Thanks for the reviews! =) rosy-poo, you are a kenshin hater. Grr. =)
:: chapter 3 ::
Kaoru could only stand in silent shock. She watched Kenshin slide out his katana in a flash of cold light. The two shadows moved around each other in a dangerous ballet.
This was that person Kenshin had spoken of, the samurai in black sent to assassinate Kenshin. A hitokiri sent to kill a hitokiri.
Kaoru wanted nothing more than to grab her bokken and assist Kenshin. But she remembered that Kenshin had beaten the hitokiri. Right?
A gasping sound put Kaoru out of her trance. That hitokiri had gained the upper hand. He was strangling Kenshin!
Kaoru ran forward as fast as her feet would carry her. "No, you can't die, no!"
Then, suddenly, Kenshin went into motion again. In a flash of red, he had killed the other man.
Warm, red liquid splashed over Kaoru. She could only stand in silent shock. This was Kenshin . . . no, Hitokiri Battousai . . . as Kenshin had once described to her.
She stared down at her fingers. They were soaked in blood. Blood.
It had started to rain, but Kaoru didn't notice. All she could see was the blood on her hands. On the path. Everywhere.
She stared forward and blinked, her eyes sticky from the blood coating her eyelids. She could see Kenshin staring at her with shocked eyes. And staring at someone behind her, too.
She heard a sigh behind her. It must be Tomoe. Kaoru tried to turn around, but couldn't. She felt the world blacking out into a pool of black and red.
____*____*____*____*____*____
Kaoru groggily opened her eyes. The world was no longer red. Thank goodness.
She weakly sighed. Oh, what had she gotten herself into?
She saw light faintly peeking out from behind the window. It must be morning. She sat up, and rubbed her eyes.
Another slumped figure groaned on the futon next to hers. Kaoru saw that it was the woman in the bar. Tomoe.
The woman opened her eyes, and blinked a few times. "Ohayo," she said in an expressionless voice.
"Ohayo," Kaoru replied in a just as expressionless tone.
The woman stared at Kaoru. "Who are you?"
Kaoru smiled tightly. "Kaoru . . .Kamiya Kaoru."
The woman nodded her head in response. "Tomoe. Yukishiro Tomoe."
Kaoru stood up, and noticed that she was now wearing a faded gray yukata. Tomoe also rose, and she was donning a yellowed white yukata.
On the other side of the room hung two kimonos. Kaoru examined them: a bit damp, but still wearable. She took her yellow one off the line, and handed the white one to Tomoe. "Here, they're dry now."
Tomoe's face was still expressionless, but her eyes crinkled a bit. "Arigato gozaimasu," she murmured in her soft melodic voice.
Kaoru felt her bias against Tomoe crumbling. She was so quiet, delicate, and polite. How did she ever hate Tomoe?
As they slid open the door, they saw a small, slumped figure sitting in the hall with his red hair pouring over the katana propped against his shoulder. It must be Kenshin! The two girls quietly started down the stairs, not disturbing Kenshin.
As soon as they stepped off the stairs, they saw an old woman carrying a basket with vegetables. "Ohayo!" the old woman said. "I see you two are awake."
"Konichiwa, er . . ."
"Just call me Okami, girls."
"Hai, Okami-san."
Tomoe looked into Okami's eyes. "May I ask how we are here, Okami- san?"
Okami chuckled. "Ah, well, see, this young master Himura brought you back." She erupted into cackles. "You should've seen our surprise; no one at this inn expected that boy to bring back not one, but two girls!"
Both Kaoru and Tomoe sweatdropped as they watched Okami go into severe wheezes from her laughter.
Eventually, Okami stopped her laughter. "So, girls, can you help me in the kitchen?"
Tomoe nodded politely. "Hai, I have had lots of experience in kitchens."
Kaoru blanched at the mere thought of it. If she accidentally food poisoned someone here, she could get killed right then and there. "Uh, I'm not so good with cooking, so . . ."
Okami nodded. "Not a good cook, huh."
Kaoru sweatdropped.
Okami pointed towards a nearby door. "Kenshin's usually the one who brings in water, but-,"
Tomoe looked up, her eyes wide with shock. "Kenshin? Heart of sword? Here?"
