Chapter 3
By Crystal
*Screw the disclaimers, you know I hate them by now...* ^^;;
After a few minutes, Soujiro drew back. Toshiko's face was as red as his brother-in-law's hair. He stood up and headed towards the shoji, before stepping out to the hallway, he gave her a smile and said, "I'll be back in an hour."
She nodded slightly and when he was completely out of sight, she reached up and touched her lips softly. And then she reached for her arm and pinched it hard, she wince. This was indeed real. Soujiro had kissed her. Just thinking about him made her blush. She closed the door leading to the balcony and untied her yukata, letting it slide off and picked up her kimono that was folded in the corner.
She was really in need of a new kimono, and so was Soujiro. The bottom of her kimono was wrecked due to running in the rain last night and Soujiro's whole set of clothes were a disaster. You couldn't blame him, I mean, he's been travelling for the last I don't know how many months with those! At least that's what she thought, Soujiro didn't have much unless for his katana, which he was now carrying, and some provisions. That was about it.
Toshiko tied her obi slowly and proceeded to sit in front of a mirror, thinking of how to tie her hair for the day. Thinking about Tomoe, she decided that she would tie her hair up like her sister. Tomoe had taught her a long time ago, but she still haven't forgotten.
Toshiko treasured every memory of them together because there were so few. She remembered when she had received the letter, she spent all day long jumping around in her room. Not letting her parents read it, or even near it. It was addressed to her, after all, and her parents respected her privacy.
Soon enough, after a few tries, her hair was tied up in a low ponytail with bangs on both sides of her face. She smiled to the mirror and turned her head to see Soujiro coming in the room.
Standing up with a mock anger face, she said, "You're late."
He smiled, not knowing what to do, smiled and said, "Hai, hai. Gomei nasai, took me a bit longer than I thought to gather all our provisions for our journey." Not knowing whether she was really mad or not, he gave her another one of his weak smiles. He had little experience with women. Only Yumi-san, but she was never really angry with him or anything. Or Shishio-san. And maybe Kamatari...If you can consider him being a girl...
The corner of her mouth moved upwards, "I'm just kidding, Soujiro. No need to be scared." She looked amusingly at Soujiro when he was having an inner argument about whether she was mad at him or not. At least that was what she thought.
"I am NOT scared! Certainly not of you...I don't see why you would scare me." Soujiro insisted and changed the subject, "We'll be arriving Kyoto in three days and my hometown by tomorrow if we start after our breakfast. Two weeks from Kyoto to Tokyo if we travel non-stop except for meals and sleep. But we might have to stay a few more days in Kyoto because we need to ear money for more provisions. I doubt that this is going to last us two weeks and a half." Soujiro pointed at the bag of provisions.
Toshiko rolled up her own futon and nodded. They went down the stairs and returned the room to the landlady before going off to a restaurant for breakfast. Fortunately, Soujiro had enough money for a few more meals, so they would be able to sleep in inns rather than in the forest.
Both were deep in thoughts, exchanging few words when eating breakfast. 'I get to see oneechan in a few weeks! The most at four weeks. Oh I can't wait to see her husband...Is he short, or tall? Well, maybe tall since oneechan's pretty tall. I can't wait to see the little kid they have...Hmm...boy or girl? I wonder...' she thought excitedly, and kept thinking of new questions.
Soujiro was STILL thinking about Shishio-san's philosophy and Himura-san's saying. That's all he seems to do these few days. He was also thinking of what possessed him to kiss Toshiko in the first place. Her lips were soft and ... 'Oh where the hell did THAT come from?" After a few minutes, making sure they had nothing left to buy, they set off to Soujiro's hometown. The former member of the Juppon Gatana carried his katana and their food while his companion carried a thin blanket which he had bought along with the sack of food.
After a few hours of walking and talking, Toshiko asked, "Soujiro, how long till we get to wherever your hometown is?"
"If we walk on for about three more hours today, we should be able to reach within two hours tomorrow morning. Are your feet hurting, Toshiko?"
"Iie...another five hours." She groaned, "Oi Soujiro, how long have you been traveling?"
