"Those are things that make you go 'Brrr…!'" – Ron "Tater Salad" White

Jasmine and Tae: (Busy drooling over the tenth Rurouni Kenshin manga)

Chou: (Looks over shoulders) EH? What am AH doin' in there?

Jasmine: (Drooling) Getting your ass whooped by Kenshin…

Tae: (Drooling) And lookin' very good while doin' it…

Chou: (Anger mark/blush) A-Ah did n-not git mah a-ass whooped!

Jasmine: (Drooling) Ooooo…look at that picture, Tae!

Tae: (Slight swoon) Tee hee…shirtless…(Giggles)

Chou: (Crimson) GAH! Ah'm s-stranded in an e-estrogen ocean! Do y-ya' two l-ladies know that th-the reviewers a-are watchin' y-ya'?

Jasmine and Tae: (Squeak, hide the manga, and blush)

Jasmine: (Very red) Right then…the disclaimer: may this pain of not owning Rurouni Kenshin cause me to be attacked by random orange lizards OUT TO GET ME! Oh, I love ya', reviewers! Here's to you! (Coughing fit)

To Spyoo-san: Tee hee…(Pictures a broom attacking a rooster) Ah, so classic, that it is! (Grins) YAY! The Tae scene was cute? Thankies! Oh, and the spyoo thing is kewl! I wish I could come up with a name like that…(Crosses arms) Feh!

To Kiwigrl89-san: It's great? (Tearing up) I FEEL SO LOVED! (Sobs) I'm all happy now! THANK YOU! Oh, and hopefully you can expect more Chou/Tae fics in the future, for my friends want to write some! (Grinning happily)

To GreenEyedFloozy-chan: …Aurore…you SUCK! GO. TO. HELL! He doesn't resemble Spike in the LEAST! (Super-ultra-mega-glare-of-death) DIE! Burn SLOWLY! MAY YOUR ORGANS BE GRADUALLY COOKED INSIDE OF YOU AND MAY YOUR ENTRAILS BE TIED AROUND A CEILING FAN! …(Mutters) …Rabid-baka-neko-chan…

To Darkspirals-chan: Yay! Hiya! Thanks for reviewing, and I shall continue! Onward, again!

To Lexi-Teniro-chan: (Shifty eyes…shifty eyes) Shh! I was hoping nobody would notice! (Cough cough) Anyways, thanks for the review, kitsune-chan! (Gah-rins) Chou/Tae is FUN to write!

Hajimenokizu-sama: (Happy happy happy) You reviewed me! YAY! I can't believe it! THANK YOU SO MUCH! (Ecstatic) I absolutely adore your fic, and am sooo happy that you've been updating! Please keep it up!

To Saitouu Ryuuji-sama: Yes, Chou is awesome, isn't he? (Grins) Okay! I've read some of your story, and love it so far! You'd better update…(Evil smirk) And yes…Chou/Tae is sooo cute! (Happy dances)

To Hikari Hrair-Rah-sama: Wow! Thank you for reviewing me! (Happy) So kewl! I loved your fic, by the way! Now I just need to read the Kenshin and the Hiko one…(Grins)

Jasmine: (Blushing) Ahem…well…here we go! Third chappie, ahoy!

¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥

What A Flamin' Spirit – Chapter Three: The Woman With The Flamin' Spirit!

(The Next Day – 11:45 a.m.)

-With Tae-

Sekihara Tae sighed quietly and slipped out the front door of the Akabeko, murmuring a small reassurance to Tsubame that she was only going for a walk and would be back soon. The waitress stared dejectedly down at the ground and began stepping slowly forward, not even looking where she was going. She felt that…she had to get out for a while…to calm her nerves…yeah…But why do Ah feel so…distressed that…that…he…hasn't shown up yet? Though…that was to be expected, right? It wasn't as though…she was…waiting…or anything…

"Shit…" Tae grumbled out loud, annoyed that she actually had been waiting. Heck, she had been waiting anxiously! What was the world coming to? She had only met the guy yesterday…how could…how could she be waiting anxiously for even…even…a glimpse of him? It didn't make any sense! None at all!

