Disclaimer: I don't own any of it… at all. Really… You have no idea…
WARNING! THIS IS AN APRIL FOOLS DAY CHAPTER WRITTEN BY SIRIUSFAN13! NOT TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY :P
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Only the Beginning
Created by lolo popoki
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Chapter 14: Unchained Melody
Hiko wasn't sure how late he had slept. All that he was certain of was that when he'd awoken the next morning, the previous night was only a very blurry memory fighting for precedence with the katana being driven into his skull. The great swordsman had never actually been hungover before.
He didn't like it.
He also didn't like the fact that he wasn't quite sure where Kenshin was. Now that he was (mostly) sober, it was occurring to him that things had gotten just a bit too… mushy last night. What if the baka got the wrong idea? He was a girly little bugger…
Hiko grunted at that thought, banishing it from his mind, as he stood a bit unsteadily. Ridiculous and inappropriate. Only crazed females with too much time on their hands would think of something as disturbing and just plain wrong as that… And anyway… Kenshin wasn't tangible…
He twitched slightly.
Kuso… I wish I could remember just what I said last night. All I can remember is blushing a lot and getting tucked in…
Much to his discomfort, Hiko blushed again.
To take his mind off of these disturbing thoughts, Hiko walked over to his kiln, and began working on his pottery. Specifically, he began making some nice, manly sake jugs. At least with pottery, he didn't have to think. He was skilled enough to just focus on the clay, and enjoy the moment. Sadly, after working for several moments that amounted to over an hour, he was still not doing much enjoying. He sighed, looking at the blob of half-formed clay before him. It looked a bit like a vase… or a bowl. It was huge, but still probably not big enough to contain all of the sake he'd downed last night. He poked at it, and the wall dented. It was hideous, looking more like something his deshi would have created.
Hiko sighed, and mashed it up, preparing to re-knead the clay and start over. This was the third one he'd tried today… (he had been too drunk and hung-over to make anything other than a couple of deformed pinchpots earlier). It was getting annoying.
And speaking of annoying things… He glanced around, a little concerned. Where the hell is that baka, anyway? The least he could be doing is keeping me company. If he took off on me again, I'll kill… He allowed that thought to trail off, realizing belatedly how ineffectual it was. Sighing, he fought the urge to go hunting for the boy. Maybe Hiko wasn't the only one who felt awkward after the previous night. It was possible that Kenshin was keeping some distance to reorganize his thoughts. Hiko, for once, really didn't want to intrude.
With everything on his mind, the very last thing he expected was to sense a very strong ki making its way up the mountain… again. Once again, it was not Kenshin (obviously), and this time it wasn't Katsura either. Who the hell is it now?
He didn't look up. It would be a little while before the owner of the ki arrived. He was probably just a lost traveler. Or another escapee from Kyoto. These days, there were a lot of those types. They weren't worth worrying about.
Hiko dripped a little more water on his re-kneaded lump of clay, and began re-forming it.
Anyway, if the ahou decided to try anything, he'd wind up looking a lot like Kenshin, only this one wouldn't get sake on his grave… and he sure as hell wouldn't have permission to haunt anyone.
The ki continued its approach. By the time it made its way to the clearing, Hiko's nerves were on edge. Something wasn't right about this. The ki was… off. And the visitor was obviously not just passing through. Still, Hiko wanted the attacker to make the first move.
Slowly, almost hesitantly, the ki approached. When he was directly behind, the swords master tensed, finally preparing himself to attack. Suddenly, a hand was gently laid on his shoulder. A chin gently rested on his head…
What the fuck?
He tried to attack and found that he couldn't move, or rather, he couldn't control his movements.
What the hell was happening? Who the hell was this? For that matter, he twitched, where the hell was this music suddenly coming from? It sounded like someone was singing in his head about lonely mountains gazing at stars…
He managed to turn his head to see his "attacker". Of all people, it was a bloody Shinsengumi wolf wearing what looked like fishnets on his arms. He looked as if he were on laughing mushrooms.
