Games
Twister
By steelphoenix
Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, or any of its characters.
Author's Notes: Anyone who has played it will know what I mean when I say that dodginess is unavoidable when playing Twister…
If you don't know how to play, this is how it goes: There's a big mat, with four rows of big (handspan-wide) dots, one row red, one row green, one row blue, and one row yellow. There's a spinner, and it's labelled with right and left hands, and right and left legs, with a spot of each colour. Basically, you have to put whichever body part is chosen on whichever colour is chosen. You can take any body part off, but you can't put it down again… You're out if you fall over. Heaps of fun. I hope you understand what I'm on about… /sweatdrops/
This chapter is AU, and set in modern times. I've altered the ages of Ayame and Suzume upwards a little, but this won't figure in the story.
This chapter was partially inspired by KIKAC Fanfics (a great site if you like Kaoru as a totally kick-ass character: http/ kikac. bloody-brilliant. net) therefore it is dedicated to the people who run that site!
Try listening to 'Sweet Sweet Samba' from Gravitation when reading this chapter. I think it suits.
Language Notes: 'Jou-chan' means 'Little Miss' or 'Missy'. It's Sano's nickname for Kaoru.
Warnings: PG-13 for minor language. Anything else is your own dirty mind.
Kaoru rolled her eyes as she took in the mess her brother Yahiko had managed to create with his friends around. Five young teenagers – Yahiko, Yutaro, Tsubame, Ayame and Suzume – could create quite a mess. And the fact that it was Yahiko's birthday party made them all the more enthusiastic. They'd gone off to the movies, and then they were coming back here, to stay the night.
They'd had great fun, messing around with various food-related games, until they got bored of those, and decided to play Twister. Kaoru smiled as she remembered the shrieks of laughter at the positions they got themselves into – she remembered coming in, and seeing Yahiko standing on one leg, propped up by Tsubame on two hands and a leg, with Yutaro narrowly avoiding falling on them as he balanced on one hand and one leg.
As she strolled past the mat, her foot kicked the spinner, and the pointer spun around and around, eventually landing on 'Right Foot-Green'.
Why not? She thought, and with a laugh of sheer childishness, slipped off her scuffed jandals, and placed her right foot on one of the green spots. Flicking the spinner with her other toe, she saw it land on 'Right Hand-Yellow'. Reaching to the other side of the plastic mat, she placed the hand on another spot.
Now it gets interesting…
The spinner's next turn dictated 'Left Hand-Green', and she stretched out, trying to touch the right spot.
---
Laughter bubbled up as Kaoru fell down again, for what seemed like the hundredth time that night. She rolled over onto her back, giggling as she remembered the odd positions she had got herself into.
I don't remember Twister being this much fun when I was a kid… The sheer absurdity of her, a mature eighteen-year-old, playing a game that was meant for children of ten, struck her again as funny, and more giggles coated her lips.
She stood again, wobbling a little, and flicked the spinner. 'Right Hand-Red', it said, and Kaoru dutifully placed her foot. 'Left Hand-Blue', and another foot was placed. 'Right Foot-Blue' came a couple of turns later, and 'Left Foot-Red'. Now she was in a twisted mess, hands crossed, and legs having to crouch uncomfortably.
Kaoru reached out to the next spot just as there was a shuffle of movement at the door. The precarious position wavered as she attempted to turn and keep her balance, but the tangled feet hooked around each other, and she tumbled over clumsily.
The man who had been at the door grinned down at her as he reached out a hand to help her up. "That was very graceful, that it was, Kaoru."
The lady in question blew a raspberry. "Not all that great, Kenshin. Why're you here, anyway?"
Kenshin rolled his eyes and sighed. "Sano asked me to come and see him about something, that he did. He refused to say what it was, and why he wanted me to help… but curiosity got the better of me, that it did, so here I am."
A quick, unladylike snort from Kaoru indicated that she knew exactly what he meant. Her elder brother was notorious for coming up with harebrained schemes, and then pulling his friends in through curiosity.
