AN: Enishi has inspired me. o.o
"So….anybody have any ideas as to what in the hell we should call ourselves?"
"Oro?"
"Kenshin! 'ORO' is NOT kickass band material!" Soujiro practically screamed. He was pacing back and forth like a drill sergeant. Everyone was groaning and rolling their eyes.
"But I wasn't suggesting that 'oro' be our name-"
"QUIET! Do not disturb the aura of CREATIVITY! We must welcome the muse into our souls. Breathe in and out, let the creativity FLOW with you."
Misao sighed heavily. This meeting was going nowhere. Aoshi seemed to be having a good time meditating by himself, most likely for personal reasons and not for the band. Kenshin was doodling on a napkin, and Sanosuke was checking his pockets in desperation for cigarettes. Soujiro was pretty much talking to himself by now.
"Quizzlenauts" Misao grumbled.
"What?" Soujiro asked, dumbfounded.
"Just wanted to get a word in so I wouldn't have to listen to your voice the whole time." Misao shrugged.
"Um…Surgeon General's Warning?" Sanosuke asked.
"What the hell?!" Soujiro whirled around to glare at Sanosuke. Sano shrugged sheepishly as he indicated his cigarette box.
"Just reading random stuff in hopes of inspiration."
"Holiday Inn!" Kenshin suggested, reading the logo off the pen he was holding. Soujiro looked like he was going to cry.
"You want to make us sound like we're promoting drugs and premarital sex?" Soujiro asked, on the verge of shrieking.
"Um…"
"Sano, I don't think you should answer that." Aoshi muttered.
"Something that sounds good….like Zeromancer, System of a Down, My Chemical Romance…" Soujiro muttered, ruffling his hair in frustration.
"How about Shin Ken no Kamae?" Kenshin suggested.
"The sword that believes…." Soujiro pondered this, then shrugged "Eh, it's not great, but it'll do for now."
"Psh. I thought it was a good suggestion, not just mildly interesting." Kenshin rolled his eyes. Being in a band was not all it cracked up to be, even if they had only existed for 20 minutes.
***
"The chicken is…interesting…" Enishi commented, for lack of anything else to say. The rice was terrible too. How anyone could botch up something as simple as rice was beyond him, but he remembered Kaoru had not been much of a cook. How he had always insisted that they went out instead of staying in. It had only been a little more than half of a school year, and yet he had forgotten these things? Enishi stabbed at his chicken more violently as the thoughts continued rapidly.
{Why does she want to get away from me? Haven't I done so much for her?}
{How could she have just changed schools like that and not even notified me? It took one hell of a time trying to get the number and address. Her parents didn't even give a shit and didn't have the information on hand. How can anyone not care about her like that?}
{How could she have run away from me like that?}
{I've got feelings too…}
"E-Enishi?" Kaoru asked gingerly, looking up at the light fixture to avoid his startled gaze.
"Yes?" He replied with a slight growl.
"Would you like dessert? There's ice cream in the fridge."
"No thank you. I'm on a special diet now due to training."
Kaoru paled considerably. She had no idea he was on a special diet. Had the food she prepared fitted his needs? Was he going to be angry for her not knowing? What if-
"While the dinner was not spectacular, it fit standards." Enishi offered, calming her nerves. Kaoru exhaled a sigh of relief. "And…by the way, do you have a place for me to sleep tonight? I don't have any relatives in town anymore."
"What about your sister?" Kaoru asked, almost shrilly. She would die if Misao came home and saw Enishi sleeping on the couch. Enishi gave her a long, cold glare. Kaoru instantly regretted her words. Having not spoken to him in a long time, his relations could have changed. Perhaps they had had an argument of sorts. Whatever had happened, Enishi was still not explaining. He looked like he might explode and throttle her. Kaoru began breathing rapidly. This was the face she had come to fear. His fury and passionate anger were reflected in his eyes, in his contracted muscles, in his set jaw. He was ready to pounce, and Kaoru was waiting for the signal that would tell her to run.
