"We fear that which we cannot see." – Bleach (Strawberry and the Soul Reaper)
Jasmine: I HAVE PLUSHIES! WHOO! (Huggles the multitude of plushies) I WUFF YOU GUYS! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!
Chou: …Ya'…are so strange… (Eyeing the life-size Chou plushie with disdain)
Jasmine: Oh, and Tae? You can have this one… (Grabs Chou and shoves him at the waitress) Huggle him every night, kay? (Sinister gah-rin)
Tae: (Evil gah-lint) Will do, Jazz-chan… (Latches on to poor Chou)
Chou: H-HEY! AH AIN'T THAT PLUSHIE-THING! AH'M THE REAL CHOU!
Tae: (Takes out sedative) Tee hee…Ah know…
Chou: (Eyes get HUGE) Eh-heh heh heh? T-Tae? Wh-what're ya' doin' w-with that? E-ER…T-TAE? GAAAAAAAAAH! SOMEONE, HEEEEEEELP!
Tae: (Laughs wickedly and pokes Chou with the sedative) Thank ya' muchly, Jazz-chan!
Chou: Eeeeeeeeeh…perty…swirly…clouds… (Passes out)
Jasmine: (Sweat drop) Eh-heh…no prob, Tae-chan…I almost pity the poor Katana-gari…BUT AT LEAST I HAVE THIS! (Squeezes the life-size Chou plushie) Oh, and if I owned Rurouni Kenshin, do you actually think Himura Kenshin would be the main character?
Chou plushie: (Grins happily) Thank ya', wonderful reviewers! Ya' guys're the reason Jazzy-chan is still writin'! Here's ta' ya'!
To GreenEyedFloozy-chan: Okay, okay, so you rock… (Huggles plushies)
To Amanra-sama: (Laughing) THANK YOU SO MUCH! He's a lot more agreeable than the real thing…
To SoulCali508-sama: (Blushes at the praise) Will do! Thanks for the motivation! (I REALLY need it…stupid school…)
To Kiwigrl89-sama: Whoo! I'm glad you're back! Yeah, computers suck…they're stupid, bug-filled technological devices that I can't live without… (Sigh)
To Saitouu-Ryuuji-sama: Don't worry! Saito'll definitely be in it eventually…at some point in time… (Sweat drops) I mean, he's my favorite character…he'll show up! Oh, and you're still a meanie, by the way… (Glares)
To Ladie Galadriel-sama: YES! I shall make Chou and Tae a canon pairing! I WILL DO IT! (Maniacal laughter) I'll get all my friends to write fics on them! Oh, thank you so much, by the way…I worked really hard on their accents, and it's nice to know that they sound okay… (Kisses Chou ((who turns bright red)) and hugs Tae) I absolutely adore alternate pairings! (Saito/Misao, anyone? Che…I'm strange…) Heh…
To Lexi-Teniro-chan: WHOO-HOO! "Sing it, Ann-drew! Dum, diddy, dum, dum, dum!" (Snort) GO OKLAHOMA!
To JuppongatanaGurl: Whoo! Another reviewer! Thank you, and I hope you keep reading!
Tae: (Drags Chou off to who knows where)
Jasmine: (Sweat drops) Right then…to the fic!
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What A Flamin' Spirit: Chapter 6 - The Hot Tea Incident…Of Doom!
(Tae's Room)
Sawagejou Chou had never felt so embarrassed in his life, and the blush that was currently adorning his face stretched all the way up to the blond roots of his broom-like hair. He studied Tae's room with detachment, trying desperately to ignore the waitress entirely, but was managing to fail despite his stubbornness. On the back wall, a large window clad with green curtains took up most of the space, and was shut firmly against the raging cold of winter. Tae's futon lay primly underneath the window, and a comfortable-looking quilt was strewn across it haphazardly. A little lantern lay next to the futon, and beside it sat a book. All in all, it was a pretty cozy room, but Chou wasn't feeling relaxed at the moment. Here he was, standing in Tae's room, shirtless. And what was the waitress doing, you ask? Why, she was applying burn-cream to the poor Katana-gari's chest. And why was she doing this, you ask? Well, you're about to find out…
(Flashback ((The front of the restaurant))
"Wow, Tae…this stuff's really good!"
The waitress smiled at the broom-head across the table from her, sweat dropping slightly at what she saw. "Eh-heh…er…Chou? How long has it been since ya've eaten somethin'?" She eyed the six empty bowls piled up around them in disbelief, and the sweat drop grew even bigger.
