Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin isn't owned by me, too bad...
Kaoru wiped at her face with a hand towel. First day working overtime and I got to work over overtime, she thought as she hung the towel to dry. It was Friday night, the end of the week, and the Shirobeko had double its customer number for the night. Sae had pleaded for Kaoru to stay an extra hour, and the Tokyo girl had agreed out of sympathy for the young restaurant owner.
She thought an hour was no big deal, but thinking about the long walk home made her realize that she was going to reach the Aoiya no earlier than eleven in the evening. She wasn't worried about her safety, for she had walked darker streets before. She was worried that the people at the Aoiya might worry about her unnecessarily. She knew she mentioned to Misao that she would be working overtime on Fridays, but she wondered if Misao remembered to tell Okina about it. The old man felt responsible for Kaoru, and Kaoru could understand why Misao felt like she was always being taken care of.
"I'll be going, Sae-san, I'll be back on Monday!" Kaoru called out, but Sae was too busy attending to a customer to hear her. Kaoru shrugged and went outside.
She turned onto the familiar path that cut through the town, and turned her feet towards the Aoiya. She was tired, but happy with the way things were going so far. She had received her earnings for the week, and she looked forward to spending them for souvenirs over the weekend. And I'm also pleased that Misao is doing a lot better now. I only hope that she isn't mistaking Aoshi's friendship as something else. She doesn't seem to, thank heavens, but sometimes she still acts like she wants to be more than friends with him. I hope she doesn't. If she does, Aoshi will think it's a bad idea to befriend her more than before!
Her thoughts were interrupted by the sharp cry of a nocturnal animal. Kaoru jerked her head up, realizing that she was already out of the town and walking through a path flanked by trees on either side. Was that an owl? I hope so.
The cry was followed by another cry, which was suddenly cut short for some reason. Kaoru's imagination conjured an image of an owl being devoured by a forest beast, and she quickened her pace. "This is ridiculous, Kaoru. They're just animals," she muttered to herself. Looking back over her shoulder, she saw the dim lights of the town she had left behind. Throwing all sense of propriety and self-image to the wind, she lifted her skirt a little and started to run the rest of the way.
She didn't stop running until she caught sight of the gates of the Aoiya. Then she stopped, putting a hand to her heart and trying to catch her breath. "That was stupid," she said aloud, her voice serving to calm her nerves. "Really stupid. Yahiko would laugh at you." She pictured her student's face and she started to laugh herself. She unlatched the gate and pushed it open, still laughing while trying to catch her breath.
"I certainly hope you haven't lost your mind."
Kaoru's laughter was cut short by Aoshi's crisp voice. She looked up to see the ninja sitting on the front porch. "Oh," she said, putting a hand to her lips. "I thought everyone would be asleep by now. I was just thinking about a few things on the way home." She inhaled deeply.
His ice blue eyes squinted at her. "You look winded."
Kaoru shrugged, knowing it was hard to hide facts from the observant man in front of her. "I ran part of the way home."
"Why?"
"Why not?" Kaoru returned. "What are you doing out here, anyway?" she asked, changing the subject.
"I like staying outside in the dark," he replied. "It's a rarity to have the Aoiya quiet."
"I can imagine," she agreed, stepping forward to sit on the steps beside him. She glanced at his tall frame and wondered for a moment what he was really thinking. "Aren't you going to bed yet? You must be tired. You got up earlier than me this morning."
"Aa. Let's go," he said, surprising her.
"That was fast," she said. "I like it when you're agreeable."
"It doesn't happen often," he told her.
"I'm going to take a bath before sleeping," she told him.
"I'll heat water for you."
"That's not necessary…"
"Iie, Kaoru-san," he said firmly. "Your muscles are tired. It would be punishment to subject them to a cold bath now. Go get your clothes while I prepare your bath."
He said it with such a finality that Kaoru could only nod. "All right, since you were so agreeable just a while ago," she said with a smile. "Arigato, Aoshi-san."
