Disclaimer: Once upon a time (now), in a land far, far away (Fitz's mind), there was a disclaimer. This little disclaimer was a sad little disclaimer because no one ever read it. The disclaimer was unhappy because no one cared. So one day, Fitz went to the little disclaimer and said, "There, there, little disclaimer. It's okay. I need you." And the disclaimer replied, "Why?" And Fitz said, "because I love you." The disclaimer was so happy because it had finally found meaning to its little life. And with tears in its little disclaimer eyes, it asked, "Do you really?" And Fitz said, "Of course not. What do you take me for?" And the poor little disclaimer's heart was broken. Fitz rolled her eyes and said, "For heaven's sake! Here!" and she gave the disclaimer a girlfriend. They ran away and got married in a casino in Vegas. Mr. and Mrs. Disclaimer then lived happily ever after. The end.
Kaoru: Whoa. That was dumb.
Fitz: Admittedly.
Kenshin: And you all call me crazy.
Notes: *Sob* This is it. The second to last chapter. The last chapter will take some time to post because I am still adding things to it. They are irrelevant things that most of you probably won't read, but I want to put them in anyway. Yeah, so let's get to it.
Warnings: Shonen ai. Sap… yeah, lots of that. Soujiro holding a video camera.
Life's a Dance
Third period, Kenshin had psychology. He hated the class. How he had managed to get signed up for psychology when there were plenty of other social classes offered was beyond him. Around him, all the students were intrigued and enthusiastic, watching Sally Field play a woman with a serious mental disorder. He stared at his desk, wishing he could block out the little girl's crying in the movie. It was all he could do to sit still, his head in his arms on the desk, and pray for the class period to end.
"Hey, Kenshin," the boy behind him nudged his shoulder. "Mr. Greywers is looking at you."
Kenshin pulled one arm from under his head and reached back to swat ineffectually at the hand that poked his shoulder.
"You'll fail the next test," the boy said indifferently.
"I don't care," Kenshin hissed.
"I'm just saying--"
"I heard you," Kenshin lifted his head enough to glare over his shoulder at the student. "And I'm saying I don't care."
"Is there a problem over here?"
The two students looked up to see their teacher standing over their desks, arms crossed, a severe look on his face.
"No, sir," the student behind Kenshin said quickly. "I was just telling Kenshin that he should pay attention to the movie if he wants to pass the next test."
The students nearby who heard the boy all rolled their eyes and snickered amongst themselves. A sharp glance from the teacher convinced them to be quiet.
"Mr. Thompson, perhaps you should spend more time worrying about your own grades," Greywers suggested, and the snickering started again. "And Mr. Himura, if you would join me in the hall."
There were soft murmurs through the class, and Kenshin meekly followed the teacher out of the classroom. He shifted nervously on his feet, leaning more to his right as Greywers shut the door before turning to look at him. Mr. Greywers was one of the shortest teachers in Central High. That along with his hair that stuck out strangely on the sides of his head were usually the sources of great amusement for the students. Kenshin, being even shorter and having hair that was much longer than considered normal for a guy, never joined in the petty chatter.
"Mr. Himura, I understand you have a rather unique view on this particular chapter in psychology," Greywers said cautiously. "If you would rather do something else, I am certain I can come up with an alternative assignment."
Startled by the blunt address, Kenshin just stared at the professor. He did not think anyone other than the principal and school nurse knew about that.
"Excuse me?" was all he could come up with as a response for the moment.
Greywers' gaze softened in sympathy.
"The teachers were brought up-to-date on your history," he explained. "If seeing this movie where abuse is addressed bothers you..."
"Abuse?" Kenshin echoed blankly.
"That's what we were told, Mr. Himura," Greywers explained. "Abuse and trauma. I apologize if I seem rather cold about it, but--"
"N-no," Kenshin smiled weakly. "No, that's fine. That's all they told you?"
"Yes."
"Ah," Kenshin considered that. "Mr. Greywers, if I could do something a bit different then, I would appreciate it."
"You sound like you have something in mind," Greywers predicted.
"Well, we are studying personality disorders--and the movie is about MPD, right?" strangely enough, Kenshin was confident as he spoke.
"Yes..."
