A/N – Thanks a bunch to the readers and reviewers for giving me the will to go on. Okay. It's not quite THAT dramatic a situation. In any case, I'd like to issue a special thanks the reviewers from the last two chapters.
Witchitta, Poppy2, Iram, BlackDragonGirl, J, De Lazy Lime, Hitokiri-miao miao, Rinfirithiel, ixchen, EEevee, Jade Catseye, Sasha, genocide ex-syncin, crasyducky, BelleDayNight, PsychoSushi, Hiei's.punk.rocker.girl, MZ. AMbER EYES, kenshin's-angel, Jirurianu, bonenessasan, Dea Mariella, unknown beedee, Kyia Star, paisita, Bradybunch4529, JML, animegurl23, Naiyuki, WiNdSpRitE11, Jupiter's Light, stoictimer, Inu N Kenshin LoVr, the sacred night, whitewinter21, Jurie, Neko Oni-chan, Falconess106, shadowcat15, Lyphta, Battousai'sMuse21, XxSilentDreamerxX, Vic'chonn, kenshin's grl, kiriekun, Sapphire Priestess, Kaoru4
Thanks minna-san!
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Disclaimer – I would never claim to own 'Rurouni Kenshin' or 'The Cosby Show' or 'The Practice'.
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Silver Cross
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Chapter 17 – Chocolate
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We're flying in a dirigible?!
Yeah. Isn't it great?
I want an airplane! I'm not getting in that.
Stop crossing your arms and pouting. Air planes stink. Soon the world will discover that dirigibles are better. Don't you want to say you rode in one back before they got big?
Noooo!
Tough.
-
"Now you know why I had you deliver the messages to those people yesterday."
Soujiro nodded at his uncle's profile from his frozen position. He'd been in a place like this once before, when he'd gone to a convention with his father, but even that huge conference room in Washington D.C. had not held so many people. Although the men in front of him were all clothed in black suites, as was he, it was plainly evident that they came from all walks of life. The sun-weathered skin of the small Asian man with the cane directly in front of him contrasted against the big rough hands that matched the body of the man in the far corner with the cowboy hat, while two rows away from the first man, sat another with manicured nails. Five seats down from him sat a fiery black woman in a red dress, and six rows behind her sat a demure woman in copper tones conversing with a red head who conveyed a Mediterranean air. The crowd was as diverse as the country, but as a whole, they exhibited a tense quality, a severity in their mannerisms common to each and every person. This was a convention for vampire hunters, and Sou had helped initiate it. Even as the truth dawned in his mind he recognized the grocer he'd met on one of his first visits yesterday talking soberly with the banker he'd spoken with on his last. And sitting in the chair to his left, at the head table in front of all these people, was his uncle, Makoto Shishio.
"They're all hunters."
"Yes," Shishio confirmed, as if he knew Soujiro could not quite believe that there were this many people in the world who knew and believed in vampires. This many people and he had not known until his girlfriend stumbled upon one. His ex-girlfriend, Soujiro corrected himself.
"Why?"
"Why what, Soujiro?" Shishio asked, turning to look at him for the first time all day.
"If all these people know about vampires, why didn't you ask one of them to let you out? Why did you stay in that mental hospital for so long?"
His uncle sighed and shrugged. "I needed time off. It's not an easy life, kid. What vampire is going to come after a hunter who wound up in a mental hospital? Not one I ever met. I was usually the one who did the chasing. There, I was hidden."
"Why didn't Mom tell me the truth? She knew you weren't crazy. She let me believe you'd done something wrong all those years." Soujiro knew he sounded like the confused kid his uncle always addressed him as, but he couldn't help it. So much of his life had been a lie. He wondered if his father knew. What else had his parents lied to him about?
"Your mother and I never got along once we grew up. She probably thought it best that I wasn't around to influence you. It's not like you needed to know."
Soujiro felt betrayed by not only his mother, but his uncle too. Family secrets should be kept within the family, with the whole family privy to them. That was what Soujiro had always believed. Still, he found himself uneasy at the prospect of any of his young cousins finding out that vampires existed, but he doubted Shishio had refrained from telling him from a sense of love. Although Soujiro loved his uncle because he was family, he was under no illusion that Shishio reciprocated his feelings.
