Chapter 8
Kenshin raised an eyebrow when he opened his door and found Kaoru in a full disguise. It was late in the evening and yet Kaoru wore large shades to hide her face and a scarf was wrapped around her head. Did she not realize that this only attracted more attention to her? No matter how ridiculous she might have appeared, she was not going to take any chances.
Kaoru shoved a plastic bag into his hands. "Here are your snacks and ice cream!" She glanced around.
When Kaoru heard his voice over the phone, she abruptly sat up in bed.
"Himura? Why are you calling me?" She exclaimed.
"Bring me ice cream and a bag chips. Whatever kind you want." And he hung up without another word.
"Wha-? Hello? Hello? Himura!" Kaoru yelled into the phone and then looked at it as if it just insulted her. Kaoru tossed her phone far away from her and scoffed. She crossed her arms and looked away. She wasn't going to go. She absolutely was not going to go. Instead, she went to the bathroom and took a shower. "I'm not going! There is no way I'm going!" She kept saying to herself, but the moment she walked back into her room and saw her phone laying on the floor, she released a loud groan and rushed to get dressed.
"How were you able to see wearing those sunglasses in the dark?" He smiled in mild amusement.
Kaoru rubbed her arm in pain. "Trust me...it wasn't easy." She bumped into many things on the walk over. "Well...see you at school!" She said and quickly spun around to leave, but Kenshin was quicker.
"Ack!" Kaoru stumbled backwards as he grabbed her by her hood and pulled her inside, shutting the door behind them. Kenshin walked into his living room and set the bag on the table. He then walked back over to Kaoru and pulled off the shades and scarf. "I thought you just wanted me to buy you snacks!" She said, fixing her hair. Kenshin remained quiet and pulled her to sit on the floor of the living room. She obediently did so and simply watched him with a blank stare.
"What do you want to drink?" He asked, disappearing into the kitchen.
"D-do you have juice?" He reappeared a moment later with two cups of juice and two spoons in his hand. He set the cup in front of her and sat down beside her. "What am I doing here?" She finally had the chance to ask him.
"You're fulfilling a request." He said and opened the pint of ice cream she brought for him, then handed her a spoon.
"Are we sharing this?" She asked, but he didn't respond. No wonder he told her to choose whichever flavor she wanted. Kenshin also opened the bag of chips. "Um..." She looked at him. "...what exactly is the request I'm fulfilling?" Kenshin grabbed the television remote and switched on a movie. Kaoru gasped.
"A horror movie?!" She quickly grabbed the remote from him and pressed pause, then turned to him. "This is the request? You want me to watch a horror movie with you while we eat snacks?" Kenshin tilted his head as he stared at her and his lips quirked into a grin.
"I'm too scared to watch horror movies by myself." He said and Kaoru scoffed.
"You're not even trying to make your lie sound convincing." Kaoru then grabbed the ice cream. She was already there, so she supposed she might as well eat the snacks she bought. She did buy her favorite after all. "Okay, fine." She said and she ate a spoonful of the double chocolate ice cream. "But don't blame me if your girlfriend gets angry at you for not inviting her instead."
"I don't have a girlfriend." He said and Kaoru looked at him.
She then smiled and slapped his arm. "Eyyy, don't be shy to admit it! I saw that girl with you!" She said and without another word she pressed play.
Kaoru didn't want to admit that she loved horror films even though they absolutely terrified her. She was one of those fools who enjoyed the film at the moment, but then suffered once they had to sleep. Kaoru attempted to appear nonchalant and the film didn't start off too terrifying. She was deeply engrossed in the plot and she failed to notice that she was the only one who ate the snacks. Kenshin simply sat back and found amusement in Kaoru's behavior and facial expressions. Of course Kenshin lied about being scared of horror films or even wanting to watch one. He didn't even watch television in general.
Kaoru eventually had to sacrifice eating because she needed her hands to cover her eyes. "No, no! You fool! Don't look under the bed! Why would you look under the bed?!" She yelled at the screen and Kenshin laughed quietly to himself. Just before an obvious scare was about to occur, Kaoru paused the movie and turned to Kenshin.
"What is it?"
"I need to use your restroom." She said and he nodded to a door down the hallway. Kaoru remained still. "I need you to take me there." Kenshin furrowed his brows.
"What?"
"I'm too scared to go myself." She said in all seriousness and Kenshin brought a hand to his mouth to hide his laughter. Kaoru crossed her arms. "This is your fault, you know. You asked me to watch a horror movie and now you pay the price. You either walk me to the bathroom or I'll go on your floor." She warned and Kenshin's response was to stand and walk her to the bathroom. Kaoru made him stand by the far wall and she ordered him to wait there. Kaoru shut the door and when Kenshin heard her wash her hands, he scratched his fingernails against the wall. Kaoru shrieked and raced out of his bathroom. She ran to him and tightly gripped the front of his shirt.
