Hmm. Not much interest for this one, I guess.
Oh well, its perfectly understandable. This time of year, everyone's in school, and fanfiction is distracting.
Therefore, let me continue in the authoress's never-ending quest to take up all that remains of your free time!
Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin
Eventually, the entire group went back to the dojo, cart and all. There they were properly introduced. Utsuki lead things off.
"We're the Sakura Dancers! We travel all over and perform! This is Hanna -"
The one that had been yelling at Kaoru stuck her tongue out. She was the exact same height as Kaoru, with light brown hair and dark eyes.
"She has a bit of a temper. This is Nadeshiko -"
One of the women that had stopped Utsuki from screaming bowed politely. She was tall, had black hair and gray eyes.
"And that's her twin sister Yukito -"
The other gagger bowed politely as well. She looked absolutely identical to Nashidesko.
"I'm Utsuki, of course!"
Utsuki giggled. She was a few inches taller then Hanna, had brownish-blond hair and hazel eyes.
"And over there by the donkeys is our youngest member, Kaze!"
A girl who was just an inch shorter then Kenshin looked over from where she was tending to the donkeys. She was dressed in a long cloak of some heavy material, hiding her features from sight. Yahiko was close enough to catch the barest glimpse of her eyes as she went back to what she was doing.
He blinked, then decided he must have been mistaken.
People didn't have pink eyes, after all…
…
"Dinnertime! Dig in everybody!"
"Yeah, dig a grave. What do you put in this stuff, poison?"
Hanna smirked as Kaoru glared. Utsuki, Yukito, and Nadeshiko bore identical expressions of 'We-know-better-then-to-say-anything'. Sanosuke and Yahiko put on expressions of noble suffering as they started eating Kaoru's cooking. Dr. Genzai, Ayami, and Suzume just watched. After Kaoru received some more taunting from Hanna, everyone started eating.
The dancing group had been invited to stay at the dojo until they found a place of their own, something that hadn't gone well with either Kaoru or Hanna. Kenshin smiled through his food at the pair's antics. Then he noticed that Kaze, who was seated next to him, wasn't eating. She was still wearing her heavy cloak too. Apparently Kenshin wasn't the only one that noticed.
"Kaze-chan, you can take off your cloak now," Yukito said cheerfully.
"Yes, and eat something. Kaoru-san's cooking is really…uh…unique, just the way you like it!"
Kaze didn't seem inclined to follow the request of either twin. Finally, an annoyed Hanna snapped at her.
"Oh just take off the damn thing, we're leaving soon if that's what you care about!"
This got the attention of everyone. Very reluctantly, Kaze pulled the cloak back from over her head. Against the dark cloth, Kaze's strange white hair and shockingly pale skin stood out vividly. Her eyes were the same shade of red as Kenshin's hair, and her expression was a carefully composed blank. Kenshin recognized that look - he'd worn it often enough himself. But why would she?
An uncomfortable silence was hanging heavily over the room, until Yahiko decided to break it.
"It look's like Kaze figured out what Kaoru really puts in this stuff - ow!"
Kaoru carefully stowed her bokken back wherever she kept it for such occasions as everyone laughed at the giant lump on Yahiko's head. The expression on Kaze's face lightened, and she hesitantly reached for her bowl and chopsticks. She took an experimental bite, and Kaoru looked over at her expectantly. The reaction was nothing like anyone would have predicted.
"This is…really good!"
Sanosuke and Yahiko face-faulted.
Kaze finished the portion in her bowl very quickly, and so Kenshin gave her some more. They then began eating at the same quick rate, both looking very happy.
"You really like it Kaze?" Hanna asked cautiously.
"It's almost as good as yours!"
This time everyone face-faulted.
.
.
The next morning, the dojo was full of hustle and bustle. In a sort of undeclared competition, Kaoru was drilling Yahiko while Hanna was drilling Utsuki, Yukito, and Nadeshiko. Kenshin finished hanging the laundry and looked around the dojo to find that Ayami and Suzume had discovered the donkeys. Both of them were sitting on one that was calmly ignoring their presence.
"Now how did you get up there?"
"That nice lady helped us!"
"Nice lady!"
Kenshin looked where they were pointing to see Kaze sitting in the shade under a tree, fiddling with something. She had her heavy cloak on again and was studiously ignoring everything around her.
"Ken-niichan play with us!"
"Ken-niichan come play!"
Kenshin helped Ayami and Suzume off the donkey, who seemed rather grateful for it. But instead of playing with Ayami and Suzume, Kenshin had a burst of inspiration.
"Hanna-dono and the other nice ladies are practicing dancing; why don't you see if they want some help?"
"Dancing! Hurray!"
"Yoshi!"
Kenshin smiled as Ayami and Suzume headed off. That would keep the two of them interested for a day at least. Not many people knew it but playing tag with those two could get pretty tiring.
.
.
Especially when they insisted you were It every time and that you had to wear a blindfold no matter what large and potentially sharp and pointy objects were in the way.
.
.
Now, was there anything else that needed to be done? Not seeing any immediate chores nearby Kenshin leaned back against the donkey and sighed contentedly. The donkey gave him a weird look.
Had he been paying more attention to his surroundings, Kenshin might have noticed he was being watching with the same utmost scrutiny that a cat used on its next meal…
…