AN: Okay, my sister and I cracked down and got working on our stories.
We helped each other out with ideas, and might I say, she came up with
some great stuff that I've been thinking over and developing in my
notebook. So now instead of mindlessly typing crap to save my ass from
impatient readers, I'm actually going to get some stuff explained.
Enjoy!
EDIT: Sorry.....I reposted this chapter to fix up the format. It was really crappy and was bugging me, so here it is again. Don't worry, I'm uploading Ch 19 too!
------------------------
Soujiro cleared his throat, looking down at his napkin. The rest of the band members waited for the music, and instantly recognized the song as "Hey Mickey". Soujiro grinned and stepped up to the mike.
"This song is for a good buddy named Aoshi!" Soujiro yelled into the microphone. Aoshi blanched. Why did all this stupid embarrassing crap have to happen to him?
"Oh Aoshi you're so fine,
You're so fine you blow my mind.
Hey Aoshi, hey Aoshi!
Oh Aoshi you're so fine,
You're so fine you blow my mind
Hey Aoshi, hey Aoshi !
"Hey Aoshi !
You've been mopin' round all night
and that's a little long,
You think you've got the right,
But I think you've got it wrong.
Turn on the goddamn light,
So you won't be alone, Aoshi!
"Cause when you say you will
It always means you won't
You're giving me the chills baby, please baby don't
Every night you just won't answer the phone, Aoshi! "
Aoshi didn't know whether to beat the shit out of the boy or puke. Soujiro continued singing on his merry way, starting to dance a bit on the stage.
"Oh, Aoshi what a pity you don't understand
You seem like such a jerk
But you're really just a lamb
Oh Aoshi, you're so pretty, cant you understand?
Its guys like you Aoshi
Oh what you do Aoshi, do Aoshi
Don't be an ass, Aoshi.
"Now when you go off to work
Everyone's gonna know
That every time you're pissed
It isn't just a show
There's something we can use
So don't say no Aoshi!
So come on and give it to me
Anyway you can
Anyway you want to do it
I'll treat you like a man
Oh Please, baby Please
Don't leave me in a jam Aoshi!"
Aoshi could not believe Soujiro had the guts to sing that. He ran to the men's room covering his mouth, making gagging noises along the way. Kenshin repressed a chuckle. Misao was laughing her head off, slapping Sanosuke's shoulder.
Soujiro took a bow and grinned.
"Thank you all, and no, I am not gay!"
Soujiro hopped off the stage and returned to his seat. Misao had tears in her eyes she was laughing so hard, and Kenshin had hidden his face behind his napkin in order to hide his snickering. Sanosuke had finished his song on his napkin, and marched up to the stage.
"I dunno about you guys but I think it's about time someone did something about that annoying as shit song 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand'." Sanosuke smiled as he picked up the microphone. "Are you guys ready?"
"WOOOOOOO SANOOOOO!!!" Misao shrieked jamming her fist into the air with the 'rock on' hand symbol.
Sanosuke then proceeded to poorly mimic the Beatles' high pitched voices as he cried "I wanna buy your crack". Afterward, Aoshi had finally left the bathroom, but not before running into a flamboyant gay boy.
"Hi! My name is Kamatari." he blushed. Aoshi just about died on the spot. Misao turned around just in time to witness the interaction and pointed out the extremely apprehensive Aoshi to the rest of the band.
"You are sooooooo hot. Oh my gosh. And, that was so nice of your friend to sing that cute song about you. I like your eyes, they're really pretty."
"Uhhhhhhhhhh…." Aoshi couldn't pry himself away.
{I want to die, want to die, want to die- dammit, no one is going to die except for SOUJIRO once I'm through with him. And may he burn in hell afterwards!}
The 'man' was dressed in tight pinstripe pants and a white dress shirt, with a matching pinstripe jacket. The cut of the clothing was definitely made for females, but Kamatari fit it well, despite his lack of a bust. His short black hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and he wore plenty of eyeliner (artfully applied in small swirls). He was looking up at Aoshi with such a hopeful smile that Aoshi almost hated to break his heart.
{All right, I've got to do this gently, now. Gently. Gennnnnnnntlyyyyyyy…}
"Um…Kamatari, was it?"
"Uh huh?" Kamatari's smile brightened even more. Aoshi began to feel a bit panicked. There was no way he would be able to get away without making the guy cry, he was sure.
"Well….I'm. Kinda. Uh….not………..gay."
Kamatari's face made him look like he had just gotten the wind knocked out of him. He was still perky and happy, but definitely bummed out.
"Oh….I'm sorry."
"No it's alright. A misunderstanding, that's all. Soujiro's an ass."
"Your friend?"
"Yeah, he was just being stupid."
"All right. Well. I'll go now." Kamatari started to turn away.
"Uh….you can sit with us if you want." Aoshi stopped him. He still felt bad about letting the guy down.
"I wouldn't want to bother…."
"It's okay. They're fine. We just started a band so we're getting a feel for singing."
"Huh. Sounds cool."
"Yeah. So do you want to come over here? You look like you need company."
