Disclaimer: I'm telling you, it's not mine!
A/N: Okay so this is a little out of context, but it occurred to me that this was kind of evil, because I hate washing dishes and I almost never do them. : )
Chapter 5: "Taskmaster Kaoru"
Outside the Kamiya dojo, a man with dark, slick backed hair stood gazing at the dojo while smoking a cigarette. His golden-brown eyes were narrowed as if he were perpetually angered over something, and his tall, lean body was covered by a dark-blue policeman's uniform. A sword hung at his side.
"So, this is where Battousai the Manslayer has come to stay. . ." He commented to no one in particular. With a rude snort, he flicked his cigarette to the ground and crushed it beneath one black and shiny booted foot. He took a step forward as if he were going to enter the dojo then hesitated. He seemed to shake himself, and a small half-smile touched the corner of his lip. "I think I'll wait a while longer before making my move."
With that said, he turned on his heel and arrogantly strode off down the street.
**************
The next day while washing the dishes Kenshin sensed the presence of a fighting-spirit outside of the dojo. He paused tensely, wondering if the man was there to fight him or not, but after a moment the presence left. Kenshin went back to washing, but he pondered the incident. The presence reminded him of a wolf on the hunt, for some reason. It wasn't a comforting thought.
Kenshin sighed. /I need to leave as soon as I can, that I do, before I endanger anyone with my presence,/ He told himself gloomily.
He was feeling a prick of sadness because he liked his new friends and didn't want to leave just yet. But if he stayed, he reminded himself, then someone would want to fight him and that could put all their lives in jeopardy.
But that left him with a bit of a dilemma. If he left now then he wouldn't be able to help Kaoru. Maybe he could convince the Sagara brothers to get jobs and help Kaoru out. Kenshin sighed again, his sense of responsibility winning out. He had to stay until he was sure she would be fine, unfortunately that could prove to be a little complicating. . .
~~~~~~~~~~~
"So, what do you say, Shinta?" Sano asked clapping Kenshin on the back heartily or for him, what was probably 'lightly'. Kenshin had to wave his arms about to keep from falling forward. "Let's go looking for jobs again!"
Kenshin noticed that the tall man seemed especially cheerful for some reason. "Alright then-"
He was cut off by Kaoru who entered the kitchen just then. "Actually, I'd appreciate it if Shinta would do the laundry for me, so why don't you go look for a job on your own, Sanosuke."
"Aww, Missy, that's no fun," Sano complained, turning a pouty-eyed look upon Kaoru.
"It's not supposed to be fun, you stupid rooster head," Kaoru glared at him her hands placed menacingly on her hips. "And if you want to stay here," she added threateningly, "You'll get a job to help out!"
Sano rolled his eyes but at a deadly blue-eyed look he retreated from the room saying, "Alright, alright."
Kenshin chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head. "You don't mind that I'm not looking for a job, Miss Kaoru?"
"Of course not, Shinta," Kaoru turned a beautiful smile on him, and it amazed him how volatile her mood could be. But somehow it was a bit endearing. "Actually from now on, I'm going to need extra help around the place . . . especially since I've decided to teach Yahiko the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu."
"Oro . . .? I mean, you have?" Kenshin asked. /When did this happen?/
"Well," Kaoru laughed a little. "It turns out he's very interested in learning, so even though I wont be getting paid for it, I'm looking forward to training a new student." Kaoru seemed excited and for that Kenshin felt happy for her.
Suddenly he realized that if Sanosuke were able to find a job, then Kenshin would no longer be needed at the dojo. A sinking feeling overtook him and he stared at the floor, caught up in his emotion.
"Shinta?" Kaoru's voice came to him gently.
"Hmm?" Kenshin looked up at her.
"Are you okay? You kind of zoned out there for a bit." Her voice held concern.
Kenshin offered her a bright smile, "I was just thinking, that's all. It was nothing, that it wasn't."
