"Yes, there is no Fate for us.
Only those who are swallowed by…
Ignorance and fear and miss a step,
Fall into the rapid river called Fate." – Bleach "The Death Trilogy Overture"
Jasmine: …Oh no…my time has come…the tenth chappie…(Sweat drops)
Saito: (Rolls eyes) Who are the unlucky saps this time?
Jasmine: Eeeeeeh…(Sweating) N-no one…(Covers computer)
Chou: Aww…who is it? Come on, Ah wanna see! (Grabs the computer and tugs it away)
Jasmine: (Can hear the tolls of the death bell ringing)
Chou: (Bursts out laughing) NO WAY! AH-HAHAHAHAHAHAA! THAT'S THE BEST! Heh…they'll beh so cute tagether, Ah imagine…(Snickers)
Saito: …Hn. Tell me now, Ahou.
Chou: It's-
Jasmine: (Takes out a pan (courtesy of Tae) and knocks the broom-head out) NO ONE! I LOVE YOU, MY REVIEWERS! HERE'S A BIG THANKS! (Takes off, yelling disclaimer as she goes) May-this-pain-of-not-owning-Rurouni-Kenshin-cause-me-to-be-attacked-by-a-rabid-tanuki-and-an-angry-wolf! …Oh shit. I just gave away the pairing, didn't I? …RUN AWAY! I DON'T OWN WOLFIE OR ANYTHING BY THE BEATLES!
To GreenEyedFloozy-chan: (Rolls eyes)
To Samuraiduck27-sama: Thanks for that! I still feel bad about not updating…but I have a reason, this time! I was in Arizona for two weeks without a computer! (Sigh) Oh, by the way, may I call you Samuraiduck27-chan?
To sRoze-sama: Eh-heh…heh heh…Oh, I was just kidding about the character death thingy…Even I am not that cruel! (…Shut up, Aurore/Lexi). ANYways…Um…well…the pairing I'm doing now…is…heh heh…PLEASE DON'T HATE ME! IT'S ALL LEXI-TENIRO'S FAULT! SHE WANTED ME TO DO THIS ONE! IT'S A SAITO/KAORU! (Hides in corner)
To (Blank): …(Snicker) Wow. Do you know how childish you sound? I can bet you didn't even read my first chapter. Go suck on the barrel of a loaded shotgun, why don't you? I'm sure everyone would be quite happy if you did. Oh, and by the way, I hate you for flaming my friends. You'd better sleep with a weapon by your side…
To Lexi-Teniro-chan: (Sweat drops) A bit over-obsessive with the Oklahoma thing, ne? Heh heh…(Grins) I loved the play! Gertie laugh! WHOO! Oh, and if sRoze-sama despises me after this chappie…I BLAME YOU!
To Amanra-sama: (Stares with mouth open) WHOA! I got a bunch of reviews from you! I wuff the Beatles! (Happy) ANYways…I love your idea! (GAH-RINNING) IT'S PERFECT! I'll use it for my next Sano/Meg, kay?
To ShukuchiSlasherSam-chan-sama: …(Blinks) Well that came out strange… "chan-sama"? ANYways…(Happy) Thank you! I'm glad to know that it was funny! I feel that there should be humor in-between angst/drama so there can be a bit of a break…And go ahead, let them complain! (Laughs) If they do, it just shows that they are un-laughter-full! (Or something like that…)
To Moonlover-san: Thanks!
To Saitouu-Ryuuji-sama: Hiya, again! Okies, I'll be waiting for you to update!
Saito: (Has finally caught on) WHAAAAAAT? THE TANUKI-GIRL AND I…TOGETHER? YOU'RE DEAD, JASMIIIIIINE!
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Let It Be
:When I find myself in times of trouble…Mother Mary comes to me…:
Kamiya Kaoru stared down at her balled fists, willing the pain of loss to fade away. The crumpled note she held…had broken her heart. Had utterly and completely shattered it. Isn't it odd, how something so small can destroy so much?
:Speaking…words of wisdom…let it be…:
The kendo instructor sank to her knees, refusing to cry…refusing to shed any tears. She would stay strong. There was no way in Hell that she'd let this break her. Nothing could break her.
:And in my…hour of darkness…she is standing…right in front of me…:
Kaoru slowly let her hands relax, wincing as pain lanced through them. How long had she been sitting there after the initial shock? It felt like days…nothing seemed real anymore. Her whole life had just been thrown upside down.
:Speaking words of wisdom…let it be…:
Kenshin…had…had left again. How…could he? Didn't he know what she felt for him? How could he have gone and left her…all alone? "D-dammit…" Kaoru whispered under her breath, shaking as she suppressed another need to cry. She gently uncrumpled the note, needing, but not wanting, to ever read its contents again.
