A/N: Okay, so here's the second chapter! I'm happy at the responses I have received for the first chapter! Eleven reviews! WAAAHH! I'll take whatever I can get! I might not be able to update as soon as I did this time. It depends on time, work, and school. Well, reviews would help too, bahaa, but I won't make anyone do that if they don't want to.
Anyway, if this seems a little rushed, I'm sorry. It's happening already, I can feel it. I just don't have a knack for long stories. Hrmm, please tell me what you think.. And please enjoy!
Disclaimer: I'm not going to do this every time, because one: it's very depressing; and two: it's very annoyingly repetitive. So this is it for the rest of the story, however short or long it will be! I do not own Rurouni Kenshin.
Husband for Hire
Chapter Two: What's for dinner?
After chewing on the same piece of straw for the past three hours, it was beginning to get... soggy, if that is possible for straw. Sano spat the chewed piece of straw out as he walked and then winked at a few young women off to his right who had seen his vulgar action and were slightly grossed by it. They scurried away as politely as possible, giggling all the while, and he continued on, indifferent.
The last few days since he had discovered his little "reminder" were not going so well in the "marry off the tanuki" department. What he needed now was a little divine intervention, not that he really believed in the divine or them every intervening in any way helpful... But what the heck? What could it hurt? Nadda! And he was hurting for time and men and running out of both...
And when the Gods heard his little plea inside his psycho brain, they decided to stop playing their game of euchre and bestow upon him some luck for a change.
"Sessha would gladly do your laundry in compensation..." Sano's eyes widened.
"What the? 'Sessha?'" Curiosity brought him stepping towards the voice and his eyes fell on a slight figure with a red head of hair. A person whom, fleeting moments before, he had taken for a woman..
"Sessha is most grateful for your generosity, de gozaru..." The man... bowed so low. Sano was taken aback by his show of manners. He had no idea there were any gentleman left in Japan... Well... well... He must be a wolf in sheep's clothing! But what hotshot would go around spouting 'sessha' this and 'sessha' that?
"What IS this nonsense?" Two startled amethyst eyes swivelled to him and he realized he'd just spoken his thoughts aloud. Then instantaneously realized he didn't care. A smirk spread across his lips.
The young woman the man had been thanking gasped and quickly disappeared, a little frightened by the weird stranger who so rudely interrupted her conversation with the nice handsome homeless beggar. Plus, she didn't like the way he was looking her up and down... INDECENT!
"Ahh well." Sano turned his focus back to the red head and quickly did a once-over of him too. "Are you natural?"
"Oro?"
"Are you a natural red head?" Sano didn't wait for an answer as he came into the man's personal space and grabbed a fist full of hair. Then, he yanked on it. It wouldn't give.
"Huh..." 'How about that...'
"ORORORORORORROROOO!" The man rubbed his head soothingly and inched away from the strange sadistically violent man. Sano, finally noticing the increasing distance between them, grabbed his wrist none too gently.
"Hey! I'm not finished with you yet!"
"Maa... maa.," he added a placating gesture to go with his soothing voice, "Sessha will cooperate as long as you don't pull on Sessha's very real hair again..." The red head eyed him wearily.
"Deal. Now, would you like to accompany me to dinner?" The red head's eyes went wide with swirls and then he fell backwards in a heap of rags. Let's just say it wasn't at all a graceful fall.
"Hey You!" Sano gently prodded him with his foot, if gently means jabbing; none too considerately poking; or forcing your foot into an area of space already being occupied by ribs.. "I didn't mean it like that. Yuck!" The red head quickly nodded in agreement and sat up. Finally he seemed attentive again.
"Sessha would like to point out that Sessha was married once and still prefers women over men."
"Okay..I didn't ask about that..." Sano gave him a weird look, "The dinner is at a very good friend of mine's house. She's the best cook I've ever known. She'd be delighted to treat you." This was said with a smirk, like he wasn't telling the whole story.
"Sessha has to decline..." He wanted to get away. This man was irking him.
"Hey c'mon. What better have you got to do?"
Well.. Not really anything at the moment. Except beg for more food. And this guy was offering so he didn't really need to beg for the rest of the day if he went to the dinner. Free food! It seemed kind of fishy though. This man, just out of nowhere, offers to take him in and feed him. There had to be a catch. That was the way things worked, unfortunately.
"By the way, I'm Sagara Sanosuke, but you can call me Sano." That name of his sounded awfully familiar... but Kenshin couldn't quite place it.
"Himura, Kenshin." Kenshin finally noticed Sano staring at him oddly again and nervously smiled. Then he started walking and Kenshin followed.
"So... okay... can I ask you a question?"
Kenshin sighed discreetly, wondering about this man, if he were like himself, acting a fool but not really a fool, or if he really was that dense and superficial.
