A/N: yo. it's been quite awhile since i've updated (at least, through my
eyes). but that's mostly due to my recent trips to the mall, spring break,
easter, and then of course my internet just HAD to break down. o.O but yea,
i'm back, and so, as a gift for having to wait for so long, i'll update my
last TWO chapters, so if you don't see the next chapter here at the moment,
please come back later to check it out.
Nextly, I would like to comment that people have been hinting to get a move on and get on with the main plot. well, okay, I'll get there, just be pacient, it'll come! (as you will find out...hehehe...)
Am I on my third point here? Whatever, i'll keep going. A special thanx and shout-out to: Pinto Beans (I luv that name, it's got a ring to it...pinto beans, pinto beans, pinto beans, I could say it all day), Kanzen ne Tsuki (hehe, thanx again), LYKAchan (don't worry, I bet i'm a bigger lazyass than you, tehe), Lady Battousai (I can never thank you enough), Unknown (luving the name), ILoveLegolas (AHA, I love legolas too!!!), and Mrs. Orlando Bloom (AHA, I love Orlando Bloom too!).
And fourthly...............I've got nothing to say, I just think it's fun to say all these points and watch the number go up. But FROM NEXT CHAPTER ON, IT'LL BE IMPORTANT TO READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTES. Especially if I'm answering questions, concerns, etc.... So I guess there is a point to this point. (no pun intended)
Disclaimer: At the moment, I'm broke. Wanna know why? Cuz I spent all my money at the mall on Rurouni Kenshin DVDs, and mind you, Rurouni Kenshin belongs to them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
chap. 6 ~ raisins
It was in late summer Wolf had arrived, and pretty soon, the endless nights of summer melted into autumn, beautiful array of leaves falling, tumbling to the ground. Leaves of orange, yellow, and red, littering the ground, and decorating the landscape. Leaves that dotted the gravel paths of Tokyo, leaves that left the mind of an adult toying with his early childish imaginations. However, the coming fall also brough monsoon winds, blowing fiercely throughout Japan, making the falling leaves dance to a beat of its own, swirling and flying in irregular patterns. Surprisingly, no typhoon came that year, which was expected by many. With each growing month, Kaoru grew more and more restless, everyone becoming fully aware of Kaoru's pregnancy.
It was early November, and Kaoru sat outside, the air chilly, but warm enough for one to sit outside and enjoy what little of autumn was left. Her belly had begun to bulge undoubtly, and according to Megumi, the baby would be expected in early to middle shi-gatsu, April. But for now, it was the time to wait and anticipate. She had stopped teaching lessons on Kenshin's orders, saying that it was not good for the baby, and that she should relax in the months until April. Yahiko had taken the job instead, and would continue to do so until Kaoru was in good considerable health.
Wolf continued to stay at the dojo, not having anywhere to go of course, and he had decided that the people surrounding him would offer him protection. However, as comfortable as he felt around them, he never told anything more than asked. For instance, he never told of who was supposedly chasing him, and no one asked, pressuming it was for the best. He ate the food given to him, and never asked for more, never taking more than he felt he needed, for he did not want to take advantage of them. He did the chores they assigned him to, but he never asked for more, never asked if there was more he could do. This pattern suited everyone well, and no one argued.
Kaoru breathed in the fresh air, trying to keep herself occupied. Life had become so boring suddenly, she never woke up with something to look forward to, except keeping herself physically fit for the baby. No longer she looked forward to teaching swordsmanship, and as little sense it made, she missed looking forward to chores. Everyone did her chores for her, and she felt dependent...too dependent. Why couldn't they leave her alone? She could handle it. Just because she was carrying an unborn child, it didn't mean that she was incapable of doing things, she wasn't weak.
She heard footsteps behind her, and she turned to find Kenshin. He smiled brightly and said, "Hello there Miss Kaoru. Miss Megumi said she would handle dinner, so no need to cook today."
Kaoru felt her teeth clench and her fists tighten and before she could stop herself she blurted, "KENSHIN, I think I can HANDLE the pressure of cooking a simple meal!!!"