:Let it be…let it be…let it be…let it be…:
Kaoru-dono,
This one…apologizes for all the trouble that he has caused you. He feels…that it is time to move on…so…he will wander once again. This one is sorry…but he couldn't say goodbye to you face-to-face again…he just couldn't bare it…so…farewell and thank you for your hospitality, Kaoru-dono…Sayonara.
-Himura Kenshin
:…Whisper words of wisdom…let it be…:
The kendo instructor sniffled, angrily tearing the small paper to shreds. "HIMURA KENSHIN, YOU JERK, HOW COULD YOU?" She screamed, jumping up in a fit of rage. "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME? HOW COULD YOU LEAVE? DAMN YOU, KENSHIN, DAMN YOU!"
:And when the broken-hearted people…living in the world agree…:
The kendo instructor never heard the discreet coughs that were intended to get her attention, and instead continued her ranting and raving.
:There will…be an answer…let it be…:
"…YOU BASTARD! I SWEAR, WHEN I FIND YOU, THERE'LL BE HELL TO PAY!"
:For though they may be parted…there is still a chance…that they will see…:
"Tanuki."
:There will…be an answer…let it be…:
"…I…I'LL TEAR OUT YOUR INSIDES WITH MY SHINAI, KENSHIN!"
"Tanuki!"
:Let it be…let it be…let it be…let it be…:
"…AND THEN I'LL COOK YOU UP AND FEED YOU TO YOURSELF! HA!" Kaoru punched her fist into the air, and let out a startled yelp when she felt it connect with something.
:Yeah, there will be…an answer…let it be…:
Saito Hajime developed an anger mark. "…Tanuki, I'd appreciate it if you would remove your fist from my chin right this instant." What a stupid little girl…
:Let it be…let it be…let it be…let it be…:
Kamiya Kaoru tilted her head back, shocked to see deep amber eyes looking down at her. "E-eh? S-Saito? What are…what are y-you doing here?" GAH! I HIT HIM!
:Whisper words of wisdom…let it be…:
"…Baka Tanuki," The wolf wrapped his fingers around the kendo instructor's wrist and wrenched her hand away. "…Maybe if you thought for a second, you'd figure it out." Moron…
:Let it be…let it be…let it be…yeah, let it be…:
Kaoru's eyes narrowed. "You know where Kenshin went, don't you? TELL ME, DAMMIT!" Bastard cop! HOW DARE HE WALK INTO MY DOJO UNANNOUNCED?
:Whisper words of wisdom…let it be…:
"No, I don't know where Battosai went, I'm here to see if-"
:And when the night is cloudy…there is…still a light that shines on me…:
The kendo instructor angrily cut him off. "Don't give me that shit, cop! You know where Kenshin is! I KNOW YOU KNOW!" Tears started to form at the edges of her eyes. She threw herself at the wolf and furiously slammed her hands into his chest. "TELL ME, DAMN YOU! TELL ME!"
:Shine on…'till tomorrow…let it be…:
Saito blinked and stared down at the girl in surprise, not even feeling the multiple blows that she was giving him. "Tanuki, get off. I was about to say that no, I do not know where Battosai is, and that I am here to see if you are okay."
:I wake up…to…the sound of music…Mother Mary…comes to me…:
Kaoru shoved her fist into his shoulder petulantly, frantically biting back her tears. "D-don't lie…you're lying…please…p-please tell me…y-you're lying…tell me where…wh-where Kenshin is…"
:Speaking…words of wisdom…let it be…:
"…As I have already told you, Tanuki, I have no clue where Battosai went. I was merely sent here to see how you are doing." The cop was getting decidedly uncomfortable with Kaoru's closeness, and tried to unlatch her from his uniform.
:Let it be…let it be…let it be…yeah, let it be…:
The kendo instructor buried her face into the cop's jacket, seeking desperately to hide from him the tears that were now streaking down it. "I-I'm sorry…I thought…K-Kenshin…h-how could he…how could he d-do this…t-to me?"
:There…will be…an answer…let it be…:
"…Tanuki…" Why was she talking to him? Was she not afraid of him? What exactly was going on, here? "…what the hell are you doing?" Ah, yes…being blunt is always good…
:Let it be…let it be…let it be…yeah, let it be…:
Kaoru honestly didn't know what she was doing. Launching herself at Saito had been a purely instinctual thing. Hell, she hadn't even thought first. But, surprisingly, he was…warm…and she didn't want to pull away. "…I…I h-have no i-idea…but…p-please…let m-me…s-stay like th-this…for j-just a…a bit l-longer…" She snaked her arms around him and held on to the poor wolf for dear life.
:Whisper…words of wisdom…let it…be…:
Silence met her last statement, and, if she had noticed, the kendo instructor would have been proud to say that she had shocked Saito into shutting up.
