[Back to the past we go . . .]
:: chapter 10 ::
Kaoru's eyes bugged out. Quickly, she lighted a candle and took a second look at the drawer.
Still empty.
Kaoru ran her fingers over the wood, as if looking for the time- backer in a hidden corner. She wrenched the empty drawer out, thus creating a dull thud on the floor.
Still nothing.
Frantically, she searched through the other drawers, running her fingers wildly through the contents, looking for the time backer. Jerking one drawer open, she only found her own clothing; in another drawer, her fingers only found the fabric of Tomoe's many kimonos and yukatas.
Kaoru could feel her breath coming in jagged gasps. How could she loose it?
Frenetically, she pulled open another drawer. In it were Kenshin's belongings. Kaoru paused for a moment. Then, she muttered, "Gomen, Kenshin, but this I gotta do this." She pulled open the drawer. Perchance a bit too hard, because the drawer, which was on the same head level as Kaoru, came out and overturned on her.
"Gah . . ." Kaoru found herself sprawled on the floor, her head throbbing painfully. She shook her head a bit to clear up her vision. She looked around. What was this on her head? Picking it up, her eyes became as wide as saucers. KENSHIN'S UNDERWEAR?!?!?!
Unluckily, Tomoe decided to come through the door right at that moment. "Kaoru, I . . ." Even cool Tomoe seemed extremely startled to see Kaoru sitting on the ground, holding a pair of Kenshin's underwear, surrounded by other articles of Kenshin's clothing.
Kaoru felt her face turn fiery hot. Just her luck, get caught in this kind of a situation. "I . . . I . . ."
The corners of Tomoe's mouth twitched in what seemed to be an attempt to not laugh. "Eh, Kenshin-san won't be needing tea anymore, although I think you already knew that . . ."
"No! Tomoe! It's not like . . . that!"
Tomoe nodded and patted Kaoru sympathetically, mouth still twitching. "Of course not."
Kaoru stood up sullenly. "It is NOT funny."
"Gomen . . . course not." Tomoe nodded pointedly towards the drawer. "You might want to put that back . . . in case, you know, Kenshin-san . . ."
"Kenshin-what?" Kenshin walked in, and blinked. "Kaoru-san, what are you . . ."
Kaoru got even redder, if it was even possible. "No, the drawer accidentally overturned and . . ."
Kenshin's mouth also twitched. "Kaoru-san, if you wish to have a pair of my underwear, all you need to do is ask."
"Uh . . .?" Kaoru looked down and realized that she was still holding the underwear. "Ara!" She flung it quickly into the drawer. She looked around at Kenshin and Tomoe, both whose mouths were twitching spastically. "If you want to laugh, just let it out, would you?"
The corner's of Tomoe's mouth raised itself momentarily. Kenshin, however, started chuckling. He walked over to the drawer, still chuckling, and replaced all the articles of clothing. When he was finished he put the drawer back. Then, pausing, he opened the drawer again and got out the pair of underwear Kaoru had been holding. He walked to the stunned girl and fitted it over her head. "Here, souvenir."
Kaoru blushed furiously. She took it off her head. "Baka . . ." she muttered to herself.
"I heard that, you know," Kenshin said pleasantly.
Kaoru froze. How could he hear? Was he psychic?
"I happen to have good hearing, Kaoru-san."
Kaoru's next sweatdrop was half the size of her head.
_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_
Kenshin laid down comfortably on the futon. Tomoe and Kaoru had insisted that he sleep in the room. He refused, of course, knowing he would be teased horribly if he was sleeping in a room with two other women.
Involuntarily, he shuddered. He never wanted to see the glares on Kaoru's and Tomoe's faces again. Eventually, he agreed, but insisting that a curtain was drawn between him and the girls.
Settling himself in, he breathed deeply. For the first time since he started being a hitokiri, he had talked to a person so deeply, especially not a woman, until Tomoe. And for the first time since he was about ten, he had truly laughed, thanks to the antics of Kaoru.
Smiling to himself, he turned and shut his eyes. Hiko was right when he said that women were extraordinary creatures.
_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_
"Kenshin . . .san, wake up!" Kaoru said loudly at the yellowing cloth curtain between her and Tomoe's side and Kenshin's side.
Tomoe raised an eyebrow. "If you really want to wake him, just go and lift the curtain."
"But . . ."
