PHEW! Okay, finally got a moment to update! As I'm writing this, it is the night following my second day of COLLEGE. Yeah, crazy. Had my first Japanese class today! ^.^ My awesomely-amazing friend LatteJazz (go to her profile and check out her stories -they're amazing!) is taking it with me, and she made a comment about a certain phrase and a certain puppy (a.k.a., Zack Fair from FFVII)... And there's a Zachary in our class O.o
Anywhoo...
Mommiya: YAYYYY! Glad you liked it! :D Hehe Yay for epic! Thank you so much!
EmiShae: Zomg, thank you so much! *tears up* I'm glad you like the OCs! (The people they're based on -I'm including myself in this- are totally crazy, so it's sometimes hard to write them xD) Yes, the girls' past will be revealed in later chapters, and you find out more about why and how Kiku used to be like Kyo in ways... Don't wanna give away any spoilers ;) Ah, and speaking of which, thanks for not saying so other people don't see potential spoilers! haha Well, we'll see if you're right soon enough! ^.^ Thank you sooo much!
A'ight, let's go with Chapter 15!
-XIV. Kagura vs. the Kitchen-
"Kyoo-ohh, I love you!" Kagura sang. "Waah-ha! No more smell! I'm a perfect wife!"
Kyo peeked out of his hiding place behind the bushes outside the house. "Finally," he said to himself. "Now I just gotta get my shirt back and then I get the hell out of here."
"Maybe I should wring it out a little to make it dry faster!" Kagura said to herself. She twisted one of Kyo's shirts in her hands. "Dry...damn...you...!"
The shirt ripped apart in her hands.
She gasped and looked down at the pieces.
"Ah!" Kyo said as he stumbled upon this scene. "Tell me you didn't do what I just think you did!"
"My love!" Kagura said, clutching the torn shirt to her chest.
"My shirt!"
Clearly, Kagura was the only one whose mind was on their "relationship."
"And I really liked this one, too..." Kyo said, taking the pieces from her.
"I'm sorry, darling," Kagura said. "I promise, I'll fix it right away. For now, you can wear this one," she said, holding out his red one.
"It's soaking wet!"
"That's because I washed it for you..."
"Is there anything of mine you didn't wash?"
She looked at him. "Your...pants..."
"What am I supposed to do now, go around half-naked? !"
Kyo didn't notice the wall of suds building up behind Kagura, but she noticed it.
"You want me to get pneumonia, is that it? !"
Now he noticed.
"Ahhh!" he screamed as the suds overtook them.
"Kagura, how much detergent did you use?" Shigure asked.
"All of it!" she cried from inside the suds formation.
Shigure sniffed. "Is something burning?"
"Oh, no, the tea!" Kagura cried.
She ran into the kitchen and, without thinking, picked up the kettle with her bare hands. She cried out in pain as the heat singed her hands, and dropped the kettle to the ground, where it caught the wood on fire.
Kyo tried to smother it by pressing his torn shirt down on it.
"Coming through..." Shigure warned in his sing-song way.
Neither of them had time to move before Shigure sprayed the whole room with the fire extinguisher he kept on hand for just such occasions. (He'd probably gotten one right after Kyo moved in. You understand, right?)
"Well, don't we look lovely?" Shigure said, smiling, as he looked at the three of them, covered in white.
"I can't believe you're laughing," Kyo grumbled.
"I...I'm sorry. I didn't do it on purpose," Kagura said.
"I know that, Kagura," Shigure said soothingly.
"You still did it!" Kyo snapped.
"I'm sorry," she said, on the brink of tears again. "I really am. Please, Kyo... I'm sorry."
"Yeah, so what? 'Sorry' isn't gonna get us a new kitchen!"
She sniffled. "What do you want me to doooo? !" She grabbed Kyo's arms, hooked her ankles around his legs, and bent him up over her backwards, cracking his back.
"Ooh, that hurts," Shigure said as he watched.
3_3_3_3_3
Yuki, Sachiko, Miki, and I stared at the kitchen in disbelief. Everything was charred and black, and there were traces of fire extinguisher goo all over.
Kagura was on her hands and knees on the floor with a rag, scrubbing with all her might at the floor.
"Well, you see..." Shigure started. "It-it's a long story."
"That's alright. I think I can guess what happened," Yuki said, shaking his head.
