Disclaimer: It's not mine: 'nough said.
A/N: This chapter has more serious parts in it, just so you're not overly surprised and start to get sad or something. :)
Chapter 7: "Night Time Trysts"
"Yahiko," Kaoru called cheerfully. "It's time for bed!"
Yahiko looked up from the board game he was playing with Sanosuke.
He stuck his tongue out at Kaoru then said, "You're not my mom, Ugly."
Kaoru glared, "You have practice tomorrow, if you don't want to be dragged out of bed, you'd better get to sleep now."
"Just try it," Yahiko said stubbornly.
"Why you. . ." Kaoru began.
"Now, now, Miss Kaoru, Yahiko," Kenshin said from where he sat on a floor mat drinking green tea.
Sanosuke raised a brow and sat back to see what would happen.
Kaoru frowned, "Shinta, tell him he needs his sleep-I know he'll listen to you," She plead with Kenshin.
Kenshin looked nervous and said hesitantly, "Well, Yahiko. . .you /should/ get a good night's rest, that you should."
Yahiko crossed his arms over his chest and looked sullen. "I don't see why. . . the /rest/ of you get to stay up," he argued.
"/We're/ not little kids," Kaoru retorted.
Sano chuckled at the offended expression on Yahiko's face. "I'm /not/ a little kid!" Yahiko protested.
"I really don't /care/--you're still going to bed!"
"Why?!" Yahiko complained.
"Because I said so!" Kaoru fumed.
Yahiko stubbornly sat there, but when he reached for a board piece, Kaoru lost it. . .
She grabbed him by his hair and pulled him up.
Yahiko wailed as she began to drag him from the room.
/Maybe I should've set more discipline for Yahiko. . ./ Sano thought a bit regretfully. /But I was still a kid, too./ He pushed that melancholy thought from his mind and, instead, smiled in amusement at Yahiko's now distant cries of protest.
Kenshin said in an offhand manner, "Miss Kaoru's rather dominant, that she is."
Sano glanced back at him and noticed he was smiling. /Does he /always/ smile?/
"I guess you'd have to be strong growing up practically all by yourself, like she did," Sano agreed.
Kenshin nodded slightly, his smile disappearing for a moment.
/Guess not. . ./ Sano thought concerning Kenshin smiling.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kaoru sighed as she exited the room that Yahiko and his big brother would be sleeping in. She'd fixed up a futon for him and had left him alone so that he could get settled in. . .
The day was finally catching up to her; her eyes felt heavy and her limbs were sore from the sword practice with Yahiko. She blushed as she remembered her embarrassment over Yahiko's comments during supper. She really did like Shinta, she decided.
/But he's ten years older than me,/ She told herself.
Kaoru shook her head as if to clear it and said aloud, "Stop being so silly- how do you even know he likes you?"
Kaoru tried to clear her mind as she entered the living area where Kenshin and Sanosuke were lounging.
"So, you finally got him to bed, eh, Missy?" Sanosuke asked her.
Kaoru nodded while trying to suppress a yawn.
"Hmm, looks like someone needs to put /you/ to bed," Sanosuke said with a tinge of humor.
Kenshin said, "Miss Kaoru, Sano is right, that he is. You should get some sleep." His voice was kind, and it made her feel all warm inside to hear him say something to her in that caring way.
"Okay. . .do either of you need anything, though, before I go to bed?"
She glanced at Sano, but when she looked toward Kenshin, her eyes lingered on him for a moment before she fidgeted and looked at Sano again. Unknown to her, Sanosuke was noting her nervous behavior, and even more obviously, her blushes.
"So, where will Shinta be sleeping, Missy?" Sano teased, "With you?"
Kaoru gaped, then blushed, and then exploded. "He'll be sleeping out here like he did last night, you stupid rooster-headed freeloader!"
Kenshin said in the background, "Ororo. . ."
Sano feigned innocence, "I just thought that you were protecting little Yahiko from hearing about your 'affair' earlier; there's no need to keep up the charade, now." He resisted the urge to smirk.
Kenshin said 'ororo' again, but Kaoru took off her shoe and threw it at Sano. Sanosuke ducked to the side in time and was about to smile at Kaoru gloatingly when he heard a pained, 'orororo' coming from behind him.
Kaoru exclaimed, "Oh, no, Shinta, I'm so sorry!"