"I…guess so. It's so hard to find company these days. My boyfriend just broke up with me…" Kamatari looked up at Aoshi sheepishly.
"I said it's okay. Now come on. You shouldn't be sitting by yourself." Aoshi led a beaming Kamatari back to the table, much to the surprise of the rest of his friends.
---------------------------
Magdaria's Vampire Princess Miyu soundtrack was on, and Waltz of a Puppeteer was playing. She was sketching furiously in her notebook, though the look on her face was serene and relaxed. Amakusa watched her from afar, keeping his eye on Saitou as well.
"So, how was she doing up until now? Did you…..I dunno…change her or anything?" Amakusa asked.
"Not that I know of." Saitou shrugged.
"She looks the same." Amakusa sighed, twirling around his cup that had been previously full of lemonade.
"You seem disappointed." Saitou smirked.
"I just…I don't know about her, Uncle." Amakusa looked extremely perplexed, and Saitou uncomfortably scooted away toward the television, far away from the teenage drama.
The telephone rang. Surprisingly enough, Magdaria answered it.
"Saitou residence, Magdaria speaking."
"Hey babe," came the voice on the other end.
"Who the hell is this?"
"Sanosuke. Remember me?"
"Oh….oh yeah." Magdaria blushed, then ran back to her room and closed the door. This was the first time he had ever called her. As a matter of fact, she had almost forgotten about him, what with being in the hospital for a few days.
"So. Where have you been?" he asked.
"Oh, no where in particular. My brother came over to visit so I've been spending time with him." she replied, chipping at her burgundy nail polish.
"I see. So…Magdaria. I was wondering if you'd like to go somewhere this Sunday. You know, it might be fun to go see a movie or something."
"Or something?" Magdaria asked. "Just what else could I get you to do?"
"I'm open minded. You tell me."
"I think I've got an idea. We'll go to the New Age show at Adaruriku Park. Do you like New age music?"
"Ummm…." Sanosuke had heard of this so-called 'New Age' but had been unsure as to what it was. Not only was it a genre in the book store, but it was a music style as well. Sano was thoroughly confused.
"Oh, I see. You've never heard it before. You're a rock junkie, aren't you?"
"Well, I-"
"That's not bad or anything, I like all sorts of music, but you need a little time to wind down, and that's what New Age does for me. There's such a variety of sound out there! Come on, Sano. It'll be fun. And it's free! Unless you want to buy a CD of course, that's not free…"
"How did it come about that YOU are trying to take me on this date?"
"Date? Interesting. I don't recall this being a date…"
"Well…I just…wanted to get to know you better, because I….I…you know…I'm…interested in you and all…"
Magdaria had to keep from laughing at Sanosuke's loss of words. He had no idea how to really ask out a girl, did he? Oh sure, she could see that he'd had girlfriends before, but that was only because they had been little sluts and had done the asking.
"Alright," she said, interrupting him. "You've learned something new about me already, then. I like New Age music. So, it's a date, then?" she asked.
Sanosuke smiled, clutching the phone tightly in his hands.
"It's a date."
------------------------
Kenshin sighed, dragging his suitcase out into the hallway. Aoshi was carrying his other suitcase, along with the dorm keys, and he quietly locked the door. Kenshin yawned, and then headed for the elevator. Once inside, the low humming was the only noise that chased away the silence between him and Aoshi.
The first floor was dimly lit by one lamp on the reception desk. A security guard eyed them suspiciously, but Kenshin showed him his papers that the dean had signed. They stated that Kenshin was to leave at 4AM with his parents for the airport. Aoshi explained that he was only there to be sure he left safely. Aoshi was a good foot taller than the guard, so he reluctantly let him go.
{Battousai…} Kenshin thought, closing his eyes. He could see Julie's car making it's way into the circular road that wound around the sparkling fountain that bore the school crest. The navy blue car parked in front of him, and Julie stepped out of it, quietly shutting the door.
"Lisa fell asleep. Try to be quiet." she whispered as she smiled at her son.
"Okay, Kasaan."
"Morning to you too. Is this a friend?" Julie nodded toward Aoshi.
"Yeah, he's my room mate." Kenshin yawned again. He hadn't slept well at all. Aoshi gave a little bow.
"Aoshi Shinomori".
"He's a cute one." Julie smiled and inclined her head.
"Kasaan!"
"Okay, I'll stop if you lower your voice a bit. It was nice meeting you, Shinomori."
"Likewise, Ms. Himura."
Kenshin dragged himself into the back seat, waved at Aoshi, and closed the door. He fell back and closed his eyes, momentarily falling asleep. His dreams were jumpy and senseless, flashing here and there. Then they took him to the water…the rushing, cursed water.
{Why am I here?}
The water rushed around him, carrying him downstream. It was relaxing at first, then the rapids became more chaotic, and his body kept scraping against rocks.
