Sentiments of gip-k: -Okay, I'm finally going to write! :D I hope I didn't miss any thank-you's at the end of my latest chapter. _ I don't think so… well, here I am, typing something up once more. Sorry for all the waits…
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Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin… T_T
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---Chapter 3: The Dragon Breathes Fire---
Kaoru managed to get everyone settled down by the evening time that day. Thus, she felt positively and totally wired, and quite on edge. Tokio made her slightly nervous, for reasons she did not know why- nervous and…angry.
In Kaoru's opinion, Kenshin was just being a little too nice to Tokio Saito… his smiles a bit too warm, or he was in too much of a hurry to please her. Tokio herself paid no heed to this… but Kaoru envied her beauty and calm exterior at times. Sure, she was fiery as a dragon, as Sanosuke had said, but she took no nonsense, and knew how to handle things in a way Kaoru herself had always wanted to.
Tokio spent most of the time to herself, that evening, or talking with Yahiko- teaching him, it seemed. Kaoru had no idea what was going on between Tokio and Yahiko, but they seemed to get along remarkably well; maybe a little too well. All this irritated Kaoru to no end, and she was still confused as to why exactly she disliked Tokio so. It was more than the way tiny Tokio managed to make herself seem so much larger than she was, or the effect that she had on you when she looked at you with her crystalline emerald eyes- eyes that told you she expected your complete attention and your total obedience. If those eyes caught you when you were misbehaving… well, everyone knew the rest.
Kaoru did not feel like making any dinner that day, and luckily Kenshin had come to her rescue. Misao was out in the practice yard, practicing throwing her kunais to vent her frustration, Sanosuke was out in town going about his own business, and Yahiko and Tokio were out somewhere, most likely together, talking. Yahiko was probably showing Tokio the dojo. Tokio was probably examining it with a critical eye that very second, and treating things as though they belonged to her and not rather to Kaoru. Kaoru sighed at that.
Despite all that, this meant Kaoru had time to herself, which she was grateful for. She was in her room stretched out across her futon, entertaining herself by reading old newspapers. As she did, she allowed her mind to wander, carefully pondering each event of the day, how she felt about everything, and all the while being very much aware that the time was approaching when they would all eat dinner together in the house.
After a few more moments of boring reading, Kaoru decided it would be more interesting, and economical, to go and help with dinner.
Kaoru did not go directly to the house, though, but instead stopped by the training yard, where Misao was viciously throwing kunais into a tree. When one missed the "target" Misao had carved in, she let out an exasperated cry and slunk down to the ground, hanging her head in pure frustration.
"Misao?" Kaoru asked gently, as she slowly approached the upset girl.
"Kaoru-chan!" Misao exclaimed, startled. She immediately jumped up. "What're you doing here?"
That was a silly question, and Kaoru decided to say so.
"Well, after all it, is my dojo, Misao," Kaoru said gently. She gave the younger woman a small smile, and wrapped an arm about her shoulder. "I thought you were supposed to be having fun, not tiring yourself with kunai-practice."
Misao heaved up a heavy sigh.
"I'm sorry, Kaoru-chan, but I'm supposing I'm a bit frustrated with myself, and when I am I like to throw kunais to help me calm down," Misao said ruefully. She looked at Kaoru with her big blue eyes. "Isn't that what you do- just with kenjitsu, I mean? Seems pretty logical to me- I mean, when you're frustrated you've gotta take it out on something. It's just that Tokio woman- you don't really think I have bad posture and are childish, do you Kaoru-chan?" Misao sounded very pleading when she spoke that last word. She put a very genuine baby-pout on her face, and her eyes became very, very large and glossy, unshed tears shimmering in them in the oncoming sunset. Misao tended to be very emotional sometimes- one second she could be utterly angry, and the next she could by crying on your should- or, vice versa. Somewhere mixed in she was a major toughie. Her emotions, or at least the ones she chose to display on her face, were like waves in the sea. Kaoru struggled not to snort.
