Half an hour later, Kaoru found herself outside at the washing bin, idly washing the stained cloth diaper, and looking quite traumatized.
'I can't believe I did that…'
She scrubbed at the diaper, letting the soapy bubbles run over her hands.
'What would Kenshin do if he ever found out…?'
She washed the soap off the cloth, soaking it with water.
'He'd understand… you know he would…'
Kaoru took the diaper out of the bin and shook some of the excess water from it.
'Although… that IS the most of Kenshin I've ever seen…'
She turned a lovely shade of red at the sudden thought, feeling ashamed, even though she knew no one could hear what she was thinking.
'Stop thinking like that, Kamiya.' She scolded herself as she hung the diaper out to dry on the clothes line.
Kaoru walked back inside to find Kenshin had fallen asleep on the kitchen floor.
She sighed as she looked at him sleeping. "You look so adorable when you're asleep, Kenshin." She smiled. "And you'll still look just as cute when you're 26 years older."
Kaoru picked him up gently and carried him back to his room. She laid him down on his futon and carefully covered him up with the blanket. "Guess it's naptime for you, cutie." She whispered.
She watched him for a few minutes before she realized that she was feeling a little tired herself. She hesitated before laying down next to her little rurouni. Slowly, she drifted off to sleep, unconsciously slipping her arm around the young boy who'd grow up to be the man she loves.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Megumi and Sano were both hurrying through one of the busier streets in Tokyo. Megumi was throwing insults at the people pushing by her, and Sano was growling at them and returning most of the shoves. Neither had let go of the other's hand since leaving the dojo.
Megumi suddenly turned a corner and started running down a vacant alley. Sano followed closely behind her, still clutching her hand.
"I think we're almost there" Megumi said over her shoulder. Sano nodded.
Megumi came to an abrupt stop. Sano skidded to a stop behind her, nearly running into the young doctor. She pointed to a small shack at the end of the alley.
"This is the place… Dr. Gensai told me this is where that man lives…"
Sano arched an eyebrow. "So? I still don't see why you needed me to come along, if you already knew where this place was."
Megumi sighed, her cheeks a little pink. "I wanted you here for… protection."
"Oh…" Sano smiled one of his cockier smiles and nodded. "I am good for that, aren't I?"
"Just about the only thing…" Megumi muttered loud enough for him to hear.
Sano stuck his tongue out at her in a very childish manner before stepping up to the cabin and pounding on the door.
They both listened, and heard something crash inside the shack.
"He must have been surprised…" Megumi murmured. "Must not get a lot of visitors…"
After a few more minutes, the door opened and the same old man from the tofu, rice and fruit stand, was standing in the doorway.
"Yes? What is it you want?"
Megumi nodded to Sano. This was the man Dr. Gensai had described to her.
The ex-gangster promptly grabbed the old guy by his collar and hoisted him several feet above the ground.
"What did you do to my friend?!"
"W-What?" The man stammered, scared stiff of the tall spiky-haired man.
Megumi stepped into the discussion. "What did you do to Ken-san? You must remember him… he has long red hair, soft violet eyes, a crossed shaped scar and he wears the colors pink and white! HE ISN'T EXACTLY YOUR ADVERAGE, RUN OF THE MILL, GUY."
"Oh, yes. I remember that man."
Megumi resisted rolling her eyes. "Of course you would. How many people do you see looking like him?"
The old man ignored her. "He was the under-appreciated ex-murderer, was he not?"
"Kenshin isn't under-appreciated." Sano said with indignation.
"Really? During the two weeks I spied on your dojo, none of you ever thanked him for the things he did. He cleaned your laundry, cooked your food, cleaned your dishes, and straitened up after you… like some sort of Cinderella."
Sano was mad. "You can't judge a household by spying on them for a week or two! No one MAKES Kenshin do all those chores! He does them because he doesn't think he deserves to live at the dojo! AND… we do thank Kenshin for what he does. I know Jou-Chan does all the time. You probably didn't notice because you were hiding in some tree!"
The old man looked taken aback. He looked at Megumi. "Is this true?"
Megumi nodded vigorously.
"Oh, my… I have made a terrible mistake."
Sano let the old man back on his feet. "So, fix it."
The old man shook his head sadly. "You will have to wait for the spell to wear off itself. It may take years…"
Sano and Megumi's eyes bugged out.
"The only other way is, of course, true love's first kiss. After all, no magic is stronger then love. But… for that to work, you'd have to have his true love."
