Disclaimer: *drinking juice a la Invader Zim* …What? Oh! Of course I don't own them… although when I rule the WORLD, I will own EVERYTHING!!! AHAHAHAHAHA! o.O
Notes: I've noticed some people thinking Okita was a bit of an ass for taking Kenshin to see Enishi. In his defense, I must explain my thinking. Okita considered Enishi a friend, therefore, he trusted the guy to some extent (maybe not completely, but enough to still see him). If Enishi gave no outward signs of psychosis, as I had him portrayed, then he would be relatively harmless to the casual acquaintance. Okita had no way of knowing Enishi knew Kenshin, or that the man hated the boy so much. In such a situation, I would hesitate to cast blame anywhere.
Okita: *sniff* Thanks, Fitz.
Fitz: I love ya, babe. Anytime. *Proceeds to back away slowly*
Okita: Where are you going?!
Fitz: Sorry, but you'll understand when this chapter is over.
Okita: *reads ahead* NOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Fitz: *Stands far away from so-called ass*
Okita: *Brays*
Warnings: None really. Rather depressing chapter. Other than that… Ahhhh, sap. Yes, definitely some sap.
Life's a Dance
Kenshin returned to school on Tuesday, angry and upset. He had learned the day before that Hiko had come close to filing for a restraining order. Apparently, he did not want Okita coming within fifty yards of Kenshin, although how he thought that would be possible, Kenshin did not know. Fifty yards was quite a bit of distance to put between two people who shared two class periods and lunch. Kenshin was pretty sure the only way for that kind of order to be successful would be for one of them to leave Central High.
Naturally, Kenshin protested this course of action. To say that he argued with Hiko would be putting it much too mildly. He was just grateful that the neighbors had not come banging on their door to tell them to be quiet. The shouting match had lasted nearly twenty minutes and both of them were hoarse. Hiko had ended the fight rather absurdly by ordering Kenshin to his room, the latter of whom had gladly obliged, slamming his door so that it stuck when he tried to open it again. Fortunately, Kenshin did not have to suffer the embarrassment of calling for help--the door opened with a bit of tugging, but it would never be the same.
"Kenshin!" Kaoru spotted him first on his trek to school. He left the house painfully early, determined to walk the entire distance just so that he would not have to endure sitting next to Hiko in the car. He was only a block away from the school when Kaoru, Misao, and Aoshi met up with him. Kaoru looked at him anxiously. "How are you?"
"Oh, it's fine," Kenshin sighed heavily. "I woke up wondering just how in the hell I wound up in a hospital bed, but they gave me a clean bill of health. Have you heard from Okita?"
The three exchanged uneasy glances. Kenshin bit his lip anxiously, waiting for a response.
"He's been staying with Sano," Misao explained hesitantly.
"Kenshin," Kaoru touched his arm lightly to get his attention. He looked at her and frowned at the sad look in her eyes. "Okita wouldn't even sit with us at lunch yesterday. Sano said he wanted to back off and just bide his time until graduation."
"Back off from what?" Kenshin demanded. "Why would he do that?"
"Apparently, Hiko told him to stay away from you," Aoshi clarified. "He thinks it will be for the best. For both of you."
Kenshin could not believe his ears. He shook his head fiercely.
"That's stupid," he decided. "Okita's my friend. None of this was his fault." They walked up the school steps, pausing at the doors before they would all go their separate ways. Kenshin set his jaw in determination. "You'll see. It'll be fine."
^_^
Lunchtime found the little group sitting at their usual table, chatting lightly as they slid into their chairs. Kaoru and Misao discussed their Chemistry lab while Sano begged Aoshi to help him with his Trigonometry. All conversation died, however, when Kenshin quietly walked up to the table and took his seat. He did not even look at his friends as he sank down, bag dropping to the floor beside him despondently, head going into folded arms on the table.
Sano reacted without conscious thought, reaching out to rest his large hand on Kenshin's back. Kenshin clenched his fists and jerked one arm out, smacking Sano away. Startled, Sano drew back, glancing to the others for some help.
