Disclaimer: cricket…cricket…
Hello all!!! nessie here. How was your Memorial Weekend? I went to two parties and ate so much I practically blew up. I don't really have much to say to you guys, since…well…I don't know. But I do have something to say to no-one-of-impotence (by the way, did you mean to write importance?): Yes, I was thinking of Alias when I wrote about the "passenger-passage" crap, and when I wrote about the "elixir". I am practically obsessed with Alias-it's my favorite show ever. Isn't Michael Vartan/Vaughn incredibly hot???? Ooooooh baby, but not as hot as Orlando Bloom. He just makes me want to drool (but that is a little creepy).
Ami: Ewwwwwwwwwwww. You like Orlando Bloom? But he's sooo ugly!!!!!
Nessie: (dangerous look in eyes): What…did…you…just…say…?
Ruri: Ohhhhh, you've done it now!!! She's totally obsessed. She has a life-size cut out of him! Insulting Orlando Bloom is a very bad idea.
Ami: Oh. Right. Well, umm, when I said ugly I really meant strangely handsome, and…and…oh, forget it.
May that be a lesson to you all: do NOT insult Orlando Bloom when I am in earshot. I hear Ami is suffering from two broken legs and most of her hair has been pulled out, and her face has been severely flicked (you know, with your finger…), and is currently recovering in JFK hospital. Ruri broke three fingers, but I just did that for fun!!! (of course you all know that I'm not serious here…I don't want to scare anyone…)
Anyway, I better end it now before I really shit myself. Tootles!!!!nessie
You can't pretend.
When I look at you I see through you.
When I listen to your whispers I hear everything you say,
And I know you don't think I do.
When you touch my hand I feel everything:
The deceit, the betrayal, the greed, the ugliness, and the vicious lies.
Don't look away like you don't know what I mean.
I know all about you.
And you can't pretend.
Kenshin yanked his blade from the stomach of his victim. This had been a rather easy kill, considering the amount of money Sin was being paid. The bodyguards were said to be the "best in Tokyo"-what a laugh. Kenshin knew farmers who could protect their cattle better than these football players. He sighed and cleaned the blood from his sword, using the rich golden carpet. The victim had thought he could protect himself with a machine gun. What a stupid thought. This had cost him his life; practically everyone knew that The Battousai could wield his sword so quickly and so well that it could make him bulletproof. It took the victim a few moments to realize this, and it had taken Kenshin only a few moments to kill his prey. But this bloody mess wouldn't do. His orders had been specific: kill the victim and leave no trail. He would need a team of cleaners up here right away. Kenshin looked around and realized with anger that he had gotten carried away. The cleaners wouldn't like this. There was blood everywhere, and it would be a tough job. Maybe he would be able to leave before they got here and started complaining. Kenshin flipped out his untraceable Sin cell phone.
"Soujiro. Sorry to interrupt, but I need a team of cleaners over here at Metzuro. I got a little carried away. Kaoru's still with Tsubame?" Kenshin sighed with relief. "Good. Anyway, send the best team out. This will be messy." Kenshin hung up, not bothering to say goodbye. Soujiro had known him long enough to figure out when Kenshin decided to end his calls.
Kaoru was still with Tsubame, which was good at least. He wanted to train with her and help her work on her sword techniques.
And he did hate being late.
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Kaoru raced down the halls of Sin, panting and gasping for air. This reminded her how out of shape she really was, and she didn't like it one bit. She had thought that being a waitress would at least keep her on her toes, or strengthen up her arms. It did, but that wouldn't help her at all here. Apparently all she had really gotten from her perverted Mokubunji escapade was a first hand look at perverts and the chance to wear a dress worse than any of Megumi's chosen outfits. Oh well, at least it paid well. Well enough, at least.
As Kaoru rounded the corner to the training room, she cursed under her breath. How had Kenshin finished a job so quickly and managed to get here before her? Sure enough he was holding his sword out, practicing combinations and attacks. She would be training. Did that make her happy? Or was she just scared of him, like he had accused her once? Kaoru shook her head in defiance. She was not afraid of Kenshin, and never would be. Never.
