Chapter 14: "The Outing"
"Ne, Kaoru-kun . . ."
"Hai, Yanagi?" Not adding 'ne-chan' out loud and not just in my head sounded weird coming from my mouth. Well, it wasn't exactly like I was that little kid still but . . .
"What did you do all that time . . . when you left us?" she asked, holding her two hands clasped in front of her, her gaze turned downward as we walked. I blinked then put my hands in my pockets and looked up at the blue sky.
"Mostly schooling," I said in reply, a small mental grin forming. "It was really boring 'cause it's too easy for me. It's just like any high school, I even have my own gorilla to beat up." I turned and grin and her, and was rewarded by a smile on her face.
We continued our walk down the street, passing by stores and shops, shoppers bringing home ingredients for dinner, people working, students taking a break on their hard earned weekend.
'None of them noticing a teenage guy and girl walking down the road, even if the guy was holding a huge wrapped up object . . .' I thought to myself, sweatdropping. I smiled unconsciously as I looked at their expressions, happiness, two school girls laughing together, sadness, anger . . .
'Normal people . . .' I thought wryly. 'Normal people who don't worry if the shadow in the corner of the wall, the shadow cast by that overhang, will turn around and stab you in the back . . .'
"Kaoru-kun?"
"Ah . . . gomen Yanagi I wasn't paying attention.' Another smile graced her face, and a rage flashed through me.
'Kage that bastard . . . all because of him she hasn't been smiling . . .' I thought, clenching my hand into a fist.
"I noticed." She said the words softly, nicely to me, as our slow walk ate up the pavement.
'Nicely . . . unlike that dumbass gorilla.' An image of chibi Domon grabbing me in a head lock and swinging me around by my head popped up. Chibi Domon bellowing at me, "Koganei, why the hell weren't you listening??" I waved away the distracting image as I heard Yanagi continue.
"I was wondering what happened . . . why you were unconscious in that alleyway when Recca-kun and I found you . . ."
'I can't tell her I was picking a fight with them . . .' I thought, sweatdropping. Giving Yanagi a sideways glance, she was looking at me and smiling, waiting for a reply. "Um . . . well, the truth is Yanagi . . ."
((Recca POV))
"What the hell are they saying??" I whispered angrily. "Move out've the way Mikagami!" I grabbed him by his shoulder and pulled him backwards, quickly moving forwards to take his place. Poking my head around the corner, I saw Hime and Koganei slow to a stop and sit down on a bench in the park.
"Dumb sea monkey . . ." Mikagami mumbled to himself as he got into a kneeling position.
"Shuddup! I can't hear them!" I snapped . . . quietly though. 'Damn Mikagami and his damn plans!' I shouted in my head. 'Using Hime as fucking bait!! If Kage hurts one hair on Hime's head . . . I'll . . .'
I blinked as Fuuko's elbow landed on the top of my head, making me flop to the ground. "Wat the hell was that for . . .??" I growled at her, gritting my teeth.
"Stop muttering under your breath Recca!" She whispered back. Then she looked at me and smiled momentarily. "Don't worry . . . we won't let anything happen to Yanagi-chan. ^^ "
"Ah . . ." I sat up and stared at Koganei and Hime again, who were sitting but not talking to each other. "Kuso . . . Damn Kage . . . he better not hurt Hime . . ." I continued muttering curses and threats under my breath, only slightly hearing Fuuko's sigh.
((Koganei POV)
"So . . ." I said tentatively, not sure of Yanagi's mood. She had fallen silent after I had told her about the fight. "Etto . . . Yanagi . . .?" She blinked then looked up at me with tears in her eyes. 'EH??? Why's she crying?? Damn! Recca's gonna kill me if he finds out!!!'
"Gomen Kaoru-kun . . ." she mumbled, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes with her sleeve. I sweatdropped and shook my head, holding my hands up.
"Iie! Daijobu daijobu Yanagi!" I said quickly, grinning and hoping she'd not tell Recca about this.
"I'm . . . kind of sleepy . . ." she finished, looking up and smiling. I sweatdropped then sighed in relief. "Anyway, Kaoru-kun, I think you're a lot like Recca-kun." I looked at her and blinked.
"How so?" I asked, grinning. She smiled back at me and looked up at the gradually darkening sky.
