AN: All right, I'm normally a very nice person. Seriously, you can ask anyone, but there are a few things that are really starting to piss me off. Please, please, PLEASE READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTES!!! There are many important things in them that you might need to know before reading the chapter, it's not all about apologies for updating so slow and crap. For one, PLEASE STOP TELLING ME THAT I AM USING THE TERM "BATTOUSAI" INCORRECTLY. If you read a previous author's note, I KNOW THAT ALREADY. Another, I KNOW TUBERCULOSIS IS AN EASILY CURED DISEASE NOWADAYS. If you read the author's notes, you would have an explanation for my bending the laws of nature. ANOTHER thing. I AM NOT KILLING OFF SOUJIRO. Please stop jumping to conclusions. He has not had any complete suicidal thoughts. AOSHI AND MISAO ARE NOT DATING you should know this without reading the author's note, because it is very clear in the story, or so I assume. Lastly, I DO intend to have a K/K pairing, and I KNOW it's running very slow, but I've got to get the other issues out of the way. Please bear with me, and READ THE FLIPPING AUTHOR'S NOTES!!!!
Thank you.
-The Fairy
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"Fuck!" Soujiro hissed, wiping away the steam on the mirror to make sure he was seeing correctly. Yep. He wasn't dreaming. He fingered his once beautiful hair, wondering if he should just cut it off. But he was too chicken to do that.
"Bastard son of a bitch!" Soujiro exclaimed as he tossed the hair dye packaging into the garbage can. The smiling model seemed to be grinning evilly up at him as if she knew this would happen all along. Soujiro wrapped his towel tighter around himself, and angrily exited the bathroom.
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Aoshi walked into the door, letting his book bag drop to the floor with a loud thunk. Kenshin followed him, and they greeted Sanosuke, who was sitting on the couch watching TV.
"Dude," Sano nodded.
"Shouldn't you be doing homework?" Aoshi asked, pulling out his AP Biology textbook. Dr. Gensai had given his class a shitload of homework, and he wasn't about to wait until midnight to start doing it.
"Anybody seen Sou? He has dinner duty tonight." Kenshin pointed out on the mini dry-erase board on the kitchen wall.
"He was taking a shower when I came in." Sano replied, beginning to channel surf. Aoshi sat at the dinky kitchen table and began his homework.
"SOUJIRO! DINNER DUTY!" Kenshin shouted. Soujiro came out wearing old jeans and a POWERMAN 5000 shirt. Curiously enough, he was wearing a black skull cap that completely covered his hair. Kenshin and Sano eyes him suspiciously, while Aoshi couldn't give a shit and continued scribbling away madly.
"What do you guys want tonight?" Sou asked, as if no one were staring at him.
"What's with the hat?" Kenshin tried to ask nonchalantly.
"Nothing. How does tomato soup sound?"
"Great. You didn't shave your head or anything did you?"
"No. You want garlic bread to go with it?" Soujiro pulled two cans out of the cabinet, and turned toward the can opener. Kenshin frowned.
"Sure." He replied, giving up. Sanosuke, however, had a different tactic, and it wasn't quite as polite as Kenshin's. But then again, when was Sano ever polite?
"Hey, shorty!" Sano grinned as he pulled the cap off of Soujiro's head and held it high in the air where poor Soujiro couldn't reach it even if he wanted to. Jaws dropped simultaneously (except for Aoshi, who was about three seconds late due to his determination to finish his essay.).
"What the-" Aoshi muttered. Kenshin let out a little snicker, then Sanosuke burst out into loud, raucous laughter and almost doubled over, but remembered he was still trying to keep the hat away from Soujiro.
"Give it back, you bastard!" Soujiro jumped, trying to get the hat back, but it was no use.
His pink hair had been exposed to everyone.
"Pink? PINK?!" Aoshi exclaimed, at a loss for words. "What were you thinking?"
"The box said RED, but it came out pink! Shut up already!" Soujiro hopped one last time in a futile attempt to regain his hat. "Make your own damn soup!" Soujiro shouted, stomping off to his room.
"Poor guy…" Sano managed between giggles, "But it was so…damn…FUNNY!!" And with that, Sano sank to the floor to continue his laughter.