"Kaoru." His ice-cold voice interrupted Kaoru from her thoughts. She turned quickly to him, embarrassed for zoning out when he was so close. "You are coming in, aren't you?" Kaoru nodded quickly.
"Oh yeah. I was just…umm…thinking," Kaoru finished lamely. The amusement was obvious in Kenshin's glittering golden eyes, but he didn't say anything or smile. He just handed her a sword, his face now regaining its serious stature. Kaoru followed obediently. She did want to become stronger, didn't she? What better way than this?
"I assume that you've figured out that I want to start training you with your sword." Kenshin paused, thinking. "And various other weapons," he decided. "With many people after you, we can't just leave you defenseless, relying on Sin." Kaoru looked up abruptly, her face red with anger.
"I don't rely on Sin! Anything but! And I'm not what you would call 'defenseless' either, right?" Kaoru noticed his face hadn't changed. "I mean, I already know how to use Kamiya Kasshin Ryu!" Kenshin snorted, which surprised Kaoru greatly.
"You knew how to use Kamiya Kasshin Ryu. 'Sword that gives life'. How pathetic." Kenshin took a step closer to her. "The sword is used for one purpose: to kill. Using it to give life, to defend, is useless." Kaoru shook her head enthusiastically.
"It's NOT useless!" Kaoru glared at him. "Don't put down my sword style and my beliefs. I spent years perfecting it, and it's not my fault that my training was delayed. I don't believe in killing others just to help yourself. Unless they're really, really evil, of course," Kaoru added. Kenshin rolled his eyes. "So I chose to learn Kamiya Kasshin Ryu. There are hardly any attacks to kill someone. So unless you are going to help me relearn my style, I refuse to train with you." Kaoru sat down and crossed her arms, a look of complete determination and stubbornness gracing her facial features.
"You're in luck." Kaoru looked up in surprise. "I didn't, and do not now, intend to teach you a whole new style. That would take too long. Lucky for you I am a master in all sword styles. Though I use the style of Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu, because it fits more for assassinations. Get into your stance." Kaoru searched through her brain to remember the basic Kamiya stance, then positioned her legs shoulder's length apart from each other, with her sword held out in front of her.
"Wait a second." Kaoru stood up in her normal posture. "Aren't you going to load up a training simulation?" Kenshin shook his head.
"Today we are only going to go through the stances, blocking, and attacks. Get back into your stance, and never question my orders again." Kaoru rolled her eyes and got back into her stance, secretly shivering inside when she realized Kenshin had said something like that in her dream.
"Ryuu strike!" Kenshin ordered. Kaoru smiled when she remembered the "dragon" strike, and slashed the sword from her right shoulder down to her left leg. Kenshin immediately dropped his blade and corrected her move.
"You are gripping the sword wrongly for Kamiya Kasshin Ryu. Your fingers should be evenly spaced, and not holding it so tightly. This may be a slightly aggressive move, but remember that all in all Kamiya style is rather relaxed. When you strike, be sure in your blade and deepen the attack. Faster as well. Do it again." Kaoru sighed and slashed her sword again, from right shoulder to left leg. She deepened the attack, now that she knew what she was doing. Only when she was halfway done the attack did Kaoru remember to speed up. Kenshin sighed.
"Faster. Don't act so nervous. Do it again." Kaoru groaned angrily and got into the stance again. This was going to take a loooooooong time.
"Good," Kenshin told her as Kaoru managed to block an ongoing attack from The Battousai himself. She dropped to her knees, panting. It seemed like they had been practicing for hours, and she was exhausted. Her fingers could barely grip the blade anymore, and her knees shook every time Kenshin's blade slammed against her own. Her muscles trembled with overuse, and she needed to sit down. Kenshin noticed her shaky limbs and nodded.
"We're done. We'll practice again tomorrow." Kaoru dropped her sword in protest. Tomorrow? She could hardly move now; she didn't want to even think about how sore she would be in the morning.
