Disclaimer: It really isn't mine, but if it were, I would add more
episodes. . .
Oh, and in this chapter I explain about Sano knowing about Kenshin's age. :) I hope you're pleasantly surprised.
Chapter 6: "Man of the House"
Before this, Sanosuke had been under the impression that he was a pretty strong guy, but by the time the workday was up, his back felt like it was going to give out on him. Not to mention his hands were all pruned from the dishwater.
"I don't know how you do this every day, Missy." He told Tsubame.
She smiled up at him cheerfully, "I'm just used to it, I guess."
Sanosuke chuckled and wiped his hands on a towel. "Well, I guess I'll see you guys later."
He was walking for the door when Tae stopped him. "Wait, Mister Sagara, you forgot your wage for the day."
She handed him some bills, but as he reached for it saying 'thanks', she snatched it back giving him a stern look. "Now, you have to promise not to waste this gambling. You have little Yahiko to take care of, after all."
Sanosuke smiled wryly and said, "I promise."
Tae gave him a brilliant smile and handed him the money. Sano rushed from the Akabeko's kitchen just relieved that the workday was over. He was already halfway down the street when his stomach growled. His eyes widened in horror when he realized that he hadn't gotten that free meal Tae had promised.
"Oh, man . . ." He sighed and grimaced. "I guess I'll just have to eat at Kaoru's." The thought almost made him want to turn around and beg that meal from Tae.
Sano sighed, "Oh, well."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kenshin saw Kaoru going into the kitchen and the thought of her making dinner began to frighten him just a bit.
He rushed to intercept her, "Ah, Miss Kaoru, I was wondering if you'd like me to make supper?"
Kaoru stopped in her tracks and eyed Kenshin with narrowed eyes and slightly pursed lips. "Are you sure, Shinta? You must be tired from all that cleaning."
Kenshin shook his head rather emphatically, "No, I'm fine, that I am."
"Well, okay. . ." Kaoru consented, "You can cook, right?"
Kenshin swallowed, praying to Kami-sama that he found the right words to say. "I've learned to throw a decent meal together in my travels, that I have," He answered modestly.
Kaoru smiled, and Kenshin uttered a little sigh of relief.
"Just feel free to use anything you need from the kitchen, and call if you need anything."
"Yes, Miss Kaoru," Kenshin said with a smile.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Sanosuke entered the Kamiya dojo, he smelled something to rival the scents in the Akabeko's kitchen.
/Boy, that Kaoru sure has a way of fooling everyone. . ./
Sano called out loudly, "Hello, I'm home!" He paused in the deserted living area and scowled when no one made the effort to come and greet him.
"I brought money!" He tried again.
Suddenly, Kaoru and Yahiko came out of nowhere with ecstatic smiles all over their faces.
Sano scowled more deeply but displayed the money for them to see.
Kaoru was practically jumping up and down clapping her hands from excitement, while Yahiko was trying to snatch the money from Sanosuke.
"This isn't yours," Sano said and held the money up out of Yahiko's reach.
"That's right," Kaoru agreed cheerfully, "It's mine."
Sano raised a brow but handed the money to her.
Kaoru began to count it in delight while Sano held Yahiko back by the back of his collar.
"Hey, Missy, if you're in here-then who's cooking?"
Kaoru answered, without looking up from the cash, "Shinta."
Sano's eyes went wide for a bit as he wondered how much better the odd samurai's cooking could be compared to Kaoru's.
"Hey Sano, what kind of job did you get?" Yahiko asked with some suspicion creeping into his voice.
Sanosuke released him and Yahiko stumbled a bit before quickly regaining his balance and turning to glare at Sano.
"Don't worry, I'm not fighting for money again, if that's what you're wondering. I promised I wouldn't anymore, remember?" He chose not to add that that was why they'd gone broke.
Yahiko looked a bit embarrassed. "Of course I do, you big rooster head. . ." He grew defensive. "So where /are/ you working?"
