glossary:
Okaasan = Mother
oro? = Kenshin's trademark interjection for rurouni-like surprise, apprehension, curiosity, amazement, bewilderment, pain, etc.
shoji = wood-and-rice-paper sliding panel for establishing partitions between rooms and corridors
tokonoma = traditional painted screen or alcove usually in the front room of a Japanese home
rurouni = Watsuki-sama says he just invented this word. ^.^ anyway, it's SAID to mean "wanderer" or "vagabond"
ne? = all-around tag question: "...don't you think?" "wouldn't you agree?" "isn't it?" and so on.
yare yare = Kenshinism, similar to "oh well"
"Kenshin ga baka" = lit. "Kenshin is an idiot"
ja! = "bye!" or "see you!"
Kinou no Kakera (A Piece of Yesterday)
by Mirune Keishiko
Four: Hopes and Fears
Kaoru frowned as she eyed her reflection in the mirror. The rice powder seemed a bit... much, but she had already applied and reapplied it several times in the last few minutes and she wasn't about to do another repetition. With a last, critical glance, she began hesitantly painting her lips.
Not for the first time, she wished her mother were still alive. Kaoru had never done this before, this -- face-painting, save for the one
time when she was four years old and caught dabbling her fingers in her mother's pastes and powders. As Kaoru brought her red-smeared fingers to her mouth, she smiled at the memory.
Her makeup done, she stood up and stepped back, surveying herself in the mirror. The lovely pale blue silk kimono was a gift from Keisuke. Smiling with pleasure, she turned around, seeing sunshine glimmer along the opalescent folds, glint off the embroidered cherry blossoms on the sleeves. Kaoru closed her eyes, remembering the glow in Keisuke's eyes as he presented to her the beautiful garment that she had admired in a shop window only the day before, remembering the warmth of his hand on her shoulder as they walked homeward. Embracing herself with a soft rustle of fabric, Kaoru sighed.
/Okaasan,/ she thought, nestling against Keisuke's remembered warmth. /Okaasan. I wish you were here. Help me decide.../ She
sighed again and opened her eyes, stared at her reflection in the mirror, imagined Keisuke standing there beside her. She blinked. For
some reason, Keisuke kept fading away, being replaced by...
There was soft humming outside, a cheerful, tuneless humming, and padding sounds that meant Kenshin was outside on the porch, no
doubt about his rounds gathering laundry from the rooms. Kaoru felt her cheeks heat.
"Kenshin," she called, sparing a last glance at her reflection.
"Oro?" came the distant reply. Then, shuffling sounds, and a silhouette against the wall. "You called, Kaoru-dono?"
"It's all right, you can come in."
The shoji slid aside and Kenshin beamed cheerfully in the doorway, still carrying a basketful of clothes. "You've been pretty quiet
in here for some time, Kaoru-dono--"
Kaoru turned toward him. "How do I look?"
He stopped. His eyebrows shot up. His eyes widened, the purple in them lightened to lavender. He opened his mouth, then closed it.
Kaoru felt new heat flood her face as he stared at her -- no, gaped was probably a more precise term.
"Well?" she snapped, impatiently, as he continued to say nothing. The pleasure of him looking at her was quickly souring into hurt and
embarrassment. "Say something!"
"Ano..." Kenshin smiled at her, but it was a polite smile and Kaoru saw that in a second. It must have shown in her face for Kenshin's smile soon faltered. "Kaoru-dono..."
"You don't like it, do you?" Kaoru turned away and stomped over to put together the clothes she had discarded. "Don't be so scared,
Kenshin -- just spit it out!"
"Oro..."
"Don't 'oro' me!" Kenshin quickly took a step back as an enraged Kaoru descended on him, waving her bundle of laundry threateningly. "I
can tell you hate it! Well, what would you know about women anyway, you... you... rurouni!"
With all the force she could muster she flung the bundle of clothing at him. Kenshin caught it square in the chest and went flying backward with a yelp. As he crashed into the ground she slid her shoji shut with a thunderous "Kenshin no BAKA!!"
