Author's Notes: Chapter six! -trumpets sound-
I turn round- Quiet in the back there please.
Ahem. I am updating! (As you can see) Or you might say, I am holding up my end of the deal with AuburnMoonlight. I said if she updated, I would update, so here I am, updating. But once you've done reading my update, go read her fics! They are really very good and seriously do not get enough reviewers.
Disclaimer: I did not create and therefore do not own Rurouni Kenshin. In light of this some of the characters will probably be OOC. But isn't that what fanfics are all about?
Also people, I changed the word 'bokken' in Chapter 5 to 'shinai'. Just in case ya get confused XD
Fever Days and Sleepless Nights
Chapter 6
"Here, drink this." Megumi pushed a cup of some bitter sort of medicine towards Kaoru. She took a sip, shuddered, and then drank the whole thing down in one gulp. Making a face, she lay back against the pillows. Kenshin was watching her anxiously. "Do you feel better now, Kaoru-dono?"
"It's difficult to tell…" said Kaoru, "but hai, I am sure Megumi's medicine will make me feel better soon."
Kenshin looked relieved, and Megumi pushed a cup towards him. "Ken-san, you need to drink some as well." Kenshin waved the cup away. "Sessha is fine, de gozaru."
"Uh huh," said Megumi, disbelievingly. "Drink."
"Sessha-"
"Just drink it!"
Reluctantly, Kenshin drank the horrible medicine, and although it burned his sore throat going down, he felt much better for it afterwards, and tired, too. Both fell into a deep sleep, and Megumi returned to the clinic.
Yahiko swung his shinai up to shoulder height, barely blocking his opponent's first attack. Kuso, he's fast….he thought as the guy sprang away and then came at him again. But Yahiko had also felt from just blocking that first attack, that the student didn't have much power behind his blows, probably due to the reversed grip. So it would be a good idea to go on the offensive, and force him back.
Confidently, Yahiko set about looking for an opening he could use to strike. Granted, the guy was good, but everyone made mistakes.
"Ha!" cried the boy triumphantly as he struck Yahiko's left side. "See-" But before he could begin to boast, Yahiko swung his shinai up, forcing the guy to block. He had deliberately let his opponent get that hit in, so that he could attack.
"You'll have to do better than that," the student said arrogantly, but he was losing the battle of shinai against shinai as Yahiko slowly forced him back.
Hmm, the guy's not as weak as I thought. Must be because Sensei trains him specially. Not to mention he was the first student of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu, thought the student. The two boys simultaneously leapt apart, landing a few feet away from each other. Still, I will beat him!
The other students could be heard cheering on their classmate, and he took confidence from this, and went on the attack again. This time, instead of blocking, Yahiko ducked, and swung his shinai up and into his opponent's stomach. The guy dropped his shinai and clutched his stomach, winded by the blow. He's…..strong!
Yahiko moved behind the boy and gave him a tap on the back of the head for good measure. "Do I win?"
The guy just moaned and put one hand to his head. Yahiko pressed his shinai lightly to the guy's throat. "If this was a real katana, you could be dead. Do you admit defeat?"
No, I can't have lost to this kid! But I really don't have the strength to stand up…
"OK, you win…" the student mumbled in defeat. He sank to his knees, groaning.
Yahiko grinned and dropped his shinai to his side. "Well, good battle," he said, offering his opponent a hand. The student shook it weakly, still in pain.
"Seriously, I didn't know whether I was going to win or lose that one," Yahiko continued. "You really-"
He was cut off as a gentle voice sounded from the porch. "What is going on, de gozaru?"
Kenshin stirred in his heavy medicine-induced slumber, lying next to Kaoru on his futon. For a while, he was content. His nightmares couldn't reach him through the solid wall of healing that was around him. But then his sleep lightened, and they began to break through. Soon he was tossing and turning frequently, struggling to break free. Then suddenly, he woke up, and sat up slowly. He felt hot, but had more strength than he had before. Surely he was getting better? Unlike last time, he remembered everything; why he felt ill and that Kaoru was ill too, but at the same time, he felt like he could get up. It couldn't be good to just lie around all day; who would do the chores?
