What's Wrong With Talking About Kenshin?
Much to Kaoru's relief, Sanosuke started doing his afternoon training at the
Kamiya Dojo. He insisted on using all of those cables to train, but chose to double the
cables instead of wrapping weights around his throat. That was some improvement, at
least.
The tournament was drawling close and Kaoru was beginning to get nervous. It
had been a very long time since she had been in a martial arts tournament, and more was at
stake this tournament than ever before. If she and her comrades did well, she could
restore the Kamiya dojo's good name. If not, she would be a laughing stock for the whole
city. Kaoru wasn't worried about Yahiko not doing well. He was the best student she
ever had and was capable of defeating enemies much stronger than what he would be
facing- he'd proved it before. And Kaoru doubted that she would have to worry about
Sanosuke when he was actually competing (while he was training was still another story).
She was worried about not doing well herself. If the assistant master of the Kamiya
Kashin style made a fool of herself, it wouldn't matter how great the other competitors for
her school did. The Kamiya dojo would still lose face.
"Woman! You're burning our dinner again!" Sanosuke's sharp voice startled
Kaoru back to awareness.
"Wha- oh!" Kaoru hurried to stop the food from burning.
"Man, we go through this every day," Sanosuke sighed. "At least we know its
done. You can get all kinds of sicknesses from eating chicken that hasn't been cooked
properly."
"How would you know?" Kaoru demanded, crossly.
"Don't ask," Sanosuke advised her.
Kaoru looked up at him and shook her head. "Well as you pointed out, at least
you know that this chicken is done."
"Overdone," Sanosuke corrected. He grinned when Kaoru shot him another dirty
look.
"Your only goal in sticking around here was to annoy me," Kaoru pretended to
pout. "You didn't decide not to follow Kenshin because you didn't think you could cut it,
you just realized that you'd never get another chance to tease me like this if you passed it
up!" Sanosuke didn't respone immediately like he usually did, and Kaoru realized what
she had just said. She had joked about Kenshin's departure and it hadn't hurt, but in the
same breath she had insulted Sanosuke by implying that she might have thought he stayed
behind because he didn't think he could measure up to the revolutionary warriors Would
Sanosuke take offense? Kaoru was almost scared to look at her friend, but forced herself
to do so.
Sanosuke stared at the fire, a strange look on his face. Anger? Hurt? His fists
were clenched tight and his eyes shone over-bright. Kaoru thought that she could see a
glint of green in them. Oh no, she'd really insulted Sanosuke. Sanosuke who had drug
her out of her misery and back into the world, who had helped her move on without
Kenshin.
"I'm sorry, Sanosuke!" she said quickly, standing up and moving to his side. "I
didn't mean for it to sound that way. I've never thought that you stayed behind because
you didn't think you could fight in the same league with the revolutionaries. I know you
stayed behind to help me and I didn't mean to make you mad or insult you. I'm so sorry!"
When Sanosuke didn't look at her, she put a hand tentatively on his shoulder.
"I'm not mad," Sanosuke told her, visibly relaxing and finally turning his face
toward Kaoru. "I didn't think you thought that of me. I was just thinking how well. . .
how well you're getting along without Kenshin. I mean, I know you'd be happier if he
was here, but you've moved on along quite nicely." Something in his eyes made Kaoru
wonder if that was what he'd really been thinking about. She doubted that it was, but
decided not to press the issue. It would only upset Sanosuke even more. "One full day
left before the tournament," Sanosuke changed the subject. "You ready to kick some
ass?"
Kaoru smiled. "I'm ready to win honor for the Kamiya Dojo."
Sanosuke shrugged. "So you are ready to kick ass, just not in so many words."
"Call Yahiko and tell him it's time to eat, would you?" Kaoru asked, picking up a
bowl and dishing some burnt chicken into it. Sanosuke eyed the food with distaste, stood
quickly, and left. He returned shortly with Yahiko in tow.
"Kaoru! What did you do to the food this time?!" Yahiko demanded, running over
and dropping to his knees before the cook fire.
"She burnt it, isn't it obvious?" Sanosuke sat down beside Kaoru and made a face
at his bowl of food.
"Don't complain!" Kaoru snapped, picking up a daikon radish and cracking
Sanosuke over the head with it, knowing that it was Sanosuke's leave favorite vegetable.
"Stop that, Missy!" Sanosuke growled. "I am a patient man as ex-gangsters go,
but I will not tolerate both your abuse and your cooking at the same time."
"There's nothing wrong with my cooking! It's just well done!"
"Whatever."
"Hmph," Kaoru turned away angrily. "If you don't like it than don't eat it! You
can just starve for all I care!"
