November 14, 2006

Sorry I took so long… (sweatdrops)

Drabble for Sapphire & Gold

By Pearl of the Dark Age

Sanosuke stood with Kenshin, Kaoru, and Yahiko at the train station in Kyoto. They had just finished visiting Aoshii and Misao and were eagerly anticipating their return trip to Tokyo. Well, everyone except Sano that is…

"You are NOT getting me on that contraption of a teakettle again!" Sano bellowed, hot-faced. "I'll walk, missy!"

"I paid for your ticket already and it's non-refundable!" Kaoru snarled dangerously. Kenshin sweat dropped – anime style – and Yahiko picked at his ears absentmindedly. "You are coming with us, Sanosuke!"

She grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt before he could escape. "Whoa, Ugly's got you whipped!" Yahiko jested.

While holding one hand on Sano, Kaoru bonked her first student of her dojo with the other fist – leaving a tomato-sized welt upon his head. "Oro?" Kenshin commented good-naturedly as he followed her onto the train.

They all found their seats without trouble, and Sano drew his knees to his chest. "The teakettle…" he bemoaned under his breath. "It's a freaking teakettle!"

"Shut up, roosterhead!" Yahiko snapped. "If I have to hear this all the way to Tokyo – I'll walk!"

"Oh no you won't!" Kaoru roared. Her eyes became dangerously like a predator, and Yahiko revised his thoughts.

"On second thought, Sano," he said while edging away from his sensei, "why don't I prove to you that this teakettle – I mean, train – can move! Come with me to the engine room and we'll settle this!"

"Oro? But this one remembers that passengers aren't allowed in the engine room," Kenshin stated. Kaoru whacked him over the head. "Of course it will be good for Sano to learn about locomotives, that it would!"

It took half an hour to get to the engine room because Yahiko had to literally drag Sanosuke all the way. Once they were there, Sano seemed to calm down as the engineer happily explained about coal-burning power and steam. (He was one of those people who loved the sound of his own voice.) Even Yahiko was impressed with all the new facts about trains he previously did not know. An hour and a half later, after Yahiko decided to interrupt their friendly teacher's lecture on the history of trains, they both emerged from the engine room covered in black soot.

"Well, what do you think now?" Yahiko asked.

"It's a very powerful teapot."

End drabble.