"Sessha believes you just asked a question, de gozaru." Sano opened his mouth and then clamped it shut. Then he frowned.
"Whatever, Can I ask you a question or not?"
"Hai?"
"Is that pink you're wearing?" Kenshin instantly sweat dropped.
"Iie, it's magenta." His voice held a tired tone to it. Silence hung in the air for about a minute.
"That's not a form of pink?"
"No." A shuffle of feet.
"But isn't magenta like a shade or tint of pink?"
"Maa maa, does it really matter?" Silence reclaimed them. Kenshin wondered briefly where they were going until he noticed Sano eyeing his gi.
"It's Magenta!" Honestly!
'Shithead,' mumbled the Battousai.
"Well... Shit, man! You're suppose to be a man, right? Why aren't you wearing manly colors?" Kenshin gave a weary smile and walked a little slower than him.
"Such as?"
"How about... green!"
"Sessha is not fond of that color, de gozaru."
"Brown?"
"Hmm... Sessha doesn't know."
"Blue! Navy Blue? Here!" And out of no where Sano produced a dark navy blue gi that looked a little worn but more warm than the magenta/pink piece of crap the "Sessha man" was wearing at the moment.
"Well, if it isn't the Rooster head..." A silky voice floated to their ears on the wind. They both turned to see a rather attractive woman waiting at the door of the Akabeko, a local restaurant, with her hands on her hips and a delicate eyebrow arched in a mock grin. Her dark colored hair fell down her back in long wisps and Kenshin was reminded of the past, of soft strands of midnight black and warm glances of blue...
But once she discovered Kenshin a spark ignited those dangerous eyes and elicited a gulp from both men.
"Fox, this is Himura, Kenshin. And Himura, this-"
"I'm Takani, Megumi, Ken-san. May I call you Ken-san? Are you new here? I'm surprised that the Rooster actually did something right for a change and brought a suitable handsome prospect this time.." She ushered him inside the restaurant, leaving a jealous Rooster to trail along behind them.
After having discussed the proposition over Oocha, the two awaited hearing Kenshin's reply with hopeful expressions. Well, one was hoping he'd say no so she could take him home and the other was hoping he'd say yes, so he could take him to Kaoru's home and get him away from the fox.That and he was really running out of time. And he wanted to be at the fox's home... and.. well, use your imagination.
"Sessha is... concerned, de gozaru. What about this woman's feelings? Is she aware of you employing a husband for her?" They blankly stared at him, blinked their eyes, and then broke out in hysterical laughter. People sitting at other tables, deep in their own conversations or eating, began to stare at them in wonder or in agitation. Kenshin blushed and shrank down in his seapot.
"Oro..." What is wrong with these people?
'I don't know but I could eliminate the need to ask,' offered the Battousai with a humorous tone to his voice. The Rurouni pointedly ignored his comment.
"She has no idea we're doing this. Call it a birthday present. Besides, with how the tanuki acts, she'll never get married without our help anyway. We're doing her a favor," Megumi stated. Kenshin couldn't believe a word he was hearing. Have they no honor or conscience?
"So, whadya say, buddy?
'Apparently not,' he thought to himself.
"We kinda need an answer as soon as possible. Her birthday is actually in a couple days..." Kenshin glumly thought over these two people's credibility in his mind, wondering how genuinely concerned they were for this woman they were trying so desperately to wed off. Then he studied their faces but decided he had to go with his gut feeling.
"Sessha declines your generous offer, de gozaru." He made to stand but Sano stopped him with his hand on Kenshin's wrist, yet again.
"Well, at least come to dinner tonight to meet her before you decide completely." Kenshin hesitated before slowly sitting back down. He never liked saying no to people, even if they were the kind that gave him bad first impressions. What could he say, he was a sucker.
The Battousai in him sneered at that.
"We must warn you, though. She's unlike any woman you've probably ever met," Megumi laughed out. How bad could she be? It sounded like they weren't giving her enough credit.
It was pretty clear out and Kaoru realized she never really took the time to pay attention to the little things,. Like, the weather for instance. She always was in a hurry or just didn't plan things right so she got stuck in the rain a lot without an umbrella or overdressed on a humid day.
She would be honest when saying she'd never really thought about marriage before recently. It was like the weather. It just didn't matter to her that much, she was doing well on her own and marriage for a woman usually meant stability in one form or another. And since neither one of her parents were alive and here, she didn't have to worry about being matched up with someone she didn't know or have to worry about leaving her beloved home.