"I got a job at the Akabeko washing dishes," Sano replied nonchalantly.
Yahiko guffawed and Sano endured his laughter in tense silence.
Kenshin came from the kitchen and declared with a big smile, "Dinner's ready!" In his arms was a big pot of something that smelled absolutely scrumptious; it drew the group to it like bees to honey. Kaoru even left off her money counting to go eat.
Yahiko, remembering his last encounter with strange food, sniffed at the contents of the bowl Kenshin handed him before taking a very reluctant bite.
Sanosuke simply dove in, deciding it would be best to eat it quickly so as not to taste it as much if it /did/ turn out to be atrocious.
Kenshin waited for Kaoru to take a bite. She smiled at him, a slight blush on her face, before blowing on her bite to cool it and then popping it into her mouth.
She seemed to freeze for a bit then let out a contented sigh. "Oh, this is good."
"Ugly's right," Yahiko mumbled around a mouthful.
Sanosuke wisely chose to keep his mouth shut, or full of food, that is.
Kenshin only smiled his thanks.
"It's definitely better than Kaoru's," Yahiko foolishly added.
Kaoru shot him a baleful look and said, "I think I'll make Yahiko's chore list a bit longer. . ."
"Hey!" Yahiko protested. He tried desperately to think of something to throw back at her. He was pondering it long enough for Kaoru to turn her attention away from him and to smile shyly at Kenshin while she blushed a bit.
Yahiko began to grin as he remembered his plan. "Oh, Kaoru. . ." He began innocently.
With some annoyance showing, she looked over at him. "What is it?"
Sano perked up, noticing a somewhat familiar twinkle in his younger brother's brown eyes. /Now, what can he be up to?/ Sano wondered.
Yahiko said, "I was just wondering how long Shinta's been your boyfriend?"
Kaoru's eyes went round, and her face grew red all over. "He's not my boyfriend!"
Kenshin uttered, "Oro!?"
Sano couldn't help himself, he began to chuckle.
Kaoru, now embarrassed to the point of violence, began to throttle Yahiko.
"Err, Missy," Sano said around his laughter, deciding to save his brother. "I don't think Yahi-"
Kaoru turned on him, practically growing fangs. Sano squeaked a small 'never mind' and scooted away in fear. . .
Kenshin said, "Now, Miss Kaoru-"
Kaoru ignored him and finished choking Yahiko.
She sat down again with a small, contented smile, and calmly resumed eating her meal.
Yahiko came up gasping for breath, then toppled backwards again saying, "Aghhh. . ."
Sano peered at him closely and concluded that he was all right.
When Yahiko recovered, he smiled wickedly again, not having learned his lesson. "So, Shinta, you're about Kaoru's age, right?"
Sano looked back and forth between his brother and Kaoru, a little afraid that whatever retaliation she made would rub off on him, too, since he was sitting next to Yahiko. However, he noticed that she was looking at Kenshin with a questioning, almost hopeful look.
Kenshin rubbed the back of his head self-consciously and said, "Well, as far as I can guess, I'm about twenty-eight."
Yahiko and Kaoru hit the floor with their feet sticking up high.
Sano's eyes bulged, "I thought you were like seventeen-you're saying you're the oldest here?"
Kenshin said, "Oro?"
"I'm only eighteen. . ." Kaoru bemoaned.
"I'm eleven," Yahiko said almost disappointedly.
"I'm nineteen," Sano said last, shaking his head. He was feeling a bit deflated, too. Here he'd been thinking he was the oldest-the man of the house--but it turned out this little red-headed runt was the oldest and, from his encounter with Shinta's sword, the strongest, also.
Sano sighed and consoled himself. /At least I'm the one bringing in the money./ And, in a way, that still made him the man of the house.
A/N: Thanks GuessWHO for reviewing. ;) Heheheh. Shhhh. . . don't tell them we're working on another story. ^_~
Okay, so now that my mom has approved this ;) I'm posting it. . . but please don't get impatient. I have to get my courage up before writing the serious parts. Well, bye now! -Misao-incarnate.