Kenshin backed up a few steps as Kaoru stood to rise and face Kenshin, "Oro...?"
"DON'T GIVE ME THAT ORO CRAP!!! I'M SICK OF PEOPLE DOING THINGS FOR ME EVERY SINGLE DAY!! JUST BECAUSE I WAKE UP WITH HEADACHES DOESN'T MEAN I CAN'T DO THINGS AROUND HERE!!!"
"Miss Kaoru...I never...said you..."
"FOR CRAP'S SAKE I'M NOT SOME WEAKLING THAT CAN'T TAKE CARE OF HERSELF!!!"
Kenshin's shock wore away, and he was hurt, but he didn't show it on his face as he put on a grim expression. Kaoru breathed heavily and then broke into sudden tears, sobbing. Kenshin was truly confused now, and he gently took Kaoru into his arms and patted her back comfortingly, then brushing her hair through his fingers, detangling the mop of untended black satin.
":sniff: I'm sorry Kenshin... I guess I'm not feeling too well.... I don't know what came over me.... I'm sorry..." Kaoru apologized through sobs, tears pouring down her cheeks.
Kenshin smiled softly and whispered, "I know you didn't mean it Miss Kaoru... It's alright..."
Kaoru sniffed again and looked up, "Really?"
Kenshin laughed and said reassuringly, "Really."
And they stood there, in each other's arms, knowing that it really was okay.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Ichi!" A shinai swung over Yahiko's head.
"YA!" the small group of kids yelled in response.
"Ni!"
"YA!"
"San!"
"YA!"
"Shi!"
"YA!"
"Go!"
"YA!!!"
Yahiko had taken the responsibilty of teaching Kaoru's lessons very seriously, and although he didn't show it, he was flattered that Kaoru had told him he could teach until the child came. Since then, he had not insulted Kaoru as much, feeling that he owed her at least that much. The classes were not that big, but Yahiko had found that it was a lot harder to teach swordsmanship than he had thought, each student needed his or her own special attention at one point and time, and sometimes it was hard to describe what he was trying to teach.
Without him noticing, Kaoru slipped into the room to watch how Yahiko handled teaching. She smiled at the strangeness of finding Yahiko at the front of a class, teaching... Who would have guessed?
Who really would have guessed?
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Megumi sighed and untied the bandana that held her long hair back. She swished her head to loosen her hair, and sat down in front of the table, along with Kenshin, Kaoru, Sanosuke, Yahiko, and Wolf. Cooking enough food to feed five people along with herself was a big task, and it had pretty much worn her out, she was happy to finally take a break to enjoy a decent meal.
"Itadakimasu," everyone chorused, and happily dug into the warm food. All except for Kaoru.
Kenshin daintily swallowed a morsel of rice and then turned to the noneating Kaoru, "Is something wrong Miss Kaoru?"
Kaoru made a weird expression before smiling and saying, "Of course not Kensin...! Except..."
Everyone stopped eating to stare at her in wonder, millions of possible things that Kaoru would find wrong calculating in their minds. Sano blinked a couple of times and asked hesitantly, "Yes...?"
"Umm...I'm kinda craving some...raisins...."
Everyone gave Kaoru a blank stare, except for Wolf, who was contentedly chewing his last bite of rice and smoked fish. "Excuse me?" Sano asked slowly.
"Raisins."
"A whatta wha-?"
"Dried grapes, they's is popular in California in America," Wolf informed calmly.
"Yes...we had some on our trip to Yokohama...remember?" Kaoru added softly.
Everyone continued to say nothing and the silence hung in the air uncomfortably, as Kaoru fidgeted impatiently.
'I cooked all this food, and she's not going to eat it?!' Megumi thought in her mind, but knew better than to actually say it aloud, so instead she said, "If you don't mind me asking Kaoru...where do you expect us to find raisins in Tokyo? Especially when it's basically nearing winter."
Kaoru shrugged half-heartedly, not really caring HOW they got to her, but moreover cared about WHEN they were going to get to her.