Enishi, slowly, looked down and took a deep breath, watching his hand as he delicately opened his palms and pulled them back into fists. Kaoru watched intently, legs ready to spring from her chair and run to lock herself in the bathroom. Then it happened: the cold, malicious smile and the glint in his eye as he spoke.
"Never…mention…Tomoe…again…"
{Tomoe? Her name was Tomoe? Why is that so familiar?}
{"Hey angel baby, long time no see!"}
{"You promised me to yourself and no one else!"}
{"…Queen of Hades…"}
Enishi was by her side, gingerly running his fingers through her hair. Her eyes trailed after his hands. They were still tense with irritation. They wanted to demolish.
"Tomoe is not with us any longer."
Kaoru remained silent.
"After Dad got stationed somewhere else, she was grief-stricken. She really missed this Himura character that had been her boyfriend. She fell into bad situations. Started smoking and hanging out at bars. She got really lonely one night, and thought…just once…she'd do a little something for money. Just to end her loneliness. She didn't want it to turn into a 'full-time job', shall we say. And it didn't. After her loneliness was quenched, as was the man's, she wanted her money. He didn't have any. There was a brawl, and then a gun was pointed at her head." Kaoru felt Enishi's finger pointed at the side of her own head, to emphasize the dramatic point.
"Bang." It was all Enishi could say. He began to massage Kaoru's shoulders, then he moved his way up to her neck. Kaoru knew what was coming. He was kneading harder, grasping her little neck in his two hands. Enishi smiled as she fought to breathe.
"As far as I am concerned, this is all Himura's fault. If I ever find him, I will kill him no matter what the cost. And I would appreciate it if you would never mention Tomoe again."
Kaoru nodded as best she could, hoping he would let go of her throat soon.
***
Magdaria sat on the couch staring blankly at the TV. She felt Saitou's eyes on her as he sat at the table eating whatever crap he had managed to fish out of the refrigerator. Magdaria coughed and she rolled her eyes when she saw Saitou tense. She continued watching her show…when she had to cough again. Magdaria glanced at Saitou again. He had stopped eating and was intently watching her. She tried not to panic. Only two coughs…three…four…
Her eyes began to water. Coughing didn't really mean anything…there was just dust in the air or something. Pain seared through her chest, and she began to sweat. Her coughing continued. Before Saitou could leap to her side, she dashed into the bathroom and locked the door. She coughed and choked, wheezing in between.
"Magdaria! Open the door!" Saitou commanded from the other side. Magdaria caught her breath enough for a moment to shout back.
"I'm fine!" She cried hoarsely. The room was spinning, and she was flushed with sweat. Just as the words came out of her mouth, another cough took over. When she refocused, there was blood on the floor. She looked in the mirror. There was a little drop of blood on her lip, and she could taste it in her mouth.
"I'll be damned before I set foot in another hospital-" She choked, gasping for air. Magdaria began wheezing again, and breathing was becoming increasingly difficult.
"Damn it, Magdaria!"
{It's so hot…}
Magdaria was vaguely aware of someone yelling at her to watch out, and then there were loud noises from the other side of the door. Before she blacked out, Saitou was standing before her with an axe in hand. He picked her up, and she slipped into a blissful state of unconsciousness as she was taken to the hospital yet again.
***
"Want me to walk you back to the dorm, Misao? I called Kaoru for you and she said she was busy. I'd like to make sure she's all right." Kenshin nodded towards the door as everyone was packing up their instruments.
"Sure, Kenshin. She'd like you to visit." Misao raised her eyebrow suggestively. Kenshin rather felt like passing out.
"I…I d-don't know w-what you m-mean, Misao…heh.."
"Are you frickin' blind, Himura? She's head over heels for you!" Misao rolled her eyes and heaved a sigh of annoyance. "You are such an idiot…"
"Ironic-" Kenshin stopped. It was the same thought that had crossed his mind after attempting to kiss Kaoru. It felt like it had been ages since. He might as well visit her now, Spring break came up after the weekend and he was going to Japan to pick up his new sisters.