"I've only got four days until the school year ends, but I could probably scrape together a decent report," Kenshin paused, thinking about it, then nodded. "An actual case-study of multiple personalities. Would that work?"
"I've read almost everything out there on that topic, Mr. Himura," Greywers said doubtfully. "If you think there is a case out there that is not documented--"
"This is a pretty recent one," Kenshin smiled. "Just the past few years."
"Someone you know?" Greywers wondered.
"Something like that."
"Very well, Mr. Himura," the teacher smirked. "I am intrigued. You have my permission to write a report. Nothing too long. I have deadlines, you know."
"I'll do what I can, Mr. Greywers."
"Then get your books," Greywers opened the door. "I'll write you a pass--Hey!" he ran into the room. "Are you all children?! Sit down! Class isn't over yet! Just because I step out for a minute...!"
Kenshin chuckled and picked up his bag. He smiled triumphantly at the student who occupied the desk behind his and walked back out of the room. He glared dubiously at the wheelchair in the hallway, hating it but knowing he would not make it very far without it. He hoped Mr. Greywers remembered that he would need help to his next destination.
^_^
"I am never going to get this right!"
Kaoru giggled at the sight of the red-haired boy glaring at his trash can where the latest copy of his speech was crumpled into a ball on the top of a growing pile. Kenshin shut off the monitor of the computer in mild rebellion, standing and pretending to beat the machine into an unrecognizable clump of plastic and metal. Of course, he would never actually hit the computer. It was school property after all. He sighed and dropped back into his chair.
"Come on, Kenshin," Kaoru suggested. "You've been at it for over an hour. Take a break. You've got a computer at home. You can work more tonight."
"I'm going to make a fool of myself in front of the entire school."
"Only the senior class," Kaoru corrected. Kenshin looked at her. She shrugged. "And their parents, siblings, friends, and extended family."
"That is so comforting, Kaoru," Kenshin rolled his eyes. "Well then. What do you suggest we do? I have homework to finish other than this."
"I heard you got an alternate assignment for your Psychology class," Kaoru grinned.
"How is it that everything I do becomes a topic for rumor?" Kenshin sighed.
"Why'd you get excused from the usual homework?" Kaoru countered.
"We were watching Sybil."
"Who?"
"A movie based on a woman who suffered severe trauma as a child and wound up with multiple personalities."
Kaoru blinked.
"Oh."
"Yes," Kenshin saved his work to a disk and shut down the programs he had been using. "So you can see why I felt a bit uncomfortable sitting through that movie."
"Are you okay?" Kaoru asked immediately.
"Of course I'm okay," Kenshin frowned in mild irritation. He walked across the room cautiously, Kaoru walking beside him inconspicuously. She held the wheelchair still while he sat. He leaned back into the chair with a light sigh. "I will be so glad when I can get rid of this thing."
"I think it's kind of fun," Kaoru swished his ponytail playfully, earning a curious glance. "Okay, maybe it wasn't fun how you ended up in the wheelchair, but it's fun pushing you around the school in it. Which makes me wonder... when you give your speech..."
"No, I'm not delivering it while sitting in a wheelchair," Kenshin scowled. Kaoru just giggled.
"I can picture it now," she said dramatically, smiling at the school security guard when he held open the door for them. "Thanks," leaning forward slightly, she glanced down to see Kenshin looking up at her uncertainly. "A murmur rises through the crowd. 'Isn't there supposed to be another speaker?' 'I thought so.' 'Where is he?' 'Are those wheels poking out on the sides of the podium?'" She dissolved into hysterical giggling, even as Kenshin groaned and reached up to swat at her in mock anger.
"That's not funny!" he protested. "I'll stand. I can stand! I can even take my arm out of the sling for short times. It's just a dislocated shoulder."
"But you had a knife shoved into your leg!" Kaoru groaned. "I can't even begin to imagine what that felt like."
"Not pleasant," Kenshin blinked, looking up when Kaoru took his still-raised hand and squeezed it lightly. He gave her a pained little smile. "Actually, I don't know much what it felt like to actually get stabbed. By that point..." he trailed off uncertainly.
"Sano said you were like a different person," Kaoru squeezed his fingers again before dropping his hand to push him across the parking lot. "But that's done. Now, I hear you've found yourself a job for the summer."