Sanosuke was just leaping over the back gate as Kaoru's shout came echoing. He heard the tremendous person-against-ground impact as
well and winced. The person sounded just the way Kenshin would sound if he were flung against the ground at great velocity.
Sure enough, Sano found his friend spiral-eyed on the ground in the center of the yard. His basket of clothes had exploded into a rain of laundry all around him. Sanosuke was about to go to him when the door to Kaoru's room slammed open and the young woman herself
came stalking out.
"Ohayou, Jou-chan," Sano said cheerily, ignoring the thundercloud expression on Kaoru's face. "What did Kenshin do this time? Hell, aren't you a sight for sore eyes. What did Kenshin do this time?"
Kaoru turned a sweet smile on him, although the knuckles on the hand that clutched her bag were white. As Kaoru had planned, Sanosuke got the full effect of Kaoru's makeup as she turned toward him. He grinned and leaned against the wall, his dark eyes lingering over her partly in amusement and partly in surprised admiration.
"I'm glad *you're* not immune to a woman's charm, Sanosuke," Kaoru said sweetly. "Thank you for your compliment. I'm sure *you* know
how to appreciate women."
"Hey, it's no secret." Sanosuke glanced at Kenshin at found the rurouni still out cold in the yard. Figuring his friend didn't need any
emergency attention just yet, he followed Kaoru to the front room. "So what's the big occasion, being all dressed up like that?"
"Keisuke's taking me out all afternoon. He has only four days left before he gets back to his ship and he wants to spend them with me." Sano shook his head as Kaoru continued, "He'll be arriving soon to pick me up here."
"Sailor-boy again? He's pretty persistent, ne?" Sano, carelessly leaning against the tokonoma, looked at Kaoru as she kneeled down on the tatami. Kaoru's voice was sharp in her response.
"Well at least he's doing *something.* And he really likes me. This new kimono was a gift from him, you know. It's only been about three
weeks but he's done everything he can to show me how much he cares about me."
/Unlike *whom*, Jou-chan?/ Sanosuke thought, watching as Kaoru's expressive face changed emotion the way a leaf in sunlight changed color -- pleasure, awe, hope, pride, and finally disappointment and discontent, all in mere moments. Sano made no comment as Kaoru's blue eyes flashed -- in anger? -- with the last words. Then he shrugged, feigning nonchalance.
"Yare yare. I thought I could mooch lunch if I came over here but I guess Kenshin's too unconscious to cook anything."
Kaoru's feathery eyebrows drew together in irritation. "Kenshin ga baka. He didn't even say anything nice to me when he saw how I was
dressed. In fact, from his reaction you'd think I was wearing some ratty old getup. He didn't even notice how I'd made myself up. And this is the first time I've ever done this. You'd think a nice, polite rurouni like him would realize that I've never done this before. But no." There was a suspicious choke in her voice with the last statement, and as Sano glanced at her she turned away quickly. "All he did was gawk at me and say 'Oro'... baka!"
/Baka indeed,/ Sanosuke thought, thinking of Kenshin and sighing in mingled disgust and despair. /Kenshin, I know I'm dense but
sometimes you beat everything I've ever done.../
Kaoru was not yet finished. "I'm just glad Yahiko's out at the Akabeko. If I had to take that jerk along with that stupid wanderer then
somebody'd *really* get hurt!"
"Ohayou!" came a cheerful shout from the gate.
"That must be Kei-kun now." Kaoru got up quickly, smoothing the folds of her kimono. "Well, I'll be going, Sano. Thanks for letting me
talk." Sano made no reply as she smiled at him, but he merely gave her his most solemn look. Kaoru laughed. "Sanosuke, I'm not used to you so serious. It doesn't suit you at all... Ja!" and she was out of the room. Sanosuke heard her geta clack against the wooden floor toward the gate.
He sighed and went to see how Kenshin was doing. He had new plans for the afternoon, but first of all it was almost lunchtime...