Without another word, he strode out the back door. Kaoru watched his retreating back for a moment, wondering if he had stayed up waiting for her to return. She couldn't know it for certain, but the possibility left a light feeling in her gut which had become increasingly familiar the more she spent time with him.
The next morning, Kaoru laid out several coins on her futon. She had received her earnings for the first week the previous night, and she was ready to return to town today and buy the souvenirs she had planned to give to her housemates. She wondered if Misao would go with her to town. After all, there wasn't much to do at the Aoiya.
She put the coins in her purse and slid it under her pillow. Then she dressed into a fresh kimono and sought out her hosts in the kitchen, where she knew they mostly hung out. "Ohayo," she said, finding Misao and Okina in the kitchen.
"Kaoru! What time did you get in last night?" Okina asked.
"About eleven," Kaoru said apologetically. "I'm sorry if I had you worried. I work overtime on Fridays. Last night was a busy night and Sae needed my help badly. It was fine, though. I had no trouble going home. I'm really sorry," she repeated.
"It's all right," Okina said. "I was worried, to tell you the truth, but Misao reminded me how independent you can be. In any case, I'm glad nothing happened to you."
"Thank you," Kaoru said, giving him a small bow. "Please don't worry about me. I can be fine, anywhere, anytime."
"I'll leave you two ladies alone to discuss your day's plans," he said, rising and striding out of the kitchen."
"I was worried myself," Misao confessed. "Then I had to remind myself that you hate being treated like you're weak. I had to stop Aoshi-sama from coming to get you."
Kaoru raised her eyebrows. "Really?" she asked.
"Jiya asked him to fetch you, and he got dressed to go out. Then I told him you wouldn't like it." Misao laughed lightly. "He argued that you were probably like me… seeming to exude strength and confidence but faltering when it gets dark. Then he relented and gave you the benefit of the doubt."
Kaoru thought about her wild run home in the dark, and she laughed as well. "We'll never admit we get scared of the dark, Misao-chan," she said in a whisper.
"Hai!" Misao agreed. "Anyway, Aoshi-sama left for the temple already. I doubt he'll be joining us today."
"I was thinking of spending time in town in leisure," Kaoru said. "I got my week's earnings last night and I'm thinking of buying those souvenirs I mean to give to Kenshin and the others."
Misao's green eyes lit up. "Of course!" she said. "I'll take some of my money as well, and we can buy some sweets just for us."
"That's a good idea," Kaoru said happily. "I'll just get my purse and I'll meet you outside in a while."
"Aren't you going to have breakfast?"
"Iie. After all, we'll be eating in town, right?" Kaoru tossed Misao a small wave as she made a dash to her room to retrieve her money. When she came back down, she found the ninja waiting outside, holding two umbrellas. She handed one of them to Kaoru.
"Arigato," Kaoru said, opening it and holding it above her head. She noticed that Misao was still wearing her ninja outfit, and an idea struck her. She giggled out of the blue, causing Misao to look at her warily.
"What?" Misao asked.
"I just thought of something," Kaoru said merrily. "I've decided to get Kenshin's souvenirs next week. I'm going to buy something else today."
"What?" Misao asked curiously.
"You'll see," Kaoru said mysteriously.
By the time afternoon rolled around, they were already on their way home. Both of them were laden with packages, most of them Kaoru's. Misao shifted the large bundle in her arms. "You bought some nice things today," she commented. "I particularly like that dark blue kimono with the floral pattern. I think it becomes you."
Kaoru said nothing as she opened the gate to the Aoiya. "We'll put all these in my room," Kaoru said.
They locked themselves in Kaoru's room and proceeded to open the packages to admire them once more. "It's lovely," Misao breathed as she examined an ornamental clip.
Kaoru reached for it and plucked it out of Misao's hands. "Now comes the fun part," Kaoru said, giggling again. "Most of these are actually for you, Misao-chan."
Misao blanched. "What?"
Kaoru laughed harder. "I think you look cute in your ninja outfit, but you said so yourself---you're a grown lady now. You need to dress up in a kimono once in a while."
