ArtemisMoon: WOW! We hit 30 reviews already! I am having so much fun with
this story, and I am glad to see everyone else is as well. I promise more
WAFF is coming, but I need to work my way up to it, LOL! As for comments to
reviewers, let's see…Kyouhi: Someone likes my infamous cliffhangers? I am
in shock! Asaka-chan: The coat is just to hide Koishii and to provide some
humor. Kajun Spice actually thought of using the coat before she knew
Aoshi's coat existed! I guess Misao just has a thing for men in trench
coats, LOL! Gypsy-chan: I actually knew the history of the teddy bear and
should have thought to put it in! That was a very good idea! I knew from
reading a biographical novel on his two wives, Alice and Edith. BTW, it was
a very good book, but I cried when he died! ^_^ Chibi-Angel: I know we do
work fast, lol, but we spend so much time on the net talking to each other
its pathetic really! This would have been up yesterday, but we had ff.net
problems too and couldn't get on.
Kajun Spice: I didn't know the history behind the teddy bear so that was a very interesting history lesson, Gypsy-chan! And thanks to everyone else who reviewed!!!!! I'm glad ya'll like the story!!!! *Glances at ArtemisMoon nervously* Somehow I don't think this A/N is long enough to satisfy her.......anyway, on to the story!!
Thoughts are in {}
Author's notes are in ( )
Koishii
"I just can't believe he would do this to me!" Misao wailed at she sat outside. It had been less than an hour since she had spied on Soujirou and his "lady friend". Now she was sitting outside on the porch alternately sad and angry, whatever her mood dictated to her. Unfortunately for him, Kenshin found her angry!
"Misao-dono, is something wrong? It's late and you should be asleep de gozaru yo."
She turned and glared at him like he was the one fooling around behind her back! If looks could kill, Kenshin would be a little pile of cinders right now! His eyes widened and he cautiously backed off a bit, a wary look on his face. He could face Shishio Makoto without fear, but an angry woman had no equal in his eyes!
"MEN ARE SCUM!" Misao shrieked! Despite the danger, Kenshin jumped forward and clamped a hand over her mouth before she woke everyone.
"Misao-dono, PLEASE don't wake Kaoru-dono! Sessha will do anything, just please don't yell again de gozaru na!" The poor guy looked as panicked as he sounded at the idea of someone waking Kaoru up, so Misao took pity on him and nodded her agreement. Kenshin let out a sigh of relief and released her.
"Men are still scum!" she hissed!
Kenshin sweat dropped. Well, at least she was quieter about it! "What makes you say that Misao-dono?"
"That rat Soujirou has a woman in his room! I heard him talking to her and calling her sappy names like "koishii"! I have a few choice names for him, and when I get my hands on him, he'll never be able to talk again!"
"Oro?!?!"
"Don't 'oro' me Himura! I know what I heard, and I mean what I say!"
Her voice was beginning to rise again, and Kenshin waved his hands in a placating gesture. "Please calm down Misao-dono! Maybe you just misunderstood…"
"Which part did I misunderstand? The one where he said she was the only one who understands him, or maybe when he said he would have to keep her a secret from me?" Her voice had grown more and more sarcastic with every word, and poor Kenshin was at a loss of what to say.
They sat in silence for several moments, when out of nowhere her face suddenly brightened. "Maybe you can talk with him and find out what's going on! Will you?"
Kenshin gulped nervously. "Demo…"
She gave him the most pathetic look she could muster, and his resolve to not get involved shattered into a thousand tiny pieces. He sighed in defeat. "Hai, Misao-dono…"
She squealed and hugged him before running off to go to bed. Before she entered the house though, she stopped and turned back to him with a questioning look. "Himura, what are you doing up this late anyway?"
He smiled at her and shook his head. "Nothing important. Sessha just doesn't feel very well de gozaru."
A look of understanding dawned on her face. "You really shouldn't let Kaoru- san cook dinner you know. It would be terrible if someone died in their sleep!" She laughed lightly and went inside, leaving Kenshin alone.
Looking at her as she left, he thought it seemed as if nothing were wrong. He supposed she probably felt better now that she had help with her problem. He wished he could say the same.
Sighing, he gazed up at the moon and thought about his own little problem. Well, more like big problem.
{Sessha is such a coward. Misao-dono has no trouble telling other people how she feels about the one she loves, so why do I?}
He thought back to all the times Kaoru had shown some interest in him, and he had just panicked or pretended not to see each and every time. He knew it hurt her, but she had never backed down or given up. The knowledge made him feel relief, but it also made him feel like the world's biggest jerk!
He was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he didn't hear the door slide open.
"Kenshin?"
Kenshin jumped and almost fell off the porch and flat on his face, but recovered just in time! "Kaoru-dono!"
"Is something wrong? I caught Misao-chan sneaking in and she said you don't feel well." The night was dark but he could still make out the concerned look on her face.