"We'll help clean up," Sachiko said as we walked into the kitchen.
"I can do it," Kagura stated simply, looking up at us.
"But it's too much work for you all by yourself," I said. I elbowed Miki in the ribs.
"Yeah." Miki cleared her throat. "Too much work."
"No, please!" Kagura cried. "Let me do it! I want to. It's my fault the kitchen's like this."
"At least she's being consistent," Shigure said. "She wouldn't let me help either."
"Please," Kagura continued. "It's okay. I'll do it all."
"Well..." I said. "If you insist."
;;;;;
"Do you really think it's okay to leave her in there?" Sachiko asked as we knelt around the table.
"Don't worry," Yuki said. "Kagura's always been the resilient type. I'm sure she just needs some time to herself."
"Of course, the real crisis here is that we won't be able to cook any dinner while the kitchen's wrecked..." Shigure said. "I guess we're just going to have to grit our teeth and call for take-out." He sighed. "And I was so looking forward to another of the girls' delicious home-cooked meals..."
Yuki shook his head. "So, where'd the other home-wrecker go?" he asked.
"Where else?" Shigure said, pointing up. "He's still busy sulking, I think. We'd probably do well to keep our distance for a while." He looked at me. "Though I'm sure you're brave enough to go up there and talk to him, Kiku."
My face flushed. "Maybe not...just yet," I said. "While it's true that talking things out is good, time alone to think is just as good."
"Wise words," Shigure said.
I smiled a little, thinking of the many times my own mother had told me that very same thing.
;;;;;
Yuki, Shigure, Miki, Sachiko, and I ate our take-out meals.
"I'm gonna burst," Shigure said, laying down his chopsticks. "Ahh, full, full, full!"
"You, ladies?" Yuki asked.
"Couldn't eat another bite," Miki said.
I looked at the two meals still left. "What about Kyo and Kagura? They must be hungry. We shouldn't let their meals get cold..."
"Ah, let's see..." Shigure said. "Am I brave enough to go look for Kyo just yet? Hmm...no." He pointedly looked at me, and I pretended not to notice. "But I think I can chance the kitchen."
The rest of us went upstairs to get ready for bed.
"Are you going to see to Kyo?" Sachiko asked quietly as I brushed my teeth.
"Maybe," I said, my mouth full of toothpaste. "If he doesn't come down soon, anyway. But what about Kagura?"
We both looked at Miki.
"What're you looking at me for?" she asked.
"You should go see if she's okay," Sachiko said.
"Why me?"
"Because you dislike her the most," I said, spitting into the sink.
Miki sighed. "Fine. I'll go down a little later and check on her."
"Good."
3_3_3_3_3
Shigure quietly walked to the doorway of the kitchen after everyone else had gone upstairs.
Kagura was still in her place on the floor, but the kitchen looked much better.
"Kagura? You know we ordered you some dinner. You should eat it before it gets cold," he said.
"Thanks, but... I'll eat it later. You can just leave it out there for now," she replied. "How's Kyo? Is he still angry?"
"Your guess is as good as mine," Shigure said. "He still hasn't come down from hiding."
"You're angry at me too, aren't you." She didn't phrase it as a question.
"No, I wouldn't say that," he said. "I'm not angry. Of course...I can't say I'd want to...repeat this little incident."
Kagura stopped scrubbing and sat up on her knees, her back still to him. "Shigure, please let me stay here too," she said. "I don't think I can leave knowing Kyo's living in this house with other women. With that woman..."
"Woman?" He chuckled. "We're talking about Kiku now, right?" he asked.
"No, I can't wait that long! I have to force Kyo to make up his mind tonight!" she said decidedly.
"That's not a good idea," Shigure warned.
"You don't know!" she cried, standing. "You don't understand how a woman feels when she's in love!"
"Yes, I do."
She looked at him in surprise.
"Or, at least, I've felt enough women to venture a guess..."
"What?"
"Sorry, that's your cue to say 'Shigure, you perv!' and slap me, whatever."
Kagura looked at him for a moment, then laughed. "Shigure! You big perv!" she shouted, punching him in the back and chasing him around the living room. "Ha ha ha ha! Pervert! Pervert! Ha ha ha ha!"
Gah, why do the chapters always look so much shorter when I post them? ! *sigh...* I'll get better about making them longer -I promise! Until then, what'dya think? Let me know! ^.^