:: chapter 5 ::
Kaoru ladled Tomoe's soup into two bowls. The hot steam rose up, tickling Kaoru's nose. She had to admit, Tomoe was a terrific cook.
"Tomoe!"
Tomoe walked over. "Hai?"
Kaoru smiled her friendliest smile. "Breakfast."
"Arigato, Kaoru."
The two women sat down opposite each other as they quietly ate their breakfast, deep in their own thoughts. Kaoru was focused on her new task. Now that she actually knew Tomoe, she did not want to hurt Tomoe at all. But how would she separate Tomoe and Kenshin without hurting either? She looked at Tomoe, and noticed that her red eyes were glazed over, staring off into space. Was she thinking about Kenshin already?
A sharp slap on wood startled Kaoru out of her daze. Looking over her shoulder, she realized that Okami had separated trays of breakfast into two stacks. "You two can take the trays down to the men. I'll stay behind and clean up."
Tomoe stood up and placed her bowl in a tub of water. Kaoru did the same. They walked towards the counter and each reached for a stack of trays.
Suddenly, there were rapid thumps near the door. A somewhat high pitched voiced hollered, "Okami-san! Okami-san!"
Okami smiled. "I see, Himura is awake."
The door suddenly jerked open. "Okami-san, where are . . .?" He suddenly stopped, his eyes wide with surprise.
Kaoru could barely contain herself. Last night, Kenshin had seemed to be an untouchable hitokiri. But today, he was only an embarrassed, awkward teenager. His voice was still unchanged, having a higher tone than what Kaoru was used to. He was very short and scrawny -not much bigger than Yahiko -although he was apparently already 15.
Kenshin rubbed his head bemusedly. "I . . . I fell asleep . . . I . . . they weren't . . ."
Well, apparently, he didn't use all the 'sesshas' and the '-donos' when he was fifteen.
Okami chucked. "Your girlfriends are good workers."
Kaoru had to bite her lips to stop the giggles when she saw Kenshin's face turn a deeper crimson than his hair.
Tomoe picked up a tray and started to walk out. Kaoru, not wishing to be left behind, grabbed a tray and followed close after. She could hear slow, bashful footsteps behind her. Oh, so Kenshin was following.
"Er . . ." she heard a voice mutter behind her. "What are your names?"
"Tomoe," she said flatly, keeping her eyes ahead of her.
Kaoru wasn't fooled. She remembered that Kenshin had said that the first conversation he and Tomoe had, she had been teasing him quietly with her abrupt words. Which, in a way, worked as flirting to Kenshin, who had no contact with women at all. No, indeed, Kaoru would not be beaten by Tomoe this time.
"Kamiya Kaoru," she said, keeping her head ahead of her in the same cold way.
"Uh . . . what are you doing?"
"Isn't it . . ."
"Obvious?" Kaoru wasn't going to let Tomoe have all the talking.
"Helping . . . in the kitchen . . ."
Kaoru smirked. This was too fun . . . "So you did know."
Tomoe stopped in front of a closed door. "Please excuse us," she said softly to Kenshin.
Kaoru sneaked a look at him, and noticed that he was sweatdropping. "We are bringing in breakfast."
Before Kenshin could get in a word, Tomoe slid the door open. The doorway was crowded with men.
"So these are Himura's girls!" "They're both older." "Hey, cute!" "That Himura, what a ladies' man!"
Kaoru flicked a side glance at Tomoe, and noticed that Tomoe acted cold as always. Kaoru struggled to keep her face in an impassive position too. She could also hear a small groan behind her. It sounded like an anguished, "Agh . . ."
"Hi, I'm Tomoe. Nice to meet you."
"And I'm Kaoru. Hello!" Kaoru couldn't help letting a small smile form on the corners of her lips. She could just imagine Kenshin's face right now.
"Tomoe, Kaoru!" Kenshin growled dangerously. "What do you two think you're . . ."
A man with a skinny mustache swung his arm around Kenshin's neck in a friendly headlock, smirking.
"Iizuka . . ."
"Embarrased, lover boy?"
Kenshin's hand suddenly rose to the hilt of his sword. His eyes narrowed dangerously. The man named Iizuka sprang back as if Kenshin was a hot coal.
Kaoru shuddered involuntarily. Yes, Kenshin might be a teenager, but all the same, he was still Battousai. Her Kenshin, the Kenshin she knew, would simply utter a tormented oro. He would never threaten others with his sword . . .never.
She suddenly felt a fear of Kenshin. Quickly, she stumbled out of the room. Tomoe followed right after.
Kaoru could hear faint voices inside the closed door. "Now that we're . . . Katsura . . ."
She turned her head around and glanced at Tomoe. "If you don't mind, I think I'll . . . Tomoe?"
Tomoe's hands gripped the sides of her kimono tightly. The thin, white fingers were strained, trembling with emotion. Anger? Or sorrow?
"Tomoe, are you . . ."
Tomoe turned her head to face Kaoru. Her hands loosened, and her face softened. "I'm fine, Kaoru. I think . . . I'll go take a bath . . . because of yesterday . . ."
Kaoru nodded. "I understand. I'll see you later."
[ gah im sorry this is so boring. It'll get good soon, I promise! I just have to make that whole 'transition of time' thing work. ^-^ gomen for the dullness of these chapters, they will get better soon, I promise!]