Though…there was somethin'…'bout 'im…somethin' that…what was it Ah felt towards 'im? Ah don't understand…is this what…Kaoru-chan feels towards Kenshin-san? It was a startling prospect, but there was no way she could overlook it. And now, more than ever, she wished to see Sawagejou Chou again…just so…she could see if this "feeling" was real…

"Hey look, it's a woman!"

Tae squeaked and spun around, shocked to hear a voice behind her. She was even more surprised to see a group of about seven men blocking the path she had just taken. Damn! Where am Ah? Next time, Ah should really watch where Ah'm goin'… A quick look around confirmed that she was in a part of town that she really didn't want to be in. And none of the men looked like they wanted to say, "Hello, good morning!" to her.

"No shit, imbecile! We can see that it's a woman!" The one on the far right glowered, displaying…NO TEETH!

Tae scowled. Are they referrin' ta' meh as an 'it'? Ah am not an 'it'! "Hey boys, watch it with the way yer talkin' ta' meh! Ah…" She reached into the front of her uniform and pulled out…a PAN? "…am the one and only master o' Sekihara Pan-ryuu!" (Which basically means that she fights with…(Snickers)…a pan…)

The men merely gaped at her for a few seconds, and then simultaneously burst into loud, raucous laughter.

The waitress glared at them. "Oh? Ya' think Ah'm kiddin' 'round? Ah'll kick yer arses!"

¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥

(11:50 a.m.)

-With Chou-

Damn…damn…damn…

Sawagejou Chou was utterly and horribly lost. He was lost beyond belief. L.O.S.T. Lost.

"This sucks…" He grumbled out-loud in annoyance. It just wasn't fair! Why did he have to choose now to get lost? With his luck, he'd be late for his date with Tae! …Wait…since when had it been labeled a date?

Since you called it that, stupid. A little voice in his head answered smugly.

Chou blinked. Great, now Ah'm goin' crazy…Ah never thought Ah'd have a "Mr. Voice-in-mah-head"…Ah bet boss has one, too…it sure makes sense…

The former member of the Juppongatana was startled out of his musings by several loud clangs and many manly yelps of pain.

"Eh? Wh-what the h-hell was that?" Chou sputtered, looking around himself for the source of the noise. "W-well…Ah'd better…ch-check it out…'cause Ah'm an o-officer, after all…"

¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥

(11:55 a.m)

-With Tae-

Sekihara Tae grinned sadistically and brought her pan up again for another attack. "Sekihara Pan-ryuu…Phoenix Pan Bash!"

Clang!

Maybe he'll beh there…when Ah get back ta' the Akabeko!

"Flamin' Phoenix Thrust!"

Clang!

Fer our date…

"Fiery Wing Slam!

Clang!

Wait…did Ah just call it a…DATE?

¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥

(11:56 a.m.)

-With Chou-

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

Chou's eye widened. "'Kay…that s-sound…is c-comin' from o-over there…Ah think…" He didn't know what scared him more…sure, there was the fact that the screams were distinctly masculine and freaked him out a bit, but…

If they had been from a female, he'd have gotten out of there as fast as his legs could carry him. He wouldn't have even helped her. He had his reasons, though…

It wasn't that…he was…afraid of women, or anything…

Of course he wasn't!

There was nothing about them to be afraid of!

…Okay, so that was a total and complete lie…

He most definitely was petrified of them…

So what?

The former member of the Juppongatana looked around at the old, decaying houses around him. This must beh the bad part o' Tokyo… He wasn't disgusted, though…as a child, he had gotten used to dirt and grime. Foul, devious-looking men glared at him from their merchant carts on the edges of the muddy road, offering goods that should never have been offered to anyone. If the broom-head had a little more time on his hands, he would have busted them on the spot. Sadly, there were potential deaths to look into, and that was all he could think about at the moment. Plus, the clanging noises were getting louder.