"Does my sister know?" he asked, casting his eyes down at his shoes. If she knew, maybe that was why she'd protested so strongly when Soujiro had sought out his uncle's help.
"You thought that's why she hates me?" Shishio asked, his tone amused. "No. She didn't know. Your mother may have told her since you left."
So then he hadn't been the only one left in the dark. "Who does know?"
"Save the questions, kid. I've got to start the meeting now."
"Wait," Sou said, looking up at his uncle and catching his sleeve before the men could stand. "This meeting's not about Kaoru. It's about the dark one, isn't it?"
The brief expression that broke through on Shishio's face held a wild look of suspicion and fear before it flickered back to neutral. "How do you know about that?" he asked in a careful tone.
"I heard you talking with Enishi and Jineh. Who's the dark one?" Soujiro asked, releasing his uncle's sleeve. He needed to know this information before the meeting started so he had some clue of how serious a situation he was in.
"The reason for this meeting," Shishio answered coldly, obviously having lost interest in his nephew as he rose and stepped towards the microphone.
Soujiro didn't know his uncle very well, but he realized he had made a mistake when he asked about the dark one, whoever that may be. He should have waited; now the man was suspicious of him. He could no longer think of Soujiro as the naive nephew whose girlfriend, no ex-girlfriend had gotten in trouble and whom Shishio was doing a favor by bailing her out of that trouble. No doubt Shishio was not pleased with Soujiro for eavesdropping on his conversation, a conversation he had obviously not intended Soujiro to hear. Now, as he addressed the crowd, Shishio was probably wondering what else Soujiro had heard. Soujiro would be lucky if Shishio brought him back to the hotel. After that mistake, he was on his own.
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But why can't I get a dog?
It's too much of a hassle.
Oh come on, don't be so sour. Just a little dog? Like a Schnauzer or something?
No.
Why?
Why don't you get a cat? They're less trouble.
I want a dog.
A fish?
No. I want a dog. How about a Chihuahua then?
Sanosuke…
Ken, I want a dog.
How about a fish?
I want a dog.
Okay, how about a few fish?
Fish don't DO anything.
A bug then. Go out and catch a caterpillar.
Ken!
Fine fine. Get a dog. But don't say I didn't warn you.
-
"Not tonight," Ken stated flatly, toweling his hair dry. "You are not going to leave this apartment."
"Don't you think you're being just a tad unreasonable?"
"No. I don't."
"Well I do! There's no way the dark one knows that we're here, or even cares that I exist," Kaoru protested. "He's not going to find me if I go downstairs to do the laundry."
"The Juppongatana know where we are," Ken informed her calmly. "That means there's a risk that the information could leak out to the dark one. And Tomoe knew about you, so the dark one does too."
Kaoru sighed. "I guess you're right."
"Myojin will be here in a few minutes. Get dressed."
"Myojin! I'd hoped I would never have to see his face again. Why's he coming?"
"I requested an appointment with him when I talked to Saitou last night."
"Why do you want to talk to him?"
"I need to know how much he knows about me and the dark one, how he knows it, and who he plans on telling. You're going to talk to him too, so get dressed."
"In what? I need to wash clothes. All I have is that green dress, which I am not going to bother wearing if I'm not going out of the apartment."
"Wear the dress, Myojin won't care."
"And you won't care either," Kaoru huffed, securing the towel tighter around her body. She'd come out of the shower first, only to discover that she had no clean clothes other than a bra and a pair of panties, so she'd wrapped the towel around herself once again and waited for Ken to emerge from the shower. "The only reason women wear dresses like that is to show off. I refuse to display that much of my body just because Myojin is coming."
"Kaoru you are going to talk to Myojin tonight. I'd prefer you talked to him in something more than your underwear, especially since he's already married."
"You are the bossiest man I've met in my whole life. You can not tell me what to do!"
"I just did. Now do it."
"No," Kaoru stated simply, hands on her hips as she watched Ken sit the towel down on the bed beside him and stand to face her.
He tried to stare her down.
She refused to be stared down.
He rolled his eyes.
