Tofu of Change
Chapter 6: War councils
Disclaimer: I don't own it I don't own it I don't own it I don't own it…WAH!
Lexi: We enter a world where reality is warped…where bishonen run wild…THE CHAT TWILIGHT ZONE!1-Sings Twilight Zone theme-
Sano: Erm…-sweatdrops-
Lexi: Too much IM-ing, pay me no heed…
Sano: But if you don't pay her any heed, then she'll get pissed. Your best bet's to run.
Lexi: ANYWHO! Here we are arriving safely at chapter six…well, MOSTLY safely…-gestures to Kenshin, Saito, Sano, and Aoshi, all in a group counseling session- So…er…what was it I'm supposed to say again?
Sano: ON WITH THE FIC!
Lexi: THAT'S THE ONE! PARLEY! (Shameless Pirates plug...-sheepish grin-)
Lying in a guest bed in the dojo the next morning, Sano looked back happily on the evening. The food had been good, the conversation fun…and it wasn't every day that you got to see yourself glaring at yourself…er…
Meaning, Aoshi had been glaring at him. Why? Hmm…why was it again?
"Good MORNING, Aoshi-sama!" Misao said, poking her head in.
Yeah, that was why.
Aoshi had never thought of himself as an especially caring person. He wasn't one to admit feelings-even to himself. In fact, he tended to try to kill people more then he tried to understand them. And if he tried to analyze his OWN emotions…
He'd probably commit seppuku.
Yet, when he saw Misao all but draping herself over himself…Sagara in his body…whatever…he felt something decidedly different from lack of emotions.
I need tea…he thought, shuffling off to the kitchen.
Immediately upon waking, Saito groaned and tried to clear his head—which was practically sloshing with saké. Being the only one that had drunk, (apart from the bird-head, of course, but did that guy ever NOT drink?) he was sure to be the only one with a hangover. Figured.
At least he had kissed Kaoru.
He smirked at the memory. They had been walking slightly behind the others, kind of slowly, hand in hand. It was one of the more romantic things he had done in his day. Well, really, the ONLY romantic thing he had done in his day.
Can't remember ever doing anything like that with Tokio…
It was morning. Kenshin being Kenshin, that was enough to put him in a freakishly good mood.
"Good morning, Tokio my little honey lamb!" He said with a smile.
She kissed him on the cheek. "Another morning…"
Kenshin grinned.
Aoshi downed his seventh cup of tea, thinking that he should be at least REMOTELY conscious by now.
Eight.
Still out of it.
Nine.
Not awake…he sighed and poured another cup.
Ten.
"Sanosuke, I didn't know you liked tea!" Misao said brightly.
He whipped around. "When did you—"
"Just now."
"From where?"
"Front door."
"Aa…I should have known…" He said, massaging his temples.
"I just came in to get Aoshi-sama his tea."
"I have a question about that…why do you always bring him tea every morning?"
She sighed. "Sano…can you keep a secret?"
His heartbeat quickened. "Of course, Misao."
"Well…you see…I bring Aoshi his tea every morning because, well, that's how I tell him I love him. Every morning when I say, 'Here's your tea, Aoshi-sama', I'm really saying 'I love you, Aoshi'."
Dumbstruck, he sat in silence for a few moments. She…she…she loved him.
Misao frowned. "Only, he seems so changed the past few days…almost the opposite of the Aoshi I love. I don't know if I can say…what I always mean…to THIS Aoshi. Because I don't lie."
"M-M-Misao…" He choked out. He had to tell her. He had to.
She tilted her head to the side in concern. "Sano-san, you alright?"
"I—" He was cut off by the door opening.
"Oh THERE you are, Ao-Sanosuke! And Misao! We were planning on taking a WALK."
He glanced at who he knew to be Sano. There was the code word...time for the victims meeting. "So soon?"
Sano nodded solemnly. "Yes, it is a LOVELY DAY." Code for a dire emergency. This must be bad.
Aoshi sighed. "All right. Come on, Misao."
She grinned. "I LOVE walks! Are Tokio-san, Kaoru-san, and Megumi-san coming?"
Sano fought back a customary grin, sternly reminding himself of the role he had unwillingly been thrust into. "Yes. It will be all of us."
Misao bounded out of the room ahead of them.
Aoshi frowned at Sano. "Is it such a good idea to bring the women along?"
Sano shrugged. "They'll gossip the whole time...we'll be perfectly fine."
True to Sano's prediction, the moment they had picked up Tokio and "Saito" and were out into the bright late morning sun, the females bustled ahead, gossiping like mad.