Without a second thought, he replied, "An year."
"Kami-sama, and you had to walk like this for an whole year?! Whatever possessed you to do that?!"
His steps slowed slightly at the question, surprised, before he returned to his normal speed so she wouldn't suspect anything, "Hai...I'm used to it." And he thought to himself, 'your brother-in-law got me to do all this wandering.' He smiled again.
Toshiko raised her eyebrow, he smiled again, it seems like that's all the emotions he's got. Except a rare frown sometimes. She tried a conversation again, it was getting bored with all the walking and not much talking. They talked occasionally today, not a lot of words exchanged, not even at breakfast or lunch. It didn't seem right to her.
"Soujiro, how come you always have that smile on your face? Except when you're unaware, otherwise, you have a smile, whether you're happy or not." She tilted her head at Soujiro.
He sighed, "I've only cried a few times my whole lifetime. I smile, because ... I'm used to smiling. I haven't stopped smiling since I was seven, except an year ago, and when you were here. It's a reaction."
Her eyebrows knitted in confusion, "Reaction? Of what? And how come?"
Soujiro gave her another smile and looked up at the now darkening sky, "A part of my childhood...if you can call that a childhood. It's a part of my life, and why I'm here right now, why I'm travelling as a rurouni. But I'll tell you tomorrow, when we reach...there."
She nodded slightly and almost crashed into Soujiro again when he suddenly stopped. "Nani? Doushita?"
Soujiro smiled and Toshiko suddenly backed up. Something was going on, there was an evil glint in Soujiro's eyes when he smiled. Toshiko's eyes widened in shock when he scooped her up and started walking towards the forest.
"Seta Soujiro! I demand to know what is going on! PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTANT!" she shrieked, and hit him continously with her fists on his chest, which didn't make a difference. Misao's kick wouldn't hurt much, and she's had lots of training, what makes Toshiko think that a few punches from someone as weak as her would do much damage to the strongest member of the Juppon Gatana?
The forest happened to be a small one, and soon, Toshiko heard the sounds of water. 'A river!' she thought to herself, and her thoughts were confirmed when they neared a bit more. There was crystal clear water in the river of about six feet in width running through the whole forest.
She dropped the blanket as Soujiro dropped all his stuff and carried her to the water. Knowing what he was about to do, she said warningly, "Soujiro, don't you dare."
He smiled mockingly, "Now why wouldn't I dare?" Before she could say anything, he let go of her. Unfortunately for Soujiro, she was holding on his gi for dear life and as he let go of her, he had also plunged in the water with her due to her tight hold. There was a big splash. He smiled a little, "I guess I deserved that, didn't I?"
"You bet. How are we going to travel around like this?" She asked, not angry, but just a bit irritated, 'how dare he drop me into the river?!'
Soujiro shrugged, "We might as well walk a bit until our clothes dry a bit, then we can find a spot to sleep."
The lower part of her kimono and the sleeves were drenched, but the top was still dry, she smiled inwardly, she had never played like that, since Tomoe and Enishi had pushed her into a river. That was before both of them abandoned her. She had cried, locked herself away from the others in her own room after Enishi left for Tomoe. It still hurt, knowing both of them left her...abandoned her. That was why she didn't want Soujiro to leave her. But she knew, one day, after he got her to Tokyo, he would leave her to continue his journey.
She shook her head, clearing it away from the thoughts. No, Soujiro was not going to leave her. He was not going to leave her. She was his only friend, friends don't leave each other, ne?
Walking for another what seemed to be half an hour or so, her kimono was almost dried, except the very bottom, which was still wet. "Soujiro, when are we stopping?"
He turned around, "I was thinking over there." He pointed to the front, "There are lots of trees over there for cover." She nodded and follow him closely.
After settling down and having quick supper, Toshiko had her back against one tree and she was staring up at the sky and at the stars. She suddenly felt her eyelids getting heavier, she was exhausted by today's walk. She unfolded the blanket which she had collected after the river 'incident' and covered her body with it, half the blanket on her left side on the ground.
"Soujiro, come over here." She mentioned him to come beside her where there was enough blanket left for him.