"But Kaoru-san!" Misao wailed, holding onto her ninja clothes as Kaoru approached her with a kimono draped over her arm.
"Come on," Kaoru chided her. "I dressed up in your ninja garb before. Now you dress up in a kimono for me. If ninjas like Okon and Omasu can pull it off, there's no reason why you couldn't."
After a little struggle, Misao relented and let Kaoru prod her to a corner. She took the light blue kimono Kaoru held out, and gingerly put it on. After she had put it on, Kaoru looked at her with a critical eye. She then produced a red obi and taught Misao how to tie it around her slender waist. "It takes a little practice to learn how to tie it properly," Kaoru explained.
"I see," Misao said. She appreciated the way Kaoru's expert hands made a ribbon out of the obi, and she admired herself in the mirror. "Do I look like a lady now, Kaoru-san?" she asked gaily. "This isn't so bad after all."
"That's good," Kaoru said. "Now we need to do something about your hair."
"My hair?" Misao asked, snatching up her braid lovingly.
"Relax, I'm not suggesting that we cut it. That braid looks nice, but it doesn't work well with the kimono," Kaoru said gently. "Let's see about having it in a ponytail. Sit down, Misao-chan."
Misao proceeded to sit down, but found out that the kimono disabled her from sitting on the floor with her legs crossed. Amending this, she kneeled down and sat on the balls of her feet. It was a foreign position for her, and she wondered how other women could sit like that for hours.
Kaoru took off the strip of cloth that held Misao's braid intact, and she combed through Misao's hair. "You have good hair," she murmured. "It's so fine, and a little curled at the ends because of the braid. I'll try putting it up in a ponytail."
Kaoru worked for several minutes, and when she was done, Misao's hair was tied up in a high ponytail, leaving her hair hanging down in gentle curls down her back. "There," Kaoru said proudly. She held up a mirror for Misao. "How do you like it? Other women, like Megumi, put on make-up. Demo… I never really liked the stuff, and even if we're old enough to wear kimonos, I think we're still too young to wear makeup."
"I agree," Misao said, relieved. She looked at herself. "Do I look any different?" she asked.
"Not really," Kaoru said. "You're still Misao. It's just a different way of dressing up, but your true self still shines, through, definitely."
"I just thought about it, Kaoru-san," Misao said. "You lost your parents when you were small. Who taught you how to dress up and fix yourself?"
"I did it mostly on my own," Kaoru confessed. "But sometimes, I had help from Tae-san. Later on, Megumi gave me some tips as well."
"You did a pretty god job of raising yourself," Misao said admiringly.
Kaoru bowed her head in humility. "I had no other choice," she said simply. Then she looked up. "Come downstairs and let's show everybody my masterpiece." She pulled on Misao's hand.
"No!" Misao said. "Aoshi-sama might think I'm trying to catch his attention."
"Oh, nonsense. Stop thinking of him too much," Kaoru scoffed. "It's perfectly normal for a girl to want to dress up once in a while."
Using brute strength, she dragged Misao to her feet and out of her room. They sought out Okina in the kitchen, and found the old man reading the day's newspaper. "Okina-san!" Kaoru called out, still dragging a reluctant Misao.
"Misao!" Okina cried out. "You look wonderful!"
Misao raised her eyebrows. "I do?"
"You look all grown up," Okina said, smiling.
"It was Kaoru's idea," Misao said, sitting down opposite her grandfather.
"And a really good one," Okina said. He tipped his head to the side. "Now it's a shame to see you dressed like that and nowhere to go."
"It's all right," Misao said.
"Wait. There's a sweets festival in town tonight! Why don't you two oblige an old man's penchant for desserts and accompany me?" he asked.
"Sweets?" Misao repeated. "Jiya… I don't think it's a good idea for me to go out…"
"I'd like to go," Kaoru butted in. "I haven't really seen the town at night."