She rolled hers right back and tilted her head toward his in a gesture full of attitude.
He sighed.
She repositioned her hands on her hips, still facing him with a determined glare.
"Have it your way," Ken said finally, crossing his arms. "Meet him in your underwear, because I will bring him in here."
"I am not meeting that man in my underwear. Now get out so I can get dressed," Kaoru ordered.
Ken walked past her and opened the door to the living room. "Come out when you're dressed. I want you to answer the door."
"Fine. Just leave."
He left. Ken wondered why it felt like she'd won the argument. Oh yeah, because she'd been the one to tell him to get out. Not that he minded her telling him what to do. He was the one that got to see her in the dress after all. For the second time, he mentally congratulated Kamatari on his choice of clothing for Kaoru. She must have been feeling too intimidated to protest when he'd picked the outfit out, because he couldn't picture her trying it on in the store and going through with the purchase. Unless she'd thought she would never have to wear it. Scratch that, Kamatari had probably snuck it in. As soon as he got back to New York, he'd have to do something nice for the man. Damn. After over two hundred years, Ken would've thought he'd be used to being around the man, yet he was always uncomfortable in his presence. It was probably because the other gay men Ken had come in acquaintance with didn't try to hug him and call him pet names.
Dismissing Kamatari from his mind, Ken put the living room to rights, removing the medical supplies Kaoru had left out the previous night from the sofa area and replacing them in the bathroom. Then he headed into the kitchen to scrounge up some food. Finding a bag of potato chips, he poured them into a big serving bowl and returned with it to the living room. From what he remembered from ten years ago, Myojin was partial to potato chips. Heading back to the kitchen, he opened the refrigerator and surveyed it for drinks, keeping one ear out for Kaoru the whole time. She'd bought a six pack of root beer as well as a gallon of milk and a carton of orange juice. He heard the soft sound of the bottom of the door pushing against the carpet, and knew that was Kaoru opening the bedroom door. Dismissing the drinks for the moment, he headed for the living room, reaching it just as the sound of the door shutting made it to his ears.
The emerald green dress suited her. From the way it rested against her curves, he guessed it was silk lace. Only one shoulder had a sleeve, the other was bare. Ken guessed that meant she wasn't wearing a bra, or maybe she was wearing a strapless bra. At any rate, the emerald color of the dress clashing with the vibrant blue of her eyes only enhanced the total effect. The dress was cut short, at least six inches above the knee, allowing Ken to take in a lot of leg. The cream colored sandals that she wore added only about an inch to her height and left all attention to the dress. Ken let his eyes trail up her legs to the hem of the dress, the beaded bodice, the one strap, and to her slender neck, accentuated by the gold hoops she wore in her ears. They stood out against her dark hair, which was pulled up to the top of her head, fastened with a gold clip, and allowed to fall in waves behind her. Finally, he focused on her face. She wore lip gloss, but no other make up, and frankly, she didn't need it.
"See what I mean?" Kaoru grumbled, attempting a sour look. "Women don't wear dresses like these to stay at home." It was hard to hold the smile down though, when Ken obviously liked what he saw, when he liked seeing her. Hopefully, the meeting with Myojin wouldn't go as bad as she'd thought, then Ken would realize how silly he was being by not letting her do her laundry, she'd do the laundry, and they wouldn't argue at all for the next two days. Nights, Kaoru reminded herself.
Kaoru twisted around in front of the full-length mirror that hung against the wall to her right, checking herself over. The dress was shorter than she was comfortable with and she needed to workout before she started gaining weight, but at least the dress wasn't prone to wrinkles. She gave herself the okay verdict and smoothed the fabric of the bodice down a little. She shouldn't have worn lip gloss, Kaoru decided, grabbing a tissue from the end table at her left and blotting her lips. There was no way she wanted to give Myojin the impression that she'd dressed up for him.