"Iie, I'll be fine, I'm used to sleeping without a blanket or anything."
"Soujiro, come here right now before you catch a cold! Your hakama is still soaked." He shook his head and turned back to the sky, "You are one stubborn fool, Soujiro." Then adding with a low voice, "Baka...making me stand up." She walked right up to him, and without warning, pinched his earlobe. "Now am I making myself clear? You are to sleep under the blanket or else you will get a cold!"
"Itai! Hai! Let go, Toshiko!"
She smiled, "I'm finally getting through you." She slipped underneath the blankets while Soujiro slipped underneath the other side. After making herself comfortable, she closed her eyes and slept on Soujiro's shoulder and before falling asleep, muttered "Oyasumi, Soujiro." Which Soujiro had no trouble hearing, after all, he was trained to hear the slightest sound when he was with Shishio-san.
Placing his own head on hers, he finally whispered, "Oyasumi, Toshiko." Before drifting off to sleep.
Author's Notes: Hai, hai, I probably did rush Soujiro and Toshiko a bit, didn't I? Well, you can't blame me...I was dying to write that part =p I thank everyone that has been reviewing my story. Or even reading it. =) Thanks all and me thinks the next chapter will come out in a few days...Maximum three days, I hope. Have a great night! *It's currently 11:50 PM here... yawns* Actually, I'm not sleepy yet...working on chapter four. Well, cya all!
Souji - Traditional Japanese sliding doors
Gomei nasai - I'm sorry
Hai - Yes
Futon - Japanese mattress where you sleep
Oneechan - Older sister
Iie - No
Oi - Hey
Rurouni - Wanderer (Most of you know what a rurouni is =P)
Nani - What
Doushita - What's wrong?
Gi - Traditional shirt worn by japanese men, you know, the pink clothing Kenshin wears around. *Kenshin: Sessha's gi is not pink, it's magneta, Crystal-dono. Magneta!* ...Magneta clothing Kenshin wears around...
Ne? - Right?
Hakama - traditional japanese pants
Baka - Stupid, idiot
Itai - Ouch
By Crystal
*Screw the disclaimers, you know I hate them by now...* ^^;;
After a few minutes, Soujiro drew back. Toshiko's face was as red as his brother-in-law's hair. He stood up and headed towards the shoji, before stepping out to the hallway, he gave her a smile and said, "I'll be back in an hour."
She nodded slightly and when he was completely out of sight, she reached up and touched her lips softly. And then she reached for her arm and pinched it hard, she wince. This was indeed real. Soujiro had kissed her. Just thinking about him made her blush. She closed the door leading to the balcony and untied her yukata, letting it slide off and picked up her kimono that was folded in the corner.
She was really in need of a new kimono, and so was Soujiro. The bottom of her kimono was wrecked due to running in the rain last night and Soujiro's whole set of clothes were a disaster. You couldn't blame him, I mean, he's been travelling for the last I don't know how many months with those! At least that's what she thought, Soujiro didn't have much unless for his katana, which he was now carrying, and some provisions. That was about it.
Toshiko tied her obi slowly and proceeded to sit in front of a mirror, thinking of how to tie her hair for the day. Thinking about Tomoe, she decided that she would tie her hair up like her sister. Tomoe had taught her a long time ago, but she still haven't forgotten.
Toshiko treasured every memory of them together because there were so few. She remembered when she had received the letter, she spent all day long jumping around in her room. Not letting her parents read it, or even near it. It was addressed to her, after all, and her parents respected her privacy.
Soon enough, after a few tries, her hair was tied up in a low ponytail with bangs on both sides of her face. She smiled to the mirror and turned her head to see Soujiro coming in the room.
Standing up with a mock anger face, she said, "You're late."
He smiled, not knowing what to do, smiled and said, "Hai, hai. Gomei nasai, took me a bit longer than I thought to gather all our provisions for our journey." Not knowing whether she was really mad or not, he gave her another one of his weak smiles. He had little experience with women. Only Yumi-san, but she was never really angry with him or anything. Or Shishio-san. And maybe Kamatari...If you can consider him being a girl...