"Granted, I can't do much for the next few weeks," Kenshin sighed. He brightened. "But the doctors thought it would be a good opportunity to start strengthening the muscles in my leg again."
"I'm surprised you managed to find a decent martial arts school around here," Kaoru commented.
"Actually, Hiko owns it," Kenshin smiled, glancing up over his shoulder in time to see Kaoru's startled blink. "Hiko does a lot other than just taking care of me, you know. He owns the martial arts school, has a small chain of art stores, and even puts some of his own work in his stores."
"All that pottery he keeps in that room he never lets you in?" Kaoru asked.
"Rub it in, why don't you?" Kenshin chuckled. "We all know he's afraid I'll hurt his precious pots. But yes, that's what he does."
"So you knew the owner of the school..." Kaoru said knowingly.
"Hiko owns the school, he doesn't hire the employees," Kenshin corrected. "Except for the master. Hiko hired him. I guess the guy came highly recommended. I think he's a little off, but his son is a nice guy, if a little hot-tempered."
"Say, Kenshin," Kaoru awkwardly loaded the wheelchair into her trunk while Kenshin leaned against the car. He gripped the passenger side door and looked over the roof of the little vehicle at Kaoru. She slammed the trunk shut and grinned at him. "Let's go there now. You can show me around, and maybe I can sign up for a class. Maybe you'll be my teacher."
"I doubt that," Kenshin laughed. "But that should be okay. I have to get my locker set up and get a uniform."
"A uniform?" Kaoru threw the car into gear and burned rubber as she sped out of the parking lot at Mach 2.
"Um... you're going twenty miles over the speed limit, Kaoru," Kenshin murmured anxiously.
"There aren't any cops around," Kaoru replied easily. "What kind of uniform do you have to wear? A little fuku?"
"You've been watching anime again, haven't you?" Kenshin mumbled, then yelped and grabbed for the dashboard as Kaoru tore around a corner at forty-five miles per hour. "This is why I hate driving with you!"
"I've never gotten you into an accident!" Kaoru laughed.
"You're crazy!" Kenshin retorted.
"I know!"
"And it's just pants and a gi!"
"What?!"
"The uniform! Pants and a gi!"
"What's a gi?!"
"A shirt!"
"Okay! Hold
on!"
"Oh shit!"
^_^
Kenshin and Kaoru made it to their destination in one piece, speeding ticket in hand.
"I can't believe I got pulled over," Kaoru stared at the paper in her hand in shock.
"You're lucky they didn't revoke your license," Kenshin admired the way his hands were not shaking nearly so much now that the car was stopped. "Next time I'll call a cab. It's safer."
"You're helping me pay for this!" Kaoru teased.
"If you recall, I was the one warning you to slow down," Kenshin shut the door and leaned against the car as Kaoru walked around the front to help him.
"More like shouting at me to stop driving like a maniac," Kaoru said thoughtfully. "But you have a point. Okay, I won't make you pay for my ticket."
"Your benevolence never ceases to astound me," Kenshin said dryly.
They were met at the door by a young man of average height with black hair and a confident, blue-eyed gaze. The black hair was not long like Kenshin's, but the back was longer and pulled into a short braid.
"Hey, Kenshin!" the boy greeted. "How's the leg?"
"It's healing," Kenshin smiled. "Ranma, this is Kaoru. Kaoru, Ranma Saotome. The master's son."
"Soon to be son-in-law, actually," Ranma grimaced, then smiled. "Nice to meet you."
"Likewise," Kaoru giggled. Her giggling increased to all-out hysterical laughter when she heard Ranma's next words.
"Well, Kenshin," the young man grinned confidently. "We can do this the hard way, or you can make it easy. What'll it be?"
Kenshin scowled. An minute later, he had his good arm wrapped around Ranma's neck while the pig-tailed boy hefted his light weight onto his back.
"You've lost weight, Kenshin," Ranma observed. "We've got to get you working out again."
"I'm going to have to talk to Hiko about getting an elevator installed in this place," Kenshin grumbled. "Just put me down at the top. I can walk okay once on level ground."