They stood there for a moment longer staring at each other with uncertain smiles until Kaoru exploded, "Well, what are you just standing there for? Go do the laundry!"
"Yes, ma'am. . ." Kenshin said rather quickly and escaped the room.
*************
Sanosuke whistled to himself as he wandered aimlessly through the town looking for a job. It was then that he noticed his favorite restaurant, the Akabeko. His face developed a sharp grin, and his eyes twinkled slightly. /Well, it couldn't hurt to take a break . . ./ he thought.
He entered the restaurant and seated himself in a dining booth.
"That rooster headed . . ." A familiar voice began to say, and Sanosuke ducked instinctively, recognizing it as one of his gambling buddies. He glanced around quickly to see who was after his head, or more likely his money. He spotted the disgruntled gambler in a booth across the aisle and a ways ahead. Sanosuke had a view of the man from where he was but, thankfully, his booth was out of sight from the other one. Sano recognized the man as one of the gambler's who had been coming around his apartment looking for him and harassing Yahiko. Sanosuke frowned and leaned forward a bit as he eavesdropped.
". . . he owes me like one-thousand dollars . . . I should start collecting in skin."
Sanosuke tried to loosen his non-existent collar ineffectively.
Just then, Tae, the restaurant owner, came up to ask him what he would like to eat. Unfortunately, he'd been going there long enough for her to know his name.
"So, Mister Sagara, what will you have to eat?" She asked cheerfully and a bit loudly in her soft southern accent.
Sanosuke smacked his forehead. "Shhh. . ." He said to her and placed his finger over his lips. She frowned, but didn't speak again.
Sano listened closely for any sign that the man had heard her, but after a moment, when there was no retaliation Sano sighed with relief and whispered urgently to Tae, "Would it be alright if I ate in the kitchen?"
Tae crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head at him. "Only if you plan on helping out, Mister-"
He cut her off before she could say his name again, "I need a job-I'll do anything . . . I just don't want that guy to know where I am."
"You could leave," Tae pointed the obvious out.
"I could," Sano affirmed. "I could also fight him; I know I'd win, but the thing is: I really do owe him money, so, in a way, it wouldn't be right to beat him up for that."
Tae raised a brow, "So what you're saying is that you'll work for money so you can pay off your debts, is that right?"
"Yes. I mean . . ." Sano blinked. Had he really just said that?
"Okay, then," Tae said with a smile. "Just come this way."
She turned and Sanosuke rose and followed her to the kitchen. The room was filled with the aromas of delicious cooking. A chef and some helpers busily prepared meals. Tae pointed toward the back where a sink lay. A mound of dishes was slowly being whittled away by a young girl about Yahiko's age.
"You can go help Tsubame with the dishes, and then you can eat."
Sanosuke smiled at her a bit sheepishly and went to help the girl with the formidable stack of dishes.
~~~~~~~~~~~
At the dojo, Kaoru was acquainting Yahiko with her bokken. That is, his bokken. She'd begun to teach him the basics of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu that day. Needless to say, she was having some discipline problems with him.
"I don't see why you're the one teaching me," Yahiko complained to Kaoru, "I'll bet that Shinta guy knows more about swordsmanship then you do."
"I'm teaching you, you little brat, because you . . . asked-me-to!" Kaoru yelled.
Yahiko looked a bit sheepish before retorting, "Well, I should've asked Shinta!"
Kaoru began to chase him about with her bokken raised high.
That was how Kenshin found them when he came in from hanging up the washed clothing.
"Oro . . . Miss Kaoru, Yahiko . . . what are you doing?"
Yahiko and Kaoru froze in their spots. They looked quite awkward: Yahiko with his arms flung out to the side and a foot hovering in the air and Kaoru with her bokken suspended up over Yahiko's head.
Kaoru chose that moment, while Yahiko was still off guard, and bonked him on the head.
Yahiko fell over and came back up clutching his head.
"Oww! Kao-ru!" He exclaimed.