That's it! Kenshin drugged me last night. He put mushrooms in my sake as payback for… well… his childhood, I guess. I'm just hallucinating. The little bastard is probably hiding in the bushes watching me make an ass out of myself. No wonder he's been missing… Hiko twitched again as the wolf started making pottery with him (and basically squashing the pot). I'm hallucinating. Good.
The music in his head got louder and more irritatingly sappy as fishnet-san dragged him up to dance. The hulking swordsman really wished he had control of his body at the moment. Hallucination or not, Hiko had an intense desire to Ryu Tsui Sen this freak into the afterlife. Even further if possible. This was far beyond disturbing. This made last night feel like a manly get-together. Hiko ground his teeth in frustration. He had to admit that Kenshin had one-upped him with this one (Not that he planned on admitting it to the baka's face, but still…). He would need years of therapy (or a few gallons of sake) to get over this one. Nothing could be worse than this. He was sure of it.
Then the wolf leaned in, smiling gently and whispered in a soft, almost inaudible voice, "Wait till we get to the yaoi, Shishou…" There was a wicked gleam in the wolf's lavender eyes.
Yaoi? Shishou? Hiko blinked. Wait… lavender eyes?
That was his last conscious thought before blacking out.
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It was late in the afternoon, the sun high in the sky, when Hiko woke up. He was asleep in the hut, a sake cup to his side. Blinking in confusion, he looked around, trying to remember why he thought he should be outside.
Then it came to him, and he tried very, very hard to forget.
It had obviously been a dream. The result of far too much sake. But, kami, had it seemed so real. He would never be able to look at Kenshin right again. Or any of the Shinsengumi if (kami forbid) he ever ran into one… Hell, he was considering giving up pottery, too…
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In a small inn at the center of Kyoto, a wolf woke from a troubled sleep. He'd had a terrible dream about Battousai… or rather Battousai's ghost. He shook his head, feeling tainted by the memory of the ghost inside of him. But why would he dream such a thing? He glanced down at his arms, a sinking feeling choking him. And for that matter… why did he have fishnet stuff on his arms?
He paused, shuddering again, as more memories surfaced…
It had to be the alcohol. He'd drunk a lot last night. He'd just have to give up sake. That was it. He'd make up an excuse. Tell everyone that it made him want to kill people. That was a good, masculine reason.
He ran his hand over his face, feeling nauseous.
And wait a minute… who the hell was Rita Miller…?
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Kenshin smiled to himself, as he hovered around the door of the shack, listening to the disgusted moans of his shishou.
Payback's a bitch, isn't it Shishou?
-Owari-
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Author's Note: APRIL FOOLS! *laughs* Okay, so if you somehow haven't figured it out yet, this chapter was not written by lolo popoki. It is written by SiriusFan13. Lolo and I felt that it would be quite amusing to write a parody of each other's next chapters for April Fool's Day. If you would like to read her parody chapter, please check out the newest chapter of Amethyst and Amber.
And just so there are no homicides or broken hearts, lolo and I will have REAL updates ready for the incredibly near future. Expect to see the real chapter 14 of Only the Beginning very soon! (YAY!)
As to the chapter itself, quick explanation and acknowledgements… First of all (of course) a great big thank you to lolo popoki for creating Only the Beginning and allowing me to play in it for a chapter, as well as for being my beta on the chapter. Also, a huge thanks to A lilmatchgirl for putting the Ghost clay idea into lolo's head, so that I could steal it from her! Hehe…
Last major note, for those who didn't get it… Yes, this scene was ripped off from the movie Ghost (check out the chapter title). That's also where the "Rita Miller" reference comes from. And the references to Saito and the fishnet arms come from the manga Peacemaker Kurogane (PMK). If you've read it, you'll get why I chose him as the medium. Saito's character in PMK can see ghosts. The fishnet comment is my own observation. He just looks like he's wearing some kind of fishnet thing on his arms in that manga… I dunno… I always just thought it looked weird…
But anyway, I'm going to shut up now… So, thanks for reading. Please review!
Dewa mata!
Sirius