"Sure thing, Kenshin," Ranma smirked. "Oh, and Tendo-sensei got your uniform back today." Kaoru giggled again when Ranma winked at her. "He had to get it special-ordered to fit. He's too big for the kid's uniforms, but he's too small for the smallest adult clothing."
"That's our Kenshin," Kaoru laughed again.
"You guys are mean," Kenshin complained. "Put me down."
He slid cautiously to the floor, quickly finding his balance.
"Kaoru wants a tour of this place," he explained. "Are there any classes tonight?"
"Not until six," Ranma shrugged and glanced at the clock. "That's over an hour from now, and there's only the child beginner's class in the small studio. You should sit in. All those brats love you anyway."
"Ranma doesn't get along with children," Kenshin informed Kaoru as he led her down the hallway slowly.
"Whatever," Ranma rolled his eyes. "I have to get some last-minute homework done before the next class, so you two are on your own."
"Ranma doing his homework?" Kenshin gasped in feigned astonishment. "I never thought I'd see the day that happened."
"Shut up!" Ranma growled. "Pop said he'd make me quit this job if I didn't pass my classes this year."
Despite the boy's irritation, Kenshin just laughed. Ranma muttered under his breath, making Kaoru laugh again as well. Turning to leave, the blue-eyed boy turned to grin at Kenshin.
"Oh, and something came for you today," he winked at Kaoru, who just stared at him with wide, startled eyes. "It's in the main studio. See you later."
"Something in the main studio?" Kenshin blinked dumbly, glancing at Kaoru as if she could answer his question. The girl gave him a bright, blank smile and shrugged.
"How should I know?" she giggled nervously. Kenshin gave her a skeptical glance and pointed at the door. She uttered a sheepish, "Oh," and hustled to open the door. When he walked past her, she stopped him with a hand on his chest.
"Kaoru?" he looked at her in surprise.
"I hope you don't get too used to this," she said, a teasing glint to her bright eyes. "As soon as you can move around normally, we'll expect you to pay us back for all we're doing for you."
"I think I can handle that," Kenshin replied cheekily, stepping around her to lean against the door frame and fumble for the light switch on the wall. "And I do appreciate you guys all toting me around..." his fingers found the switch, and he flipped it even as he glanced over his shoulder at Kaoru. "I'll make it up to you. If you've put up with me this long, you deserve that much. Tha--"
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KENSHIN!!!"
Kenshin yelped, his subsequent jumping and whirling to face the room sending him sprawling back. Fortunately, Kaoru had been prepared for such a reaction, and she caught him, quickly wrapping her arms around his chest when he stumbled back into her. She grinned, able to feel his heart pounding wildly against her forearm. As Kenshin was too busy being in shock to bother with getting his feet beneath him again, Kaoru shifted her grip under his sling in attempt to keep from bothering his shoulder.
The main studio was fairly large. It had originally been designed to be a dance studio, thus the mirrors that lined one complete wall. At the moment, there were several card tables pushed against the mirrored wall, tablecloths spread over them. The tables were piled high with food--most of which Kenshin would not be eating. On the final table, separated from the rest by an empty card table, there was a pile of wrapped presents. Confetti littered the floor, brightly colored paper streamers and balloons hanging from the ceiling, and a stereo in the corner that had yet to be plugged in.
But Kenshin was looking at none of this. He was gaping at the multitude of people in the room, all grinning at him cheerfully. Chou, Kamatari, Sae, Tae, Soujiro, Hiko, Misao, Aoshi, Sano, and, of course, Okita were all there. Kenshin stared at them, mouth opening and closing, not quite certain what to say. Finally, he managed to stutter out a rather ungrateful-sounding response.
"My birthday's not for another two weeks."
Everyone laughed at his breathy declaration, enjoying his abashed smile as Kaoru nudged him back to his feet.
"We know it's not your birthday yet, silly," Kaoru told him.
"Sano's off to boot camp next Friday, Aoshi has an internship on the east coast sometime late this month, Sae and Tae's parents are taking them on a trip to Europe as soon as school's over, and the rest of us have jobs that make coordinating for a party difficult," Okita said brightly, moving forward to catch Kenshin's hand and pull the boy into the room. "You wouldn't deny us a party, would you? Even if it is a little early."
Kenshin grinned and impulsively threw his arm around the nearest person.
