author's notes :
this is the chapter where things start to get interesting ... that's it ... aren't my notes short ? ... by the way, after reading this chapter, read the notes at the end ...
anata ^_^
Chapter 2 - Knight In Shining Armor
He drove for around an hour until the need to go to the bathroom purged his highway fun from continuing. He left the highway using the nearest exit in search of relief.
/ Damn those Kool Aid drinks in the prom. My bladder's about to burst and there isn't a single gas station in sight. / screamed Kenshin's mind frantically.
Just as he was about to lose hope, and control of his bladder, Kenshin spotted a bar. It was a pretty seedy place, littered with bodies of men who had lost in a brawl or had passed out from too much liquor. The parking lot was filled with motorcycles and a rundown car or two. Debating whether or not to enter, he ran in out of sheer desperation.
A kind, long haired biker pointed him to the men's room, wherein Kenshin was able to finally pee two gallon's worth of Kool Aid out.
When he walked out of the bathroom, the long line of men that had been waiting all glared at him. Their evil frowns were soon turned upside down though when Kenshin nervously offered to pay for a free round of drinks for everyone.
Luckily, no one recognized him as the corporate millionaire. Taking a seat beside the long haired biker, Kenshin ordered a tequila despite his ordeal earlier. He soon got into a heated argument about the usefulness of bombs and hand grenades, ending with an agreement that art, specifically painting, was just dandy. Pretty soon, the two newfound friends were laughing uproariously over their opposite views on politics in general.
The sound of the bar door opening caught their attention, as they watched the arrival of a woman clad in a flimsy peach colored tank top and short, tight black leather skirt which accentuated the curve of her hips. Her walk was sensuous. Her attire sexy. What betrayed her nervousness was the involuntary biting of her lower lip. Nevertheless, she sauntered right in.
All eyes followed the seemingly out of place woman, as she walked up to the bartender and ordered a lime soda. In less than two seconds, she was surrounded by men of all shapes and sizes who were all offering to buy her a drink in exchange for a little something.
" Is she a - ? " asked Kenshin
" Most likely. No decent woman would actually come into this bar. The only ones who do are those 'working', if you know what I mean, or women looking for a good time. " replied the long haired biker, whose name apparently was Tsunan Tsukioka.
/ I don't know why, but she looks so familiar. Who could she be ? / pondered Kenshin.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a brawl erupting. A man wrapped in bandages was threateningly waving a lighter at the group of men near the woman. The bandaged man was yelling something about Yumi being his, as his friend, a man with a receding hairline in a green coat, ran around and broke the bones on peoples fingers. The bikers dispersed, leaving the woman alone with the two seemingly crazed men. A look of combined distress and disgust was clearly marked on her face as the two men's hands kept ' accidentally ' brushing against her.
Maybe it was the influence of alcohol in his system, or possibly the fact that the woman's expression of distress was utterly endearing, that compelled Kenshin to do what he did. Before he knew what he was doing, he had walked right up to them.
" Excuse me Mr. ? I don't think the lady appreciates what the two of you are doing. " asserted Kenshin.
Astonished by the interruption, the three of them faced the direction of where the voice had come from. What they saw surprised them even more.
" Hey little lady, you're looking pretty hot. " murmured the man in the green coat, gently brushing one of his glove encased hands on Kenshin's face.
Sputtering in indignation, Kenshin could only gape in stupefaction at the incredible, though somewhat understandable, misunderstanding.
Regaining her bearing, the woman politely told Kenshin that she could handle the situation. She as well, apparently, had mistaken Kenshin for a woman, and she didn't want anyone else to get involved.
" I'm a man, goddamnit ! " yelled Kenshin at the top of his voice, causing all the people in the bar to turn their attention to him. Without warning, the two men suddenly attacked him, only to find out that he was no longer there. Finding their target once again, the bandaged man pulled out his lighter, as the other guy exposed a knife which had been hidden in his huge hideous green coat.
Kenshin, despite being weaponless, was ready to kick ass. With a couple of kicks and uppercuts, Kenshin was quickly able to dispose of the lighter - wielding opponent, leaving only knife guy to fight with. He turned to face the woman in hopes of gratitude, and was mystified to find a look of distaste on her features. He turned his concentration back to the fight. As he was about to knock knife guy into unconsciousness, the woman grabbed his hand with a look that pleaded for him to stop fighting.
" I can handle this. Now stop acting like some idiotic knight in shining armour. " the woman whispered.
He hesitated. That was all the time knife guy needed to stab Kenshin and lick the bloodied knife.
Pain engulfed Kenshin's body, as blood began pouring out of the wound. Despite the haze caused by the agony of the injury, Kenshin was able to grab a chair and smash it over his opponent's head. Due to the blood less, Kenshin's knees gave way. The last thing Kenshin heard before he passed out, was the sound of police sirens was approaching the bar.