Tomoe shrugged. "He is technically very young, so . . ."
"Hm . . ." Kaoru swept the curtain to the side. "Wha . . ."
It was a sight that Kaoru had never dreamed of seeing before. Kenshin Himura, the 15 year old Hitokiri Battousai, was sprawled on the futon, spread eagle. His dark red hair was messy, and he slept with his mouth open, drool leaking over his lips onto a steadily growing puddle. His yukata had hiked up his body, revealing his posterior. Kaoru blushed when she saw his underwear, remembering last night.
"When you're done gawking, wake him. Okami is getting impatient."
Kaoru sweatdropped. Oops. Then again, this was probably her only chance of seeing him like this. Kenshin had always looked so nice and serene when he slept, either propped with his sakabatou on his shoulder or curled up on his futon. Oh well.
"KENSHIN!!!"
SNOOOOOREEEE.
Kaoru got a bit frustrated. "If you don't get up right now, I'll hurt you badly, Hitokiri Battousai or not!"
The response was yet another snore, with a small grunt.
"That's it!" Kaoru strode forward, and jumped unmercifully onto Kenshin's backside.
It was miraculous how fast Kenshin woke. He leapt up, hands clutching his back, howling an anguished "Orooooo . . .". Kaoru stumbled off to the side. She hadn't been expecting that.
Kenshin shook his head to clear the stars. One moment, he had been dining on rice balls in a dojo with young boy a few years younger than himself, a man a few years older wearing a white jacket and a red headband, and a girl his age who had looked oddly familiar. And then, suddenly, he had been awoken by a splitting pain.
He glared at the two girls on the other side of the room. They stared back, but in utter shock. And not at him . . .
He looked down. "ORO!" He hastily straightened his yukata over his . . . er, second sword . . .
The girl named Kaoru was in hysterical giggles. Kenshin rubbed his head, confused . . . "ORO!" He glanced hastily in the mirror and saw that his hair was tangled up in a nest at the top of his head.
Without a backward glance, he raced out of the room to get to the bathroom, the kitchen, anywhere with water to relieve him of this bird's nest.
[ geh, boring little chapter with lots of OOCness, ne? . it will get better, I hope. ]
:: chapter 10 ::
Kaoru's eyes bugged out. Quickly, she lighted a candle and took a second look at the drawer.
Still empty.
Kaoru ran her fingers over the wood, as if looking for the time- backer in a hidden corner. She wrenched the empty drawer out, thus creating a dull thud on the floor.
Still nothing.
Frantically, she searched through the other drawers, running her fingers wildly through the contents, looking for the time backer. Jerking one drawer open, she only found her own clothing; in another drawer, her fingers only found the fabric of Tomoe's many kimonos and yukatas.
Kaoru could feel her breath coming in jagged gasps. How could she loose it?
Frenetically, she pulled open another drawer. In it were Kenshin's belongings. Kaoru paused for a moment. Then, she muttered, "Gomen, Kenshin, but this I gotta do this." She pulled open the drawer. Perchance a bit too hard, because the drawer, which was on the same head level as Kaoru, came out and overturned on her.
"Gah . . ." Kaoru found herself sprawled on the floor, her head throbbing painfully. She shook her head a bit to clear up her vision. She looked around. What was this on her head? Picking it up, her eyes became as wide as saucers. KENSHIN'S UNDERWEAR?!?!?!
Unluckily, Tomoe decided to come through the door right at that moment. "Kaoru, I . . ." Even cool Tomoe seemed extremely startled to see Kaoru sitting on the ground, holding a pair of Kenshin's underwear, surrounded by other articles of Kenshin's clothing.
Kaoru felt her face turn fiery hot. Just her luck, get caught in this kind of a situation. "I . . . I . . ."
The corners of Tomoe's mouth twitched in what seemed to be an attempt to not laugh. "Eh, Kenshin-san won't be needing tea anymore, although I think you already knew that . . ."
"No! Tomoe! It's not like . . . that!"
Tomoe nodded and patted Kaoru sympathetically, mouth still twitching. "Of course not."
Kaoru stood up sullenly. "It is NOT funny."
"Gomen . . . course not." Tomoe nodded pointedly towards the drawer. "You might want to put that back . . . in case, you know, Kenshin-san . . ."
"Kenshin-what?" Kenshin walked in, and blinked. "Kaoru-san, what are you . . ."
