DISCLAIMERS AND AUTHOR'S NOTES: Standard disclaimers apply. The cast of RK does not belong to me, they are the property of the great one, Watsuki-sama, and of Sony. Please do not sue! Onegai! Sessha is but a poor college student.
Gomen-ne, minna, for having taken so long in getting this last (?) chapter up. I've been busy, and my inspiration kind of left me for a long while….f^_^;; I hope this one doesn't let anyone down……I might have become rather rusty at writing……hehe….
APRIL FOOLS
BY SETA NEKOI
CH. 4
Still laughing, the girls come to the river. "Did you see the look on Kenshin's face?" Kaoru giggles.
Grinning, Megumi replies, "Hai, and did you see the Rooster?"
Misao doubles over, "And Aoshi-sama!! How Kawaii!!!" Her eyes light up as she recalls his entrance into Kenshin's room that morning.
"I wonder what Tokio ended up doing with Saitoh," Megumi speculates aloud.
Kaoru shrugs, "Don't know. She refused to tell me when I asked what her plans were."
"Maybe we should go find out," Misao suggests mischievously, her eyes dancing with suppressed laughter. "I'm sure that whatever she finally decided to do, Saitoh-san cannot be feeling too comfortable right now."
Kaoru shares a puzzled glance with Megumi before turning to Misao, "Did she tell you something about what she was planning?"
Misao smiles innocently, "Maybe."
Curious, Megumi and Kaoru attack her with a barrage of questions.
Laughing, Misao shakes her head, "Let's just go find her, ne?"
Still throwing questions at Misao, the girls walk off to find Tokio.
**********************
Meanwhile, back at the dojo………..
"Sagara Sanosuke!"
Praying fervently, Sano turns slowly to face the amber-eyed ex-hitokiri. *Kami-sama, if you let me survive this day, I'll never gamble again. * Raising his hands in a gesture intended to pacify the angry redhead, Sano starts talking quickly, hoping to calm the rurouni's anger.
**********************
"What did you think you were doing with her?!"
"Me!! What about you and Misao?!" Sano shot back, then turns to Aoshi, "For that matter, what did you think you were doing with the Fox?! Haven't you hurt her enough already?!"
Aoshi glares at Sano," I don't know what you're complaining about. Megumi-san didn't seem to have a problem with what happened."
Sano pauses, trying to hide the flash of pain he feels at the truth of that statement, then retaliates," Well, if nothing else you should have thought of Misao's feelings!"
"…….." Aoshi feels the guilt twist inside of him, trying to ignore it he turns to Kenshin, " As for you, what you did with Misao hurt Kaoru-san more than anything I could have done."
Kenshin's eyes lose their amber color as he slumps, "Hai, de gozaru ka." * Sessha is not worthy of Kaoru-dono. *
Sano verbally pounces on Aoshi, " Aha! So you do care about the weasel!"
Aoshi's icy gaze hardens as he glares at Sano, " What I do or do not feel is none of your concern. Maybe if you had let Megumi-san know of your feelings towards her, she might not have come to me."
"Che," Sano swears as he sits down with a thump and starts gnawing on his fishbone. *Damn icicle's right. Megumi didn't seem to mind having woke up to him at all…..So why should I care so much?!*
"Sessha may have hurt Kaoru-dono, demo, " his face hardens as he turns to Sanosuke. "Her shame must be removed, and her honor restored. Sagara Sanosuke, you will marry her and take care of her, and may kami-sama help you if you ever hurt her again. You WILL stop gambling and support her properly.
Sano's jaw drops, *Nani!?! He can't be serious!*
Aoshi nods, " It is the honorable thing to do."
"Matte! What if I don't want….." Sano sputters as Kenshin slowly draws his sakabato, then reverses the blade. Getting the point, Sano snaps his mouth shut. *Che….Oh well, she's nice enough, and there's no one else for me anyways…Except for being whacked by her shinai and the threat of food poisoning, it won't be too bad.*
"Ne, what about you, Kenshin?" Sano ventures to ask.
Aoshi looks over at the rurouni," Himura, if Sano is to marry Kaoru-san, then by your own reasoning……." He pauses.
Hiding his eyes with his bangs, Kenshin nods, " Hai, Sessha will marry Misao-dono."
Aoshi's façade momentarily cracks as his heart twists in agony.
Sano jumps to his feet, " And what about Aoshi?! If we have to go through with this, then so should he!" He glares at Shinomori, " Foxy has had enough trouble in her life without a scandal like this adding to it." *Although she probably doesn't have very fond memories of him from her time with Kanryuu.* Sano swore bitterly to himself. *Shimatta, she seems to have gotten over it. * He grimaces as the vision of Megumi laughing surfaces in his memory.
"……….," Aoshi bows his head in acceptance.
Kenshin, " Yosh. Then we're agreed. We'll do it this afternoon."
Aoshi turns and stalks out of the room, "I'll get dressed and find a priest."
"Ahhh. Sessha will clean the yard and dojo, then prepare the dinner for tonight." He turns to Sano," Go find Genzai-sensei and make sure we have his approval. Then make yourself presentable, find the girls and bring them back here."
Sano nods and stomps out, gnawing his fishbone.
**********
Back in his room, Sano shrugs on his shirt and wanders off…..*What the hell happened?!* he fumes….*And how the hell did I end up with Jo-chan instead of Fox?*
Thinking back to the ex-battousai's reaction, he shudders…..*Whew, but that was a close one….Kami, I see you intend to make sure I keep that promise.*
Not paying attention to where he's going, his feet inexorably lead him toward the clinic. A loud burst of laughter intrudes on his befuddled thoughts; upon looking up he notices where his feet have taken him. Another burst of giggles escaped from the clinic.
