The 12th Street Apartment
11/8/2003
Hi. The first chapter was only an introduction to this story and some of the characters. More character introductions and my first attempt at some romance are in this chapter.
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Gina checked her watch. She hated how the sun went down at 6:30. It was seven now... and it was COLD.
"Gina!"
Gina spun around. She was working overtime on a new film piece for the TV station. She was waiting for either the bus or one of her brothers to pick her pick; whichever arrived first.
The dim streetlights made it hard to see. Gina squinted to see a tall figure, probably woman running towards her, "Megumi?"
"Who did you think it was?" Megumi reached her younger cousin, gasped for breath, "Give... me... a sec..." She breathed out, grasped Gina's arm for support.
Gina giggled at her thirty-three year old wiped-out cousin, "That's what you get for running in high heels Meg."
Megumi scowled, "But I have to look nice."
"You're just a veterinarian." Gina protested, "Never mind... you want to go home together?" Megumi, her older sister Yumi and their mother, Tokio's sister, lived on the second floor of the apartment building.
Megumi shook her long black hair, "No thanks... I'm meeting someone... that's actually why I need your help."
Gina frowned, "My help?" She was eleven years younger than her cousin, "For what?"
Megumi announced joyfully, "I'm getting married." She squealed, jumping up and down.
Gina smiled as Aoshi pulled up and rolled down the window, "Hey Aoshi! Meg is getting married!"
Aoshi raised an eyebrow, "What? And get in the car both of you! It's cold out."
Megumi sent a glare Gina's way as she pulled Gina into the back seat of the car. Gina looked confused. "What?"
"Who ask you?" Aoshi inquired once they were both in the car. He finished the coffee he had in his hand.
Megumi looked at Aoshi, "Can I trust you?" He nodded as she continued to speak, "It's Sano."
"That PUNK!?" Gina exclaimed.
"Gina." Megumi scolded, "You've never met him... how can you say that?"
"Your mother said that... right Aoshi?" Gina defended herself.
Aoshi nodded, "Yeah... I think Kenshin knows him... and Aunt Aya said she didn't want you seeing him... what will she say when you tell her you guys are engaged?"
"My Mother." Megumi's voice rose, "MY MOTHER doesn't have CONTROL over me! I'm thirty-THREE! A legal ADULT! I can make my OWN decisions."
"Gosh... I'm sorry Meg... you don't have to scream that loud... we're in a car." Gina winced.
Aoshi let his hands go from his ears. "So..."
"So I need your help... at least yours Gina." Meg continued.
Gina looked questionably. "Okay..."
"We're eloping."
"WHAT?!" Both siblings yelled.
Megumi covered her ears, "HEY! And you said not to yell."
"Sorry." Gina apologized.
"When? Where? How?" Aoshi demanded, twisting his neck around to stare at his cousin.
"Tonight... There he is."
Aoshi and Gina looked around. "Where? All I see is that punk with the bandaged hand and rooster like hair walking down the street." Aoshi commented.
Megumi slapped him in the head, "Stupid! That's him!" She rolled down the window to called her fiancé over. He sauntered over as Megumi stepped out of the car.
She greeted him happily, "Sano, this is my cousins Aoshi and Gina Saitou."
"Are you guys married?" Sano asked.
Gina glared, "We're brother and sister." She turned to Aoshi, "Why does everyone think we're married?"
Megumi gave a sly smile, "Cause you guys make a cute couple."
Aoshi pitched the empty foam cup at Megumi. It hit her head, and bounced off into the street. Megumi glowered. Gina grabbed a bunch of M&M that Kenshin had left in the car and began tossing them at Megumi, who tried to duck the raining colors. Aoshi found an open package of Skittles and joined in. Megumi yelped as one hit her directly in the forehead.
Sano just stood there, unaware of the feuding cousins. His eyes widened in realization, "Saitou... as in Doctor Kenshin Saitou... as in Hajime Saitou, the Tokyo Police Internal Affairs Commissioner?"
Everyone stopped throwing things. Aoshi nodded, "Our brother and father... you know them?"
Sano started to speak, but a poke from Megumi in the ribs stopped him, "Hey!" He protested.
Megumi brushed herself off and looked at them, "Gina, can you lie to my mother... tell her I'm out with friends."
"Why don't you call her?" Aoshi asked.
"Because she is going to DEMAND I come home." Megumi imitated her mother squeaky voice.
Gina looked seriously at her cousin, "Meg... I'll do a lot of things for you... but I can't lie to your mother for you! Aunt Aya will KILL me if she found out... and believe me she will... when you come home with a wedding ring and husband."
"Gina... Aoshi! Please! I love Sano. I want to marry him... no matter what my mother says. And doing it tonight... once we are married... my mother won't disagree... you know she loathes divorces."
Aoshi and Gina traded an uncertain look. "It seems so hasty..." Aoshi began.
"Why don't you think about it another night..." Gina said slowly.
Megumi blew up, "You know what!" She screamed, "I don't care! I've thought about for a LONG time. I've WAITED long enough. GO tell my mother whatever you want! I don't even know why I trust you! I don't care about you. I'm happy and I'm getting married. Let's go Sano." She dragged Sano away in fury, her high heels clicking in anger.
Gina sighed and leaned on the headrest of the chair, "Now what?"
Aoshi started the engine and put the car into drive, "That's a good question... now what?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ah! They are faced with a difficult decision already. I tried really hard to put Kenshin in this scene... but he just got in the way... I promise to put him in the next chapter.
This chapter is really short... I'm hoping to update like every two days... so most chapters will be short...
