan…Kenshin knew that he would be saving her and exacting his revenge at the same time.
Nothing like killing a bird with two stones.
"Oh, Kenshin!"
"Right on time," he muttered as he looked up and gave her his best smile. Her bright blue eyes sparkled in his direction and he wondered how much pain he would be in later.
"Would you be kind enough to warm up a bath for me?" Kaoru asked.
"Of course, this one would be glad too, Kaoru-dono," Kenshin replied. He rose to his feet while drying his hands off on a hand towel he had by for just this sort of circumstances.
Everyday at this time, Kaoru would change into a yukata before getting into the bath; it was on this day that she forgot her Kimono and asked for Kenshin to go get one for her. Kenshin had never been in Kaoru's room before, but he found the closet easily enough. All of the Kimono were folded in the way they were to be folded and were all wrapped in brown paper to keep them perfect.
Kenshin took a look through the shelves till he found one that he knew Kaoru would hate. It was of garish colors, sea green, and lime yellow with orange flowers. He smiled to himself, his plan would deffinantly work.
Before delivering the kimono to Kaoru, he took all of the others and hid them away so that no one could find them; for some odd reason, Kenshin had once gone through the house to find all of the best hiding spots and this one was his favorite one. Once that was done, he brought the kimono to Kaoru who had just finished her bath.
She was red in the face when she was finally dressed; "Kenshin…why did you pick this one?"
"It was the only one," Kenshin replied.
"It was the only…what?" her eye started to twitch.
"It was the only one in your closet, that it was," Kenshin said.
"It can't be the only one!" she practically yelled as she rushed to her room. She threw open her closet, and as good as his word, there were no kimono in her closet except the one she was currently wearing.
"Oh…dang…" Kaoru was too much of a woman to curse.
"Maybe I just shouldn't go…" she said.
"That wouldn't be polite, that it would not," Kenshin said, he was right behind her and in his hands was a sea green ribbon.
"This was in the laundry, I think it goes well," he said.
"Thank you," Kaoru said, taking the ribbon. She would just have to bare it and hope to the heavens that no one thinks ill of her in anyway.
The Shinobu family was the first family on their stop; Kaoru had Yahiko change into a white hakama and a brown gi while Kenshin once again dawned the worn deep blue gi. She decided that blue looked better on him, but for some reason, he just did not want to do it.
Shinobu Ren had only two sons, Sora and Yuki – they were both muscular and they both knew how to use a sword. Sora was probably the most handsome with long black hair held in a high pony tail. He had blue eyes and was a war hero. Yuki had been a soldier for the Meiji government, but when his leg was broken by an accident involving a horse, he had been sent home with severance pay. And there they were, being supported by their elderly mother who had wisely invested in the trade coming from America and Europe.
Sora and Yuki were quick to invite Kaoru in, though she could see the distaste they had in her state of clothing. But they quickly shrugged it off with trying to woo her into their arms. Their first trick, flowers.
"We heard you were coming and so we got you these!" Yuki said; he handed Kaoru some wilting roses. Sora laughed as he brought out his bouquet, the plum blossoms hadn't fared better and his smile fell.
"Now then boy's, let our guests come in," Ren-san said from the front porch steps.
"Kaoru-chan, who are the young men with you?" Ren-san asked.
"Ren-san, this is my apprentice Yahiko, and my boarder Himura Kenshin," Kaoru said.
"Himura-san, Yahiko-chan, very nice to meet you. Come and sit, we shall have tea," Ren-san smiled. The tea was actually black tea from Europe. It was odd to Kenshin who had strictly stayed with the normal green tea, but he had to admit, it was rather interesting and he sort of liked it.
"Have you found a young man of which to marry, yet, Kaoru-chan?" Ren-san asked.
"Er…" Kaoru's face went red at that.
"I know a few of whom would…"
"Mother! Why would Kaoru-chan want to do that when she has me!?" Sora said with hands to his heart and stars in his eyes.
"Thank you Sora-Chan, but if its all the same to you…" Kaoru started.
"She wants me!" Yuki said suddenly, he too had stars in his eyes. Kenshin just sat back and watched, this was very amusing.
"SHE WANTS ME!"
"NO SHE WANTS ME!"
"SHE WANTS ME!"
"NO SHE WANTS ME!"
"SHE WANTS ME!"
"NO SHE WANTS ME!"
"SHE WANTS ME!"
"NO SHE WANTS ME!"
"SHE WANTS ME!"
"NO SHE WANTS ME!"
"SHE WANTS ME!"
"NO SHE WANTS ME!"
"SHE WANTS ME!"
"NO SHE WANTS ME!"
"SHE WANTS ME!"
"NO SHE WANTS ME!"
"SHE WANTS ME!"
"NO SHE WANTS ME!"
"SHE WANTS ME!"
"NO SHE WANTS ME!"
"SHE WANTS ME!"
"NO SHE WANTS ME!"
"SHE WANTS ME!"
"NO SHE WANTS ME!"
"SHE WANTS ME!"
"NO SHE WANTS ME!"
"SHE WANTS ME!"
"NO SHE WANTS ME!"
"SHE WANTS ME!"
"NO SHE WANTS ME!"
This went on for many moments as the boy wrestled each other for Kaoru's hand in marriage. All this time her face got red as her temper rose. Finally, she threw the tea cup at Yuki and Sora before standing.
"I AM NOT MARRYING EITHER OF YOU IDIOTS!"
And with that, she left. Kenshin and Yahiko watched her go. Sora stood and whipped some dirt off of his gi; "That kimono was terrible on her, I wonder where she gets her sense of style," he muttered before he left with Yuki following behind.
Kenshin shook his head, he and Yahiko said a quick good-by to Ren-san before they left to catch up to Kaoru. Yahiko was shaking his head.
"I never saw that kimono before either, say, Kenshin, was it yous…?" Yahiko asked.
Kenshin fell over.
The end
a/n – Okay, you all will have to read "It's lost" and "It's lost part 2" Reila did a great job with part 2 but I do hope that you all liked part the third! Reila will have the next one up some day!
Ta
Dizzy