Kenshin awoke to find the faces Tsunan and Hiko, worriedly peering down at him. Hiko Seijuro, a local policeman, had been a close friend and fatherly figure to Kenshin and Misao, ever since their parents had passed away. He was, in fact, the reason why Kenshin felt secure enough to allow Misao to live on her own, with only a few household helpers and bodyguards around.
" According to the witnesses in the bar, Kenshin, you are a hero. I don't need to ask you any further questions, since everyone testified to the other two being the cause of the brawl and the damage. Next time though, use more caution. You were pretty lucky that no internal organs were punctured. The medics have already patched you up, but they suggested that you stay off your feet for a couple of days and let the wound heal properly. Just remember, if anything had happened to you, Misao would be left alone. " reminded Hiko with a look of concern on his face.
" You should have told me what you were planning on doing and I would have backed you up or something. Plus that girl wasn't worth it. She didn't even bothering thanking you. Right after you passed out, she just walked right out. " added Tsunan.
With Tsunan's help, Kenshin was then able to stand up. Groggily, he thanked Tsunan for his help, and headed for his car as small jolts of pain echoed throughout his body.
/ What the hell was that woman's problem anyway ? It's her fault I got into this mess. If she hadn't interrupted me with that look, I could have easily finished them off. It's her fault that she's so … beautiful. What the hell am I thinking ? / admonished Kenshin's semi-drugged mind. / It's the painkillers I guess. /
Wondering whether he was physically and mentally able to continue driving, he suddenly caught sight of her. She was walking swiftly towards a nearby motel, after having made sure that her name wasn't involved in the bar fight. Kenshin did what only a half-conscious, semi - drugged, intrigued man would do. He followed her, at a safe distance, of course. He went up to the door of her room, pausing to consider whether what he was doing was influenced by his pride or the drugs. Either way, Kenshin knocked on the door, noting that the room number was 109.
Cautiously, she opened the door. When she saw that it was the same man with the x - shaped scar on his face she had met in the bar, she hurriedly tried to slam the door in Kenshin's face. He used his foot to prevent the door from closing. Realizing that there was no way she could forcibly prevent Kenshin from entering, she changed tactics.
" If you don't leave right now, I'm calling the police. " she threatened, her voice slightly quavering in fear.
" The police are on my side. I'm sure you saw that as you spied on what happened afterwards. I'm the hero. I'm the one who saved you from those two. I - "
" You did nothing ! I had the situation totally under control and you stepped right up and ruined it. Do you actually think I'd enter a situation like that without some sort of protection ? I brought pepper spray and I was ready to use it in case they actually tried something. "
Kenshin smirked.
" Pepper spray ? They would have had you on the floor in two seconds flat. One of them would probably have pinned you down while the other would have slowly lifted that tiny skirt of yours and - "
" Stop it ! I'm really going to call the police if - "
The fear in her voice eventually got to him. He hadn't meant to scare her or to let things get this far. He just wanted to get to see her again, but the situation was getting out of hand. There was just something about her that disturbed him. No one else had ever been able to lose his temper and control. She was doing one hell of a job. What scared him most was the fact that he cared about her, a total stranger.
" I'm sorry. " he muttered dizzily, as he suddenly felt the world spinning around him.
" I really will if - What ? What did you just say ? "
" It's the painkillers. After I got stabbed and all, I lost a lot of blood. I'm sorry, I wasn't really going to do anything to you. My mind's just really woozy right now, and when I saw you, I just snapped. "
" You got stabbed ? " she asked, as her eyes widened in surprise.
During that time, she had been to busy looking for her pepper spray, to notice that knife guy had indeed plunged a knife into Kenshin's body. Still somewhat suspicious, she slowly started to close the door, inch by inch. Before she could react, Kenshin collapsed in a heap, preventing her from closing the door.
to be continued ...
the next chapter's gonna be reeeeally romantic ... you better look forward to it coz i won't be uploading it yet ... i want to see first how many reviews i get ... honestly, if no one is reading my fic, why would i bother continuing it eh ? it would be a waste of time ... and so, pleeeease do a review ... none or few reviews tell me that no one likes it, so no reviews = no more new chapters ... sigh, i'm not being cocky about my fic ... i just want reviews !
you may be wondering who tsunan ( long haired biker ) is ... tsunan is sanosuke's artist friend who was shown in the earlier episodes of the series ... yep, the guy who wanted to blow up the government ^_^
... if you've watched the kyoto arc, then i'm sure you know who i'm ' lighter' ( who else is bandaged and is obsessed with fire ? ) guy and 'knife' ( the latter's main henchman ) guy are ...
this is the chapter where things start to get interesting ... that's it ... aren't my notes short ? ... by the way, after reading this chapter, read the notes at the end ...
anata ^_^
Chapter 2 - Knight In Shining Armor
He drove for around an hour until the need to go to the bathroom purged his highway fun from continuing. He left the highway using the nearest exit in search of relief.