The men put their heads together and began to debate.
"So what's the emergency?" Aoshi asked.
"It's the women. I think they're starting to suspect."
Kenshin and Aoshi swore, but Saito scoffed.
"Baka Sagara, it's all in your head. Look at them up there, ditzy and clueless."
All the men sighed and nodded in agreement.
Little known to him, it was THEY who were the clueless ones.
As soon as the men were out of earshot, the seemingly meaningless gossiping became a war council.
"I don't know what's going on, but something's DEFINITELY up with Hajime." Tokio said in a business-like tone. "Until about a week ago, mornings were his LEAST favorite thing, and now look at him!"
Kaoru privately agreed. "Kenshin's changed, too. I mean, it seems like he's almost HAPPY to get out of doing laundry! That's not right for him! Not that it's a BAD change, or anything..."
Misao opened her eyes wide. "That's NOTHING to my Aoshi-sama! He's grinned about six or eight times JUST THIS MORNING."
All the other women gasped. "NO."
She put up her hands. "Dead serious! And he's all outgoing and friendly! I don't really like it..." So saying, she shivered slightly.
Megumi frowned. "It seems the exact opposite has happened to my Sano-san. He's been so cold and distant, drinking tea and mumbling to himself! I just can't figure it out..."
Kaoru looked at two small figures off a ways. "At least nothing's changed with the brat. He seems perfectly normal. Just look at him, holding hands with Tsubame-chan like some proud husband."
Megumi's eyes widened. "He's holding hands with Tsubame-chan! Ooh, I wanna see!" She giggled and craned her neck. "They're so KAIWAII!"
Tokio snapped her fingers. "Come on girls, FOCUS! There's obviously something up with our guys, and we have to find out just what it is."
Kenshin looked suspiciously ahead. "They do not look like they are innocently gossiping, that they do not..."
Saito rolled his eyes. "It's all in your head! They're just women! It's not like they're plotting, or forming an intelligence network or anything!"
"Makimachi Misao, intelligence expert?"
"Reporting!"
"Kamiya Kaoru, resident spy-in-chief?"
"Reporting!"
"Takani Megumi, eavesdropper and information extractor extraordinaire?"
"Reporting!"
"And I, Saito Tokio, president, call the first meeting of INFFOWWWOM begun!"
"Tokio-san, what exactly is INFFO whatever supposed to mean?" Misao asked.
Tokio grinned. "Why, Intelligence Network For Finding Out What's Wrong With Our Men, of course! What else would it be?"
Misao sweatdropped. "I have no idea..."
Resuming her business-like attitude, Tokio cleared her throat. "Back to business. Now, let's piece together what we know so far. All of the men are behaving differently in very different ways. Not that I mind how Hajime's changed, but...ANYWAY!"
Kaoru straightened herself up importantly. "I've occasionally heard Kenshin talk in his sleep. Before, he always used "this one" and "that it is", even in his sleep! Now he just talks normally. It's quite odd...but kind of cute..."
Megumi hung her head. "I can't stand what Sanosuke's turned into. He drinks TEA for Kami's sake!"
Misao perked up her ears and furrowed her brow. "What...KIND...of tea?"
The kitsune rolled her eyes. "Green tea. Can you IMAGINE!"
Kaoru also perked up. "Misao...didn't you say that Aoshi has been grinning?"
Although young, Misao was NOT stupid. "Yeah...you don't think..."
Tokio scoffed. "Nah, not possible."
"Saito, I really don't like the way that gossip seems to be going..." Sano said worriedly.
"Yes, you don't think..." Aoshi said with a slight edge to his voice.
Saito scoffed AGAIN. "Nah, not possible."
"In any case, we need a plan to gather some more information. Kaoru?"
"Yes, Tokio-san?"
"Continue listening to Kenshin talk in his sleep, if possible. Seduce him if necessary to get into his room."
Kaoru flushed immensely...because she didn't think it was all that bad of an idea. "Yes Tokio-san."
"Misao, we'll need you to do some research. You still have the old intelligence network set up at the Aoi-ya?"
"Yes, 'course!"
"Well, use it. Pull some strings and find out where all of them have gone the past week or so. And Megumi..."
The said woman fox-laughed. "Yes, Tokio-san?"
"We don't need you...yet. Just keep it up with the eavesdropping and see if you can get any good information."
"Or you could let me seduce Ken-san...I'm sure I'd do a much better job then the inexperienced tanuki-girl...UH-HUHUHUHU!"
