T.Anjel: Everyone's reviews just made my day. ^^; I was like ^_______^
all day! Ohohohohohoho.. So.I decided to get the next chapter out faster
than usual. I know Kaoru may be a tad out of character, but I personally
think that she's capable of extreme rudeness, don't you?
Disclaimers: Rurouni Kenshin does not belong to me. Period.
To Love the Hated - Chapter 2
Hiko daintily set down his chopsticks; his plate empty. A nearby servant automatically took it away. "You're all dismissed," he said simply, and stood up to leave.
"What do you men, 'you're all dismissed'?" Kaoru asked from the other end of the table, making sure her voice was loud and clear.
Hiko looked straight into her defiant eyes. "I mean that you're all dismissed," he repeated.
Kaoru stood up, her chair scraping the marble floors. "And what exactly are we supposed to do?" Kaoru asked loudly, stomping her foot for emphasis.
"Whatever you like," Hiko said with a small wave of his arm. "Get me some sake," he ordered to the servant who took away his plate. "I definitely need it right now," he grumbled to himself.
Kaoru's lip thinned. Whatever I'd like? She let out a small grin. I could handle that. "Also!" Hiko added, turning around. Kaoru quickly wiped the smile off of her face. "The Ouji will personally meet and chat with two to three women a day, meaning everyone will meet with him once a week. Good day ladies." And with a dramatic swish of his giant cape, he strutted off to who-knows-where.
"Really arrogant guy," Kaoru thought out loud with a huff. She stretched, yawning loudly and wiped the tears that squeezed through her eyes. "Well then, good day ladies," Kaoru mimicked the king in a sarcastic manner and strutted out of the dining room herself, deciding to look for the kitchen as she went through one of the five different hallways attached to the dining room.
Kitchen, kitchen, oh where is the kitchen? Kaoru sang in her head as she walked along the silent hallway. Doors were everywhere left and right. Kaoru opened each one of them up and saw bedrooms, studies, parlors, libraries and offices. She sighed as she shut another door to a brightly lit study and continued down the spacious hally. She met up with another intersection, which helpfully looked identical to the other intersections she had encountered.
Damn.I'm lost.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kenshin watched with sealed amusement as the Kamiya onna argued with Hiko. He had an urge to let out a laugh as he saw Hiko's mouth twitch with annoyance. Point one for Kaoru. He wanted to follow her as she walked off and talk to her, but all the women in the dining room seemed expectant for Kenshin to call out to one of the woman for a chat. He let out a silent sigh. He nodded to the closest woman to him. He might as well get this all over with.
"Your name?" he asked. His voice came out smooth and suave.
"Takani Megumi," she answered confidently, her white teeth shining as she smiled. She was a beautiful woman, Kenshin didn't deny, but she seemed..
Foxy.
"Well then, Megumi-dono," Kenshin said with a forced smile. "Shall we?" he lent out a hand, helping her out of her chair. She gave a faint blush and walked out with him down a hallway, giving a triumphant glare at the other women before she did.
They felt slightly disappointed that they weren't the first to be picked, but knew their time would come. So they slowly made their way out of their chairs and decided to roam around the gigantic palace in pairs and trios.
Kenshin led the tall woman to the study and to end of the room where there was a floor-to-ceiling window, which overlooked the large garden. He motioned for her to sit on a plush chair that was put there earlier. He sat on another.
"Megumi-dono," Kenshin began in a forced tone. "Which town do you come from?"
"I come from Shinachi," Megumi answered with a supposedly seductive smile.
"Sou ka," Kenshin managed to say from under Megumi's intense stare. He had noticed earlier during breakfast that Sano seemed mildly interested in this beautiful woman. Kenshin decided to keep everything clean and simple with the Megumi woman. Maybe she would find some interest in Sanosuke as well. "What do you do for a living?"
"I'm a doctor," Megumi answered with pride.
"Women doctors aren't common," Kenshin commented. He was impressed. "What made you want to go out in the medical area of work?"
Megumi shrugged her bare shoulders, which made Kenshin notice the dress she was wearing. It was an off-shoulder, extremely puffy dress of a dark blue. Intricate, white designs were sewed around the hem of the frilly dress. Why in the world did Shishou fill their closets up with western dresses? Kenshin wondered. "I was always interested in it," Megumi replied, bringing Kenshin back from his musings.
And their question and answer conversation went on boring both people to the core of their being.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kaoru gnawed at her lower lip. She was at another intersection. She covered her eyes with her hand. Eeni-minnie-minie-moe! Kaoru finger pointed to the left. Then left it is! The hallway was long and winded in every which way, which didn't help to lighten Kaoru's frustrated mood.
