Forever
Chapter 8: Pool time
A Fanfiction by Kyo
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Hello there! Sorry for the delay of this chapter, but you'll HAVE to forgive me. First of all, I was on a trip, and I didn't have a computer with me. Second, computer DIED as in literally DIED! It was horrible! Horrible I tell you! And worst of all, I was the one to revive it! ALONE! It was a real odyssey to get her to work again. So, there, you HAVE to forgive.
Plz! REVIEW! There are some A&M moments here, that I hope you enjoy. Bye!
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The form of a young man, probably in his early twenties, watched a peculiar and particular group. He watched attentively with an irrational loathing and eyes in narrow slits. He watched as the red head played and flirted with the girl with raven hair and pretty smile. He watched the genki girl talk incessantly to an attentive tall man with hair the color of the night. He watched when the tall, slender man with the red bandana smiled a cocky grin and argued with the woman with the bright red lips.
He watched everything, waiting and feeding his loathing, his hate with those images. He would pay for his suffering. He remembered, they did not, and they would pay for that.
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Aoshi narrowed his eyes, trying to locate the enemy presence, but failed to do so. He looked in Battousai's direction, and found that he, too, had noticed it. Battousai decided to ignore it, not wanting to worry the girls, as always. Aoshi followed his example and turned his attention to the genki girl beside him.
"I cannot wait till tomorrow, Aoshi. Kyoto will be so much fun. It's such an interesting city. After the wedding and the tournament, can we go sightseeing? Just you and me, Aoshi?"
Aoshi blinked a few times, trying to decide if he had heard correctly. Go sightseeing? Just you and me?
Misao, realizing she had been bold and forward, and that Aoshi probably did not like that, was about to retract, but Aoshi did not give her the opportunity.
"Of course, Misao. We will go sight-seeing."
"Really?" Misao asked excitedly, not really believing her ears. She was going in a date with her Aoshi-sama! Of course, he did not know it yet, but that was a minor problem. She had a date with him, and she loved it.
He nodded, seeing that he liked her reaction to his words. He wondered what other reaction she could have to his words. . . "Hai. We could see the Imperial Palace if you want to." Aoshi added.
Misao's smiled widened. "I cannot wait to arrive there." She said, almost breathless with excitement.
Kaoru, who heard her, turned around to see her, hugging Kenshin's arms to her as he hugged her from behind, keeping her from walking back and going away from him. She was laughing merrily and Kenshin relished the physical contact.
"Don't be so eager Misao-chan, there's still a day to go." She said as she walked backwards, facing her.
"I know Kaoru-chan! But I cannot wait!" In her excitement, she did not notice that she was hugging Aoshi's arm to herself. Aoshi noticed, but he realized he liked it that way. He liked to be close to Misao.
"Why is weasel girl so eager to get there?" Sano asked, an arm around Megumi's shoulders. He had not heard Misao and Aoshi's earlier conversation.
"Don't call me weasel, rooster-head!" Misao screamed, lifting a menacing fist full of kunai.
"Don't call me rooster-head, weasel! Only kitsune here can do that!"
"Really, rooster-head?"
"Really!"
Everybody else sighed. For once in his life Aoshi decided to intervene on their childish argument. What he did left everybody else with his or her mouths agape. "Sanosuke, please don't call Misao "weasel", she doesn't like it."
Everybody stopped walking and looked at him with astonishment. There was complete silence for a whole minute.
"Er . . . right." Sano started, finally recovering his tongue. "I'll stop calling her that if she stops calling me rooster-head."
"Okay." Misao agreed, to surprised to protest. She felt in heaven. Aoshi had intervened for her. She felt so special. To make Aoshi intervene verbally or otherwise meant that they had to be awfully special.
After an awkward silence in which nobody knew what to do, they started walking again, recovering their high spirits and good humor. Finally they arrived to Megumi's house. They had gone there to play pool on her table. It was one of the things the group highly enjoyed after training with their respective weapons. Yahiko and Tsubame would join them afterwards. Just when they were about to come in, they encountered Saitou Hajime, Megumi's father. For some strange reason, the boys had always felt awkward with him around (especially Kenshin), to the point of turning violent. Though, nothing serious had ever happened, it made everybody wonder why it was that their relationship was so strained.