Chou stopped at a two-way crossing, and debated whether to go right or left. He seemed to always get lost…was that because he had absolutely no depth perception? Or was it sheer horrible, dumb luck? Maybe…it was because he had a sense of direction equivalent to a broken stoplight? (Not that he'd know what that is, but…ah well!) "Well…lemme see…" He listened hard, but couldn't decipher whether the clangs were coming from one way…or the other… "Ah s'pose…Ah'll make an educated guess…"

So, he went left! Why? No clue…he just likes left better…feh…so much for educated guesses…the sad thing was, though…

That he was right! For once! …Feh…

As the broom-head rounded the corner, the sight that met him caused his left eye to open, his right eye to widen, and his jaw to drop.

There, lo and behold, was Sekihara Tae.

Amid three unconscious men.

And fighting four others…

WITH A SKILLET?

¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥

(11:57 a.m.)

-With Tae-

"AND TAKE SOME O' THIS, YA' BASTARDS!"

Clang!

There were only four men left. And all of them were completed baffled.

"It's just a woman!" One stated roughly, charging at Tae with an idiotic recklessness.

"Bad move, idjit…AND WHAT DID AH SAY 'BOUT CALLIN' MEH AN 'IT'?"

¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥

(11:58 a.m.)

-With Chou-

Clang!

To say that he was completely shocked was an understatement.

Tae had just knocked out a man…a full-grown man…

With her skillet!

"Shit!" Chou exclaimed, watching in horror as another of the men crept up behind the waitress and grabbed her around the stomach. She squeaked and immediately tried bashing the guy over the head…which didn't work very well…

The former member of the Juppongatana cursed under his breath and decided to take action. Unstrapping one of his katanas…sheath and all…he barreled forward, not even sure of what he was going to do, but absolutely knowing that he had to do something. With a war cry that startled the three men left (as the other one is holding onto Tae), he threw himself into the fray.

"Who the hell're you?" The one with no teeth exclaimed, cracking his knuckles in the process. He pointed at Chou with a grubby finger. "We don't take kindly to people interrupting our fun!"

For some reason, this statement angered the broom-head. "Ya're 'fun' has gotten outta hand! Ah'm gonna stop it right here, right now…and unless ya'll want some broken bones, Ah suggest ya' leave!"

The three men guffawed.

"Oh?" One asked, licking his cracked lips. "Are you not going to unsheathe that sword? What are you, scared?" The man reached into his boot and came up holding a small knife. The other two followed suit, pulling knives and short swords out of pockets and sleeves. "Eh, BROOM-HEAD?"

Chou saw red, and he GAH-LARED at the men. He put all of his hatred, his anger, and his loathing into that glare.

But this was no normal glare.

It was a GAH-LARE.

Before the broom-head could so much as blink, all three of the guys were gone. Whoa…Ah've spent way too much time 'round the boss…Ah think Ah've adopted his glare…and…why didn't Ah unsheathe mah katana? The truth was…he didn't want to kill anyone in front of Tae. But…why would it have mattered? He had killed people around women before…how was this situation any different?

"LET GO O' MEH, YA' JERK! LET GO!"

Chou spun around. Shit! Ah almost fergot 'bout Tae! The former member of the Juppongatana ran over to the man (who was struggling to pull the poor waitress into the nearest alleyway, and thus didn't notice the broom-head), and slammed the katana sheath into the side of his head. The guy fell backwards unconscious, but Tae managed to stay on her feet. She kicked at the body and gripped her pan tighter in her hands. Chou stuffed his katana back into his belt and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Tae? Are ya' alri-"

Clang!

(12:00 p.m.)