Kaoru merely ignored him and said sweetly to Kenshin, "We were just training, that's all, Shinta."
Kenshin gave them a disbelieving smile but just nodded. "Well, I was going to clean up the house a bit, that I was, if that's alright with you, Miss Kaoru."
Kaoru beamed at him and said, "Of course, Shinta, I'd appreciate it so much."
Yahiko noticed she was blushing a bit, and a thought began to form in his mind. A mischievous grin crossed his face . . .
Kenshin smiled back at Kaoru and wandered from the room in search of cleaning materials.
"I forgot something," Kaoru said to Yahiko.
In his confusion over her words, Yahiko's mischievous plot slipped his mind. "Forgot what?" He demanded suspiciously.
Kaoru turned innocent blue eyes on him. "I forgot to give you a list of chores to do."
Yahiko fell over again. He came up spitting, "Kaoru! I do not want to do chores!"
"Too bad. Besides, if you look up to Shinta so much, you should follow his example and do something to help out around here."
"And what are you doing?" Yahiko retorted.
Kaoru blinked, "Well, I'll cook, of course, Silly."
"Ugh . . ." Yahiko said and the color literally drained from his face.
Kaoru secretly giggled to herself and said sternly, "Back to practice, now."
Yahiko grumbled an 'aww' before complying.
***********
Maria Cline: hey, thank you for the review! My email is dmaaris@hotmail.com, and I'm afraid I didn't explain that Sano realized Kenshin isn't really a kid . . . oops. ::Slaps head:: but that was a really good idea you had and it's making me regret it. . . but. . . in the next chapter I'll explain something. I hope it will be satisfactory to you. :) If it's not then. . . just review! :) Thanks!
To everyone: Well, I don't have chapter 6 typed up, yet. . .also, I've got to work out some kinks, so it's gonna be awhile. . . I've got school and stuff. . . but believe me I'll find the time. :) ! Well, gotta go now, so bye! -Misao-incarnate.
A/N: Okay so this is a little out of context, but it occurred to me that this was kind of evil, because I hate washing dishes and I almost never do them. : )
Chapter 5: "Taskmaster Kaoru"
Outside the Kamiya dojo, a man with dark, slick backed hair stood gazing at the dojo while smoking a cigarette. His golden-brown eyes were narrowed as if he were perpetually angered over something, and his tall, lean body was covered by a dark-blue policeman's uniform. A sword hung at his side.
"So, this is where Battousai the Manslayer has come to stay. . ." He commented to no one in particular. With a rude snort, he flicked his cigarette to the ground and crushed it beneath one black and shiny booted foot. He took a step forward as if he were going to enter the dojo then hesitated. He seemed to shake himself, and a small half-smile touched the corner of his lip. "I think I'll wait a while longer before making my move."
With that said, he turned on his heel and arrogantly strode off down the street.
**************
The next day while washing the dishes Kenshin sensed the presence of a fighting-spirit outside of the dojo. He paused tensely, wondering if the man was there to fight him or not, but after a moment the presence left. Kenshin went back to washing, but he pondered the incident. The presence reminded him of a wolf on the hunt, for some reason. It wasn't a comforting thought.
Kenshin sighed. /I need to leave as soon as I can, that I do, before I endanger anyone with my presence,/ He told himself gloomily.
He was feeling a prick of sadness because he liked his new friends and didn't want to leave just yet. But if he stayed, he reminded himself, then someone would want to fight him and that could put all their lives in jeopardy.
But that left him with a bit of a dilemma. If he left now then he wouldn't be able to help Kaoru. Maybe he could convince the Sagara brothers to get jobs and help Kaoru out. Kenshin sighed again, his sense of responsibility winning out. He had to stay until he was sure she would be fine, unfortunately that could prove to be a little complicating. . .