It was late. Misao checked her watch, which read 11:00. Whatever Kaoru had been doing, Misao assumed it was done and that Kaoru was in bed. Street lamps faintly illuminated the sidewalks. Looking over at Kenshin, he seemed like some demon-god with the shadows playing across his face.
{He must have had some sort of dark past. His face shows it} Misao lost herself in her thoughts, every once in a while darting her gaze to the life-like shadows that seemed to grasp for her from the darkness. She scooted closer to Kenshin, eventually bumping into him on accident.
"Sorry," she muttered. Kenshin looked vaguely surprised and embarrassed.
"Something wrong?" He asked, continuing his strenuous pace.
"Uh..the shadows…nothing, nothing at all." She replied, not all too confident.
"Misao is afraid of the dark?" Kenshin smiled at this, suppressing a laugh.
"No!" Misao shouted back, getting angry. Her retort echoed off the walls of the surrounding dorm buildings. After it faded away, everything became eerily quiet again. Kenshin's smile faded as well, and he closed his eyes as he spoke.
"Everyone is afraid of the dark."
"Pshh…look at you, Kenshin. You ARE the dark." Misao scoffed, crossing her arms as she angrily eyed the bushes rustling in the wind. Kenshin looked at her, but the look was on of a sad mother trying to tell her daughter about the truth of life.
"Kenshin…you're not…"
"I am very afraid of the dark."
Misao's mouth must have dropped open, because Kenshin quickly looked away as if he regretted his remark. To occupy himself, he took his hair down and put it back up again, in a higher ponytail. Once he felt it was satisfactory, he put his hands back into his pockets.
"While not everything about the darkness is bad, there is generally something lurking in the shadows. In the daytime, it is camouflaged by sunlight."
Misao jumped as they passed a dorm just as someone blasted a Marilyn Manson CD. Misao was not happy about acting scared in front of Kenshin. One, he was a guy. Two, he just looked like someone that wouldn't ever be scared.
But apparently he was.
Misao pulled out her key as they approached her dorm. She was muttering and cursing about nothing in particular, just trying to occupy the silence. Kenshin's brow furrowed in concentration. He raised his hand.
"Shhh."
Misao stopped and listened. It was faint, but someone was making some sort of sound of distress. Kenshin's eyes widened and he took the key from Misao and shoved it in the door himself, flinging it open. Misao screamed Kaoru's name, running in and pushing past Kenshin.
"Holy shit!" Misao gasped as she stopped in the doorway to Kaoru's room. Her knees buckled and she sank to the floor, looking up in the white-haired beauty's face. He stood formidably before her, and he picked her up by her arm.
"Is this your roommate?" He asked a dark form curled in the corner of a room.
"Yes…" The voice was Kaoru's, but it sounded so weak and pathetic compared to her usual cheery self. She had a sheet wrapped around her, and Misao took note of what appeared to be black material from one of Kaoru's dresses.
"Let her go, bastard." Kenshin appeared in the doorway, a fire poker in hand.
"Who are you?" Enishi asked, almost bewildered.
"I could ask the same of you." Kenshin replied calmly. Misao turned to look at Kenshin. She gasped when she saw his eyes. Instead of the innocent violet irises, there was a bright, menacing gold in place. Enishi tossed Misao aside.
"Don't make another noise!" He spat. Enishi wasn't in a mood to be dealing with bothersome people, let alone a weasel girl. "Now let's just see who you are," Enishi said dangerously, as he moved for his pocket, pulling out what Kenshin hoped to be a match or a cigarette lighter. Kenshin gripped the fire poker harder, ready to attack. The scratch of the lighter sounded, and a tiny flame illuminated the two men's faces.
Neither was prepared to see what was revealed from the shadows.
***
Sanosuke walked back home, eyeing the alleyways. Crazy people hung out in those dark halls of the night, and he wasn't in the mood to be mugged. But then again, when is anyone in the mood to be robbed like that? It wasn't like he had anything with him either, aside from his impeccable knowledge of the streets. He climbed the steps two by two up to the apartment, preparing to call Magdaria. Not only did he want to talk to her, but he wanted to piss off Saitou. Calling at such a late hour would definitely annoy the crabby high school teacher.