* tsuzuku *
Okaasan = Mother
oro? = Kenshin's trademark interjection for rurouni-like surprise, apprehension, curiosity, amazement, bewilderment, pain, etc.
shoji = wood-and-rice-paper sliding panel for establishing partitions between rooms and corridors
tokonoma = traditional painted screen or alcove usually in the front room of a Japanese home
rurouni = Watsuki-sama says he just invented this word. ^.^ anyway, it's SAID to mean "wanderer" or "vagabond"
ne? = all-around tag question: "...don't you think?" "wouldn't you agree?" "isn't it?" and so on.
yare yare = Kenshinism, similar to "oh well"
"Kenshin ga baka" = lit. "Kenshin is an idiot"
ja! = "bye!" or "see you!"
Kinou no Kakera (A Piece of Yesterday)
by Mirune Keishiko
Four: Hopes and Fears
Kaoru frowned as she eyed her reflection in the mirror. The rice powder seemed a bit... much, but she had already applied and reapplied it several times in the last few minutes and she wasn't about to do another repetition. With a last, critical glance, she began hesitantly painting her lips.
Not for the first time, she wished her mother were still alive. Kaoru had never done this before, this -- face-painting, save for the one
time when she was four years old and caught dabbling her fingers in her mother's pastes and powders. As Kaoru brought her red-smeared fingers to her mouth, she smiled at the memory.
Her makeup done, she stood up and stepped back, surveying herself in the mirror. The lovely pale blue silk kimono was a gift from Keisuke. Smiling with pleasure, she turned around, seeing sunshine glimmer along the opalescent folds, glint off the embroidered cherry blossoms on the sleeves. Kaoru closed her eyes, remembering the glow in Keisuke's eyes as he presented to her the beautiful garment that she had admired in a shop window only the day before, remembering the warmth of his hand on her shoulder as they walked homeward. Embracing herself with a soft rustle of fabric, Kaoru sighed.
/Okaasan,/ she thought, nestling against Keisuke's remembered warmth. /Okaasan. I wish you were here. Help me decide.../ She
sighed again and opened her eyes, stared at her reflection in the mirror, imagined Keisuke standing there beside her. She blinked. For
some reason, Keisuke kept fading away, being replaced by...
There was soft humming outside, a cheerful, tuneless humming, and padding sounds that meant Kenshin was outside on the porch, no
doubt about his rounds gathering laundry from the rooms. Kaoru felt her cheeks heat.
"Kenshin," she called, sparing a last glance at her reflection.
"Oro?" came the distant reply. Then, shuffling sounds, and a silhouette against the wall. "You called, Kaoru-dono?"
"It's all right, you can come in."
The shoji slid aside and Kenshin beamed cheerfully in the doorway, still carrying a basketful of clothes. "You've been pretty quiet
in here for some time, Kaoru-dono--"
Kaoru turned toward him. "How do I look?"
He stopped. His eyebrows shot up. His eyes widened, the purple in them lightened to lavender. He opened his mouth, then closed it.
Kaoru felt new heat flood her face as he stared at her -- no, gaped was probably a more precise term.
"Well?" she snapped, impatiently, as he continued to say nothing. The pleasure of him looking at her was quickly souring into hurt and
embarrassment. "Say something!"
"Ano..." Kenshin smiled at her, but it was a polite smile and Kaoru saw that in a second. It must have shown in her face for Kenshin's smile soon faltered. "Kaoru-dono..."
"You don't like it, do you?" Kaoru turned away and stomped over to put together the clothes she had discarded. "Don't be so scared,
Kenshin -- just spit it out!"
"Oro..."
"Don't 'oro' me!" Kenshin quickly took a step back as an enraged Kaoru descended on him, waving her bundle of laundry threateningly. "I
can tell you hate it! Well, what would you know about women anyway, you... you... rurouni!"
With all the force she could muster she flung the bundle of clothing at him. Kenshin caught it square in the chest and went flying backward with a yelp. As he crashed into the ground she slid her shoji shut with a thunderous "Kenshin no BAKA!!"