Kenshin couldn't keep his eyes from turning amber when he locked them with those of the man. Kaoru smiled nervously at Saitoh, who was about to snap something at them and tugged at Kenshin's arm, trying to get him away from the older man.
"Hello, Saitoh-san! Nice to see you again!" Kaoru said in order to try and get his attention away from the glaring Kenshi behind her.
"Tanuki." Saitoh acknowledged before directing to his daughter. Kaoru fumed in the background, but decided to say nothing in view of the circumstances.
"Megumi, what are you and the brats doing here?" Saitoh asked, eyeing Sano in the "brats" part.
"Dad, I told you yesterday. My friends and I are spending the afternoon together at my house. I told you, but you never listen!" Megumi whined.
"Whatever." Saitoh murmured, lighting a cigarrette as he walked past them. "Don't destroy anything," and after a short pause "Battousai."
Everybody sighed, the tension suddenly banishing with the disappearance of Saitoh around a corner.
Megumi murmured something about fathers being a nuisance and they entered the house. Megumi's house was large and spacious. It had an immense garden on the outside and the house itself was purely western in its style. It had a huge porch where Megumi and her sister liked to do their homework or just talk when the climate was adequate.
The Kenshin-gumi directed their steps towards the left wing, where the pool table was. The best pool player of the Kenshin-gumi was Sano, then Megumi, since she had had a lot of practice thanks to her boyfriend. The rest of them were in about the same level, although Kenshin knew quite a few tricks himself.
"This time, I'm gonna beat you, Kenshin." Kaoru challenged. "You are not." Kenshin assured as he smiled and handed her the cue. "You'll see. Last time you only beat me for a ball or so, this time, you are not!" Kaoru affirmed and took the cue from his hand, her challenge clear on her eyes. Kenshin raised an amused eyebrow but said nothing else, fearing her wrath.
Megumi chuckled as she eyed them, positioning to hit the cue ball. Sano flashed a cocky grin and advised her on what ball to take. "Hit the number nine. Just don't apply too much force or the cue ball will fall too."
"I know that rooster-head." Megumi reprimanded affectionately and hit the ball. A perfect hit.
"Oi! Fox! See? I taught you that!" Sano boasted. Megumi rolled her eyes and resisted the urge to hit him on the head with the cue. She did not want to make him dumber with a hit on the head. A few more hits from the Fox and then it was Misao's turn.
She was whining on one corner. "Megumi! You complicated all things!" She said as she eyed the table with all the scrambled balls as if it was some sort of monster.
"Oh! C'mon, Misao! You are the number one kunai thrower and you can't hit a ball?" Megumi answered to her whining.
Misao pouted at her direction and eyed the table once more, trying to decide which would be the best way to hit. Misao murmured something about ungrateful foxes and prepared to hit, but just before she was going to, a strong and yet gentle hand stopped her from doing so. It waas Aoshi's. "Not like that, Misao." Aoshi murmured, leaning very close to her, his chest to her back, so much that Misao could her his breath on her neck. Misao's eyes widened in surprise and anticipation but did not loose her wits. "Then how, Aoshi?" She asked sweetly, putting on a clueless façade. He leaned even closer to her, putting his hands over hers, showing her how to hit it. Misao gulped at the closeness and Aoshi's boldness, and tried really hard not to blush. No such luck. Good thing Aoshi could not see her red face. Nevertheless, she enjoyed it immensely.
In the other corner of the room, not entirely oblivious to the obviously unusual happenings, Kenshin and Kaoru chatted happily. Kenshin flirted incessantly with her and Kaoru enjoyed every minute of his attention.
"Once in Kyoto we have to go see the Imperial Palace, don't you think?"
"Yeah. They say it's the most beautiful building in all Japan. But this time, we are not letting Sano guide. Last time we went on a trip we were lost more time than we were having fun."
Kenshin chuckled. "Yeah, I remember that. I'll guide. I think I still remember most of Kyoto's streets, if they haven't changed much. I know of restaurant you'll love."