Kenshin gulped and honestly didn't know how else to say it, "Umm...Miss Kaoru...I don't believe we'll be able to get you your raisins..."
Kaoru's eyebrows twitched and her lips formed a deep frown, "But. I. Want. Those. Raisins." Her sentences were fragmented, and she stopped after every word to highlight her emphasis on the importance of getting those raisins NOW.
"Umm.."
Kaoru sniffed loudly, obviously depressed at the fact she wouldn't be getting her raisins. Her sniff turned into a pout, which turned into a consistant whining, insistent and pleading. Everybody in the room gazed at Kaoru in astonishment, and Kenshin in guilt that he couldn't get Miss Kaoru what she needed.
"How about this Miss Kaoru?" Kenshin began, words slowly forming in his brain.
Kaoru stopped pouting for a second to listen to the next words coming out of Kenshin's mouth, "...Yeeeess?"
"I'll get you those raisins as soon as I can, okay?"
"Promise?"
"Promise."
Suddenly, Kaoru's stomach rumbled loudly, and everyone sweatdropped. "Ehehehe...I guess I'm really hungry!"
"No shit..." Sano mumbled loudly.
"I heard that!" Kaoru retorted, "I guess I can have raisins some other day... I'm suddenly not wanting any raisins at all, actually!!"
Everybody facefaulted, except for Wolf who placidly wiped his mouth with a napkin and slowly stood up, politely saying, "Gochisosama deshita. Arigato gozaimasu Megumi-sama." His tongue had a slight American accent to it, but it was impressive for an eight-year old child who had only stayed in Japan for a short time.
Megumi nodded in response as Wolf made his way to his room.
"The child is such a mystery," Megumi muttered obscurely.
"Hai, he hasn't told us anymore than we ask. I don't want to pry into another's business...especially when he is only a child. I sense that he has had a rough time for the past year or so, and he doesn't wish to share it with us...yet. We can only wait," Kenshin agreed tiredly, and picked up his chopsticks to start his cold dinner.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: Alrite, I admit, a tad bit pointless. BUT, I felt like I needed to focus on Kaoru's pregnancy before going on with the main plot. AGAIN, if the next chapter's not here yet, please come back later to check it out! Arigato! Ja ne!
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nextly, I would like to comment that people have been hinting to get a move on and get on with the main plot. well, okay, I'll get there, just be pacient, it'll come! (as you will find out...hehehe...)
Am I on my third point here? Whatever, i'll keep going. A special thanx and shout-out to: Pinto Beans (I luv that name, it's got a ring to it...pinto beans, pinto beans, pinto beans, I could say it all day), Kanzen ne Tsuki (hehe, thanx again), LYKAchan (don't worry, I bet i'm a bigger lazyass than you, tehe), Lady Battousai (I can never thank you enough), Unknown (luving the name), ILoveLegolas (AHA, I love legolas too!!!), and Mrs. Orlando Bloom (AHA, I love Orlando Bloom too!).
And fourthly...............I've got nothing to say, I just think it's fun to say all these points and watch the number go up. But FROM NEXT CHAPTER ON, IT'LL BE IMPORTANT TO READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTES. Especially if I'm answering questions, concerns, etc.... So I guess there is a point to this point. (no pun intended)
Disclaimer: At the moment, I'm broke. Wanna know why? Cuz I spent all my money at the mall on Rurouni Kenshin DVDs, and mind you, Rurouni Kenshin belongs to them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
chap. 6 ~ raisins
It was in late summer Wolf had arrived, and pretty soon, the endless nights of summer melted into autumn, beautiful array of leaves falling, tumbling to the ground. Leaves of orange, yellow, and red, littering the ground, and decorating the landscape. Leaves that dotted the gravel paths of Tokyo, leaves that left the mind of an adult toying with his early childish imaginations. However, the coming fall also brough monsoon winds, blowing fiercely throughout Japan, making the falling leaves dance to a beat of its own, swirling and flying in irregular patterns. Surprisingly, no typhoon came that year, which was expected by many. With each growing month, Kaoru grew more and more restless, everyone becoming fully aware of Kaoru's pregnancy.