Okami raised an eyebrow. "Hai: Kenshin Himura."
Kaoru added in her two cents: "Kenshin's still asleep."
Okami nodded wisely. "Well, see, since he's asleep, I thought that you could maybe do this for him?"
Kaoru nodded. "Sure, I'm very handy with things like that." And with that, she brightly bounded out of the house.
She immediately located the well, and started hoisting up a bucket of water. She slowly pulled on the rope in order to raise the heavy bucket up. Just as soon as the bucket reached the top . . .
POOF!
"AUGH!" Kaoru cried, dropping the bucket back into the well. She turned around, and who did she see but the fairy godmother?
"You scared me!"
"Not my fault. I can't control how I apparate here!"
Kaoru squinted at the fairy godmother's skimpy, strappy blue dress. "By the way, what happened to your . . .outfit?"
The jolly woman scowled. "Hey, don't blame me. I don't get paid very much as a fairy godmother. I've gotta work overtime."
Kaoru raised an eyebrow. "And you are?"
Grumbling, the fairy godmother pulled out a box and opened it. Inside were teeth. "Tooth fairy."
Kaoru stifled her giggles, knowing that Okami might come to check on Kaoru if she heard hysterical laughter.
The fairy godmother arranged herself up arrogantly. "Anyways, I'm here to take you back."
"Back?"
The fairy godmother rolled her eyes. "It's time."
Kaoru shook her head. "No, but I'm not done yet! Please let me have more time! Please!"
The old woman pondered this. "Oh, fine." From a fold in her dress, she got out a small cherry-like object. She handed it to Kaoru.
"Be careful. This is a time backer. When you want to go back, just pull out that stick, and you'll be transported."
Grinning, Kaoru pocketed the time backer. "Ok."
"HOWEVER!" the old woman said fiercely, "This isn't very precise. You may be displaced in time up to ten years. Are you willing?"
Kaoru smiled. "Of course!"
The fairy godmother shrugged. "Alright, it's your choice. Sayonara." And with that, she disappeared.
Kaoru continued hauling up the water. Now she knew she had enough time to separate Tomoe and Kenshin.
:: chapter 3 ::
Kaoru could only stand in silent shock. She watched Kenshin slide out his katana in a flash of cold light. The two shadows moved around each other in a dangerous ballet.
This was that person Kenshin had spoken of, the samurai in black sent to assassinate Kenshin. A hitokiri sent to kill a hitokiri.
Kaoru wanted nothing more than to grab her bokken and assist Kenshin. But she remembered that Kenshin had beaten the hitokiri. Right?
A gasping sound put Kaoru out of her trance. That hitokiri had gained the upper hand. He was strangling Kenshin!
Kaoru ran forward as fast as her feet would carry her. "No, you can't die, no!"
Then, suddenly, Kenshin went into motion again. In a flash of red, he had killed the other man.
Warm, red liquid splashed over Kaoru. She could only stand in silent shock. This was Kenshin . . . no, Hitokiri Battousai . . . as Kenshin had once described to her.
She stared down at her fingers. They were soaked in blood. Blood.
It had started to rain, but Kaoru didn't notice. All she could see was the blood on her hands. On the path. Everywhere.
She stared forward and blinked, her eyes sticky from the blood coating her eyelids. She could see Kenshin staring at her with shocked eyes. And staring at someone behind her, too.
She heard a sigh behind her. It must be Tomoe. Kaoru tried to turn around, but couldn't. She felt the world blacking out into a pool of black and red.
____*____*____*____*____*____
Kaoru groggily opened her eyes. The world was no longer red. Thank goodness.
She weakly sighed. Oh, what had she gotten herself into?
She saw light faintly peeking out from behind the window. It must be morning. She sat up, and rubbed her eyes.
Another slumped figure groaned on the futon next to hers. Kaoru saw that it was the woman in the bar. Tomoe.
The woman opened her eyes, and blinked a few times. "Ohayo," she said in an expressionless voice.
"Ohayo," Kaoru replied in a just as expressionless tone.
The woman stared at Kaoru. "Who are you?"
Kaoru smiled tightly. "Kaoru . . .Kamiya Kaoru."