The corner of her mouth moved upwards, "I'm just kidding, Soujiro. No need to be scared." She looked amusingly at Soujiro when he was having an inner argument about whether she was mad at him or not. At least that was what she thought.
"I am NOT scared! Certainly not of you...I don't see why you would scare me." Soujiro insisted and changed the subject, "We'll be arriving Kyoto in three days and my hometown by tomorrow if we start after our breakfast. Two weeks from Kyoto to Tokyo if we travel non-stop except for meals and sleep. But we might have to stay a few more days in Kyoto because we need to ear money for more provisions. I doubt that this is going to last us two weeks and a half." Soujiro pointed at the bag of provisions.
Toshiko rolled up her own futon and nodded. They went down the stairs and returned the room to the landlady before going off to a restaurant for breakfast. Fortunately, Soujiro had enough money for a few more meals, so they would be able to sleep in inns rather than in the forest.
Both were deep in thoughts, exchanging few words when eating breakfast. 'I get to see oneechan in a few weeks! The most at four weeks. Oh I can't wait to see her husband...Is he short, or tall? Well, maybe tall since oneechan's pretty tall. I can't wait to see the little kid they have...Hmm...boy or girl? I wonder...' she thought excitedly, and kept thinking of new questions.
Soujiro was STILL thinking about Shishio-san's philosophy and Himura-san's saying. That's all he seems to do these few days. He was also thinking of what possessed him to kiss Toshiko in the first place. Her lips were soft and ... 'Oh where the hell did THAT come from?" After a few minutes, making sure they had nothing left to buy, they set off to Soujiro's hometown. The former member of the Juppon Gatana carried his katana and their food while his companion carried a thin blanket which he had bought along with the sack of food.
After a few hours of walking and talking, Toshiko asked, "Soujiro, how long till we get to wherever your hometown is?"
"If we walk on for about three more hours today, we should be able to reach within two hours tomorrow morning. Are your feet hurting, Toshiko?"
"Iie...another five hours." She groaned, "Oi Soujiro, how long have you been traveling?"
Without a second thought, he replied, "An year."
"Kami-sama, and you had to walk like this for an whole year?! Whatever possessed you to do that?!"
His steps slowed slightly at the question, surprised, before he returned to his normal speed so she wouldn't suspect anything, "Hai...I'm used to it." And he thought to himself, 'your brother-in-law got me to do all this wandering.' He smiled again.
Toshiko raised her eyebrow, he smiled again, it seems like that's all the emotions he's got. Except a rare frown sometimes. She tried a conversation again, it was getting bored with all the walking and not much talking. They talked occasionally today, not a lot of words exchanged, not even at breakfast or lunch. It didn't seem right to her.
"Soujiro, how come you always have that smile on your face? Except when you're unaware, otherwise, you have a smile, whether you're happy or not." She tilted her head at Soujiro.
He sighed, "I've only cried a few times my whole lifetime. I smile, because ... I'm used to smiling. I haven't stopped smiling since I was seven, except an year ago, and when you were here. It's a reaction."
Her eyebrows knitted in confusion, "Reaction? Of what? And how come?"
Soujiro gave her another smile and looked up at the now darkening sky, "A part of my childhood...if you can call that a childhood. It's a part of my life, and why I'm here right now, why I'm travelling as a rurouni. But I'll tell you tomorrow, when we reach...there."
She nodded slightly and almost crashed into Soujiro again when he suddenly stopped. "Nani? Doushita?"
Soujiro smiled and Toshiko suddenly backed up. Something was going on, there was an evil glint in Soujiro's eyes when he smiled. Toshiko's eyes widened in shock when he scooped her up and started walking towards the forest.
"Seta Soujiro! I demand to know what is going on! PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTANT!" she shrieked, and hit him continously with her fists on his chest, which didn't make a difference. Misao's kick wouldn't hurt much, and she's had lots of training, what makes Toshiko think that a few punches from someone as weak as her would do much damage to the strongest member of the Juppon Gatana?
The forest happened to be a small one, and soon, Toshiko heard the sounds of water. 'A river!' she thought to herself, and her thoughts were confirmed when they neared a bit more. There was crystal clear water in the river of about six feet in width running through the whole forest.