"It's settled, then," Okina said. "We're going to town! Just let me get dressed." He fairly bounded out of the room in excitement, and Kaoru laughed.
Misao fretted. "I feel so restricted," she muttered.
"Smile," Kaoru said.
Just then, Aoshi entered the room. Kaoru was facing him, and she had the time of her life when she saw the onmitsu's mask slip for more than a second when he saw Misao. His blue eyes had widened in disbelief, and his mouth had gone slack for a moment Kaoru laughed harder, holding onto her stomach.
"Aoshi-sama!" Misao said, whirling around.
Aoshi had already regained his composure. "Misao…" he said, his voice trailing off.
"It wasn't my idea," Misao said defensively.
"It was mine," Kaoru said proudly. She wiped the tears from her eyes. "That look was priceless, Aoshi," she said, her voice weak from her laughter.
"So you say," Aoshi said, his mouth twitching.
"We're going to attend the sweets festival in town, with Jiya," Misao said. "Do you want to come along?"
He thought for a moment, and Kaoru jumped in to persuade him. "Come on," she said. "We haven't really gone to town at night, and we might need help getting Okina home if he gets drunk."
"All right," Aoshi said.
Okina returned, dressed to kill, his outfit matching Misao's in elegance. Kaoru stifled a laugh. "We look like we're going to a really extravagant party," she said. Then she corrected herself, assessing her plain kimono. "At least, the two of you do."
"You go and change too, Kaoru-san," Misao urged her.
"Iie," Kaoru said, shaking her head. "I think I'll let you be the prettier lady tonight, Misao-chan. For a change," she added teasingly.
Misao threw her a look. "Kaoru…" she said menacingly.
"A joke, a joke," Kaoru said, giggling. She waved Misao towards the front door. "Let's go."
"Say, she didn't take my remark seriously, did she?" she asked Aoshi as she fell into step beside him.
"Iie," he answered. "Misao admires you a lot. I'm sure she believes that between the two of you, you are the more attractive one."
"That's not true," Kaoru said, a little embarrassed at hearing him say it.
"How did you get Misao into those clothes, anyway?" he asked.
"By sheer force," Kaoru said with a smile. "Doesn't she look lovely?"
"Aa," he said. "It's another reminder that she's growing up so fast."
"You sound like a father," Kaoru said. "Then again, somehow you are indeed a father to her."
"Where did you get that kimono?"
"Bought it earlier," Kaoru said. "I thought it would be fun to dress up Misao. I've always wanted to do that, sort of as an older sister. Kenshin's and Sano's souvenirs can wait till next week," she added brightly. "Who knows, someone might notice Misao tonight."
"I doubt it," Aoshi said seriously. "Only old people like Okina come to these sweets festivals."
"Hmm… that would be a problem, if Misao gets noticed by an old man," Kaoru murmured. "It would give Okina a dose of his own medicine," she added a little while later, causing her companion to chuckle.
"Indeed," Aoshi agreed.
After a while, they arrived at the festival. Aoshi was right, most of the crowd were old people who liked sweets, though there were some children running around with food in their hands. Kaoru laughed as Okina dragged Misao to the long dessert table and he quickly filled up a plate with the sugary feast.
"Well, we might as well sample these delights," Kaoru said, turning away from Aoshi to help herself to some of the dainty-looking pieces. "How are you, Misao-chan?" she called out.
"This is good," Misao said, waving a sugar cracker in her hand. "Except that I feel I'm getting fatter with every bite. We just had sweets this afternoon, Kaoru-san!"
"You can afford some extra weight," Kaoru said, eyeing Misao's slim figure. Then she sighed. "I, for one, could not." Nevertheless, she popped one of the crackers into her mouth and savored its texture.
"Where's Aoshi-sama?" Misao asked.
"I don't know, he was beside me a while ago," Kaoru said, unconcerned. She looked around and saw the tall man looking at some colorful boxes. "Oh, he's over there. Typical, he's looking over some imported teas."