"You guys are great!" he blurted. "Thank you!"
Sano and Kamatari snickered at the sight of Okita's light blush and broad smile, knowing the boy was not at all unhappy with his position. Kenshin never noticed, being too busy with hugging Okita and looking around at the decorated studio to bother with wondering why they were laughing.
"Whatever," Chou grunted. "Can we have the cake now?"
"I'm glad to see you too, Chou," Kenshin's smile just grew as someone turned on a party mix CD. "Hiko, I'm surprised you're here."
"Your friends blackmailed me into coming, you idiot," Hiko smirked as he moved to tower over his charge. He dropped a hand on Kenshin's shoulder. "Call me if you're going to be home later than ten."
"Sure," Kenshin could not be bothered by Hiko's sudden departure. He knew the man was uncomfortable being the only adult around.
"Enjoy your party, kid," Hiko offered, tilting his head to glance at Kamatari. "You."
"Mm-huh?" Kamatari stared with wide eyes up at the giant of a man. "Mr. Hiko?"
"Keep your hands off Kenshin," Hiko said sternly.
Kamatari blinked, then blushed boldly as Hiko turned to leave. Kenshin growled, his voice rising as the man disappeared through the door.
"HIKO!"
"Let it be, Kenshin," Okita suggested, he along with Sano and Aoshi drawing Kenshin to the tables. He gasped as they hefted him off the floor. Quickly figuring out what they were doing, he folded his legs up and helped them as they put him on the empty table between all the food and presents. He sat on the slightly wobbly surface, laughing and a bit confused.
"You could have gotten a chair," he pointed out.
"This is so much more fun!" Okita replied lightly.
"That, and we couldn't find any chairs besides the one in your boss's office," Sano inserted dryly. "And he was sitting in it at the time."
"We can still put you on the floor, if you so prefer," Aoshi added in his deadpan manner.
"Gee, thanks," Kenshin drawled. "This is fine. Just as long as I'm not stuck here the whole time. Is that banana bread?"
"A recipe Hiko gave me," Misao slapped a few slices of the bread onto a paper plate and held it out. "He said you liked it."
"And Hiko's never wrong," Kenshin took the plate with a smile.
"Good thing Hiko's not around to hear you say that," Soujiro giggled.
"He'd just agree with me," Kenshin grinned back.
"And that whole thing about Mr. Hiko yelling at me to stay away from you?" Kamatari whined.
"He's just making sure nothing gets between Kenshin and Okita," Sano interjected, Misao adding a seductive growl beside him.
Kenshin and Okita both blushed, although Okita had a wide smile gracing his features. The dark-eyed boy never flinched under their friends' gazes, nor did he notice that Kenshin was looking at him, an odd, contemplating expression on his face.
"So, are you going to open the presents?" Kamatari asked abruptly, grinning at the boy who was concentrating on removing his sling. "Open mine first!"
"Yours first, hmm?" Kenshin smirked, then blinked when Kamatari shoved a box into his hands. "Okay."
A moment later, the wrapping paper was neatly folded and set aside. Kenshin lifted an eyebrow at the sight of the Daytons* gift box, then peered inside. His face turned an interesting shade of red, but he recovered quickly, embarrassment falling away as he got into the fun of the moment.
"Well, I can't say I'm all that surprised," he observed, setting aside the top half of the box. "Although I would love to know how you managed to find out about this."
"What?" Tae wondered.
"What did he give you?" Sae added.
Kenshin lifted the gift for everyone to see. Kaoru and Sano were the first to recognize it for what it was. They both burst out laughing. It was a long, black dress--remarkably similar to a certain dress hanging in Kaoru's closet.
"That's from me and Soujiro," Kamatari giggled. "You'll have to tell me if it fits."
"I have no place to wear it," Kenshin returned dryly.
"I'll take you to a night club," Kamatari offered.
"If Hiko doesn't kill you first," Kenshin smirked, folding the dress and putting it back into its box. "Thanks. Sort of."
"Next!" Misao declared, waving around a sloppily-wrapped object.
Kenshin grinned and continued with the gifts. From Misao, he received a pair of socks. They were quite cute, actually, with little pink pigs all over them. Kenshin was a little confused, but he just laughed and jokingly replaced his socks with the new pair.