"Of course not!" Kaoru exclaimed. "I think your posture is just fine, and I don't think you're childish at all- you're the leader of the Oniwabanshu, remember? How could someone childish take on such responsibility?" Misao's face brightened considerably, and Kaoru continued. "I think you're beautiful, brave and a wonderful person." Kaoru smiled at Misao, and Misao embraced her tightly.
"Thank you, Kaoru-chan!" she exclaimed joyfully.
Just as expected, Misao's emotions chose that very moment to abruptly change. Her mouth twisted into an ugly scowl, and she snorted in a very unladylike manner.
"I think Tokio's pretty stuck-up, if you'll ask me," Misao continued. "She's no right to go around the place as though she owns it, and even less to call me a child! I'm sixteen!"
"Yes, exactly-" Kaoru began to agree firmly.
"And like you said, I'm the leader of the Oniwabanshu!" Misao cut in before Kaoru could finish. Her cheeks were red with rage. "I'm not going to sit here and cry. I'm going to get up there, and show her what an Oniwabanshu leader is all about! The next time she decides to insult me, she'll get what's coming!" Misao lifted up a fist that held three kunais, one between each of her fingers.
Kaoru laughed loudly and pushed Misao's hand back down.
"I think you can show me what you're made of by coming to help Kenshin and I in the kitchen," Kaoru said, smiling cheerily. "I don't think it's right that we let him do it all alone, ne? And you're an excellent cook!"
"Thanks, Kaoru-chan!" Misao said, returning the smile. "I'll go get cleaned up a little, and I'll meet you there in five minutes, okay?"
"All right!" Kaoru replied. "See you later, Misao."
"You too, Kaoru-chan!" Misao said, waving to Kaoru as she hurried off in the opposite direction.
Kaoru decided to go into the kitchen. She entered, and leaned against the doorway for a second, watching Kenshin cut the vegetables. She smiled softly to herself.
"I know you know I'm here, Kenshin," Kaoru said, slightly teasing.
Kenshin turned around to face her, a warm smile that lit up his amethyst orbs present on his face.
"How very perceptive of you, I say, Miss Kaoru," Kenshin replied a little teasingly as he greeted her. Kaoru thought the edges of his mouth had taken on the beginnings of an almost mischievous smile.
"Need a little help?" Kaoru asked.
"Sessha needs no help, that he does not," Kenshin said softly. His smile broadened. "Don't trouble yourself for him."
Kaoru rolled her eyes.
"I think this time it's just a matter of pride," she muttered to herself.
"Pardon?" Kenshin asked, face looking half-alarmed and half-abashed.
"Nothing, Kenshin," Kaoru said. "Now, let's see-" she walked deeper in the kitchen. "-What's cooking in this pot?" she opened one, and inhaled the delicious aroma. Kenshin watched her, looking slightly abashed. "Mmmmm, smells so good!" Kaoru said, her eyes lighting up. She turned to kitchen. "Why don't you take care of watching these pots, and I'll cut the vegetables, okay? I think I can be trusted with that, ne?"
A red flush crept across Kenshin's face.
"Of course, Miss Kaoru," he replied, his eyes momentarily boring into the ground. "I- erhm- thank you for your aid."
"No problem, Kenshin," Kaoru said, smiling at him softly. He looked up at her, returning her smile, and their eyes met and exchanged looks of mutual affection. Kenshin turned away quickly at that very moment, looking more embarrassed than before, and began attending to his cooking. Kaoru sighed internally, then screamed in her head, and after a moment of recovery went to join him.
After a few more moments, Misao entered the kitchen, and helped with them wash the dishes. She also set out the sitting mats around the small table.
Right at the moment that everything was absolutely sparkling clean and dinner was prepared, Sanosuke popped right in, not entirely unexpected. He had a massive grin on his face.
"Hey, little missy!" he said. "Hey, Kenshin! I could smell that food from a mile away, so I decided to drop by." He winked at Kaoru. She replied to him with a long-suffering groan.