Okay, okay. She had thought about courtship though. How could she not? She was a woman after all and women crave love and attention. But usually her thoughts about courting were negative. She wasn't a lady and everyone knew it. So none of the men who lived around here cared for her non-traditional irrational impulsive tanuki ways. She couldn't be controlled and that was unattractive. And then there were her looks. She wasn't refined, delicate, or thin like the other girls already matched up and/or pregnant. She worked hard as a swordsman and as a result had a rough, slightly muscled build to the feminine curves that she had inherited from her mother. It was nothing grotesque, it was just more... muscled and big...
But now, whenever she thought or went out into public, thoughts of romance and flowers invaded her mind. When was it her turn? Was it too late? Did no one want her?
She kept her head down as she trudged to the market.
After having given him directions to the Kamiya dojo they let him go and told him to be there at 5. It was currently noon and so he had to find something to pass the time until then. He decided he would just walk around and observe the people and possibly help if it was needed.
Sagara. He remembered where he saw that from. That ad for a Husband...
About ten minutes into his walk he came across children playing with wooden swords. This incited a chuckle out of him and his eyes softened at the scene they created. Clumsily slashing at the air, the wooden swords hardly hit each other. But they were just having fun so it didn't matter how accurate or inaccurate their aims were. Kenshin couldn't remember ever being that carefree and happy when he was a child.
No, his childhood had been shortlived. After his family died, he'd been traded like a slave to various people until he chanced upon a man in his late thirties. This man bought him and consequently gave him his freedom in the same day. But Kenshin was still a child at the time, so he followed the nice man. That was when he was taught swordsmanship. That was when he met her and the rain was red and the sky was dreary and he was always shivering...
It was then his eyes noticed the same raven black hair and blue eyes in the market. He straightened and tensed up. By the looks of it she was shopping again. He wondered if he should go up and say something to her. He wanted to. She looked lovely in her blue kimono...
What if she remembers me and the accident?
More importantly...What if she doesn't remember me?
He stood there just watching as she made her way along the stands, coming closer to where he was ever so slowly. And when she finally did pass by him, her eyes were downcast and she was clutching her basket to her chest. Jasmine floated through the air to his nose and played with his senses.
He instantly snapped out his daze and rushed up to her, not worrying or doubting himself or anything except the need to apologize again.
"Excuse me, Miss! Sessha is still sorry about yesterday-"
"Mou! I'm not worried about it so it doesn't matter! I-"
"But Sessha would like to offer you something to make up for the incident-"
"-don't care about it, it was just a piece of material-" And suddenly they were both struggling to keep up straight. Somewhere along the talking and the walking, Kenshin had tripped on something, maybe it had been his very own sandal breaking, but he had grabbed her shoulders to steady himself and ended up knocking her off balance as well. She had a basket and a tofu bucket in her hands and her eyes went impossibly large as they watched the tofu go flying in the air in the other direction away from her as she fell. In a burst of speed to save her purchase this time, she caught it–At the same moment Kenshin did. Blushes adorned their cheeks as they looked away from each other and Kenshin stole away his hands to clench them into fists.
And then suddenly the most beautiful red silk was in her hands. It was unbelievably soft, softer than any baby's bottom that she had ever had to clean, softer than feathers or her hair after a good brush. She noticed that he had her bucket of tofu and her basket in his arms and idly wondered how he had managed to do that.
"I..." She looked up into his hesitant yet hopeful eyes. And regretted looking into them. They were captivating. Did he know about his eyes? What they did?
"Ano... Sessha wants you to have that since Sessha ruined yours," he said, uncomfortable with the way she had been staring at him. She blinked her long eyelashes and seemed to realize she had ben staring, for a blush tinted her cheeks, and she looked back down at the cloth in her hands.
"Thank you." She bowed after he handed her things back to her and then dashed off, a little embarrassed at how she had acted around him. She was never that weird around men before. What was wrong with her? She never noticed the little things before either, like how his shoulders were just a little wider than hers, the Adam's apple that moved as he gulped, or how his eyes seemed to stare right into her soul. And the way he smelled... STOP IT! She warned herself. This will not do. This will not do!
She rushed home to start the dinner. Knowing her, she was going to need all the time in the world to cook something edible for Sanosuke and Megumi and their friend that they had invited. She hoped they had forgotten about finding her a husband, it was starting to get on her nerves. This morning they had brought over ten more men and lined then up inside her dojo while she was training. She had growled at them and scared them all off. Well, all except those who were used to her Tanuki antics. That was when she had to threaten them to leave.
Sano and Megumi had just chuckled the whole time, although Sano had been looking a little worried.
Really! She just wanted everything to stay the same! Who needed a husband to be happy? Besides, all the married women she talked to said that chocolate was better than any man's attention.
I already love chocolate, she thought, longingly.
