Forever
Chapter 2: Dishes time
A fanfiction by Kyo
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Thank God you liked last chapter. I was starting to worry my corny and mushy style wouldn't fit for RuroKen. Thank you so much for your support in this. Enjoy this, I know I did.
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"You should start explaining, NOW!" The sound of Kaoru's voice reverberated through the little park and everybody but Kenshin gave a wince (that's right, even Aoshi).
"Tanuki I know . . ."
"I'm sorry Jou-chan . . ."
"Kaoru-chan please . . ."
"I . . ."
"Quiet!" Kaoru exclaimed in exasperation. Behind her, Kenshin barely could keep his giggles and chuckles inside. He was trying so badly not to laugh that he was turning blue. The four sentenced glared at him for making them explain, knowing full well that it would only worsen things.
"To Misao's place, now." She ordered calmly. Before anybody could protest, they saw the glint in her eyes and the angry aura around her, and preferred not to talk. The walked in silence, giving glances now and then to their captor.
"Maa maa Kaoru, what are you going to do to them?" Kenshin asked carefully, barely touching her hand with his.
She smiled sweetly toward him and his breath caught in his throat. He had never really seen how beautiful she was, specially under the moonlight. "You'll see." She whispered. She really was having the time of her life. Getting to punish her big brother, her best friend, her best friend's annoying cousin and her best friend's annoying cousin's boyfriend would be fun.
Once they arrived to the house, Kaoru directed them to the dojo. The prisoners gave each other a look full of confusion and fear. They could only imagine which their punishment would be. Kenshin gave Kaoru a curious glance and followed her. She stopped right in front of the teacher's place and turned to look at her newfound pupils.
"Kaoru, what are you doing?"
"I'm punishing them. Nothing better to punish someone than five hundred boken swings." She used that punishment on her little brother, Yahiko all the time. Worse if he called her busu, like he did all the time.
Unfazed by Kenshin's look of surprise, she continued. "Okay, each of you go grab a boken and I want five hundred straight swings! And let me hear you count!"
Everybody gulped when they realized she meant it. Slowly and uncertainly, Sano and Aoshi went to grab their own bokens and handed them to Megumi and Misao, respectively.
Megumi, since she had never received any training in this type of art, was the most uncertain of them all. She just copied what she saw and what Sano told her to do.
"I don't hear you counting!" Kaoru said in a sweet sing-song voice that freaked them out.
Kenshin chuckled at their reactions. They again glared at him but he only smiled a sweet and innocent smile that fooled no one. Kaoru dragged him out of the dojo and into the front steps while he mustered a pained "oro".
"Come on Kenshin, let's go out and let them finish." She said while they sat and then said in a louder voice so those inside could hear her clearly. "If I don't hear you counting I'll give a hundred more. And don't even try to cheat, Sano!" The swishes of their swings, three voices counting and one cursing followed her threat.
She took in a relaxing breath and then turned to Kenshin. "What was it that you wanted to tell me, Kenshin?"
Kenshin jumped in his seat and murmured an "oro". He scratched the back of his head as he laughed nervously, his fiery and long red hair followed his movements. "He he, I forgot."
Kaoru sweatdropped but did not press the subject. The night was getting chilly and she tried to keep warm by hugging herself. Kenshin noticed but could not decide on what to do. He could put an arm around her shoulders to keep her warm himslef, or he could guide her into the house where it was warmer. He could do the first one, but then she could think that he wanted to be romantically involved with her (which was true) and he didn't want that, at least not yet. He decided to do the latter.
"You are cold Kaoru, let's go inside." He coaxed as he stood up. Kaoru remained on her seat and shook her head. "I can't they are still in the swing three hundred."
"Come on, I'll prepare you a mug of warm chocolate. I'm sure they'll behave." Kenshin shot them and amber tinged glare that they could feel burning the back of their heads. They gulped and kept counting.
Kenshin just loved that ability of his of changing the color of his eyes at will. Well, not exactly at will, they would always appear when he was mad, no matter what he did. But it was okay, it scared away people that wanted to harm him and his friends and family.
He helped her to her feet before she could even protest. She gave a surprised yelp and lost balance. She tripped. Kenshin caught her, but he lost balance too. It was his turn to give a surprised yelp as they both fell to the ground. Kaoru on top of him with her face hidden in the hollow of his throat.
The prisoners stopped counting and stared blankly at them. This was more than what they had bargained for. When they had spied on them, the most they had hoped for was small talk and some holding of hands, but not this.
Kenshin gulped. He didn't want this to end but he knew that it had to. He better apologize before anything more happened. He knew they were staring.
