Act 13: Continued Chibi Chaos in Kyoto
Disclaimer: All I own is the strained knee I got attempting Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki. I suppose I got off lucky though with just a strained knee. I still can't say that I own Rurouni Kenshin.
Notes: Whee! Many thanks to everyone who's stuck with the story and reviewed! And a big thanks to Gochan (author of "A Rurouni's Guide to Idiocy") for plugging Twisted Paradise! Belated happy 19th birthday, Gochan! I apologize for the delay for this chapter- with Anime Expo less than a month away, I've been getting busy. After the convention, I'll probably post pictures of my sister and I in our Kenshin and Kaoru costumes. (I just hope my feet don't commit suicide like they did last year from the heels on my Relena Darlian costume @_@). And while the e-mail and reviews inquiring about Enishi, Fi-chan, and Haru are flattering, I'm afraid to say that I don't think they'll be making another appearance in this story. = I just don't feel I could work with Enishi on something more expansive than Act 11 and do a good job of it. But if there's another author out there who wants to use Fi-chan and Haru in their own story, by all means, go ahead! Just send me a review or email to let me know so I can point my readers to it =) Anyways! On with the story!
Shinta and Kaoru both gawked in surprise at the group
that neither the former hitokiri nor the former kenjutsu instructor had
noticed while they'd been so occupied watching Aoshi and Kumiko.
"Why the surprised look, Himura-san?" The apparent
leader of the group grinned widely, stroking his thin beard.
"O... Okina-dono?" Shinta found his voice after
it had fled him in surprise a few moments earlier.
"You're dead?" Kaoru blurted out in surprise.
"He was already old back during the entire mess
with Shishio. It's obvious the old pervert would have to clock out sometime!"
One of the other members of the group, a short, beady-eyed man with a pointed
nose and a wild spray of hair noted dryly..
"Old pervert?" Okina whirled on said short guy indignantly.
"Okina, we've all caught you tailing young women
to their baths."
"... That's beside the point, Hannya!" Okina flailed.
The two taller men in the group just exchanged looks
of "Yeah, right."
For a moment, the ghostly Kenshin-gumi members regarded
the ghostly Oniwabanshu members. After all, what DO you say to somebody
you saw slaughtered by a gatling gun?
"So... how've you been?" Beshimi boldly kicked the
door to small talk down.
"Um... pretty good, considering we're dead." Shinta
awkwardly replied.
"What about you guys?" Kaoru inquired, glancing
in the direction of the bathhouse as Kumiko could be heard squealing something
about pretending to be a water dragon, followed by Aoshi yelping in surprise
and a series of loud splashes and thunks.
"We've continued to look after our okashira." Hannya
answered her, also glancing at the bathhouse as a sweatdrop slid down the
back of his head. "Both of them."
"And showing Okina here the ropes of being dead!"
Shikojo grinned and slapped the old man in question on the back companionably,
sending Okina flying.
"He only died a year or two ago." Hyottoko watched
as Okina went sailing overhead before regaining control of his flight and
landing while Shikojo grinned sheepishly at the old man, one hand behind
his head while he sweatdropped.
"Ano... Aoshi said something to Kumiko-chan about
'invisible friends'. Would that be you guys?" Kaoru asked, changing the
subject.
Hannya nodded, smile evident in his voice. "We were
all very happy for Aoshi when he finally admitted his feelings to Misao."
Okina nodded sagely. "Misao has grown into a wonderful
woman."
"... Who we've caught you peeking at in the bathhouse."
Beshimi eyed the old pervert, who fell over.
A few more crashes and shouts from the bathhouse,
and Kumiko came running out laughing, clad in a clean kimono, and followed
shortly thereafter by a thoroughly frazzled looking Aoshi. While the ghosts
watched, he halfheartedly told the excited chibi to stay out of trouble,
and went into the building. After he disappeared inside, the chibi spotted
the ghosts and ran over.
"Hannya-kun!" Kumiko crowed, leaping at the ghost,
who managed to catch her before she could get into the mud again. "Wow,
everyone's here!" She beamed.
"I see you gave your otousan a hard time." Hyottoko
grinned at the chibi, who nodded enthusiastically.
"'Tousan didn't like his new hat though, Hyottoko-kun."
