Hello all! Hehe, so people like this stuff? That makes me happy. I was just fed up with the fact that I couldn't find any Rin and Manji fiction on the web, or much BOTI fiction for that matter. As you can see I've given this thing a new overall title. "Waking Up" doesn't really work for the story as a whole where I'm planning to take it. Anyway, here goes the second chapter in this cute little series. I have an overall idea but I'm not sure how long it will take to get out. There will be a "bad guy" for all you battle-fiends out there, but still humor and fluff intermixed. Not in this chapter though… just a warning… anyway… here goes…
Reflections
"I'm so hungry," Rin muttered darkly as she made her way gingerly back to the shack. Her stomach growled in agreement. She told her stomach to mind its own business. Breakfast wasn't going to be anytime soon, and there wasn't anything she could do about it. Again her mind walked through the reasoning process, trying to find the loophole that simply didn't exist.
First of all, there wasn't food waiting for her in the shack. They'd planned on going to the market yesterday, but things had obviously gotten a bit sidetracked. That meant any breakfast she was going to have would require travel, either to the market or to a small restaurant. However, that option was out of the question at the moment. This was due to the liberal amount of Manji's blood that clung not only to her favorite kimono, but most of her visible skin. She smelled, too. Despite her condemnation of Manji's less than sanitary state, she was really in no better condition. She was dirty and she smelled of blood.
She needed a bath.
"No," she firmly reigned in her wayward mind yet again. When she'd first realized how disgusting she felt, the overwhelming desire to be clean again had set her feet in the direction of the river almost before she was conscious of it. The distant sound of splashing and a keyless baritone in the distance had jolted some sense into her. She couldn't take a bath right now. She'd just sent Manji in. Even if she went further upstream, out of sight, he still had all of their bathing supplies. He was probably using them right now, lathering up the soap to…
"NO," she'd practically shouted, physically turning her back on the mental image of her bodyguard bathing.
"Rin? You alright?" Manji's voice had floated through the trees. To his credit, he'd actually sounded concerned.
"Fine," she'd called back, face burning, "Just hurry up, I need to wash before I can go get us some food."
"Oh, really? Are you sure you weren't just interested in taking me up on my offer?" his arrogant humor was like a slap in the face considering her thoughts only moments before.
"IDIOT!" she'd stomped back to the shack. Well, she'd intended on stomping. Really, she only got a few good thumps in before her cramped muscles informed her that they wouldn't tolerate any more abuse that day, thank you. So she'd hobbled like a little old woman, contenting herself with a mental tirade instead. She was mad. More than mad, she was downright furious with him. That he could think so lightly of her made her fingers twitch into an unconscious fist. She wasn't so loose that she'd consider bathing with some guy like it was no big deal. What did he take her for?
It took her actually stopping and taking a deep breath to stop the irrational thoughts. Rin slumped against the tree nearest to her, wrapping her arms around it to help support her shaky legs. She'd have sat, but was too afraid that she wouldn't be able to get back up again. If that happened either she'd have to call for Manji's help or wait for him stumble across her on his own. That was something she really didn't want to deal with this morning. She'd been having a hard enough time already; she didn't need to give him more fuel for his taunts. And that was all they really were, taunts. He didn't really mean the suggestive comments; he just enjoyed getting a rise out of her. He liked teasing her. Big brothers liked teasing their little sisters.
"I'm such an idiot," she murmured, the rough bark of the tree rubbing against her cheek as she did. Why did she even bother worrying about it? She was a hypocrite after all. If she didn't like the dance she should just step out of the circle. The steps were boringly familiar, anyway. Manji makes a lewd suggestion and Rin yells at him for it. Maybe one of these days she should just let the little comments out, the comments that had started sneaking into her mind a while ago. At first she hadn't noticed them, then she'd just written them off as adolescent curiosity, but they hadn't gone away like she thought they would. Maybe one of these days she'd let herself say it. Maybe she'd gather the courage to let him know exactly how she'd come to feel.
"Want to come make sure I do a good job?"
"Yes…"
"No," she shook her head self mockingly and pushed away from the tree. She leaned on Manji too much as it was, she didn't need to start burdening an innocent tree too. There was no point in any of it, anyway. He was Manji and she was Rin. Bodyguard and little sister. That was how he saw the relationship, she was pretty sure. And even if she did tell him her secret longing, and he responded, would anything really change? Or would it just be two bodies in one bed. She didn't want that. Well, that wasn't entirely true, she did want that… but it wasn't the only thing she wanted and she didn't know if Manji would be able to offer anything more.
And that uncertainty was the beginning and end of any advance she might have made.
"Now be a good girl and go wait on the porch," she scolded herself with a wry twist of her lips. In so many ways she was still just a child.
"Why don't you wait with me, instead?" a harsh voice breathed into her ear as the sudden pressure of fingers wrapped around her throat, cutting off her air…
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OH HO HO HO!!! ::does an evil dance:: So mean am I! Go ahead, wail and gnash thy teeth all ye want!!! Mwa ah. But didn't I say there would be a bad guy? Hehe. A depressing chapter, ne? Are you sure you should have asked for more? This is exactly the kind of twisted humor jaded college students have, after all. Tsk tsk, fallen into the trap so easily. Hehe, don't worry, I will relieve you shortly. The next chapter will be out in a couple of days. My fingers are still itching to type, but my deep seated sense of the dramatic demands that I end this chapter here.
Ok, ok, I'll be a little nice, at least. A bit of extraneous fluff since there wasn't, well, any in this chapter… I'll share with you my envisioned "reunion" between Rin and Manji in the manga…
Rin looked up across the clearing. Her vision was blurry, she hadn't eaten in days, but the form was unmistakable.
"Manji," she croaked out, barely a whisper. Then louder, "Manji!"
He was running, she realized, running to meet her. A tired smile tugged at the corners of her mouth and she pushed herself to her feet again, stumbling towards him.
"Rin!" his voice was gruff and strange sounding, but still his. She couldn't restrain the tears that slipped down her cheeks as the distance between lessened.
"Manji!" she half laughed his name, the joy of seeing him again making the past few days of hell fade from her mind. In fact, all she could think of was the sound of violins playing some eerily familiar song that she didn't know the name of. Did anyone, really?
And their silhouettes were frozen against the setting sun, arms outstretched, reaching for each other as the strains of that damnably familiar song filled the air.
::cracking up:: Ok ok, maybe not… actually, I can't really imagine what their reunion will be like. I've seen cute spoiler pictures from after they meet up again, but none of them have been of the actual moment. Though I can't believe that it will be any different from any other "moment" in BOTI... Rin cries despite her intentions not to, Manji acts indifferent though you can tell he's not, there's a sort of implied mutual understanding of relief, yada yada… sigh… Whatever. Anyway, I'll hurry up with the next chapter so don't get too anxious. If you're not careful your face may stick like that, hehehe.