The woman nodded her head in response. "Tomoe. Yukishiro Tomoe."
Kaoru stood up, and noticed that she was now wearing a faded gray yukata. Tomoe also rose, and she was donning a yellowed white yukata.
On the other side of the room hung two kimonos. Kaoru examined them: a bit damp, but still wearable. She took her yellow one off the line, and handed the white one to Tomoe. "Here, they're dry now."
Tomoe's face was still expressionless, but her eyes crinkled a bit. "Arigato gozaimasu," she murmured in her soft melodic voice.
Kaoru felt her bias against Tomoe crumbling. She was so quiet, delicate, and polite. How did she ever hate Tomoe?
As they slid open the door, they saw a small, slumped figure sitting in the hall with his red hair pouring over the katana propped against his shoulder. It must be Kenshin! The two girls quietly started down the stairs, not disturbing Kenshin.
As soon as they stepped off the stairs, they saw an old woman carrying a basket with vegetables. "Ohayo!" the old woman said. "I see you two are awake."
"Konichiwa, er . . ."
"Just call me Okami, girls."
"Hai, Okami-san."
Tomoe looked into Okami's eyes. "May I ask how we are here, Okami- san?"
Okami chuckled. "Ah, well, see, this young master Himura brought you back." She erupted into cackles. "You should've seen our surprise; no one at this inn expected that boy to bring back not one, but two girls!"
Both Kaoru and Tomoe sweatdropped as they watched Okami go into severe wheezes from her laughter.
Eventually, Okami stopped her laughter. "So, girls, can you help me in the kitchen?"
Tomoe nodded politely. "Hai, I have had lots of experience in kitchens."
Kaoru blanched at the mere thought of it. If she accidentally food poisoned someone here, she could get killed right then and there. "Uh, I'm not so good with cooking, so . . ."
Okami nodded. "Not a good cook, huh."
Kaoru sweatdropped.
Okami pointed towards a nearby door. "Kenshin's usually the one who brings in water, but-,"
Tomoe looked up, her eyes wide with shock. "Kenshin? Heart of sword? Here?"
Okami raised an eyebrow. "Hai: Kenshin Himura."
Kaoru added in her two cents: "Kenshin's still asleep."
Okami nodded wisely. "Well, see, since he's asleep, I thought that you could maybe do this for him?"
Kaoru nodded. "Sure, I'm very handy with things like that." And with that, she brightly bounded out of the house.
She immediately located the well, and started hoisting up a bucket of water. She slowly pulled on the rope in order to raise the heavy bucket up. Just as soon as the bucket reached the top . . .
POOF!
"AUGH!" Kaoru cried, dropping the bucket back into the well. She turned around, and who did she see but the fairy godmother?
"You scared me!"
"Not my fault. I can't control how I apparate here!"
Kaoru squinted at the fairy godmother's skimpy, strappy blue dress. "By the way, what happened to your . . .outfit?"
The jolly woman scowled. "Hey, don't blame me. I don't get paid very much as a fairy godmother. I've gotta work overtime."
Kaoru raised an eyebrow. "And you are?"
Grumbling, the fairy godmother pulled out a box and opened it. Inside were teeth. "Tooth fairy."
Kaoru stifled her giggles, knowing that Okami might come to check on Kaoru if she heard hysterical laughter.
The fairy godmother arranged herself up arrogantly. "Anyways, I'm here to take you back."
"Back?"
The fairy godmother rolled her eyes. "It's time."
Kaoru shook her head. "No, but I'm not done yet! Please let me have more time! Please!"
The old woman pondered this. "Oh, fine." From a fold in her dress, she got out a small cherry-like object. She handed it to Kaoru.
"Be careful. This is a time backer. When you want to go back, just pull out that stick, and you'll be transported."
Grinning, Kaoru pocketed the time backer. "Ok."
"HOWEVER!" the old woman said fiercely, "This isn't very precise. You may be displaced in time up to ten years. Are you willing?"
Kaoru smiled. "Of course!"
The fairy godmother shrugged. "Alright, it's your choice. Sayonara." And with that, she disappeared.
Kaoru continued hauling up the water. Now she knew she had enough time to separate Tomoe and Kenshin.