"Kenshin," Kaoru started.
"He won't even look at me!" Kenshin snarled, lifting his head from the table in a sharp movement just to stare at its surface furiously. "I tried to talk to him, and he just mumbled something stupid and walked away from me!"
"Kenshin, give it some time," Kaoru tried again. "This happened on Saturday. It's barely been three days."
"I don't want to give it time!" Kenshin's voice broke at the end of his sentence, and he coughed with a sudden violence, face hiding in his arms on the table once again. A long shudder ran through him, and he shoved his hands up into his hair, fingers clenching brutally in the tresses as he fought to muffle his soft sniffling.
"Oh Kenshin," Kaoru scooted closer to him and gently pulled his hands away from his head. He retreated into her embrace willingly, not caring that he was in the middle of the crowded cafeteria, crying into her shoulder. His arms wrapped up, hands clutching at her shoulders in desperate need for comfort. Kaoru just hugged him tightly, sympathetic tears flooding her own eyes as she did.
"Damn Hiko!" Kenshin sobbed. "God, I hate him!"
"You don't hate Hiko, Kenshin," Kaoru murmured gently.
"I do," Kenshin insisted unhappily.
"He loves you, Kenshin," Kaoru glared at some kids who were staring at them. They looked away quickly. She rubbed Kenshin's back lightly. "We saw him in the hospital Sunday when we came to visit. He was really scared, Kenshin. He blamed himself for this."
"He blamed Okita," Kenshin mumbled, words muddled by his tears and muffled by Kaoru's shirt. "He drove Okita away."
"Give Hiko time to cool down, and Okita will come back," Misao offered from the side.
"Hiko holds grudges," Kenshin shook his head a bit, red hair rustling down Kaoru's back with the movement. "And it's almost the end of the school year. He'll leave, and I'll never see him again."
"Son of a bitch," Sano growled, standing suddenly. "I'll go beat some sense into that twerp. He doesn't know what he's doing--"
"No!" Kenshin tore away from Kaoru without warning, twisting to face Sano. His eyes were bloodshot and damp, but his face was mostly dry. Of course, Kaoru's wet shirt declared where those tears had gone. Kenshin grabbed the collar of Sano's shirt and dragged him back down. "I will not let you beat up Okita."
"Why the hell not?" Sano scowled up into Kenshin's angry face. Kenshin's eyes just darkened, and he reached down to pick up his backpack.
"Because I'm going to," he said quietly.
^_^
"Sister..."
Callused fingers trailed along a folded and worn photograph. Dark eyes were bright with malicious pleasure. Enishi sat in his armchair, a damp towel still over his head although he had showered over an hour ago. His eyes took on a faraway glaze as he considered the blurred picture.
He would show her. He would win her back. After she had gone off to find the little brat, and somehow he had corrupted her. Oh, but Enishi would show her how wrong she had been.
"I love you, Sister," he told her picture.
But not yet. He was not ready yet. The drug should not have done what it did, and he regretted giving it to the brat. He hated bringing any attention to himself. But how was he to know that the brat would react so poorly to such a simple sedative? To knock him out was all well and good, but to leave the brat comatose for two days... that was a mistake.
"He's always messing up our best laid plans," he insisted. "Little waif. But don't you worry, Sister. I'll make sure he doesn't come between us again. We're meant to be together. That's why I found you. Still watching that brat. He clouded your vision. Contaminated you. I'll help you."
He brought the picture to his lips, lightly kissing it. Leaning back in his chair, he closed his eyes and imagined himself and his sister, walking together along the beach. In his dream, he saw the brat, washed up on the shore. He was bloody and broken and most definitely dead. Enishi smiled. He liked this dream. Yes. He liked it a lot.
^_^
Okita was miserable. His shoulders were hunched as he shuffled away from the school for the day. It had been more difficult than he had anticipated, avoiding Kenshin. The boy was determined.
