Chapter 5

A.N. This is kinda like teh turning point of the fic...I realize it's been dragging on for two chapters. So one is short and sweet and makes a difference. Enjoy!

Thoughts have been italicized.

Boldened thoughts are supposed to been places where I would have put italics in a normal case, but since it's already thta way, I've made it bold too.

*~*~* denotes a change of scene

And stuff in (brackets) is by ME: DA AUTHORESS

Oh, and don't forget to review!

Chapter 5

Doushite?

"Kaoru!" Tae spotted her grinning friend in the doorway of her restaurant, the Akabeko, and went to greet her. She had heard about the little accident her friend had had and was all too ready to help. Kaoru walked to Tae's little corner, obviously glad at seeing her friend again.

"Oh Tae, you don't know how it feels to see someone I know!" Kaoru exclaimed and hugged her friend tightly. Tae embraced her back warmly. She cared very much for her young friend.

"Anything I can do for you, Kaoru? I'll be more than willing to help, you know."

"Well, actually, I did come here for something Tae." Kaoru fidgeted and looked at the floor before continuing. "Well, umm, you know I'm getting married and all..." Tae nodded. Sano had told her this and sworn her to secrecy, on a promise that he was going to pay for all the food he had eaten at the Akabeko up till then. I wonder how he's going to accomplish such a feat, Tae thought as she remembered the Chickenhead scratching his neck sheepishly as he aked her keep a secret.

"Tae?"

"Yes?" Tae snapped back from her thoughts.

"Tae, you gotta teach me how to cook--Tae, Tae! Don't look so shocked Tae, I'm not kidding! Tae, cmon, stop laughing!"

*~*~*

about fifteen minutes later....

Tae looked dubiously at the determined Kaoru in front of her. I guess she could cook with heavy training. If she put the enthusiasm in cooking as she does in swordfighting, she'd probably be able to turn out a decent meal, Tae pondered over Kaoru's abilities, and whether she would have the determination to succeed. She said she was doing it to prove herself a good wife after she got married...it's all up to her now. Her mother was a very good cook.

Kaoru bit her lips blue as she looked at Tae in deep thought and frowning. What the heck is she thinking about? Not about my mother's cooking, I hope. Kaoru didn't remember the dishes that her mother had cooked, but everyone old enough to remember praised them highly. Tae considered her a master of the art of cooking. Judging the dishes Tae made, Kaoru figured her mother must have been some sort of goddess to make even better food.

"Alright, Kaoru. I guess you can start practicing now." Tae said with careful deliberation. "But it will be really hard for you, especially you." Kaoru gulped and nodded. Tae smiled at her and headed towards a small kitchen apart from the main kitchen. "This is where Kabuo learned to cook," Tae announced. Kabuo was one of the main cooks in the Akabeko. He was famous for his miso soup, which was said to be even better than Tae's, who was his teacher. Kaoru wondered whether she would also get that good.

"Kaoru!" Kaoru's daydream of fantastic food cooked by herself dissolved when Tae brought her back into the real world. She turned her head to see Tae beckoning her towards the kitchen. Here I go, thought Kaoruas she walked briskly towards the kitchen, determination in her step....

And promptly banged her head on the low doorway and collapsed. The last thing on her mind before he lost conciousness was a floating bowl of miso soup.

*~*~*

"Itai...." Kaoru opened her eyes slowly. Her head was throbbing with pain. Her eyes focused to see a concerned Tae hovering over her.

"Kaoru, are you alright?" asked Tae. She could already see a shiny purple lump developing on Kaoru's forehead from her encounter with the doorway.

"I'm alright...I think." Kaoru squeezed her eyes shut. She could remember slipping on some soap in the bath Kenshinghad so lovingly prepared for her, but now she was at Tae's! No wait, that wasn't all...

Kaoru's eyes flew open.

"Kuso!" She remembered it all, her falling, not knowing who everybody was, thinking Kenshin was her fiance....

"Kuso!"

*~*~*end of chapter*~*~*

Glossary of Japanese Terms

...de gozaru: Kenshin's style of speaking, it's kinda like a spoken full stop.

Nani: What

Busu: ugly, Kaoru's alternate nickname

-dono: Kenshin's old-fashioned honorific, kinda like a Mr./Mrs./Ms.(i.e. Kaoru-dono translates to Miss Kaoru)

Hai: Yes

Ano: Umm

baka: idiot (i.e. Kenshin no baka is Stupid Kenshin)

dojo: place for learning kendo/Japanese sword fighting

oro: Kenshin's style of saying ara, kinda like huh?

kimono: Japanese outfit

hakama: loose flowing pants that are worn with a short jacket on top called gi.

Kami-sama: god

Kitsune: fox, Megumi's nickname

Jo-chan: Little Missy, Kaoru's nickname courtesy Sanosuke

sayonara: goodbye (duh)

Konnichiwa: hello, said after ten until before evening sets in

ie: no

Daijoubu de gozaru ka: are you alright? Kenshin style

Tanuki: Raccoon, yet another one of Kaoru's nicknames

I-te: Ouch! a variation of ita-i/ pain

Masaka: It can't be! (I think...)

Doushite: Why? or How? (depending on how and why you use it)

A.N. I already warned it would be short.

I would like to thank the two guys that helped me out by sending Japanese questions as I had requested earlier. : meg and mabataki, thank you, thank you, thank you!

*Hugs all the reviewers* Thank you sooo much for making me haul my lazy ass to the computer to actually write a few more chapters. As always, next chapter in a few weeks (I think)