"Yes, he mentioned that you were coming around, but he didn't say why." What Kaoru didn't add was that when she heard that the older man would be visiting, she had gone bright red, and had had to go out of the room lest her brothers pick up on it. I can't let them know that I… like… Kenshin, they'd tease me forever…
"Kaoru?" Kenshin's voice was questioning, and the concerned frown on his face indicated that this was probably at least the fourth time he had called her. A quick blush covered her embarrassment. Being made to look foolish in front of the man you… more-than-liked… was not a good thing.
"What are you trying to do here?" Kenshin continued the conversation as normal.
The pink now fading from her cheeks, Kaoru answered, "I was just trying to sort out the mess from Yahiko's party."
"And you were having a little fun while you were at it, that you were."
Kaoru nodded, and then grinned. "Yes… but Twister's so much fun!" Impulsively grabbing his hand, she hauled him onto the mat, and flicked the spinner.
"Red… left hand…" She bent down, placing the hand on one of the spots. Kenshin, grinning, followed her lead, and placed his hand on the spot next to hers.
---
Kenshin fell over again as the spinner once more said that he had to move his left foot to the far side of the mat. While crossing it over.
A giggle came from Kaoru, who was standing, having long since removed her hands. "Honestly, Kenshin, you don't have to keep everything on the mat at once – you could have taken your hand away, and then you wouldn't have fallen over!"
The redhead rolled over onto his back, staring up at her. "Yes, I could have, but it's more challenging if I try not to take them away, that it is."
Then a grin grew on his lips. An evil grin.
"Bet you couldn't do what I was doing. It would be too difficult for you, that it would." There's no way that Kaoru wouldn't take up the challenge… she'd never be satisfied without proving that she can do it.
A raspberry greeted that remark, and Kaoru's reply was laughing. " 'Course I could… I have better balance than you!"
"Prove it." The evil grin was still in place on Kenshin's face.
Kaoru poked him with a toe. "Well, if you would just get up off the mat, I would!" Obediently, the redhead rolled over, and off the mat.
Right into a leftover plateful of cake.
He stood up, not noticing the soggy mess that coated his back, and turned around to Kaoru.
"Err… hang on, Kenshin, you've got cake on you…"
"What?" A confused expression filled Kenshin's face, not knowing what Kaoru meant.
"I said, you've got cake on you." The young woman walked around behind him, and surveyed the damage. There was a large smear of chocolate sponge, cream, and icing splattered across most of the back of his t-shirt.
Kenshin tried to turn his head to see what had happened.
"Kenshin! Wait, don't… aah! Now you've got cream all over your hair!" Kaoru's warning came too late, and he only succeeded in swishing his long red ponytail through the mess, coating it in cream.
With a groan, Kaoru picked up a discarded napkin from the floor and began wiping at the squidgy mass. She managed to get rid of most of it, but there was still chocolate icing and cream swirled into the fabric of the shirt. It's going to have to be washed, but I can get more out yet…
Without thinking, she said, "Okay, that's most of it gone. Take off your t-shirt so I can get the rest of it off."
Kenshin obediently began lifting the t-shirt off, and it wasn't until it was halfway up his back that Kaoru realised that he wasn't wearing anything underneath. And it was a beautiful sight.
The golden-tanned skin was slightly marred by minor scars, but the marks did nothing to hide or alter the play of strong muscles beneath. There was not a gram of spare fat present, a result of years of kendo, and the easy grace with which the man moved was from the same root.
The redhead pulled the t-shirt over his head, and turned back to face Kaoru. Somewhat red in the face, she stuttered, "Y-You put more cream in your hair."
"Oh. Can you get it out, please?" The redhead pulled the ponytail around, so he could start brushing out the cream that he could see.
Behind him, Kaoru had gone a deep, bright red. Somewhat shakily, she picked up another unused napkin, and began to sweep it over the back of his hair, picking out cake crumbs.
A sucking sound distracted her from her ministrations, and she poked her head around Kenshin's shoulder. Her look revealed Kenshin with the long red end of his ponytail stuck in his mouth, trying to remove the stubborn cream.