"This isn't going to help his mood." Aoshi sighed, running his hands through his own hair, thankful that it was still its natural color.
"What do you mean?" Kenshin asked, still trying to stop laughing. He almost sliced his finger open on the can opener in an attempt to make his own dinner while in hysterics.
"His mood! Haven't you noticed he's being a little piss ant?" Aoshi shot back.
"Oh," Sanosuke said between gasps for air, "We figured it was because you're dating Misao. How blind can you get, Aoshi?"
Aoshi's jaw dropped for the second time since the past five minutes.
"Apparently….I'm…very blind." Aoshi paused for a moment, then lost his cool and stood abruptly, slamming his fist down on the table. "WHO THE HELL SAID I WAS DATING MISAO?!"
"You mean…you're not?" Kenshin asked, bewildered.
"YOU heard it too?" Aoshi had to refrain from shrieking. He clasped and unclasped his hands in a strangling motion, but let them fall back to his sides.
"Well, pretty much everybody has been getting the vibe…" Sanosuke shrugged, taking a sip from his coke.
"Oh, holy shit…" Aoshi groaned. "I've got to go find Misao."
"Misao?! Don't you think you should talk to Soujiro?" Kenshin asked.
"He won't want to hear it from me: my words are as good as nothing. Misao's the one that has got to tell him." Aoshi grabbed his trench coat, heading for the door. Kenshin and Sano glanced at each other.
"Guess one of us has to cook now." Sano murmured thoughtfully.
"Yeah…" Kenshin trailed off into the silence.
"NOT IT!" Both shouted at the same time.
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"Kaoru," Aoshi nodded as the taller girl opened the door. She was panting and sweating with still clutching her bokken. "Been practicing?"
"Yeah," Kaoru smiled, flattered that he had noticed. Most guys didn't give a shit when girls were deep into martial arts. "You want Misao, I guess?"
"Yeah…um…Kaoru, you don't think Misao and I are dating, are you?"
"No. Why?"
"Long story, but good. I'm glad." Aoshi beckoned Misao from the hallway. She came to the door with a worried look on her face. Aoshi had never been so nervous and perplexed as long as she had known him...known him well, at least, and that had only been for about three weeks.
"What's wrong?" she asked, stepping outside and closing the door to the dorm as Kaoru went off to finish practicing.
"We are in a big shitload of trouble."
"What?"
"People think you and I are dating."
Misao's jaw dropped, much in the same manner Aoshi's had earlier.
"They WHAT?"
"People think we're dating because of the whole…thing. Situation. And you know who's got himself twisted up and writhing in agony about it?"
Misao responded with a quizzical stare.
"Soujiro! SOUJIRO, dammit!" Aoshi waved his hands around to emphasize his point.
"Soujiro? I…I can't believe…" Misao blushed. It seemed so long ago, that one kiss at the awards ceremony. Almost forgotten, it rose quickly from the depths of her mind and played over and over again in front of her eyes.
"Look, I don't know what is going on between you two…it's so obvious that you like each other and you keep doing shit that pushes you two away…you need to set Soujiro straight-"
"You told him we weren't dating, right?"
"No, that's your job."
"But-"
"This is something he needs to hear from you. He needs to know everything. And I mean EVERYTHING." Aoshi had softened back to his big-brother stance. Misao was thankful that he had cooled down; for a minute she thought he was going to blow his top.
"Everything….you mean….Daisuke…" Misao whispered, hoping that he would respond negatively. Aoshi nodded his head yes, confirming the fact. It made Misao's stomach writhe in anticipation….how could she tell a boy, a boy she liked, that she was a prostitute?
Had been a prostitute, Misao corrected the verb tense in her head.
"As far as I know, he's still in the dorm. I can get Kenshin and Sano out easy as anything. That'll give you privacy."
Misao nodded, Aoshi slung an arm protectively her as they walked down the hallway, to the dorm. Misao closed her eyes, preparing for the worst.
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Soujiro woke up slowly, drifting in the shallow pools of the subconscious. He thought he had heard something, but he dismissed it. Suddenly, he heard it again. Voices shouted too loudly and distinctly to be innocent or truthful.
"Oh! Look at the time! KENSHIN, AOSHI, and I are late for our TUTORING session with DR.GENSAI! We shall now be LEAVING!"