By Thursday, Okita had managed to keep to himself pretty successfully. Tuesday had been the hardest, especially when he had glanced over during lunch to see the boy he considered his best friend crying onto Kaoru's shoulder. He hated to think that he was the cause of such a pitiful sight. Surely not.
Despite Kenshin's best attempts, Okita had managed to avoid or divert each and every one of his confrontations. It was almost Friday, the school day was over, and he considered himself home free. Kenshin had not even given him so much as a glance all day. Okita hoped that the boy had just given up.
Stars flashed in his vision suddenly, and Okita staggered to the side, dropping his book bag to hold his jaw instead. Astonished that anyone would attack him while he was in such a public area, he looked to see who had hit him. His eyes widened further in shock when he found himself staring into a set of angry violet orbs.
At first, he had no idea how to respond. Usually, one would return the punch or speak in anger. However, when speaking to his former-best friend, that was not necessarily appropriate. Okita could not bring himself to do it. So he settled for sullen defiance.
"Shouldn't you be at track practice or something?" he asked quietly, turning to continue on his way.
"Don't walk away from me, Okita," Kenshin ordered, just as quiet.
"Give it up, Himura," Okita barely glanced at him, not stopping. "You have other friends."
He saw the next punch coming and reacted as years of karate had taught him. Kenshin looked as startled as Okita had ever seen him as he went tumbling to the ground. Okita had not intended to knock the boy off his feet, but if that was what it would take, then so be it.
"Go home, Himura," he said softly, turning to leave.
Kenshin shoved his feet into Okita's, tripping up the slightly taller boy. Okita pitched forward, barely catching himself and scraping his palms in the process. He twisted on his side to look at Kenshin incredulously, but the other student was already up and moving again.
"Why won't you talk to me, Okita?" Kenshin demanded, stepping over Okita so that he straddled the other boy. He stooped down to glare into Okita's dark eyes. "I think I at least deserve to know that."
"What?" Okita shot back sarcastically. "Hiko didn't tell you?"
He caught Kenshin's shirt and yanked the redhead down, easily pulling him off balance and rolling over to pin Kenshin on his back. He gripped Kenshin's shirt in tight fists, straddling his chest and staring into cold, violet eyes.
"I don't want Hiko's reason," Kenshin growled. "I want yours."
Okita grunted as a fist struck the side of his face. In the next instant, their positions were switched, Okita on his back in the grass with Kenshin on his chest.
"If I'm going to lose my best friend, I want a damned good reason!" Kenshin all but shouted at him.
"I almost got you killed!" Okita snapped. "What other reason do you need?!"
"You never could have known!" Kenshin retorted.
"You were in the hospital for two and half days!"
"Because of someone else!"
Okita shoved Kenshin off his chest and scrambled to his feet, fully intending to leave that pointless fight. They were starting to attract the attention of other students, who were all itching to see a good fist fight. Soon, the teachers would come to break it up.
"Goddamn it, Okita!" Kenshin was up faster than Okita had expected, hands reaching for Okita's shirt. This time, Okita wanted him down for good. He did not want to hurt Kenshin, but he would get his message across. He flipped the petite redhead.
The plan was for Kenshin to land flat on his back. The breath would be knocked from his lungs, and he would be dazed for minutes to come, allowing Okita time to make his retreat. That was the plan. Of course, like so many thought-out strategies, this one did not take into account one vital variable: Kenshin's extensive knowledge of martial arts.
Okita was not quite certain how it happened. One minute, he was prepared to slam his best friend into the ground, and the next, there he was, gasping for air. He stared up at Kenshin, who had somehow ended up on his feet after all of that, barely aware of anything other than those tormented, tear-filled eyes. Distantly, he heard the raucous hoots and cheers of other students, but he was too busy listening to Kenshin's terse voice to notice anything else.
"You and Hiko are both idiots," Kenshin told him. "I can take care of myself as well as anyone can. I don't need you two deciding what's best for my future."
Okita's only response was a wheezing breath of air. Kenshin's features softened a bit, and he shook his head.
