Standard
disclaimers apply.
Part
3- When Friends Care...
"Chikuso!
Where is that foul-mouthed chicken-head?!?" Tsunan muttered angrily under his breath. He had been away all week
gathering info and materials for an upcoming article and when he returned, much
to his dismay, his shared residence was in an utter mess.
Though
hard to believe, it was not typical of Sano to leave visible mess lying around
just like that. Unless he was in a rush. Sure, he doesn't even help lift a
finger when it comes to the dojo. He wouldn't be caught dead doing chores like
Ken-san by the little brat or Kaoru. He
wouldn't have earned the title of free-lodger that way. Both Tsunan and Sano
were too young to join most of the major battles of the Sekihoutai and they did
most of the minding and keeping in camp.
-Hell, he can even nurse wounds and tend to
the sick well. That bird-brain wouldn't have survived this long if he couldn't-
Tsunan chuckled to himself, remembering the first time he was shot and how
dedicatedly efficient Sano was at nursing him back to full health. It's a
caring side of Sano that does not surface too frequently.
By
the looks of things, Sano had rushed out immediately after waking up. Empty
sake bottles from the previous night were carelessly littered all over the
floor. Tsunan wondered where all the money to buy them came from.
It's
been a while since Sano last gambled. His abstinence from gambling had
surprised everyone, but not without winning support. Tsunan knew exactly where
he was and decided to head there himself. Hopefully, it would help shed some
light, to the current mood of things.
***
"Oi,
Kenshin! Just leave it, okay! Why don't you ask Jo-chan out for a walk instead?
Bring her to town or something?" Sano offered, " Never …get a pregnant woman
upset, -Otousan-," he teasingly added, winking mischievously as he did so. He's
been coming over the dojo more often than regularly, helping Kenshin out with
little chores. But of course, they were really little, he made sure they were,
and only Kenshin was aware of his help.
"Arigato
gozaru yo, Sano. You've done a lot already. Demo, shessa think you should go
rest now, degozaru. Perhaps you can sit down and drink some tea on the porch
while shessa cook something nice for all of us today, ne?" Kenshin politely
replied.
"It's
okay, Kenshin, I don't mind cooking for you at all. Jo-chan really shouldn't be
alone and worrying hysterically, you know. That'll make her sick, and that's
not good for your kid," Sano argued.
"But
you've been cooking for us everyday!" Kenshin wailed. "That is more than enough
and shessa think you should have some form of break too!"
"So
far, there hasn't been a single complain of food poisoning, now, is there? And
no one knows I've been cooking here other than you and me, of course… plus I'm
pretty sure I'm not as bad as Jo-chan and besides, Yahiko's too busy helping
out at the Akabeko so he won't be back so early…," Sanosuke smirked
triumphantly.
"Why
don't you just do something fun with her and ease her mind for a change? Watch
a puppet show, …or bring her to the, no, not the temple, that's gonna get her
even more depressed… Che! Don't you understand women at all? …Your own woman?"
Sano's face faulted at his friend's denseness.
"Sano's
cooking? Sugoii! What are you cooking, my friend? Mind if I help?" a smiling
face suddenly appeared behind the window enigmatically. It was Tsunan. It
definitely has been a long time since he had last eaten anything that was
relatively cooked by Sano.
A
startled Kenshin greeted, "Tsu…Tsunan-san! What a great pleasure to see you!
When did you get back, de gozaru yo?"
"Just,"
he answered, looking a little distracted, Kenshin noted but decided to dismiss
that as travel fatigue. "I may have some news, but I'm not too sure though… do
you mind if I hang around for dinner, Ken-san?" Tsunan asked politely. All the
traveling had burned a huge hole in his pocket. That and supporting Sano's
drinking, he had discovered…
"What
are you doing here? And what news do you have that will possibly interest us,
huh?" Sano fired, sounding annoyed.
"No,
no, we don't mind at all. Please, Tsunan-san, you are always welcomed here, de
gozaru yo," Kenshin answered, ignoring Sano.
"Arigato,
that's very gracious of you, Ken-san," he briefly glanced at Sano and then
pointedly back at Kenshin, " I was in Nagoya the other day, checking out the
architecture of aged temples, when I happen to overhear some of the locals
conversing …"
"So
typical of you to pry," Sano muttered.
Ignoring
Sano's snide remark, he went on, "they were so full of praise for a female
teacher in their town. They spoke admiringly of how very pretty she was;
breathtaking, they said, knowledgeable yet humble, outgoingly friendly and
cheerful too…. And… on top of being good with the kids, she is highly skilled
and well versed in the art of fighting… sounds perfect doesn't she?"
"Uh…
Etto, …the baby's still not here yet, Tsunan-san, and … shessa still have to
discuss with shessa's wife… about our child's future … of course, education
included. … Ano… isn't it a little too soon, ne? … hehe ..." Kenshin tried
reminding him, sweat dropping profusely.
Tsunan
felt insulted. Not only was he being interrupted in his speech, he was also
accused of being dense as well. And of all the persons in the world, by
Kenshin, no less.
He
rolled his eyes in disbelief and continued, "No, I'm not suggesting you should
enroll your child, who is by the way, yet to be born, there… but doesn't it
sound kind of strange that this woman was from out of town and she can utilize
throwing knives very, very well?"
"Masaka!!"
Sano hissed, cutting his left thumb as he missed the carrot, "Kuso!"
"So,
I went to check it out…" Tsunan revealed.
"Well?"
Sano raised a questioning eyebrow.
"Well
what?" Tsunan asked, pretending not to know what his friend meant.
"Well,
what did 'cha find out, baka!" Sano shot back fiercely at Tsunan while sorely
sucking his bleeding thumb.
"Well,
… she does resemble a lot like… our missing Okashira friend, I guess. … I'm not
too sure, though, …'cos her hair was all down when I saw her. Has she grow up!
She's indeed a pretty 'lil thing now, I'd say!"
"What?!?
Didn't 'cha even talk to her? Ask her?" Sano questioned again. Shocked that
Tsunan did not even have the decency to do as said when he was so accustomed to
such practice in his work.
"I
wanted to… but she was all upset and crying at that time, I don't know …Perhaps
... perhaps she just wants some time to be alone ... to be away from everyone
she knew and knows her. Maybe that's why she decided not come here at all,"
Tsunan tried to reason, though he could not even convince himself.
"Darn,
that Shinomori! What did he do or
tell her this time?!?" Sano cursed, together with a string of unprintable
profanities.
"No,
... shessa don't think so," Kenshin offered after giving Tsunan's suggestion a
careful thought. "No, ...that's not the Misao-dono we know. ...She promised Kaoru that she'll be here to help.
...Misao-dono always keeps to her
word."
Kenshin
shook his head slowly, placid rurouni eyes lapsing into a look of worry as he
shared his conclusion, "Furthermore, she's not the irresponsible kind who
runs out without informing us or any of the Oniwabanshu. ...And she was supposed to be here four months ago.
She would have had at least sent word not to look for her if she's very upset,
so as not to have anyone worry about her. ...Shessa sense something very wrong here."
"And
so do I!" The three immediately turned their heads to the door, ashamed that
they were so wrapped up in their conversation that they had failed to notice
the intruder.
"Anata…"
Kenshin gasped.
[A short teaser this time. But i won't be writing much on them in this series. Comments would be lovely and most definitely welcomed. Actions will make a brief debut in the next chapter! Till then. Ja.]