The serious, concentrated look on his face blew away Kaoru's embarrassment, and she giggled at the attention he was devoting to sucking on his hair – a childlike action she had never imagined the mature Kenshin doing.
"Do you want some cream?" A cheeky voice came from Kenshin, and he held up the wet end of the ponytail, brushing it against her cheek.
"Eeew, Kenshin!" she squealed, batting at the damp hair. Then she grabbed the end of the ponytail, and ran her napkin down it, ridding it of most of the cream in one sweep.
"Humph. I spend ages trying to clean my hair, that I do, and here she comes and does it in one go…" Kenshin mock-sulked, when Kaoru flicked the long tail back to the front.
"Your fault for rolling in the cake." grinned Kaoru.
"Alright, alright," grinned Kenshin. "Do you want to finish that game of Twister? I want to see if you can keep all four limbs down, that I do."
---
"It's Right Hand-Green, that it is," said Kenshin, craning his neck to read the spinner. He reached across Kaoru to place his hand on a green spot.
Kaoru groaned as she looked over at the row of spots. "There's no way that I'm going to be able to put my hand over there without falling over." Currently she was spreadeagled over the mat in a nearly-sitting position, hands and feet in each of the four corners.
The half-grin that Kenshin threw her at her comment indicated that he wasn't going to let her off. "You have to try, that you do."
Kaoru groaned again, and lifted her right hand, to try to place it next to her left. It was as hard as she had anticipated, and she swayed uncertainly.
Even her best efforts at keeping her balance were fruitless, and with a gasp, she fell, grabbing for the nearest support.
Which happened to be Kenshin's waist.
Thrown off balance by the sudden addition of Kaoru's weight, he gave an "Oro!" of surprise and collapsed. They landed in a messy heap on the ground.
---
Mmm… Kenshin feels nice… thought Kaoru hazily.
Kenshin had fallen on top of her, and he lay along her. His legs were tangled with hers, his head over her shoulder, arms instinctively wrapped around her. Her arm was about his waist, and as she moved her head to look at him, the long ponytail, still a little damp, swished down to coil around her neck.
Then Kenshin stirred, and his arms slipped out from beneath her as he began to lever himself off her. A brilliant blush was tinting his cheeks, and his eyes were turned away from her as he began to roll off her.
An incoherent sound of protest broke from Kaoru's lips, and her other arm snaked up from where it lay on the floor to around his hips, stroking the skin of his lower back. She hauled him closer, so they were lying on their sides, bodies touching.
Shocked purple eyes flashed to Kaoru's face, to see her eyes shut. Kaoru…? What are you thinking…? Dreaming…?
Kenshin didn't realise that he had said it aloud until Kaoru replied, eyes still closed, a wispy smile on her lips.
"I hope I'm not dreaming…" Her eyes slowly opened, and her smile grew as she saw that she wasn't, and red hair, purple eyes and a cross-scar were still the foremost parts of her view.
Kenshin was still shocked immobile from her statement. She hopes she's not dreaming? Does that mean… she… does that mean she wants this…?
And how should I react?
Seeing that Kenshin had no idea of what to do next, Kaoru decided to take matters into her own hands. She levered herself up, and planted a firm kiss on his lips.
Kenshin went limp, and collapsed against her side, violet eyes as wide as dinner-plates.
Kaoru giggled at the confused/shocked/happy/amazed looks flickering over his face, and, to get the message through, leaned down and kissed him again.
The shock faded from Kenshin's face, overwhelmed by the happiness Kaoru had seen flashing through his changing expressions. He sat up, his arms going around her body again, and he pulled her close for another kiss.
---
The click of a door opening went unnoticed by Kenshin and Kaoru, who were by now twined around each other, backs propped up by the couch. They only became aware of the presence of others in the room when one of the onlookers spoke out.
"Eeeewww… I think I'm scarred for life…"
Lips parted hurriedly as the two swung to see a group of five very shocked young teenagers grouped around an older man, who was grinning.