{The water is so…so cold. Deathly cold…}
It was dark. He could hear birds screeching at him from tree branches. He kept going under, under, and the water got colder the deeper he went. Kenshin let the water do it's will. His body slammed more violently into the rocks as the rapids carried him under and away, down to the bottom, down to the darkness where nothing lived. Little slimy fingers clamped around his arm, more touched his face, closed his eyelids, and began peeling away his skin. Nothing living remains in the darkened silence of the deep waters. Only the dead drift along in the painfully cold water. Kenshin opened his eyes, watching the hollowed, decayed spirits stare blankly ahead at him with their jaws shut tight in their sick skeletal smiles. And they continued to peel away his flesh.
{I'm…dying.} The thought had no effect on Kenshin. He could not will himself to move. When he closed his eyes again, he saw the inside of his skull grin like the other soul-devoid spirits, and then….he was no more.
"Kenshin."
Kenshin jolted up, hitting his head as he tried to stand. He almost screamed when he didn't focus right away, but then he saw Lisa in front of him with a worried look on her face. He was still in the car.
"Baby, are you all right? Did you have a bad dream?" she asked.
"I'm fine, Mom." he replied, after much deliberation. Kenshin lifted a shaky hand to his cheek, damp with cold sweat. He could still feel the slimy fingers peeling his skin away.
"Come on, kid. We've got a flight to catch." Julie peeked over Lisa's shoulder, pointing at the wheeled contraption that held all their luggage. Kenshin got out of the car, and Lisa linked her arm around his. Julie led the way, nearly leaving Kenshin and Lisa in her dust had she not toned down her athletic abilities.
They heaved their baggage onto the conveyor belt and headed toward the security check to get to their gate. Kenshin held his breath as he stepped through. He always hated the metal detectors. He hadn't worn any jewelry to save himself from an embarrassment he had experienced on his last flight. Lucky for him, the alarm wasn't set off, and he hurried to catch up with Julie and Lisa.
They stopped at the little restaurant that sold cinnamon rolls, which Lisa paid for while Julie stood with her arms crossed behind her. Kenshin smiled. Julie was so protective. She was very feminine looking, even with her short-cropped hair. But whenever she felt that Kenshin or Lisa were somehow close to some unknown impending doom, she became gruff and intimidating.
Kenshin brought his tray to a little table and did some people-watching as he devoured his cinnamon roll. The airport was a fascinating place, despite all of the chaos and confusion it held inside. He turned back to see his parents having a minor argument. Julie was pointing fervently at a TV set and shaking her head. Lisa looked upset, but nodded, stealing a quick glance toward Kenshin. She said something else, but Julie replied negatively and crossed her arms again. Then they both saw Kenshin staring at them, smiled, and brought the rest of the breakfast to the table.
"What was that about?" Kenshin asked.
"Nothing really…Julie was just upset over a news report that mentioned some anti-gay marriage things." Lisa sighed, dipping some of her fruit into cream cheese.
"Oh…" Kenshin bit into his roll again, and couldn't help but feel that he was being lied to. Once they finished eating, the three of them headed toward their gate. Once they sat down, Julie came back from the desk and complained that the flight would be forty minutes late. Kenshin stared up at the TV, wondering if they would show the anti-gay marriage report again. Julie tapped his shoulder.
"How about a good old fashioned game of rock, scissors, paper?" she smiled. Kenshin gave her a look of suspicion. He turned his gaze back to the TV. The reporter was blabbing on about who knew what, until he suddenly said:
"We have more information on the remains that were found yesterday of two children that drowned nearly two years ago in the Iku river during a summer camp program. Hiroshi and Ryoichi Inoue were 9 year old twins that went white-water rafting when a storm knocked the raft over before all the children were rescued. Their counselor, Kenshin Himura, made a desperate attempt to save them, but failed. We have been unable to locate him for an interview, but we have spoken with the man who was the camp director at the time. Chou, can you hear me?"
"Yes I can, Hoji. I am currently standing along the bank of the Iku river where the twins Hiroshi and Ryoichi Inoue drowned nearly two years ago, come next month. Such a tragic story that had been forgotten until now, when their remains were found in the mud about four miles south……"
Kenshin ran to the men's room, and vomited.
"Battousai…"
----------------------------
"Holy shit…" Soujiro nearly dropped his can of coke. He and Sanosuke were sitting on the couch in T-shirts and boxers, while Aoshi remained fully dressed from the morning. Sano had been enjoying a breakfast of soda and leftover chicken teriyaki when the news report had left the three boys speechless. Soujiro immediately phoned Misao.
"Hey, Misao, turn on your TV. Yeah, I know it's 7 in the morning, but it's urgent. Alright. Get Kaoru up too, I think she needs to see this. NO, WE'RE NOT WATCHING PORN!!! Damn, you women and your paranoia. Anyhow, go to channel 4. Yeah. No, I don't want you to watch the commercial, wait for the news to come back on. It's about Kenshin."
There was silence as the report recapped for a brief moment and moved onto pointless shit about a potato chip company shutting down before Soujiro started up the conversation again. Sanosuke and Aoshi watched him as he talked.
"Yeah, who would have thought? Maybe that's why he's so uptight. I mean, I'd be in a mental hospital right now if two kids I was responsible for drowned. I couldn't take that kind of guilt…poor guy…" Soujiro paused, and his face twisted into one of disbelief.
