Disclaimer: My New Years Resolution? To stop obsessing over Kenshin! (fat chance . . .)

Okay, here's the deal. I update, you review. CAN you do this? Please?!?! I want reviews and I aint gett'n 'em! But for all you LOYAL people like samuraiduck27, cyberdemon, and Razvanor, I shall update. On with the Kenshin! CHARGE!

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We walked back to the dojo in silence. Well, at least Kaoru and Yahiko walked. I more liked dragged myself back.

Stop moping around! Battousai raged on in my head. He had been biting off my head ever since we left the restaurant. How could you let that fool make off with your woman?!

She's not mine I continually reminded him. I don't think he was listening. He was still rampaging in my mind.

I knew I shouldn't have let you take over, he shrieked, you always end up doing stupid things like this . . .

I knew that and I didn't need him reminding me of it 24/7. Though I couldn't really blame him. Tanabata was in two nights. I had to get Kaoru off this idea of going to Tanabata with him and go with me instead.

That's when I noticed Battousai had shut up. But I didn't really care. I was to busy trying to devise a plan on how to win the love of my life back. But how?

I began to pace back and forth in my room, scratching my head. My head became sore from the scratching so I stopped but continued to think.

Kaoru went out with Junior because he's young, charming, and smart. Nor blood stained unlike me. Instead of helping, my thoughts were more or less putting me down.

Kaoru seems to be someone who goes for personality. And Junior's seems to be of one that consists of intelligence and excellent listening skills . . . which I have neither . . .

Oh, come on! Am I as dense as Kaoru really thinks I am? I thought. Well, I tried to anyway. Nothing was coming to me.

"Kenshin! Lunch is ready!" Kaoru called. I raised an eyebrow and then heard the noon blast.

Surprised that lunch had come so quickly, I walked into the kitchen. It was still charred on the wall with the stove. Rice, which had not been there before, was spewed all over the wooden floor.

I thought I spied a fish eye on the cutting board but Kaoru's hand slapped the object away before I could identify it.

Scratching my head, I continued to look around atwhat had been a kitchen. "Umm . . ." I began, not knowing what to say, "What happened in here?"

"Busu tried to cook food," Yahiko said, beating Kaoru to the response. "Hey, she came close."

I wasn't surprised to see Yahiko with a huge bump on his head, lying on the floor in pain.

Kaoru quickly recomposed herself and answered me. "Well," she said, stirring the rice, "Junior's coming over for dinner and I thought I might practice cooking before he arrived."

My eyes burned and everything went negative. I turned around so Kaoru wouldn't see it. I heard her sigh, which made my eyes burn more.

"I hope he enjoys what I make him . . . Perhaps I should make ohagi as well?" I wanted to smack Junior. Lucky that he wasn't standing there or I really would've.

"Kenshin?" Kaoru's voice had broken into my mind. I refused to turn around to meet her lovely blue eyes.

I heaved a sigh. "I'm . . . going to lie down for a moment. I'll be back in a few minutes." I walked depressingly out of the kitchen. I had really wanted to tell Kaoru I would not permit him in this dojo but I knew I'd be walking away with a red hand print on my cheek.

Sliding open the door, I stumbled into my room, tripping over the barely visible step.

Great, I groaned, now how am I supposed to make it through the rest of my life? I rolled my eyes, and leaned against the wall. My brain began to hurt from all the thinking I was doing lately do to Junior.

Why are you doing this to me Kami-sama? What did I do to deserve Kaoru being taken away from me?

"Kaoru wasn't taken from you," I heard. I looked down at my feet to stare back at Battousai, the last person on Earth I wanted to be looking at right now. The last thing I needed was to be yelled at for 'letting your woman walk around in the market place only as a display for other males wanting some nookie' as Sensei Hiko would say. I never understood what he meant by that until I met Junior.

"Yes she was. Though she . . .never didmake dinner especially for me . . ." I said pathetically as the aroma of Ishiyaki Imo floated in from the kitchen.

He rolled his eyes at me. "Yeah, like you ever desired her cooking before now." I was about to retort to that but couldn't think of a single thing to say. True, I do wish she would volunteer and make dinner for me. But not exactly her making it though… more like Akabeko style…

I sighed and looked away from the floor. The smell or the Ishiyaki Imo was soon taken over by Yakimeshi, one of my favorites. I never noticed that it smelled oddly inviting until now.

I was cast back into reality when I heard a knock come from the gates of the dojo. "Kenshin?" Kaoru called. My heart leaped at the sound of my name leaving her lips. "Could you get that? It's probably Junior." I heard a sigh between 'probably' and 'Junior'. I really wanted to die just then.

Don't worry, Battousai's voice came in my head, I have a plan for getting rid of this 'Junior'. I rolled my eyes but still wondered what was ahead.

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Short, yes. Good, you tell me! R&R!