"He used to . . ."
We talked for a long time, and the years that we all had spent apart seemed to melt away. (A/N: I know its corny!! _ no ideas!!) A grin seemed to be glued to my face, I couldn't help it, Yanagi was smiling almost constantly as well. She had told me all of the stupid stories that seemed to surround the Hokage, of the dumb fights between Recca and Domon, Recca and Mikagami, and sometimes all three of them.
I laughed as Yanagi finished telling another story of a get together at the Hanabishi residence. She smiled at me and I grinned back, at least after I wiped away the tears of laughter out of my eyes. The beeping of my watch suddenly made me look at the time, and at the area around us.
"Damn!" I growled, jumping up and grabbing the kougon anki which had been leaning against the bench during our discussions. Yanagi jumped up, startled and looked at me with wide eyes, the smile that previously had graced her face was now gone.
"What's wrong, Kaoru-kun?" she asked in a surprised voice. I unwrapped my madougu, more worried of being caught unawares by Kage than being stared at by passer byers. I looked around swiftly, noting how many shadows occupied the deserted park around us.
"Nothing . . . I just think . . ." I broke off in mid sentence as I saw a shadow move. I exhaled in relief as I saw it was my own shadow. "Lucky . . . I think we should head back, ne Yanagi?" I tried to smile but my nervousness didn't let me.
"Kaoru-kun!" I blinked and dodged to the side swiftly; more from instinct than from Yanagi's shouted warning. Two shadow blades smashed solidly into the ground where I had stood a second before.
"I can't believe . . . you Hokage are so childish . . . leaving Sakoshita unprotected . . ." that now familiar rasping voice said from the shadows. I gritted my teeth and got in front of Yanagi, before realizing we were totally surrounded, in the center of a ring of shadows.
END
Cliffhanger ne? ^^; think I love them . . . dunno I always use them to end da story I think :P hm . . . u got ur answer ne yami-san? ^_^ arigatou for da review!
Mikagami: ~Has Yanagi at end of fishing pole~ Um . . . bait for Kagecchi- chan?
Recca: GET HIME OFF OF THAT!!! ~Punches Mikagami~
"Ne, Kaoru-kun . . ."
"Hai, Yanagi?" Not adding 'ne-chan' out loud and not just in my head sounded weird coming from my mouth. Well, it wasn't exactly like I was that little kid still but . . .
"What did you do all that time . . . when you left us?" she asked, holding her two hands clasped in front of her, her gaze turned downward as we walked. I blinked then put my hands in my pockets and looked up at the blue sky.
"Mostly schooling," I said in reply, a small mental grin forming. "It was really boring 'cause it's too easy for me. It's just like any high school, I even have my own gorilla to beat up." I turned and grin and her, and was rewarded by a smile on her face.
We continued our walk down the street, passing by stores and shops, shoppers bringing home ingredients for dinner, people working, students taking a break on their hard earned weekend.
'None of them noticing a teenage guy and girl walking down the road, even if the guy was holding a huge wrapped up object . . .' I thought to myself, sweatdropping. I smiled unconsciously as I looked at their expressions, happiness, two school girls laughing together, sadness, anger . . .
'Normal people . . .' I thought wryly. 'Normal people who don't worry if the shadow in the corner of the wall, the shadow cast by that overhang, will turn around and stab you in the back . . .'
"Kaoru-kun?"
"Ah . . . gomen Yanagi I wasn't paying attention.' Another smile graced her face, and a rage flashed through me.
'Kage that bastard . . . all because of him she hasn't been smiling . . .' I thought, clenching my hand into a fist.
"I noticed." She said the words softly, nicely to me, as our slow walk ate up the pavement.
'Nicely . . . unlike that dumbass gorilla.' An image of chibi Domon grabbing me in a head lock and swinging me around by my head popped up. Chibi Domon bellowing at me, "Koganei, why the hell weren't you listening??" I waved away the distracting image as I heard Yanagi continue.
"I was wondering what happened . . . why you were unconscious in that alleyway when Recca-kun and I found you . . ."
'I can't tell her I was picking a fight with them . . .' I thought, sweatdropping. Giving Yanagi a sideways glance, she was looking at me and smiling, waiting for a reply. "Um . . . well, the truth is Yanagi . . ."