Tokio rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Megumi, you can be such a vixen sometimes. Well, if you REALLY feel the need to seduce someone, go after Sanosuke. He's been known to be loose with secrets."
Megumi did a mocking salute. "Will do, Tokio-san!"
"And I will go after Hajime! Are we all clear? Beautiful! I call this meeting...closed!"
"Saito, there is DEFINITELY something up with the way they all grinned at the same time..."
"This one agrees with Sanosuke, that he does..."
Saito looked skeptically at the women. "Ok, so maybe there's something a LITTLE odd going on...it's probably just some kind of woman thing, like trying that Western stuff, "chocolate" or whatever..."
"Let's go up to them, just in case..."
The men quickened their pace and caught up with the females, who were, sure enough, gossiping merrily.
"And there was this man, you know, LOOKING, and Hajime just shot him that GLARE, you know, that "you-touch-my-woman-and-I'll-gatotsu-you" glare...oh, hello Hajime darling!" Tokio pecked said persona on the cheek.
The real Saito didn't even think of fuming; he was too relieved that the other's worries were, in fact, unfounded.
Much later in the evening, Kaoru lay awake on her futon.
Seduce Kenshin? How am I supposed to do THAT! Oh, Kami help me! Maybe I'll just go...listen...he won't notice me walk in, right?
She slipped through her shoji and padded softly to Kenshin's room, sliding open the door and stepping in. She gazed for a moment at his face, so peaceful in its rest, before moving to leave.
I can't do this...I just can't.
"Kaoru?"
Kaoru whipped around, to see Kenshin, quite alert, sitting up, the blanket falling down to reveal his beautifully sculpted chest...NO THOUGHTS LIKE THAT!
She blushed. "Oh, I just, I just, well, I thought I heard noises, and I, er..."
He was walking towards her now, exhibiting a new kind of feral aura she had never noticed from him before. Saito, maybe, but not Kenshin. "And you WHAT, exactly?"
"Umm, well, that is...oh!" His lips pressing against hers stopped her soft exclamation. His hands, gentle but firm on her lower back, guided her softly down onto the futon.
Guess seducing him wasn't exactly necessary...
Megumi was also restless. She had seduced plenty of men before, and Sano was by no means the most difficult to do so to, but something was nagging at her.
What is with me? Is it his drinking tea? That's not a big deal, plenty of guys drink tea! Hell, SHINOMORI drinks tea!
She threw back her shoulders and flipped her hair, determined to seduce the "new" tori-atama if it killed her.
Which itpractically did.
She snuck into the guest room at the dojo he was sleeping in, holding back a fox laugh. His sleeping form, gently rising and falling with each breath, met her eager eyes. She stepped forward, and unexpectedly, he sat bolt upright.
"Who's there?" He said icily, without a trace of his usual geniality, a sword (SWORD!) drawn, the tip pointing to her throat.
"Your kitsune…" Megumi whispered huskily.
"Out, woman. I never want to see your face again."
She stared. And stared. And stared. And he stared back, more of a glare really, his dark eyes seeming to jump with a frosty light.
Suddenly, she turned on her heel and fled, barely able to hold back the tears. She wanted her Sanosuke back, the one she had fallen in love with.
Kaoru had fared much better, although she didn't know it. "Kenshin" asleep beside her, arms around her waist and face buried in her neck, mumbled something and pulled her in. She cocked her ear and listened intently.
"No…tofu…Tokio…"
Did he say "Tokyo" or "Tokio"?
"Yes Tokio…no Tokio...Aku. Soku. Zan. Tokio…"
WHAT THEBLOODY HELL IS GOING ON?
Lexi: BWAHAHA!1-Gasp- Next chapter is day seven…DUN DUN DUN DUUUUN!
Sano:o -MAJOR sweatdrop-
Lexi: Never fear, I will update! Eventually…
Sano: That means never.
Lexi:o -GLARE- You can be such a baka! BUT I WUFF YOU ANYWAY!1-Glomp-
Sano: o.O REVIEW! Then maybe she'll let me go…O.o
Lexi: SEE YA NEXT TIME!1 ¡ADIOS, MINNA!
P.S.: The weird punctuation in the a/ns is to get around the weird thing that doesn't let you do all that fun stuff anymore...T.T
P.P.S.: The bit with..."When did you?" "Just now." "From where?" "Front door." is not mine...it's all Nobuhiro Watsuki's from RK volume one! I just loved it too much to pass it up!