"Battousai? What?"
Aoshi and Sanosuke were leaning closer to Soujiro in hopes of hearing Misao's explanation. They were seriously worried about Kenshin now.
"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THERE WAS A FIGHT? Holy shit, Misao, are you okay? You're damn lucky Kenshin was with you. Damn lucky! Alright, alright, I'm calming down. So Enishi called him Battousai. So what? Oh. Oh, I get it now. Manslayer. Yeah. Well, technically they were kids…so…well I guess that just makes it worse. Okay. Yeah. Well, I'll talk to you some other time. Thanks for the info." Soujiro hit the 'end' button, and tossed the phone onto the coffee table.
"What was that about?" Sanosuke asked in awe.
"Oh, Kaoru has a possessive boyfriend who visited a week or two ago and he was beating on Kaoru when Misao showed up, and lucky her, Kenshin had walked her home from band practice, so they got in a fight because his sister was Kensin's ex-girlfriend, and now she's dead so he's pissed at everything, so he thought he'd stab Kenshin with the theoretical Big Ass Knife O' Guilt by calling him Battousai, and our friend has been morose ever since."
"Kenshin has always been morose. Or whatever that word is."
"I wouldn't say morose, a better word would be withdrawn. He doesn't open up to anyone." Aoshi added his opinion to the conversation, calmly sipping his tea.
"Like you." Sano turned to him, an amused smile on his face.
"Yes. Like me."
"I don't see why you aren't better friends with him, Aoshi. You're both so alike, much more so than him and Sanosuke." Soujiro said as he turned off the TV and flopped back onto the couch.
"Well, being friends with him would defeat the purpose of being withdrawn, now wouldn't it?" Aoshi gave his room mates a grim smile. Soujiro and Sano glanced at each other before nodding.
"While chatting with you two is somewhat entertaining, I'm afraid that I have to go to work in an hour. I'll come back for lunch, but then I have to go watch over Shina while Shishio and his wife go out for a little 'alone time'."
"That's fucking gross, Aoshi." Sanosuke groaned, rolling his eyes.
"Great. Now I have to go take a shower and purge my dirty mind!" Soujiro stomped off to the bathroom. Aoshi chuckled. Those two spaziods were too funny.
-----------------------------------
Kenshin, bleary eyed, trudged out of the bathroom and back to the gate. Lisa was almost in tears, and Julie wasn't looking any better, but she urged them both onto the plane. Lisa had her arm around Kenshin, her poor little baby, and Julie laid her hand on his shoulder as they walked onto the plane. A few people eyed them curiously, though they went back to their business almost immediately. Lisa ushered Kenshin into the window seat and sat down next to him, rubbing his shoulder. Julie had to sit across from them next to a sleeping business man. But she continued to give Kenshin her sympathetic gaze.
"Kenshin…it's not your fault. It was never your fault." she whispered.
"You did all you could do, and I'm proud that you tried, even if it was reckless." Lisa said softly, taking Kenshin's hand and squeezing it.
"I know." Kenshin replied. He was far from believing them, but he had already gone through this painful conversation once, had gone to a therapist for a while, had been on anti-depressants until he was skillful enough to fake a smile and a sense of closure, but it all came down to one thing: no matter how happy he had ever become, the death of the two boys had pulled him back down. Their parents had been understanding and had not blamed him at all (to his knowledge). Everyone had been really nice to him, and had been invited to their memorial service. But Kenshin felt that he was scarred for life. Enishi, also a counselor at the time, had never let him live it down. Not even to this day.
"Kenshin! Get your ass up here! There's nothing we can do, the current will have pulled them away too fast!" Katsu screamed. Enishi was on the bank as well, leading the kids back toward the camp. Kenshin hesitated at first, then dove in.
"Kenshin, you ass! You idiot! You fucking moron! You can't save them, Kenshin, you'll die too!"
{I have to save them. They were in my charge. I can't let them die.}
"Kenshin! Help me!" came the little cry, followed by another not far off. Two innocent twins. Brothers that would share the same fate. Kenshin felt the cold liquid fill his lungs, throw him against the rocks
And the water pulled him under, under…
To the place where things no longer living reside….
---------------------------------
ANOTHER AN: Okay…..is the reason behind Kenshin's being called "Battousai" clear? If not, say something, and I'll try to detail-by-detail explain it for the people who can't connect the dots. Be warned, much more drama is coming! AND IT'S NOT ALL ABOUT KENSHIN!!! WOW!!!
Coming up next time, on Too Complicated for Words!
::camera hits Sanosuke in the head::
SANO: Dammit, watch where you're going! Just film these teaser clips, okay?
Aoshi actually falling for a girl?
Just what is Misao up to when it's discovered by Kaoru that she has over $500 stashed away in her drawer?
Is Kamatari ever going to show up in this story again?
KAMATARI: Probably not. This acting job pays crap, and I wanna buy a pretty prom dress for the cast party.
ME: Shut up and smile. We're still filming.