Kaoru got even redder, if it was even possible. "No, the drawer accidentally overturned and . . ."
Kenshin's mouth also twitched. "Kaoru-san, if you wish to have a pair of my underwear, all you need to do is ask."
"Uh . . .?" Kaoru looked down and realized that she was still holding the underwear. "Ara!" She flung it quickly into the drawer. She looked around at Kenshin and Tomoe, both whose mouths were twitching spastically. "If you want to laugh, just let it out, would you?"
The corner's of Tomoe's mouth raised itself momentarily. Kenshin, however, started chuckling. He walked over to the drawer, still chuckling, and replaced all the articles of clothing. When he was finished he put the drawer back. Then, pausing, he opened the drawer again and got out the pair of underwear Kaoru had been holding. He walked to the stunned girl and fitted it over her head. "Here, souvenir."
Kaoru blushed furiously. She took it off her head. "Baka . . ." she muttered to herself.
"I heard that, you know," Kenshin said pleasantly.
Kaoru froze. How could he hear? Was he psychic?
"I happen to have good hearing, Kaoru-san."
Kaoru's next sweatdrop was half the size of her head.
_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_
Kenshin laid down comfortably on the futon. Tomoe and Kaoru had insisted that he sleep in the room. He refused, of course, knowing he would be teased horribly if he was sleeping in a room with two other women.
Involuntarily, he shuddered. He never wanted to see the glares on Kaoru's and Tomoe's faces again. Eventually, he agreed, but insisting that a curtain was drawn between him and the girls.
Settling himself in, he breathed deeply. For the first time since he started being a hitokiri, he had talked to a person so deeply, especially not a woman, until Tomoe. And for the first time since he was about ten, he had truly laughed, thanks to the antics of Kaoru.
Smiling to himself, he turned and shut his eyes. Hiko was right when he said that women were extraordinary creatures.
_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_*_
"Kenshin . . .san, wake up!" Kaoru said loudly at the yellowing cloth curtain between her and Tomoe's side and Kenshin's side.
Tomoe raised an eyebrow. "If you really want to wake him, just go and lift the curtain."
"But . . ."
Tomoe shrugged. "He is technically very young, so . . ."
"Hm . . ." Kaoru swept the curtain to the side. "Wha . . ."
It was a sight that Kaoru had never dreamed of seeing before. Kenshin Himura, the 15 year old Hitokiri Battousai, was sprawled on the futon, spread eagle. His dark red hair was messy, and he slept with his mouth open, drool leaking over his lips onto a steadily growing puddle. His yukata had hiked up his body, revealing his posterior. Kaoru blushed when she saw his underwear, remembering last night.
"When you're done gawking, wake him. Okami is getting impatient."
Kaoru sweatdropped. Oops. Then again, this was probably her only chance of seeing him like this. Kenshin had always looked so nice and serene when he slept, either propped with his sakabatou on his shoulder or curled up on his futon. Oh well.
"KENSHIN!!!"
SNOOOOOREEEE.
Kaoru got a bit frustrated. "If you don't get up right now, I'll hurt you badly, Hitokiri Battousai or not!"
The response was yet another snore, with a small grunt.
"That's it!" Kaoru strode forward, and jumped unmercifully onto Kenshin's backside.
It was miraculous how fast Kenshin woke. He leapt up, hands clutching his back, howling an anguished "Orooooo . . .". Kaoru stumbled off to the side. She hadn't been expecting that.
Kenshin shook his head to clear the stars. One moment, he had been dining on rice balls in a dojo with young boy a few years younger than himself, a man a few years older wearing a white jacket and a red headband, and a girl his age who had looked oddly familiar. And then, suddenly, he had been awoken by a splitting pain.
He glared at the two girls on the other side of the room. They stared back, but in utter shock. And not at him . . .
He looked down. "ORO!" He hastily straightened his yukata over his . . . er, second sword . . .
The girl named Kaoru was in hysterical giggles. Kenshin rubbed his head, confused . . . "ORO!" He glanced hastily in the mirror and saw that his hair was tangled up in a nest at the top of his head.
Without a backward glance, he raced out of the room to get to the bathroom, the kitchen, anywhere with water to relieve him of this bird's nest.
[ geh, boring little chapter with lots of OOCness, ne? . it will get better, I hope. ]