{Then again, maybe Magdaria likes to go to bed early, too.}
Nervously he picked up the phone. Misao had given him the number while they were trying to pull their band together. He dialed, closing his eyes and praying she would answer the phone first and not Saitou. But…nothing happened. The phone rang about six times before the answering machine picked up.
"You have reached the temporary residence of Hajime Saitou. If you are a telemarketer, hang up now. If you are a student, hang up now. If you are Sanosuke Sagara, jump off a bridge. Otherwise, leave a message."
Sanosuke hung up, feeling rather proud of himself for having made it into Saitou's answering machine greeting. Turning from the living room, he walked into the kitchen.
{Funny…the light is on. Adzuma hates light when she's trying to sleep.}
He went to turn it off, when a voice stopped him.
"You're coming home awfully late these days." Adzuma said softly from her corner, coffee mug in hand.
"What do you care?" He asked irritably.
"I don't want you getting attacked." She took a sip from her mug, her brown hair pulled back in a bun. Sanosuke sighed.
"You getting ready to go to work?"
"Yeah."
"So early? I thought you didn't have to go until 1:00AM."
"Yeah…Sanosuke, we need to talk…things are going to change a bit."
"I don't know if I like the sound of this." Sanosuke replied uneasily.
"You won't." Adzuma smiled bitterly. "I know you won't."
ANOTHER AN: Yikes! Love those cliffhangers! Anyhow…I'm trying to portray Enishi as a more realistic person instead of just some lunatic…trying to show the darker 'battousai' mode of Kenshin…and…anything else? Oh yeah, did some research on tuberculosis, and forgive me if Magdaria has a bunch of dramatic episodes that actually have no real connection to tuberculosis. Let's just play pretend, alrighty? It's really hard to keep the OOC at a realistic level while trying to keep a bit of what their real characters are like. Bear with me and enjoy! (Sorry for shortness)
"So….anybody have any ideas as to what in the hell we should call ourselves?"
"Oro?"
"Kenshin! 'ORO' is NOT kickass band material!" Soujiro practically screamed. He was pacing back and forth like a drill sergeant. Everyone was groaning and rolling their eyes.
"But I wasn't suggesting that 'oro' be our name-"
"QUIET! Do not disturb the aura of CREATIVITY! We must welcome the muse into our souls. Breathe in and out, let the creativity FLOW with you."
Misao sighed heavily. This meeting was going nowhere. Aoshi seemed to be having a good time meditating by himself, most likely for personal reasons and not for the band. Kenshin was doodling on a napkin, and Sanosuke was checking his pockets in desperation for cigarettes. Soujiro was pretty much talking to himself by now.
"Quizzlenauts" Misao grumbled.
"What?" Soujiro asked, dumbfounded.
"Just wanted to get a word in so I wouldn't have to listen to your voice the whole time." Misao shrugged.
"Um…Surgeon General's Warning?" Sanosuke asked.
"What the hell?!" Soujiro whirled around to glare at Sanosuke. Sano shrugged sheepishly as he indicated his cigarette box.
"Just reading random stuff in hopes of inspiration."
"Holiday Inn!" Kenshin suggested, reading the logo off the pen he was holding. Soujiro looked like he was going to cry.
"You want to make us sound like we're promoting drugs and premarital sex?" Soujiro asked, on the verge of shrieking.
"Um…"
"Sano, I don't think you should answer that." Aoshi muttered.
"Something that sounds good….like Zeromancer, System of a Down, My Chemical Romance…" Soujiro muttered, ruffling his hair in frustration.
"How about Shin Ken no Kamae?" Kenshin suggested.
"The sword that believes…." Soujiro pondered this, then shrugged "Eh, it's not great, but it'll do for now."
"Psh. I thought it was a good suggestion, not just mildly interesting." Kenshin rolled his eyes. Being in a band was not all it cracked up to be, even if they had only existed for 20 minutes.
