What's Wrong With Following?
"I need to talk to you, Kaoru," Sanosuke said as soon as they got home from the tournament.
"About what?" Kaoru asked, sitting down on the pourch.
Sanosuke sat down a few feet away from her and sighed. "Don't try to sneak off, Yahiko, this may concern you as well."
Yahiko, who'd been trying to do just that, made a face at Sanosuke and started to take a seat between Kaoru and Sanosuke. He paused suddenly, realizing that that might not be the smartest thing to do, and chose another seat, behind Kaoru.
"I tried to tell you this at the tournament," Sanosuke said, staring off into the distance rather than at Kaoru and Yahiko.
"If this is about you being late, I already told you it doesn't matter anymore," Kaoru told him.
"It does matter," Sanosuke told her. "But for a different reason." He fished a letter out of his pocket and held it out to Kaoru. "I received this letter this morning. It's from my ex-master Tetsuko Miratomo who lives in a village two weeks away from Tokyo."
"Tetsuko?" Kaoru asked incredulously, the letter slipping from her fingers. "Your master was a woman?"
"She's dying," Sanosuke didn't seem to have heard Kaoru's comment. "And she wants me to come to her before she dies. And I want to go to her."
"You're LEAVING?" Kaoru demanded, her voice cracking with surprise and distress.
"I want to go to her," Sanosuke told Kaoru, "But I don't want to leave you and Yahiko behind. Come with me?"
"You're leaving," Kaoru repeated, staring at her hands. "You're leaving just like Kenshin."
"Not just like Kenshin," Sanosuke argued. "I want you and Yahiko to come with me. Will you?"
"No!" Kaoru snapped, snatching up Sanosuke's letter and throwing it at him. "I'm not leaving the Kamiya Dojo unattended for a month or more! How dare you ask me to?!"
"Kaoru-" Yahiko tried to get a word in.
"If I didn't pick up and leave when Kenshin left, what makes you think I'm going to pack and follow you?!" Kaoru glared at Sanosuke.
He glared right back at her, "I thought maybe the fact that you were invited would make some sort of a difference."
"Well it doesn't!" Kaoru snapped.
"Alright then," Sanosuke said, struggling to stay calm. He picked up his letter, flattened it out carefully, then refolded it.
"What do you mean 'alright then'?" Kaoru demanded.
"I mean it's alright," Sanosuke returned his letter to his pocket.
"You're going anyway," Kaoru said, sounding miserable.
"No."
Kaoru almost fell over. "No? What do you mean 'no'?"
Sanosuke stared off into space again. "You don't want me to go, do you?"
"Of course I don't want you to go!"
"Well I'm not going," Sanosuke said gloomily, "so you don't need to be so angry."
"Why aren't you going?!" Yahiko and Kaoru shouted together.
"Because I'm not going to leave you two here by yourselves!" Sanosuke yelled back at them. "I didn't follow Kenshin to Kyoto so that I could make sure you would be okay, Kaoru! I'm not going away now that you're finally feeling better and risk you relapsing into self pity!"
"But your master is dying!" Yahiko said shrilly.
"YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW THAT?!" Sanosuke slapped his open palms to his forehead.
"How can you justify sticking around here while your master is dying?!" Kaoru wanted to know.
"I justify it by knowing that my friends need me here!" Sanosuke snapped.
"You can't just stay here while your master is dying if she sent for you!" Kaoru screamed.
"So you want me to go or not?!" Sanosuke demanded.
"Of course you have to go!" Kaoru told him.
"I'm not leaving you and Yahiko alone here. After we kicked ass at that tournament you might get some dangerous challengers. I'm going to be here if you have to face them."
"Well we can face them in a month or more!" Kaoru told him. "We're going to see your master!"
"I thought you didn't want to-"
"DON'T YOU DARE TRY TO RESCIND THAT INVITATION!" Karou warned him.
"We're going to Momijin Village then?" Sanosuke asked Kaoru. "All three of us?"
"All three of us," Kaoru told him.
"Tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow."