She dropped the blanket as Soujiro dropped all his stuff and carried her to the water. Knowing what he was about to do, she said warningly, "Soujiro, don't you dare."
He smiled mockingly, "Now why wouldn't I dare?" Before she could say anything, he let go of her. Unfortunately for Soujiro, she was holding on his gi for dear life and as he let go of her, he had also plunged in the water with her due to her tight hold. There was a big splash. He smiled a little, "I guess I deserved that, didn't I?"
"You bet. How are we going to travel around like this?" She asked, not angry, but just a bit irritated, 'how dare he drop me into the river?!'
Soujiro shrugged, "We might as well walk a bit until our clothes dry a bit, then we can find a spot to sleep."
The lower part of her kimono and the sleeves were drenched, but the top was still dry, she smiled inwardly, she had never played like that, since Tomoe and Enishi had pushed her into a river. That was before both of them abandoned her. She had cried, locked herself away from the others in her own room after Enishi left for Tomoe. It still hurt, knowing both of them left her...abandoned her. That was why she didn't want Soujiro to leave her. But she knew, one day, after he got her to Tokyo, he would leave her to continue his journey.
She shook her head, clearing it away from the thoughts. No, Soujiro was not going to leave her. He was not going to leave her. She was his only friend, friends don't leave each other, ne?
Walking for another what seemed to be half an hour or so, her kimono was almost dried, except the very bottom, which was still wet. "Soujiro, when are we stopping?"
He turned around, "I was thinking over there." He pointed to the front, "There are lots of trees over there for cover." She nodded and follow him closely.
After settling down and having quick supper, Toshiko had her back against one tree and she was staring up at the sky and at the stars. She suddenly felt her eyelids getting heavier, she was exhausted by today's walk. She unfolded the blanket which she had collected after the river 'incident' and covered her body with it, half the blanket on her left side on the ground.
"Soujiro, come over here." She mentioned him to come beside her where there was enough blanket left for him.
"Iie, I'll be fine, I'm used to sleeping without a blanket or anything."
"Soujiro, come here right now before you catch a cold! Your hakama is still soaked." He shook his head and turned back to the sky, "You are one stubborn fool, Soujiro." Then adding with a low voice, "Baka...making me stand up." She walked right up to him, and without warning, pinched his earlobe. "Now am I making myself clear? You are to sleep under the blanket or else you will get a cold!"
"Itai! Hai! Let go, Toshiko!"
She smiled, "I'm finally getting through you." She slipped underneath the blankets while Soujiro slipped underneath the other side. After making herself comfortable, she closed her eyes and slept on Soujiro's shoulder and before falling asleep, muttered "Oyasumi, Soujiro." Which Soujiro had no trouble hearing, after all, he was trained to hear the slightest sound when he was with Shishio-san.
Placing his own head on hers, he finally whispered, "Oyasumi, Toshiko." Before drifting off to sleep.
Author's Notes: Hai, hai, I probably did rush Soujiro and Toshiko a bit, didn't I? Well, you can't blame me...I was dying to write that part =p I thank everyone that has been reviewing my story. Or even reading it. =) Thanks all and me thinks the next chapter will come out in a few days...Maximum three days, I hope. Have a great night! *It's currently 11:50 PM here... yawns* Actually, I'm not sleepy yet...working on chapter four. Well, cya all!
Souji - Traditional Japanese sliding doors
Gomei nasai - I'm sorry
Hai - Yes
Futon - Japanese mattress where you sleep
Oneechan - Older sister
Iie - No
Oi - Hey
Rurouni - Wanderer (Most of you know what a rurouni is =P)
Nani - What
Doushita - What's wrong?
Gi - Traditional shirt worn by japanese men, you know, the pink clothing Kenshin wears around. *Kenshin: Sessha's gi is not pink, it's magneta, Crystal-dono. Magneta!* ...Magneta clothing Kenshin wears around...
Ne? - Right?
Hakama - traditional japanese pants
Baka - Stupid, idiot
Itai - Ouch