"Sumimasen, Kaoru. Daijobou de gozaru ka?" He whispered while he waited for her to answer. But first she had to lift her head from his throat, he could feel her warm breath against his skin and it was driving him crazy.
She finally lifted her head, feeling a bit dizzy from their closeness and the surprise of the fall. She nodded gingerly and answered to his previous question. "Daijobou de gozaru yo. And you?"
"I'm okay." He said breathlessly.
Then, something in Kaoru clicked. She no longer heard the sound of four voices counting to five hundred. She stood up quickly and faced them. "Why I don't hear you counting?"
Any stupid responses were shut up by the glint of cobalt in Kaoru's normally sapphire eyes and the amber flick of Kenshin's eyes. They immediately started counting again.
Their counting was heard even in the kitchen. As promised, Kenshin prepared a mug of warm chocolate for Kaoru. She took it from his hands gratefully. Kenshin smiled at her and brought his own mug of chocolate to his lips. The kitchen clock chimed one o'clock. Kaoru was surprised to find out it was already this late.
One by one, the four prisoners entered the kitchen, which was already one big mess. Sano was the first one to come in, all the while muttering curses. Sweat was pouring from his forehead and his limbs ached. He could only imagine what Megumi was going through, she being the only one without some sort of training. Sano had always trained in kempo and street fighting, while Aoshi and Misao were trained by Okina to serve as spies and well-versed ninjas. Kenshin had always trained with his father, Hiko, in Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu, an ancient technique whose strength was its speed. Kaoru had learned the Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu from her father before he passed away. She was teaching this style to Yahiko.
Aoshi was next and he really could feel the strain of his little sister's wrath. His arms hurt like hell. Misao was behind him and was moaning slightly, she couldn't even walk without wincing. Megumi was last. She barely could stay on her feet, but managed somehow. She stepped next to her boyfriend who helped her stand and handed her a mug of chocolate, saying it would make her feel better.
Aoshi, as a true gentleman, pulled out a chair for Misao and handed her a mug, too. None of them could see Kaoru at the eye. They couldn't really be mad at her. In her situation they would have done the same. They couldn't look at her out of shame.
Kenshin was the first one to speak. "Mmmm are you guys okay?"
They nodded, wincing.
"Need some ice, any of you?" Kaoru asked sweetly. Now that she saw their condition, she felt a little guilty. But only a little.
They shook their heads.
"Want something to eat?" Kenshin offered, but he didn't really expected an answer.
They shook their heads again.
"You sure okay?" Kaoru asked again. Their silence, it was worrying her.
They nodded again.
Kenshin and Kaoru sighed and stepped out of the kitchen. "Tell us when you are finished, it's our turn to wash the dishes." Kaoru ventured. They nodded again. They went to Misao's place so often that they even had turns for washing and cooking. It was never Kaoru's turn to cook, though. The last time she tried, the kitchen had suffered the consequences, burning the roof. A faint mark could still be seen. Kenshin had tried to offer his help on the subject a number of times, but all were turned down. Cooking was something Kaoru wanted to learn on her own, even if it took her all her life.
"That was one hell of a workout." Sano murmured under his breath. He placed his mug on the table with a trembling arm and sighed.
"Yeah." Misao whispered. Aoshi nodded. Megumi looked strangely pale.
"You okay, kitsune?" Sano asked his girlfriend tenderly, putting a hand on her forehead to feel her temperature. It was okay.
"I'm okay. I don't know how I managed through all that, though."
Sano chuckled. "That's because you are an strong woman, kitsune. Want something? An aspirin, maybe. It'll make the pain go away."
"No, it's okay. It's not like it'll kill me."
"Tomorrow it'll kill us all." Aoshi murmured. "Don't know how does Yahiko-chan put of with this every day. The kid will grow up to surpass us all in strength."
They chuckled. "He will, Aoshi-sama. If he was faster he would be one hell of an opponent. He has the guts, the brain and the strength to be an amazing fighter and swordsman. Don't tell him I said that though," Misao said.
They all nodded. "Everybody finished?" Megumi asked, seeing they had finished their mugs of chocolate, she continued. "I'll call those kids then."
Megumi called them kids because they were younger than herself for a year, as Misao was. Sano was her age, while Aoshi was a year older.
"Ken-san! Tanuki! Come wash those dishes!"
"Coming!" Came the faraway response. She wondered where they were.
"Damn that Kenshin!" Sano suddenly cursed. The other three figures looked at him with curiosity.
"And why is that?" Misao asked, putting their mugs in the sink.
"He was supposed to tell jou-chan today."
"Tell her what?" Aoshi inquired. Being the big brother, he was supposed to protect her, right?
"Tell her that she likes her as in more than a friend like." Sano answered.