"You're lucky I went to the bathroom or I would have had an accident on your bathroom floor!" She scolded. Kenshin laughed silently as he shut off the bathroom light that she failed to turn off when she ran out.
When the movie was over, Kaoru released a breath that she was holding. "I'm going to regret watching that when I'm by myself later..." She mumbled and Kenshin watched her. "My stomach hurts." She rubbed her stomach. "I feel like I ate most of the ice cream." Kenshin wasn't going to tell her that she did.
"Would you like some tea to help with the bloating?"
"Yes please." She groaned. Kenshin went to the kitchen and she could hear him put the kettle on the stove. So, what now? Now that the movie was over, what did he want to do now? Kaoru pulled put her phone and glanced at the time. It was close to 10pm. Thankfully they didn't have school tomorrow, but it was already so late. She should have refused the tea.
Kaoru sighed and just grabbed the remote. She began to search other horror movie titles out of curiosity. "It has a sequel?" She gasped quietly to herself. Kenshin soon returned with her cup of tea and as he sat down, she asked what he wanted to do now. They both glanced at the screen and Kaoru smiled.
"You want to watch another one?"
Kaoru sat up in a slight panic and looked around, frantically. For a moment, she forgot where she was and how she got there. She realized she was still on the floor of Kenshin's living room and there was a blanket on her, which she assumed Kenshin had given to her during the night. Kaoru wrung her hands through her hair. She fell asleep? She tried to think back to the last memory she had. She and Kenshin ended up watching three movies altogether. She must have fallen asleep sometime during the third film. She searched for her phone in a hurry. She spent the night at a student's apartment! I must be crazy! There must be something wrong with my brain!
Kaoru gasped when she looked at the time. "eig-eight?" Kaoru put a hand to her face to make sure she wasn't dreaming. How could she let herself fall asleep? She needed to leave quickly before Kenshin woke up and before her father realized she wasn't home. She glanced down the hallway and the door to his bedroom was still closed. She grabbed her things, put on the sunglasses, and pulled her hood over her head. She began to sneak over to the door. Quietly…quietlyyyy…
"Good morning, sensei."
Kaoru shrieked and collapsed to the floor. Kenshin was leaning against the kitchen counter and he watched her while he calmly drank a cup of tea. Kaoru sighed and fell against the wall, pulling off the sunglasses.
"I've lost ten years of my life...You're scarier than the ghosts in the horror films." She put a hand to her heart. She then shoved a finger in his direction. "Why didn't you wake me up?"
"Do you know how to wake a person from the dead?" He asked, sarcastically. Kaoru put a hand to her forehead.
"If my dad finds out I spent the night at a guy's house…" She began. Kenshin then walked over and crouched in front of her with a smirk. "Breakfast?" He asked a little too sweetly. It was clear he was making fun of her again.
"I've got to get home!" She said and pushed him away. "Maybe next time!" And she ran out the door.
Luckily, her father was in the dojo when Kaoru made it home. If she snuck back inside and pretended she was home the entire time, he would never know she hadn't returned last night.
Kaoru washed up and walked down for lunch as if everything was normal. She eyed her father carefully when she walked into the kitchen and she waited to see if he would mention anything. He smiled at her as he set the table.
"Lunch is ready!" He said and served soup in some bowls. Kaoru slowly sat down and continued to eye him. Everything seemed normal so far. She thanked him for the meal as he sat down and Kaoru breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that he hadn't noticed her absence. Kaoru took a sip of the soup.
"So when did you get back this morning?" Her father asked and soup spewed from her mouth.
"What is it this time?" Aoshi asked as he opened the bento. Kaoru smiled, but still hesitantly.
"Uhh…I tried to make *doria." She said. "Since, it isn't hot anymore, the cheese might be congealed."
Aoshi sniffed it. "Looks okay. Smells okay."
"I'm warning you that this is only the second time I've made it." And she reassured him again that she would pay for any medical expenses he might acquire. She watched nervously as Aoshi took a bite and chewed thoughtfully.
"It's good."
And she exhaled noisily in relief. "You're lucky. My father was on the toilet the first time I made it." Aoshi smiled.
The door opened with a loud 'bang' and Kaoru was surprised to see Misao in the doorway, looking quite upset.
She pointed an accusing finger at Kaoru. "So it's true!" She yelled and stomped over to them.
"Wh-what's true?" Kaoru hesitated and Misao's lower lip trembled.
"I was told that Kaoru-sensei has been seen eating lunch with Aoshi-sensei!" She looked at Aoshi. "Are you two dating?" She asked and Kaoru choked.
