Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin!
A/N: Between studying for tests, skiing, trying to keep myself warm, opening presents, visiting relatives, studying for exams, and opening more presents I was finally able to finish! I was completely ready to write a couple of chapters taking place during the winter but unfortunately the school year starts during the fall. I also got really bored describing the rooms so I started to make them shorter as you will notice. This might be really boring to read (it was really boring to write it) but I promise it will all get better! (I can promise you that because Yueh-san would kill me if it didn't get better… .) R&R!
Mansion of Secrets
Strangers
Kaoru stepped out of the car and looked at the mansion in front of her. The mansion was set in the middle of a forest on a hill. It was made out of white marble and was of Greek architecture.
"Thanks for bringing me here," Kaoru told the driver as handed her bags. She grabbed her two suitcases by the handle and walked up the steps to the front door. She took out the keys that had come with the letter out of her pocket and opened the door. Instead of seeing a normal entrance hall Kaoru found herself looking at a beautiful garden. The gardens contained beautiful flowers and trees. There was a path that led through the garden that was made out of stones. She could also hear running water in the distance. It was then that Kaoru noticed the two, wooden staircases on either side of the garden that led to the upper floors.
As Kaoru approached the staircase on the left she noticed that there were three letters taped to the railing. Picking one up she opened it and read what was inside.
To whoever might pick this up,
As you have noticed when you first arrived here there are four floors to this building. Each of you will have one half of the three top floors. On the first floor there is a living room to the left of the open garden and a dining room and kitchen to the right of the garden. There are two staircases on each side of the garden which lead to the second floor. The rest of the floors are very similar. There are two bathrooms, two dens, two bedrooms, and a room that the two people living on each floor will design themselves. Please write your name in one of the boxes on the sheet hanging from the banister so that people will know when all of the rooms on one side of the house are taken. There are also many hidden rooms in this mansion. We will meet all of you at six o'clock tonight in the living room.
Mr. Saito and Mr. Seijiuurou
Co-heads of Japan's Interschool Programs
Kaoru looked at the banister and noticed that there was indeed a piece of paper with three boxes on it. Kaoru grabbed the pen that was attached to the sheet and wrote her name in the first box. Deciding that she wanted a room on the first floor so that she would be close to the garden Kaoru wrote 'second floor' next to her name before walking up the steps. When she reached the top she noticed that the hallway was only surrounded by walls on one side. Leaning over the banister of the corridor Kaoru was able to see the garden from above. Standing back up Kaoru grabbed her bags again and walked to the first door. She opened the door to see that this room was her study.
The study had a navy blue carpet, baby blue walls, a white desk, a white window seat, and a blue, dell laptop. Closing the door Kaoru lugged her bags down to the next door and opened it. The far wall was made out of glass and showed a beautiful view of the surrounding golden woods. The center of the left wall was a built in closet. There were some pictures hanging on each side of the closet. Some of the pictures were of waterfalls while others were pictures of lakes.
Kaoru walked into her room and closed the door behind her. On the wall behind her were a bunch of shelves, some of which had a stereo system and CD holders while the others were empty. In the far corner was a queen size bed. Next to the window on the far wall was a door which Kaoru assumed led to the bathroom. The walls, ceiling, and doors were painted baby blue. The shelves and bed covers were royal blue and the carpet was navy blue. Over all there was about 40 feet between the bathroom door and the closet and about 20 feet between the window and the opposite wall.
Kaoru placed her bags on the floor and took off her coat. She walked over to the bathroom door and opened it. The floor and walls were made out of royal blue marble. There was a mirror over a navy blue, marble counter in which there was a black sink on the left side of the bathroom. There was a navy blue tub as well as a navy blue shower which were on the right. In the far right corner was a black toilet to the right of which was a towel rack that contained an assortment of royal blue towels. Kaoru noticed that whoever planned this all out went as far as to make sure that she had royal blue soap.
Smiling, Kaoru walked out of the bathroom closing the door silently behind her. Deciding that she was going to unpack and so she dragged her bags over to the closet. Kaoru grabbed hold of the handles of the two sliding doors and, giving them a slight push, opened the doors completely. The closet contained a bureau as well as hangers that she could use to hang her clothes. Just as Kaoru turned around to get her clothes from her bags she caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of her eye. Tucked in the back of the closet were to dance bars that she could move to the center of her room. It seemed that these people knew her well.