"Yeah, I really, really didn't need to see that…" Yutaro responded to Yahiko's comment. The three girls were silent, blushing partly at having caught the two in such a compromising position, and partly at the gorgeous sight of Kenshin topless.
"Finally, it worked…" grinned Sano.
Kenshin growled at the comment, and rose. Kaoru also stood, placing a hand on his arm, partially restraining him.
"And what do you mean by that, Sano?" Kenshin's voice was a deep, low snarl.
The spiky-haired man realised that he'd said too much, and as the redhead stepped towards him, amber sparks flickering through his eyes, he raised his hands defensively. The teenagers backed away, not liking this strange, aggressive Kenshin.
"I just thought… I thought you and Jou-chan could do with a push… You liked each other, you just needed encouragement. That was why I kept inviting you over, that was the reason for all those weird schemes…" Words spilled out of Sano's mouth furiously, trying to save his skin.
"Really?" Kenshin's eyebrow quirked, and a half-grin pulled up his mouth. The amber sparks in his eyes suddenly flickered, as though trembling with laughter, then began to fade.
Sano nodded furiously.
"I think we can forgive him, Kenshin," said Kaoru, a smile on her face as she remembered some of the strange ideas Sano had come up with.
The redhead nodded in agreement. "That we can." His voice was back to its usual light tone, his face had gone back to the usual calm expression, and his eyes no longer sparked with amber. He pulled Kaoru into him, settling her back against his chest, and slipping his chin into the comfortable hollow of her collarbone.
"But, if he tries anything like this again, I am going to personally skin him and use his mangled carcass for katana practise." The threat was said in a half-teasing tone, but the deep voice was back, and the amber flickers were there in his eyes.
Then he ducked his head to kiss Kaoru lightly on the neck, and all indication that there had briefly been another side of Kenshin present was gone.
Sano broke the brief silence as he asked, "So, Kenshin, has Jou-chan gotten to your shirt already?"
It was Kaoru who replied, a blush once more highlighting her cheeks at the implications. "No, he got cake on his back… so he had to take it off…"
One of Sano's eyebrows rose. "Why didn't you put it back on?"
"Because… we got distracted…" Kaoru's blush deepened. Just so long as Kenshin doesn't mention that it was by Twister, I'm fine…
Sano snickered, grinning down at the mat on the floor. Realising that Kenshin would say that it was by Twister, she turned and hissed in his ear, "Don't mention the Twister…"
Kenshin chuckled briefly, then nodded.
"By each other, right?" asked Sano, a malicious grin on his face.
When the two nodded simultaneously, Sano's grin widened. "And that's why the Twister mat is still there? I think you two owe a lot to a game of Twister…"
Author's Notes: Absolute insanity again… But really, dodgy things are inevitable when you play Twister… nevertheless, it's great fun.
And again I end up with a half-naked bishounen. Not in leather, but still half-naked… /drools/
Battousai: Nix-chan, you're being perverted again…
Rurouni: This one is somewhat disturbed by this story, that this one is…
…meh. Deal. Anyway, people, I hope you enjoyed this, and please… REVIEW!
Review Replies: Thanks for the reviews!
kenshinfan2000 - Thanks! That was what I was going for...!
sueb262 - The whole way through? Wow!
Aku-Ai - Give LSD to Aoshi... man, that would be scary! I think he's bad enough on sake!
Nyako - SxM is coming up, next chapter... I should write it soon... /crosses fingers/
Swirly - Of course he's yummy! And as for Kenshin... I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
RangerDo'Urden - Hi again! Nice to see you back for more punis- er, enjoyment of my stories! I found the drunkeness rather amusing too... why else would I have written it... /evil grin/ Anyway, yes, it was modern AU. I thought I mentioned that... Oh well, I know I mentioned it this chapter!
enchantedsleeper - I know, that's the annoying thing about Truth or Dare fics... I did want to go for something different. I'm glad you liked it!
kimberlyann - Here's a KxK one... though not the same scenario. I hope you liked it anyway. And as for the whispering...
Battousai and Rurouni, simultaneously: Not telling!
GamerElite - Thanks! I hope you liked this chapter!