Before Kaoru had time to answer, Megumi interrupted them. "Guys! Wanna swim?" Megumi's house had a round pool on the back garden. It was not too big but was great to have fun. A few meters away from it was a small building, more like a roof, where they could rest and eat while in the pool.
"Sure!" Kaoru called, walking to her with Kenshin just a step back from her. Lately, the weather had been a little hot, and a swim in the pool would surely help to get rid of it. "I didn't bring my suit, though." Kaoru added.
"No prob. I'll lend you one of mine. I only have two-pieces, tho, do you mind?" Megumi said slyly while she walked away, motioning Kaoru to follow her. Kaoru blushed slightly, but it was nothing to the almost nosebleed Kenshin got when he thought of her in a skimpy two-piece.
"Misao-chan!" Kaoru called to her friend, who was talking to Aoshi and Sano about the game they had just played. "Let's go for a swim. Megumi's lending us a suit."
"Okay." Misao agreed. She gave Aoshi a cute smile in apology to the interruption. "I'll be back, guys." She said to the boys and followed the girls out. Before they were out of sight, though, Sano called. "Hey! What about us!"
"Drive to you respective houses and get a suit for yourselves." Megumi snapped, before disappearing. Sano humphed as he murmured something about not liking being left behind.
Kenshi shrugged. "Okay, then. Let's go." He coaxed the older boys.
"Kenshin, I think you are forgetting something." Sano interrupted. Kenshin and Aoshi looked at him quizzically. "We didn't drive here."
"Oro?" Kenshin blinked a few times before realization hit him. Aoshi was the one to solve the problem. "Then borrow your girlfriend's Landrover keys, rooster-head." He said calmly, his voice never changing tone.
After the scene was resolved, the three of them were ready to go out. Sano was driving after a discussion he had won over Kenshin over who would be the one driving. He had won under the argument that the car was not his, and that in any case, it was more his than Kenshin's. Kenshin had humphed but accepted it. Aoshi rolled his eyes over both boys' stubbornness. He couldn't believe how childish the both of them could get when they were together. It made him wonder how they had survived their life without their respective girls guiding all of their steps.
"I cannot believe the girls made us go all the way to our houses to get the suits." Sano murmured, stopping first on Kenshin's apartment.
Kensin had no complain there. If that what it took for him to see Kaoru in a two-piece he was not about to complain. Tt really was little payment.
Aoshi, for his part, had nothing to complain about either. And Sano, he didn't have anything to complain about either, only that it was fun to complain.
When they had gathered all their things and were about to return to Meugmi's house, a question occurred to Sano. One that he had been eager to ask ever since some weeks ago, but had never had the opportunity to do so.
"Oi! Aoshi! What's with you and the weasel, huh?"
Aoshi's eyes widened momentarily before he regained control of his brain and tongue. "What do you mean, Sanosuke?" He asked in his usual monotonous voice.
"It's pretty obvious, isn't it, Kenshin? Saw them when we were playing pool? All mushy and stuff?" Kenshin nodded with a chuckle, glad that, for once, he wasn't the center of attention of such "delicate" matters.
Aoshi gave them a semi-glare, but continued to play innocent. "I don't know what you two are talking about." He stated. Nor Kenshin, nor Sanosuke believed a word.
"C'mon, Aoshi-san, tell us. You know you can trust us." Kenshin coaxed, not really expecting for an answer, but trying nonetheless.
"As you trust us, Kenshin, in these, let's say, matters?" Aoshi inquired. Kenshin did a double take. "What are you talking about, Aoshi-san?" Kenshin asked, gulping. Here he was, the center of attention again. And he had thought that for a day he would get a rest.
"You know perfectly well about what he is thinking about, Kenshin." Sano said as he drove. "You and his sister? Remember that?"
Kenshin gulped again. He thought of getting away from the matters by glaring at them what they had come to call a Hitokiri Glare (patented and all) to honor the real manslayer assassins that existed during the Bakumatsu No Duran. But decided that that would only scare them a little before they continued to pursue their objectives. He decided to make a deal instead.