Kaoru knew that the cop was getting embarrassed, but she was too preoccupied to really give a shit. She squeezed him tighter, willing her tears to just disappear…willing the pain of loss to fade away…willing herself to stay strong and to avoid collapsing into the wolf's arms. That would be something Saito would never let her forget.
The said man coughed awkwardly. "…T-Tanuki…get off…." He tried to pry off her arms from around his torso, but couldn't manage to dislodge the hysterical girl. "Dammit, Tanuki, get the hell off!"
"…N-no…I-I can't…please d-don't make m-me…"
Now, let me put together a little formula for ya'll. Saito plus a not crying girl equals good (well, as good as the cop can be with a girl…). Saito plus a crying girl equals bad. The wolf and tears do not mix. As in…they cannot blend. There is no blender in which to fuse them together with. A combination is not happening, and will never happen. To put it into fewer words, Saito is horrifyingly bad around crying, sobbing, and or hysterical females. Or, in this case, all three put together. That is the end of my lecture, class.
"…Dammit…okay, fine, Tanuki…but if you get my jacket wet, I'll-"
And then, Kaoru did the unthinkable.
She did that which was previously unthought. (A/n: Unthought is NOT a word, by the way…)
Basically, she did the stupidest thing that she'd ever done in her life.
The kendo instructor glomped Saito Hajime, wolf of Mibu, ex-captain of the third Shinsengumi unit, bastard cop extraordinaire, right off of his feet and down to the floor. The poor guy never stood a chance, I'm afraid…he was doomed the moment he set foot into the Kamiya Dojo.
"K-Kaoru, wh-what the h-hell did y-you just d-do?" The cop choked out, going extremely red in the face, because A), He just realized the position they were in (believe me, it is quite compromising…), and B), He had accidentally called the kendo instructor "Kaoru".
"…K-Kenshin…y-you bastard…" Kaoru's tears were seeping through the wolf's jacket, but she found that she was unable to stop. She buried her face deeper into the uniform, still desperately trying to stifle the sobs that she knew she couldn't quiet.
Saito Hajime, for once in his life, was stumped. Even with all of his smarts and sarcastic remarks, he found that there was nothing he could do to help the poor woman that was now lying on top of him. "Umm…" He started, slowly lifting his left arm and gently patting Kaoru on the back. "…there…there?"
The kendo instructor took in a deep breath, and she hiccupped loudly. Her sobs seemed to lessen slightly, and Saito didn't remove his hand.
"…Kaoru…you…I think you should just let it be…just let Battosai go on his way…he'll be back for you…"
"B-but…" Damn it…I can't believe I did that…I just glomped Saito…and…I want to get off of this bastard cop, but I can't move! What is wrong with me? Argh…this is so embarrassing…but…why does it feel so right? …He certainly…smells different than Kenshin…much…more manly… Kaoru found herself blushing horribly through her tears. …Yeah…a lot more manly…steel…sweat…cigarettes…I could get used to this…
Saito glared down at the girl. "Kaoru, are you even listening to me?"
"Heh…no…s-sorry…" The kendo instructor removed her face from his uniform and gave the wolf a watery smile. "…Th-thanks…for helping m-me out, Saito…I-I really needed that…but…" Her eyebrows knitted together as a strange thought hit her. "…You s-said that y-you were sent h-here to make s-sure that I w-was alright…but…HEY! I'M THE ONLY ONE THAT KNOWS THAT KENSHIN LEFT! YOU LYING BASTARD! WHY THE HELL DID YOU COME HERE?"
The cop flushed at this. "No reason. Now, get the hell off of me, Tanuki."
"SAITO, YOU JERK!"
SMACK!
"ITAI!"
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Jasmine: And so ends chappie ten of Blackbird…I hope ya'll liked it! Heh…sorry it was kinda late…Oh, and what's with this new rule? Are songfics not allowed, or something?
Saito: (Dying of shame in a nearby corner)
Chou: (Out cold)
Jasmine: I hope this doesn't get deleted…ugh…I didn't put the ending lyrics like I normally do, just as an extra precaution…here's hopin', eh? Okies! Next chappie's gonna be Chou and Tae with the song "I Wanna Hold Your Hand"! Oh, were there handcuffs back then? I hope so…well, after that, there's gonna be a Saito/Misao (Curse you, Lexi!) with the song "Help!" …And…once that's done…there's gonna be another Yahiko/Tsubame, but I don't know which song I'll use for them…ANYways…I love you guys! And, for anyone who cares, I'll be updating What A Flamin' Spirit shortly! Well, 'till next time, loyal reviewers, this is Jasmine Reinier, signing off!
"People only have hope…because they cannot see Death standing behind them…"
R and R!