/ Damn those Kool Aid drinks in the prom. My bladder's about to burst and there isn't a single gas station in sight. / screamed Kenshin's mind frantically.
Just as he was about to lose hope, and control of his bladder, Kenshin spotted a bar. It was a pretty seedy place, littered with bodies of men who had lost in a brawl or had passed out from too much liquor. The parking lot was filled with motorcycles and a rundown car or two. Debating whether or not to enter, he ran in out of sheer desperation.
A kind, long haired biker pointed him to the men's room, wherein Kenshin was able to finally pee two gallon's worth of Kool Aid out.
When he walked out of the bathroom, the long line of men that had been waiting all glared at him. Their evil frowns were soon turned upside down though when Kenshin nervously offered to pay for a free round of drinks for everyone.
Luckily, no one recognized him as the corporate millionaire. Taking a seat beside the long haired biker, Kenshin ordered a tequila despite his ordeal earlier. He soon got into a heated argument about the usefulness of bombs and hand grenades, ending with an agreement that art, specifically painting, was just dandy. Pretty soon, the two newfound friends were laughing uproariously over their opposite views on politics in general.
The sound of the bar door opening caught their attention, as they watched the arrival of a woman clad in a flimsy peach colored tank top and short, tight black leather skirt which accentuated the curve of her hips. Her walk was sensuous. Her attire sexy. What betrayed her nervousness was the involuntary biting of her lower lip. Nevertheless, she sauntered right in.
All eyes followed the seemingly out of place woman, as she walked up to the bartender and ordered a lime soda. In less than two seconds, she was surrounded by men of all shapes and sizes who were all offering to buy her a drink in exchange for a little something.
" Is she a - ? " asked Kenshin
" Most likely. No decent woman would actually come into this bar. The only ones who do are those 'working', if you know what I mean, or women looking for a good time. " replied the long haired biker, whose name apparently was Tsunan Tsukioka.
/ I don't know why, but she looks so familiar. Who could she be ? / pondered Kenshin.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a brawl erupting. A man wrapped in bandages was threateningly waving a lighter at the group of men near the woman. The bandaged man was yelling something about Yumi being his, as his friend, a man with a receding hairline in a green coat, ran around and broke the bones on peoples fingers. The bikers dispersed, leaving the woman alone with the two seemingly crazed men. A look of combined distress and disgust was clearly marked on her face as the two men's hands kept ' accidentally ' brushing against her.
Maybe it was the influence of alcohol in his system, or possibly the fact that the woman's expression of distress was utterly endearing, that compelled Kenshin to do what he did. Before he knew what he was doing, he had walked right up to them.
" Excuse me Mr. ? I don't think the lady appreciates what the two of you are doing. " asserted Kenshin.
Astonished by the interruption, the three of them faced the direction of where the voice had come from. What they saw surprised them even more.
" Hey little lady, you're looking pretty hot. " murmured the man in the green coat, gently brushing one of his glove encased hands on Kenshin's face.
Sputtering in indignation, Kenshin could only gape in stupefaction at the incredible, though somewhat understandable, misunderstanding.
Regaining her bearing, the woman politely told Kenshin that she could handle the situation. She as well, apparently, had mistaken Kenshin for a woman, and she didn't want anyone else to get involved.
" I'm a man, goddamnit ! " yelled Kenshin at the top of his voice, causing all the people in the bar to turn their attention to him. Without warning, the two men suddenly attacked him, only to find out that he was no longer there. Finding their target once again, the bandaged man pulled out his lighter, as the other guy exposed a knife which had been hidden in his huge hideous green coat.
Kenshin, despite being weaponless, was ready to kick ass. With a couple of kicks and uppercuts, Kenshin was quickly able to dispose of the lighter - wielding opponent, leaving only knife guy to fight with. He turned to face the woman in hopes of gratitude, and was mystified to find a look of distaste on her features. He turned his concentration back to the fight. As he was about to knock knife guy into unconsciousness, the woman grabbed his hand with a look that pleaded for him to stop fighting.
" I can handle this. Now stop acting like some idiotic knight in shining armour. " the woman whispered.
He hesitated. That was all the time knife guy needed to stab Kenshin and lick the bloodied knife.
Pain engulfed Kenshin's body, as blood began pouring out of the wound. Despite the haze caused by the agony of the injury, Kenshin was able to grab a chair and smash it over his opponent's head. Due to the blood less, Kenshin's knees gave way. The last thing Kenshin heard before he passed out, was the sound of police sirens was approaching the bar.