KAMATARI: Oh, right. I'm so sexy! ::whirls around while dressed as Marilyn Monroe::
ME: All this and more, next time, on TOO COMPLICATED FOR WORDS!!!
EDIT: Sorry.....I reposted this chapter to fix up the format. It was really crappy and was bugging me, so here it is again. Don't worry, I'm uploading Ch 19 too!
------------------------
Soujiro cleared his throat, looking down at his napkin. The rest of the band members waited for the music, and instantly recognized the song as "Hey Mickey". Soujiro grinned and stepped up to the mike.
"This song is for a good buddy named Aoshi!" Soujiro yelled into the microphone. Aoshi blanched. Why did all this stupid embarrassing crap have to happen to him?
"Oh Aoshi you're so fine,
You're so fine you blow my mind.
Hey Aoshi, hey Aoshi!
Oh Aoshi you're so fine,
You're so fine you blow my mind
Hey Aoshi, hey Aoshi !
"Hey Aoshi !
You've been mopin' round all night
and that's a little long,
You think you've got the right,
But I think you've got it wrong.
Turn on the goddamn light,
So you won't be alone, Aoshi!
"Cause when you say you will
It always means you won't
You're giving me the chills baby, please baby don't
Every night you just won't answer the phone, Aoshi! "
Aoshi didn't know whether to beat the shit out of the boy or puke. Soujiro continued singing on his merry way, starting to dance a bit on the stage.
"Oh, Aoshi what a pity you don't understand
You seem like such a jerk
But you're really just a lamb
Oh Aoshi, you're so pretty, cant you understand?
Its guys like you Aoshi
Oh what you do Aoshi, do Aoshi
Don't be an ass, Aoshi.
"Now when you go off to work
Everyone's gonna know
That every time you're pissed
It isn't just a show
There's something we can use
So don't say no Aoshi!
So come on and give it to me
Anyway you can
Anyway you want to do it
I'll treat you like a man
Oh Please, baby Please
Don't leave me in a jam Aoshi!"
Aoshi could not believe Soujiro had the guts to sing that. He ran to the men's room covering his mouth, making gagging noises along the way. Kenshin repressed a chuckle. Misao was laughing her head off, slapping Sanosuke's shoulder.
Soujiro took a bow and grinned.
"Thank you all, and no, I am not gay!"
Soujiro hopped off the stage and returned to his seat. Misao had tears in her eyes she was laughing so hard, and Kenshin had hidden his face behind his napkin in order to hide his snickering. Sanosuke had finished his song on his napkin, and marched up to the stage.
"I dunno about you guys but I think it's about time someone did something about that annoying as shit song 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand'." Sanosuke smiled as he picked up the microphone. "Are you guys ready?"
"WOOOOOOO SANOOOOO!!!" Misao shrieked jamming her fist into the air with the 'rock on' hand symbol.
Sanosuke then proceeded to poorly mimic the Beatles' high pitched voices as he cried "I wanna buy your crack". Afterward, Aoshi had finally left the bathroom, but not before running into a flamboyant gay boy.
"Hi! My name is Kamatari." he blushed. Aoshi just about died on the spot. Misao turned around just in time to witness the interaction and pointed out the extremely apprehensive Aoshi to the rest of the band.
"You are sooooooo hot. Oh my gosh. And, that was so nice of your friend to sing that cute song about you. I like your eyes, they're really pretty."
"Uhhhhhhhhhh…." Aoshi couldn't pry himself away.
{I want to die, want to die, want to die- dammit, no one is going to die except for SOUJIRO once I'm through with him. And may he burn in hell afterwards!}
The 'man' was dressed in tight pinstripe pants and a white dress shirt, with a matching pinstripe jacket. The cut of the clothing was definitely made for females, but Kamatari fit it well, despite his lack of a bust. His short black hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and he wore plenty of eyeliner (artfully applied in small swirls). He was looking up at Aoshi with such a hopeful smile that Aoshi almost hated to break his heart.
{All right, I've got to do this gently, now. Gently. Gennnnnnnntlyyyyyyy…}
"Um…Kamatari, was it?"
"Uh huh?" Kamatari's smile brightened even more. Aoshi began to feel a bit panicked. There was no way he would be able to get away without making the guy cry, he was sure.
"Well….I'm. Kinda. Uh….not………..gay."
Kamatari's face made him look like he had just gotten the wind knocked out of him. He was still perky and happy, but definitely bummed out.
"Oh….I'm sorry."
"No it's alright. A misunderstanding, that's all. Soujiro's an ass."
"Your friend?"
"Yeah, he was just being stupid."
"All right. Well. I'll go now." Kamatari started to turn away.
"Uh….you can sit with us if you want." Aoshi stopped him. He still felt bad about letting the guy down.
"I wouldn't want to bother…."
"It's okay. They're fine. We just started a band so we're getting a feel for singing."
"Huh. Sounds cool."
"Yeah. So do you want to come over here? You look like you need company."
"I…guess so. It's so hard to find company these days. My boyfriend just broke up with me…" Kamatari looked up at Aoshi sheepishly.
