WARNING- I don't own Kenshin, (but I do have the first 7 books in English and all the anime) but I thank Watsuki because I love Kenshin from the bottom of my heart!
The room was warm, the sounds happy as Kenshin followed Tsukasa into the inn. Several teens, both older and younger than Kenshin, kneeled on plush cushions surrounding a kotatsu, delicately painted teacups set in front of, or held gently in their hands. Kenshin noted the formality, which Hiko had mentioned but never instructed, of one of the many tea ceremony's, and looked to Tsukasa for guidance.
"So you're finally here." Sumi smiled and got to her feet. She led Tsukasa to a corner seat, and then sat Kenshin next to herself. "I thought Tsukasa was going to try and weasel out." She aimed a killing glance toward the boy, who merely smirked and picked up the mug in front of him with a flat palm underneath, and a hand to the side to balance. As he took a sip he winked at Kenshin. Belatedly, Kenshin realized, he mimicked Tsukasa with the mug set in front of him, and studied the white plum painted on the side to give himself time to think. Sumi sat next to him with a pleasant smile on her lips, her kimono was a pale pink with red flowers stitched in to match the red ribbon in her hair. She was prettier than Lila, he noticed, but for some reason that comparison made him uneasy. So he concentrated on not fidgeting as the conversation continued.
"So you train with the dreaded Hiko?" Sumi nudged Kenshin and he looked over at her with a shy blush.
"He's not really that bad." Kenshin mumbled into his mug.
"Oh, please!" Tsukasa laughed, "Kenshin, tell them the truth! I was there for over a week recuperating, I saw the training myself!"
"He's just disciplined!" Kenshin defended his Master, and while it was true that Hiko might have been a hard task master, Kenshin really didn't have anything else besides slavery to compare it to.
"Yeah, you shouldn't be afraid of a little hard work Tsukasa." Sumi teased.
"He pushed Kenshin off a cliff." Tsukasa pointed out.
"It wasn't the first time." Kenshin protested, not realizing that the fact only made them think Hiko more a monster. The first time he'd pushed Kenshin off he caught him at the bottom a few seconds later and scolded him for being an idiot. "Baka," he growled, "by the time I'm done with you, you won't need me to catch you."
"He throws you off cliffs repeatedly?" a young boy with a long braid blinked in confusion.
"Only for training." Kenshin shrugged. A girl wearing a blue kimono leaned forward and asked carefully,
"Has he ever cut you?"
"Well, yes." Thinking back he remembered the sprains, the broken bones, the cuts, scrapes, and blood gushers. "I almost died one time, but Master Hiko mixed a potion and made me better."
"You almost died..." Sumi was confused, "And yet you say he's not a monster?"
"He's not." Kenshin set his face in a stubborn line, "He's disciplined. And one day I'll be disciplined." Then he took a breath and rolled his eyes, "But I do sincerely hope that his twisted way of looking at the world does not rub off on me."
"So he is..." the boy was cut off.
"He's not a monster." He protested, "he's just... weird."
"Lets change the subject." Tsukasa took a sip of tea and nodded to Sumi, "I believe the hostess should be properly thanked for this wonderful tea, and our conversation should be steered toward more pleasant topics than fighting."
"Yes, I actually agree with you for once." Sumi noted Kenshins distress and turned to the girl in blue. "So Kagome, your father and mine hope to wed you to my brother." She smirked as the tables attention was turned to the girl. As congratulations were offered Kenshin leaned over to Sumi and let out a breath.
"Arigato." He whispered, then leaned back to offer Kagome his best wishes as the girl blushed. So the night went on, with only a short break in real conversations as the girls realized that Kenshin was easy to tease.
"You'll marry me Kenshin, right?" Sumi asked when Tsukasa told her nobody in their right mind would want her.
"What?" Kenshin blushed mightily.
"Well, you said that you would inherit all the techniques from your Master, and if he's a little insane, he's not in his right mind. So you won't be, so you'll marry me and Tsukasa will have to bite his tongue."
"Uh... I..." Kenshin coughed and looked down at his tea, unable to think of anything to say.
"Ah, but Sumi, Kenshin did mention that he wished to avoid that fate." The boy with the braid spoke up.
"But it may be contagious Junpei, he may not escape the dreaded curse of Hiko." She laughed as the rest chuckled and Kenshin tried to imagine fitting his entire head into the mug and disappearing for the rest of the night.
"Oh give it a rest Sumi, you're making Kenshin blush." Tsukasa sneered, only meaning to get the girl off his back. Sumi, who hadn't been looking at Kenshin, looked then and smiled at him gently.
"Oi, Kenshin, I didn't mean it."
"I know." Kenshin tried smiling back, and only succeeded in lifting his eyes to her grinning lips before looking down at his mug again.
"We need to give you some lessons boy." An older teen sat next to Tsukasa, his smirk was kind but full of superior humor. "How to flirt with girls."
"Yes, I think he'll need that when he goes back to his Master, Kino." Tsukasa replied sarcastically.
"Well, your sister is still up there, I suppose." Kino winked at Kenshin, who was watching the two older boys with apprehension clear in his eyes.
"Lay off." Tsukasa growled.
"Just saying." Kino chuckled and took a sip of his tea.
"I..." Kenshin turned to Tsukasa, his face by this point was a brilliant scarlet red, "I would never, Tsukasa..."
"Kenshin, don't worry about it." Tsukasa clapped his hand on the table and smirked at Kino, "I'm well aware that not everyone has a mind full of filthy thoughts, but on that note, I believe it is late." He got to his feet and nodded at Sumi, who nodded politely back, a small smirk on her face.
"Thank you both for coming. I hope you enjoyed yourself Kenshin." She chuckled as he coughed, trying to cool his cheeks as he stood.
"Very much so." He bowed slightly and followed Tsukasa out the door.
Oi, wow, its been such a long time since I've updated... and I must apologize profusely if any of you have been really mad at me...
but I have good excuses!!!
My computer is growling at me, and it shuts down at the most inconvenient of times!!
I am taking a creative writing course, which means less time to spend on things I want to write instead of things I HAVE to write...I hate poetry... we're doing a unit on poetry....
And I just haven't had any motivation lately... dunno why, just haven't... but heres the next ch. Of Kenshin... and I hope you've enjoyed it!