((Recca POV))
"What the hell are they saying??" I whispered angrily. "Move out've the way Mikagami!" I grabbed him by his shoulder and pulled him backwards, quickly moving forwards to take his place. Poking my head around the corner, I saw Hime and Koganei slow to a stop and sit down on a bench in the park.
"Dumb sea monkey . . ." Mikagami mumbled to himself as he got into a kneeling position.
"Shuddup! I can't hear them!" I snapped . . . quietly though. 'Damn Mikagami and his damn plans!' I shouted in my head. 'Using Hime as fucking bait!! If Kage hurts one hair on Hime's head . . . I'll . . .'
I blinked as Fuuko's elbow landed on the top of my head, making me flop to the ground. "Wat the hell was that for . . .??" I growled at her, gritting my teeth.
"Stop muttering under your breath Recca!" She whispered back. Then she looked at me and smiled momentarily. "Don't worry . . . we won't let anything happen to Yanagi-chan. ^^ "
"Ah . . ." I sat up and stared at Koganei and Hime again, who were sitting but not talking to each other. "Kuso . . . Damn Kage . . . he better not hurt Hime . . ." I continued muttering curses and threats under my breath, only slightly hearing Fuuko's sigh.
((Koganei POV)
"So . . ." I said tentatively, not sure of Yanagi's mood. She had fallen silent after I had told her about the fight. "Etto . . . Yanagi . . .?" She blinked then looked up at me with tears in her eyes. 'EH??? Why's she crying?? Damn! Recca's gonna kill me if he finds out!!!'
"Gomen Kaoru-kun . . ." she mumbled, wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes with her sleeve. I sweatdropped and shook my head, holding my hands up.
"Iie! Daijobu daijobu Yanagi!" I said quickly, grinning and hoping she'd not tell Recca about this.
"I'm . . . kind of sleepy . . ." she finished, looking up and smiling. I sweatdropped then sighed in relief. "Anyway, Kaoru-kun, I think you're a lot like Recca-kun." I looked at her and blinked.
"How so?" I asked, grinning. She smiled back at me and looked up at the gradually darkening sky.
"He used to . . ."
We talked for a long time, and the years that we all had spent apart seemed to melt away. (A/N: I know its corny!! _ no ideas!!) A grin seemed to be glued to my face, I couldn't help it, Yanagi was smiling almost constantly as well. She had told me all of the stupid stories that seemed to surround the Hokage, of the dumb fights between Recca and Domon, Recca and Mikagami, and sometimes all three of them.
I laughed as Yanagi finished telling another story of a get together at the Hanabishi residence. She smiled at me and I grinned back, at least after I wiped away the tears of laughter out of my eyes. The beeping of my watch suddenly made me look at the time, and at the area around us.
"Damn!" I growled, jumping up and grabbing the kougon anki which had been leaning against the bench during our discussions. Yanagi jumped up, startled and looked at me with wide eyes, the smile that previously had graced her face was now gone.
"What's wrong, Kaoru-kun?" she asked in a surprised voice. I unwrapped my madougu, more worried of being caught unawares by Kage than being stared at by passer byers. I looked around swiftly, noting how many shadows occupied the deserted park around us.
"Nothing . . . I just think . . ." I broke off in mid sentence as I saw a shadow move. I exhaled in relief as I saw it was my own shadow. "Lucky . . . I think we should head back, ne Yanagi?" I tried to smile but my nervousness didn't let me.
"Kaoru-kun!" I blinked and dodged to the side swiftly; more from instinct than from Yanagi's shouted warning. Two shadow blades smashed solidly into the ground where I had stood a second before.
"I can't believe . . . you Hokage are so childish . . . leaving Sakoshita unprotected . . ." that now familiar rasping voice said from the shadows. I gritted my teeth and got in front of Yanagi, before realizing we were totally surrounded, in the center of a ring of shadows.
END
Cliffhanger ne? ^^; think I love them . . . dunno I always use them to end da story I think :P hm . . . u got ur answer ne yami-san? ^_^ arigatou for da review!
Mikagami: ~Has Yanagi at end of fishing pole~ Um . . . bait for Kagecchi- chan?
Recca: GET HIME OFF OF THAT!!! ~Punches Mikagami~