Hmm... Since my internet is being stupid again, I'll write this now and
prolly post it in the AM. Well, as said before, I can't access my internet
much les my reviews, thanks you all for your kinds reviews(few as there may
be)!
And so, on with the show...
Maggie woke with a start quite early, and sat for a confused moment before remembering.
'Oh yeah... I'm in Sanctuary with three-fourths of Team Kenshin...' Maggie thought. From her original place propped up in the corner, she had sprawled out on the floor, her head resting on Sanosuke's legs. With a sudden burst of realization, Maggie shot up. She heard a low chuckle.
"Were you comfortable, Maggie-san?"
Maggie blushed.
"I'm sorry, Sanosuke-san. I didn't mean to. I tend to move around when I sleep..." Maggie tried of explain. Sanosuke laughed again.
"It's alright. What's for breakfast?" he asked, glancing at the empty chip bag and bowl of dip. Yahiko and Kenshin then stirred.
"Morning?" Yahiko asked.
"Shh. It's only 5 AM. I'm going to sneak you guys out, you can hide in the woods across the street until my parents leave. It'll give you a chance to stretch your legs and move around a bit, because tonight you'll need to be extra quiet. I have school tomorrow. I'll sneak you out before school and let you in after. Details later. But for now, be quiet. Follow me." Maggie said all this in few breaths and looked almost worn out.
She opened the door and softly climbed out. Yahiko, Sanosuke and Kenshin picked up their shoes from where they had deposited them just beside the trapdoor and followed even more silently.
"Wait here a moment." Maggie crept down the hall and pushed her parents door open a bit.
"Mom? Dad? I'm going out for a walk. I'll be no more than an hour."
"Mmmkay..." Was the sleepy reply. Maggie smiled and closed the door behind her as she left. She returned to her room where the three stood silently waiting. She beckoned them to follow as she went downstairs, slipping into a pair of shoes and her leather jacket as she went. Her black flannel pajamas would keep her warm enough, for a late winter morning it was quite warm.
They exited the house as quietly as possible and crossed the street to the gravel path that led back into the transformer station hidden about 100 yards into the woods. Beyond that there were dirt paths running all through the woods, and Maggie knew them like the back of her hand.
"Okay, follow this path until you reach the fork. Head left. At the next two forks take the right path. Then the NEXT two take the left one. You'll reach a clearing with a fallen birch tree. Stay in that clearing while I go back and get some food. Got it?"
"Left, right, right, left, left, clearing." Kenshin repeated.
"Good. Now go. Quietly. And if you see or hear anyone, hide in the trees as best you can." Maggie said before bowing and leaving.
She literally ran back to her house and quietly entered. Grabbing the small cooler she tossed in several cans of V-8, packs of crackers, four apples, and the near-empty bad of roast beef deli-cut from the refrigerator. She zipped the small bag closed and slung it over she shoulder.
She then exited the house again as quietly as possible and made a dash for the woods. She didn't stop running until she had reached the cover that the trees provided. She quickly ran over the quickest path to the clearing in her mind and set out. She had chosen the simplest path for them to travel, but it wasn't the shortest. The shortest required a left, right, left, left right, left, right and another right before a final left, but each space between intersections was short, so it took les time. But that was a lot of lefts and rights to remember, so she gave them a longer path.
She arrived and found them seated on the birch, whispering amongst themselves.
"I couldn't get much, but it should hold you." Maggie said, passing out the food. She divvied a slice of roast beef for each person, and tore the last piece in half and half again, so everyone got 1 and ΒΌ piece of meat. Maggie showed them how to open the V-8 cans as she drank hers.
"This is quite an unusual breakfast, Maggie-san." Yahiko commented.
"Best I could, do, I'm sorry." Maggie said, looking at the ground.
"Look up. It's not like you burnt anything!" Sanosuke grinned. Maggie returned the smile.
"Now... What to do with the rest of the day?" She mused.
"Perhaps you could show us around?" Kenshin suggested. Maggie nodded.
"Okay. I have an idea. How about you guys stay here a moment, I'll go somewhere in the woods and you have to find me. That way you can learn the paths yourself."
"That is a good idea, Maggie-san, that it is." Kenshin remarked, standing up. "How much of a head start would you like?"
"Count of one hundred. Erm, put all out trash in here. Keep your drinks if you aren't done yet, we don't want to waste." Maggie opened the little red cooler and let them deposit the remains of their breakfast there. She sipped it back closed and slung it across her back so that she didn't have to worry about it slipping down her shoulder.
"One hundred count! Begin." She said, before dashing off. She knew in her mind right where she was headed, the old half-tree house.
Meanwhile
Kaoru awoke with a yawn, slightly surprised to find herself stretched out on a narrow wooden floor dangling five feet off the ground. She sat up and looked around. The previous night's memories came back to her and she groaned. She jumped down from the structure quietly and began a trek to find her friends.
She had only just passed out of earshot as a young blonde girl, dressed in black flannel pajamas, sneakers and a black leather blazer came up and casually leaned against the trees holding up the semi-fort. She giggled in remembrance of her previous birthday, when her friends and her had come down, armed with multi-colored Sharpies and wrote all over the white boards. She could still read some of the comments.
"The Battosai Lives! Heh, forgot I wrote that one..." Maggie giggled. She sighed and awaited the others. It shouldn't be long. They were Kenshin, Sanosuke and Yahiko.
As she though this Kaoru continued her futile trek along the path that would lead her to come full circle back to the half tree house in an hour or so.
Not as long as last chapter, but it was written while baby-sitting my brothers. Annoying little pests. And on a school night no less! Oh well. I'd better get paid overtime... Cool... I typed that sentence without looking at my hands! That too! Dude! I'm getting good! ....R+R peoples!