Kaoru sulked along the hallway until she air's scent changed to an enticing aroma. "Food!" she exclaimed. She must be near the kitchens. Thank goodness! Kaoru quickened her pace and was met up with a large, oak door at the end of the white, marble hallway. She creaked the door opened a smidge, and delicious scents overwhelmed her suddenly enlarged nostrils. "Oishii," Kaoru mumbled, drool making its way down the side of her mouth. "Ah!" Kaoru stumbled forward as someone burst the door open from the other side.
"Who are you?" a young boy asked who had obviously opened the door from the kitchen. He held a small basket of apples and carrots under his left arm, and his trousers and shirt smelled of horses. The stable boy, Kaoru guessed.
Kaoru glared down at the smaller boy. "You should have more respect for your elders, boya," Kaoru said.
The boy huffed. "Not if the elders are ugly busus like you," he retorted, sticking his tongue out at the woman.
"Why you!" Kaoru was about the pummel the boy with her fists when a gentle hand lightly grabbed them before they could meet the boy's head.
"Please excuse our dear Yahiko-chan," the woman holding Kaoru's hand back said.
"Don't call me chan!" Yahiko bellowed and stomped away down the corridor, fumes emitting from his ears and his basket of apples and carrots rattling as he went.
The woman let go of Kaoru's hand and gave her a warm smile. "You must be one of the new women here for the prince! You can call me Tae."
A temple pulsed in Kaoru's head. "Please don't refer to me as a property of the prince," she said through a forced smile of gritted teeth. "And I'm Kamiya Kaoru," she added as if it were an afterthought.
"Gomen! Gomen, Kaoru-san," Tae said apologetically.
Kaoru shook her head. "It's nothing really, Tae-san," Kaoru said. "I just get touchy whenever it comes to the prince and this whole charade of picking out a woman."
"Naze?" Tae asked, leading Kaoru around the kitchen so that she could have a look around.
Kaoru gave a shrug. "Maybe because there are so many single princesses around the world, but he decides to pick some women in rags from the different towns in his so-called kingdom. I feel that this is all just for his amusement really."
"The prince is a kind man, Kaoru-san," Tae said. "He's not one to use people for his fun and games."
Kaoru shrugged again. "Anyway!" she said on a brighter note. "Is there anything I could do to help around here?"
"Don't you have anything better to do than to hang around the kitchen?" Tae asked politely. "I doubt you want to stay here in this stuffy place."
"When you say if I have anything better to do, do you mean strolling around in a pretty garden or sipping tea?" Kaoru asked.
Tae gave a helpless shrug. "I don't know what they told you to do," she said truthfully.
"Our dear Ou-sama said that we could do whatever we want," she said with a satisfied smile. "So is there anything I could do?"
Tae handed Kaoru a mixing bowl with mix in it that was sitting on a counter. "You could make some sukiyaki with this," Tae said, pointing to a giant, black stove.
"No problem!"
~*~*~*~*~*~
Kenshin sighed. He dismissed Megumi-dono from the study after forty minutes of nonsensical chattering. He stretched and looked out the window. About ten or so women were amusing themselves in the garden. She's not there, Kenshin thought, seeing that none of them wore a torn dress. I wonder what Tae-dono and Sae-dono are making for lunch today? Kenshin thought, exiting the study and taking a right. I really have to find something better to do with my time.
Kenshin took a shortcut into getting to the kitchens. He was quite welcomed there being that he was one of the best cooks excluding Sae and Tae. Kenshin slowly opened the door and his ears popped at the sudden noise.
"KAORU-SAN! FLIP IT OVER! FLIP IT OVER!"
"I CAN'T! IT'S STUCK TO THE PAN!!"
"FIRE!! FIRE!! FIRE!!"
"KAORU-SAN! YOU'RE ON FIRE!!"
"NANI?!! GET IT OUT!! GET IT OUT!!"
"Oro?" Kenshin peeked inside the humungous kitchen and saw the whole place was a mess. All ten cooks were looked extremely harassed. The stove was spitting out fire into the air every so often, and the floor was covered in flour, spices and sukiyaki mix. Kenshin couldn't help let out a smirk as he saw Kamiya slapped at her legs as the fire caught onto the bottom of her dress. Tae was scraping off black remains of a sukiyaki pancake with a metal spatula, and Sae was trying to reheat the leftover miso from the morning on the stove without getting caught on fire.