"Everybody knows that!" Megumi exclaimed.
"But her." Misao finished.
"We have told her that ever since we finished high school! Even before!"
"But she doesn't believe it!"
"And why is that?" Sano asked. Megumi gave an exasperated sigh. Her exasperation and frustration was not directed at her boyfriend, but at their two teen friends. "Because she likes him that way, too."
""She does?"" Sano and Aoshi asked at the same time,
""Yes, she does."" Misao and Megumi answered.
"She does what?" A sweet voice at the doorframe asked.
Their eyes widened in fear. """"Nothing.""""
Kaoru eyes them suspiciously but did not press the subject. Kenshin entered behind her, oblivious to the commotion.
"Feeling better guys?" Kenshin asked while he took the apron from where it was hung. Kaoru took the other one.
"Hai!" Misao chimed as she pushed Aoshi outside the kitchen. He looked at her with a look full of confusion that was completely un-Aoshi-like but let himself be pushed.
"Never better!" Megumi said, pulling Sano with her. He protested. "Hey, Fox! Whaddareya doing?"
"Shut up, tori-atama!" She whispered near his ear. "I'll explain outside."
The door was shut a second afterwards and Kenshin and Kaoru were again left alone in the kitchen.
When they were half-way through washing the mugs and dishes from dinner, Kaoru noticed that Kenshin was grinning kind of happily. This made Kaoru smile, too.
"What's with you and dishes?" Kaoru asked suddenly, giving him a nudge.
"Oro! Me and dishes?" He asked, returning the nudge. His smile widened.
"Yes, you and dishes."
"What do you mean?" He asked, faking cluelessness (I think that word does not exist, but you get the idea, don't you?).
"Every time it is our turn to wash the dishes you have this smile on your face, as if you liked washing dishes. And that makes me wonder if you ever faked it was our turn when it wasn't."
"I never did something like that!" He exclaimed, but even if his words denied it, his tone confirmed it.
"I knew it! That's why it's always our turn!"
"But I never did that!" Kenshin stood his ground, but by the smile on his lips, nobody would have believed him.
"Really, tell me, what's with you and dishes?" Kaoru asked, trying to be serious but a smile tugged at her lips.
They had already finished washing them when it all started. "There's nothing with me and dishes!" Kenshin exclaimed as he pushed some soapy water towards her. Some drops settled on her top. In revenge, she grabbed the sink hose which had one of those pistols that when pressed shoot water and aimed at him expertly.
"You wouldn't dare!" Kenshin's eyes widened as he exclaimed.
"Wouldn't I?" She dared, and she pulled the pistol's trigger. A beam of water shot from it, soaking all of Kenshin's upper body. He gasped but kept his ground. "Kaoru!" He whined. "That was my only shirt!" Kaoru giggled. He stepped forward. "Dame." Kaoru warned.
He took another step forward. By the mishiveous glint in his eyes she knew what he could do if he stepped closer. He would grab the hose and soak her without mercy. And she really did not want that, that was her favorite top.
He dismissed her warning and stepped forward. Kaoru, trying to protect herself from a very damp destiny, used the hose to soak him. She shot to his face and damped his hair. Some strands of his fiery red hair flattened on his forehead. Kaoru couldn't help thinking how sexy he looked at that time, with his hair like that and his clothes clinging to him like a second skin. She giggled some more.
Kenshin did not last long surprised, using the speed Hiko had taught him to use, he grabbed the pistol from her hand. To keep her from escaping, he pressed his free hand at the small of her back, making her face him. Kaoru blushed at their closeness with a giggle. A mischievous smile tugged at his lips as he shot water soaking her completely, from head to toe.
Kenshin let go of her with a joyous laugh and placed the hose back on the sink. "Mou! Kenshin! This top was one of my favorites!" She shivered with the chill of her damp clothes. But she laughed too.
Kenshin couldn't help but notice the way he could see the way through her soaked clothes. The material was almost see-through but not quite, but damp, it permitted him to see pretty well. He blushed and looked away.
When Misao and Megumi entered the kitchen, each of them was standing in their own pool of water, dripping. They had heard their giggles and sometimes screams and had come to take a look. What they saw surprised to say the least.
The girls couldn't keep but laugh. Kenshin and Kaoru looked at them sheepishly and shivering. The guys, hearing their laughs went down to take a look, too. Sano let go of an strenuous laugh and Aoshi even smiled.
After a moment of calming down, Megumi asked with a sly smile: "Had fun?"
To be continued . . .
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Well, this is the second chapter . . . Hope you liked it. If you did, plz review, it'll be much appreciated. Thank you so much for your support. See ya later. Say, other ten reviews to continue?