***
"The chicken is…interesting…" Enishi commented, for lack of anything else to say. The rice was terrible too. How anyone could botch up something as simple as rice was beyond him, but he remembered Kaoru had not been much of a cook. How he had always insisted that they went out instead of staying in. It had only been a little more than half of a school year, and yet he had forgotten these things? Enishi stabbed at his chicken more violently as the thoughts continued rapidly.
{Why does she want to get away from me? Haven't I done so much for her?}
{How could she have just changed schools like that and not even notified me? It took one hell of a time trying to get the number and address. Her parents didn't even give a shit and didn't have the information on hand. How can anyone not care about her like that?}
{How could she have run away from me like that?}
{I've got feelings too…}
"E-Enishi?" Kaoru asked gingerly, looking up at the light fixture to avoid his startled gaze.
"Yes?" He replied with a slight growl.
"Would you like dessert? There's ice cream in the fridge."
"No thank you. I'm on a special diet now due to training."
Kaoru paled considerably. She had no idea he was on a special diet. Had the food she prepared fitted his needs? Was he going to be angry for her not knowing? What if-
"While the dinner was not spectacular, it fit standards." Enishi offered, calming her nerves. Kaoru exhaled a sigh of relief. "And…by the way, do you have a place for me to sleep tonight? I don't have any relatives in town anymore."
"What about your sister?" Kaoru asked, almost shrilly. She would die if Misao came home and saw Enishi sleeping on the couch. Enishi gave her a long, cold glare. Kaoru instantly regretted her words. Having not spoken to him in a long time, his relations could have changed. Perhaps they had had an argument of sorts. Whatever had happened, Enishi was still not explaining. He looked like he might explode and throttle her. Kaoru began breathing rapidly. This was the face she had come to fear. His fury and passionate anger were reflected in his eyes, in his contracted muscles, in his set jaw. He was ready to pounce, and Kaoru was waiting for the signal that would tell her to run.
Enishi, slowly, looked down and took a deep breath, watching his hand as he delicately opened his palms and pulled them back into fists. Kaoru watched intently, legs ready to spring from her chair and run to lock herself in the bathroom. Then it happened: the cold, malicious smile and the glint in his eye as he spoke.
"Never…mention…Tomoe…again…"
{Tomoe? Her name was Tomoe? Why is that so familiar?}
{"Hey angel baby, long time no see!"}
{"You promised me to yourself and no one else!"}
{"…Queen of Hades…"}
Enishi was by her side, gingerly running his fingers through her hair. Her eyes trailed after his hands. They were still tense with irritation. They wanted to demolish.
"Tomoe is not with us any longer."
Kaoru remained silent.
"After Dad got stationed somewhere else, she was grief-stricken. She really missed this Himura character that had been her boyfriend. She fell into bad situations. Started smoking and hanging out at bars. She got really lonely one night, and thought…just once…she'd do a little something for money. Just to end her loneliness. She didn't want it to turn into a 'full-time job', shall we say. And it didn't. After her loneliness was quenched, as was the man's, she wanted her money. He didn't have any. There was a brawl, and then a gun was pointed at her head." Kaoru felt Enishi's finger pointed at the side of her own head, to emphasize the dramatic point.
"Bang." It was all Enishi could say. He began to massage Kaoru's shoulders, then he moved his way up to her neck. Kaoru knew what was coming. He was kneading harder, grasping her little neck in his two hands. Enishi smiled as she fought to breathe.
"As far as I am concerned, this is all Himura's fault. If I ever find him, I will kill him no matter what the cost. And I would appreciate it if you would never mention Tomoe again."
Kaoru nodded as best she could, hoping he would let go of her throat soon.