As if there was a switch for the noise, everything went quiet. Kaoru was on the floor, a part of her legs burnt. Tae had dropped the pan into the sink, and Sae was mixing the miso soup steadily seeing that the stove had stopped shooting fire. Kenshin gave a small cough to reveal his presence.
"Ah! Ouji-sama!" Tae said, bowing embarrassingly.
Kaoru made no motion at all except to stay seated on the stone floor and glare up at the prince.
"It looks like you made quite a mess, Kaoru-dono," Kenshin said with a warm smile, but it was quickly wiped from his face as a chill went down his spine. The woman was giving an aura of dislike. Dislike would be an understatement. Kenshin felt her hatred toward him, as the atmosphere around her seemed to explode with negative emotion.
"Don't jump to conclusions, Ouji-sama," Kaoru commented, straining out the 'ouji-sama'.
"Are you saying that this isn't your fault?" Kenshin asked. He felt the thick tension in the air, and he couldn't help feeding it.
"I doubt I said that," Kaoru retorted. "This is only partly my fault. The fact that the stove was old and was disfunctioning was not my fault. Did I make it spit fire out at the cooks? I doubt it, Ouji-sama. But I'll admit that I burned half of the sukiyaki and spilled the mix. And if you'll excuse me, I've got some cleaning up to do." Her voice dripped with loathing and every bit of derisive bit she found in herself.
"Kaoru-san! You're hurt!" Tae quickly said through the uncomfortable silence as she noticed Kaoru wince as she stood up. "You should go to the doctor. It looks bad!"
Kaoru saw that her left thigh was slightly burned. It stung, but it was nothing she couldn't handle. "It's nothing," she reassured to Tae. "Is there a mop in here?"
Tae nodded, scrambling to a closet in the corner for a mop. "I got it, Kaoru-san. Go to the doctor and check your leg. Please?"
"I made the mess, and I'm going to clean it up," Kaoru said stubbornly, grabbing the mop from Tae's hands. She began to mop up the sticky mix, leaning on her right leg to do so.
Kenshin stood by for a second to watch the persistent woman. He would have let her clean up and spoken to her later, but he saw that the burn was worse than what she said it to be. The other cooks hastily began to cook again, needing the food to be done by lunchtime. Tae watched Kaoru carefully; ready to catch her if she fell.
Kenshin strode across the kitchen, avoiding the mix splats all over the floor. "Please excuse me, Kaoru-dono," he mumbled quietly before lifting the light woman into his arms.
"What are you doing?" Kaoru yelled, kicking her right leg and thrashing in the prince's arms.
"I'll take her to the doctor, Tae-dono. I hope you don't mind cleaning this mess up," Kenshin said with a smile.
Kaoru tried to slide out of the prince's grip, but for a little man, he was quite strong. He strode out of the hot kitchen and walked steadily down the long hallway, which Kaoru remembered walking down in frustration an hour ago.
Kaoru wiggled in Kenshin's arm for ten minutes without stop. His grip didn't loosen one bit. "Will you please hold still, Kaoru-dono?" Kenshin asked, as the woman didn't stop thrashing.
"No!" she answered stubbornly. Then asked, "How do you know my name?"
"The guard, Sanosuke, told me," Kenshin replied honestly, taking a right as their hallway met with another. At least the woman stopped thrashing about for the moment, Kenshin thought with relief.
Kaoru had no more energy to struggle against her will, but puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms in a stubborn motion. She was personally humiliated and shamed for being carried like a sack of potatoes by none other than the prince. Sure, it didn't feel bad physically, but mentally, it was like a personal burning hell.
Kenshin couldn't help peering down at the woman who was scolding herself and was obviously raging inside. She was most indeed an interesting woman. "Here we go," Kenshin said, knowing that Kaoru didn't very much care. He knocked on the wooden door with his foot. "Genzai- sensei?"
"Oh! Ouji-sama!" came a muffled reply from inside, and the door flung open. It revealed a stout, old man with a kind, sincere face. "Whose this?"
"This is Kaoru-dono, Genzai-sensei," Kenshin replied, entering the brightly lit room belonging to the good doctor. "She has a bad burn on her thigh." Kenshin set the furious woman down on a nearby bed for the doctor to examine.
"It's not that bad of a burn," Genzai said, inspecting the wound.
"Told you so," Kaoru growled to the prince. Kenshin pretended not to hear.