Kaoru surveyed her reflection in the mirror once again and this time she liked what she saw. Sure the dress was way over the top in the casual department, but it wasn't blatantly showy. She didn't look quite as elegant as the woman she'd met briefly at the beach party, but Kaoru didn't think she'd ever manage that look of sophistication. That woman had reminded her of her childhood idol, Clair Huxtable from 'The Cosby Show'. Now Clair, had class! Kaoru was a closet 'Cosby Show' fanatic. She smiled, remembering how angry she'd made her cousin when she'd told her that she'd wanted to be like Phylicia Rashad, the woman who played Clair, when she grew up. Kaoru had long since given up on being anyone but herself, but she'd come away with a respect for Clair's profession. In fact, Clair was probably the whole reason why Kaoru wanted to be a lawyer, besides her brief infatuation with the show 'The Practice'.
"They should."
Kaoru turned away from the mirror to blink at Ken in confusion. "Who should what?"
"Women should wear dresses like yours just to stay at home."
Kaoru smiled at the compliment. Maybe Ken forcing her to wear the dress wasn't such a bad thing after all, but she still wasn't happy with him for being over-protective about laundry. She wasn't going to get jumped in the basement! And even if she did, she could take care of herself against most humans, two years of tae kwon do in college had seen to that.
Four crisp knocks sounded against the front door.
Ken was closest. He closed his eyes and searched the ki around him, sorting through the mix of his and Kaoru's until he could feel that of the person at the door. It was definitely Myojin's. He was alone, but three other vampire ki signatures were somewhere close, probably circling the block in whatever car Myojin had arrived in.
"It's him," Ken answered her unspoken question.
"You wanted me to get the door?" Kaoru asked.
"No. Get three drinks from the kitchen and meet us in the living room," Ken decided, turning away from her and striding over to answer the door. He glanced through the peephole in the door to be sure it was Myojin. The man smirked into the lens. Ken sighed, undid the locks, and opened the door.
"Himura," Myojin nodded, making no move to enter the apartment until he was asked.
"Myojin," Ken greeted, holding out his hand and shaking with the other vampire. "Come in," he requested, standing to the side and allowing the other man to pass by him.
"Cozy apartment," Myojin commented as Ken locked the door behind him. "What did you want to meet with me about?"
"How you black-mailed me into killing Tomoe Yukishiro."
"I knew you'd get straight to the point. I won't apologize for that, even if my wife seems to think I should. It had to be done." He glanced around the apartment. "Are we going to stand in your doorway all night?"
"No," Ken replied tersely, leading the way to the sofas. "Have a seat," he offered, seating himself in the straight backed chair between the two sofas. Myojin took a seat on the sofa to his left, openly taking in his surroundings. His eyes lighted on the bowl of chips in front of him and he reached forward to munch on a couple.
"You remembered," he observed. "Not my favorite flavor, but you can't go wrong with original."
Kaoru cleared her throat behind them, and Myojin stood to face her. "Miss Kamiya, can I help you with those drinks?"
"No. Just sit back down Mr. Myojin," Kaoru told him, taking in the man's appearance. His thick black hair was spiked and he had more of a tan than she remembered. The leader was dressed in a nondescript pair of jeans and a t-shirt. His dark brown eyes were serious, but his face and eyes lent him a childish appearance that Ken lacked. She could hardly believe that he was the man who had ordered Tomoe killed, or that he would have carried out the threat against her life if Ken had failed to kill Tomoe. Kaoru disliked him on sight.
"Why did you have me kill Tomoe when Saitou was obviously itching to be burdened with that particular duty?" Ken asked once Kaoru had served the two men drinks and seated herself on the sofa to his right.
"I'm not going to answer all your questions, Himura. I have the Juppongatana to protect, but we've agreed that you should know certain things."
Ken nodded. He didn't expect the leader of the Juppongatana to risk endangering his people.
"I need Saitou alive. Killing Tomoe was too risky. Frankly, you were a liability. At any rate, you should be thanking me for giving you the excuse to kill her. It's no secret you resent being a vampire. I was giving you the chance for legal revenge."
"I didn't seek revenge against her."
"You should have. I know you seek the dark one for that, especially after what happened ten years ago, but Tomoe played an even greater role in getting you where you are now. I was giving you the chance to realize that."
"Don't lie to me, Myojin. Why me and not someone else?"