Aoshi produced a gift certificate for a book store, which earned a lot of teasing.
"Didn't know what to get him?" Sano snickered.
"The last time I purchased Kenshin a gift, someone else gave him the same thing," Aoshi replied stiffly.
"How was I supposed to know you'd get him the same CD I did?!" Kaoru protested.
"For god's sake," Kamatari rolled his eyes and grinned at Soujiro. "You'd think that as siblings, they could compare gifts before wrapping them."
Soujiro just smiled and shrugged. Kenshin assured Aoshi that he loved the gift and intended to go shopping as soon as he had the chance. He moved on to the next present. It was from Chou.
"Sex for Dummies?" Kenshin stared at the bright yellow book uncertainly.
"Thought you might need a little tutoring," Chou smirked. Kenshin offered a pained little smile, tactfully ignoring how Okita held back a red-faced Sano.
"Thanks, Chou," Kenshin murmured, absently flipping the pages of the book. "Oh my. Um..." he quickly set the book aside, unable to contain his blush. "Well! That was an interesting one. Let's move on, shall we?" He picked up the next gift.
Sano had gotten Kenshin a sweatshirt with a bold-print ARMY on the front. Kenshin folded it on his lap and smiled brightly.
"You'll have to call when you graduate from boot camp, Sano," he ordered. "I want to come see you in uniform."
"I'll kick your ass if you don't come cheer me on after all those track meets I sat through," Sano winked.
Amusingly enough, Kaoru got Kenshin a gift certificate for Barnes & Noble(tm). The group was lost in their laughter for a good two minutes before Kenshin could even consider continuing opening his gifts. He set the gift card next to the other one and picked up the present from Tae and Sae. It was a plush puppy with soft brown fur and shiny black eyes nearly engulfed by the long fur. Kenshin hugged the stuffed animal and flushed with pleasure when Tae handed him a long-stemmed rose.
"For my wonderful prom date," she told him, kissing his cheek lightly.
Kenshin smiled and set the rose aside, still holding the toy dog on his lap. He tilted his head in curiosity as Okita reached under the table to produce a long, rather narrow box.
"This is from Hiko," he announced. "Smile for us all, Himura. The camera is getting all of this."
Startled by that announcement, Kenshin looked to where Okita pointed, only to see Soujiro, holding a video camera. Soujiro grinned, ever staring at the image on his own little screen, and waved a hand at Kenshin.
"This one is for Mr. Hiko, so he doesn't have to embarrass you or himself by staying here just to watch you open your presents," Soujiro explained. "But you didn't hear that from me."
"I can't picture him sitting down to watch a home video," Kenshin laughed. "And if you don't want Hiko to know I heard that from you, you'd better erase the first couple minutes of that tape."
Soujiro sputtered, his smile growing strained. Kenshin and the others laughed at his mistake, and the boy staggered as Sano clapped a hand against his back good-naturedly.
"The video is going to jump all over!" Soujiro complained.
"Watch it!" Kaoru said, quickly jumping to the boy's aid. For a moment, their amusement was forgotten as they regrouped. Okita nudged Kenshin's shoulder and pointed at the box.
"Oh!" Kenshin pulled off the wrapping paper and cautiously pried open the lid to the box. He stared at the padded interior, at the object yet encased in another bag. Everyone watched in anticipation as he lifted the item cautiously, his face a mingle of bewilderment, denial, and growing excitement. He glanced at Okita.
"Don't look at me like that," Okita grinned. "I don't know what it is."
"I know what it is," Kenshin murmured, untying the end of the bag. "I just can't believe Hiko would go out of his way to find one."
"A collector's item?" Tae wondered.
"Sort of," Kenshin's smile was gone. He was so focused on the thing he was unwrapping that he simply didn't think to smile anymore. The bag fell away, and his friends gaped at the long, slender object. "It's a katana."
"Whoa!" Sano blurted. "Is that thing for real?"
"It certainly appears to be," Kenshin ran his hand over the nylon that wrapped the sheath. With a slight shove of his thumb against the hand guard, he had the blade an inch free of the sheath. He frowned. "The blade looks funny though."
"It looks like the real thing to me," Sano muttered.