Sanosuke turned to see the redhead laid out flat with a huge bump growing on his head. Kaoru's sandal had hit Kenshin when Sano ducked.
"Uh, oh. . ." Sano said.
"Sanosuke Sagara," Kaoru said, suddenly growing fangs. Her voice had a levelness to it that Sano began to worry over. "Hold still for a moment. . ." She advanced on him, and Sano chose that moment to flee. . .
He ran for the room Yahiko was sleeping in. Once he got inside, he leaned with his back against the door to hold it shut.
Yahiko looked up at Sano from where he lay on his futon. He seemed annoyed but curious. "What's goin' on?" He asked sleepily.
Sano grimaced. "Kaoru is trying to kill me."
Yahiko snickered and sat up. "What did you do to her?"
Sanosuke smiled at the memory. "I teased her about Shinta-I asked if they were going to sleep together tonight."
Yahiko gaped then recovered and began to laugh. "I wish I'd been there to see the look on her face." He said wistfully.
Sano shuddered, "No you don't-oh and she threw her sandal at me and it hit Shinta instead and now she's after me."
Yahiko started laughing again, but when they heard a knock at the door, both of them jumped and froze. . .
"It's me-Shinta," Kenshin called to them and they both let out sighs of relief.
Sano opened the door a crack and peeked out. Sure enough, there stood the red-head looking happily contrite and holding a folded futon.
Sano let him in and asked, "You're sleeping in here?"
Kenshin nodded and said, "Miss Kaoru wanted to make sure there was no confusion about our relationship, that she did."
Sano chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "Hey, I was just teasing, you know. . ." He said with some embarrassment.
Kenshin smiled hugely and went to lay his futon down on the floor.
"Phew. . ." Yahiko said, "You nearly got it, Sano."
Sanosuke grew irritated and said, "Shut up."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yahiko awakened from a nightmare. . . it was still dark out and he felt scared. He looked over to where Sanosuke lay sleeping and then to where Kenshin slept on the other side of him. He got up and decided to calm himself with a snack.
He tiptoed into the kitchen and began looking for something to eat.
"What are you doing, Yahiko?" A voice emerged from out of the darkness.
Yahiko hollered and began to run for it. . .
A ghostly hand grabbed his nightshirt and yanked him back. "It's me, stupid," Came Kaoru's voice. Yahiko relaxed and Kaoru released him.
"Oh," Yahiko said and laughed in embarrassment.
"Hold on, let me light a candle," Kaoru said.
He could hear her moving about in the dark and then there was a scratching sound and a small light flared up. Kaoru set the candle down and asked Yahiko, "Why are you awake so early?"
She sat down and Yahiko glowered at her, but finally said, "Just 'cause. . ."
"Oh, okay," Kaoru said a bit sarcastically. "Do you want some tea?" She asked him.
Yahiko was about to say 'no' rudely, but Kaoru had already gotten up again and was pulling out the stuff to make the tea. Yahiko sighed and sat down to wait.
A few minutes passed and finally the tea was done. Kaoru poured him some into a little cup and handed it to him. Yahiko took the cup and began to blow on its contents while letting it warm his fingers.
Kaoru sat next to him, once she'd gotten her own tea, and eyed him as she sipped at it. . .
"What are you staring at?" Yahiko demanded defensively.
"Do you feel better, now?" Kaoru asked with a smile.
Yahiko squinted evilly at her before replying, "Yeah."
It wasn't until after he was going back to bed that he wondered why Kaoru had been up so early, too. . .
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sano woke up when Yahiko started moving around. His little brother got up and left the room.
/Must've had a nightmare. . ./ Sano thought. He was about to get up to follow him, when she saw Kenshin rise to his feet and slip from the room.
/Now, what is /he/ doing?/ Sanosuke wondered. He got up and went after them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kenshin rose and left the room. This was the second person he sensed that had awakened during the night. As he left, he realized Sanosuke was also awake. He waited outside the kitchen and listened to the goings on between Kaoru and Yahiko. After a while, Yahiko went back to bed. He waited for Kaoru to emerge, but she remained in the kitchen.
Kenshin slipped inside, and when she looked up at him with sleepy blue eyes, he asked, "Are you alright, Miss Kaoru?"
"Oh, Shinta, you're up, too?" She asked in surprise.
"Yahiko must've awakened me," Kenshin explained innocently.
"Would you like some tea, Shinta?"