"But you should have immediately gotten it treated, Kaoru-san," Genzai said with a smile. He began treating the injury when the door burst opened, revealing two children giggling with excitement. "Ayame-chan! Suzume-chan! What brings you here?" Dr. Genzai asked the two squealing children, while continuously working on Kaoru's leg.
"Kaoru-nee!" Ayame yelled, recognizing the woman being treated by their grandfather.
"Kaoru-nee! Kaoru-nee!" Suzume echoed, scuttling up to Kaoru.
Kaoru gave a warm smile to the children. "What brings you here, Ayame- chan? Suzume-chan?" Kaoru asked, repeating the doctor's unheard question and squeezing Suzume's adorable cheeks lightly.
"They're my grandchildren, Kaoru-san," Dr. Genzai answered proudly, wrapping up Kaoru's thigh. "They visit me every so often, but I'm getting to old to play with them."
"Sou ka!" Kaoru said, her mood exceptionally brighter. She barely remembered the prince was in the same room as she was.
"Kaoru-nee! Wanna play?" Ayame asked, grabbing Kaoru's hand.
"Wanna play? Wanna play?" Suzume added, grabbing Kaoru's other hand.
"You too, Ken-nii!" Ayame said, grabbing Kenshin's hand with her free one.
I almost forgot he was here, Kaoru thought, her joyous face replaced with a frown. "I shouldn't walk around with this leg, Ayame-chan," Kaoru said, pointing at her bandaged thigh. "Go play with your darling Ken-nii," she added, drawling out the 'darling Ken-nii' line.
Kenshin allowed himself to be led out by the two children around the palace to the fields where they fed the horses and teased Yahiko, the stable boy. He couldn't help watching Kaoru's warm smile as she noticed the two toddlers. She has such a beautiful smile, but she always frowns and scowls whenever she looks at me. What did I do? Kenshin thought innocently.
"Ayame-chan," Kenshin said, calling over the older of the two children to his side.
"Hai, Ken-nii?" Ayame said, bouncing over to where he sat on the grass.
"How do you and Suzume-chan know Kaoru-dono?" Kenshin asked.
"Kaoru-nee? We live in the same town!" Ayame said with a smile. "And Kaoru-nee runs the town dojo! She's really good."
"She's really good!" Suzume pipped up from behind Ayame.
"Ken-nii," Ayame said, peering into Kenshin's face.
"Hai, Ayame-chan?" he replied.
"Kaoru-nee didn't seem to like you very much," Ayame mentioned innocently. "Naze?"
"Naze naze?"
"I don't know, Ayame-chan, Suzume-chan. Why don't you ask Kaoru-dono yourselves?" Kenshin replied.
"Uhn!" Ayame and Suzume chorused with hearty nods.
A bell rang from the kitchens. "Lunch time!" Ayame called out into the air.
"Lunch time!" Suzume echoed. "Bye, Ken-nii!" And the two scuttled off to eat lunch with their grandfather in a separate dining room.
Kenshin gave a small wave before getting himself up from the grass and heading towards the dining hall where Hiko Seijuro already sat. Some of the other women were bustling their way to the dining room, trying to catch the king or prince's attention as they swayed around in their enormous dresses.
She's late again, Kenshin noticed, seeing that Kaoru's seat was empty. Hiko must have noticed it too, but their thoughts were both cut off promptly.
"Sorry I'm late!" called out a spunky voice from one of the hallways. Kaoru was limping as she walked to her seat.
"You hurt yourself already, Kamiya-san?" Hiko asked with a small smirk. He took a sip of his sake, watching her.
"You seem quite happy at the fact, Ou-sama," Kaoru scowled.
"Not really," Hiko retorted. He reached inside his mantle and took out a gold coin. He tossed it over to one of the guards as Kaoru recognized as the rooster-headed one. "You made me lose my bet," Hiko said with a feigned sigh of tragedy.
"Which was?"
"I said you'd end up hurting yourself by next week, Kamiya-san. Not as soon as today." Hiko grinned. Kaoru fumed at the insult of her clumsiness. And to think that only half of the day was over. The score was tied: one point for Kaoru, and one for Hiko. If this was how their meal was to be everyday, so be it!
Lunch was hastily set up in front of everyone, and Kaoru noticed that even with her interference with the cooks, they managed to make a delicious meal. Kaoru glared at the prince who was eating his lunch in silence. The sight of him disgusts me, Kaoru thought, chewing mercilessly at her rice. Just looking at him, you may think he's a sweet man of worry who cares about his loved ones. Feh! I bet not.