"Oh, it's definitely real," Kenshin flashed the brown-haired boy a smile, then pulled the blade a little farther out of the sheath. "See the curve to the sword?"
"Yeah..."
"The part that curves this way," he ran his fingers over the top of the blade. "This should be the cutting side."
"But the other side is sharp," Kaoru remarked.
"The blade is backwards," Kenshin returned with a funny little smile, snapping the blade back into its sheath and reaching for the card that came with the sword. He scanned the card, smirked a bit at the message, then unfolded the note inside. "Hiko has a spare katana at home, but he knows I hate practicing with it. This one..." Kenshin gave a short burst of laughter. "This must have cost him a bundle."
"You going to show us how to use that thing, Kenshin?" Chou asked, an excited gleam to his eyes.
"You'll have to forgive this lout," Kamatari giggled. "He has a thing for weapons."
Kenshin smirked.
"Come back when I can stand without worrying that I'll fall over," he advised. "Until then, I don't want to worry about how I'll hurt myself or someone else by waving around a sharp object."
"Spoilsport."
"Hey, Okita!" Misao hooked her arm around the boy's neck, dragging him down into a headlock. "Didn't you get anything for Kenshin?"
"Ouch..." Okita grunted. "Yes... It's still on the table."
Sure enough, there was another gift on the table. After meticulously re-wrapping the sword and returning it to its padded box, Kenshin set it aside and reached for the last gift. It was a green foil bag, white tissue paper poking out the top. Kenshin pulled out the tissue and gently pulled out the small item wrapped in more tissue.
"For god's sake," Chou grunted. "I've never seen anyone make opening presents such an ordeal! Just tear the paper."
"Kenshin's a neat freak," Misao giggled. "That would go against every neatness bone in his body--eh?"
In the meantime, Kenshin had finished opening his gift. His reaction to it was one that only Okita--or Hiko, had the man been present--could have anticipated. He recoiled from the object, dropping it as if he realized he was holding a poisonous snake. His eyes were dark with an emotion that could easily be misinterpreted as anger.
"Oh god," Kenshin's voice was breathy and strained. He stared at the rag doll on the table, uncomprehending. The doll was obviously worn from years of love, one button eye coming loose and the thread nose faded from black to a pale gray.
Wisely, everyone kept their mouths shut. Kenshin reached forward hesitantly, picking up the doll as he might a delicate baby kitten.
"Where did you find this?" he whispered.
"As you said, Hiko let me dig around a bit," Okita replied quietly. "There's more to your gift, though."
Kenshin's chin was already trembling, and when he looked up, the tears he had been holding back tumbled down his cheeks. He stared dumbly at the key chain Okita held up, then reached out a badly shaking hand to take it.
"I must have spent two hours discussing this with Hiko," Okita explained, carefully keeping his voice low. "Your family's old estate is still in your name. You don't have to go yet," he said that quickly, as Kenshin's eyes went wide with shock. "But when you're ready... well, there's the keys."
"Oh god," Kenshin gasped again, looking back at the doll in his hand. One hand went to his mouth, muffling a sob. "Oh, my god..." he made a wild grab for Okita, and a second later was hugging the boy tightly. Okita held him gently, glancing uncertainly at the others, none of whom looked like they knew how to deal with the crying boy.
"Kenshin, are you okay?" Okita asked finally. "Maybe I should have gone with that sweater you had your eye on."
"No," Kenshin shook his head, face still pressed into Okita's shoulder. "Thank you."
"So you like it?"
"Yes, Okita," Kenshin pulled back and smiled through his tears. "I love it. It's something I never expected."
"There's still one more part to your gift," Okita's bland smile turned mischievous.
"And what might that be?" Kenshin wiped his face dry, much to the relief of his friends.
"On your actual birthday, I want to take you to dinner and a movie."
The group snickered, the laughter quickly hushed as everyone waited in expectant silence for the response. A slow smile pulled at the corners of Kenshin's lips.
"Are you asking me on a date?" he asked slyly, making Okita blush.
"Well... maybe," Okita grinned. "Are you saying yes?"
"Well... maybe," Kenshin grinned back.
Misao couldn't hold her tongue any longer. She heaved a noisy sigh and planted her hands on her hips to offer the two boys a mock glare.
"It's about time!"