"I said it's okay. Now come on. You shouldn't be sitting by yourself." Aoshi led a beaming Kamatari back to the table, much to the surprise of the rest of his friends.
---------------------------
Magdaria's Vampire Princess Miyu soundtrack was on, and Waltz of a Puppeteer was playing. She was sketching furiously in her notebook, though the look on her face was serene and relaxed. Amakusa watched her from afar, keeping his eye on Saitou as well.
"So, how was she doing up until now? Did you…..I dunno…change her or anything?" Amakusa asked.
"Not that I know of." Saitou shrugged.
"She looks the same." Amakusa sighed, twirling around his cup that had been previously full of lemonade.
"You seem disappointed." Saitou smirked.
"I just…I don't know about her, Uncle." Amakusa looked extremely perplexed, and Saitou uncomfortably scooted away toward the television, far away from the teenage drama.
The telephone rang. Surprisingly enough, Magdaria answered it.
"Saitou residence, Magdaria speaking."
"Hey babe," came the voice on the other end.
"Who the hell is this?"
"Sanosuke. Remember me?"
"Oh….oh yeah." Magdaria blushed, then ran back to her room and closed the door. This was the first time he had ever called her. As a matter of fact, she had almost forgotten about him, what with being in the hospital for a few days.
"So. Where have you been?" he asked.
"Oh, no where in particular. My brother came over to visit so I've been spending time with him." she replied, chipping at her burgundy nail polish.
"I see. So…Magdaria. I was wondering if you'd like to go somewhere this Sunday. You know, it might be fun to go see a movie or something."
"Or something?" Magdaria asked. "Just what else could I get you to do?"
"I'm open minded. You tell me."
"I think I've got an idea. We'll go to the New Age show at Adaruriku Park. Do you like New age music?"
"Ummm…." Sanosuke had heard of this so-called 'New Age' but had been unsure as to what it was. Not only was it a genre in the book store, but it was a music style as well. Sano was thoroughly confused.
"Oh, I see. You've never heard it before. You're a rock junkie, aren't you?"
"Well, I-"
"That's not bad or anything, I like all sorts of music, but you need a little time to wind down, and that's what New Age does for me. There's such a variety of sound out there! Come on, Sano. It'll be fun. And it's free! Unless you want to buy a CD of course, that's not free…"
"How did it come about that YOU are trying to take me on this date?"
"Date? Interesting. I don't recall this being a date…"
"Well…I just…wanted to get to know you better, because I….I…you know…I'm…interested in you and all…"
Magdaria had to keep from laughing at Sanosuke's loss of words. He had no idea how to really ask out a girl, did he? Oh sure, she could see that he'd had girlfriends before, but that was only because they had been little sluts and had done the asking.
"Alright," she said, interrupting him. "You've learned something new about me already, then. I like New Age music. So, it's a date, then?" she asked.
Sanosuke smiled, clutching the phone tightly in his hands.
"It's a date."
------------------------
Kenshin sighed, dragging his suitcase out into the hallway. Aoshi was carrying his other suitcase, along with the dorm keys, and he quietly locked the door. Kenshin yawned, and then headed for the elevator. Once inside, the low humming was the only noise that chased away the silence between him and Aoshi.
The first floor was dimly lit by one lamp on the reception desk. A security guard eyed them suspiciously, but Kenshin showed him his papers that the dean had signed. They stated that Kenshin was to leave at 4AM with his parents for the airport. Aoshi explained that he was only there to be sure he left safely. Aoshi was a good foot taller than the guard, so he reluctantly let him go.
{Battousai…} Kenshin thought, closing his eyes. He could see Julie's car making it's way into the circular road that wound around the sparkling fountain that bore the school crest. The navy blue car parked in front of him, and Julie stepped out of it, quietly shutting the door.
"Lisa fell asleep. Try to be quiet." she whispered as she smiled at her son.
"Okay, Kasaan."
"Morning to you too. Is this a friend?" Julie nodded toward Aoshi.
"Yeah, he's my room mate." Kenshin yawned again. He hadn't slept well at all. Aoshi gave a little bow.
"Aoshi Shinomori".
"He's a cute one." Julie smiled and inclined her head.
"Kasaan!"
"Okay, I'll stop if you lower your voice a bit. It was nice meeting you, Shinomori."
"Likewise, Ms. Himura."
Kenshin dragged himself into the back seat, waved at Aoshi, and closed the door. He fell back and closed his eyes, momentarily falling asleep. His dreams were jumpy and senseless, flashing here and there. Then they took him to the water…the rushing, cursed water.
{Why am I here?}
The water rushed around him, carrying him downstream. It was relaxing at first, then the rapids became more chaotic, and his body kept scraping against rocks.
{The water is so…so cold. Deathly cold…}
It was dark. He could hear birds screeching at him from tree branches. He kept going under, under, and the water got colder the deeper he went. Kenshin let the water do it's will. His body slammed more violently into the rocks as the rapids carried him under and away, down to the bottom, down to the darkness where nothing lived. Little slimy fingers clamped around his arm, more touched his face, closed his eyelids, and began peeling away his skin. Nothing living remains in the darkened silence of the deep waters. Only the dead drift along in the painfully cold water. Kenshin opened his eyes, watching the hollowed, decayed spirits stare blankly ahead at him with their jaws shut tight in their sick skeletal smiles. And they continued to peel away his flesh.