Oh, and in this chapter I explain about Sano knowing about Kenshin's age. :) I hope you're pleasantly surprised.
Chapter 6: "Man of the House"
Before this, Sanosuke had been under the impression that he was a pretty strong guy, but by the time the workday was up, his back felt like it was going to give out on him. Not to mention his hands were all pruned from the dishwater.
"I don't know how you do this every day, Missy." He told Tsubame.
She smiled up at him cheerfully, "I'm just used to it, I guess."
Sanosuke chuckled and wiped his hands on a towel. "Well, I guess I'll see you guys later."
He was walking for the door when Tae stopped him. "Wait, Mister Sagara, you forgot your wage for the day."
She handed him some bills, but as he reached for it saying 'thanks', she snatched it back giving him a stern look. "Now, you have to promise not to waste this gambling. You have little Yahiko to take care of, after all."
Sanosuke smiled wryly and said, "I promise."
Tae gave him a brilliant smile and handed him the money. Sano rushed from the Akabeko's kitchen just relieved that the workday was over. He was already halfway down the street when his stomach growled. His eyes widened in horror when he realized that he hadn't gotten that free meal Tae had promised.
"Oh, man . . ." He sighed and grimaced. "I guess I'll just have to eat at Kaoru's." The thought almost made him want to turn around and beg that meal from Tae.
Sano sighed, "Oh, well."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kenshin saw Kaoru going into the kitchen and the thought of her making dinner began to frighten him just a bit.
He rushed to intercept her, "Ah, Miss Kaoru, I was wondering if you'd like me to make supper?"
Kaoru stopped in her tracks and eyed Kenshin with narrowed eyes and slightly pursed lips. "Are you sure, Shinta? You must be tired from all that cleaning."
Kenshin shook his head rather emphatically, "No, I'm fine, that I am."
"Well, okay. . ." Kaoru consented, "You can cook, right?"
Kenshin swallowed, praying to Kami-sama that he found the right words to say. "I've learned to throw a decent meal together in my travels, that I have," He answered modestly.
Kaoru smiled, and Kenshin uttered a little sigh of relief.
"Just feel free to use anything you need from the kitchen, and call if you need anything."
"Yes, Miss Kaoru," Kenshin said with a smile.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
When Sanosuke entered the Kamiya dojo, he smelled something to rival the scents in the Akabeko's kitchen.
/Boy, that Kaoru sure has a way of fooling everyone. . ./
Sano called out loudly, "Hello, I'm home!" He paused in the deserted living area and scowled when no one made the effort to come and greet him.
"I brought money!" He tried again.
Suddenly, Kaoru and Yahiko came out of nowhere with ecstatic smiles all over their faces.
Sano scowled more deeply but displayed the money for them to see.
Kaoru was practically jumping up and down clapping her hands from excitement, while Yahiko was trying to snatch the money from Sanosuke.
"This isn't yours," Sano said and held the money up out of Yahiko's reach.
"That's right," Kaoru agreed cheerfully, "It's mine."
Sano raised a brow but handed the money to her.
Kaoru began to count it in delight while Sano held Yahiko back by the back of his collar.
"Hey, Missy, if you're in here-then who's cooking?"
Kaoru answered, without looking up from the cash, "Shinta."
Sano's eyes went wide for a bit as he wondered how much better the odd samurai's cooking could be compared to Kaoru's.
"Hey Sano, what kind of job did you get?" Yahiko asked with some suspicion creeping into his voice.
Sanosuke released him and Yahiko stumbled a bit before quickly regaining his balance and turning to glare at Sano.
"Don't worry, I'm not fighting for money again, if that's what you're wondering. I promised I wouldn't anymore, remember?" He chose not to add that that was why they'd gone broke.
Yahiko looked a bit embarrassed. "Of course I do, you big rooster head. . ." He grew defensive. "So where /are/ you working?"
"I got a job at the Akabeko washing dishes," Sano replied nonchalantly.