There was much obnoxious and over-played rustling and jingling of keys, and muttered criticism much to the effect of "You IDIOT, now he's going to know something's up-"
"Shhh, let's just hurry up and go…"
"It's not my fault, that's what you told me to say…"
"I TOLD you to improvise, not repeat word for word…"
The door shut, and Soujiro closed his eyes again. He rolled over, away from the wall, to face the door. He looked up at the AFI poster on his wall; one corner flapping in the breeze made by the ceiling fan. He'd have to look for some more tape. His eyes began to close again, slowly, as he took in his desk, piled high with books and notebook paper, and there was the photograph of him and one of his cousins he never talked to anymore, and his book bag on the floor, and his beloved guitars lined up neatly along the wall…
Everything was fading away as he began to sleep again, until his alert sense of hearing picked up the sound of someone walking down the hallway. They were slow and wary; stopping every time a board creaked.
"Soujiro?"
The voice was quiet…
"What the hell?" Soujiro muttered, "I must be dreaming…ghosts…" He mumbled, then turned to bury his face into his pillow. His spine shivered when he heard the door slowly creak open.
"Soujiro? Are you awake?" It was a female voice. Soujiro was puzzled, but still believed he was mostly asleep. He was in one of those stages where he was sort of awake, and could control his dreams. He tried to block out the girl's voice and unnerving presence.
"Soujiro….it's me. I need to talk to you."
This time, Soujiro turned over. He almost fell out of bed from the shock. Misao stood in front of him, the hallway light framing her body as if she were a saint. Her hair shone vibrantly, as did her pale eyes. She was wearing a violet, fitted hoodie and dark blue jeans. Soujiro went blank, not knowing what to say of her presence. He chuckled, trying to lighten the mood.
"You look like a goddess, the way the light shines on you."
"Believe me, I'm no saint. I'm one of the lowest people you can find on this planet…" Soujiro sat up, staring in wonder as the girl he had known as tough and rebellious, burst into tears.
"Soujiro, Aoshi and I aren't dating….we never were and the thought had never even come to our minds. He just became like a big brother to me after….after…" Misao turned, biting on her finger as she lost her words to sobs. Soujiro was up from the bed in two seconds flat with his arms around her, frantically telling her that everything would be all right.
It wasn't like being in Aoshi's arms. In Aoshi's arms, she was small and defenseless in the protective grasp of a warrior. Soujiro, not much taller than Misao could not make her feel ultimately protected. He did, however, make her feel like she belonged there. They fit; their small bodies perfectly molded to create something complete and whole.
"What…what happened?" Soujiro asked.
Misao's terrible story seeped from her lips the way her tears slid down her face; slow and agonizing to the viewer. Soujiro was absolutely livid by the time she finished. He was so infuriated he couldn't sit still. Soujiro jumped off the bed, away from Misao, and started pacing the room.
"I'll KILL the bastard!" He shouted. "I'll tear every blood vein from his body, make a rope out of them, and strangle him with it!"
"I kind of think he's be dead by the time you tore out-" Misao interjected.
"That's not the point! He's going to pay for this."
"Technically he has-"
"NOT that kind of payment! I mean, he's going to bear physical scars from this disgraceful, cruel…exploitation…"
The tears were slowly receding, until they had stopped falling all together. Misao's mouth turned up into a little smile, and she giggled.
"You…your…is your hair pink?" Misao whispered.
Soujiro gave her a puzzled look, forgetting his hair dilemma.
"What?" he asked.
"You hair is pink." Misao sighed, smiling.
"Oh…shit….yeah, I forgot about that. I tried to dye it red but it turned out pink." Soujiro scratched his head, suddenly feeling embarrassed. He must have been a sight running around the room making murder plans, all with pink hair.
Misao choked, and sighed again. Soujiro looked up from the floor, giving her another puzzled look.
"You okay?" he asked. Misao gave another shuddering breath and nodded her head.