"Dummy," he muttered. "Are you okay?"
"Funny thing to be asking the person you just laid flat," Okita gasped.
"Hiko was wrong, you know," Kenshin did not offer to help him up, and it was just as well. Okita would not have accepted it.
"Hiko threatened to file for a restraining order," he said darkly.
"He would never get it pushed through before I turn eighteen," Kenshin replied easily. "And even if he did, as soon as I'm a legal adult, the order becomes void unless I sign it. Which I won't."
"You're a fool," Okita glared at him.
Kenshin flinched, not expecting that.
"If you think you can shove me around to get me to listen to you, you're mistaken," Okita moved stiffly, picking up his bag. "Stop trying. Maybe Hiko's not your father, but he's damn close to it. Listen to him for once. It'll save us both a lot of pain."
Disbelief plain in his face, Kenshin stared after Okita as the boy walked away.
"Okita!" he called sharply. "This isn't over!"
"I think it is, Kenshin," Okita glanced over his shoulder, pausing in the midst of the students who had parted for his departure. Kenshin's eyebrows crunched together anxiously.
"I can't just walk away," he insisted.
"It's not like you don't have other friends, Kenshin," Okita wished he would have left it at that. But his horrible tongue went and pushed him that one extra step. "Not to mention your life isn't exactly boring is it? You've got Shinta--"
Kenshin had such an odd expression on his face. Okita thought he might stab the boy in the stomach and see the same look. Oh, and he twisted that knife.
"Aya, and... Rurouni, was it? Stupid name. Just escape from reality for awhile, why don't you?" he felt like he was watching himself, speaking those words he never should have considered. Kenshin was gasping, not getting in enough air, perhaps. "Let Shinta come out to play. Tell Rurouni to come out here and kick my ass. Aya? That the girl? You look like a girl sometimes. No wonder. She can come out and kiss my ass for all I care. So don't tell me you can't walk away."
He walked away, leaving Kenshin doubled over and shoving people away when they tried to aid him. He did not look back, not wanting to see Kenshin staggering and collapsing to his knees. Soft gasps and worried cries rose behind him, and he took off, sprinting away as fast as he could so as not to be present while Kenshin coughed violently, his face pinched, hand over his mouth, as he struggled not to cry in front of a crowd.
^_^
On Friday, neither Kenshin nor Okita went to school. News of their fight spread like wildfire in a dry field, and soon there was not a soul in Central High who did not know about it. Rumors were flying.
"I ought to send Okita into the emergency room for what he did," Sano said dangerously as he shoved his lunch around on his tray.
"Have you seen him recently?" Misao asked uneasily.
"The bastard won't return my calls," Sano muttered, not mentioning that the messages he left on Okita's answering machine usually consisted of threats of serious bodily harm. Of course Okita would not return his calls.
"I heard Kenshin threw up outside of the school," Kaoru grimaced. "Is that true?"
"No," Sano shook his head and glared at the tangled, sticky mess that was supposed to be his spaghetti. He sighed and ran a hand over his hair wearily. "He waited until after I dragged him home to do that."
"I thought Hiko had come to get him," Misao remarked, proving that fact and fiction had meshed until no one really knew the true details of the previous day's fight.
"Hiko didn't even know until I brought Kenshin home," Sano scowled. "That idiot Okita is lucky I got there after he started running away. And lucky Kenshin was shaking so much. I thought I was going to have to take him to the hospital again."
"But he's okay," Misao said urgently.
"He's not in the hospital," Sano shrugged.
"Kenshin is fine," Aoshi said quietly. "He will recover. It is Okita who will have to deal with the consequences of his actions."
"Didn't you talk to him last night?" Kaoru asked hesitantly.
Aoshi frowned. He had not intended to bring that up in front of Sano, but he now had the attention of the other three students locked on him. He sighed.
"Yes," he nodded. "I will say that he is upset over how things went. Other than that, it is not my place to comment."
"We still doing our Friday night thing?" Misao asked abruptly.