"I need to talk to you, Kaoru," Sanosuke said as soon as they got home from the tournament.
"About what?" Kaoru asked, sitting down on the pourch.
Sanosuke sat down a few feet away from her and sighed. "Don't try to sneak off, Yahiko, this may concern you as well."
Yahiko, who'd been trying to do just that, made a face at Sanosuke and started to take a seat between Kaoru and Sanosuke. He paused suddenly, realizing that that might not be the smartest thing to do, and chose another seat, behind Kaoru.
"I tried to tell you this at the tournament," Sanosuke said, staring off into the distance rather than at Kaoru and Yahiko.
"If this is about you being late, I already told you it doesn't matter anymore," Kaoru told him.
"It does matter," Sanosuke told her. "But for a different reason." He fished a letter out of his pocket and held it out to Kaoru. "I received this letter this morning. It's from my ex-master Tetsuko Miratomo who lives in a village two weeks away from Tokyo."
"Tetsuko?" Kaoru asked incredulously, the letter slipping from her fingers. "Your master was a woman?"
"She's dying," Sanosuke didn't seem to have heard Kaoru's comment. "And she wants me to come to her before she dies. And I want to go to her."
"You're LEAVING?" Kaoru demanded, her voice cracking with surprise and distress.
"I want to go to her," Sanosuke told Kaoru, "But I don't want to leave you and Yahiko behind. Come with me?"
"You're leaving," Kaoru repeated, staring at her hands. "You're leaving just like Kenshin."
"Not just like Kenshin," Sanosuke argued. "I want you and Yahiko to come with me. Will you?"
"No!" Kaoru snapped, snatching up Sanosuke's letter and throwing it at him. "I'm not leaving the Kamiya Dojo unattended for a month or more! How dare you ask me to?!"
"Kaoru-" Yahiko tried to get a word in.
"If I didn't pick up and leave when Kenshin left, what makes you think I'm going to pack and follow you?!" Kaoru glared at Sanosuke.
He glared right back at her, "I thought maybe the fact that you were invited would make some sort of a difference."
"Well it doesn't!" Kaoru snapped.
"Alright then," Sanosuke said, struggling to stay calm. He picked up his letter, flattened it out carefully, then refolded it.
"What do you mean 'alright then'?" Kaoru demanded.
"I mean it's alright," Sanosuke returned his letter to his pocket.
"You're going anyway," Kaoru said, sounding miserable.
"No."
Kaoru almost fell over. "No? What do you mean 'no'?"
Sanosuke stared off into space again. "You don't want me to go, do you?"
"Of course I don't want you to go!"
"Well I'm not going," Sanosuke said gloomily, "so you don't need to be so angry."
"Why aren't you going?!" Yahiko and Kaoru shouted together.
"Because I'm not going to leave you two here by yourselves!" Sanosuke yelled back at them. "I didn't follow Kenshin to Kyoto so that I could make sure you would be okay, Kaoru! I'm not going away now that you're finally feeling better and risk you relapsing into self pity!"
"But your master is dying!" Yahiko said shrilly.
"YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW THAT?!" Sanosuke slapped his open palms to his forehead.
"How can you justify sticking around here while your master is dying?!" Kaoru wanted to know.
"I justify it by knowing that my friends need me here!" Sanosuke snapped.
"You can't just stay here while your master is dying if she sent for you!" Kaoru screamed.
"So you want me to go or not?!" Sanosuke demanded.
"Of course you have to go!" Kaoru told him.
"I'm not leaving you and Yahiko alone here. After we kicked ass at that tournament you might get some dangerous challengers. I'm going to be here if you have to face them."
"Well we can face them in a month or more!" Kaoru told him. "We're going to see your master!"
"I thought you didn't want to-"
"DON'T YOU DARE TRY TO RESCIND THAT INVITATION!" Karou warned him.
"We're going to Momijin Village then?" Sanosuke asked Kaoru. "All three of us?"
"All three of us," Kaoru told him.
"Tomorrow?"
"Tomorrow."