1- Fox vs. Fox
On the following day, Kenshin arrived at the set earlier. He just had to walk in to see Pat Hobby sitting asleep on his chair, the laptop on his legs. The rurouni felt a sudden pitty and approached, waking the director up. "Hobby-sama? It's already morning..."
"Hmpf... Oh, Kenshin!" Pat jumped awkwardly, waking up and yawning soundly. "Good morning... What time is it?"
"Hm... Six o'clock." Kenshin said, looking to the watch on Pat's wrist.
Pat rubbed his face, then glared the ex-Battousai. "What? And how do you dare to wake me up at six? The shooting only begins at ten, you maniac! Besides, what are you doing awake by this time?
"Uh, sorry, Hobby-sama... Sessha woke up earlier today to water sessha's sunflowers, and he remembered to drop by and see if you needed some help."
Pat frowned. "Watering your sunflowers?" He chuckled. "I don't know why Watsuki-sensei wants me to whip you a pairing up..." Kenshin got oro-faced. "By the way, thanks you for coming to help me, but I have already decided what to do. I've talked to some friends of mine and some outstanding actresses and I've made up my mind on a solution. I'll tell you when all the cast is there... wait and you'll see."
^_^x
About ten o'clock, all the cast gathered to recieve the sheets of typewriten paper with new role' synthesis. Pat took his megaphone and talked to them gravely. "Hello, everybody. To solve the problem Kaoru's abscence caused us, in a desperate effort not to let the show sink, we'll have to do some changes on the original script. I hope everybody has his own on hand's reach, for we'll use it as a base. We'll have to improvise the speeches, but somethings will still following the story Watsuki-sensei had passed us. To diminish the hole Kaoru has left, I've hired an actress that all of you must know." Steping aside, they could see a slender (yet buxom) figure showing up from the dressing room. "People, I want everybody to give a great 'hello' to Mitsune, 'Love Hina' actress."
Coming to Pat's side, Mitsune weaved a great "peace-and-love" sign, as the original Rurouni Kenshin cast had different reactions: Kenshin, as usual, got oro-faced; Okina fixed the ribbon on his beard, wolf-eyed; Sanosuke passed his tongue discretely on his lips; Megumi and Yumi stared at each other and glared at the newcomer. "OK, folks, let's work then!" Pat claped his hands twice.
Seeming relieved, the director sat easily on his foldable chair, smiled widely -even among all the strange looks, from the cast and the staff- and shouted largely. "Rurouni Kenshin first scene, take one...GO!"
On the director's sign, Mitsune walked sensually through an alley, a pretense innocent look in her eyes dancning through the dark. Suddenly, four crooks appeared showing their thirst sick smiles and encircled the girl. She heaved herself on the floor and acted dramatically.
From a roof, Kenshin's violet eyes roared with fury. "Leave her alone" He jumped and stroke the four crooks down, taking the attacked girl on his arms and taking her to... "Hobby-sama! Where to?"
"CUT!" Pat tapped his own face once or twice. "Kenshin, what are you doing?"
"Sessha means... Hobby-sama didn't tell us where to take her. Where does Mitsune-dono lives? What does she do?" Kenshin reasoned, yet carrying Mitsune on his arms. She had then opened her eyes and hugged the rurouni by his neck, making Megumi glare greenly.
"Oh.. I forgot about it..." Pat scratched his beard impatiently...
"May I give you a suggestion?" Tae interfered, coming up from the dressing room. "Maybe I'll need some adult help in Akabeko, so why don't you just bring Mistune-san to the restaurant and we solve the problem?"
Looking from face to face, Pat saw no disagreement -or agreement either- so he accepted Tae's solution, for he had none of his own. "Outstanding, Tae-chan." He asserted, coming back to his chair. "Let's do it again, OK? We go from the 'leave her alone' stuff, right? Rurouni Kenshin first scene, take two... GO!"
Once again Kenshin roared, once again the crooks were knokced down, once again he took a dramatic-looking Mitsune on his arms and dropped her by the Akabeko. When he turned his back to leave, he felt a small hand slipping "accidentally" to his butts. "ORO?!"
"Fucking hell, CUUUUUUT! Kenshin what's up now?"
"Uh... er... Sessha... ORO!!!"
"Grr... To hell with your 'Oro'!" Pat grabbed Kenshin's hair and took him out from the scene. "Let's go on from this point, cut the piece of tape, cam-man. Take three, GO!"