They exchanged uneasy glances before Kaoru shook her head.
"I talked to Kenshin this morning," she murmured. "I'm going to his house tonight. I don't know when I'm coming home."
"I told my parents I would take Yahiko and his girlfriend to a movie," Sano admitted grudgingly. "Tonight's as good a time as any to do that."
Misao pouted a bit, and Aoshi reached out to pat her hand awkwardly.
"If you want to come over still, I'm sure we can find something to do," he offered.
Misao's face brightened, and she nodded.
"Thanks, Aoshi."
He nodded solemnly, and the group went back to eating their lunches in silence.
^_^
Okita kept his head down when he returned to school on Monday. He slouched down behind his desk in second period English, dreading the thought of spending an hour with Kenshin in the same room with him. He was all too aware of the curious stares he received, knowing everyone wondered just what was up with the dark-eyed boy who had humiliated his best friend outside the school.
"Way to go, Okita," a smooth, mocking voice invaded his ears. Okita lifted startled eyes to look at the other senior, his surprised expression rapidly changing to annoyance when he saw Shishio standing near his desk. The other boy smiled, full of teeth. "I heard what you did. Smooth."
"Go pick on someone else, Shishio," Okita glared at the grinning boy. "I'm not in the mood for your word games."
"Suit yourself," Shishio shrugged and walked away easily, smacking the back of Okita's head as he went.
Okita winced and rubbed his head absently, glaring moodily down at his English essay. His eyes widened in surprise when a hand holding small package wrapped in newspaper appeared in his line of vision. He stared at that package as the hand set it on his desk and retreated. Blinking, he looked up to stare into Kenshin's familiar face in shock. The boy's face was overly pale, dark smudges under his eyes proving he had slept poorly the past few days. Kenshin wore an unsmiling expression, but there was no anger in his eyes. No pain, no resentment. Just solemn understanding.
"Happy birthday, Okita," Kenshin said quietly. Okita opened his mouth to respond, but Kenshin continued, not letting him speak. "I had gotten you a card, but it did not survive its encounter with the paper shredder. I couldn't fit this into the shredder..." for a moment, Okita thought Kenshin would leave it at that. He held his breath, staring at the smudged newspaper that wrapped the gift. His eyes caught on the Garfield comic strip. It was that morning's paper. Kenshin finished, the strain in his voice proving how he struggled to say the words, "I hope you like it."
Turning, Kenshin walked across the room to his desk. He never glanced back at Okita, even as the dark-eyed boy turned the package over in his hands, examining it. It was not big, smaller than the paper on his desk. He could hold it easily, and judging by the thickness, he would have guessed it to be a book, but the feel of it was wrong. Unable to contain his curiosity, he gently unwrapped it, revealing the gift inside.
It was a picture frame. The frame was very plain, the silver-plated metal process-blackened and dull. It was the photograph that drew the eye, and Okita swallowed hard against the lump that rose in his throat.
It was a picture that had been taken some time ago, after one of Kenshin's track meets. The triumphant track star was grinning from ear to ear, red hair messy and damp around his face--it had been a hot day. He had one arm flung over Okita's shoulders, his other arm hooked through Sano's. Aoshi looked uncomfortable on the other side of Sano, caught in Misao's awkward headlock. Kaoru was just behind Kenshin, her head between him and Sano, one arm wrapped around Kenshin's waist while her other hand flashed the 'peace' symbol at the camera.
That was not it. Okita heard the distinct sound of paper shifting when he moved the picture frame. Uncertain, he turned the frame over and unlatched the back. He tugged the back open and discovered what had caused that noise. There was a second photograph--a much older one by the looks of the yellowed paper. He picked it up, hand trembling as he stared at the man in the photo.
"Dad..." he whispered.
The teacher was speaking in the front of the class. The kid sitting behind him slapped the pile of essays against Okita's shoulder to gain his attention. Dazedly, Okita took the pile, added his paper to it, and passed it forward. Then, he tuned out the rest of the class, completely focused on that man in full military uniform, grinning at the camera as he held the hand of his new wife. The man with brown hair and sparkling, happy blue eyes.