~*~*~*~*~*~
T.Anjel: A second chapter finished. I have so much in plan for these two!~ But unfortunately, I can't put it all in one chapter. Thanks again for the reviews! ::nudge nudge::
Disclaimers: Rurouni Kenshin does not belong to me. Period.
To Love the Hated - Chapter 2
Hiko daintily set down his chopsticks; his plate empty. A nearby servant automatically took it away. "You're all dismissed," he said simply, and stood up to leave.
"What do you men, 'you're all dismissed'?" Kaoru asked from the other end of the table, making sure her voice was loud and clear.
Hiko looked straight into her defiant eyes. "I mean that you're all dismissed," he repeated.
Kaoru stood up, her chair scraping the marble floors. "And what exactly are we supposed to do?" Kaoru asked loudly, stomping her foot for emphasis.
"Whatever you like," Hiko said with a small wave of his arm. "Get me some sake," he ordered to the servant who took away his plate. "I definitely need it right now," he grumbled to himself.
Kaoru's lip thinned. Whatever I'd like? She let out a small grin. I could handle that. "Also!" Hiko added, turning around. Kaoru quickly wiped the smile off of her face. "The Ouji will personally meet and chat with two to three women a day, meaning everyone will meet with him once a week. Good day ladies." And with a dramatic swish of his giant cape, he strutted off to who-knows-where.
"Really arrogant guy," Kaoru thought out loud with a huff. She stretched, yawning loudly and wiped the tears that squeezed through her eyes. "Well then, good day ladies," Kaoru mimicked the king in a sarcastic manner and strutted out of the dining room herself, deciding to look for the kitchen as she went through one of the five different hallways attached to the dining room.
Kitchen, kitchen, oh where is the kitchen? Kaoru sang in her head as she walked along the silent hallway. Doors were everywhere left and right. Kaoru opened each one of them up and saw bedrooms, studies, parlors, libraries and offices. She sighed as she shut another door to a brightly lit study and continued down the spacious hally. She met up with another intersection, which helpfully looked identical to the other intersections she had encountered.
Damn.I'm lost.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kenshin watched with sealed amusement as the Kamiya onna argued with Hiko. He had an urge to let out a laugh as he saw Hiko's mouth twitch with annoyance. Point one for Kaoru. He wanted to follow her as she walked off and talk to her, but all the women in the dining room seemed expectant for Kenshin to call out to one of the woman for a chat. He let out a silent sigh. He nodded to the closest woman to him. He might as well get this all over with.
"Your name?" he asked. His voice came out smooth and suave.
"Takani Megumi," she answered confidently, her white teeth shining as she smiled. She was a beautiful woman, Kenshin didn't deny, but she seemed..
Foxy.
"Well then, Megumi-dono," Kenshin said with a forced smile. "Shall we?" he lent out a hand, helping her out of her chair. She gave a faint blush and walked out with him down a hallway, giving a triumphant glare at the other women before she did.
They felt slightly disappointed that they weren't the first to be picked, but knew their time would come. So they slowly made their way out of their chairs and decided to roam around the gigantic palace in pairs and trios.
Kenshin led the tall woman to the study and to end of the room where there was a floor-to-ceiling window, which overlooked the large garden. He motioned for her to sit on a plush chair that was put there earlier. He sat on another.
"Megumi-dono," Kenshin began in a forced tone. "Which town do you come from?"
"I come from Shinachi," Megumi answered with a supposedly seductive smile.
"Sou ka," Kenshin managed to say from under Megumi's intense stare. He had noticed earlier during breakfast that Sano seemed mildly interested in this beautiful woman. Kenshin decided to keep everything clean and simple with the Megumi woman. Maybe she would find some interest in Sanosuke as well. "What do you do for a living?"
"I'm a doctor," Megumi answered with pride.
"Women doctors aren't common," Kenshin commented. He was impressed. "What made you want to go out in the medical area of work?"
Megumi shrugged her bare shoulders, which made Kenshin notice the dress she was wearing. It was an off-shoulder, extremely puffy dress of a dark blue. Intricate, white designs were sewed around the hem of the frilly dress. Why in the world did Shishou fill their closets up with western dresses? Kenshin wondered. "I was always interested in it," Megumi replied, bringing Kenshin back from his musings.
And their question and answer conversation went on boring both people to the core of their being.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kaoru gnawed at her lower lip. She was at another intersection. She covered her eyes with her hand. Eeni-minnie-minie-moe! Kaoru finger pointed to the left. Then left it is! The hallway was long and winded in every which way, which didn't help to lighten Kaoru's frustrated mood.