Next on the 12th Street Apartment: Two new boarders move in. Kenshin invites them to have something to bite at the café. Gina and Aoshi are still debating this decision. (Note: Subject to change)
11/8/2003
Hi. The first chapter was only an introduction to this story and some of the characters. More character introductions and my first attempt at some romance are in this chapter.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gina checked her watch. She hated how the sun went down at 6:30. It was seven now... and it was COLD.
"Gina!"
Gina spun around. She was working overtime on a new film piece for the TV station. She was waiting for either the bus or one of her brothers to pick her pick; whichever arrived first.
The dim streetlights made it hard to see. Gina squinted to see a tall figure, probably woman running towards her, "Megumi?"
"Who did you think it was?" Megumi reached her younger cousin, gasped for breath, "Give... me... a sec..." She breathed out, grasped Gina's arm for support.
Gina giggled at her thirty-three year old wiped-out cousin, "That's what you get for running in high heels Meg."
Megumi scowled, "But I have to look nice."
"You're just a veterinarian." Gina protested, "Never mind... you want to go home together?" Megumi, her older sister Yumi and their mother, Tokio's sister, lived on the second floor of the apartment building.
Megumi shook her long black hair, "No thanks... I'm meeting someone... that's actually why I need your help."
Gina frowned, "My help?" She was eleven years younger than her cousin, "For what?"
Megumi announced joyfully, "I'm getting married." She squealed, jumping up and down.
Gina smiled as Aoshi pulled up and rolled down the window, "Hey Aoshi! Meg is getting married!"
Aoshi raised an eyebrow, "What? And get in the car both of you! It's cold out."
Megumi sent a glare Gina's way as she pulled Gina into the back seat of the car. Gina looked confused. "What?"
"Who ask you?" Aoshi inquired once they were both in the car. He finished the coffee he had in his hand.
Megumi looked at Aoshi, "Can I trust you?" He nodded as she continued to speak, "It's Sano."
"That PUNK!?" Gina exclaimed.
"Gina." Megumi scolded, "You've never met him... how can you say that?"
"Your mother said that... right Aoshi?" Gina defended herself.
Aoshi nodded, "Yeah... I think Kenshin knows him... and Aunt Aya said she didn't want you seeing him... what will she say when you tell her you guys are engaged?"
"My Mother." Megumi's voice rose, "MY MOTHER doesn't have CONTROL over me! I'm thirty-THREE! A legal ADULT! I can make my OWN decisions."
"Gosh... I'm sorry Meg... you don't have to scream that loud... we're in a car." Gina winced.
Aoshi let his hands go from his ears. "So..."
"So I need your help... at least yours Gina." Meg continued.
Gina looked questionably. "Okay..."
"We're eloping."
"WHAT?!" Both siblings yelled.
Megumi covered her ears, "HEY! And you said not to yell."
"Sorry." Gina apologized.
"When? Where? How?" Aoshi demanded, twisting his neck around to stare at his cousin.
"Tonight... There he is."
Aoshi and Gina looked around. "Where? All I see is that punk with the bandaged hand and rooster like hair walking down the street." Aoshi commented.
Megumi slapped him in the head, "Stupid! That's him!" She rolled down the window to called her fiancé over. He sauntered over as Megumi stepped out of the car.
She greeted him happily, "Sano, this is my cousins Aoshi and Gina Saitou."
"Are you guys married?" Sano asked.
Gina glared, "We're brother and sister." She turned to Aoshi, "Why does everyone think we're married?"
Megumi gave a sly smile, "Cause you guys make a cute couple."
Aoshi pitched the empty foam cup at Megumi. It hit her head, and bounced off into the street. Megumi glowered. Gina grabbed a bunch of M&M that Kenshin had left in the car and began tossing them at Megumi, who tried to duck the raining colors. Aoshi found an open package of Skittles and joined in. Megumi yelped as one hit her directly in the forehead.
Sano just stood there, unaware of the feuding cousins. His eyes widened in realization, "Saitou... as in Doctor Kenshin Saitou... as in Hajime Saitou, the Tokyo Police Internal Affairs Commissioner?"
Everyone stopped throwing things. Aoshi nodded, "Our brother and father... you know them?"
Sano started to speak, but a poke from Megumi in the ribs stopped him, "Hey!" He protested.
Megumi brushed herself off and looked at them, "Gina, can you lie to my mother... tell her I'm out with friends."
"Why don't you call her?" Aoshi asked.
"Because she is going to DEMAND I come home." Megumi imitated her mother squeaky voice.
Gina looked seriously at her cousin, "Meg... I'll do a lot of things for you... but I can't lie to your mother for you! Aunt Aya will KILL me if she found out... and believe me she will... when you come home with a wedding ring and husband."
"Gina... Aoshi! Please! I love Sano. I want to marry him... no matter what my mother says. And doing it tonight... once we are married... my mother won't disagree... you know she loathes divorces."
Aoshi and Gina traded an uncertain look. "It seems so hasty..." Aoshi began.
"Why don't you think about it another night..." Gina said slowly.
Megumi blew up, "You know what!" She screamed, "I don't care! I've thought about for a LONG time. I've WAITED long enough. GO tell my mother whatever you want! I don't even know why I trust you! I don't care about you. I'm happy and I'm getting married. Let's go Sano." She dragged Sano away in fury, her high heels clicking in anger.
Gina sighed and leaned on the headrest of the chair, "Now what?"
Aoshi started the engine and put the car into drive, "That's a good question... now what?"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ah! They are faced with a difficult decision already. I tried really hard to put Kenshin in this scene... but he just got in the way... I promise to put him in the next chapter.
This chapter is really short... I'm hoping to update like every two days... so most chapters will be short...
Next on the 12th Street Apartment: Two new boarders move in. Kenshin invites them to have something to bite at the café. Gina and Aoshi are still debating this decision. (Note: Subject to change)