Hello! This week I have no reports to do, yay! My head is churning up where to go next. If I do add a few special people, like I've been thinking, this will have more chapters than I originally planned. But thirty-up is still a little beyond me. ^_^ What do you guys think?
Please read "What Dreams May Come" (complete) by suiren, before it sinks deep into FF.net. Very well-made but underrated piece, based on Seisou Hen and the movie of the same title.
Disclaimer: Me no own RK. Me wish me own Kenshin. Me only own Tomoe statuette, birthday gift. ^_^ Me own crazy story.
(reformatted)
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"You're leaving again, anata?" Kaoru asked after lunch, slowly and quietly. She felt the baby inside her move. Somehow it gave her the impression that the baby was trying to kick at its father, in its disgust and disappointment. Maybe it was Kaoru's imagination, but she surely felt the same way about her husband right now. She desperately wanted to nail him to the floor, a bokken in front of his face, and demand to give her some money for a new ribbon, some new pickles, something, anything!
"Hai, de gozaru. I work for the police department in the morning, then for Tae in the afternoon. Only until spring, then Yahiko takes over again." The reply came matter-of-factly.
" 'Money, is that all you are worried about, Kaoru-dono?' You asked me a month ago. I throw it back at you. Is the money all you care about now, Himura Kenshin? In your concern about money for the baby, have you forgotten me, Himura Kenshin?"
Himura Kenshin looked at her wordlessly from the kitchen door, with dull purple eyes. He silently pulled a cloak and scarf off a hook by the door and stepped out.
"Answer me, Kenshin!"
He threw the cloak over himself, and walked out toward the gate.
"KENSHIN NO BAKA!!" She called out after him, and burst into tears.
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"Here's the first list of deliveries," Tae explained, as she gave Kenshin a large piece of paper. "This is the name, and the address. I arranged it so you can cover several orders per district. You think you can handle it?"
Kenshin looked at the addresses, and at the cart he had to push. "I know the district, Tae-dono, no problem."
"Then, under the cart, there's a small burner to keep the food warm. Just remember not to let it die out, alright?"
"Hai, Tae-dono."
The first slowflakes of the year had fallen the night before, and the newly appointed delivery man rubbed his shivering hands together. Kenshin carried the trays out to the cart. He enjoyed watching Yahiko take orders while staring at Tsubame's slender physique. Then he backed up to the restaurant. "Oh, Tae-dono, before I go……….I must ask you something, de gozaru………..about the salary……"
"Hm?"
"Um, sessha would appreciate Tae-dono's assistance in a particular project that requires money……….." then he whispered the details to her.
Tae nodded as he finished. "It's a good plan, Kenshin, and I'm willing to help. I'll just take a small percent of your pay for it, and I'll help you get it."
"Arigatou de gozaru, Tae-dono." He bowed to his second employer, put on a pair of gloves, and went on his way.
Some of the customers recognized the rurouni.
"Himura-san!" One shook his hand furiously before claiming his order. "Glad to see you again! It's been a while! I remember how you dealt with those thugs for us some time ago. But why are you working as a delivery boy?"
"Part-time job, my friend. Kaoru-dono is on the way, as you might know."
"Oh, I see! Good luck with the little lady and your baby! Here's my contribution for that day, I know you'll need it."
"Arigatou……..I suppose……de gozaru….."
Some of the customers recognized their sensei.
"Sensei! What is the name of Kami-sama are you doing at our house?! And carrying our lunch order? This job is below you, sensei! You should ask for a raise instead, or another job at the police force!"
"No, thanks, Hayame-dono. I am a chief trainer only for the police. I do not wish to be formally employed by the government……."
"Oh, I see. But still, you can't do this, sensei! I like that spikey-haired boy better!"
"ORO?! He's at the Akabeko, helping with the orders there. He'll be there until spring, then he takes the deliveries again."
"That Tae, she's way too kind to her workers………Oh! I forgot, sensei! The payment! And an extra tip!"
"Not necessary, Hayame……….."
"I insist, sensei! Take it! And I promise, I won't tell my classmates."
"Arigatou, Hayame-dono."
A few unfortunate customers recognized the Battousai.
"Red hair………..cross scar on left cheek……..a sword………"
"Oro?!"
The man opened the door slightly and slipped out the money for the order.
"I don't know why you have our lunch order, but we swear that we have done nothing to insult you in any way, or your friends. Please, take the money! There's more than enough for you in there! Please, Battousai, leave us in peace!"
In this case, Kenshin simply took the money without a word, and left the lunch tray in front of the door. He left as he scratched his head. He could not recall this man or his family as a former enemy of his or his organization.
Still a few others did not recognize Kenshin at all.
"What took you so long, samurai boy?"
" 'Samurai boy'?" An enormous sweatdrop appeared on Kenshin's forehead.
The man was condescending, to the fullest.
"What's the sword for, delivery man? To make sure the customer pays the bill? Haven't you heard about the edict against swords?"
"Yes, I have, sir………."
"So you mean to say that you are above the law, samurai boy?"