He smiled to himself. Trust Misao to get the attention off herself by putting it on him. "Iiya, I'm fine Kaoru-dono. I just couldn't sleep de gozaru ka."
"What were you thinking about?" she pressed.
He frantically searched his mind for something to tell her, because he couldn't bring himself to tell her the truth! "Misao-dono asked me to have a talk with Soujirou!"
She gave him a look of suspicion. "About what?"
"Girls de gozaru na!" he squeaked before he realized what he was saying.
Kaoru didn't know if she should laugh or get angry. The thought of Kenshin giving Soujirou a lecture on girls was enough to make anyone laugh till they were in tears! But on the other hand, Kenshin knowing enough on the subject to talk about it was reason enough for her to put him in traction!
She finally settled on glaring at him. "Well, since you're obviously feeling better, I'm going back to bed! Goodnight!" She started to stomp back inside the house when he called out.
"Wait! Kaoru, sessha didn't mean…" He stopped suddenly when he realized what he said. She obviously noticed it too, because he had never seen her look so surprised.
"You just said my name without the dono! Wonders never cease!" She was smiling happily, and he could not help but return the smile.
"Gomen, Karou. Sessha didn't mean to make you angry." He felt a little awkward saying her name without the dono, but for a man that would pull out his teeth one at a time with pliers if it would make her happy, giving up one small word was nothing. (Accckkk, Kenshin without teeth! Horrible Image! Hey, don't laugh! It may happen if he keeps eating Kaoru's cooking!)
She shook her head at his apology. "I shouldn't have gotten upset." Her face darkened a bit. "But just watch what you say in your little talk, okay?"
Kenshin nodded quickly, and she smiled again. "Goodnight Kenshin and…Thank you."
His violet eyes widened in surprise as she turned and quickly shut the door. His face then relaxed into a smile as he thought about his first little victory. Maybe, just maybe it was a sign of things to come. He turned again to stare into the night sky and admire the stars.
He was alone again, but this time, he didn't feel quite so lonely.
ArtemisMoon: Man, that last part was hard! I really had to dig deep down into that bottomless pit of insanity I call my mind and try to find a few drops of seriousness. Truer fluffiness will be on the way as we work up to it, but it's getting there slowly but surely. Do you like it? Feedback is very, very appreciated. Thank you guys for reading! (Turns to Kajun Spice who has been handcuffed to the desk this time so she can't escape till she writes author's notes of a decent length.)
Kajun Spice: hehehe I guess I should have let you know that I have a key to the handcuffs! *Reaches in pocket and whips out key* And no, I will not tell you how I got it.....So far my contributions have been limited to the plot (and these authors notes that I can never write well) and Artemis has been writing the dialog. She's been doing a good job, don't ya'll think?? So leave a review to boost confidence. Heaven knows we'll need all the confidence we can get when it comes to the true fluffiness!
Kajun Spice: I didn't know the history behind the teddy bear so that was a very interesting history lesson, Gypsy-chan! And thanks to everyone else who reviewed!!!!! I'm glad ya'll like the story!!!! *Glances at ArtemisMoon nervously* Somehow I don't think this A/N is long enough to satisfy her.......anyway, on to the story!!
Thoughts are in {}
Author's notes are in ( )
Koishii
"I just can't believe he would do this to me!" Misao wailed at she sat outside. It had been less than an hour since she had spied on Soujirou and his "lady friend". Now she was sitting outside on the porch alternately sad and angry, whatever her mood dictated to her. Unfortunately for him, Kenshin found her angry!
"Misao-dono, is something wrong? It's late and you should be asleep de gozaru yo."
She turned and glared at him like he was the one fooling around behind her back! If looks could kill, Kenshin would be a little pile of cinders right now! His eyes widened and he cautiously backed off a bit, a wary look on his face. He could face Shishio Makoto without fear, but an angry woman had no equal in his eyes!
"MEN ARE SCUM!" Misao shrieked! Despite the danger, Kenshin jumped forward and clamped a hand over her mouth before she woke everyone.
"Misao-dono, PLEASE don't wake Kaoru-dono! Sessha will do anything, just please don't yell again de gozaru na!" The poor guy looked as panicked as he sounded at the idea of someone waking Kaoru up, so Misao took pity on him and nodded her agreement. Kenshin let out a sigh of relief and released her.
"Men are still scum!" she hissed!
Kenshin sweat dropped. Well, at least she was quieter about it! "What makes you say that Misao-dono?"
"That rat Soujirou has a woman in his room! I heard him talking to her and calling her sappy names like "koishii"! I have a few choice names for him, and when I get my hands on him, he'll never be able to talk again!"
"Oro?!?!"
"Don't 'oro' me Himura! I know what I heard, and I mean what I say!"