~~~~~~~~~~~
"So, what do you say, Shinta?" Sano asked clapping Kenshin on the back heartily or for him, what was probably 'lightly'. Kenshin had to wave his arms about to keep from falling forward. "Let's go looking for jobs again!"
Kenshin noticed that the tall man seemed especially cheerful for some reason. "Alright then-"
He was cut off by Kaoru who entered the kitchen just then. "Actually, I'd appreciate it if Shinta would do the laundry for me, so why don't you go look for a job on your own, Sanosuke."
"Aww, Missy, that's no fun," Sano complained, turning a pouty-eyed look upon Kaoru.
"It's not supposed to be fun, you stupid rooster head," Kaoru glared at him her hands placed menacingly on her hips. "And if you want to stay here," she added threateningly, "You'll get a job to help out!"
Sano rolled his eyes but at a deadly blue-eyed look he retreated from the room saying, "Alright, alright."
Kenshin chuckled nervously and rubbed the back of his head. "You don't mind that I'm not looking for a job, Miss Kaoru?"
"Of course not, Shinta," Kaoru turned a beautiful smile on him, and it amazed him how volatile her mood could be. But somehow it was a bit endearing. "Actually from now on, I'm going to need extra help around the place . . . especially since I've decided to teach Yahiko the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu."
"Oro . . .? I mean, you have?" Kenshin asked. /When did this happen?/
"Well," Kaoru laughed a little. "It turns out he's very interested in learning, so even though I wont be getting paid for it, I'm looking forward to training a new student." Kaoru seemed excited and for that Kenshin felt happy for her.
Suddenly he realized that if Sanosuke were able to find a job, then Kenshin would no longer be needed at the dojo. A sinking feeling overtook him and he stared at the floor, caught up in his emotion.
"Shinta?" Kaoru's voice came to him gently.
"Hmm?" Kenshin looked up at her.
"Are you okay? You kind of zoned out there for a bit." Her voice held concern.
Kenshin offered her a bright smile, "I was just thinking, that's all. It was nothing, that it wasn't."
They stood there for a moment longer staring at each other with uncertain smiles until Kaoru exploded, "Well, what are you just standing there for? Go do the laundry!"
"Yes, ma'am. . ." Kenshin said rather quickly and escaped the room.
*************
Sanosuke whistled to himself as he wandered aimlessly through the town looking for a job. It was then that he noticed his favorite restaurant, the Akabeko. His face developed a sharp grin, and his eyes twinkled slightly. /Well, it couldn't hurt to take a break . . ./ he thought.
He entered the restaurant and seated himself in a dining booth.
"That rooster headed . . ." A familiar voice began to say, and Sanosuke ducked instinctively, recognizing it as one of his gambling buddies. He glanced around quickly to see who was after his head, or more likely his money. He spotted the disgruntled gambler in a booth across the aisle and a ways ahead. Sanosuke had a view of the man from where he was but, thankfully, his booth was out of sight from the other one. Sano recognized the man as one of the gambler's who had been coming around his apartment looking for him and harassing Yahiko. Sanosuke frowned and leaned forward a bit as he eavesdropped.
". . . he owes me like one-thousand dollars . . . I should start collecting in skin."
Sanosuke tried to loosen his non-existent collar ineffectively.
Just then, Tae, the restaurant owner, came up to ask him what he would like to eat. Unfortunately, he'd been going there long enough for her to know his name.
"So, Mister Sagara, what will you have to eat?" She asked cheerfully and a bit loudly in her soft southern accent.
Sanosuke smacked his forehead. "Shhh. . ." He said to her and placed his finger over his lips. She frowned, but didn't speak again.
Sano listened closely for any sign that the man had heard her, but after a moment, when there was no retaliation Sano sighed with relief and whispered urgently to Tae, "Would it be alright if I ate in the kitchen?"
Tae crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head at him. "Only if you plan on helping out, Mister-"
He cut her off before she could say his name again, "I need a job-I'll do anything . . . I just don't want that guy to know where I am."