Kaoru sulked along the hallway until she air's scent changed to an enticing aroma. "Food!" she exclaimed. She must be near the kitchens. Thank goodness! Kaoru quickened her pace and was met up with a large, oak door at the end of the white, marble hallway. She creaked the door opened a smidge, and delicious scents overwhelmed her suddenly enlarged nostrils. "Oishii," Kaoru mumbled, drool making its way down the side of her mouth. "Ah!" Kaoru stumbled forward as someone burst the door open from the other side.
"Who are you?" a young boy asked who had obviously opened the door from the kitchen. He held a small basket of apples and carrots under his left arm, and his trousers and shirt smelled of horses. The stable boy, Kaoru guessed.
Kaoru glared down at the smaller boy. "You should have more respect for your elders, boya," Kaoru said.
The boy huffed. "Not if the elders are ugly busus like you," he retorted, sticking his tongue out at the woman.
"Why you!" Kaoru was about the pummel the boy with her fists when a gentle hand lightly grabbed them before they could meet the boy's head.
"Please excuse our dear Yahiko-chan," the woman holding Kaoru's hand back said.
"Don't call me chan!" Yahiko bellowed and stomped away down the corridor, fumes emitting from his ears and his basket of apples and carrots rattling as he went.
The woman let go of Kaoru's hand and gave her a warm smile. "You must be one of the new women here for the prince! You can call me Tae."
A temple pulsed in Kaoru's head. "Please don't refer to me as a property of the prince," she said through a forced smile of gritted teeth. "And I'm Kamiya Kaoru," she added as if it were an afterthought.
"Gomen! Gomen, Kaoru-san," Tae said apologetically.
Kaoru shook her head. "It's nothing really, Tae-san," Kaoru said. "I just get touchy whenever it comes to the prince and this whole charade of picking out a woman."
"Naze?" Tae asked, leading Kaoru around the kitchen so that she could have a look around.
Kaoru gave a shrug. "Maybe because there are so many single princesses around the world, but he decides to pick some women in rags from the different towns in his so-called kingdom. I feel that this is all just for his amusement really."
"The prince is a kind man, Kaoru-san," Tae said. "He's not one to use people for his fun and games."
Kaoru shrugged again. "Anyway!" she said on a brighter note. "Is there anything I could do to help around here?"
"Don't you have anything better to do than to hang around the kitchen?" Tae asked politely. "I doubt you want to stay here in this stuffy place."
"When you say if I have anything better to do, do you mean strolling around in a pretty garden or sipping tea?" Kaoru asked.
Tae gave a helpless shrug. "I don't know what they told you to do," she said truthfully.
"Our dear Ou-sama said that we could do whatever we want," she said with a satisfied smile. "So is there anything I could do?"
Tae handed Kaoru a mixing bowl with mix in it that was sitting on a counter. "You could make some sukiyaki with this," Tae said, pointing to a giant, black stove.
"No problem!"
~*~*~*~*~*~
Kenshin sighed. He dismissed Megumi-dono from the study after forty minutes of nonsensical chattering. He stretched and looked out the window. About ten or so women were amusing themselves in the garden. She's not there, Kenshin thought, seeing that none of them wore a torn dress. I wonder what Tae-dono and Sae-dono are making for lunch today? Kenshin thought, exiting the study and taking a right. I really have to find something better to do with my time.
Kenshin took a shortcut into getting to the kitchens. He was quite welcomed there being that he was one of the best cooks excluding Sae and Tae. Kenshin slowly opened the door and his ears popped at the sudden noise.
"KAORU-SAN! FLIP IT OVER! FLIP IT OVER!"
"I CAN'T! IT'S STUCK TO THE PAN!!"
"FIRE!! FIRE!! FIRE!!"
"KAORU-SAN! YOU'RE ON FIRE!!"
"NANI?!! GET IT OUT!! GET IT OUT!!"
"Oro?" Kenshin peeked inside the humungous kitchen and saw the whole place was a mess. All ten cooks were looked extremely harassed. The stove was spitting out fire into the air every so often, and the floor was covered in flour, spices and sukiyaki mix. Kenshin couldn't help let out a smirk as he saw Kamiya slapped at her legs as the fire caught onto the bottom of her dress. Tae was scraping off black remains of a sukiyaki pancake with a metal spatula, and Sae was trying to reheat the leftover miso from the morning on the stove without getting caught on fire.