***
Magdaria sat on the couch staring blankly at the TV. She felt Saitou's eyes on her as he sat at the table eating whatever crap he had managed to fish out of the refrigerator. Magdaria coughed and she rolled her eyes when she saw Saitou tense. She continued watching her show…when she had to cough again. Magdaria glanced at Saitou again. He had stopped eating and was intently watching her. She tried not to panic. Only two coughs…three…four…
Her eyes began to water. Coughing didn't really mean anything…there was just dust in the air or something. Pain seared through her chest, and she began to sweat. Her coughing continued. Before Saitou could leap to her side, she dashed into the bathroom and locked the door. She coughed and choked, wheezing in between.
"Magdaria! Open the door!" Saitou commanded from the other side. Magdaria caught her breath enough for a moment to shout back.
"I'm fine!" She cried hoarsely. The room was spinning, and she was flushed with sweat. Just as the words came out of her mouth, another cough took over. When she refocused, there was blood on the floor. She looked in the mirror. There was a little drop of blood on her lip, and she could taste it in her mouth.
"I'll be damned before I set foot in another hospital-" She choked, gasping for air. Magdaria began wheezing again, and breathing was becoming increasingly difficult.
"Damn it, Magdaria!"
{It's so hot…}
Magdaria was vaguely aware of someone yelling at her to watch out, and then there were loud noises from the other side of the door. Before she blacked out, Saitou was standing before her with an axe in hand. He picked her up, and she slipped into a blissful state of unconsciousness as she was taken to the hospital yet again.
***
"Want me to walk you back to the dorm, Misao? I called Kaoru for you and she said she was busy. I'd like to make sure she's all right." Kenshin nodded towards the door as everyone was packing up their instruments.
"Sure, Kenshin. She'd like you to visit." Misao raised her eyebrow suggestively. Kenshin rather felt like passing out.
"I…I d-don't know w-what you m-mean, Misao…heh.."
"Are you frickin' blind, Himura? She's head over heels for you!" Misao rolled her eyes and heaved a sigh of annoyance. "You are such an idiot…"
"Ironic-" Kenshin stopped. It was the same thought that had crossed his mind after attempting to kiss Kaoru. It felt like it had been ages since. He might as well visit her now, Spring break came up after the weekend and he was going to Japan to pick up his new sisters.
It was late. Misao checked her watch, which read 11:00. Whatever Kaoru had been doing, Misao assumed it was done and that Kaoru was in bed. Street lamps faintly illuminated the sidewalks. Looking over at Kenshin, he seemed like some demon-god with the shadows playing across his face.
{He must have had some sort of dark past. His face shows it} Misao lost herself in her thoughts, every once in a while darting her gaze to the life-like shadows that seemed to grasp for her from the darkness. She scooted closer to Kenshin, eventually bumping into him on accident.
"Sorry," she muttered. Kenshin looked vaguely surprised and embarrassed.
"Something wrong?" He asked, continuing his strenuous pace.
"Uh..the shadows…nothing, nothing at all." She replied, not all too confident.
"Misao is afraid of the dark?" Kenshin smiled at this, suppressing a laugh.
"No!" Misao shouted back, getting angry. Her retort echoed off the walls of the surrounding dorm buildings. After it faded away, everything became eerily quiet again. Kenshin's smile faded as well, and he closed his eyes as he spoke.
"Everyone is afraid of the dark."
"Pshh…look at you, Kenshin. You ARE the dark." Misao scoffed, crossing her arms as she angrily eyed the bushes rustling in the wind. Kenshin looked at her, but the look was on of a sad mother trying to tell her daughter about the truth of life.
"Kenshin…you're not…"
"I am very afraid of the dark."
Misao's mouth must have dropped open, because Kenshin quickly looked away as if he regretted his remark. To occupy himself, he took his hair down and put it back up again, in a higher ponytail. Once he felt it was satisfactory, he put his hands back into his pockets.
"While not everything about the darkness is bad, there is generally something lurking in the shadows. In the daytime, it is camouflaged by sunlight."
Misao jumped as they passed a dorm just as someone blasted a Marilyn Manson CD. Misao was not happy about acting scared in front of Kenshin. One, he was a guy. Two, he just looked like someone that wouldn't ever be scared.
But apparently he was.
