A/N: Please everyone tell me what you think of this chp and give me lots of
advice, cause I'm kinda of stuck even though I know what I want to happen.
Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. But that's okay, cause no one would want to watch my version of it anyway. Heh.
***************
Chapter 10: "Sano's 'Debt' and Kaoru's Cleaning Blues"
Yahiko collapsed to the ground, panting for breath. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and sighed greatly. He'd just finished his sword practice with Kaoru. It was a day after the policeman incident, and Kaoru had been making up for their interrupted practice. She had finally let him off to go inside to see about lunch. Yahiko snickered to himself because he knew Kenshin was already making it.
Yahiko got up finally after his short breather and went looking for the broom. He was going to get one of those chores Kaoru had assigned him, out of the way. He stopped in his tracks, though, when a man came out from the cover of some nearby trees.
Yahiko was startled, but he glared at the man calmly.
"Little Yahiko Sagara. . ." The man leered at him. One of his teeth was missing and his right eye looked far from healthy. Yahiko recognized him as the guy Sanosuke owed the money to. In actuality, Sanosuke didn't owe anything but small change to the rest of his gambling companions. Unfortunately, he'd made the mistake of gambling for real one time and he'd lost to this guy. Ever since then, the guy had been coming around bothering Yahiko and demanding Sano pay him back. It didn't help that he was notoriously dangerous.
Yahiko swallowed with some trepidation. "What do you want?" Yahiko snapped at the man despite his fear.
"Just to ask where your big brother 'Zanza' is."
"He's not 'Zanza' anymore---he quit fighting," Yahiko retorted.
"So I guess you don't know where he is then?" The man questioned with a sneer.
"It's none of your business," Yahiko said.
The man stepped toward him. "Guess I'll just have to take you as collateral, then."
Yahiko's eyes widened and he was going to sprint away when the man grabbed him.
Yahiko kicked futilely at the guy. When that didn't work, he began to yell. "Help! Somebody! Kaoru! Kenshin!" He was already being carried away by the time one of the adults came outside.
"Put Yahiko down," came Kenshin's steady voice.
The man whirled, and his grip loosened for a moment. Yahiko took the opportunity and slipped away from the man and ran to the house.
Kaoru, who was standing beside Kenshin, touched his arm. "Are you okay, Yahiko?"
He nodded and said, "That jerk tried to kidnap me!"
"Your brother owes me money!" The man said angrily, shaking his fist at Yahiko.
Yahiko stuck out his tongue, and Kaoru said, "Oops. . .I took Sano's money the other day. . ."
"How much does Sanosuke owe you, sir?" Kenshin asked.
The man scowled and said, "Oh, just about five hundred yen."
Kaoru, Yahiko, and Kenshin fell over and then recovered. Kenshin said, nonplussed, "Sanosuke sure likes to gamble, that he does."
Kaoru grumbled, "That stupid freeloader. . ."
Yahiko frowned. "He's never gambling with real cash again."
Kenshin blinked with surprise at that comment. So Sano had been prevaricating about his debt problems, also. Kenshin let it slide for the moment.
"If we give you some money, now," Kaoru asked, "Will you leave us alone?"
The man narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, but his mouth acquired a gap toothed smile at the prospect of getting some cash. "I suppose. . ."
Kaoru sighed with relief and ran into the house for the money she had left over from the other day. She came flying back out and shoved it into the guy's hands.
He stood there counting it before he nodded in satisfaction. "If 'Zanza' gives me a few more payments like this, I'll let him off the hook."
Everyone heaved a sigh of relief and then they went inside the dojo after the man was gone.
"We're going to be broke forever," Kaoru sighed.
Kenshin asked Yahiko, after they all sat down. "Why did that man call Sanosuke 'Zanza'?"
Yahiko hissed, "He used to be a fighter-for-hire, and that was his nickname because he had this huge sword called the 'Zanbatou'."
Kenshin blinked, "The Zanbatou. . ." He'd heard of it. It was no small feat for Sanosuke to have wielded it.
"The Zanbatou?" Kaoru questioned. "Isn't that the famous sword that slew the giant 'Kurogasa'?" (is that the right name?)
"Yes, that it was. . ." Kenshin answered her.