It was early November, and Kaoru sat outside, the air chilly, but warm enough for one to sit outside and enjoy what little of autumn was left. Her belly had begun to bulge undoubtly, and according to Megumi, the baby would be expected in early to middle shi-gatsu, April. But for now, it was the time to wait and anticipate. She had stopped teaching lessons on Kenshin's orders, saying that it was not good for the baby, and that she should relax in the months until April. Yahiko had taken the job instead, and would continue to do so until Kaoru was in good considerable health.
Wolf continued to stay at the dojo, not having anywhere to go of course, and he had decided that the people surrounding him would offer him protection. However, as comfortable as he felt around them, he never told anything more than asked. For instance, he never told of who was supposedly chasing him, and no one asked, pressuming it was for the best. He ate the food given to him, and never asked for more, never taking more than he felt he needed, for he did not want to take advantage of them. He did the chores they assigned him to, but he never asked for more, never asked if there was more he could do. This pattern suited everyone well, and no one argued.
Kaoru breathed in the fresh air, trying to keep herself occupied. Life had become so boring suddenly, she never woke up with something to look forward to, except keeping herself physically fit for the baby. No longer she looked forward to teaching swordsmanship, and as little sense it made, she missed looking forward to chores. Everyone did her chores for her, and she felt dependent...too dependent. Why couldn't they leave her alone? She could handle it. Just because she was carrying an unborn child, it didn't mean that she was incapable of doing things, she wasn't weak.
She heard footsteps behind her, and she turned to find Kenshin. He smiled brightly and said, "Hello there Miss Kaoru. Miss Megumi said she would handle dinner, so no need to cook today."
Kaoru felt her teeth clench and her fists tighten and before she could stop herself she blurted, "KENSHIN, I think I can HANDLE the pressure of cooking a simple meal!!!"
Kenshin backed up a few steps as Kaoru stood to rise and face Kenshin, "Oro...?"
"DON'T GIVE ME THAT ORO CRAP!!! I'M SICK OF PEOPLE DOING THINGS FOR ME EVERY SINGLE DAY!! JUST BECAUSE I WAKE UP WITH HEADACHES DOESN'T MEAN I CAN'T DO THINGS AROUND HERE!!!"
"Miss Kaoru...I never...said you..."
"FOR CRAP'S SAKE I'M NOT SOME WEAKLING THAT CAN'T TAKE CARE OF HERSELF!!!"
Kenshin's shock wore away, and he was hurt, but he didn't show it on his face as he put on a grim expression. Kaoru breathed heavily and then broke into sudden tears, sobbing. Kenshin was truly confused now, and he gently took Kaoru into his arms and patted her back comfortingly, then brushing her hair through his fingers, detangling the mop of untended black satin.
":sniff: I'm sorry Kenshin... I guess I'm not feeling too well.... I don't know what came over me.... I'm sorry..." Kaoru apologized through sobs, tears pouring down her cheeks.
Kenshin smiled softly and whispered, "I know you didn't mean it Miss Kaoru... It's alright..."
Kaoru sniffed again and looked up, "Really?"
Kenshin laughed and said reassuringly, "Really."
And they stood there, in each other's arms, knowing that it really was okay.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Ichi!" A shinai swung over Yahiko's head.
"YA!" the small group of kids yelled in response.
"Ni!"
"YA!"
"San!"
"YA!"
"Shi!"
"YA!"
"Go!"
"YA!!!"
Yahiko had taken the responsibilty of teaching Kaoru's lessons very seriously, and although he didn't show it, he was flattered that Kaoru had told him he could teach until the child came. Since then, he had not insulted Kaoru as much, feeling that he owed her at least that much. The classes were not that big, but Yahiko had found that it was a lot harder to teach swordsmanship than he had thought, each student needed his or her own special attention at one point and time, and sometimes it was hard to describe what he was trying to teach.
Without him noticing, Kaoru slipped into the room to watch how Yahiko handled teaching. She smiled at the strangeness of finding Yahiko at the front of a class, teaching... Who would have guessed?