Yahiko sighed and addressed Ken in a more frank manner than he had previously. "She wouldn't meet with anyone from the Juppongatana but me, which was understandable since she wanted me dead. It was decided that the organization couldn't risk losing me. You're a powerful vampire, Himura. You were the logical choice. The old ones won't be troubled by a vampire such as Tomoe. You know that as well as I."
The old ones, Kaoru wondered. Ten years ago? Ken had some explaining to do once Myojin left.
"Did you know Tomoe was working for the dark one?"
Myojin blinked in surprise as he shook his head no. "This means that the Inshinshishi are also working with the dark one. Tomoe was deep into the Inshinshishi organization. Their headquarters are in Phoenix. What else did you find out from her before she died?"
"Nothing," Ken lied. "She warned me to leave before the dark one came to the place where we were located. Apparently he was close, but I couldn't have fought him in the condition I was in."
"Oh."
"So you only wanted her dead because you thought she was a spy for the Inshinshishi?" Ken asked.
"She was. I know that. She must have been the dark one's new woman."
"The dark one's not going to be happy when he finds out you had her killed," Kaoru broke into the conversation.
"What are you talking about?" Myojin asked.
"Well, the dark one will have to assume it was the Juppongatana that killed her, since there were no witnesses," Kaoru lied. "Won't it come after you quicker then?" she asked innocently.
Most likely," Myojin agreed grimly. He seemed to have lost his appetite for potato chips.
"How long has the dark one been after the Juppongatana?" Ken asked, glad that Kaoru hadn't let it leak out that Akira had been the one to kill Tomoe.
"Passively, a couple years. Actively, a month. It's acting in the same manner as when it took out the Sekihoutai and the Tokugawa group. It'll probably strike headquarters in four days, a week tops."
"Tell me where headquarters are. I'm the only one with any chance at destroying it."
"Don't underestimate the Juppongatana." Myojin's tone was cold.
Kaoru winced. It had been a mistake to insult his people, however indirectly. "What Ken should have said, was that he'd like to help you make your stand against the dark one when it attacks," Kaoru amended.
"I'm not giving either of you the address of Juppongatana headquarters."
"Why?" Kaoru asked.
"I don't trust Himura. That information is dangerous in his hands. You because you're not worth my time. Besides, you'd only give it to Himura."
"But it's not fair! You know where we are," Kaoru protested. "At least agree to give Ken the address if you're attacked by the dark one."
"I'll consider it. That's all I can do without the consent of the council members." Myojin stood. "Now unless you have anything else to say to me, I have other things to do tonight."
Ken stood as well. Kaoru snorted and remained seated.
"If you come across a boy named Soujiro Seta among the hunters, don't kill him and I'll owe you a favor."
"Why?"
Ken glanced back at Kaoru before refocusing on Myojin. "He doesn't know what he's getting into. His uncle is Makoto Shishio."
"The self-righteous pig?" Myojin asked with a snort. "Why shouldn't I kill his nephew if the kid's a hunter?"
"He's not a hunter," Kaoru interjected on Soujiro's behalf, standing. "He only came to L.A. to find me and his uncle was the only one he knew who had a chance of locating me. Soujiro's just caught in the middle, and I don't want two deaths on my hands."
Myojin shifted his gaze to her sharply. "Yukishiro's death was none of your concern. If you and Himura had not come to L.A. when you did, I would have killed her eventually."
"Just please don't kill, Soujiro," Kaoru stated, refusing to argue with the influential vampire.
"You have my word that the Juppongatana won't be responsible for his death."
"Thank you."
"Don't thank me," Myojin replied, dismissing her from his notice. "Himura, your location won't be revealed to any in the Juppongatana besides the council members. Is there anything else I can do for you?"
"I need a background check on the landlord of this apartment and his immediate relatives."
Myojin nodded. "I'll email you the data."
Kaoru was confused. After the tense moments of friction when both men had been trying to pry information from the other, the near relaxed atmosphere was alarming.
"Have you found out who betrayed Sano?" Ken asked in a low undertone as the two men began to walk towards the door. Kaoru had the distinct impression Ken didn't want her in the conversation anymore. Stubbornly, she trailed in their wake, just close enough so that she could hear what was said.
"As you suspected it was Anji, the ex-monk. He's surfaced in Santa Monica, to the west of here on the coast."