As if there was a switch for the noise, everything went quiet. Kaoru was on the floor, a part of her legs burnt. Tae had dropped the pan into the sink, and Sae was mixing the miso soup steadily seeing that the stove had stopped shooting fire. Kenshin gave a small cough to reveal his presence.
"Ah! Ouji-sama!" Tae said, bowing embarrassingly.
Kaoru made no motion at all except to stay seated on the stone floor and glare up at the prince.
"It looks like you made quite a mess, Kaoru-dono," Kenshin said with a warm smile, but it was quickly wiped from his face as a chill went down his spine. The woman was giving an aura of dislike. Dislike would be an understatement. Kenshin felt her hatred toward him, as the atmosphere around her seemed to explode with negative emotion.
"Don't jump to conclusions, Ouji-sama," Kaoru commented, straining out the 'ouji-sama'.
"Are you saying that this isn't your fault?" Kenshin asked. He felt the thick tension in the air, and he couldn't help feeding it.
"I doubt I said that," Kaoru retorted. "This is only partly my fault. The fact that the stove was old and was disfunctioning was not my fault. Did I make it spit fire out at the cooks? I doubt it, Ouji-sama. But I'll admit that I burned half of the sukiyaki and spilled the mix. And if you'll excuse me, I've got some cleaning up to do." Her voice dripped with loathing and every bit of derisive bit she found in herself.
"Kaoru-san! You're hurt!" Tae quickly said through the uncomfortable silence as she noticed Kaoru wince as she stood up. "You should go to the doctor. It looks bad!"
Kaoru saw that her left thigh was slightly burned. It stung, but it was nothing she couldn't handle. "It's nothing," she reassured to Tae. "Is there a mop in here?"
Tae nodded, scrambling to a closet in the corner for a mop. "I got it, Kaoru-san. Go to the doctor and check your leg. Please?"
"I made the mess, and I'm going to clean it up," Kaoru said stubbornly, grabbing the mop from Tae's hands. She began to mop up the sticky mix, leaning on her right leg to do so.
Kenshin stood by for a second to watch the persistent woman. He would have let her clean up and spoken to her later, but he saw that the burn was worse than what she said it to be. The other cooks hastily began to cook again, needing the food to be done by lunchtime. Tae watched Kaoru carefully; ready to catch her if she fell.
Kenshin strode across the kitchen, avoiding the mix splats all over the floor. "Please excuse me, Kaoru-dono," he mumbled quietly before lifting the light woman into his arms.
"What are you doing?" Kaoru yelled, kicking her right leg and thrashing in the prince's arms.
"I'll take her to the doctor, Tae-dono. I hope you don't mind cleaning this mess up," Kenshin said with a smile.
Kaoru tried to slide out of the prince's grip, but for a little man, he was quite strong. He strode out of the hot kitchen and walked steadily down the long hallway, which Kaoru remembered walking down in frustration an hour ago.
Kaoru wiggled in Kenshin's arm for ten minutes without stop. His grip didn't loosen one bit. "Will you please hold still, Kaoru-dono?" Kenshin asked, as the woman didn't stop thrashing.
"No!" she answered stubbornly. Then asked, "How do you know my name?"
"The guard, Sanosuke, told me," Kenshin replied honestly, taking a right as their hallway met with another. At least the woman stopped thrashing about for the moment, Kenshin thought with relief.
Kaoru had no more energy to struggle against her will, but puffed out her cheeks and crossed her arms in a stubborn motion. She was personally humiliated and shamed for being carried like a sack of potatoes by none other than the prince. Sure, it didn't feel bad physically, but mentally, it was like a personal burning hell.
Kenshin couldn't help peering down at the woman who was scolding herself and was obviously raging inside. She was most indeed an interesting woman. "Here we go," Kenshin said, knowing that Kaoru didn't very much care. He knocked on the wooden door with his foot. "Genzai- sensei?"
"Oh! Ouji-sama!" came a muffled reply from inside, and the door flung open. It revealed a stout, old man with a kind, sincere face. "Whose this?"
"This is Kaoru-dono, Genzai-sensei," Kenshin replied, entering the brightly lit room belonging to the good doctor. "She has a bad burn on her thigh." Kenshin set the furious woman down on a nearby bed for the doctor to examine.
"It's not that bad of a burn," Genzai said, inspecting the wound.
"Told you so," Kaoru growled to the prince. Kenshin pretended not to hear.
"But you should have immediately gotten it treated, Kaoru-san," Genzai said with a smile. He began treating the injury when the door burst opened, revealing two children giggling with excitement. "Ayame-chan! Suzume-chan! What brings you here?" Dr. Genzai asked the two squealing children, while continuously working on Kaoru's leg.
