Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin!
A/N: I'm supposed to be studying for exams right now… Oh well. Don't have anything else to say…
Mansion of Secrets
Work And More Work
"Look what arrived," Misao told Kaoru as she walked sleepily into the dinning room. There on the dinning room table was a box labeled "Girls".
"I was enjoying having no homework," Kaoru said as she sat down. It looked as if someone had already made her some hot chocolate and toast.
"I think we all were," Kenshin said as he entered the room. He took a seat next to Kaoru and glanced at the box that was labeled "Boys".
"I won't mind watching the movies," Sano said sitting on Kaoru's other side.
"I'd rather read the books," Megumi said as she took a seat next to Misao and across from Sano.
"I never see you without one," Sano muttered under his breath.
"I don't believe that," Megumi said.
"Why?"
"I don't have one with me right now."
"It's a miracle!" Misao and Sano said at the same time.
"I've had enough miracles," Aoshi said.
"He talked again!" Misao and Sano said at the same time.
"Just leave him alone," Kenshin said as Aoshi shot Misao and Sano glares.
The six of them sat silently for the rest of breakfast. The girls finished before the boys, so they put their plates away and brought their box to Kaoru's study. There they opened the box and took all of the stuff out of it.
"Okay let's listen to their favorite songs right now," Kaoru said as she turned on her computer. It loaded and then she opened up her itunes. She happened to have all the songs and played them one at a time. When that was done they took out the books and stacked them in piles.
"I'll do all of Aoshi's stuff," Misao said after they stared at the piles of books for a little bit. "I'll go save us the living room." With that she picked up her books and ran upstairs to drop them off in her room before heading down to the library.
"I'll take Kenshin's stuff," Kaoru said. "It'll give you less to read and more time to do what you want," she told Megumi when she gave her a strange look.
"Fine with me," Megumi said. She grabbed her stuff and headed upstairs.
"What took you so long?" Misao asked Kaoru when she arrived in the living room fifteen minutes later.
"What are they doing here?" Kaoru asked pointing to the boys with a blue folder.
"We asked if we could watch the movies together since it will take you a while to finish watching your movies and they're our favorite movies anyways," Kenshin replied. "Besides, what's in that folder?"
"This my friends," Kaoru said pointing at the folder in question, "is what took me fifteen minutes."
"What's in it?" Sano asked.
"Homework, my dear Watson. Beautiful, wonderful, homework." Everyone groaned when they heard this.
"When's it due?" Megumi asked.
"Tomorrow. All twenty, white and black, torturous pages are due tomorrow." This received another groan from the teenagers.
"Anybody want popcorn?" Misao asked only to discover that Aoshi had eaten everything.
Five bowls of popcorn, three movies, and a Stouffers lunch later they decided to take a break. Misao went to get more popcorn, Aoshi leaned back in the coach, Sano and Kenshin stretched, Megumi started to read And Then There Were None, and Kaoru started her homework only to give up quickly. Kaoru got up and went to the garden.
Two minutes later she found herself in her favorite spot. Before her was a water fall located in the back, left corner of the garden. She went behind the waterfall and entered the cave. She sat down on a rock and leaned against the cool walls. She listened to the water as it fell past the cliff. Slowly she relaxed her body and forced everything out of her mind. She sat like that for five minutes, until she heard Misao calling for her to come back. Sighing reluctantly she got up and headed back to the others.
"What movie do you want to watch?" Kenshin asked Kaoru as she entered the living room.
"What about The Fugitive?"
Sano tossed Kaoru the DVD and she placed it in the DVD player. Resuming her place on the floor Kaoru made herself comfortable and prepared herself for the four movies left to come. 'At least we're going to watch all of Star Wars tomorrow,' Kaoru thought. 'I wouldn't be able to stand it if I had to watch them today.'
Kenshin was woken up by someone knocking on his door. "Come in!" he said.
The door opened to reveal Kaoru standing there, folder and pencil in hand. She looked both tired and frustrated at the same time. "Wanna work together?" she asked, pointing to the work spread out on his desk. Kenshin nodded his head. "I've finished everything except for the sudoku," she said while pulling up a chair and placing her stuff on his desk.
"Same here," Kenshin said.
"What did you figure out?" she asked.
"Well…"
"Finished!" Kaoru shouted and triumphantly placed her piece of paper into her folder. Kenshin leaned back in his chair gratefully.
They had worked on the sudoku together for an hour. It was now twelve o'clock.
"See you tomorrow," Kaoru said while trying to suppress a yawn as Kenshin opened his door.
"Try to make it back to your room safely!" Kenshin yelled after her as she stumbled her way down the hall towards her bedroom.
Megumi sat at her desk, drumming her pencil against it. She didn't usually have problems with math homework but this was an exception. 'I hope it doesn't get any harder than this,' Megumi thought as she leaned over the sudoku once more. Just as Megumi thought she had figured something out someone knocked on her door, causing her to lose all train of thought.
"What!"
"Mind helping me out?" Sano asked as he opened the door.
"Of course, the idiot."
"I heard that!"
"Well sit down! I don't have all night!"
"I'm sitting! Jesus!"
"So what do you want help with?" Megumi asked Sano once she was able to calm herself down.
"The math homework."
"I was hoping you wouldn't say that."
"Well too bad for you. Well I've figured most of it out but I can't finish the last three boxes on the left."
"You figured out more than me," Megumi said.
"Just goes to show how much smarter I am," Sano said proudly.
"Well lucky for you," Megumi said paying no attention to Sano's remark, "I was able to figure out the left column."
"So we just copy each others work and check to make sure it works?"
"You got it."
"Thanks for the help Aoshi!" Misao said as Aoshi left her study. They had worked on the homework together. Then they had sat there and listened to Sano's shouts of frustration.
'I just wish he would talk more. It was kind of frustrating to sit there in silence except for when one of us needed help and asked a question. My goal this year is making Aoshi talk more often.'
With that thought in her head Misao headed to her bedroom, changed, and climbed into bed. All the while she was thinking about different ways to make Aoshi talk.