Kenshin nodded and said, "Yes, thank you." He sat down and asked, "Is something troubling you, Miss Kaoru?"
Kaoru answered, "Well, not exactly." She brought him his tea and sat back down. "I had a nightmare, that's all. . . sometimes I dream about my parents' deaths."
"I'm sorry. . ." Kenshin told her, not knowing any other way to reply.
Kaoru smiled kindly, "It's alright."
"How did they die?" Kenshin asked softly.
"My mother died of a sickness when I was very young, and my father died while fighting in the war. . ."
"That must have been terrible for you. . ."
"I was sad, but I had Dr. Genzai; I was never alone."
Kenshin smiled at her optimism and said, "You aren't alone now, either, that you aren't."
Kaoru blinked in surprise, and, for a moment, tears filled her eyes then she smiled, "Thank you, Shinta."
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yahiko headed back down the hall to his room and ran into something tall and solid. He yelped and jumped away clutching his chest.
"It's just me, Yahiko," Sanosuke's voice said.
Yahiko sighed. "You scared me," He complained. "What are you doing up, anyway?" Yahiko demanded.
"I was looking to see why everyone else was up," Sano replied dryly.
"Shinta's up, too?" Yahiko asked dubiously.
"Yeah, he got up after you."
"Oh. . .what do you think he's doing?" Yahiko asked.
"Probably having a tryst with Kaoru," Sano joked.
Yahiko frowned, "Let's go see."
Sano grabbed his little brother and said, "Let's go to bed."
Yahiko protested, but Sano dragged him away.
~~~~~~~~~
A/N: I'm sick . . .::looks pathetic:: so I might not be able to update for a while. #__# But I had this chapter written already so I hope you enjoy.
Melissa: thanks so much! I liked that part too. :)
CEEGEE: thanks a bunch! :) hehe, sure does. ;)
Bob-san: I'm sorry! I have no clue :( ^-^ thanks for reviewing! (Hint: maybe next chp. I'll get to the serious parts. . .?) ::shrugs::
Thanks for reviewing everybody (sorry if I forgot to mention any names; I'm a little fuzzy right now. (sneezing, stuffy head, tons of Kleenex-ya get the idea) and I'll try to update as soon as I can. -Misao-incarnate.
A/N: This chapter has more serious parts in it, just so you're not overly surprised and start to get sad or something. :)
Chapter 7: "Night Time Trysts"
"Yahiko," Kaoru called cheerfully. "It's time for bed!"
Yahiko looked up from the board game he was playing with Sanosuke.
He stuck his tongue out at Kaoru then said, "You're not my mom, Ugly."
Kaoru glared, "You have practice tomorrow, if you don't want to be dragged out of bed, you'd better get to sleep now."
"Just try it," Yahiko said stubbornly.
"Why you. . ." Kaoru began.
"Now, now, Miss Kaoru, Yahiko," Kenshin said from where he sat on a floor mat drinking green tea.
Sanosuke raised a brow and sat back to see what would happen.
Kaoru frowned, "Shinta, tell him he needs his sleep-I know he'll listen to you," She plead with Kenshin.
Kenshin looked nervous and said hesitantly, "Well, Yahiko. . .you /should/ get a good night's rest, that you should."
Yahiko crossed his arms over his chest and looked sullen. "I don't see why. . . the /rest/ of you get to stay up," he argued.
"/We're/ not little kids," Kaoru retorted.
Sano chuckled at the offended expression on Yahiko's face. "I'm /not/ a little kid!" Yahiko protested.
"I really don't /care/--you're still going to bed!"
"Why?!" Yahiko complained.
"Because I said so!" Kaoru fumed.
Yahiko stubbornly sat there, but when he reached for a board piece, Kaoru lost it. . .
She grabbed him by his hair and pulled him up.
Yahiko wailed as she began to drag him from the room.
/Maybe I should've set more discipline for Yahiko. . ./ Sano thought a bit regretfully. /But I was still a kid, too./ He pushed that melancholy thought from his mind and, instead, smiled in amusement at Yahiko's now distant cries of protest.
Kenshin said in an offhand manner, "Miss Kaoru's rather dominant, that she is."
Sano glanced back at him and noticed he was smiling. /Does he /always/ smile?/
"I guess you'd have to be strong growing up practically all by yourself, like she did," Sano agreed.
Kenshin nodded slightly, his smile disappearing for a moment.