Kaoru ladled Tomoe's soup into two bowls. The hot steam rose up, tickling Kaoru's nose. She had to admit, Tomoe was a terrific cook.
"Tomoe!"
Tomoe walked over. "Hai?"
Kaoru smiled her friendliest smile. "Breakfast."
"Arigato, Kaoru."
The two women sat down opposite each other as they quietly ate their breakfast, deep in their own thoughts. Kaoru was focused on her new task. Now that she actually knew Tomoe, she did not want to hurt Tomoe at all. But how would she separate Tomoe and Kenshin without hurting either? She looked at Tomoe, and noticed that her red eyes were glazed over, staring off into space. Was she thinking about Kenshin already?
A sharp slap on wood startled Kaoru out of her daze. Looking over her shoulder, she realized that Okami had separated trays of breakfast into two stacks. "You two can take the trays down to the men. I'll stay behind and clean up."
Tomoe stood up and placed her bowl in a tub of water. Kaoru did the same. They walked towards the counter and each reached for a stack of trays.
Suddenly, there were rapid thumps near the door. A somewhat high pitched voiced hollered, "Okami-san! Okami-san!"
Okami smiled. "I see, Himura is awake."
The door suddenly jerked open. "Okami-san, where are . . .?" He suddenly stopped, his eyes wide with surprise.
Kaoru could barely contain herself. Last night, Kenshin had seemed to be an untouchable hitokiri. But today, he was only an embarrassed, awkward teenager. His voice was still unchanged, having a higher tone than what Kaoru was used to. He was very short and scrawny -not much bigger than Yahiko -although he was apparently already 15.
Kenshin rubbed his head bemusedly. "I . . . I fell asleep . . . I . . . they weren't . . ."
Well, apparently, he didn't use all the 'sesshas' and the '-donos' when he was fifteen.
Okami chucked. "Your girlfriends are good workers."
Kaoru had to bite her lips to stop the giggles when she saw Kenshin's face turn a deeper crimson than his hair.
Tomoe picked up a tray and started to walk out. Kaoru, not wishing to be left behind, grabbed a tray and followed close after. She could hear slow, bashful footsteps behind her. Oh, so Kenshin was following.
"Er . . ." she heard a voice mutter behind her. "What are your names?"
"Tomoe," she said flatly, keeping her eyes ahead of her.
Kaoru wasn't fooled. She remembered that Kenshin had said that the first conversation he and Tomoe had, she had been teasing him quietly with her abrupt words. Which, in a way, worked as flirting to Kenshin, who had no contact with women at all. No, indeed, Kaoru would not be beaten by Tomoe this time.
"Kamiya Kaoru," she said, keeping her head ahead of her in the same cold way.
"Uh . . . what are you doing?"
"Isn't it . . ."
"Obvious?" Kaoru wasn't going to let Tomoe have all the talking.
"Helping . . . in the kitchen . . ."
Kaoru smirked. This was too fun . . . "So you did know."
Tomoe stopped in front of a closed door. "Please excuse us," she said softly to Kenshin.
Kaoru sneaked a look at him, and noticed that he was sweatdropping. "We are bringing in breakfast."
Before Kenshin could get in a word, Tomoe slid the door open. The doorway was crowded with men.
"So these are Himura's girls!" "They're both older." "Hey, cute!" "That Himura, what a ladies' man!"
Kaoru flicked a side glance at Tomoe, and noticed that Tomoe acted cold as always. Kaoru struggled to keep her face in an impassive position too. She could also hear a small groan behind her. It sounded like an anguished, "Agh . . ."
"Hi, I'm Tomoe. Nice to meet you."
"And I'm Kaoru. Hello!" Kaoru couldn't help letting a small smile form on the corners of her lips. She could just imagine Kenshin's face right now.
"Tomoe, Kaoru!" Kenshin growled dangerously. "What do you two think you're . . ."
A man with a skinny mustache swung his arm around Kenshin's neck in a friendly headlock, smirking.
"Iizuka . . ."
"Embarrased, lover boy?"
Kenshin's hand suddenly rose to the hilt of his sword. His eyes narrowed dangerously. The man named Iizuka sprang back as if Kenshin was a hot coal.
Kaoru shuddered involuntarily. Yes, Kenshin might be a teenager, but all the same, he was still Battousai. Her Kenshin, the Kenshin she knew, would simply utter a tormented oro. He would never threaten others with his sword . . .never.
She suddenly felt a fear of Kenshin. Quickly, she stumbled out of the room. Tomoe followed right after.
Kaoru could hear faint voices inside the closed door. "Now that we're . . . Katsura . . ."
She turned her head around and glanced at Tomoe. "If you don't mind, I think I'll . . . Tomoe?"
Tomoe's hands gripped the sides of her kimono tightly. The thin, white fingers were strained, trembling with emotion. Anger? Or sorrow?
"Tomoe, are you . . ."
Tomoe turned her head to face Kaoru. Her hands loosened, and her face softened. "I'm fine, Kaoru. I think . . . I'll go take a bath . . . because of yesterday . . ."
Kaoru nodded. "I understand. I'll see you later."
[ gah im sorry this is so boring. It'll get good soon, I promise! I just have to make that whole 'transition of time' thing work. ^-^ gomen for the dullness of these chapters, they will get better soon, I promise!]