Yahiko sulked and Kaoru asked him. "Are you sure you're alright, Yahiko?"
"I'm fine," he snapped. "It's just that I don't like talking about Sanosuke being 'Zanza'."
"Oh," Kaoru said and dropped the subject.
Kenshin wondered why it bothered Yahiko so much and decided to tuck the thought away for later.
Just then Kaoru said, "Do you smell something burning?"
Kenshin's eyes went round and he asked, "Oro?"
Yahiko blinked stupidly for a moment, then he began to laugh, "Kenshin, you forgot the food!"
"Oh, no!" Kaoru exclaimed getting up and running into the kitchen.
Yahiko and Kenshin followed a step behind her. The food was smoking badly, on the verge of catching fire. Kaoru grabbed a bucket of water and splashed some of it on the food. Kenshin protested, but it was too late. Lunch was ruined.
Kaoru put the bucket down and wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Phew. . ."
Yahiko stared at them for a bit and then began laughing again, "Who would've thought /Kenshin/ would be the one to almost burn the house down with his cooking?"
Kaoru scowled at him. "What's that supposed to mean?" She demanded.
Kenshin looked slightly pitiful, as Yahiko answered, "Just that you're cooking isn't the greatest, that's all, Ugly."
Kaoru became enraged and began to chase Yahiko, who had already started running when he saw her dangerous expression.
Kenshin looked at his ruined lunch and his purple eyes became all misty and sad. "Now I have to start all over, that I do. . ."
From the other room he could hear Kaoru shouting, "Come back here, you little brat!"
"At least I'm not Yahiko, right now, that I'm not." Kenshin sighed. It made him feel a little better.
~~~~~~~~~
After lunch, Kaoru wandered through the dojo. She was bored. Ever since Kenshin had moved in, she'd had nothing to do. He cleaned /all the time/, so she didn't have to. When She'd been living mostly by herself, she had cooked and no one complained about her food because most of the time it was only /her/ eating it.
Kaoru sniffed at the thought---now Kenshin cooked because no one liked what she made.
Kaoru groaned pitifully and dropped onto the porch. She didn't even have any students to teach. Except for Yahiko. And there was only so long in a day that they could practice. She didn't want to torture him. A smile flickered across her face. /Although/, it was fun to tease him about giving him extra chores and such. . .
Kaoru chuckled and thought, /Maybe sword practice is enough. . .I don't like cleaning much, anyway, or cooking, for that matter. . ./
"What am I thinking?" Kaoru demanded of herself aloud. "You're getting lazy. . .you need to. . .to. . ."
/Clean?/ She wondered silently. It was almost preposterous to think that she wanted to clean now that she didn't need to.
Kaoru burst into feigned crying.
"Ah, Miss Kaoru, are you alright?" A voice questioned from behind her.
Kaoru yelped in surprise and turned to see Kenshin peering at her quizzically.
Kaoru blushed. "Uh. . .oh, Kenshin, no---I was just. . .thinking," She stammered idiotically.
Kenshin smiled at her and said, "What about?"
"Cleaning. . ." She answered, growing even more embarrassed.
Kenshin blinked. "Oro?"
"It's none of your business!" Kaoru yelled and smacked him.
"Ororo. . ." Kenshin groaned as he fell over. Kaoru could practically see his eyes change to dizzy circles. . .
Sanosuke chose that time to return home.
"Missy," he said, standing there with his hands in the pockets of his white pants. "You shouldn't abuse Kenshin like that---he might leave you."
Kaoru began to cry again, this time for real.
"Sano, you shouldn't make Miss Kaoru cry, that you shouldn't," Kenshin said, recovering from his "unconscious" state.
Sano looked on coolly. "I didn't even do anything. Oh man. . .women."
Kaoru turned her face into Kenshin's shoulder as he held her comfortingly.
"Sano, you should apologize, that you should."
Sanosuke sighed in a longsuffering way and said, while scratching the back of his neck, "I'm sorry, Missy. I was just kidding."
Kaoru kept crying. . .
Yahiko skidded out of the dojo in his socked feet. "What's going on? Why's Ugly crying?"
Kaoru wailed more loudly and Kenshin 'oro'd' soothingly while patting her back.
"I'm not Ugly! And I want to clean!" Kaoru moaned .