/Guess not. . ./ Sano thought concerning Kenshin smiling.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kaoru sighed as she exited the room that Yahiko and his big brother would be sleeping in. She'd fixed up a futon for him and had left him alone so that he could get settled in. . .
The day was finally catching up to her; her eyes felt heavy and her limbs were sore from the sword practice with Yahiko. She blushed as she remembered her embarrassment over Yahiko's comments during supper. She really did like Shinta, she decided.
/But he's ten years older than me,/ She told herself.
Kaoru shook her head as if to clear it and said aloud, "Stop being so silly- how do you even know he likes you?"
Kaoru tried to clear her mind as she entered the living area where Kenshin and Sanosuke were lounging.
"So, you finally got him to bed, eh, Missy?" Sanosuke asked her.
Kaoru nodded while trying to suppress a yawn.
"Hmm, looks like someone needs to put /you/ to bed," Sanosuke said with a tinge of humor.
Kenshin said, "Miss Kaoru, Sano is right, that he is. You should get some sleep." His voice was kind, and it made her feel all warm inside to hear him say something to her in that caring way.
"Okay. . .do either of you need anything, though, before I go to bed?"
She glanced at Sano, but when she looked toward Kenshin, her eyes lingered on him for a moment before she fidgeted and looked at Sano again. Unknown to her, Sanosuke was noting her nervous behavior, and even more obviously, her blushes.
"So, where will Shinta be sleeping, Missy?" Sano teased, "With you?"
Kaoru gaped, then blushed, and then exploded. "He'll be sleeping out here like he did last night, you stupid rooster-headed freeloader!"
Kenshin said in the background, "Ororo. . ."
Sano feigned innocence, "I just thought that you were protecting little Yahiko from hearing about your 'affair' earlier; there's no need to keep up the charade, now." He resisted the urge to smirk.
Kenshin said 'ororo' again, but Kaoru took off her shoe and threw it at Sano. Sanosuke ducked to the side in time and was about to smile at Kaoru gloatingly when he heard a pained, 'orororo' coming from behind him.
Kaoru exclaimed, "Oh, no, Shinta, I'm so sorry!"
Sanosuke turned to see the redhead laid out flat with a huge bump growing on his head. Kaoru's sandal had hit Kenshin when Sano ducked.
"Uh, oh. . ." Sano said.
"Sanosuke Sagara," Kaoru said, suddenly growing fangs. Her voice had a levelness to it that Sano began to worry over. "Hold still for a moment. . ." She advanced on him, and Sano chose that moment to flee. . .
He ran for the room Yahiko was sleeping in. Once he got inside, he leaned with his back against the door to hold it shut.
Yahiko looked up at Sano from where he lay on his futon. He seemed annoyed but curious. "What's goin' on?" He asked sleepily.
Sano grimaced. "Kaoru is trying to kill me."
Yahiko snickered and sat up. "What did you do to her?"
Sanosuke smiled at the memory. "I teased her about Shinta-I asked if they were going to sleep together tonight."
Yahiko gaped then recovered and began to laugh. "I wish I'd been there to see the look on her face." He said wistfully.
Sano shuddered, "No you don't-oh and she threw her sandal at me and it hit Shinta instead and now she's after me."
Yahiko started laughing again, but when they heard a knock at the door, both of them jumped and froze. . .
"It's me-Shinta," Kenshin called to them and they both let out sighs of relief.
Sano opened the door a crack and peeked out. Sure enough, there stood the red-head looking happily contrite and holding a folded futon.
Sano let him in and asked, "You're sleeping in here?"
Kenshin nodded and said, "Miss Kaoru wanted to make sure there was no confusion about our relationship, that she did."
Sano chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "Hey, I was just teasing, you know. . ." He said with some embarrassment.
Kenshin smiled hugely and went to lay his futon down on the floor.
"Phew. . ." Yahiko said, "You nearly got it, Sano."
Sanosuke grew irritated and said, "Shut up."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yahiko awakened from a nightmare. . . it was still dark out and he felt scared. He looked over to where Sanosuke lay sleeping and then to where Kenshin slept on the other side of him. He got up and decided to calm himself with a snack.
He tiptoed into the kitchen and began looking for something to eat.
"What are you doing, Yahiko?" A voice emerged from out of the darkness.
Yahiko hollered and began to run for it. . .