"Yes, tomorrow morning." Kenshin seemed to understand her "sword talk". "We'll be practicing together every day in here until I think you would be able to beat Misao without a single injury." Kaoru's mouth dropped. Winning against Misao in the training simulation had been a fluke, and she didn't expect it to ever happen again. And now Misao would be even better, having been ordered to train with Aoshi every other day. Kaoru sank down to the floor and rested, her chest heaving for breaths. Kenshin sat down next to her, quiet for a moment. After Kaoru stopped choking for air, she looked over at him. Oh no-he had that look in his eyes. Kaoru inched over, away from him. The look he got when he was about to-just the thought of it made Kaoru blush madly. She got up nervously.
"Well, I'll just-you know, umm, g-go back to my…room. Yeah, my room," Kaoru managed to stutter. She turned to go, when Kenshin grabbed her arm. Kaoru inhaled sharply as Kenshin pushed her up against the padded white training room wall. He licked her cheek, took a nip at her ear, and then spoke.
"Kaoru." His voice was hot in her ear, and she could feel it down to her toes. "Tell me: what was your life like before you came to Sin?" Kaoru was taken back. Her life before Sin? Kaoru thought about the foodless nights, the nights when the heat had been turned off and the hunger felt especially vicious in her cold stomach. The nights when Ritz was her only source of warmth. Her poverty-stricken childhood, her horrible job at Mokubunji…it all felt like a nightmare now.
"It was…normal, really," Kaoru whispered. "After I-moved out of my old house, I lived in an apartment. With my cat. And I was a waitress." Kaoru felt her insides melt as Kenshin buried his face in the crook of her neck. "It was pretty average." Kenshin lifted his head and roughly gave Kaoru an open mouth kiss. Kaoru stiffened. She hated when he got so spontaneous. This lasted for a while, until Kenshin finally permitted Kaoru air. She gasped for breaths, then realized Kenshin was silent. She looked up at him and froze in his glare. He touched her collarbone, then dropped his hand and turned away.
"You're lying." Kenshin started to walk away. "I know that's not how your life really was. Are you going to tell me the truth or do you just want me to play along until you realize how stupid you just sounded?"
He was so good.
"I…I don't know what you're talking about," Kaoru mumbled under her breath. "I was normal. I had a cat. We were normal. Everything was-"
"Normal," Kenshin finished for her. "If that's how you want to say it, then I'll just wait until you tell me the real story." He gave Kaoru one last bone-chilling look, and then left without a sound. Kaoru sighed and leaned against the wall. She never could lie very well. But she had thought that her whole "normal-apartment-cat-waitress" thing had been very convincing. Then again, as Kenshin had pointed out, she didn't know how stupid she sounded.
"Facing a dilemma?" a laughing voice mocked. Kaoru looked up quickly, then rolled her eyes.
"Sano." She glared at the spiky haired assassin. "How did I know?" He shrugged and grinned.
"Seems like Misao was right," he teased. "Kenshin did want to relieve some sexual frustration." Kaoru's eyes widened and she practically fainted.
"W-what?!? What are you talking about? We were training!!!!" Kaoru protested. She glared at his skeptical look. "I swear, that is all we were doing. I mean, hellooooooooooooo!!!! Kenshin kind of creeps me out." Kaoru realized that her voice was very weak and flimsy, and that she wasn't even convincing herself of this. Sano shook his head.
"Whatever you want to say, I guess. Hey, are you by any chance up for a little spar?" A spar? A fight. Kaoru glanced at her swollen red hands, and she looked back up at Sano. His look was pleading. She sighed.
"All right. I mean, who cares if I just fall over in exhaustion. I won't be missed at all, will I?" Kaoru rolled her eyes. Sano grinned and set up the controls for some new location. He handed Kaoru a pair of sleek black sunglasses.
"Where are we going? And don't you dare say it's a surprise," Kaoru warned. Sano laughed.
"A simulation of Tokyo. You'll be surprised at how accurate it is." At least, I hope, Sano added to himself. Kaoru sighed and slipped the glasses on. Time for another brutal beating, and this time it wouldn't be restricted to training.