"Kaoru-nee!" Ayame yelled, recognizing the woman being treated by their grandfather.
"Kaoru-nee! Kaoru-nee!" Suzume echoed, scuttling up to Kaoru.
Kaoru gave a warm smile to the children. "What brings you here, Ayame- chan? Suzume-chan?" Kaoru asked, repeating the doctor's unheard question and squeezing Suzume's adorable cheeks lightly.
"They're my grandchildren, Kaoru-san," Dr. Genzai answered proudly, wrapping up Kaoru's thigh. "They visit me every so often, but I'm getting to old to play with them."
"Sou ka!" Kaoru said, her mood exceptionally brighter. She barely remembered the prince was in the same room as she was.
"Kaoru-nee! Wanna play?" Ayame asked, grabbing Kaoru's hand.
"Wanna play? Wanna play?" Suzume added, grabbing Kaoru's other hand.
"You too, Ken-nii!" Ayame said, grabbing Kenshin's hand with her free one.
I almost forgot he was here, Kaoru thought, her joyous face replaced with a frown. "I shouldn't walk around with this leg, Ayame-chan," Kaoru said, pointing at her bandaged thigh. "Go play with your darling Ken-nii," she added, drawling out the 'darling Ken-nii' line.
Kenshin allowed himself to be led out by the two children around the palace to the fields where they fed the horses and teased Yahiko, the stable boy. He couldn't help watching Kaoru's warm smile as she noticed the two toddlers. She has such a beautiful smile, but she always frowns and scowls whenever she looks at me. What did I do? Kenshin thought innocently.
"Ayame-chan," Kenshin said, calling over the older of the two children to his side.
"Hai, Ken-nii?" Ayame said, bouncing over to where he sat on the grass.
"How do you and Suzume-chan know Kaoru-dono?" Kenshin asked.
"Kaoru-nee? We live in the same town!" Ayame said with a smile. "And Kaoru-nee runs the town dojo! She's really good."
"She's really good!" Suzume pipped up from behind Ayame.
"Ken-nii," Ayame said, peering into Kenshin's face.
"Hai, Ayame-chan?" he replied.
"Kaoru-nee didn't seem to like you very much," Ayame mentioned innocently. "Naze?"
"Naze naze?"
"I don't know, Ayame-chan, Suzume-chan. Why don't you ask Kaoru-dono yourselves?" Kenshin replied.
"Uhn!" Ayame and Suzume chorused with hearty nods.
A bell rang from the kitchens. "Lunch time!" Ayame called out into the air.
"Lunch time!" Suzume echoed. "Bye, Ken-nii!" And the two scuttled off to eat lunch with their grandfather in a separate dining room.
Kenshin gave a small wave before getting himself up from the grass and heading towards the dining hall where Hiko Seijuro already sat. Some of the other women were bustling their way to the dining room, trying to catch the king or prince's attention as they swayed around in their enormous dresses.
She's late again, Kenshin noticed, seeing that Kaoru's seat was empty. Hiko must have noticed it too, but their thoughts were both cut off promptly.
"Sorry I'm late!" called out a spunky voice from one of the hallways. Kaoru was limping as she walked to her seat.
"You hurt yourself already, Kamiya-san?" Hiko asked with a small smirk. He took a sip of his sake, watching her.
"You seem quite happy at the fact, Ou-sama," Kaoru scowled.
"Not really," Hiko retorted. He reached inside his mantle and took out a gold coin. He tossed it over to one of the guards as Kaoru recognized as the rooster-headed one. "You made me lose my bet," Hiko said with a feigned sigh of tragedy.
"Which was?"
"I said you'd end up hurting yourself by next week, Kamiya-san. Not as soon as today." Hiko grinned. Kaoru fumed at the insult of her clumsiness. And to think that only half of the day was over. The score was tied: one point for Kaoru, and one for Hiko. If this was how their meal was to be everyday, so be it!
Lunch was hastily set up in front of everyone, and Kaoru noticed that even with her interference with the cooks, they managed to make a delicious meal. Kaoru glared at the prince who was eating his lunch in silence. The sight of him disgusts me, Kaoru thought, chewing mercilessly at her rice. Just looking at him, you may think he's a sweet man of worry who cares about his loved ones. Feh! I bet not.
~*~*~*~*~*~
T.Anjel: A second chapter finished. I have so much in plan for these two!~ But unfortunately, I can't put it all in one chapter. Thanks again for the reviews! ::nudge nudge::