Yahiko guffawed and Sano endured his laughter in tense silence.
Kenshin came from the kitchen and declared with a big smile, "Dinner's ready!" In his arms was a big pot of something that smelled absolutely scrumptious; it drew the group to it like bees to honey. Kaoru even left off her money counting to go eat.
Yahiko, remembering his last encounter with strange food, sniffed at the contents of the bowl Kenshin handed him before taking a very reluctant bite.
Sanosuke simply dove in, deciding it would be best to eat it quickly so as not to taste it as much if it /did/ turn out to be atrocious.
Kenshin waited for Kaoru to take a bite. She smiled at him, a slight blush on her face, before blowing on her bite to cool it and then popping it into her mouth.
She seemed to freeze for a bit then let out a contented sigh. "Oh, this is good."
"Ugly's right," Yahiko mumbled around a mouthful.
Sanosuke wisely chose to keep his mouth shut, or full of food, that is.
Kenshin only smiled his thanks.
"It's definitely better than Kaoru's," Yahiko foolishly added.
Kaoru shot him a baleful look and said, "I think I'll make Yahiko's chore list a bit longer. . ."
"Hey!" Yahiko protested. He tried desperately to think of something to throw back at her. He was pondering it long enough for Kaoru to turn her attention away from him and to smile shyly at Kenshin while she blushed a bit.
Yahiko began to grin as he remembered his plan. "Oh, Kaoru. . ." He began innocently.
With some annoyance showing, she looked over at him. "What is it?"
Sano perked up, noticing a somewhat familiar twinkle in his younger brother's brown eyes. /Now, what can he be up to?/ Sano wondered.
Yahiko said, "I was just wondering how long Shinta's been your boyfriend?"
Kaoru's eyes went round, and her face grew red all over. "He's not my boyfriend!"
Kenshin uttered, "Oro!?"
Sano couldn't help himself, he began to chuckle.
Kaoru, now embarrassed to the point of violence, began to throttle Yahiko.
"Err, Missy," Sano said around his laughter, deciding to save his brother. "I don't think Yahi-"
Kaoru turned on him, practically growing fangs. Sano squeaked a small 'never mind' and scooted away in fear. . .
Kenshin said, "Now, Miss Kaoru-"
Kaoru ignored him and finished choking Yahiko.
She sat down again with a small, contented smile, and calmly resumed eating her meal.
Yahiko came up gasping for breath, then toppled backwards again saying, "Aghhh. . ."
Sano peered at him closely and concluded that he was all right.
When Yahiko recovered, he smiled wickedly again, not having learned his lesson. "So, Shinta, you're about Kaoru's age, right?"
Sano looked back and forth between his brother and Kaoru, a little afraid that whatever retaliation she made would rub off on him, too, since he was sitting next to Yahiko. However, he noticed that she was looking at Kenshin with a questioning, almost hopeful look.
Kenshin rubbed the back of his head self-consciously and said, "Well, as far as I can guess, I'm about twenty-eight."
Yahiko and Kaoru hit the floor with their feet sticking up high.
Sano's eyes bulged, "I thought you were like seventeen-you're saying you're the oldest here?"
Kenshin said, "Oro?"
"I'm only eighteen. . ." Kaoru bemoaned.
"I'm eleven," Yahiko said almost disappointedly.
"I'm nineteen," Sano said last, shaking his head. He was feeling a bit deflated, too. Here he'd been thinking he was the oldest-the man of the house--but it turned out this little red-headed runt was the oldest and, from his encounter with Shinta's sword, the strongest, also.
Sano sighed and consoled himself. /At least I'm the one bringing in the money./ And, in a way, that still made him the man of the house.
A/N: Thanks GuessWHO for reviewing. ;) Heheheh. Shhhh. . . don't tell them we're working on another story. ^_~
Okay, so now that my mom has approved this ;) I'm posting it. . . but please don't get impatient. I have to get my courage up before writing the serious parts. Well, bye now! -Misao-incarnate.