"It's just that, when you've finished crying really hard, it takes a while to start breathing right again, you know? Don't you remember doing it when you were little? It's sort of like having the hiccups…" Misao had to catch her breath again, putting her hand to her chest and frowning. "The trouble is, it always takes me longer than I think it should…"
"Yeah, I remember…when I was little and I tripped and fell on my face….and I started crying. And after I stopped, I started crying again because the hiccup thing wouldn't go away." Soujiro bent over, picking up his acoustic guitar. "Lay down, make yourself at home." Soujiro strummed a few chords. Misao glared at him suspiciously, but did as she was told, nestling down into Soujiro's pillow as he sat down next to her.
"If I remember correctly, this piece was originally written for violin and piano….but I think I can fix it. It goes a little something…like…this…" Soujiro began playing, and tried to the best of his abilities to sing. He had to whisper, because the notes were too high for his limited voice range (he was glad he did not sing in the band).
"Now let the day
Just slip away
So the dark night
May watch over you
Nocturne…
Though darkness lay
It will give way
When the dark night
Delivers the day…"
"That was so nice." Misao smiled with her eyes closed. "Play another. Play one about me."
Soujiro grinned and began aimlessly strumming on his guitar.
"Oh, Misao is sooooooo beautiful
Like a …um…waterfall
Yeah, a waterfall Annnnnnd…butterfly…wings. Yes!
Butterfly wings.
Misao is mean, and Misao is nice…
But most of all, Misao is…uhhhhh…beautiful. Yeah."
"You suck." Misao laughed.
"Yeah, I kind of do." Soujiro chuckled as well.
"I'd hate to think of you writing a song about our first kiss…people would keel over and die laughing."
"That's because it was completely unexpected and in the middle of an awards ceremony."
"Yeah…" Misao fiddled with the edge of the sheets, staring off into space in a wistful manner.
"You're feeling better?" Soujiro asked.
"Lots, thanks." Misao sat up and smiled, pulling her legs to her chest. "So…"
"Sooo…" Soujiro mimicked, at a loss for words. "So you called that our 'first kiss'. Does that mean…there's more to follow?" Soujiro asked hopefully.
"Lots more." Misao grinned.
The guitar was on the floor in a flash and the two embraced fiercly before engaging in their third, fourth, and fifth kisses before they lost count.
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Aoshi, Sano, and Kenshin returned to the dorm after driving around town without actually stopping any where. They had fought for thirty minutes over where they were going to go before giving up and driving back to Eldewater Dorms.
"Shh, shh!" Sano hissed, putting a finger up to his lips. "Listen! I think they're getting a little too frisky.." Sano rolled up the sleeves to his jacket and silently made his way down the hall. Kenshin and Aoshi watched in amusement as Sano kicked open the door to Soujiro's room, and was promptly smacked in the face with a shoe and run out by a shirtless Soujiro.
"You stay the fuck out of my room! Next time Magdaria comes over, I'll fucking videotape you if you even dare to come in here again!"
Kenshin burst out into laughter and nearly collapsed onto the couch.
"That's okay, Sou, I've got to get going anyway." Misao blushed as she headed for the door. Another prolonged parting kiss and she was gone, Soujiro staring at the closed door with a stupid grin.
"You're shirtless." Sano grunted.
"We didn't do anything…" Soujiro shrugged.
"Then why are you grinning like you JUST GOT LAID?!"
"Making out has it's merits." Soujiro shot back.
Meanwhile, Aoshi was reading a letter that had been slipped under the door and was paling with each continuous word he read.
"Um…we have a problem."
"What?" Kenshin asked, not recognizing the handwriting on the envelope Aoshi held.
"Professor Shishio kind of wants us to plan and host a birthday party for Shina."
"Oh, god, NO!" Sanosuke still hosted many traumatic memories of the last time he had dealt with Shina. Shrinking back into the wall, he suppressed a squeak of fear and agony.
"Well, it's either that or we fail Health class. And there's no way in hell I'm taking it over again next year." Aoshi sighed. The other boys nodded in turn, sealing their doomed fates.
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ANOTHER AN: I know I know. I ran out of juice toward the end. But at least I got Sou and Misao together, no? That was the original pairing I had wanted, anyhow. Aoshi, in this day and age, is too old for Misao and has too much of a conflicting personality. So, Shina's birthday party is coming up to provide more humor. I think we all need a little something to laugh at nowadays, so I'm hoping to bring back some of the funny stuff I had originally. Until next time!