Misao laughed. "He's addicted to the stuff, really. Jiya! That's quite a lot, isn't it?" she asked as her grandfather passed by them with a second plate heaped high with pastries.
Okina hardly paid them any notice as he sat on one of the benches and started eating his second helping. Kaoru was amused, and when she turned towards Misao, she was surprised to see that Sae had joined them. "He seems to enjoy it," Sae said. "Now I know why Kaoru-san keeps on asking for some extra sweets to take home."
"Ah, yes," Misao said. "Thank you Sae-san."
"It's nice to know that my recipes are appreciated," Sae said. She looked around. "It looks like everyone is having a good time. Misao-san, you look lovely."
Misao blushed, something which she thought she was not capable of doing. "Eh… Kaoru-san dressed me up. She thought it would be nice for me to have a new look."
"It suits you to have your hair down like that," Sae said.
"Really? I doubt if it will work with my ninja outfit, though," Misao said cheerily. "I very well can't jump around with my hair loose like this."
The two girls were still conversing, and Kaoru edged away politely. She saw Aoshi standing alone and she thought the man would like to have some quiet company. "Tea again?" she teased as she came closer.
"Aa," he said, swirling his cup gently.
"I left Misao with Sae. It might be a good opportunity for her to make some new friends," Kaoru said. "Have you tried any of the dishes?"
"Some of them," he said. "I really don't care much for sweets."
"Just tea, ne?" she asked, still in a teasing mood.
"Just tea," Aoshi repeated, humoring her.
Kaoru sighed, satisfied with how her evening was going. The town was pretty. Traditional Japanese lanterns hung at every post, bathing the square in a warm glow. The townsfolk had pretty much settled down into the benches put out especially for the occasion. Only the younger people were milling about, chatting with one another. She felt a certain sense of peace, watching them with detachment, like she was a mere spectator. She didn't realize that she was too tired to do anything else but stand there.
I didn't know dressing up Misao would take away this much of my energy, she thought, a smile creeping onto her face. But it's definitely worth it, she added as she watched Misao talking to a boy that appeared to be about their age.
"Would you like one?"
Kaoru blinked as she noticed Aoshi holding out a cup of tea for her. "Eh? All right," she said, taking it from him. "Arigato."
"You look tired, that will help loosen you up," he said.
"Hm… are you trying to turn me into a tea addict as well?" she asked mischievously.
"It's worth a try," he said as he watched her take a sip.
The tea had a slightly citrus taste, and Kaoru took another sip. "It's good," she said. "It's imported?"
"From China," Aoshi said. "We don't get that a lot here."
"I see," she said. "I like it."
They stood that way for a long time. As Kaoru finished her tea, she wondered if it was the hot liquid or her quiet companion that was warming her insides, making her feel relaxed and blissfully happy.
End of chapter.
Well. I hope you liked this one. It's a lot longer than my previous chapters, but I'm still a long way from finishing this fic.
Thanks to all the wonderful people who reviewed!
WhiteRabbit5 – That was a long review! I'm glad you like it. Yup, Misao will be playing a big role in this fic later on, when the conflict really begins. I want to develop Kaoru and Misao's friendship, but I'm having a hard time thinking about it… Guess that's why it took me so long to update. And yes, I also like Kaoru working as a waitress because she's so pretty and charming. Definitely one of my favorite anime characters.
Mistress of hyde – This chapter took a little too long… I hope you enjoy this one.
Cherry – They'll start liking each other much much later, though they'll have a lot of time alone together in the coming chapters. I'm still figuring it out, but they'll definitely fall for each other later.
Suicidal Baka911 – Don't worry about Misao, she'll be fine.
Bradybunch4529 – I'm glad I'm able to stimulate your imagination. I'm a person who relies heavily on descriptions myself.
Flaming-amber – Thanks for reading. I love AK fluff myself, and it's great that you appreciate my contribution to AK fanfics.
horse-crazy-gurl – Good luck on your songfic!
Cherrychan1704 – I can't wait til they start liking each other, too.
Alexis Barnes – Thanks.