Misao pulled out her key as they approached her dorm. She was muttering and cursing about nothing in particular, just trying to occupy the silence. Kenshin's brow furrowed in concentration. He raised his hand.
"Shhh."
Misao stopped and listened. It was faint, but someone was making some sort of sound of distress. Kenshin's eyes widened and he took the key from Misao and shoved it in the door himself, flinging it open. Misao screamed Kaoru's name, running in and pushing past Kenshin.
"Holy shit!" Misao gasped as she stopped in the doorway to Kaoru's room. Her knees buckled and she sank to the floor, looking up in the white-haired beauty's face. He stood formidably before her, and he picked her up by her arm.
"Is this your roommate?" He asked a dark form curled in the corner of a room.
"Yes…" The voice was Kaoru's, but it sounded so weak and pathetic compared to her usual cheery self. She had a sheet wrapped around her, and Misao took note of what appeared to be black material from one of Kaoru's dresses.
"Let her go, bastard." Kenshin appeared in the doorway, a fire poker in hand.
"Who are you?" Enishi asked, almost bewildered.
"I could ask the same of you." Kenshin replied calmly. Misao turned to look at Kenshin. She gasped when she saw his eyes. Instead of the innocent violet irises, there was a bright, menacing gold in place. Enishi tossed Misao aside.
"Don't make another noise!" He spat. Enishi wasn't in a mood to be dealing with bothersome people, let alone a weasel girl. "Now let's just see who you are," Enishi said dangerously, as he moved for his pocket, pulling out what Kenshin hoped to be a match or a cigarette lighter. Kenshin gripped the fire poker harder, ready to attack. The scratch of the lighter sounded, and a tiny flame illuminated the two men's faces.
Neither was prepared to see what was revealed from the shadows.
***
Sanosuke walked back home, eyeing the alleyways. Crazy people hung out in those dark halls of the night, and he wasn't in the mood to be mugged. But then again, when is anyone in the mood to be robbed like that? It wasn't like he had anything with him either, aside from his impeccable knowledge of the streets. He climbed the steps two by two up to the apartment, preparing to call Magdaria. Not only did he want to talk to her, but he wanted to piss off Saitou. Calling at such a late hour would definitely annoy the crabby high school teacher.
{Then again, maybe Magdaria likes to go to bed early, too.}
Nervously he picked up the phone. Misao had given him the number while they were trying to pull their band together. He dialed, closing his eyes and praying she would answer the phone first and not Saitou. But…nothing happened. The phone rang about six times before the answering machine picked up.
"You have reached the temporary residence of Hajime Saitou. If you are a telemarketer, hang up now. If you are a student, hang up now. If you are Sanosuke Sagara, jump off a bridge. Otherwise, leave a message."
Sanosuke hung up, feeling rather proud of himself for having made it into Saitou's answering machine greeting. Turning from the living room, he walked into the kitchen.
{Funny…the light is on. Adzuma hates light when she's trying to sleep.}
He went to turn it off, when a voice stopped him.
"You're coming home awfully late these days." Adzuma said softly from her corner, coffee mug in hand.
"What do you care?" He asked irritably.
"I don't want you getting attacked." She took a sip from her mug, her brown hair pulled back in a bun. Sanosuke sighed.
"You getting ready to go to work?"
"Yeah."
"So early? I thought you didn't have to go until 1:00AM."
"Yeah…Sanosuke, we need to talk…things are going to change a bit."
"I don't know if I like the sound of this." Sanosuke replied uneasily.
"You won't." Adzuma smiled bitterly. "I know you won't."
ANOTHER AN: Yikes! Love those cliffhangers! Anyhow…I'm trying to portray Enishi as a more realistic person instead of just some lunatic…trying to show the darker 'battousai' mode of Kenshin…and…anything else? Oh yeah, did some research on tuberculosis, and forgive me if Magdaria has a bunch of dramatic episodes that actually have no real connection to tuberculosis. Let's just play pretend, alrighty? It's really hard to keep the OOC at a realistic level while trying to keep a bit of what their real characters are like. Bear with me and enjoy! (Sorry for shortness)