Sano frowned….*Wait a minute…that sounds like the Fox and Jo-chan in there?! Why would they be laughing?!* Suspicious, he conceals himself under the window and eavesdrops shamelessly.
Laughing breathlessly, "Oh Tokio-san! You should have been there! It worked better than we thought it would!" Megumi wipes the moisture from her eyes.
"Hai! And Aoshi-sama!" Misao smiles as she reminisces on the events of that morning.
"Ne, Tokio-san…what did you do with Saitoh –san??," Kaoru asked, leaning forward eagerly.
"Hai! Hai! Tell us!" Megumi and Misao demanded.
"Well……," Tokio smiled slyly motioned them closer.
No longer able to hear more than low murmuring and the occasional giggle and gasp, Sano moved away quickly, seething. *Those conniving little……Why, how?!….I have to let the others know…* He runs off to find Aoshi and Kenshin.
*****************
Wandering around the dojo, Kenshin was trying to lose himself in cleaning when he heard feet pounding into the yard, and Sano shouting, "Kenshin! Yo, Kenshin!"
Alarmed and wondering if something was wrong with the girls, the ex-hitokiri grabs his sakaba and runs to the yard. "Nan desu ka? Are the women in trouble?!"
Looking grim, Sano replies, "Hai, I may just beat them myself."
"Oro?!" Kenshin takes a step back. "What's going on?"
"They tricked us!" Sano bellows. "Those conniving little witches planned this all along! I over heard them laughing and giggling about it over at the clinic!"
"Nani?!" Kenshin falls over, stunned. After picking himself up, his eyes narrow as he looks Sano over.
Slightly disturbed, Sano notices flecks of amber bubbling to the surface of Kenshin's eyes.
A small grin finds its way onto Kenshin's face," Sessha has an idea. Wait here, I'm going to find Shinomori." He strides out of the yard, leaving Sano behind, shivering at the look in Kenshin's eyes.
*I wonder what he's got up his sleeve. * Sano muses, looking after the departing rurouni.
**********************
Sometime later, having gathered back at the dojo and affirmed that the women were nowhere on the premises; Aoshi, Kenshin, and Sano put their heads together, working out a way to get back at the girls. "How about we…." "Well, we could…." "What about……." Eventually they put together a plan.
**********************
Upon arriving at the clinic, Kenshin calls out," Genzai-sensei?!"
"Hai, Hai! I'm in here, Himura-san!" comes the reply from one of the back rooms.
Kenshin follows the voice and finds Dr. Genzai stitching up a patient. "Gomen, demo, are you almost done?"
Dr. Genzai ties off the last stitch, "Hai, I just finished. What can I do for you Himura-san?"
"Would you mind if I spoke to you privately about something that concerns Shinomori, Sanosuke, the women, and I?" Kenshin inquired.
Genzai looks at the short redhead curiously, "Of course. You all aren't in danger again are you?"
"Iie," Kenshin shakes his head, a small smile gracing his lips. "It's like this Genzai-sensei….."
**********************
Back at the Kamiya dojo, Sano and Aoshi are waiting with the women for Kenshin to return.
"Ne, Aoshi-sama, when are you going to tell us why we're here?" Misao questions.
Aoshi, "……"
"Look, we told you, we have to wait for Kenshin to return. He should be back shortly," Sano retorts, gritting his teeth.
Kaoru turns toward the gate, "Well, you can hurry up and tell us Sano, Kenshin's back."
Everyone looks to the gate as it opens and Kenshin steps through, followed by Dr. Genzai.
"Yosh, everyone is here, " Kenshin gazes around pleased.
Megumi looks at Kenshin expectantly, "So Ken-san, what is this all about?"
"Ahem, I believe I can answer that," Genzai says as he steps forward.
Aoshi and Sano move over to stand by Himura and the doctor. The girls look at them suspiciously, before turning their attention to Genzai-sensei.
Genzai pauses before beginning, "As I'm sure you've guessed by now, Himura-san has told me of everything that has occurred, and what they, the men, plan on doing to right the wrongs they have done to you. And as acting guardian I give my permission for them to carry out their proposal."
Misao's brow furrows, her confusion obvious to anyone paying attention. Kaoru and Megumi begin to look alarmed and share a wary glance.
"This evening, each of you will be wed to the person you woke up with," proclaims Genzai-sensei. "There will be no arguments, and no objections. I suggest you all use what's left of the day to prepare."
Screeching, "Iie! I will marry no one but my Aoshi-sama! You can't make me marry a man I didn't….mmfmabmlf….."
Megumi reacts quickly by slapping her hand over Misao's mouth. Kaoru quickly joins her in quieting Misao.
Watching their reactions, Sano thinks, *Well, at least it doesn't look like she's going to hit me right away. Maybe she can't decide whether to hit Kenshin or me first…*
*……..* Aoshi's mask is back in place, giving no hint to his inner feelings.
Kenshin just hides his face in his hair trying to conceal his laughter.
Crying out, Kaoru wrenches away from Misao and runs out the gate. Frustrated, Megumi follows quickly dragging the still shrieking Misao along behind her.
*********************************************
Wai!!!! I finally finished the 4th chapter!!!!!!! Well, sort of, I tried correcting it myself, but I'm still going to have my wonderful editor take a look at it. Cause I know there are some phrases in here that either need to be rearranged or replaced. Gomen to everyone for having taken so long to finish this chapter. And it looks like there will be at least one more chapter in this story. I haven't decided whether or not to write the side story about Saitoh and Tokio yet. I already know what's going to happen in the 5th chapter, so hopefully it will come up much faster than this one did. Once again, C&C are wonderful, and unconstructive flames will be put out by my wonderful Sou-chan! ^_~