^_^
*Yes, I know it's Marshal Fields now. But everyone still calls it Daytons where I'm from. Heck, I'm still calling the gas station down the road Food & Fuel. It's something else now. Couldn't tell you what it is. (Note that Fitz also calls it Fued & Fool. A slip, I swear. I also flip 'bale of hay' around to be 'hale of bay'. Don't ask. I've been struggling with that for years.)
Guest stars:
1. Mr. Greywers: Anyone out there seen Slayers? Anyone not seen it? Zelgadis Greywers is the blue guy with a stony complexion. (We will not go into how many times he's been the butt of bad jokes and sexual innuendos.)
2. 'Mr.' Thompson: Random kid. Should I have put Smith? Or Doe. John Doe, at your service.
3. Ranma Saotome: Please tell me you all know who this guy is.
And we have yet another, Random Omake
Okita: *reaches under the table to produce a long, rather narrow box*
Kenshin: O.O
Okita: This is from Hiko. It's what he's going to put you in if you're not home by ten.
Kenshin: *falls over*
Sano: *peering inside the box* On the flip side, it's not all that bad a bed if you've got to be six feet underground.
Kenshin: You people are sick!
Notes: Okie dokey. The doll. Whether it belonged to Kouri (Kenshin's sister), Kenshin's mother, his cousin, his pet dog, or Kenshin himself, I will never reveal. It does not matter. If anyone is still confused on this, I will be more than happy to explain my interpretation of this.
And as for the sakabatou… it's something that never really gets explained in this story. We'll leave it at that. (That is, Fitz could not come up with anything at the moment.)
I will also warn you ahead of time. I am going to be a little mean, I suppose, with that 'family estate' thing. Don't expect to read about it in this story. You won't see it.
Reviewers: Hi there!
Jason M. Lee: A job! I have a job! Go Panera Bread/St. Louis Bread Company!
Vesca: The carousel is one of my favorite rides. You just can't go wrong with it. (It's nice on those rainy days when everything else is shut down.
mae: You seemed a little apprehensive. I can live with that. Hope this chapter lightened the mood a bit.
marstanuki: Not buying anything is sometimes good. I need to buy some new clothes. *eyes fraying wardrobe* Well, one more chapter now. And do you want a sequel? It's just kind of sitting there. I'm maybe a sixth of the way into it with some writer's block. If people express interest in a continuation of this story, I will certainly put my mind to it.
tenshineko: Kenshin's just as tall as he always is. (Stats say approx. 5'2"—I don't recall the metric conversion.) And there's no justice. There never is. I will note that I weigh far more than that, but as I am almost a foot taller than Kenshin, I can handle it.)
Oryo: I appreciate the insight. Delicate? My parents always called me the diplomat of the family, so I suppose it makes sense. I never really thought of it that way. I just didn't want to dig a hole I could not climb out of again.
Yami no Tenshi: Really? I thought I made Kenshin a little girly. Same with Okita, but it's easy to take liberties with that guy. And I try to respond to everyone. I love seeing response when I review. Please keep asking questions and reviewing. I love responding almost as much as I do writing the story.
Black Soul: No, Okita and Kenshin are not going to make out. No excessive tongue fighting in this story. I'm bad at writing that anyway. As for Battousai… well, he is still just a teenage boy, no matter how violent or strong he is. At least, that is my interpretation of things in this story. And a small knife may cause damage to someone unable to fight back, but it is not an efficient weapon. You want a good weapon, pick up an AK-47.
Koneko-chan: I can see where you'd get caught on the Tomoe thing. It was a little, easily forgotten comment by Kenshin during a conversation with Okita that informed you that no, he had never slept with Tomoe. I made her rather old in this story (well, not old, but older). Kenshin was somewhat infatuated with the woman who helped save him, but not much came of it. In modern times, not much can come of that without trouble from the law and—saying Kenshin was eighteen—discouragement from society in general. It is a thing most people avoid, regardless of their feelings. Sadly, love is not enough these days.
Li: I appreciate the suggestion. It is interesting that your school called it that. Every school around where I live calls it Senior Skip Day, so that is how I relate to it. And a lot of people out there seem to have something with wanting to be in Kaoru's shoes at that moment… I wonder why.