Who really would have guessed?
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Megumi sighed and untied the bandana that held her long hair back. She swished her head to loosen her hair, and sat down in front of the table, along with Kenshin, Kaoru, Sanosuke, Yahiko, and Wolf. Cooking enough food to feed five people along with herself was a big task, and it had pretty much worn her out, she was happy to finally take a break to enjoy a decent meal.
"Itadakimasu," everyone chorused, and happily dug into the warm food. All except for Kaoru.
Kenshin daintily swallowed a morsel of rice and then turned to the noneating Kaoru, "Is something wrong Miss Kaoru?"
Kaoru made a weird expression before smiling and saying, "Of course not Kensin...! Except..."
Everyone stopped eating to stare at her in wonder, millions of possible things that Kaoru would find wrong calculating in their minds. Sano blinked a couple of times and asked hesitantly, "Yes...?"
"Umm...I'm kinda craving some...raisins...."
Everyone gave Kaoru a blank stare, except for Wolf, who was contentedly chewing his last bite of rice and smoked fish. "Excuse me?" Sano asked slowly.
"Raisins."
"A whatta wha-?"
"Dried grapes, they's is popular in California in America," Wolf informed calmly.
"Yes...we had some on our trip to Yokohama...remember?" Kaoru added softly.
Everyone continued to say nothing and the silence hung in the air uncomfortably, as Kaoru fidgeted impatiently.
'I cooked all this food, and she's not going to eat it?!' Megumi thought in her mind, but knew better than to actually say it aloud, so instead she said, "If you don't mind me asking Kaoru...where do you expect us to find raisins in Tokyo? Especially when it's basically nearing winter."
Kaoru shrugged half-heartedly, not really caring HOW they got to her, but moreover cared about WHEN they were going to get to her.
Kenshin gulped and honestly didn't know how else to say it, "Umm...Miss Kaoru...I don't believe we'll be able to get you your raisins..."
Kaoru's eyebrows twitched and her lips formed a deep frown, "But. I. Want. Those. Raisins." Her sentences were fragmented, and she stopped after every word to highlight her emphasis on the importance of getting those raisins NOW.
"Umm.."
Kaoru sniffed loudly, obviously depressed at the fact she wouldn't be getting her raisins. Her sniff turned into a pout, which turned into a consistant whining, insistent and pleading. Everybody in the room gazed at Kaoru in astonishment, and Kenshin in guilt that he couldn't get Miss Kaoru what she needed.
"How about this Miss Kaoru?" Kenshin began, words slowly forming in his brain.
Kaoru stopped pouting for a second to listen to the next words coming out of Kenshin's mouth, "...Yeeeess?"
"I'll get you those raisins as soon as I can, okay?"
"Promise?"
"Promise."
Suddenly, Kaoru's stomach rumbled loudly, and everyone sweatdropped. "Ehehehe...I guess I'm really hungry!"
"No shit..." Sano mumbled loudly.
"I heard that!" Kaoru retorted, "I guess I can have raisins some other day... I'm suddenly not wanting any raisins at all, actually!!"
Everybody facefaulted, except for Wolf who placidly wiped his mouth with a napkin and slowly stood up, politely saying, "Gochisosama deshita. Arigato gozaimasu Megumi-sama." His tongue had a slight American accent to it, but it was impressive for an eight-year old child who had only stayed in Japan for a short time.
Megumi nodded in response as Wolf made his way to his room.
"The child is such a mystery," Megumi muttered obscurely.
"Hai, he hasn't told us anymore than we ask. I don't want to pry into another's business...especially when he is only a child. I sense that he has had a rough time for the past year or so, and he doesn't wish to share it with us...yet. We can only wait," Kenshin agreed tiredly, and picked up his chopsticks to start his cold dinner.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: Alrite, I admit, a tad bit pointless. BUT, I felt like I needed to focus on Kaoru's pregnancy before going on with the main plot. AGAIN, if the next chapter's not here yet, please come back later to check it out! Arigato! Ja ne!
~~~~~~~~~~~~