Guy's Night Out
Chapter Two
Meanwhile, over at the Kamiya dojo:
"KEN-SHINNN! Where are you?" yelled Kaoru Kamiya, assistant sensai of the Kamiya Kashin Ryu.
The object of this, um, request, was busy doing the laundry, his favorite household chore. It was a warm, sunny day, the spring rains being over with, finally, and he wanted to take advantage of the fact and wash and dry all the linens in the house.
(Author's note: If you've ever been in the Orient, the wet weather there is monsoon-type, meaning that when it rains, its like someone pouring a warmish bucket of water on your head and you're soaked to the skin in about 5 seconds flat. You hang your laundry indoors and hope it dries before it gets musty. I really feel for Kenshin-san, because we had to do the laundry the same way he does it, in a big tub, scrubbing by hand and hang it out. Only fun if you're into chapped hands and a hunched back in a big way. I'll never see what that guy gets out of scrubbing clothes. Yes, they have washing machines there, but this was in the 1960's and I'm giving away my age, damn it.)
"Over here, Kaoru-dono, washing the bedclothes," he called back.
Kaoru was dressed in her training clothes and had a bokken in her hand. "Have you seen that brat, Yahiko? I wanted him to do 200 repetitions of his new exercise today, and he sneaked out on me when I went to attend to something personal."
"No doubt he ran off to the Akabeko to see that waitress girl again, Kaoru- dono. You know he has a little crush on her." Kenshin grinned faintly. More ammunition to tease the boy about later.
"Irresponsible, lovesick puppy!" grumbled Kaoru, "I'm going to make him do 300 repetitions and then sweep the porch and wash it when he shows up."
"Don't be too hard on that boy, Kaoru-dono, he's just at an age," murmured Kenshin, working at a barely noticeable spot on a sheet he was scrubbing.
"Well, if he wants to get any older in good health, he'll quit running out when there's work to be done!" she exclaimed, one hand on her left hip, the bokken poised somewhat threateningly in the other.
"Maa, maa, settle down, Kaoru, look at the bright side. You can sit and keep me company for a bit while I do my work." He smiled and her and patted the step next to him, inviting her to come sit down. How could she resist? She smiled, like a spring storm suddenly clearing and leaving only gentle sunshine, and sat down next to him.
"Ah, you," she murmured, "You always know how to make me glad again."
She looked sideways at him from under her lashes and studied his profile. "So handsome," she thought. "Even when he's doing the household chores, he never seems anything other than manly."
"What are you thinking, Kaoru?" he asked suddenly, feeling that prickle on the back of his neck he always got when someone was staring at him.
Caught staring, she blushed a little, but stammered out, "Uh, uh, nothing, just how much I like sitting with you, enjoying the quiet."
"It is quiet with Yahiko and the other students gone, that it is," he said.
"Yes, very quiet." She looked at her hands and said nothing. Kenshin quit scrubbing and looked up. She sat there with her pretty lips pursed in thought, and his gaze fell upon them. "So lovely," he thought. Even with the faint sheen of her recent exertions on her neck and upper lip and dressed like a boy, she was the most lovely thing he could imagine.
He bent nearer, she looked up into his eyes and their heads came together, her hand came up, caressing his cheek, their lips touching...
"Oi, anyone home, it's me, Sano!" Kenshin groaned and jerked his head back and Kaoru said, "Oh my!" under her breath and jumped up.
"Damnit!" Kenshin thought, "I'm going to pluck that rooster!" He cleared his throat and called back, "We're over here on the back porch, Sano."
Sano sauntered around back to see a furiously blushing Kaoru standing there wringing her hands together as if she were trying to find something to do with them, and his normally amicable buddy Kenshin trying very hard not to look pissed off.
"Caught ya!" he thought, grinning like a fool. He was glad his friends had finally overcome their inhibitions and were starting to show a little of that deep feeling they obviously had for each other.
"About damn time!" he thought. "Kenshin must have the self control of a priest on a pilgrimage. I'd have had to cut my hands and a few other appendages off to live with a gal like Jou-chan for so long and not treat myself to a taste of that."
"Can we do something for you, Sanosuke?" Kenshin asked a tad coolly, trying to be civil. Inwardly, he was cursing his friend's bad timing and it hadn't escaped his notice that Sano was trying to catch his eye with a leer and a wink.
"Jest came over to remind you that we're goin out to have some fun tonight, remember, buddy? And Jou-chan, you promised, Kenshin gets to have a night of fun with his old buddy Sano, right?" he cajoled, trying his best puppy dog look on her.