Kenshin awoke to find the faces Tsunan and Hiko, worriedly peering down at him. Hiko Seijuro, a local policeman, had been a close friend and fatherly figure to Kenshin and Misao, ever since their parents had passed away. He was, in fact, the reason why Kenshin felt secure enough to allow Misao to live on her own, with only a few household helpers and bodyguards around.
" According to the witnesses in the bar, Kenshin, you are a hero. I don't need to ask you any further questions, since everyone testified to the other two being the cause of the brawl and the damage. Next time though, use more caution. You were pretty lucky that no internal organs were punctured. The medics have already patched you up, but they suggested that you stay off your feet for a couple of days and let the wound heal properly. Just remember, if anything had happened to you, Misao would be left alone. " reminded Hiko with a look of concern on his face.
" You should have told me what you were planning on doing and I would have backed you up or something. Plus that girl wasn't worth it. She didn't even bothering thanking you. Right after you passed out, she just walked right out. " added Tsunan.
With Tsunan's help, Kenshin was then able to stand up. Groggily, he thanked Tsunan for his help, and headed for his car as small jolts of pain echoed throughout his body.
/ What the hell was that woman's problem anyway ? It's her fault I got into this mess. If she hadn't interrupted me with that look, I could have easily finished them off. It's her fault that she's so … beautiful. What the hell am I thinking ? / admonished Kenshin's semi-drugged mind. / It's the painkillers I guess. /
Wondering whether he was physically and mentally able to continue driving, he suddenly caught sight of her. She was walking swiftly towards a nearby motel, after having made sure that her name wasn't involved in the bar fight. Kenshin did what only a half-conscious, semi - drugged, intrigued man would do. He followed her, at a safe distance, of course. He went up to the door of her room, pausing to consider whether what he was doing was influenced by his pride or the drugs. Either way, Kenshin knocked on the door, noting that the room number was 109.
Cautiously, she opened the door. When she saw that it was the same man with the x - shaped scar on his face she had met in the bar, she hurriedly tried to slam the door in Kenshin's face. He used his foot to prevent the door from closing. Realizing that there was no way she could forcibly prevent Kenshin from entering, she changed tactics.
" If you don't leave right now, I'm calling the police. " she threatened, her voice slightly quavering in fear.
" The police are on my side. I'm sure you saw that as you spied on what happened afterwards. I'm the hero. I'm the one who saved you from those two. I - "
" You did nothing ! I had the situation totally under control and you stepped right up and ruined it. Do you actually think I'd enter a situation like that without some sort of protection ? I brought pepper spray and I was ready to use it in case they actually tried something. "
Kenshin smirked.
" Pepper spray ? They would have had you on the floor in two seconds flat. One of them would probably have pinned you down while the other would have slowly lifted that tiny skirt of yours and - "
" Stop it ! I'm really going to call the police if - "
The fear in her voice eventually got to him. He hadn't meant to scare her or to let things get this far. He just wanted to get to see her again, but the situation was getting out of hand. There was just something about her that disturbed him. No one else had ever been able to lose his temper and control. She was doing one hell of a job. What scared him most was the fact that he cared about her, a total stranger.
" I'm sorry. " he muttered dizzily, as he suddenly felt the world spinning around him.
" I really will if - What ? What did you just say ? "
" It's the painkillers. After I got stabbed and all, I lost a lot of blood. I'm sorry, I wasn't really going to do anything to you. My mind's just really woozy right now, and when I saw you, I just snapped. "
" You got stabbed ? " she asked, as her eyes widened in surprise.
During that time, she had been to busy looking for her pepper spray, to notice that knife guy had indeed plunged a knife into Kenshin's body. Still somewhat suspicious, she slowly started to close the door, inch by inch. Before she could react, Kenshin collapsed in a heap, preventing her from closing the door.
to be continued ...
the next chapter's gonna be reeeeally romantic ... you better look forward to it coz i won't be uploading it yet ... i want to see first how many reviews i get ... honestly, if no one is reading my fic, why would i bother continuing it eh ? it would be a waste of time ... and so, pleeeease do a review ... none or few reviews tell me that no one likes it, so no reviews = no more new chapters ... sigh, i'm not being cocky about my fic ... i just want reviews !
you may be wondering who tsunan ( long haired biker ) is ... tsunan is sanosuke's artist friend who was shown in the earlier episodes of the series ... yep, the guy who wanted to blow up the government ^_^
... if you've watched the kyoto arc, then i'm sure you know who i'm ' lighter' ( who else is bandaged and is obsessed with fire ? ) guy and 'knife' ( the latter's main henchman ) guy are ...