The Katana-gari stopped his frantic much-fest and set the half-done seventh bowl in his lap. "Hmm…'bout…" There was a pause. "Three and a half days, give 'er take a day 'er two…" Another pause. And then the munch-fest began again.
Tae stared at him, her mouth gaping in shock. "Th-three days? EH? Jeese, Chou! Ya' shouldn't go so long without- …ya' aren't even lis'nin' ta' meh, are ya'?" The waitress placed her hands on her hips and scowled at the broom-head.
A few chewing noises answered her.
Tae sighed in exasperation. "Chou, if ya' go on eatin' like that, ya're gonna pop."
Munch…munch…munch...
"Ugh…men…they're all alike…just walkin' stomachs, if'n ya' ask meh…" The waitress leaned her head down upon her right hand and rolled her eyes. Hmm…almost time fer mah plan…Ah cain't back outta it now… She laughed quietly (or evilly, depending on how you look at it) to herself. Damn, Ah'm so mean…
Chou finished his last bowl and gently set it down on the table, looking at the waitress out of the corner of his eye with a bit of suspicion. Was she planning something? There was a definite air of plotting about her…but the broom-head couldn't figure out what it was. Eh…mebbe Ah'm jus' bein' paranoid…she has been nice ta' meh, after all…not many women woulda let meh stay here after learnin' 'bout what Ah used ta' beh…
The Katana-Gari sighed softly and gazed out one of the many windows, losing himself in thought amidst the piles of sparkling snow. It…felt nice…to just sit and talk with someone. He hadn't done it in so long…after all, when he was with the Juppongatana, they were about the only people he could really have a conversation (of sorts) with. Nobody else ever wanted anything to do with him… But the Ten Swords hadn't been what you would call a "loving family"…no, far from one. Usui had always been mean and never wanted to talk, Kamatari had talked too much, Iwanbo had been exceedingly idiotic to chat with, Henya had always glared at him, Yumi would only flirt and make him blush, Houji was a complete and total ass, Saizuchi was really scary, Fuji was too huge, Anji's long speeches had always been rather annoying, and Soujiro had smiled way too much for the broom-head's liking. He hadn't dared to talk to Shishio alone…the very thought sent shivers down his spine. All in all, there wasn't a "normal" conversation to be had among the Juppongatana, but it had been all he could get. He sighed again, crossing his arms in front of his chest. Still, he couldn't help but miss the Ten Swords just a little bit…at least things were interesting while he was with them. …Why the hell is mah life so borin', now? Mebbe it's 'cause o' this damn cop-job…Ah never git ta' do 'nothin' fun…ack…Ah almost regret ever takin' the boss on his offer…
The waitress's voice abruptly startled Chou out of his thoughts, but he managed to hide his squeak of surprise. The brunette looked over at Tsubame, who was taking a customer's order on the other side of the room. "Oh, Tsubame-chan, could ya' please git meh some more tea?" Tae grinned dazzlingly, her concealed wink going unnoticed by a certain Katana-gari. The little waitress smiled back happily and nodded.
Tsubame clutched the small notepad in her hands nervously. "Coming right up, Tae-san!" She apologized to the customer she had been talking to, turned around, and disappeared quietly into the kitchen without a backwards glance…almost as if she were on a mission, or something…
…But…then again…if Ah hadn't…Ah'd never o' met this woman…this…Sekihara Tae…Ah don't know what's so great 'bout that…but… The Katana-gari looked up at the said woman again, and, when she finally noticed his eye (yes, EYE) upon her, beamed at him. …Ah feel…diff'ernt…'round her…HEY! WAIT! That ain't a good reason! MAH REASON WAS TA' GIT OUTTA JAIL, THAT'S IT! ACK! MY MIND HAS TURNED AGAINST MEH! DAMN YA', YA' EVIL LITTLE VOICE! WHO CARES 'BOUT TAE, 'NYWAYS?
Meanwhile, Tsubame had returned with the tea and was strolling back over to the couple, faster than she should have been with a boiling liquid like that. "Here you go, Tae-san, it's piping hot-"
And then it happened
The unthinkable.
That which was previously unthought. (A/n: Only Lexi and Aurore are gonna get this…oh, and unthought is not a word.)
That which is something very painful and can make grown men weep like little itty-bitty babies.