^_^
The warm air was comforting as it caressed his face. Kenshin concentrated on the feel of his feet pounding against the rubbery, rough surface of the track, his hair slapping his back, his breathing, heart pumping in his exertion. These were all very real sensations that locked him to the world. Lunch would be over soon, but he did not have class sixth period, and he could always get an excuse for skipping seventh. So on he ran, circling the track continuously, mile after mile, time eating away the distance as much as his feet.
All he could think was that he was going crazy. His mind was a tumult of confusion, insisting his eyes were not playing tricks on him. Another part of him balked, retorting that none of it was real, that it was just another day of school. He was just another high school student, graduating in under two weeks.
He had seen her in the hall after second period, leaning against the lockers. When he checked again, she was gone. Fourth period, he thought he saw a pale face surrounded by dark hair peering through the window of the classroom door. She disappeared just as quickly, making him doubt himself. And all through fifth period, he had been distracted. The PhyEd teacher had even shouted at him, demanding to know why the boy who was usually such an adept soccer player was getting pushed around on the field. Kenshin could not give her an answer.
So he obtained permission through the PhyEd teacher to run on the track during lunch. A girl he had met in his Gym class--named Omasu--agreed to tell his friends where he was, so he did not think they would be worried about his absence.
Kenshin wished he could have spoken more with Okita after second period, but he told himself it was better to wait to see if the boy sought him out. And after he had first spotted Tomoe... or thought he had, in any rate... Kenshin nearly forgot about it altogether.
Rounding the track to complete his fourth mile, Kenshin was startled at the sight of the familiar person standing off to the side. He would have hoped that person to be Tomoe or Okita, or even another of his friends, but such was not the case. Instead, he focused on that mess of white hair, dark eyes laughing at him. He slowed.
"Hello, Kenshin," Enishi greeted him jovially as he came to a gradual stop. Kenshin walked toward the man uncertainly, absently swiping at the sweat that had gathered on his lip and sniffing lightly.
"...Hello, Enishi," he replied. "What are you doing here?"
"You went into a coma on my couch and you think I would not be concerned?" Enishi held a hand to his chest as if greatly offended by this prospect. "My boy, I am hurt."
Kenshin nodded slowly, not quite accepting this as truth but acknowledging the man's words.
"I appreciate your concern," he said slowly, carefully choosing his words. "I am fine. Do you have a visitor's pass, Enishi?"
"Do I need one of those?" Enishi waved his hand in a dismissive gesture, deeming that bit of information unimportant. "I never actually went inside the school."
"You're on Central High School property," Kenshin shifted, moving toward the school doors. "You're not allowed to be here without checking in first. They like to know everyone who visits."
"Pity," Enishi's smile disappeared like it had never been. "But I'm afraid I don't care."
"I have to go now, Enishi," Kenshin said quietly, moving toward the school doors steadily. "Thank you for checking to see--"
He cut off when a hand closed around his upper arm, bringing him to an abrupt halt. Eyes narrowing in distrust, he looked up into Enishi's menacing grin.
"I'm not through talking with you yet," Enishi's smile broadened. Kenshin's eyes widened to their fullest possible extent when the man dipped his head and hissed one final word into his ear. "Battousai."
Notes: Ah, another cliffhanger. Sorry. I broke this Enishi thing into three sections, as he rather deserved more than a momentary mentioning.
Huh. That gift Kenshin gave Okita was ahhh… I don't know much about what guys give each other on their birthdays—if they do that kind of thing—but I do know that gift was a rather girly thing to give. *shrug* Sorry. It fit the moment.
And yet another Random Omake (Thought it'd be nice for a change)
Kenshin: *sitting in Hiko's office, pushing things through the paper shredder while humming to himself* Wonder if this will go through!