"Okay, Aoshi-san. Let's make a deal. I'll tell you everything if you tell us what's with you and Misao."
Aoshi shifted uncomfortably on his seat for a few seconds, deciding on his next course of action. "Okay." He finally breathed.
Sano and Kenshin looked at him blankly, not really believing their ears. "Really?" Sano asked, looking at him.
"Sano! Look out!" Kenshin screamed just in time for them to avoid an incoming car.
"Really, Sanosuke."
"Then, spill it out." Sano urged, this time, looking at the road.
Aoshi sighed.
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"Kawaii!!!!!" Megumi and Kaoru squealed in delight at the same time when they arrived to Megumi's room and were out of the boys' hearing range.
"I know!" Misao squeaked after them. After some more squeals and squeaks, the three girls got their senses back.
"Looks like you have finally have your wish granted, Misao!" Kaoru exclaimed, truly happy for her friend.
Misao nodded with a huge smile on her lips. Even though they still hadn't a real relationship, it seemed that this time, they were going somewhere, and somewhere fast.
"But . . ." Misao started. "I still have some doubts. I mean . . . the fact that he is finally talking to me and flirting and all, doesn't mean that he is taking me seriously or anything."
"Misao!" Megumi scolded. "You know Aoshi is not someone to play with people's feelings!"
Kaoru agreed. "Besides, I know my brother. He might be sloooooow to decide, but I know for a fact that once he decides about something or someone, he will take action immediately. And it looks to me that he has finally decided, so expect lots of advances!" Kaoru affirmed with a smirk.
This seemed to convince Misao. After a short pause in which the girls pondered over the situation, the three of them, as if on cue, squealed in delight. "Kawaii!!!!!!!!!!!"
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"I'm planning on telling her when we are sightseeing at Kyoto, hopefully." Aoshi breathed, finally finishing the story. He had told them almost everything about the last three or four weeks, when he had finally decided to open up to her. He had not given details, but he had given them an overall view of the picture, so they could get a better and stop asking so many prying questions. He mentally prepared himself for their incessant teasing. But none came.
Apparently, they thought the matter quite important, considering the long time they had been almost a couple.
Aoshi cleared his throat. "And what about you and my imouto, huh, Kenshin?" Aoshi asked mercilessly. Kenshin winced visibly and shrunk in his seat.
"Um . . . er . . . me?" Kenshin stuttered, laughing nervously.
"Yes Kenshin, you and Kaoru, his sister, remember now?" Sano asked with a smirk. "We wanna know wht's going on between the two of you, 'cuz, you see, we see the two of you flirting all the time, but you don't seem to go any further." Aoshi nodded chibi-style in the background.
Kenshin continued to laugh nervously, silently praying that they got to Megumi's house too quickly for them to question him further. He did not like being the center of attention. Unfortunately for him, he was most of the time.
"When are you planning on telling her?" Aoshi asked him, giving him a terrifying glare as he transformed into a monster (to Kensin's eyes, anyway) with fangs and everything.
"Oro!" Kenshin murmured, sincerely scared of the Aoshi, now that he was playing the over-protective-brother act. But Kenshin recovered his wits just in time. He gave them a mild glare before continuing. "I don't know if you remember, but you blew it up last time!" Kenshin argued.
They seemed to think about it for a moment. ""Point taken."" They answered in unison. But Sano did not stop there. "It's not like you were doing it very well, anyway."
Kenshin glared at him. "It's not like it is the easiest thing in the world."
"Point taken." Sano said. Aoshi gulped, if Battousai was scared of that, he wondered how he would be. But, he thought, he hoped he was better with women than Battousai was. He was rather clumsy when it came to matters of the heart and especially about girls.
Without another word, they arrived to Megumi's house, each of them mentally bracing themselves for the things to come. And all of them silently prayed that they wouldn't get any nosebleeds in front of their girls.
The girls, on the other way, were scheming to get their boys blushing, and if it was possible, a nosebleed would be fine.
To be continued . . .
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Liked it? I hope you did! If you did, don't forget to REVIEW! It makes me happy! You want to make Kyo-chan happy, right? =3 See ya next chappie!!!!