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Kaoru smelled the city before she saw it. Car exhaust, food venders, and tons of working people. She opened her eyes and smiled. Tokyo!
Now where was Sano? Kaoru couldn't forget that he was there too, and that this wasn't real. She looked around frantically. She didn't want to get a surprise attack. So where was the rooster head? Kaoru walked down the street. There were no people here, so that ruled out the possibility of being hit by a car. It was kind of nice to be able to walk down the streets of Tokyo and not have to be either A) running or B) crazy. She was beginning to enjoy herself when she heard the sound of feet.
Running towards her, and getting closer by the second. It was definitely Sano, all right: she could almost see his rooster headed self, coming around the bend. Kaoru got into her Kamiya Kasshin Ryu stance and prepared to block any attack. She didn't exactly know what Sano's weapon would be. The footsteps were getting closer, and Kaoru prepared herself for the worst. Then-
Attack!
Sano was charging at her again. Kaoru realized, dazed, that she had just blocked his attack. The weapon was a Zanbato (A/N: Is that how you spell it? Oh well, it's the giant axe thingamabob that he uses when he first fights against Kenshin), and Sano wielded it with brutal strength. He swung again, and Kaoru's arms went numb as she blocked it. Now it was time to get in some of her attacks.
Kaoru ran around Sano as he was swinging the zanbato again. She slashed at his side, but he had quickly dodged it. Kaoru stared in wonder as he turned quickly and struck again. How had he managed to dodge her so quickly? Well, she shouldn't have underestimated him. Kaoru cursed under her breath. He was one of the top assassins at Sin, and he was Kenshin's right hand man. Obviously he would be better than expected.
Kaoru leapt off the ground and over Sano's head, her sword aimed to plunge into his back. Sano reached up and grabbed her sword, to Kaoru's amazement. He let go at the last minute, letting Kaoru fly across the street.
Kaoru moaned and tried to stand up. She had smashed into an empty store and now had a board over her leg. She couldn't get up, and it felt like her bone had been smashed to smithereens. She struggled to stand up, but Sano was already standing over her.
"You know, if this had been a real fight, you would be dead right now," Sano pointed out as he helped her up. Kaoru groaned; her leg felt nearly broken.
"I guess that throw broke your leg. You should be more careful and be wary of your opponent's abilities. Mine is strength. You should have realized it by the fact that I wield this thing." Sano pointed to the zanbato. "Jumping over me was a bad idea."
"I know, I know," Kaoru grumbled. "I spent practically four hours training with Kenshin. I don't need another lesson for the day, ok? Anyway, is there anything else you can give me?" Kaoru had meant help, but when she looked up into Sano's face his eyes were shimmering. He looked raw, a rare moment. He leaned closer to her. Kaoru felt her heart stop beating. W-wait. He wasn't trying to…he wasn't going to…
"Why don't I give you this?" he whispered.
Sano leaned down and kissed her.
&S&S&S&S&S&S&S&S&S&S&S&S&S&S&S&S&S&S&S&S&S&S&S&S&S&S&S&S&S&S&S&S&
don't kill me-just pleas do NOT kill me. I know a lot of you hate cliff hangers (this is a cliff hanger, isn't it), but I had this really good idea…and it had to do with Sano…anyway, I can't really give anything away. That wouldn't be any fun, would it?
Ruri: umm, excuse me dear, but I think we need to talk.
Nessie: oh hi, Ruri!!! What do you want to talk about?
Ruri: HOW COULD SANO LIKE KAORU??? THAT IS UTTERLY IMPOSSIBLE!!!!
Ami: (backs away from Ruri)
Nessie: Well, umm, you see, I had this really good idea, and…and…(is dragged behind screen by Ruri)
Ami: Umm, please excuse them. They should be out in a minute.
Ruri: (dragging a nearly dead nessie out) Don't worry. She's not dead. (glares) Yet.
Scary……….reallllly scary……..maybe that Sano/Kaoru thang wasn't a "really good idea" after all……..
Well, until next time my friends. I promise to try and write fast, if you all give me nice reviews!!! Love you all in the non lesbo way!!!!!!
Tootles!!!nessie