*Sunday newspaper shreds through the machine. Kenshin is humming. (Fitz joins in, singing painfully loud, "Jeremiah was a bullfrog!")*
Kenshin: And this…
*Thin magazine rumbles through the machine. Kenshin is still humming. (Fitz starts singing again, "And now that we're dancing, who cares if we ever stop!")*
Kenshin: *Contemplates another magazine, shrugs, and pushes it through* Wow…
*Penthouse gets minced. Kenshin is still humming. (Fitz sings again, "And then I saw her face! Now I'm a believer! Without a trace! Of doubt in my mind!")
Kenshin: *Picks up next available object and pushes it through* Oro! Whoops! Uh… heh heh. That's one powerful shredder. *tiptoes out of office*
Hiko: *Walks into office and looks around. His face gets very red, eyebrows twitching like crazy.* My… magazines… My… white… mantle… KENSHIN!!!!!!
(And Fitz sings, "I tried so hard, and got so far. But in the end, it doesn't even matter!")
Hiko: And will someone stop that infernal singing?!
*End*
(Fitz starts singing, "Do your ears hang low? Do they wobble to and fro? Can you tie them in a knot? Can you tie them in a bow?" to the tune of Turkey in the Straw. Hah! I had that in my head all morning the other day. Thought I would go mad.)
Shorter OmakeEnishi: I'm not through talking with you yet, Battousai.
Battousai: What are you talking about? I'm over here, you moron.
Enishi: Eh?!?! *Looks back to person whose arm he's holding* Eh?!?!
Lucille Ball: Hello, darling.
Fitz: o.O *Falls over*
Reviewers: I'm so pleased I got such a… well, enthusiastic bunch of reviews. At least no one hates me. (Strangely, I only see people hating characters of the story right now.)
Jason M. Lee: Again with the violence! Although Enishi probably deserved it.
Crystal: Here. *hands Crystal a tissue*
Li: Glad you liked the overnight scenes in earlier chapters. And although your plea was moving, I will not tell you who ends up with Kenshin, Okita, or anyone else thus far. Sorry, but that would just be a disappointment later on, don't you think?
mae: Wow. You do? And I thought everyone preferred the light-hearted sap. *Shrug* Shows how much I know. *Grin* And proves that I'm not the only one out there who likes a bit of drama!
sammy-chan: No, Shuuichi's from YuYu Hakusho. Better known as Kurama. Although, I don't think he has any romantic interests in the show—straight or otherwise. And thanks for the compliment.
nemo:
tenshineko: Whoa! *leaps away from the comment about Enishi and Kenshin and… that* No! Nononononono! *am now traumatized for life* (not really. I've seen worse. *thinks of Lina/Prince Phil pairing and shudders*)
marstanuki: I used to like Makoto, but now I think Minako is my favorite of the scouts. Glad you like my story so far.
Black Soul: Ahhh, Kenshin's fine. I never considered Okita the slapping type. *smirk* Am I continuing fast enough? I don't want to overwhelm everybody. Some of these chapters are rather long—to me at least. I'm trying to balance this, my puny social life, hopefully a job, and school, so please be patient. And I'm not evil. I'm a SPAZZ!!! At least, according to many friends and classmates.
Oryo: As always, it is a pleasure hearing from you. And Kamatari is always glad to oblige. He liked dancing with Kenshin and Aoshi. (He admits he liked dancing with Aoshi more.)
Vesca: Whoa. A takeoff of the old Batman show. *blink* I used to watch that! *feels old, then grins* BAM! WHAP! (The sounds of Okita and Kenshin's censored fight.)
Hitokiri Gentatsu: I'm always happy to be of service. Look! There's Enishi again!
Koneko-chan: Nice try, but I was loath to put that guy in my story. Granted, I inserted his sister much earlier, but she never had a speaking part. Actually, it was another person from Fushigi Yugi—Hotohori. If you've seen the show, then you'll know why I picked him. If not, well… those two are such a cute couple! The most supported male/male coupling out there, I swear!
Tydepul: Thanks for the advice. I'm afraid I do tend to ramble. It's a curse. But I will certainly work on that in future stories.