Sanosuke frowned in confusion. "What?"
Yahiko looked embarrassed. "Ya know I didn't mean it, Ugly. . .oops. . .Kaoru. . ." He smacked his forehead at his stupidity.
Just then, Megumi Takani came strolling up the path. She reached them and stopped, looking upon the scene with an expression that reflected how childish she thought they all were.
"What did you do to the little 'raccoon'?" She asked.
Kaoru pulled away from Kenshin and glared at Megumi, "Raccoon?" She demanded.
Megumi laughed, "That's right, little girl. . ."
"Ooooh. . ." Kaoru said, shaking her fist at the doctor-in-training.
"Say that to my face, you sneaky fox, you."
"I think she did," Sanosuke said.
Megumi just smiled and raised a delicate brow. "Actually, I didn't come to trade insults with you. I was wondering if Sir Ken would like to come eat dinner at Dr. Gensai's."
Kaoru's eyes bulged, "/Sir Ken/?"
Sanosuke got a suddenly blank expression on his face. Kenshin stated eloquently, "Oro?" And Yahiko snickered.
/So the 'fox' is trying to make Sano jealous. . ./ Yahiko thought.
"Well, I suspect that Kaoru's been overworking the poor dear, hasn't she, Sir Ken? And I thought he deserved a break."
Kaoru retorted, "I have not!" And Kenshin 'oro'd' again and began to blush.
Sanosuke frowned but remained silent. Yahiko tried not to roll around laughing.
"Cut it out, Yahiko," Kaoru snapped and knocked him on his head. "We're /all/ going to Dr. Gensai's to eat."
Yahiko mumbled a grumpy 'ouch', and Kenshin practically sighed from relief.
Megumi said with a shrug, "Well, alright then---I guess I wouldn't want the rest of you to starve. Heaven knows, Rooster Head's bony enough and Raccoon's pretty scrawny. . ."
"Why you!" Kaoru said and Sanosuke held her back from throttling Megumi.
The fox just chuckled as she turned back down the path.
Kaoru sighed. /I can't clean, I can't cook, and now I'm ugly, too. . .when will this day end?/
"Sanosuke," Kaoru said, just then realizing something.
Sanosuke looked clueless. "What?"
"Let go of me!"
Sano shrank to the size of a cat and said, "She's so scary. . ." in a small voice.
Yahiko rubbed his still aching head. "Tell me about it. . ."
Kenshin said, "Now, now, don't pick on Miss Kaoru."
Kaoru glared at them all and huffed, "I'm going to go change. . ."
She stormed inside, and Yahiko muttered, "She's gonna have to stay in there a long time before that happens."
~~~~~~~~~~
At dinner, Kenshin decided that it was about time he left. He looked around him at his happy friends. Dr. Genzai and his granddaughters eating contentedly, Sanosuke and Miss Megumi flirting together in their insulting way, Yahiko and Miss Kaoru squabbling together over the food. All that happiness was in danger of being destroyed if one of Kenshin's enemies came after him and hurt his friends in the process. He would leave tomorrow; it was best for all of them.
~~~~~~~~~~
The next day, Kenshin rose early, and began to leave the dojo. He didn't notice, as he left the room, that Sanosuke was already up. Not until he got out into the courtyard and the former 'fighter-for-hire' came running up to him did he remember that he hadn't seen Sano on his futon when he'd left the room.
"Sano?" Kenshin asked, disturbed that Sanosuke would be a witness to him leaving.
"Kaoru left," Sanosuke said anxiously. "I couldn't stop her. And she went with that Saitou guy."
"What?" Kenshin asked with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Where did they go?"
"I don't know," Sanosuke said, looking guilty and worried. "I only saw them riding away in a carriage. . .do you think that sleaze ball cop kidnapped her, Kenshin?" Sanosuke asked.
Kenshin had actually been wondering that from the first. However, now that it had been spoken aloud, he began to feel afraid that it was true. "Which way did they go?" He asked, urgently. Sanosuke pointed, and Kenshin decided which town was in that direction. It was Kyoto.
*************
Hey everyone! Sorry for taking so long to post this, and sorry again, cause it will probably be awhile before I post anymore. Anyway, I hope you enjoy. Misao-incarnate.