Her voice was beginning to rise again, and Kenshin waved his hands in a placating gesture. "Please calm down Misao-dono! Maybe you just misunderstood…"
"Which part did I misunderstand? The one where he said she was the only one who understands him, or maybe when he said he would have to keep her a secret from me?" Her voice had grown more and more sarcastic with every word, and poor Kenshin was at a loss of what to say.
They sat in silence for several moments, when out of nowhere her face suddenly brightened. "Maybe you can talk with him and find out what's going on! Will you?"
Kenshin gulped nervously. "Demo…"
She gave him the most pathetic look she could muster, and his resolve to not get involved shattered into a thousand tiny pieces. He sighed in defeat. "Hai, Misao-dono…"
She squealed and hugged him before running off to go to bed. Before she entered the house though, she stopped and turned back to him with a questioning look. "Himura, what are you doing up this late anyway?"
He smiled at her and shook his head. "Nothing important. Sessha just doesn't feel very well de gozaru."
A look of understanding dawned on her face. "You really shouldn't let Kaoru- san cook dinner you know. It would be terrible if someone died in their sleep!" She laughed lightly and went inside, leaving Kenshin alone.
Looking at her as she left, he thought it seemed as if nothing were wrong. He supposed she probably felt better now that she had help with her problem. He wished he could say the same.
Sighing, he gazed up at the moon and thought about his own little problem. Well, more like big problem.
{Sessha is such a coward. Misao-dono has no trouble telling other people how she feels about the one she loves, so why do I?}
He thought back to all the times Kaoru had shown some interest in him, and he had just panicked or pretended not to see each and every time. He knew it hurt her, but she had never backed down or given up. The knowledge made him feel relief, but it also made him feel like the world's biggest jerk!
He was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he didn't hear the door slide open.
"Kenshin?"
Kenshin jumped and almost fell off the porch and flat on his face, but recovered just in time! "Kaoru-dono!"
"Is something wrong? I caught Misao-chan sneaking in and she said you don't feel well." The night was dark but he could still make out the concerned look on her face.
He smiled to himself. Trust Misao to get the attention off herself by putting it on him. "Iiya, I'm fine Kaoru-dono. I just couldn't sleep de gozaru ka."
"What were you thinking about?" she pressed.
He frantically searched his mind for something to tell her, because he couldn't bring himself to tell her the truth! "Misao-dono asked me to have a talk with Soujirou!"
She gave him a look of suspicion. "About what?"
"Girls de gozaru na!" he squeaked before he realized what he was saying.
Kaoru didn't know if she should laugh or get angry. The thought of Kenshin giving Soujirou a lecture on girls was enough to make anyone laugh till they were in tears! But on the other hand, Kenshin knowing enough on the subject to talk about it was reason enough for her to put him in traction!
She finally settled on glaring at him. "Well, since you're obviously feeling better, I'm going back to bed! Goodnight!" She started to stomp back inside the house when he called out.
"Wait! Kaoru, sessha didn't mean…" He stopped suddenly when he realized what he said. She obviously noticed it too, because he had never seen her look so surprised.
"You just said my name without the dono! Wonders never cease!" She was smiling happily, and he could not help but return the smile.
"Gomen, Karou. Sessha didn't mean to make you angry." He felt a little awkward saying her name without the dono, but for a man that would pull out his teeth one at a time with pliers if it would make her happy, giving up one small word was nothing. (Accckkk, Kenshin without teeth! Horrible Image! Hey, don't laugh! It may happen if he keeps eating Kaoru's cooking!)
She shook her head at his apology. "I shouldn't have gotten upset." Her face darkened a bit. "But just watch what you say in your little talk, okay?"
Kenshin nodded quickly, and she smiled again. "Goodnight Kenshin and…Thank you."
His violet eyes widened in surprise as she turned and quickly shut the door. His face then relaxed into a smile as he thought about his first little victory. Maybe, just maybe it was a sign of things to come. He turned again to stare into the night sky and admire the stars.
He was alone again, but this time, he didn't feel quite so lonely.
ArtemisMoon: Man, that last part was hard! I really had to dig deep down into that bottomless pit of insanity I call my mind and try to find a few drops of seriousness. Truer fluffiness will be on the way as we work up to it, but it's getting there slowly but surely. Do you like it? Feedback is very, very appreciated. Thank you guys for reading! (Turns to Kajun Spice who has been handcuffed to the desk this time so she can't escape till she writes author's notes of a decent length.)
Kajun Spice: hehehe I guess I should have let you know that I have a key to the handcuffs! *Reaches in pocket and whips out key* And no, I will not tell you how I got it.....So far my contributions have been limited to the plot (and these authors notes that I can never write well) and Artemis has been writing the dialog. She's been doing a good job, don't ya'll think?? So leave a review to boost confidence. Heaven knows we'll need all the confidence we can get when it comes to the true fluffiness!