"Da-dating!?" She said and glanced at Aoshi, who continued to eat calmly. "I think you've misundersto-"
"Don't try to lie to me, sensei!" Misao wouldn't hear it. Kaoru put her hands up and grinned timidly.
"Misao…" She tried to say.
"Aoshi-sensei wouldn't date someone like you, right?" Misao said and Kaoru's mouth fell open.
"What is that supposed to mean!?" She asked and Misao opened her mouth to argue again.
"Misao." Both ladies turned their attention to Aoshi, who was still eating. "Kamiya-san and I are not dating." He looked at her and Misao quickly went quiet. She almost looked upset and Kaoru thought she was about to cry. Kaoru was surprised when a big smile suddenly appeared on Misao's face.
"Okay! See you later, Kaoru-sensei!" And Misao ran out as quickly as she came in. Kaoru still looked at the spot Misao stood last and she blinked slowly.
"What…what the...what the heck was that?" Kaoru turned to Aoshi.
"Nothing. Just a student who seems to admire me...often." He said and Kaoru looked at him as if he insulted her intelligence.
"Senpai…she was practically begging you to have her babies." She said and Aoshi's icy exterior finally cracked. He sighed loudly and put a hand to his face.
"Is it really that bad?" He asked and Kaoru tried to figure out the best way to prove her point.
"If I told her we were dating…I would have woken tomorrow buried alive. This would have turned into a horror, revenge movie very quickly." She said with a teasing smile and Aoshi looked away in embarrassment.
"So I heard a veerrrry interesting rumor the other day." Tae smiled as she sat across from Kaoru.
Kaoru paused eating and glanced at her. "Don't tell me…"
"Someone's father was very happy to announce to my family that his daughter appeared to finally have a boyfriend." Tae said. "Imagine the nagging I had to listen to after your father left."
Kaoru dropped her spoon and dropped her head in her heads. "It's not what you think…I just didn't know what to tell my father." She said.
"So who is it?"
"Who?"
"Who is your supposed 'boyfriend'?" Tae asked and Kaoru chewed on her bottom lip. When Kaoru revealed to Tae who it was, Tae put a hand to her lips and released a hoot of laughter. Tae then tightly gripped Kaoru's arm and wouldn't let her leave until she told her the truth.
"You spent the night…? at his place?" She gasped.
"It's not like that!" Kaoru said, frantically. "I just fell asleep on the floor of his living room."
"But the point is…you still went to his apartment and spent time with him." Tae snickered. She knew Kaoru and Kenshin had a chemistry they could not deny. Call it what they wanted…they were seeing each other because of undeniable attraction.
Tae crossed her arms. "What is with this "seven favors"? It's so tacky!" She shuddered. What a cheesy excuse to see each other. Honestly…she thought Kaoru would have been a little more creative. This wasn't a romantic comedy or something.
Kaoru rubbed her arm in embarrassment. "I don't think it's a good idea I go his apartment anymore. That will probably be the last time I visit."
But of course that wasn't true…because how would the story continue?
Sure enough, Saturday evening rolled around and Kaoru received another phone call that she pretended to find annoying.
"Heading over to your boyfriend's again?" Her father teased as she made her way out the door.
Kaoru glowered at him. "Don't wait up." She told him and he chuckled.
"Oh, I won't."
Kaoru grumbled when Kenshin opened his door to invite her in. "You're creating a lot of trouble for me, you know…" She was wearing her ridiculous disguise again. Kaoru entered and she found it was becoming less and less awkward each time she visited. "So what is your request this time?" She asked as she pulled off the scarf around her head.
Kenshin looked like he just returned from training. His hands and feet were still taped and Kaoru could see his sword leaning against the wall just next to his door. Kaoru wished she could watch him fight. She only heard of his skills, but she never actually seen him in action.
"I'm hungry." He said and she scoffed.
"You're a better cook than I am, remember?" She said, sardonically.
"Doesn't mean you can't make me something."
Kaoru sighed and showed him a bag she brought. "I thought you would ask me to make you something, so I went shopping before I got here."
Kenshin smirked. "So what will you teach me to make this time?" He asked.
"I'm not going to teach you how to make anything!" She said. "You probably already know how to make doria anyway." Kenshin smiled to himself. Again…another simple dish.
Kaoru walked to the kitchen. "This time you'll be shocked by my cooking skill." And Kaoru had to make sure she thanked Aoshi-senpai again for trying her meals and not dying.
"I'm looking forward to it." He said and Kaoru pushed him towards his bedroom.
"Just go take a shower." She said. "You stink of sweat." But he didn't. She just needed him to go away so she could concentrate.