And so, on with the show...
Maggie woke with a start quite early, and sat for a confused moment before remembering.
'Oh yeah... I'm in Sanctuary with three-fourths of Team Kenshin...' Maggie thought. From her original place propped up in the corner, she had sprawled out on the floor, her head resting on Sanosuke's legs. With a sudden burst of realization, Maggie shot up. She heard a low chuckle.
"Were you comfortable, Maggie-san?"
Maggie blushed.
"I'm sorry, Sanosuke-san. I didn't mean to. I tend to move around when I sleep..." Maggie tried of explain. Sanosuke laughed again.
"It's alright. What's for breakfast?" he asked, glancing at the empty chip bag and bowl of dip. Yahiko and Kenshin then stirred.
"Morning?" Yahiko asked.
"Shh. It's only 5 AM. I'm going to sneak you guys out, you can hide in the woods across the street until my parents leave. It'll give you a chance to stretch your legs and move around a bit, because tonight you'll need to be extra quiet. I have school tomorrow. I'll sneak you out before school and let you in after. Details later. But for now, be quiet. Follow me." Maggie said all this in few breaths and looked almost worn out.
She opened the door and softly climbed out. Yahiko, Sanosuke and Kenshin picked up their shoes from where they had deposited them just beside the trapdoor and followed even more silently.
"Wait here a moment." Maggie crept down the hall and pushed her parents door open a bit.
"Mom? Dad? I'm going out for a walk. I'll be no more than an hour."
"Mmmkay..." Was the sleepy reply. Maggie smiled and closed the door behind her as she left. She returned to her room where the three stood silently waiting. She beckoned them to follow as she went downstairs, slipping into a pair of shoes and her leather jacket as she went. Her black flannel pajamas would keep her warm enough, for a late winter morning it was quite warm.
They exited the house as quietly as possible and crossed the street to the gravel path that led back into the transformer station hidden about 100 yards into the woods. Beyond that there were dirt paths running all through the woods, and Maggie knew them like the back of her hand.
"Okay, follow this path until you reach the fork. Head left. At the next two forks take the right path. Then the NEXT two take the left one. You'll reach a clearing with a fallen birch tree. Stay in that clearing while I go back and get some food. Got it?"
"Left, right, right, left, left, clearing." Kenshin repeated.
"Good. Now go. Quietly. And if you see or hear anyone, hide in the trees as best you can." Maggie said before bowing and leaving.
She literally ran back to her house and quietly entered. Grabbing the small cooler she tossed in several cans of V-8, packs of crackers, four apples, and the near-empty bad of roast beef deli-cut from the refrigerator. She zipped the small bag closed and slung it over she shoulder.
She then exited the house again as quietly as possible and made a dash for the woods. She didn't stop running until she had reached the cover that the trees provided. She quickly ran over the quickest path to the clearing in her mind and set out. She had chosen the simplest path for them to travel, but it wasn't the shortest. The shortest required a left, right, left, left right, left, right and another right before a final left, but each space between intersections was short, so it took les time. But that was a lot of lefts and rights to remember, so she gave them a longer path.
She arrived and found them seated on the birch, whispering amongst themselves.
"I couldn't get much, but it should hold you." Maggie said, passing out the food. She divvied a slice of roast beef for each person, and tore the last piece in half and half again, so everyone got 1 and ΒΌ piece of meat. Maggie showed them how to open the V-8 cans as she drank hers.
"This is quite an unusual breakfast, Maggie-san." Yahiko commented.
"Best I could, do, I'm sorry." Maggie said, looking at the ground.
"Look up. It's not like you burnt anything!" Sanosuke grinned. Maggie returned the smile.
"Now... What to do with the rest of the day?" She mused.
"Perhaps you could show us around?" Kenshin suggested. Maggie nodded.
"Okay. I have an idea. How about you guys stay here a moment, I'll go somewhere in the woods and you have to find me. That way you can learn the paths yourself."
"That is a good idea, Maggie-san, that it is." Kenshin remarked, standing up. "How much of a head start would you like?"
"Count of one hundred. Erm, put all out trash in here. Keep your drinks if you aren't done yet, we don't want to waste." Maggie opened the little red cooler and let them deposit the remains of their breakfast there. She sipped it back closed and slung it across her back so that she didn't have to worry about it slipping down her shoulder.
"One hundred count! Begin." She said, before dashing off. She knew in her mind right where she was headed, the old half-tree house.
Meanwhile
Kaoru awoke with a yawn, slightly surprised to find herself stretched out on a narrow wooden floor dangling five feet off the ground. She sat up and looked around. The previous night's memories came back to her and she groaned. She jumped down from the structure quietly and began a trek to find her friends.
She had only just passed out of earshot as a young blonde girl, dressed in black flannel pajamas, sneakers and a black leather blazer came up and casually leaned against the trees holding up the semi-fort. She giggled in remembrance of her previous birthday, when her friends and her had come down, armed with multi-colored Sharpies and wrote all over the white boards. She could still read some of the comments.
"The Battosai Lives! Heh, forgot I wrote that one..." Maggie giggled. She sighed and awaited the others. It shouldn't be long. They were Kenshin, Sanosuke and Yahiko.
As she though this Kaoru continued her futile trek along the path that would lead her to come full circle back to the half tree house in an hour or so.
Not as long as last chapter, but it was written while baby-sitting my brothers. Annoying little pests. And on a school night no less! Oh well. I'd better get paid overtime... Cool... I typed that sentence without looking at my hands! That too! Dude! I'm getting good! ....R+R peoples!