Kaoru had loved to dance since she was a little child. She had seen a program on T.V. about swordsmanship and was amazed at how gracefully they were able to move. Since Kaoru's parents wouldn't let her practice swordsmanship at such a young age she had settled for the next best thing, dancing. She received lessons from some of the best dancers in Tokyo. Not only was she a great dancer but she was also a great singer and got lead roles in a lot of the school plays. Recently Kaoru had started teaching herself how to use a sword. She found it harder than dancing but it was what she had been determined to learn as a little girl and she would see that she learned how to swing a sword with as much grace as the people she had seen on T.V.
Kaoru brought herself out of her trip down memory lane and grabbed her clothes out of her bag and started unpacking.
Kenshin got out of the car and looked up at the mansion where he would be staying for the next year. Thanking the driver Kenshin grabbed his bags and walked up the steps. He pushed the door open and was surprised to see a garden in front of him. Deciding to check it out later he noticed a staircase on the right hand side and walked over to it. He noticed three envelopes taped to the railing and picked one up. He read the message inside and grabbed the pen that was taped onto the railing and wrote 'Himura Kenshin, second floor' in the first box. He grabbed his bags and walked up the steps then towards the first door on his right. He opened it and looked inside to discover that the room was his study.
The carpet was royal blue while the walls were painted baby blue. The desk was white and he had a silver, dell laptop. Kenshin closed the door and walked down to the next door. He opened the door to find that this was his bedroom. His room was the same as Kaoru's except everything on the right was on the left and everything on the left was on the right. Also, the walls, doors, and ceiling were royal blue, the carpet was royal blue and the shelves and the bed were black. The pictures were pictures of the ocean, both calm and wild. In the bathroom his walls were made out of royal blue marble, the sink and toilet were white, and the tub and shower were made out of baby blue marble. Also, inside of his closet was a rack of practice swords instead of dance bars.
The next person to arrive was Misao. She chose the left half of the fourth floor. Her study, bedroom, and bathroom were colored blue, and indigo with a little bit of purple. Her room design was like Kaoru's. Her pictures were paintings of the old Japan. In her closet was a stash of targets.
Aoshi was the next person to arrive after Misao. She chose the right half of the fourth floor. Her study, bedroom, and bathroom were colored black and dark shades of blue. His pictures were pictures of Japan's temples. His room design was like Kenshin's. In his closet was a stash of incense.
Megumi was the next person to arrive after Aoshi. She chose the left half of the third floor. Her study, bedroom, and bathroom were colored different shades of purple. Her room design was like Kaoru's. Her pictures were pictures of purple flowers. In her closet was a yoga mat.
Sano was the last to arrive. He had no choice but to choose the right half of the third floor although he would have chosen that room anyways. His study, bedroom, and bathroom were colored red and black. His room design was like Kenshin's. His pictures were pictures of famous marshal artists. In his closet was a movable punching bag.
Even though all of them realized that it seemed as if the people who organized this program knew a little too much about them they didn't care. After all they had to remain here for the rest of the year.
Kaoru woke up to the sound of fighting downstairs. Surprised that she had managed to fall asleep, Kaoru changed into more comfortable clothes. After putting on a tank top and sweatpants Kaoru went downstairs to find out what all the noise was about.
"Kaoru!"
Kaoru braced herself against Misao as she flung herself towards Kaoru, giving her a tight hug.
"What's up Misao?" Kaoru asked when her friend finally let her go.
"Not much. Come on! Everyone's in the kitchen."
Misao led Kaoru to the dining room which in turn led to the kitchen. Kaoru found four people in the kitchen, one of which she was able to recognize as Megumi. Megumi seemed to be arguing with a boy with spiky, black hair about something, it was most likely to be insignificant. Kaoru caught site of something red and turned her attention to a boy with long, red hair that was watching them helplessly. Her attention was then drawn to another boy with black hair who seemed to have managed to be able to sleep through all the noise.
"The guy fighting with Megumi is Sagara Sanosuke," Misao told Kaoru over Sanosuke and Megumi's fighting. "The guy with the red hair is Himura Kenshin and the guy sleeping over there is Shinomori Aoshi."
"Will you guys shut up!"
Everyone looked up in surprise and Megumi and Sanosuke stopped their fighting. Standing before them were two men. On had squinty eyes, black hair and was smoking a cigarette. The other one had long black hair, a strong build, and seemed to be annoyed to be in the presence of the teenagers.
"Who are you?" Megumi asked.
"The people who are about to ruin your lives," said the one with the long hair.
"Stop scaring them Hiko," said the man with the cigarette.
"I think you're scaring us more Saito," said Kenshin.
"Anyways," Hiko said glancing at his watch, "it's six o'clock. Let's head to the living room."