PS: Thanks everyone who has reviewed so far! :)
Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. But that's okay, cause no one would want to watch my version of it anyway. Heh.
***************
Chapter 10: "Sano's 'Debt' and Kaoru's Cleaning Blues"
Yahiko collapsed to the ground, panting for breath. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and sighed greatly. He'd just finished his sword practice with Kaoru. It was a day after the policeman incident, and Kaoru had been making up for their interrupted practice. She had finally let him off to go inside to see about lunch. Yahiko snickered to himself because he knew Kenshin was already making it.
Yahiko got up finally after his short breather and went looking for the broom. He was going to get one of those chores Kaoru had assigned him, out of the way. He stopped in his tracks, though, when a man came out from the cover of some nearby trees.
Yahiko was startled, but he glared at the man calmly.
"Little Yahiko Sagara. . ." The man leered at him. One of his teeth was missing and his right eye looked far from healthy. Yahiko recognized him as the guy Sanosuke owed the money to. In actuality, Sanosuke didn't owe anything but small change to the rest of his gambling companions. Unfortunately, he'd made the mistake of gambling for real one time and he'd lost to this guy. Ever since then, the guy had been coming around bothering Yahiko and demanding Sano pay him back. It didn't help that he was notoriously dangerous.
Yahiko swallowed with some trepidation. "What do you want?" Yahiko snapped at the man despite his fear.
"Just to ask where your big brother 'Zanza' is."
"He's not 'Zanza' anymore---he quit fighting," Yahiko retorted.
"So I guess you don't know where he is then?" The man questioned with a sneer.
"It's none of your business," Yahiko said.
The man stepped toward him. "Guess I'll just have to take you as collateral, then."
Yahiko's eyes widened and he was going to sprint away when the man grabbed him.
Yahiko kicked futilely at the guy. When that didn't work, he began to yell. "Help! Somebody! Kaoru! Kenshin!" He was already being carried away by the time one of the adults came outside.
"Put Yahiko down," came Kenshin's steady voice.
The man whirled, and his grip loosened for a moment. Yahiko took the opportunity and slipped away from the man and ran to the house.
Kaoru, who was standing beside Kenshin, touched his arm. "Are you okay, Yahiko?"
He nodded and said, "That jerk tried to kidnap me!"
"Your brother owes me money!" The man said angrily, shaking his fist at Yahiko.
Yahiko stuck out his tongue, and Kaoru said, "Oops. . .I took Sano's money the other day. . ."
"How much does Sanosuke owe you, sir?" Kenshin asked.
The man scowled and said, "Oh, just about five hundred yen."
Kaoru, Yahiko, and Kenshin fell over and then recovered. Kenshin said, nonplussed, "Sanosuke sure likes to gamble, that he does."
Kaoru grumbled, "That stupid freeloader. . ."
Yahiko frowned. "He's never gambling with real cash again."
Kenshin blinked with surprise at that comment. So Sano had been prevaricating about his debt problems, also. Kenshin let it slide for the moment.
"If we give you some money, now," Kaoru asked, "Will you leave us alone?"
The man narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, but his mouth acquired a gap toothed smile at the prospect of getting some cash. "I suppose. . ."
Kaoru sighed with relief and ran into the house for the money she had left over from the other day. She came flying back out and shoved it into the guy's hands.
He stood there counting it before he nodded in satisfaction. "If 'Zanza' gives me a few more payments like this, I'll let him off the hook."
Everyone heaved a sigh of relief and then they went inside the dojo after the man was gone.
"We're going to be broke forever," Kaoru sighed.
Kenshin asked Yahiko, after they all sat down. "Why did that man call Sanosuke 'Zanza'?"
Yahiko hissed, "He used to be a fighter-for-hire, and that was his nickname because he had this huge sword called the 'Zanbatou'."
Kenshin blinked, "The Zanbatou. . ." He'd heard of it. It was no small feat for Sanosuke to have wielded it.
"The Zanbatou?" Kaoru questioned. "Isn't that the famous sword that slew the giant 'Kurogasa'?" (is that the right name?)
"Yes, that it was. . ." Kenshin answered her.
Yahiko sulked and Kaoru asked him. "Are you sure you're alright, Yahiko?"