Kaoru had to prepare the rice first and this time, she made sure she added the correct amount of water. She could hear Kenshin start up the shower and Kaoru suddenly realized that she never cooked for another male other than her father. It was a very strange and new sensation for her to be using his kitchen.
Kenshin was quick to shower and he walked out while drying his hair. Kaoru was able to get a strong whiff of his soap even without turning around to face him. When she did turn around, she gasped and reflexively threw a spoon at him. He looked at her when it bounced off his shoulder.
"Would you put on a shirt?" She said as he bent over and picked up the spoon.
"I don't like putting on a shirt when my hair is wet." He said and Kaoru put a hand on her hip.
"This might be your apartment, but I'm a guest and walking around half-naked is inappropriate." She scolded as he went to put the spoon into the sink. "I'm also your teacher!" She reminded him, grabbing the spoon from him and smacking him with it. Kenshin smirked at her as he took his shirt that he had hanging over his shoulder and while he put it on, Kaoru scooped out the cooked rice. "Kids these days have no manners…" She tsked.
"Has anyone ever told you that the tip of your tongue is like the tip of a knife?" He asked and Kaoru did not look at him as she combined ingredients in a bowl.
"And who do you think is the one who sharpens it?" She eyed him, testing him and waiting. Kenshin smiled to himself and finished drying his hair while Kaoru put the doria in the oven for the finishing touches. "I'm telling you...you're going to get sick if you keep walking around like that." She warned. Kenshin pulled the towel off his head and Kaoru picked away a piece of fluff that was in his hair. Kenshin quietly watched her as she did so and she blushed upon realizing she acted without thinking. Thankfully, the oven timer went off and Kaoru ordered Kenshin to sit.
Kaoru served a plate of her creation and she was satisfied with the way it turned out. She would prove to him this time that she was better at cooking than he thought.
"You've been practicing and working hard, I see." He said as she sat across from him with a plate of her own.
"Of course not. This is just natural talent." She said, but watched nervously as Kenshin took his first bite. He raised his gaze to look at her.
"Your practice paid off." He said and Kaoru narrowed her eyes.
"I know you're complimenting me, but it sounds so mocking." She said, but thanked him anyway. "I did work hard." She admitted and took a bite as well. "Hey…" She chewed and pointed to his sword with her spoon. "…take me with you next time." She said. "…when you train. I want to watch you." Kenshin looked at her, questioningly. "It's not often you meet a world champion sword fighter. I should take advantage of the situation, no?" She asked.
"If you like." He said and Kaoru appeared satisfied. "You might be bored."
"No way! Have you forgotten who I am?" She said and then she straightened in her seat. "Make sure you take me next time." Before Kenshin could respond, his phone suddenly went off and Kaoru was able to catch a glimpse at the name that appeared across the screen. Her heart skipped a beat.
"Hello?" He answered and Kaoru continued to eat, pretending the phone call did not annoy her even in the slightest bit. "Not today. I'll stop by tomorrow." And Kaoru glanced at him when he hung up.
"Your girlfriend will get mad at you if you don't pay enough attention to her." She said. "I might be your teacher, but I'm still a female. She will be jealous." She added.
"She will be alright." He said and for a moment, Kaoru was surprised he didn't try to deny that he had a girlfriend again.
"She's very pretty. I saw her walking home with you." She said and Kenshin looked at her.
"You might know of her brother." He said and Kaoru frowned. "Yukishiro Enishi."
She lifted her brows. "They're siblings?" And Kenshin nodded his head. Enishi was a known fighter in Chinese sword art. "Does Tomoe also practice sword fighting?
Kenshin shook his head once. "As far as I know, Tomoe has been anemic since she was young."
Kaoru nodded with sympathy. "Ahhh…I see. So she is the delicate flower type. She is very much a lady, isn't she? She did give me that impression…" And Kaoru crossed her arms. "You know how every year the school makes the students take a physical exam?" Kenshin nodded and Kaoru tsked. "Many of the girls in my class would fake being too weak to complete the running portion…" And she huffed. "…every time I tried to pull that trick my teacher would scold me for trying to lie my way out of the test. They would make me run twice the distance in the same amount of time just to prove a point." She put up two fingers as emphasis and she pursed her lips at the memory. "Those crazy, bald-headed geezers…" She grumbled and Kenshin hid a smile behind his hand. She then sighed and continued to eat. "I'm sure she doesn't want to burden you, especially when she knows you're so active. Girls try to act tough and strong, but deep down we are fragile too. So make sure you take good care of her." She said and Kenshin slowly lifted his gaze and eyed her.
"I will."
*Doria is like Japan's version of gratin. It's cheesy and oh so delicious.