(A/N- Muwahahahaha! CLIFFHANGER. More soon. PLEASE review.)
'I can't believe I did that…'
She scrubbed at the diaper, letting the soapy bubbles run over her hands.
'What would Kenshin do if he ever found out…?'
She washed the soap off the cloth, soaking it with water.
'He'd understand… you know he would…'
Kaoru took the diaper out of the bin and shook some of the excess water from it.
'Although… that IS the most of Kenshin I've ever seen…'
She turned a lovely shade of red at the sudden thought, feeling ashamed, even though she knew no one could hear what she was thinking.
'Stop thinking like that, Kamiya.' She scolded herself as she hung the diaper out to dry on the clothes line.
Kaoru walked back inside to find Kenshin had fallen asleep on the kitchen floor.
She sighed as she looked at him sleeping. "You look so adorable when you're asleep, Kenshin." She smiled. "And you'll still look just as cute when you're 26 years older."
Kaoru picked him up gently and carried him back to his room. She laid him down on his futon and carefully covered him up with the blanket. "Guess it's naptime for you, cutie." She whispered.
She watched him for a few minutes before she realized that she was feeling a little tired herself. She hesitated before laying down next to her little rurouni. Slowly, she drifted off to sleep, unconsciously slipping her arm around the young boy who'd grow up to be the man she loves.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Megumi and Sano were both hurrying through one of the busier streets in Tokyo. Megumi was throwing insults at the people pushing by her, and Sano was growling at them and returning most of the shoves. Neither had let go of the other's hand since leaving the dojo.
Megumi suddenly turned a corner and started running down a vacant alley. Sano followed closely behind her, still clutching her hand.
"I think we're almost there" Megumi said over her shoulder. Sano nodded.
Megumi came to an abrupt stop. Sano skidded to a stop behind her, nearly running into the young doctor. She pointed to a small shack at the end of the alley.
"This is the place… Dr. Gensai told me this is where that man lives…"
Sano arched an eyebrow. "So? I still don't see why you needed me to come along, if you already knew where this place was."
Megumi sighed, her cheeks a little pink. "I wanted you here for… protection."
"Oh…" Sano smiled one of his cockier smiles and nodded. "I am good for that, aren't I?"
"Just about the only thing…" Megumi muttered loud enough for him to hear.
Sano stuck his tongue out at her in a very childish manner before stepping up to the cabin and pounding on the door.
They both listened, and heard something crash inside the shack.
"He must have been surprised…" Megumi murmured. "Must not get a lot of visitors…"
After a few more minutes, the door opened and the same old man from the tofu, rice and fruit stand, was standing in the doorway.
"Yes? What is it you want?"
Megumi nodded to Sano. This was the man Dr. Gensai had described to her.
The ex-gangster promptly grabbed the old guy by his collar and hoisted him several feet above the ground.
"What did you do to my friend?!"
"W-What?" The man stammered, scared stiff of the tall spiky-haired man.
Megumi stepped into the discussion. "What did you do to Ken-san? You must remember him… he has long red hair, soft violet eyes, a crossed shaped scar and he wears the colors pink and white! HE ISN'T EXACTLY YOUR ADVERAGE, RUN OF THE MILL, GUY."
"Oh, yes. I remember that man."
Megumi resisted rolling her eyes. "Of course you would. How many people do you see looking like him?"
The old man ignored her. "He was the under-appreciated ex-murderer, was he not?"
"Kenshin isn't under-appreciated." Sano said with indignation.
"Really? During the two weeks I spied on your dojo, none of you ever thanked him for the things he did. He cleaned your laundry, cooked your food, cleaned your dishes, and straitened up after you… like some sort of Cinderella."
Sano was mad. "You can't judge a household by spying on them for a week or two! No one MAKES Kenshin do all those chores! He does them because he doesn't think he deserves to live at the dojo! AND… we do thank Kenshin for what he does. I know Jou-Chan does all the time. You probably didn't notice because you were hiding in some tree!"
The old man looked taken aback. He looked at Megumi. "Is this true?"
Megumi nodded vigorously.
"Oh, my… I have made a terrible mistake."
Sano let the old man back on his feet. "So, fix it."
The old man shook his head sadly. "You will have to wait for the spell to wear off itself. It may take years…"
Sano and Megumi's eyes bugged out.
"The only other way is, of course, true love's first kiss. After all, no magic is stronger then love. But… for that to work, you'd have to have his true love."
(A/N- Muwahahahaha! CLIFFHANGER. More soon. PLEASE review.)