Sekihara Tae blinked and stared at the dent in her pan. Whoa…that last guy had a hard head…but…why did he sound so familiar? She looked down, expecting to see some disgusting-looking man that she had never seen before in her life. Boy, was she ever wrong…

"SAWAGEJOU-SAN?" OH SHIT! AH JUST KNOCKED OUT SAWAGEJOU-SAN! The waitress kneeled down next to the poor broom-head and gently turned him over. The sight that met her was so amusing that she couldn't help but giggle: both of Chou's eyes were swirly! He had assumed Kenshin's "oro face"! "Um…S-Sawagejou-san? Are ya' o-okay?"

The broom-head blinked a few times and stared up at Tae from his location on the ground. "Ugh…what…hit meh?" Why did he suddenly have a strange urge to "oro" multiple times? Damn, it was a good thing that his head was so hard…

"Er…y-ya see…" The waitress clapped a hand over her mouth and burst out laughing. "AH H-HIT YA' W-WITH MAH P-PAN!"

Chou failed to see the humor in this. Well, for the first five seconds, anyway. And then, he too began to laugh. "Wh-what? W-with yer s-skillet?"

"I-it's not a-a skillet! I-it's a p-pan!"

The broom-head snorted loudly, and Tae laughed even harder. She flopped forward onto him and giggled into his sleeve. They stayed like this for a few minutes; until Chou finally realized what position they were in.

Can you say…BAH-LUSH?

It's like a normal blush…

ONLY TEN-TIMES DEADLIER!

"T-T-Tae…e-e-er…."

The waitress pushed herself off of him and wiped the tears of laughter from under her eyes. "Oh mah…Ah don't think Ah've ever laughed so much in mah life…" She didn't seem to see the crimson-red that now adorned the broom-head's face. "So, Sawagejou-san…why're ya' here, anyways? Ah thought…" Tae's mouth turned down a little. "…ya' were goin' ta' the Akabeko…"

Chou pushed himself into a sitting position and coughed, trying desperately to clear his throat. "W-well, A-Ah was…b-b-but Ah got…l-lost…and th-then Ah h-heard th-the racket ya' w-were makin', and decided t-ta' go check i-it out…"

The waitress beamed in sudden understanding. "Oh! So…so ya' were goin'! Okay then!"

The broom-head blinked at the joy in her voice. "Wait, T-Tae…i-if Ah c-could ask m-mah own qu-question…s-since ya' asked m-meh why Ah'm here, c-can Ah a-ask ya' why y-ya're here?"

Tae sighed. "Ah s'pose…Ah was feelin' a bit put-out…and Ah wanted ta' go fer a walk…Ah didn't watch where Ah was goin'…heh heh…Ah can beh kinda spacey sometimes!" She rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment.

The broom-head got off of the ground and felt at the tender area under his left eye. (Which is where the pan hit him…tee hee…). He winced slightly. "Okay th-then, s'long as y-ya' didn't m-mean ta' come h-here…it's quite d-dangerous fer l-ladies on th-this side o' t-town…"

The waitress bounced up after him and looked at the broom-head in concern. "Ah'm sorry, Sawagejou-san, Ah really didn't see ya' there…does it hurt a lot?" Ignoring his other comments, she extended her hand to his face and gently rubbed at the pinkish mark beneath his eye.

Chou went even redder…if possible. "N-nah…It'll j-just bruise a-a bit…a-and it's not l-like it's g-gonna cause m-meh problems, 'cause A-Ah never u-use that eye a-anyways…" He coughed. "S-s-so…are w-we goin' ta' th-that restaurant p-place? F-fer…our…"

"Oh! Right…fer our…"

Neither wanted to say the "dreaded" word.

But when they did…

It was simultaneous.

"D-date…"

"Date!"

¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥¥

Jasmine: (Surrounded by hearts, sparkles, and fluffy kittens) Aww…

Chou: (Hiding in random corner, blushing horribly)

Tae: (Grinning happily) Ah'm goin' on a date with Chou! YAY!

Chou: (RED)

Jasmine: Okay! This chappie was probably very confusing…but…oh well…at least it was long! Oh, by the way, I'm changing Chou's age…he's gonna be twenty-four, not twenty-six, kay? I hope that sounds better…anyways…'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!