"I know where Santa Monica is."
"You're not thinking of going, are you? You're still weak from the fight, even though it seems you fed since then. Plus, you'd never find him in such a large area."
"No. He'll be in the attack against your headquarters. I'll settle things with him then," Kaoru heard Ken reply grimly.
"I won't text message you the address if the dark one attacks in the next two nights. I refuse to take you down along with the Juppongatana," Myojin declared, his voice rising slightly. "We were friends once. Perhaps we will be again when the dark one is destroyed and your name is cleared."
"Maybe," Ken replied noncommittally, unlocking the door and opening it for the vampire leader. "Give my regards to Tsubame."
Myojin nodded before stepping into the hallway. Turning back to Ken, he winked. "Have fun with Kamiya. You and her, alone for two nights…" he trailed off, smirking suggestively. "Even though she is kind of annoying, I have to congratulate you on getting such a great girl all for yourself."
"It's not as great as you'd think," Ken replied dryly.
"Oh I think it is. I saw the way she looked at you." Myojin turned and started walking away. He held up a hand in farewell, but didn't look back.
-
Can you eat all that?
This? It's only a half gallon.
I don't think I've ever been able to eat that much ice cream.
You should try it sometime.
What's that stuff on top?
Chocolate sauce, caramel, sprinkles, candy, and peanuts.
That's not going to make you sick?
What do you take me for? A weakling? Now be quiet so I can eat in peace.
I'll just stick with my milkshake.
-
"I agree that a stand has to be made now," a man from the crowd stood to say, "but I don't agree with the motion to hold the contacts captive. If we do that their vampires will come after us."
"That's true," a second man agreed. "Even if they don't, they'll be forced to make new contacts, which we definitely do not want."
"We should go after only the most influential vampires instead of any one we come across like we've been doing for too long," said the black woman in the red dress Soujiro had noticed earlier.
"We can't afford to do that now with the dark one in LA," Enishi put in from the chair to Shishio's left. "If we do manage to kill the leader of the Juppongatana, for example, they'll be no one left to rule the vampires of the city. We'll simply have helped the dark one and his vampire's win. A new, stronger vampire group will rule not only LA, but the other cities the dark one has already taken over."
Nods circulated throughout the audience.
"What if we go after the dark one's vampires now and kill the Juppongatana members only if they run into us?" another man from the audience suggested.
"Then we'll have two vampire groups actively pursuing us for revenge," the black woman in red put in again. "They could team up against us and overwhelm us for certain.
The debate continued in front of Soujiro's amazed eyes. Since the meeting had started about four hours before sunset, these hunters from around the world had been debating what position to take against the vampires. Apparently, they felt something had to be done, and soon, because of the threat the dark one was posing to vampires and humans alike. Every hour they broke for ten minutes, partly so that everyone stayed fresh, but also to catch up with each other. From what Soujiro had seen, these people were bonded together by the common vampire enemy they had each fought at one time during their lives. A new respect had dawned in Soujiro for his uncle, a man who had achieved such a respected rank among these human hunters. During each of the breaks, at least one person had come up to Sou and told him how much they respected his uncle. They'd even expressed pleasure at meeting a relative of the revered Makoto Shishio. While Soujiro didn't feel at ease, he did feel welcome at this meeting and not at all in any type of danger. A healthy respect for Enishi had also dawned in him. The man was a skilled manipulator of the crowd and could curb a hot debate with a few soothing words. He should have been a politician instead of a hunter. Soujiro certainly would have voted for him.
"Then it's decided," Shishio's voice snapped Soujiro from his reverie. "We will team up with the Juppongatana until the dark one is defeated."
To say that Soujiro was surprised was an understatement. Teaming up with the very vampires who had chased them just a couple nights ago? The dark one and his vampires must have been a serious threat to cause his uncle to team up with a vampire organization.
"What are we going to do about the Battousai?" a voice asked from the audience. Soujiro realized that it was Jineh. "He's sided neither with the Juppongatana nor the dark one and I am sworn to kill him."