Sanosuke was just leaping over the back gate as Kaoru's shout came echoing. He heard the tremendous person-against-ground impact as
well and winced. The person sounded just the way Kenshin would sound if he were flung against the ground at great velocity.
Sure enough, Sano found his friend spiral-eyed on the ground in the center of the yard. His basket of clothes had exploded into a rain of laundry all around him. Sanosuke was about to go to him when the door to Kaoru's room slammed open and the young woman herself
came stalking out.
"Ohayou, Jou-chan," Sano said cheerily, ignoring the thundercloud expression on Kaoru's face. "What did Kenshin do this time? Hell, aren't you a sight for sore eyes. What did Kenshin do this time?"
Kaoru turned a sweet smile on him, although the knuckles on the hand that clutched her bag were white. As Kaoru had planned, Sanosuke got the full effect of Kaoru's makeup as she turned toward him. He grinned and leaned against the wall, his dark eyes lingering over her partly in amusement and partly in surprised admiration.
"I'm glad *you're* not immune to a woman's charm, Sanosuke," Kaoru said sweetly. "Thank you for your compliment. I'm sure *you* know
how to appreciate women."
"Hey, it's no secret." Sanosuke glanced at Kenshin at found the rurouni still out cold in the yard. Figuring his friend didn't need any
emergency attention just yet, he followed Kaoru to the front room. "So what's the big occasion, being all dressed up like that?"
"Keisuke's taking me out all afternoon. He has only four days left before he gets back to his ship and he wants to spend them with me." Sano shook his head as Kaoru continued, "He'll be arriving soon to pick me up here."
"Sailor-boy again? He's pretty persistent, ne?" Sano, carelessly leaning against the tokonoma, looked at Kaoru as she kneeled down on the tatami. Kaoru's voice was sharp in her response.
"Well at least he's doing *something.* And he really likes me. This new kimono was a gift from him, you know. It's only been about three
weeks but he's done everything he can to show me how much he cares about me."
/Unlike *whom*, Jou-chan?/ Sanosuke thought, watching as Kaoru's expressive face changed emotion the way a leaf in sunlight changed color -- pleasure, awe, hope, pride, and finally disappointment and discontent, all in mere moments. Sano made no comment as Kaoru's blue eyes flashed -- in anger? -- with the last words. Then he shrugged, feigning nonchalance.
"Yare yare. I thought I could mooch lunch if I came over here but I guess Kenshin's too unconscious to cook anything."
Kaoru's feathery eyebrows drew together in irritation. "Kenshin ga baka. He didn't even say anything nice to me when he saw how I was
dressed. In fact, from his reaction you'd think I was wearing some ratty old getup. He didn't even notice how I'd made myself up. And this is the first time I've ever done this. You'd think a nice, polite rurouni like him would realize that I've never done this before. But no." There was a suspicious choke in her voice with the last statement, and as Sano glanced at her she turned away quickly. "All he did was gawk at me and say 'Oro'... baka!"
/Baka indeed,/ Sanosuke thought, thinking of Kenshin and sighing in mingled disgust and despair. /Kenshin, I know I'm dense but
sometimes you beat everything I've ever done.../
Kaoru was not yet finished. "I'm just glad Yahiko's out at the Akabeko. If I had to take that jerk along with that stupid wanderer then
somebody'd *really* get hurt!"
"Ohayou!" came a cheerful shout from the gate.
"That must be Kei-kun now." Kaoru got up quickly, smoothing the folds of her kimono. "Well, I'll be going, Sano. Thanks for letting me
talk." Sano made no reply as she smiled at him, but he merely gave her his most solemn look. Kaoru laughed. "Sanosuke, I'm not used to you so serious. It doesn't suit you at all... Ja!" and she was out of the room. Sanosuke heard her geta clack against the wooden floor toward the gate.
He sighed and went to see how Kenshin was doing. He had new plans for the afternoon, but first of all it was almost lunchtime...
* tsuzuku *