"That's not very nice," Sanosuke commented and began to eat. Immediately he
made a face.
"I wish Kenshin were here. He could cook a lot better than you!" Yahiko
muttered.
Kaoru scowled. Out the corner of her eye she saw Sanosuke give Yahiko a sharp
look. "So what if he could cook?!" Kaoru demanded, angrily. "He's not here now so I'm
cooking! If you don't like it than go to Kyoto and find him and have him cook for you!
And if you want to do that then don't bother coming back here!"
"Take it easy, woman," Sanosuke advised, shooting his hand out to grab Kaoru's
wrist as she changed her grip on her chopsticks to hold them like knives.
"Don't tell me what to do!" Kaoru screamed, grabbing her rice bowl and smashing
it toward Sanosuke's face without realizing what she was doing.
Quick reflexes saved Sanosuke from a face full of china fragments. He blocked it
with his open palm the same way he always blocked Kaoru's fists. The impact shattered
the bowl. Several slivers lodged themselves in Sanosuke's palm.
For a long moment all three trainees of the Kamiya dojo sat in silence. No one
moved. It was as if they had all been paralized. Kaoru could only stare at what she had
done. Sanosuke didn't make any attempt the pull the pieces of dish from his hand. He
didn't even withdrawl his hand. Yahiko didn't seem to know what to do.
"That was uncalled for," Sanosuke said finally, giving his hand a shake. Several
grains of rice fell from it and onto the red stained pile of rice on the floor.
"Sanosuke," Kaoru put one hand over her mouth. "I-"
Sanosuke stood up, turning his hand so that the blood would pool in it instead of
dripping onto the floor. Without another word, he turned and left the dojo.
"I'm sorry," Kaoru whispered.
"He's gone," Yahiko told her.
"I shouldn't have done that," Yahiko said softly.
"You think I don't know that?!" Kaoru exploded.
"I know that you know that!" Yahiko yelled right back. "I'm just making sure you
know why you did that!"
"What's that supposed to mean?!"
"You were mad that I mentioned Kenshin!" Yahiko was on his feet now. "And
you took it out on Sanosuke!"
"I was not mad that you mentioned Kenshin! I was mad that you were insulting
my cooking!" Kaoru argued.
"Oh yeah right! We've insulted your cooking ever since we first had to suffer
through it!" Yahiko yelled. "You never got so mad that you really tried to injure someone
when Kenshin was around! You threw a few sticks and vegetables but you never tried to
smash a bowl in someone's face before!"
"Today I just lost my temper!"
"You lost it because I mentioned Kenshin!"
"THAT IS NOT WHY I LOST MY TEMPER!" Kaoru screamed.
"I say it is!" Yahiko shouted back. "You get angrier every time you hear
Kenshin's name!"
"I DO NOT!"
"You do!" Yahiko was so worked up that spit was flying from his mouth as he
screamed. "It's always alright if you say Kenshin's name but whenever someone else says
it you bite someone's head off! It's not our fault that he left you know, so don't take it
out on us!"
"I'm not!"
"You are!" Yahiko stomped his foot. "Think for a moment, Kaoru, really think.
Have you ever tried to make someone bleed before for telling you to take it easy?!"
Kaoru frowned.
"You see? You're still mad that Kenshin left you so you beat on us when we talk
about him."
"I'm sorry," Kaoru stared at the floor.
"Appologize to Sano, not me," Yahiko stormed out of the room.
Kaoru covered her mouth again when Yahiko was gone and closed her eyes so the
tears building in them wouldn't spill over. Yahiko was right. She needed to appologize to
Sanosuke when he was in hearing distance. But she had no idea how to find him.
Kaoru tried to fight back her sobs but lost the battle when she realized that she
hadn't felt this bad since Sanosuke had yanked her bed out from under her right after
Kenshin left. Sanosuke had been there for her since Kenshin left. He had kept her from
feeling like this by keeping her angry. Kaoru had never realized how much she'd come to
depend on Sanosuke for her own well being. Not when Sanosuke swam through the
ocean of her misery to keep her from downing. Not when Sanosuke had
uncharacteristically offered to fight for the Kamiya Dojo in the upcoming tournament to
make her feel better. Not even when Sanosuke had been missing and Kaoru knew that
something had happened to him. Kaoru hadn't realized how much she had come to
depend on Sanosuke for her happiness until now. Now that he wasn't there.
_______________________________________________________________________
Thanks to Bkerrmom1 and Rembrandt77 for reviewing and to Cool Camzy Blue for your continued support. I'll try to get the next chapter up tomorrow.