Misao emerged from out of the kitchen, and Sanosuke spoke again.
"Hey, the last time we met you were trying to kill me, weasel girl," Sanosuke said jokingly. "Any hard feelings?"
"Only about you calling me 'weasel girl'," Misao said through gritted teeth.
"Good then!" Sanosuke said with a broad grin.
Right at that moment, Yahiko and Tokio entered the house. All three of the people around Kaoru sucked in simultaneous gasps. Kaoru just stared, mouth agape, and her mind screamed.
Tokio Saito was completely and totally transformed. She was attired in a very lovely kimono, attractively and abundantly embroiled with picturesque images of birds and flowers. It was a rich color that was somewhere between magenta and plum- a shade that matched her hair to near perfection. The kimono hugged her body gently, but accented her curves with impeccable precision, and it was folded such that the collar was just at the right length- low enough to display a minor bit of cleavage, but not an immodest amount.
If someone had thought Tokio looked lovely in her old travelling clothes, she was now not only lovely, but perhaps the most lovely person in the world, if your world was just that small enough, and certainly enough to blow Kenshin and Sanosuke away.
Kaoru suddenly felt very, very ordinary looking at best. At worst, she felt as though she could look in the mirror and see "hideous." She felt ugly, and quite so underneath Tokio Saito. She also felt a sharp pang of envy, and shut her mouth abruptly, and lifted her chin in a vain attempt to regain some of her lost dignity and self-confidence.
"You're so pretty Miss Saito," Misao breathed in awe. The "so" sounded like it had one million O's in it. She was the first to speak.
Kaoru suddenly felt a burst of anger to add to that envy, and so she immediately flipped around to look at her friend in dismay. Misao's eyes were now exceptionally wide, and she looked on at Tokio as though she had found a new role model. Kaoru wanted to scream. She forced herself to look at Sanosuke- he was grinning like a monkey, and as for Kenshin, his eyes were nearly as round as Misao's, and his face was beet red. His eye flickered toward Kaoru for a second, and when he saw the look on her face, he realized what he was doing, blushed a deeper shade, and then bored his wide eyes into the ground. His head bobbed as he glanced up at Tokio again then looked back down abruptly. Kaoru wanted to scratch him.
"What in the bloody hell are all of you looking at?" Yahiko asked irritably. He sounded utterly stupid to Kaoru's ears at that moment. Kaoru was suddenly frantic, and decided to break the silence.
"Welcome, Miss Saito!" Kaoru said, and somehow felt her face stretch into something. Kaoru almost touched her mouth to make sure it was a smile. "We have a variety of- um- things, fixed for erhm- dinner. Yes, for dinner!" Kaoru laughed nervously. She flipped around, and suddenly started walking in the total wrong direction. Confused, she flipped around and nearly tripped. She blushed deeply. She couldn't meet Tokio's eye. "Um, we'd be honeyed- I mean- honored- to have you for dinner! Please take a seat!"
Tokio, who was watching all of them with an unwavering look that carried little visible emotion, nodded. An unexpected smile crossed her face.
"Thank you, Miss Kaoru, I would be very happy to join you all for dinner," Tokio said. She inhaled the scent of the delicious food. "It smells so good!"
"Better hurry, lady, I'm about to get started," Yahiko said, who had somehow managed to sit down at the table and start eating before Kaoru could stop him."
"I'm coming, boy!" Tokio insisted, and for some reason, it sounded affectionate or even joking. She hurried to the table, and was in the blink of an eye sitting down at the table devouring food, and if Kaoru's eyes weren't deceiving her, she appeared to be engaging in an eating race with Yahiko!
Kaoru felt a slap on the back, and nearly stumbled.
"Well, let's eat!" Sanosuke said with a grin, and sat down at the table. He winked at Kaoru's dumbfounded expression, then dug right in. Kaoru and Kenshin looked at each other. They exchanged various expressions, then decided to sit down.
Later…
Kenshin laughed.