Focusing on his surroundings, he heard the sound of cheering, and felt to battle ki. What is going on? He wondered.
Yahiko stared at Kenshin, as did Sano. The rest of the class, not knowing he was sick, greeted him politely and he returned the greeting.
"Ano…just a little sparring," explained Yahiko before turning to the students. "Class is over now." They began to leave as Sano went over to Kenshin. "Buddy, you shouldn't be up."
Kenshin just smiled. "I feel fine, de gozaru, Megumi-dono's medicine works well."
"What about Jou-chan?" Sano pressed. "How's she?"
"When I left her, she was still sleeping, de gozaru," Kenshin replied, "and I have been gone not five minutes."
Sano nodded in agreement and Kenshin went off to do laundry.
By some miracle this time Kenshin actually managed to finish the laundry. But afterwards, he was feeling dizzy and faint, and his back hurt from bending over that washtub. He straightened up slowly, and went off to his bedroom, telling himself he would only lie down for a little while. He collapsed on the futon and soon fell fast asleep.
Strangely, as soon as Kenshin fell asleep Kaoru woke up, and rolled over to look at the sleeping rurouni, having no idea he'd been gone at all. Like Kenshin, she felt much better, but didn't feel so compelled to move or do anything except just lie there. She moved some bangs from Kenshin's forehead and put her hand to his brow. It was still hot but not as bad as before. Satisfied, she fell back to sleep.
It was getting late and Sano and Yahiko's stomachs were rumbling. But there was no one well enough to make food for them. Both having finished working/gambling for the day, they were at a loss for what to do.
"Well isn't there some food here?" said Yahiko.
"Do you know how to cook food?" asked Sano.
"No, do you?"
"No."
They both lapsed into silence until suddenly Yahiko said,
"I know! Let's eat at the Akebeko!"
"Not such a good idea…they kinda hate me there, I've run up a huge tab. Tae will be after my blood," said Sano ruefully. Yahiko rolled his eyes and glared. "Ahou freeloader."
"Hey, watch your mouth, kid!"
"Hey yourself, I can just go and eat at the Akabeko if I want to! I work there!"
"Yeah, but you'll still have to pay," Sano reminded him. "Whereas," he continued getting up, "there is free food here. We're used to eating Jou-chan's cooking, so anything we cook has gotta taste better."
"True." Yahiko had to agree. He moved over and examined the shelving on the wall. It was filled with food, herbs and spices, but something was missing….
"Doesn't busu even have a cookbook?"
"It would appear not," said Sano, coming over. "Though it probably wouldn't make much difference anyway."
"When's her birthday?" asked Yahiko. "I have gotta get her a recipe book."
"So you're actually planning on getting her a present this year?"
"Hey!" Yahiko scowled. "I got her one last year! I cleaned the dojo floors!"
"Not that she wouldn't have made you clean them anyway. And the floor was so shiny clean she slipped over and fell – while she was chasing you for insulting her again," said Sano, grinning at the memory.
"Who cares? Kenshin caught her, anyway."
Sano nodded and they were both silent for a moment, remembering the way Kaoru had blushed after that happened.
"They make a good couple."
"Hai."
"You wanna start cooking?"
"Aa."
Author's notes: This should be fun! Yahiko and Sano try to cook! With both of them in the kitchen, the result will probably be worse than anything Kaoru could come up with.
It would be fun to write, but something's not right…
My friend Auburn Moonlight isn't getting enough readers/reviewers for her fics. That no make me very happy. And if I'm not happy, I don't write. Not in the mood, you see?
But I get quite a few people reading my fics. So what if those people took a moment out of their time to read and review a few excellent fics. Doesn't sound too hard, does it? SO READ AUBURN MOONLIGHT'S FICS! Pweeeease…..