A ghostly hand grabbed his nightshirt and yanked him back. "It's me, stupid," Came Kaoru's voice. Yahiko relaxed and Kaoru released him.
"Oh," Yahiko said and laughed in embarrassment.
"Hold on, let me light a candle," Kaoru said.
He could hear her moving about in the dark and then there was a scratching sound and a small light flared up. Kaoru set the candle down and asked Yahiko, "Why are you awake so early?"
She sat down and Yahiko glowered at her, but finally said, "Just 'cause. . ."
"Oh, okay," Kaoru said a bit sarcastically. "Do you want some tea?" She asked him.
Yahiko was about to say 'no' rudely, but Kaoru had already gotten up again and was pulling out the stuff to make the tea. Yahiko sighed and sat down to wait.
A few minutes passed and finally the tea was done. Kaoru poured him some into a little cup and handed it to him. Yahiko took the cup and began to blow on its contents while letting it warm his fingers.
Kaoru sat next to him, once she'd gotten her own tea, and eyed him as she sipped at it. . .
"What are you staring at?" Yahiko demanded defensively.
"Do you feel better, now?" Kaoru asked with a smile.
Yahiko squinted evilly at her before replying, "Yeah."
It wasn't until after he was going back to bed that he wondered why Kaoru had been up so early, too. . .
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sano woke up when Yahiko started moving around. His little brother got up and left the room.
/Must've had a nightmare. . ./ Sano thought. He was about to get up to follow him, when she saw Kenshin rise to his feet and slip from the room.
/Now, what is /he/ doing?/ Sanosuke wondered. He got up and went after them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kenshin rose and left the room. This was the second person he sensed that had awakened during the night. As he left, he realized Sanosuke was also awake. He waited outside the kitchen and listened to the goings on between Kaoru and Yahiko. After a while, Yahiko went back to bed. He waited for Kaoru to emerge, but she remained in the kitchen.
Kenshin slipped inside, and when she looked up at him with sleepy blue eyes, he asked, "Are you alright, Miss Kaoru?"
"Oh, Shinta, you're up, too?" She asked in surprise.
"Yahiko must've awakened me," Kenshin explained innocently.
"Would you like some tea, Shinta?"
Kenshin nodded and said, "Yes, thank you." He sat down and asked, "Is something troubling you, Miss Kaoru?"
Kaoru answered, "Well, not exactly." She brought him his tea and sat back down. "I had a nightmare, that's all. . . sometimes I dream about my parents' deaths."
"I'm sorry. . ." Kenshin told her, not knowing any other way to reply.
Kaoru smiled kindly, "It's alright."
"How did they die?" Kenshin asked softly.
"My mother died of a sickness when I was very young, and my father died while fighting in the war. . ."
"That must have been terrible for you. . ."
"I was sad, but I had Dr. Genzai; I was never alone."
Kenshin smiled at her optimism and said, "You aren't alone now, either, that you aren't."
Kaoru blinked in surprise, and, for a moment, tears filled her eyes then she smiled, "Thank you, Shinta."
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yahiko headed back down the hall to his room and ran into something tall and solid. He yelped and jumped away clutching his chest.
"It's just me, Yahiko," Sanosuke's voice said.
Yahiko sighed. "You scared me," He complained. "What are you doing up, anyway?" Yahiko demanded.
"I was looking to see why everyone else was up," Sano replied dryly.
"Shinta's up, too?" Yahiko asked dubiously.
"Yeah, he got up after you."
"Oh. . .what do you think he's doing?" Yahiko asked.
"Probably having a tryst with Kaoru," Sano joked.
Yahiko frowned, "Let's go see."
Sano grabbed his little brother and said, "Let's go to bed."
Yahiko protested, but Sano dragged him away.
~~~~~~~~~
A/N: I'm sick . . .::looks pathetic:: so I might not be able to update for a while. #__# But I had this chapter written already so I hope you enjoy.
Melissa: thanks so much! I liked that part too. :)
CEEGEE: thanks a bunch! :) hehe, sure does. ;)
Bob-san: I'm sorry! I have no clue :( ^-^ thanks for reviewing! (Hint: maybe next chp. I'll get to the serious parts. . .?) ::shrugs::
Thanks for reviewing everybody (sorry if I forgot to mention any names; I'm a little fuzzy right now. (sneezing, stuffy head, tons of Kleenex-ya get the idea) and I'll try to update as soon as I can. -Misao-incarnate.