{I'm…dying.} The thought had no effect on Kenshin. He could not will himself to move. When he closed his eyes again, he saw the inside of his skull grin like the other soul-devoid spirits, and then….he was no more.
"Kenshin."
Kenshin jolted up, hitting his head as he tried to stand. He almost screamed when he didn't focus right away, but then he saw Lisa in front of him with a worried look on her face. He was still in the car.
"Baby, are you all right? Did you have a bad dream?" she asked.
"I'm fine, Mom." he replied, after much deliberation. Kenshin lifted a shaky hand to his cheek, damp with cold sweat. He could still feel the slimy fingers peeling his skin away.
"Come on, kid. We've got a flight to catch." Julie peeked over Lisa's shoulder, pointing at the wheeled contraption that held all their luggage. Kenshin got out of the car, and Lisa linked her arm around his. Julie led the way, nearly leaving Kenshin and Lisa in her dust had she not toned down her athletic abilities.
They heaved their baggage onto the conveyor belt and headed toward the security check to get to their gate. Kenshin held his breath as he stepped through. He always hated the metal detectors. He hadn't worn any jewelry to save himself from an embarrassment he had experienced on his last flight. Lucky for him, the alarm wasn't set off, and he hurried to catch up with Julie and Lisa.
They stopped at the little restaurant that sold cinnamon rolls, which Lisa paid for while Julie stood with her arms crossed behind her. Kenshin smiled. Julie was so protective. She was very feminine looking, even with her short-cropped hair. But whenever she felt that Kenshin or Lisa were somehow close to some unknown impending doom, she became gruff and intimidating.
Kenshin brought his tray to a little table and did some people-watching as he devoured his cinnamon roll. The airport was a fascinating place, despite all of the chaos and confusion it held inside. He turned back to see his parents having a minor argument. Julie was pointing fervently at a TV set and shaking her head. Lisa looked upset, but nodded, stealing a quick glance toward Kenshin. She said something else, but Julie replied negatively and crossed her arms again. Then they both saw Kenshin staring at them, smiled, and brought the rest of the breakfast to the table.
"What was that about?" Kenshin asked.
"Nothing really…Julie was just upset over a news report that mentioned some anti-gay marriage things." Lisa sighed, dipping some of her fruit into cream cheese.
"Oh…" Kenshin bit into his roll again, and couldn't help but feel that he was being lied to. Once they finished eating, the three of them headed toward their gate. Once they sat down, Julie came back from the desk and complained that the flight would be forty minutes late. Kenshin stared up at the TV, wondering if they would show the anti-gay marriage report again. Julie tapped his shoulder.
"How about a good old fashioned game of rock, scissors, paper?" she smiled. Kenshin gave her a look of suspicion. He turned his gaze back to the TV. The reporter was blabbing on about who knew what, until he suddenly said:
"We have more information on the remains that were found yesterday of two children that drowned nearly two years ago in the Iku river during a summer camp program. Hiroshi and Ryoichi Inoue were 9 year old twins that went white-water rafting when a storm knocked the raft over before all the children were rescued. Their counselor, Kenshin Himura, made a desperate attempt to save them, but failed. We have been unable to locate him for an interview, but we have spoken with the man who was the camp director at the time. Chou, can you hear me?"
"Yes I can, Hoji. I am currently standing along the bank of the Iku river where the twins Hiroshi and Ryoichi Inoue drowned nearly two years ago, come next month. Such a tragic story that had been forgotten until now, when their remains were found in the mud about four miles south……"
Kenshin ran to the men's room, and vomited.
"Battousai…"
----------------------------
"Holy shit…" Soujiro nearly dropped his can of coke. He and Sanosuke were sitting on the couch in T-shirts and boxers, while Aoshi remained fully dressed from the morning. Sano had been enjoying a breakfast of soda and leftover chicken teriyaki when the news report had left the three boys speechless. Soujiro immediately phoned Misao.
"Hey, Misao, turn on your TV. Yeah, I know it's 7 in the morning, but it's urgent. Alright. Get Kaoru up too, I think she needs to see this. NO, WE'RE NOT WATCHING PORN!!! Damn, you women and your paranoia. Anyhow, go to channel 4. Yeah. No, I don't want you to watch the commercial, wait for the news to come back on. It's about Kenshin."
There was silence as the report recapped for a brief moment and moved onto pointless shit about a potato chip company shutting down before Soujiro started up the conversation again. Sanosuke and Aoshi watched him as he talked.
"Yeah, who would have thought? Maybe that's why he's so uptight. I mean, I'd be in a mental hospital right now if two kids I was responsible for drowned. I couldn't take that kind of guilt…poor guy…" Soujiro paused, and his face twisted into one of disbelief.
"Battousai? What?"