"Your family has been after Himura the Battousai for generations," Enishi answered him from the stage. "Everyone knows the Battousai is after the dark one for revenge after what happened ten years ago." There was a murmur of agreement from the audience. "Our alliance with the Juppongatana will likely not last longer than a week. Letting the Battousai live that long can only stack the odds in our favor since the Battousai is the being with the highest chance of defeating the dark one."
"I'm paying you to defeat him, Enishi," Jineh protested. "How can you approve the idea that he lives in front of me and other hunters such as yourself?"
"Subtract the extra days he lives from my pay," Enishi said coldly. "It is best for the human race if he lives. The death of the dark one is more important than money."
"Soujiro, side with me," Jineh called, obviously giving up on persuading Enishi to his side. "The sooner the Battousai is dead, the sooner the Kamiya girl is back among her own kind."
So Jineh was trying to draw him into it. The older man was likely going by the idea that the nephew of Makoto Shishio would have more of an influence on the gathered crowd of hunters than Enishi. The man no doubt knew that Kaoru had chosen the Battousai over him, and sought to play off of Soujiro's jealousy. Soujiro refused to be used. He took a deep breath and looked out at the audience as well as Jineh.
"The idea of a dead Battousai is appealing to me," Soujiro started to a few titters in the audience as quietly and calmly as he could manage. "But that fact stems from a personal conflict which I will resolve in the near future. I don't enjoy wishing anyone dead, whether they be vampire or human. From what information I gleaned from the debates in this hall, the dark one is far more dangerous to our existence on this planet then the Battousai or the Juppongatana. I agree with Enishi's plan to side with the Juppongatana and accept any help the Battousai is willing to provide that will lead to the death of the dark one."
Shishio stood and walked to the podium. "You've all heard the debates and the arguments from each side. Now it is time to decide what course of action we will take as a group. It is vital that each and every person in this room acts in accordance with what we will decide in this room in the next few minutes. It only takes one person to violate an agreement with the vampires, causing them all to turn on us. We are agreed to act as a group?" Shishio asked, scanning the crowd of nodding heads. He focused particularly on Jineh, making sure the man nodded as well.
"Very well," Shishio continued. "It's time to vote."
In a matter of minutes, the crowd as a whole had agreed upon one course of action: joining with the Juppongatana against the dark one.
Shishio smiled at the hundreds of hunters assembled in front of him. "It's decided then. Now we'll spend the rest of the night dividing into groups and developing assignments for tomorrow and the next few days ahead."
-
This is a pretty good movie, much better then the usual ones you drag me to.
Yeah. What's it called again?
Stop dropping popcorn on the ground. You already spilled your coke there.
Oh. Sorry. What was it called?
The Manchurian Candidate.
Shut up back there!
Make me! Jeez. That's one grumpy bitch.
She's right though, you are talking pretty loud.
You're siding with the bitch?
Sanosuke Sagara! What did you just call me?
Ayame! Oh. That was you up there.
Damn right it was me. You're going to get it now, Sano.
-
Despite the fact that she'd meant to grill him as soon as he'd shut the door behind Myojin, despite the fact that she was wearing a dry clean only lace silk dress, and despite the fact that she still desperately needed to do her laundry, Kaoru was in the kitchen with Ken, laughing as she managed to snitch a pinch of cookie dough from the bowl as he placed the tray with the first batch of cookies in the oven and set the timer on the microwave.
"I should punish you for that," Ken commented, coming to stand beside where she was seated at the table and grabbing some dough to shape into balls and place on the second cookie sheet.
"Mmm," Kaoru gloated, savoring the taste of the peanut butter dough.
"Stay away from the cookie dough. You said you don't cook, so your only job is to put the Hershey kisses on when each batch comes out. Don't mess with my cookie dough," Ken warned again.
"Oh come on. A little bit won't hurt," Kaoru coaxed, inching a hand towards the cookie dough once again. "Besides, you won't even let me open the bag of Hershey kisses until the first batch is done, and that's not for," she glanced past him to catch a glimpse of the microwave timer, "seven minutes and thirty-five seconds.
"Thirty-four.
"Thirty-three.
"Thirty-two.
"Thirty-one.
"Just let me open the bag."