"You could leave," Tae pointed the obvious out.
"I could," Sano affirmed. "I could also fight him; I know I'd win, but the thing is: I really do owe him money, so, in a way, it wouldn't be right to beat him up for that."
Tae raised a brow, "So what you're saying is that you'll work for money so you can pay off your debts, is that right?"
"Yes. I mean . . ." Sano blinked. Had he really just said that?
"Okay, then," Tae said with a smile. "Just come this way."
She turned and Sanosuke rose and followed her to the kitchen. The room was filled with the aromas of delicious cooking. A chef and some helpers busily prepared meals. Tae pointed toward the back where a sink lay. A mound of dishes was slowly being whittled away by a young girl about Yahiko's age.
"You can go help Tsubame with the dishes, and then you can eat."
Sanosuke smiled at her a bit sheepishly and went to help the girl with the formidable stack of dishes.
~~~~~~~~~~~
At the dojo, Kaoru was acquainting Yahiko with her bokken. That is, his bokken. She'd begun to teach him the basics of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu that day. Needless to say, she was having some discipline problems with him.
"I don't see why you're the one teaching me," Yahiko complained to Kaoru, "I'll bet that Shinta guy knows more about swordsmanship then you do."
"I'm teaching you, you little brat, because you . . . asked-me-to!" Kaoru yelled.
Yahiko looked a bit sheepish before retorting, "Well, I should've asked Shinta!"
Kaoru began to chase him about with her bokken raised high.
That was how Kenshin found them when he came in from hanging up the washed clothing.
"Oro . . . Miss Kaoru, Yahiko . . . what are you doing?"
Yahiko and Kaoru froze in their spots. They looked quite awkward: Yahiko with his arms flung out to the side and a foot hovering in the air and Kaoru with her bokken suspended up over Yahiko's head.
Kaoru chose that moment, while Yahiko was still off guard, and bonked him on the head.
Yahiko fell over and came back up clutching his head.
"Oww! Kao-ru!" He exclaimed.
Kaoru merely ignored him and said sweetly to Kenshin, "We were just training, that's all, Shinta."
Kenshin gave them a disbelieving smile but just nodded. "Well, I was going to clean up the house a bit, that I was, if that's alright with you, Miss Kaoru."
Kaoru beamed at him and said, "Of course, Shinta, I'd appreciate it so much."
Yahiko noticed she was blushing a bit, and a thought began to form in his mind. A mischievous grin crossed his face . . .
Kenshin smiled back at Kaoru and wandered from the room in search of cleaning materials.
"I forgot something," Kaoru said to Yahiko.
In his confusion over her words, Yahiko's mischievous plot slipped his mind. "Forgot what?" He demanded suspiciously.
Kaoru turned innocent blue eyes on him. "I forgot to give you a list of chores to do."
Yahiko fell over again. He came up spitting, "Kaoru! I do not want to do chores!"
"Too bad. Besides, if you look up to Shinta so much, you should follow his example and do something to help out around here."
"And what are you doing?" Yahiko retorted.
Kaoru blinked, "Well, I'll cook, of course, Silly."
"Ugh . . ." Yahiko said and the color literally drained from his face.
Kaoru secretly giggled to herself and said sternly, "Back to practice, now."
Yahiko grumbled an 'aww' before complying.
***********
Maria Cline: hey, thank you for the review! My email is dmaaris@hotmail.com, and I'm afraid I didn't explain that Sano realized Kenshin isn't really a kid . . . oops. ::Slaps head:: but that was a really good idea you had and it's making me regret it. . . but. . . in the next chapter I'll explain something. I hope it will be satisfactory to you. :) If it's not then. . . just review! :) Thanks!
To everyone: Well, I don't have chapter 6 typed up, yet. . .also, I've got to work out some kinks, so it's gonna be awhile. . . I've got school and stuff. . . but believe me I'll find the time. :) ! Well, gotta go now, so bye! -Misao-incarnate.