Aoshi and Sanosuke were leaning closer to Soujiro in hopes of hearing Misao's explanation. They were seriously worried about Kenshin now.
"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THERE WAS A FIGHT? Holy shit, Misao, are you okay? You're damn lucky Kenshin was with you. Damn lucky! Alright, alright, I'm calming down. So Enishi called him Battousai. So what? Oh. Oh, I get it now. Manslayer. Yeah. Well, technically they were kids…so…well I guess that just makes it worse. Okay. Yeah. Well, I'll talk to you some other time. Thanks for the info." Soujiro hit the 'end' button, and tossed the phone onto the coffee table.
"What was that about?" Sanosuke asked in awe.
"Oh, Kaoru has a possessive boyfriend who visited a week or two ago and he was beating on Kaoru when Misao showed up, and lucky her, Kenshin had walked her home from band practice, so they got in a fight because his sister was Kensin's ex-girlfriend, and now she's dead so he's pissed at everything, so he thought he'd stab Kenshin with the theoretical Big Ass Knife O' Guilt by calling him Battousai, and our friend has been morose ever since."
"Kenshin has always been morose. Or whatever that word is."
"I wouldn't say morose, a better word would be withdrawn. He doesn't open up to anyone." Aoshi added his opinion to the conversation, calmly sipping his tea.
"Like you." Sano turned to him, an amused smile on his face.
"Yes. Like me."
"I don't see why you aren't better friends with him, Aoshi. You're both so alike, much more so than him and Sanosuke." Soujiro said as he turned off the TV and flopped back onto the couch.
"Well, being friends with him would defeat the purpose of being withdrawn, now wouldn't it?" Aoshi gave his room mates a grim smile. Soujiro and Sano glanced at each other before nodding.
"While chatting with you two is somewhat entertaining, I'm afraid that I have to go to work in an hour. I'll come back for lunch, but then I have to go watch over Shina while Shishio and his wife go out for a little 'alone time'."
"That's fucking gross, Aoshi." Sanosuke groaned, rolling his eyes.
"Great. Now I have to go take a shower and purge my dirty mind!" Soujiro stomped off to the bathroom. Aoshi chuckled. Those two spaziods were too funny.
-----------------------------------
Kenshin, bleary eyed, trudged out of the bathroom and back to the gate. Lisa was almost in tears, and Julie wasn't looking any better, but she urged them both onto the plane. Lisa had her arm around Kenshin, her poor little baby, and Julie laid her hand on his shoulder as they walked onto the plane. A few people eyed them curiously, though they went back to their business almost immediately. Lisa ushered Kenshin into the window seat and sat down next to him, rubbing his shoulder. Julie had to sit across from them next to a sleeping business man. But she continued to give Kenshin her sympathetic gaze.
"Kenshin…it's not your fault. It was never your fault." she whispered.
"You did all you could do, and I'm proud that you tried, even if it was reckless." Lisa said softly, taking Kenshin's hand and squeezing it.
"I know." Kenshin replied. He was far from believing them, but he had already gone through this painful conversation once, had gone to a therapist for a while, had been on anti-depressants until he was skillful enough to fake a smile and a sense of closure, but it all came down to one thing: no matter how happy he had ever become, the death of the two boys had pulled him back down. Their parents had been understanding and had not blamed him at all (to his knowledge). Everyone had been really nice to him, and had been invited to their memorial service. But Kenshin felt that he was scarred for life. Enishi, also a counselor at the time, had never let him live it down. Not even to this day.
"Kenshin! Get your ass up here! There's nothing we can do, the current will have pulled them away too fast!" Katsu screamed. Enishi was on the bank as well, leading the kids back toward the camp. Kenshin hesitated at first, then dove in.
"Kenshin, you ass! You idiot! You fucking moron! You can't save them, Kenshin, you'll die too!"
{I have to save them. They were in my charge. I can't let them die.}
"Kenshin! Help me!" came the little cry, followed by another not far off. Two innocent twins. Brothers that would share the same fate. Kenshin felt the cold liquid fill his lungs, throw him against the rocks
And the water pulled him under, under…
To the place where things no longer living reside….
---------------------------------
ANOTHER AN: Okay…..is the reason behind Kenshin's being called "Battousai" clear? If not, say something, and I'll try to detail-by-detail explain it for the people who can't connect the dots. Be warned, much more drama is coming! AND IT'S NOT ALL ABOUT KENSHIN!!! WOW!!!
Coming up next time, on Too Complicated for Words!
::camera hits Sanosuke in the head::
SANO: Dammit, watch where you're going! Just film these teaser clips, okay?
Aoshi actually falling for a girl?
Just what is Misao up to when it's discovered by Kaoru that she has over $500 stashed away in her drawer?
Is Kamatari ever going to show up in this story again?
KAMATARI: Probably not. This acting job pays crap, and I wanna buy a pretty prom dress for the cast party.
ME: Shut up and smile. We're still filming.
KAMATARI: Oh, right. I'm so sexy! ::whirls around while dressed as Marilyn Monroe::
ME: All this and more, next time, on TOO COMPLICATED FOR WORDS!!!