"No, Kaoru," Ken refused, dropping the ball of cookie dough he'd just shaped on the second sheet and grasping her wrist in a light hold. "You'd just eat them."
She smiled a little guiltily up at him and shrugged. "So? You should know about women and chocolate by now, especially Hershey's kisses."
Did the damn candy have to be called kisses? Did she have to keep saying the word kisses? He knew just what she'd taste like too, a hint of the peanut butter dough she'd been sneaking behind his back when she thought he wasn't looking, but mostly herself, that special blend of flavors that was Kaoru. God, he sounded like a coffee commercial. Suddenly he was all too conscious of that fact that he still held her wrist, could feel her heartbeat, could feel the blood pumping through the arteries away from her heart and the blood flowing through her veins toward her heart.
"For the record, even though you are a jerk, I'll settle for an ordinary kiss," Kaoru was saying.
An ordinary kiss?
"Sure Hershey has all kinds of kisses like almond and white chocolate and the kind filled with caramel and the hugs-"
"What are you talking about?" Ken broke in, releasing her wrist and resuming his methodical task of rolling the dough into balls.
"Hershey kisses," Kaoru exclaimed, gesticulating with her now free hand. "My favorite is the original kind."
"What do Hershey kisses have to do with me being a jerk?"
"Everything," Kaoru replied, as if that single word was the answer to his question. He watched her from the corner of his eye as she opened the bag of candy anyway and took out a Hershey kiss.
"I told you not to eat them; we need them for the cookies."
"Shut up," Kaoru chastised, absent-mindedly unwrapping the kiss and popping it into her mouth. "Do you expect me to actually do everything you tell me to?" she asked around a mouthful of chocolate, pushing away from the table to stand up.
"Life would be a lot easier if you did."
Kaoru rolled her eyes and reached for Ken, standing on her toes and pulling his head down before meeting his lips in an open-mouthed kiss. It's about time with all this talk of kisses, she thought as his tongue entered her mouth, searching for the melting Hershey kiss. Though she was dimly conscious of his arms encircling her body and one of his cookie dough stained hands on her butt, she was more aware of the dissolving candy and the way the taste of the chocolate intensified the kiss. This man tasted too good. Damn could he kiss!
He reluctantly broke the kiss when the chocolate was gone. "Where'd you get that idea from?"
"A book I read once." Kaoru watched as he leaned close once again. He flicked his tongue to the corner of her mouth, then planted a soft kiss on her lips before withdrawing. "What was that for?"
"You had a little chocolate on the corner of your mouth," Ken informed her. "I think I see some more."
His tongue was back on her skin, tracing a lazy path down her jaw and to her neck. His lips hovered there as he kissed her skin in slow figure eights, trailing his tongue across the surface of her neck. Then he traced back up to her chin and pressed light kisses to her lips.
So this is what chocolate was meant for, Kaoru marveled. Not for hot cocoa or after break-up binges or chocolate covered strawberries. Chocolate was meant to be eaten sloppily, providing a great excuse for your lover to lick it from your lips. She wished she had some chocolate sauce so she could accidentally spill it all over herself. Or maybe she'd just spill it all over Ken's face, so much that it dribbled down his chin to his neck, and down from there to his chest and parts below. Now that would be some good chocolate.
He focused on her bottom lip, licking and nibbling softly until Kaoru let out a slight groan. He could almost taste the blood flowing beneath the skin of her lips. He let Kaoru take over and she hungrily recaptured his lips with hers, slipping her tongue in his mouth. He usually directed her tongue away from his sharp canine teeth, but couldn't bring himself to bother this time, not when half of his mind was on the blood flowing through her body. But she seemed to know to stay away from them and playfully battled against his tongue instead.
Withdrawing her lips from his, Kaoru pulled back a little to look up into his eyes. "Liar," she breathed. "I'm not that sloppy an eater."
"You're right. You're not," Ken agreed.
They smiled at each other.
"Are we going to bake cookies all night?"
"Only until the Hershey kisses are gone."
-
A/N – Mmmm. I could use some chocolate and a guy right about now, hehe. Or maybe just chocolate and Johnny Depp. No! He's married, he's married, he's married… Hope you liked chapter 17.
-Aryanne