Kumiko pouted momentarily. "But he was really funny trying to get it off!"
"Is that so?" Okina eyed the chibi who currently
had her arms around Hannya's neck.
The stars of our story were again somewhat stunned
speechless. After all, all they had ever known of the Oniwabanshu members
was primarily related to a single battle. They'd never seen these people
under normal circumstances, and had no way to know how they were around
their loved ones.
"Oh, I didn't see you there!" Kumiko waved happily
at Shinta and Kaoru. "I guess you already met all of my other friends,
right, Shinta-kun, Kaoru-san?"
All eyes turned momentarily to Shinta at Kumiko's
casual use of an unfamiliar name for the redhead.
"Oro..." He oroed. "Hai, Kumiko-chan."
"'Tousan doesn't believe me when I tell him about
everyone." Kumiko pouted for a moment. "'Kaasan sorta does though, I think."
"Your otousan just likes to have solid evidence.
Something he learned leading the Oniwabanshu." Okina grinned at the chibi.
"Oh! Oh! Guess what, guess what, Kaoru-san!" Kumiko
clabbered out of Hannya's arms and ran over to Kaoru, her young mind leaping
rapidly from one subject to another.
"What, Kumiko-chan?" Kaoru looked down at the chibi,
letting the little girl have her fun.
"My birthday is tomorrow! I want everyone to come!"
Kumiko happily declared.
"Really, Kumiko?" Kaoru raised an eyebrow at the
chibi. "And how old will you be tomorrow?"
Kumiko looked thoughtful for a moment, counting
on her fingers. "I'm six now... so... tomorrow I'll be seven! I asked 'kaasan
if I could invite everyone, and she said I could, so I don't think she'll
mind two more people!"
The two ghosts exchanged brief looks. The chibi
certainly threw a gigantic monkey wrench into whatever plans they'd made.
Of course, monkey wrenches didn't exist in Meiji era Japan, but that's
beside the point. Fact was, any mischief the pair had been planning had
to be re-plotted.
"So can you come?" Kumiko turned pleading ice blue
eyes on the pair when they didn't answer immediately. "Please? Pretty please?
I wanna introduce everybody to 'kaasan and 'tousan!"
"Oro..." Shinta looked to Kaoru for an answer.
"I'm sure we'll be there." Kaoru grinned. Obviously
she'd already done the re-plotting. "Right, Shinta?"
"Oro... Hai. We'll be there Kumiko-chan." The redhead
nodded.
"Kumiko! Get inside before you catch a cold! It's
time for dinner and you better not have gotten muddy right after having
a bath!" Misao called out from inside the Aoiya.
"Oops. I have to go now. I'll see everyone tomorrow!"
Kumiko turned and ran to the building, waving at the ghosts from the porch
before following a bemused Misao inside.
"If you'll excuse us, Himura-san-" Okina looked
over at the two amused newly-ghostified. "-we'll take our leave now as
well."
Shinta and Kaoru nodded and headed off for a moonlit
stroll to pass the time until morning. Kumiko's birthday would be an interesting
day indeed...
Closing notes: *evil giggle* Well, checked off some more stuff on my
"to-do" list for this story arc. Got a surprise plot twist for the next
chapter that should make several of you out there happy. You can probably
expect much chaos, and Kumiko's only partly responsible! Expect many "oros",
some sweatdrops, some fangirlish behavior, and possibly Aoshi getting hit
in the face with a food item or two. Plus proof for him that Kumiko's invisible
friends are in fact real. Boy, he's gonna be in for a surprise!
In other repeat news, I'm still taking volunteers
for "Hijinks of Heaven and Hell", though I think I'm closing in on having
plenty of people for it. Also, got three people on the update mailing list
now, and if anyone else would like to go onto that list, say so in a review
and make sure I can get your email addy. I can also be reached at xellos_san@hotmail.com.
I appreciate everyone's support, and hope you all continue to enjoy the
fic! And also, if you haven't read it already, go read Gochan's "A Rurouni's
Guide to Idiocy" and leave her (at least, I'm assuming Gochan is a 'her'
^^; Gomen if I'm wrong!) a review! If you like my brand of humor, you'll
LOVE hers! Anyways, signing off for now! Comments, reviews, e-mail, etc
are always appreciated! =)