@-- Rose C*est la V
Much to Kaoru's relief, Sanosuke started doing his afternoon training at the
Kamiya Dojo. He insisted on using all of those cables to train, but chose to double the
cables instead of wrapping weights around his throat. That was some improvement, at
least.
The tournament was drawling close and Kaoru was beginning to get nervous. It
had been a very long time since she had been in a martial arts tournament, and more was at
stake this tournament than ever before. If she and her comrades did well, she could
restore the Kamiya dojo's good name. If not, she would be a laughing stock for the whole
city. Kaoru wasn't worried about Yahiko not doing well. He was the best student she
ever had and was capable of defeating enemies much stronger than what he would be
facing- he'd proved it before. And Kaoru doubted that she would have to worry about
Sanosuke when he was actually competing (while he was training was still another story).
She was worried about not doing well herself. If the assistant master of the Kamiya
Kashin style made a fool of herself, it wouldn't matter how great the other competitors for
her school did. The Kamiya dojo would still lose face.
"Woman! You're burning our dinner again!" Sanosuke's sharp voice startled
Kaoru back to awareness.
"Wha- oh!" Kaoru hurried to stop the food from burning.
"Man, we go through this every day," Sanosuke sighed. "At least we know its
done. You can get all kinds of sicknesses from eating chicken that hasn't been cooked
properly."
"How would you know?" Kaoru demanded, crossly.
"Don't ask," Sanosuke advised her.
Kaoru looked up at him and shook her head. "Well as you pointed out, at least
you know that this chicken is done."
"Overdone," Sanosuke corrected. He grinned when Kaoru shot him another dirty
look.
"Your only goal in sticking around here was to annoy me," Kaoru pretended to
pout. "You didn't decide not to follow Kenshin because you didn't think you could cut it,
you just realized that you'd never get another chance to tease me like this if you passed it
up!" Sanosuke didn't respone immediately like he usually did, and Kaoru realized what
she had just said. She had joked about Kenshin's departure and it hadn't hurt, but in the
same breath she had insulted Sanosuke by implying that she might have thought he stayed
behind because he didn't think he could measure up to the revolutionary warriors Would
Sanosuke take offense? Kaoru was almost scared to look at her friend, but forced herself
to do so.
Sanosuke stared at the fire, a strange look on his face. Anger? Hurt? His fists
were clenched tight and his eyes shone over-bright. Kaoru thought that she could see a
glint of green in them. Oh no, she'd really insulted Sanosuke. Sanosuke who had drug
her out of her misery and back into the world, who had helped her move on without
Kenshin.
"I'm sorry, Sanosuke!" she said quickly, standing up and moving to his side. "I
didn't mean for it to sound that way. I've never thought that you stayed behind because
you didn't think you could fight in the same league with the revolutionaries. I know you
stayed behind to help me and I didn't mean to make you mad or insult you. I'm so sorry!"
When Sanosuke didn't look at her, she put a hand tentatively on his shoulder.
"I'm not mad," Sanosuke told her, visibly relaxing and finally turning his face
toward Kaoru. "I didn't think you thought that of me. I was just thinking how well. . .
how well you're getting along without Kenshin. I mean, I know you'd be happier if he
was here, but you've moved on along quite nicely." Something in his eyes made Kaoru
wonder if that was what he'd really been thinking about. She doubted that it was, but
decided not to press the issue. It would only upset Sanosuke even more. "One full day
left before the tournament," Sanosuke changed the subject. "You ready to kick some
ass?"
Kaoru smiled. "I'm ready to win honor for the Kamiya Dojo."
Sanosuke shrugged. "So you are ready to kick ass, just not in so many words."
"Call Yahiko and tell him it's time to eat, would you?" Kaoru asked, picking up a
bowl and dishing some burnt chicken into it. Sanosuke eyed the food with distaste, stood
quickly, and left. He returned shortly with Yahiko in tow.
"Kaoru! What did you do to the food this time?!" Yahiko demanded, running over
and dropping to his knees before the cook fire.
"She burnt it, isn't it obvious?" Sanosuke sat down beside Kaoru and made a face
at his bowl of food.
"Don't complain!" Kaoru snapped, picking up a daikon radish and cracking
Sanosuke over the head with it, knowing that it was Sanosuke's leave favorite vegetable.
"Stop that, Missy!" Sanosuke growled. "I am a patient man as ex-gangsters go,
but I will not tolerate both your abuse and your cooking at the same time."
"There's nothing wrong with my cooking! It's just well done!"
"Whatever."
"Hmph," Kaoru turned away angrily. "If you don't like it than don't eat it! You
can just starve for all I care!"