"Too much praise for sessha, that it is," He replied gleefully. "I'm very happy that you enjoyed my cooking so much, Miss Tokio."
"Yes, it was very delicious, Mr. Himura," Tokio said, dabbing at her mouth with a napkin. She yawned suddenly. "Goodness, I'm getting awfully tired! Go plump up my pillows for me, boy, I'm about to retire to bed."
Surprisingly, Yahiko got up from the table with very little complaining and rushed immediately at the door to perform his command.
"That boy I will never understand," Tokio said amusedly, shaking her head. She turned to Kaoru. "He's quite a handful, as you've probably noticed seeing he's lived with you so long."
Kaoru blinked.
"Yes, he is," Kaoru said, her mind distracted with several contradicting thoughts.
"He's a little punk, that's what he is," Tokio said wryly. "He needs manners."
But something in the tone of Tokio's voice suggested that she liked him just as he was.
Sanosuke yawned, also, but Kaoru was unsure of whether or not his was real.
"Care for a drink, dragon girl?" Sanosuke said, smiling a bit mischievously. "I've got a glass back in my secret cellar."
Kaoru would have kicked him, but she was sure Tokio was going to take care of that for her. So she just watched, with the same fright in her eyes that was displayed plainly in Kenshin's.
"Still trying to woo me now, are you, Mr. Sagara?" Tokio said plainly. "You can stop- now."
Sanosuke gulped loudly.
"Hey, don't take it all wrong, Tokio, it was just a joke," he replied.
"Mmmm-hmmm," Tokio said, standing from the table. She yawned once more, and stretched out her arms far. "Goodnight, everyone. I suppose I shall see you tomorrow- but perhaps only if you catch me before I go to find Hajime. I intend to rise early. You city people have no concept of the word. Well, until the morrow."
With those words, Tokio walked out of the house and closed the door softly behind her. Kaoru and Kenshin let out identical sighs of relief, but Sanosuke let out a low whistle.
"Yeesh, that girl is something else," Sanosuke said.
"Shut up- now," Kaoru replied coldly.
"Fair imitation of her voice, little missy," Sanosuke said, amused.
"Gah!" Kaoru buried her face in her hands.
"I think she's a bit dangerous," Kenshin said, abashed. "Um- are you all right, Miss Kaoru?"
Kaoru wasn't in the mood for hearing "Miss Kaoru" at that moment, and so she abruptly stood. Kenshin, a bit alarmed, rose also.
"Go away!" Kaoru shouted. She then pushed Kenshin roughly out of her way, and stormed out to her room to go bury her face in the pillow of her futon and unleash a very loud scream.
Tokio Saito would be the death of her…
She certainly hoped that they could get rid of her by the morrow, or else she'd go totally mad.
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gip-k's Post Chapter Statements: -Heyo, peoples! ^_^ I know nothing much is happening in these chapters… V_V Sorry… but hey, there's a little something mysterious going on with Tokio and Yahiko- they're becoming good friends. Also, the blood is boiling under Kaoru's skin… what more will it take to drive her off the edge? Will Misao stay at the dojo any longer, and what's with Sano, except his being perverted? Finally, what happens when Saito and Tokio finally meet? Will she change for the better, or just become worst?
Here are my special thanks.
Female Hitokiri Battousai
Hey, glad you could enjoy it! ^_^ I hope you enjoyed this update as much as the last.
Crazed Fanatic Anime Fan
LoL! ^_^ That's really cool that you found it so funny- I'm glad! Thanks for reviewing and everything- it's much appreciated!
The Silly Koneko
I'm sorry that you couldn't log in! O_O Yes, Tokio's a bit "stuck up" but as you said, her true character is still a mystery. But please, keep on reading! ^_^ A few things oughtta be revealed by the next chappie.
Jouko-chan
I believe I forgot to thank you last time! O_O Gomen nasai! Thanks a lot for read/reviewing- it's very much appreciated! I'm glad you enjoyed it. ^w^
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