"I'm fine," he snapped. "It's just that I don't like talking about Sanosuke being 'Zanza'."
"Oh," Kaoru said and dropped the subject.
Kenshin wondered why it bothered Yahiko so much and decided to tuck the thought away for later.
Just then Kaoru said, "Do you smell something burning?"
Kenshin's eyes went round and he asked, "Oro?"
Yahiko blinked stupidly for a moment, then he began to laugh, "Kenshin, you forgot the food!"
"Oh, no!" Kaoru exclaimed getting up and running into the kitchen.
Yahiko and Kenshin followed a step behind her. The food was smoking badly, on the verge of catching fire. Kaoru grabbed a bucket of water and splashed some of it on the food. Kenshin protested, but it was too late. Lunch was ruined.
Kaoru put the bucket down and wiped the sweat from her forehead. "Phew. . ."
Yahiko stared at them for a bit and then began laughing again, "Who would've thought /Kenshin/ would be the one to almost burn the house down with his cooking?"
Kaoru scowled at him. "What's that supposed to mean?" She demanded.
Kenshin looked slightly pitiful, as Yahiko answered, "Just that you're cooking isn't the greatest, that's all, Ugly."
Kaoru became enraged and began to chase Yahiko, who had already started running when he saw her dangerous expression.
Kenshin looked at his ruined lunch and his purple eyes became all misty and sad. "Now I have to start all over, that I do. . ."
From the other room he could hear Kaoru shouting, "Come back here, you little brat!"
"At least I'm not Yahiko, right now, that I'm not." Kenshin sighed. It made him feel a little better.
~~~~~~~~~
After lunch, Kaoru wandered through the dojo. She was bored. Ever since Kenshin had moved in, she'd had nothing to do. He cleaned /all the time/, so she didn't have to. When She'd been living mostly by herself, she had cooked and no one complained about her food because most of the time it was only /her/ eating it.
Kaoru sniffed at the thought---now Kenshin cooked because no one liked what she made.
Kaoru groaned pitifully and dropped onto the porch. She didn't even have any students to teach. Except for Yahiko. And there was only so long in a day that they could practice. She didn't want to torture him. A smile flickered across her face. /Although/, it was fun to tease him about giving him extra chores and such. . .
Kaoru chuckled and thought, /Maybe sword practice is enough. . .I don't like cleaning much, anyway, or cooking, for that matter. . ./
"What am I thinking?" Kaoru demanded of herself aloud. "You're getting lazy. . .you need to. . .to. . ."
/Clean?/ She wondered silently. It was almost preposterous to think that she wanted to clean now that she didn't need to.
Kaoru burst into feigned crying.
"Ah, Miss Kaoru, are you alright?" A voice questioned from behind her.
Kaoru yelped in surprise and turned to see Kenshin peering at her quizzically.
Kaoru blushed. "Uh. . .oh, Kenshin, no---I was just. . .thinking," She stammered idiotically.
Kenshin smiled at her and said, "What about?"
"Cleaning. . ." She answered, growing even more embarrassed.
Kenshin blinked. "Oro?"
"It's none of your business!" Kaoru yelled and smacked him.
"Ororo. . ." Kenshin groaned as he fell over. Kaoru could practically see his eyes change to dizzy circles. . .
Sanosuke chose that time to return home.
"Missy," he said, standing there with his hands in the pockets of his white pants. "You shouldn't abuse Kenshin like that---he might leave you."
Kaoru began to cry again, this time for real.
"Sano, you shouldn't make Miss Kaoru cry, that you shouldn't," Kenshin said, recovering from his "unconscious" state.
Sano looked on coolly. "I didn't even do anything. Oh man. . .women."
Kaoru turned her face into Kenshin's shoulder as he held her comfortingly.
"Sano, you should apologize, that you should."
Sanosuke sighed in a longsuffering way and said, while scratching the back of his neck, "I'm sorry, Missy. I was just kidding."
Kaoru kept crying. . .
Yahiko skidded out of the dojo in his socked feet. "What's going on? Why's Ugly crying?"
Kaoru wailed more loudly and Kenshin 'oro'd' soothingly while patting her back.
"I'm not Ugly! And I want to clean!" Kaoru moaned .
Sanosuke frowned in confusion. "What?"
