**REVISED**
January 23, 2003
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Rurouni Kenshin Fanfic
Rurouni Kenshin & Samurai X Original Japanese Version ©N. Watsuki/Shueisha * Fuji-TV * SME Visual Works Inc. * Sony Pictures Entertainment
All Fanfics created by Chiruken (me) were written for the sole purpose of shared entertainment and not intended for publication or sale.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A Love Story
Fanfic By: Chiruken Part 3
Dubiosity
"Men often swallow falsities for truths, dubiosities for certainties, possibilities for feasibilities."
Sir T. Browne
Himura Kenshin, carefully concealed in the shadows of the engawa, peered out into the deepening twilight of evening, expression thoughtful, violet eyes solemn, and watched, unobserved, as a miniature drama unfolded in hushed tones before him in the garden of the Aoiya. Since their arrival in Kyoto a few days before, the Kenshin-gumi had been puzzled, and more than a little concerned, by Misao's odd behaviour, and the general consensus amongst the younger members of the group was that she had been abducted and an imposter had been sent in her stead as a replacement for the normally terrifyingly cheerful and energetic girl. Kenshin, however, was more of the belief that something more mundane had occurred to transform Misao from a lighthearted and vivacious young woman to being subdued and uncharacteristically quiet. Now as he watched the little melodrama before him, he was beginning to suspect what may have been the cause of Misao's altered demeanor and, if he was right, he couldn't blame her for being upset.
"You have some nerve, tori atama!" Kenshin blinked, silently berating himself for becoming distracted, and focused on the…discussion…once again.
"Che…You have room to talk, kitsune. What do you think itachi girl's gonna say when she finds out what's been goin' on, huh? I doubt she'll be thrilled to find out that you stole her precious Aoshi-sama right out from under her nose. It's no wonder she's been actin' so weird…she's probably already plannin' on how to do away with you."
Kenshin winced at the unmistakable sound of flesh striking flesh. "How dare you!" Rather than answering, Sagara Sanosuke walked away without another word, leaving Takani Megumi alone in the garden under the unblinking scrutiny of the concealed rurouni. "Who does he think he is? Of all the hypocritical…" Her words trailed off into a sigh as she rubbed her palm against her thigh.
Kenshin decided it was time to step forward and make his presence know. "Megumi-dono…"
Megumi whirled and pressed a hand against her racing heart. "Oh! Ken-san! You startled me!" The words sounded more breathless than she intended.
"I'm sorry, Megumi-dono, that I am." He studied her flushed face for a moment before smiling his cheerful rurouni smile. "It's a lovely night, that it is."
"Just how much of that conversation did you hear, Ken-san?" Megumi fixed him with what she hoped was a stern, uncompromising glare, praying that he would tell her that he hadn't paid attention to anything at all that had been discussed by her and Sanosuke.
Kenshin looked down at the ground for a moment before answering, lips pursed thoughtfully as he debated on how honest he should actually be about what he'd overheard. Finally deciding to only give a partial truth, the red haired rurouni looked up and met the lady doctor's anxious gaze with a solemn one of his own. "I heard you arguing with Sanosuke, Megumi-dono, that I did. Is there something that I can do to help?"
Megumi breathed a silent sigh of relief. As sweet as Himura Kenshin could be, she was eternally grateful that he wasn't very bright. "No, Ken-san. That isn't necessary. I can deal with that tori atama, no need to worry."
"If you say so, Megumi-dono." Kenshin shrugged inwardly. He'd get to the bottom of the mystery. He just hoped it wasn't what he was beginning to suspect. From the way that Sano spoke, it almost sounded as if Megumi and Aoshi were romantically involved…for Misao's sake, he hoped it wasn't true. She deserved better than that…so much better.
Megumi looked at him sharply when, through the fading light, she saw his features tighten in what appeared to be anger. She swallowed with some difficulty, suspecting that he hadn't been completely honest about what he'd heard earlier. She sighed inwardly. She had no choice but to rely on his tact and diplomacy now, and pray that he wouldn't give her secret away prematurely.
**To Be Continued…**
***
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Definitions:
engawa: veranda
tori atama: rooster head
kitsune: fox
che: Shucks! Damn!
itachi: weasel
Ken-san: Dear Ken
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Response to Reviewers at FFn:
Thanks bunchies mina-san for reading and reviewing my little piece of insanity!
DarkFairy: Please do, 'k? I always enjoy reading other writer's versions of the same idea…it's fun to see the parallels AND the differences. And, quite frankly, I feel the same way about the pairings.
Cherie Dee: I hope I don't disappoint you! Gosh, the pressure! (Hehehe! Just kidding!) Truth to tell, I kinda like the Sano/Kaoru thing, too!
Josephine Phillip: Hiya Jo! Great to see that you were finally able to get on to FFn! About where I get my ideas…Can't give away my sources. **tries to keep a straight face while snickering** **ahem** Misao is only 1 year younger than Kaoru, you know! Robbing the cradle, indeed! And you're right about the label, though if I'm not mistaken it's a little on the illegal side…but back then, well, stuff like this was normal! Heck, we don't even have to go back that far. Look at Mom…she was Misao's age when she got married back in '46…and her hubby was (let me think)…**blink blink** 28! Yup, he was 28, so the whole Kenshin/Misao thing in the 1800's really isn't all that farfetched at all. (Scary!) And tell Trevor he's getting just as bad as my "Macaroni Kenton"!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Author's Notes:
1.I've decided to change the genre. I've noticed that this really isn't turning out to be all that funny after all. I think I'll change it to Drama/Romance. That seems to suit it MUCH better. If any humor does decide to show up, great! If not, at least I won't be feeling guilty about misrepresenting the genre of the fic.
2.'K, about the title to this chapter. It really is a word! I swear! I can prove it, too. I found it in my thesaurus under "suspicion". Gosh I love my thesaurus! **grabs thesaurus and hugs it tight** I don't think I could live without it! **looks guiltily over at hubby as he raises eyebrow when he sees me hugging a book**
dubiosity
\Du`bi*os"i*ty\, n.; pl. Dubiosities.
[L. dubiosus.] The state of being doubtful; a doubtful statement or thing. [R.]
Men often swallow falsities for truths, dubiosities for certainties,
possibilities for feasibilities. …Sir T. Browne.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
3.By the way…Have I mentioned that I REALLY hate my computer? Well, I do. Stupid hunk of circuits and wires. Technocide is DEFINITELY beginning to sound good. **stomps off grumbling under breath**