Some scenes had to be re-shot, since Mitsune was always letting the men in some embarassing situation, till Pat got tired and released everybody to lunch -not without calling Megumi and Yumi who kept very agnry-faced and telling them to cool off and have lunch with their new companion.
Off to the cafeteria beside Megumi, Yumi said goodbye and left, since she wasn't shooting on that day. Megumi sat on a table with Kenshin and Sanosuke, and ate normally till Mistune arrived. She sat by the rurouni's side and in front of the doctor, who looked piercingly to her. So as to make things lighter, Kenshin -whiping up some of his lovely smiles- started a conversation.
"Uh... Mistune-dono--"
"Kitsune", she interrupted, a foxy smile on her lips. "You can call me Kitsune." Megumi smoked with anger.
"Ok, then... Kitsune-dono. Don't you still working on 'Love Hina'?"
"Oh, I do. But I don't shoot a lot in there, my character has long periods of abscence... In reality" she hugged Kenshin in a choking way "I don't enjoy 'Love Hina' all that much... very few men!"
"There must be a reason for that..." Megumi muttered, being nudged by Sanosuke just afterwards. Mitsune pretended not to hear, yet she looked smily to the doctor.
No more was said during lunch. Back to the set, Yahiko seemed to enjoy his new role a lot...
"Yes, Yahiko. You're gonna be a perverted kendo student and you'll now learn Hiten Mitsurugi, not Kamyia Kasshin anymore." Pat asserted, for Yahiko didn't believe when he first told him. The boy hopped and cheered around till Mitsune crowned him and he fell unawake. For this reason, they had to shoot Sanosuke's scenes first, and that would get Megumi really upset.
After crashing two fighters on the Akabeko, Sanosuke left the restaurant, while Kenshin and Mitsune stared at him walking further and talked about him. "He's got a kanji on his shirt." Mitsune cried, holding Kenshin's shoulder.
"It means 'evil'. But sessha doesn't think he's a bad man..." Kenshin said gravely.
"Yeah... He's very handsome..." Mitsune muttered, causing Kenshin to look her sideways, a bit wide-eyed. Sharp-eared, Megumi started to chew her script by Pat Hobby's side.
Before they finished shooting his scene, Sanosuke triped on a branch, falling face to the ground and causing everybody on set to laugh. Not loosing the good humor, the prizefighter stood laying on the ground and said aloud, among chuckles. "Yeah, that's a Meiji branch!" This comment made everybody -except for Katsu- laugh even more.
Muffled by the people's laugh, Mitsune stated among chuckles. "He gets so sexy like this!" Just one person heard this -and it was enough, for it was Megumi who did.
Red and smoking as pasta sauce, Megumi approached, glared at her and shouted slow and firmly. "What did you say?" All the people on the set stopped dead and turned to her. Mitsune was still laughing. Face that, Megumi grew even redder, as Mitsune looked at her, a mocking look in her eyes. "There's no room enough in this show for two kitsune. One fox must leave: you or me.
"Jealousy?" Mitsune provoked. "I think there are enough men for the both of us."
When this was said they had to be torn apart for they were close to physical assault. Sanosuke held a furious Megumi and avoided her to get jumping over Mitsune's neck -in reality, the foxy doctor wasn't that angry anymore, but she wanted the prizefighter to still clenching her by the waist.
Peacefully Mitsune left the show. "This cast is too selfish and old-fashioned for a modern woman like me. Begging your pardon, I'm going to 'Love Hina' set, see if Keitaro-kun has left yet. I hope not. Ohohohoho!" She said, leaving the set and getting Megumi even angrier.
"SHE'S COPYING MY LAUGH! I'M THE ONLY AND ORIGINAL KITSUNE-ONA, DID YOU LISTEN TO ME?!" the doctor hopped with rage between Sanosuke's arms.
After this, nobody was in any mood for shooting anymore. The cast left bit by bit, everybody was still a little startled, Megumi still clutching Sanosuke's arm -she was affraid of running into that false fox, that one, hmpf!- and just Kenshin remained. Sitting by Pat Hobby, the rurouni tried to cheer the director up.
"Come on, Hobby-sama. It's just our first try..."
"Yes, Kenshin... you're right.... we still have time... I'll try to whip up something for tomorrow... Go home, Himura. You must be tired of so much oroing...
Kenshin smiled and left, while Pat Hobby heaved himself on his chair and started typewriting once again. It would be a long anfternoon, but perhaps he'd have some time to take a nap -who knows?
To be continued