Tsubame "tripped" over a "loose floorboard", sending the teacup that had once been in her hands into the air. It arched once, and then landed….
…right in the opening of Chou's jacket.
There was a moment of silence.
…A long, long moment of pure and utter silence.
Tae's first thought was, Damn, that girl has good aim! And her second thought was, Whoa…Ah didn't know a person could turn that color…
Poor, poor Chou-chan…
(End Flashback)
The broom-head sighed. Women…they're all out ta' kill meh…Ah swear…and she planned this all 'long! Dammit, Ah should o' been more careful when Ah sensed that all wasn't right with her…but Ah never even s'pected she'd do somethin' like this! And bringin' little Tsu-chan inta it, too! Che…this ain't right…
The waitress rubbed in some more of the burn-cream and grinned, almost like she had sensed the broom-head's thoughts. "Well, Ah'm nearly done, Chou, but yer gonna have ta' take off this belt-like thing…" Tae wiped at her forehead with one hand and straightened, smiling up innocently at the Katana-gari. "…that is, if'n yer burned under it, too…"
Shit, yes, it burns! It burns like hell, woman, and it's all yer fault! But…A-Ah ain't gonna take off mah belt, no sir! There's no way in hell ya're gonna make meh do that! The mere thought made him blush. "Nah, A-Ah'm fahn…really, T-Tae, Ah'm a-all good, now…"
The waitress scoffed and tapped the wide iron belt indignantly. "No ya'ren't, Ah can tell. Now, take it off." Her tone offered no other choice in the matter, but the broom-head wasn't about to give up so easily.
"Ah said that Ah was all right…and Ah am! Why would Ah lie ta' ya'?" Heh…beat that…
Tae merely crossed her arms and glared at him, pouting slightly. Heh…easy…ya'll have ta' try harder 'en that, Chou…
Dammit…she's good… "…Okay, fahn then! Ah'll take the damned thing off! Sheesh…ya're like mah freakin' mother, 'er somethin'!" Chou, now slightly irritated, grabbed at the edge of his belt and tugged furiously.
It didn't budge.
Shit…stupid thing…why has it chosen now ta' beh difficult? He pulled harder, but only ended up angering the burns adorning his chest, causing him to wince in pain. Kuso…
A small hand came out of nowhere and covered the one on his belt, triggering the Katana-gari to look up in shock. "If'n yer havin' trouble, let meh do it," Tae whispered, her eyes sparkling with malicious glee. "After all, this is partially mah fault, as Ah suspect ya've figured out…"
Chou could do nothing but gape at her and blush. Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit…too close…oh mah…holy shit…eep…holy shit…
The waitress smiled warmly, albeit a bit evilly. "Okay, lemme find that clasp…" She ran her hands along the top of the belt, causing the poor Katana-gari to squirm uncomfortably. Tae's fingers roamed around the belt leisurely, purposely taking as long as they could to find what they were looking for. When she finally did discover the nasty little clasp, the broom-head nearly had a nervous breakdown right then and there.
"U-um…T-Tae…" Chou's voice came out slightly thicker than usual. "…y-ya' really d-don't have t-ta' do this…A-Ah'll beh j-jus' fahn…"
Tae, ignoring him, unsnapped the clasp. The belt hit the floor a second later with a resolute bang. "Heh, too late, Chou…now, lemme jus' git the cream…" She tried to avoid staring, but just couldn't hold her wandering eyes back. Damn…he's ripped! Really, really muscular…eh-heh…mus' beh 'cause o' all the swords he carries with 'im…mmm…hot damn…
The Katana-gari's right eye twitched when Tae held up the burn-cream triumphantly. This woman…is gonna beh…the death o' meh…
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Jasmine: And there we are…chappie six! I hope you guys liked it! Well…I don't have much to say this chappie…
Chou plushie: (Grins happily) Yeah, 'cause Jazzy-chan's really, really sorry fer this bein' so late, right?
Jasmine: (Sigh) Yes, yes I am…I hope ya'll can forgive me…oh, and I personally thank Lexi for helping me write this chappie...even if it was unintentional!
Chou plushie: She's also a bit scared that she's started sayin', "ya'll"…
Jasmine: (Deadpan) Yes…that is very scary…damn you, Chou and Tae…I blame you for your baka accents…
Chou plushie: Well, 'till next time, loyal reviewers, this is Sawagejou –
Jasmine: HEY! Those are MY lines! Ahem…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!