Boy was she hungry. And glad that Megumi suddenly showed up out of no where and decided to make dinner for them tonight. Kaoru could cook, but usually she ended up serving something less than edible if she didn't concentrate on cooking. Which, consequently, happened quite often.
It was a little weird that Megumi would offer without wanting something in return. And she hadn't made any sly comments either. But it made sense that Megumi should cook since they were having company. Well, company outside of their small little circle of friends...
An icy chill oozed down her back and Kaoru involuntarily shivered. A knock at her door alerted her to someone's presence. Megumi entered her room with a deep blue kimono in hand and handed it to Kaoru.
"Dinner's almost ready, put that on," she turned her back to Kaoru and waited.
"What's this for?"
"We're having a nice dinner tonight, Sano's dressing up too. Put it on, I'm going to help you with your hair." Kaoru frowned.
"I'm not a child, I don't need your help." Megumi eyed her and then shrugged.
"Okay, well, be ready in fifteen minutes. If you can handle that, tanuki" She winked and then left, the door sliding shut with a soft 'click' behind her.
Kaoru stuck her tongue out at the door then regarded the kimono in her hands with a mixture of curiosity and dread.
Kenshin felt weird walking on someone else's property and entering her home, walking in her living room and then sitting at her table. He felt uncomfortable but did as he was told.
He wore the dark blue gi that Sano had chucked at him earlier in the day and it reminded him of the years of his youth. He tried not to think about it as Megumi set the table and Sano sat there watching her with a look of longing and lust in his dark eyes. Everytime she came in, there would be a smirk on her perfect face. Kenshin just stared at the table top where he rested his hands.
And then jasmine flitted around his nose and he closed his eyes to savor it as he breathed it in.
"I'm just warning you, Megumi, that I never asked you to cook so you better not demand payment or.." Sano cleared his throat and nodded to the third person at the table. Her eyes found his and she blinked, suddenly speechless.
Kenshin realized his mouth was hanging open and he instantly stood up, knocking over the table with nearly half the dinner on it.
"You!" She choked out.
"Me?" And it was then that he noticed she was wearing the ribbon.
–TSUZUKU (to be continued)
Phi-dono: Thank you! You're always reviewing my stuff, it makes me feel so happy! What the heck did I do to deserve a reviewer like you! I am glad that you like this story a lot better than the other one. And I tried very hard to keep them in character. This is AU but not that much AU, if that makes any sense, so it wasn't overly difficult to keep them in character. I love long chapters too, but have never been any good at writing them, so we'll see how well I keep this up, bahaa. Oh, don't worry. Sano is going to get Kenshin in loads of trouble, although Kenshin may not need any help from Sano, he'll be getting himself in enough trouble without assistance. That is, if I can write this the way I want.
Sailor Tiamat: You're not far from the truth with what you said. He doesn't exactly word it like that... oh I'll just let you find out, bahaa. It should be interesting, but then again, I tend to always start out semi-great and then it dies away. I have lots of ideas that I need to write down else I forget... Thank you for your wonderful review!
Arrha: Hehee, thank you! I will try and update as soon as I feel the next chapter is as good as the first one, if not, better! I have a hard time keeping something going when it comes to writing because I'm not a very good writer and I run out of steam and patience. I am very happy that you liked Sano's character! I was trying to make him a littler more humorous and light-hearted. I like happy bubbly stories!
Tatasumari: Wow! I am so glad to hear that! Usually I write crappy summaries and no one ever reads my stories because they aren't very cute or suspenseful or eye catching! So that makes me feel like I actually did something right for once! And don't worry, I will continue, at least for another chapter or two... O.O hahaa, I'm hoping it will be longer though.
Evilteddybear: Thank you for your review. I will work hard on this while I can. I hope I live up to your expectations when it comes to the next chapters. And I hope you continue to review!
Crystal Snowflakes: That's what I'm hoping!
RoyalblueKitsune: Hmmm, I might have Battousai just make comments once in awhile like I did in chapter one, but I don't think I will have him actually be Battousai. Although, that is a possibility... It depends on my muse and the direction this is headed in. Time will tell...
Bradybunch4529: Thank you for your review. I can't wait to see what happens next either! Hehee. I will try and update soon, but I don't want to make any promises I can't keep... But I do have ideas written down. So it's not like there's no where to go from here. It's just the process of writing everything down and making it sound just so. Hehee, listen to me, acting like I know what I'm doing, bahaa!
Ambanee: I'm glad you luved it!
Neko-Yuff16: Hehee, I don't think I will have Sano killed, but it would be comical... And Kenshin was refusing a date from the old lady, lol. I can see where there might be confusion. :) Thank you so much for reading and reviewing!
The Incredible Emo Kid: What an interesting pen name you have! Thank you for reading my fanfiction! I will try and update as soon as I am able. :)