Author's Notes: -grins innocently- Uh…long time no see? Eheheh…. -sweatdrops- Huh? I took a long time to update? Where did you get that idea from? This update has been here all along….didn't you notice?

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?

Fever Days and Sleepless Nights

Chapter 8

Deep breaths Kaoru…in…and out…in…and…out…Kaoru mentally instructed herself. Just ignore the fact that there's a HUGE ROUND BURN MARK on the kitchen table... pay no attention to the two USELESS IDIOTS standing right in front of you…think of Kenshin, that's right, what will he think if you lose control…?

Sano and Yahiko stood guiltily in the middle of the kitchen floor, not daring to break the silence that had followed Kaoru's impressive outburst. Yahiko stuck a finger in one of his ears and wiggled it around. He was sure there was something ruptured in there…he couldn't hear a thing! Surely that wasn't because there was nothing to hear; after all, this was Kaoru they were all dealing with.

When Kaoru spoke, her voice was soft and venomous, and they had to all strain to hear it.

"Would you two care to explain why there is a huge burn mark on the table? Or why the room was filled with steam, making me and Kenshin think something was wrong! Kami forbid we should ever worry about you two!" Kaoru's voice rose steadily. Kenshin sidled away, excusing himself by muttering about having to 'do some laundry, de gozaru'. Kaoru didn't even seem to notice, putting all her energy and focus into glaring death at Sano and Yahiko. Sano wisely remained silent, figuring it would be safer to let Kaoru use up all her pent-up anger. But there was a reason that the other residents of the dojo had lost count of the number of times Kaoru hit Yahiko with her bokken. He always managed to put his foot in it.

"Come on busu, it's not like you could have done any better."

One of Kaoru's eyes twitched dangerously and Sano began to back away. But Yahiko missed the warning signals and carried on,

"What we did was nothing compared to the last hundred times you tried to cook."

WHACK

Sano shook his head, bending over Yahiko's unconscious form, a mega-lump beginning to form on top of the Tokyo samurai's head. "You never seem to learn, do you?"

"As for you, baka tori atama…." began Kaoru. Sano put his hands up hastily.

"Uh, did you see where Kenshin went? I think he's trying to do chores again. You oughta be careful, else he'll overwork himself," said Sano quickly in the hopes of distracting Kaoru. Kaoru looked around momentarily and realised Kenshin wasn't where he'd been standing a good ten minutes ago. Smirking, Sano made a hasty escape, only to be stopped short by something wooden colliding painfully with his head. Soon he was in a similar state to Yahiko, while Kaoru, victorious, went looking for the elusive rurouni.

Kenshin was found just sitting on the front porch, for once not trying to work, just sort of staring into space. Kaoru approached him, wondering if she should say something, yet not wanting to bring him out of his reverie. However, Kenshin turned around and smiled at her, and the last vestiges of anger faded from her mood. She flopped down next to him. "Those two…."

"They were only trying to cook," Kenshin said mildly. "We should be grateful that they did something for themselves for once, even if it didn't turn out too well."

"Hmm, I guess," Kaoru replied, unconvinced.

A good two hours or so later, Yahiko and Sano woke up, each with a splitting headache. Yahiko proceeded to clean the dojo floors without any protest, for fear of further evoking Kaoru's wrath, while Sano decided, on reflection, that he'd be better off further away from Kaoru, and took his leave.

Kaoru stretched, dressed in her yukata after the bath Kenshin had prepared for her.

"Well, I think I'll go to bed early tonight. I'm so tired…. You ought to too, Kenshin. Technically we're both still sick…"

He nodded. "Hai, Kaoru-dono. Sessha will go to sleep now." He went off to his room, and Kaoru and Yahiko also went to theirs.

Sano wandered slowly along the streets, his hands on his pockets. The prospect of another night alone in his house didn't seem appealing, however it was getting dark and there was nowhere else for him to go.

Still, he decided to pay the Fox a little visit before he went home.