Yahiko looked embarrassed. "Ya know I didn't mean it, Ugly. . .oops. . .Kaoru. . ." He smacked his forehead at his stupidity.
Just then, Megumi Takani came strolling up the path. She reached them and stopped, looking upon the scene with an expression that reflected how childish she thought they all were.
"What did you do to the little 'raccoon'?" She asked.
Kaoru pulled away from Kenshin and glared at Megumi, "Raccoon?" She demanded.
Megumi laughed, "That's right, little girl. . ."
"Ooooh. . ." Kaoru said, shaking her fist at the doctor-in-training.
"Say that to my face, you sneaky fox, you."
"I think she did," Sanosuke said.
Megumi just smiled and raised a delicate brow. "Actually, I didn't come to trade insults with you. I was wondering if Sir Ken would like to come eat dinner at Dr. Gensai's."
Kaoru's eyes bulged, "/Sir Ken/?"
Sanosuke got a suddenly blank expression on his face. Kenshin stated eloquently, "Oro?" And Yahiko snickered.
/So the 'fox' is trying to make Sano jealous. . ./ Yahiko thought.
"Well, I suspect that Kaoru's been overworking the poor dear, hasn't she, Sir Ken? And I thought he deserved a break."
Kaoru retorted, "I have not!" And Kenshin 'oro'd' again and began to blush.
Sanosuke frowned but remained silent. Yahiko tried not to roll around laughing.
"Cut it out, Yahiko," Kaoru snapped and knocked him on his head. "We're /all/ going to Dr. Gensai's to eat."
Yahiko mumbled a grumpy 'ouch', and Kenshin practically sighed from relief.
Megumi said with a shrug, "Well, alright then---I guess I wouldn't want the rest of you to starve. Heaven knows, Rooster Head's bony enough and Raccoon's pretty scrawny. . ."
"Why you!" Kaoru said and Sanosuke held her back from throttling Megumi.
The fox just chuckled as she turned back down the path.
Kaoru sighed. /I can't clean, I can't cook, and now I'm ugly, too. . .when will this day end?/
"Sanosuke," Kaoru said, just then realizing something.
Sanosuke looked clueless. "What?"
"Let go of me!"
Sano shrank to the size of a cat and said, "She's so scary. . ." in a small voice.
Yahiko rubbed his still aching head. "Tell me about it. . ."
Kenshin said, "Now, now, don't pick on Miss Kaoru."
Kaoru glared at them all and huffed, "I'm going to go change. . ."
She stormed inside, and Yahiko muttered, "She's gonna have to stay in there a long time before that happens."
~~~~~~~~~~
At dinner, Kenshin decided that it was about time he left. He looked around him at his happy friends. Dr. Genzai and his granddaughters eating contentedly, Sanosuke and Miss Megumi flirting together in their insulting way, Yahiko and Miss Kaoru squabbling together over the food. All that happiness was in danger of being destroyed if one of Kenshin's enemies came after him and hurt his friends in the process. He would leave tomorrow; it was best for all of them.
~~~~~~~~~~
The next day, Kenshin rose early, and began to leave the dojo. He didn't notice, as he left the room, that Sanosuke was already up. Not until he got out into the courtyard and the former 'fighter-for-hire' came running up to him did he remember that he hadn't seen Sano on his futon when he'd left the room.
"Sano?" Kenshin asked, disturbed that Sanosuke would be a witness to him leaving.
"Kaoru left," Sanosuke said anxiously. "I couldn't stop her. And she went with that Saitou guy."
"What?" Kenshin asked with a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Where did they go?"
"I don't know," Sanosuke said, looking guilty and worried. "I only saw them riding away in a carriage. . .do you think that sleaze ball cop kidnapped her, Kenshin?" Sanosuke asked.
Kenshin had actually been wondering that from the first. However, now that it had been spoken aloud, he began to feel afraid that it was true. "Which way did they go?" He asked, urgently. Sanosuke pointed, and Kenshin decided which town was in that direction. It was Kyoto.
*************
Hey everyone! Sorry for taking so long to post this, and sorry again, cause it will probably be awhile before I post anymore. Anyway, I hope you enjoy. Misao-incarnate.
PS: Thanks everyone who has reviewed so far! :)