"That's not very nice," Sanosuke commented and began to eat. Immediately he
made a face.
"I wish Kenshin were here. He could cook a lot better than you!" Yahiko
muttered.
Kaoru scowled. Out the corner of her eye she saw Sanosuke give Yahiko a sharp
look. "So what if he could cook?!" Kaoru demanded, angrily. "He's not here now so I'm
cooking! If you don't like it than go to Kyoto and find him and have him cook for you!
And if you want to do that then don't bother coming back here!"
"Take it easy, woman," Sanosuke advised, shooting his hand out to grab Kaoru's
wrist as she changed her grip on her chopsticks to hold them like knives.
"Don't tell me what to do!" Kaoru screamed, grabbing her rice bowl and smashing
it toward Sanosuke's face without realizing what she was doing.
Quick reflexes saved Sanosuke from a face full of china fragments. He blocked it
with his open palm the same way he always blocked Kaoru's fists. The impact shattered
the bowl. Several slivers lodged themselves in Sanosuke's palm.
For a long moment all three trainees of the Kamiya dojo sat in silence. No one
moved. It was as if they had all been paralized. Kaoru could only stare at what she had
done. Sanosuke didn't make any attempt the pull the pieces of dish from his hand. He
didn't even withdrawl his hand. Yahiko didn't seem to know what to do.
"That was uncalled for," Sanosuke said finally, giving his hand a shake. Several
grains of rice fell from it and onto the red stained pile of rice on the floor.
"Sanosuke," Kaoru put one hand over her mouth. "I-"
Sanosuke stood up, turning his hand so that the blood would pool in it instead of
dripping onto the floor. Without another word, he turned and left the dojo.
"I'm sorry," Kaoru whispered.
"He's gone," Yahiko told her.
"I shouldn't have done that," Yahiko said softly.
"You think I don't know that?!" Kaoru exploded.
"I know that you know that!" Yahiko yelled right back. "I'm just making sure you
know why you did that!"
"What's that supposed to mean?!"
"You were mad that I mentioned Kenshin!" Yahiko was on his feet now. "And
you took it out on Sanosuke!"
"I was not mad that you mentioned Kenshin! I was mad that you were insulting
my cooking!" Kaoru argued.
"Oh yeah right! We've insulted your cooking ever since we first had to suffer
through it!" Yahiko yelled. "You never got so mad that you really tried to injure someone
when Kenshin was around! You threw a few sticks and vegetables but you never tried to
smash a bowl in someone's face before!"
"Today I just lost my temper!"
"You lost it because I mentioned Kenshin!"
"THAT IS NOT WHY I LOST MY TEMPER!" Kaoru screamed.
"I say it is!" Yahiko shouted back. "You get angrier every time you hear
Kenshin's name!"
"I DO NOT!"
"You do!" Yahiko was so worked up that spit was flying from his mouth as he
screamed. "It's always alright if you say Kenshin's name but whenever someone else says
it you bite someone's head off! It's not our fault that he left you know, so don't take it
out on us!"
"I'm not!"
"You are!" Yahiko stomped his foot. "Think for a moment, Kaoru, really think.
Have you ever tried to make someone bleed before for telling you to take it easy?!"
Kaoru frowned.
"You see? You're still mad that Kenshin left you so you beat on us when we talk
about him."
"I'm sorry," Kaoru stared at the floor.
"Appologize to Sano, not me," Yahiko stormed out of the room.
Kaoru covered her mouth again when Yahiko was gone and closed her eyes so the
tears building in them wouldn't spill over. Yahiko was right. She needed to appologize to
Sanosuke when he was in hearing distance. But she had no idea how to find him.
Kaoru tried to fight back her sobs but lost the battle when she realized that she
hadn't felt this bad since Sanosuke had yanked her bed out from under her right after
Kenshin left. Sanosuke had been there for her since Kenshin left. He had kept her from
feeling like this by keeping her angry. Kaoru had never realized how much she'd come to
depend on Sanosuke for her own well being. Not when Sanosuke swam through the
ocean of her misery to keep her from downing. Not when Sanosuke had
uncharacteristically offered to fight for the Kamiya Dojo in the upcoming tournament to
make her feel better. Not even when Sanosuke had been missing and Kaoru knew that
something had happened to him. Kaoru hadn't realized how much she had come to
depend on Sanosuke for her happiness until now. Now that he wasn't there.
_______________________________________________________________________
Thanks to Bkerrmom1 and Rembrandt77 for reviewing and to Cool Camzy Blue for your continued support. I'll try to get the next chapter up tomorrow.
@-- Rose C*est la V