"Well, in a matter of speaking, sir……….I am above the law," Kenshin replied with a huge grin, remembering how the police have him to thank for many large and little things.
"A cocky one, aye? Here, samurai boy, take your money, and a little extra, for the entertainment you gave me today."
"Oro…….."
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That Kenshin was happy on the way back to the Akabeko, was an understatement. The day gave him many tales to tell Kaoru when he got back, to make her forget about that morning. Even better, the amount he got in tips could buy food for two days, and Tae had promised not to take any tips he was given. Tae was happy for her new employee.
"There is one last delivery you have to make for me, if that's alright," Tae mentioned, and handed Kenshin the name and address. "You can go home straight to Kaoru after that, because you won't need the cart anymore. Just carry it over."
Kenshin bowed deeply as he smiled, accepted the package, and walked eastward.
He found himself at a newly-opened bakery, not far from the police headquarters. It prided itself with traditional breads and sweets, but it also had a few Western concoctions. He remembered that Kaoru usually stopped here on the way to the market, to smell the freshly-baked bread and to admire the exquisite cakes. "Your order, sir!" he called out to anyone inside.
"Ah, yes! My dinner! Thank you, my good man!" a baker cheerfully greeted, as he handed Kenshin the payment. "I'm sorry you had to call out. I was just closing up the bakery for the evening."
"It was nothing, sir," Kenshin assured him, as he peered over at the cakes on display.
"Nice cakes, don't you think?" the baker asked with some twinge of pride in his work. "And they keep better now that it's winter. Oh! That reminds me………"
The baker took out one of the displayed cakes, a fluffy yellow sponge cake. The cake, however, only had the basic icing for decoration. The baker took a box from under the display, and placed the cake inside it. He then shoved the box to Kenshin. "Say, maybe you'd like to deliver this cake for me on your way home. I'll pay you!" He took out a few coins from his pocket. "What direction would you be going, my good man?"
"Westward, past the Oguni clinic………" Kenshin replied quizzically.
"Good! Good!" He gripped Kenshin's open right palm, and placed the coins inside. "That's exactly where the package should be going. Here's the address…….."
Kenshin peered at the piece of paper handed him ----- and almost dropped it. On it was written: Himura Kaoru, Kamiya dojo. This was followed by the full address of the residence.
He was not informed about this order.
"Nice little woman, that Himura-san," the baker started chatting with Kenshin, not noticing that the paper shook in Kenshin's hands. "She said she was now five months on the way, and she looked very healthy. She told me about her husband, said the guy works at the police station nearby, since she stopped giving her kendo lessons…….."
"What about her husband?" Kenshin inquired curiously and apprehensively.
"Oh, HIM! She was going on and on about him. Nice guy, from the way she talked, but something of a tightwad, very attached to his money."
"Is that so?"
"He treats each purchase like it were the last she should make, she says. Every time she asks for money, she feels like she's undergoing an interrogation. He saves every possible yen, and goes ballistic when he hears that the money gets wasted……."
"What's the matter with that?" Kenshin asked, fuming under his breath.
The baker shrugged, and continued. "Then she tells me that he worries more about the money than about her. He hasn't given her any little trinket in ages, and he used to give flowers and hair combs and such. She got so sad about a little spat this morning, she decided to take a walk, and bought a little cake for herself, instead of buying the sukiyaki, she told me. It wasn't ready then, so I told her to leave an address and it would be delivered eventually. She told me not to decorate it too much, since she would be the only one to see it, and she wanted to save a few yen off the toppings, so her husband won't be too suspicious about his missing money."
The baker handed the box to Kenshin. "Oh! And she warned me not to tell her husband about this cake, or he's bound to go ballistic again about it, too! So be very discreet when you reach her house and deliver this cake, alright?" He looked at him mischievously, tickled at the little touch of intrigue.
"Discretion would not be necessary once the package reaches its destination," Kenshin replied stiffly. Lavender eyes were slowly narrowing, gradually changing color. "Everything will be taken care of. Thank you for the information, sir. However, it is obvious that you do not know me."
"Why, should I know you?" the baker asked nonchalantly.
"You are new here, sir, it is obvious. Almost everyone knows me by some reputation or other. But it was better that you were not informed about me."
With that, Kenshin took the box and walked westward, and left behind a bewildered baker.
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Kaoru bounded happily for the gate, as she heard a delivery man announce the arrival of her sponge cake. Her plan had worked! The cake came before her husband, and he would never know! She did not trouble Yahiko about it, too!
She opened the gate in joyous expectation--------and found herself face to face with Hitokiri Battousai.
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Sorry if it used too much dialogue. I'm horrible with descriptions. I have a feeling the next chap would have even more dialogue, but I'll try to space it evenly with descriptions. Thank you, JML, once again for the suggestions!
It's about time I made a cliffhanger ending again. ^_^ I suppose you can already imagine what will happen, and I hope I satisfy your expectations for the next chap. Keep the fingers crossed. Reviews and suggestions are always welcome!