Chapter Two
Meanwhile, over at the Kamiya dojo:
"KEN-SHINNN! Where are you?" yelled Kaoru Kamiya, assistant sensai of the Kamiya Kashin Ryu.
The object of this, um, request, was busy doing the laundry, his favorite household chore. It was a warm, sunny day, the spring rains being over with, finally, and he wanted to take advantage of the fact and wash and dry all the linens in the house.
(Author's note: If you've ever been in the Orient, the wet weather there is monsoon-type, meaning that when it rains, its like someone pouring a warmish bucket of water on your head and you're soaked to the skin in about 5 seconds flat. You hang your laundry indoors and hope it dries before it gets musty. I really feel for Kenshin-san, because we had to do the laundry the same way he does it, in a big tub, scrubbing by hand and hang it out. Only fun if you're into chapped hands and a hunched back in a big way. I'll never see what that guy gets out of scrubbing clothes. Yes, they have washing machines there, but this was in the 1960's and I'm giving away my age, damn it.)
"Over here, Kaoru-dono, washing the bedclothes," he called back.
Kaoru was dressed in her training clothes and had a bokken in her hand. "Have you seen that brat, Yahiko? I wanted him to do 200 repetitions of his new exercise today, and he sneaked out on me when I went to attend to something personal."
"No doubt he ran off to the Akabeko to see that waitress girl again, Kaoru- dono. You know he has a little crush on her." Kenshin grinned faintly. More ammunition to tease the boy about later.
"Irresponsible, lovesick puppy!" grumbled Kaoru, "I'm going to make him do 300 repetitions and then sweep the porch and wash it when he shows up."
"Don't be too hard on that boy, Kaoru-dono, he's just at an age," murmured Kenshin, working at a barely noticeable spot on a sheet he was scrubbing.
"Well, if he wants to get any older in good health, he'll quit running out when there's work to be done!" she exclaimed, one hand on her left hip, the bokken poised somewhat threateningly in the other.
"Maa, maa, settle down, Kaoru, look at the bright side. You can sit and keep me company for a bit while I do my work." He smiled and her and patted the step next to him, inviting her to come sit down. How could she resist? She smiled, like a spring storm suddenly clearing and leaving only gentle sunshine, and sat down next to him.
"Ah, you," she murmured, "You always know how to make me glad again."
She looked sideways at him from under her lashes and studied his profile. "So handsome," she thought. "Even when he's doing the household chores, he never seems anything other than manly."
"What are you thinking, Kaoru?" he asked suddenly, feeling that prickle on the back of his neck he always got when someone was staring at him.
Caught staring, she blushed a little, but stammered out, "Uh, uh, nothing, just how much I like sitting with you, enjoying the quiet."
"It is quiet with Yahiko and the other students gone, that it is," he said.
"Yes, very quiet." She looked at her hands and said nothing. Kenshin quit scrubbing and looked up. She sat there with her pretty lips pursed in thought, and his gaze fell upon them. "So lovely," he thought. Even with the faint sheen of her recent exertions on her neck and upper lip and dressed like a boy, she was the most lovely thing he could imagine.
He bent nearer, she looked up into his eyes and their heads came together, her hand came up, caressing his cheek, their lips touching...
"Oi, anyone home, it's me, Sano!" Kenshin groaned and jerked his head back and Kaoru said, "Oh my!" under her breath and jumped up.
"Damnit!" Kenshin thought, "I'm going to pluck that rooster!" He cleared his throat and called back, "We're over here on the back porch, Sano."
Sano sauntered around back to see a furiously blushing Kaoru standing there wringing her hands together as if she were trying to find something to do with them, and his normally amicable buddy Kenshin trying very hard not to look pissed off.
"Caught ya!" he thought, grinning like a fool. He was glad his friends had finally overcome their inhibitions and were starting to show a little of that deep feeling they obviously had for each other.
"About damn time!" he thought. "Kenshin must have the self control of a priest on a pilgrimage. I'd have had to cut my hands and a few other appendages off to live with a gal like Jou-chan for so long and not treat myself to a taste of that."
"Can we do something for you, Sanosuke?" Kenshin asked a tad coolly, trying to be civil. Inwardly, he was cursing his friend's bad timing and it hadn't escaped his notice that Sano was trying to catch his eye with a leer and a wink.
"Jest came over to remind you that we're goin out to have some fun tonight, remember, buddy? And Jou-chan, you promised, Kenshin gets to have a night of fun with his old buddy Sano, right?" he cajoled, trying his best puppy dog look on her.
