"Ugh, what do you ya got?"
"Well," Megumi sighed, crossing her arms over her chest, "I've never been good at clever plots and tricks…I don't think I'm the one you should be asking…Maybe Misao-chan can help you…or the rooster head."
Kaoru stared at her for a moment, not finding the right words to answer Megumi's self truths…so instead of words…she laughed, really hard. "You never good at tricks?" She laughed harder, "That really was a good joke Megumi…now be honest…"
Megumi huffed and held back a rude comment or two…or ten… "You really want Ken-san, don't you Kaoru?"
"Of course, isn't that what your "ideas" are going to help me with?" Kaoru asked, matter-of-factly. She placed her hands on her hips and tapped her foot, "I can't think of anything…"
Megumi sighed, "I never like to give out my best stuff though…" she pouted, crossing her arms over her chest, loving her ability to drive Kaoru crazy.
"But didn't you want to help me before?" She shouted, covering her eyes in frustration, "Stupid, filthy woman…" she cursed, closing her eyes tight and bit her bottom lip hard, "Are you going to help me with Kenshin or what?"
"Of course I'm going to help you Kaoru, didn't I say I would?"
"I'm going to…"
"Kaoru-san!" Misao cried, jumping in front of Kaoru before she clawed Megumi's eyes out, "If you kill Megumi, she'll never give any flirting tips right?"
Kaoru looked at Misao and frowned, "Oh, fine…" she backed up and leaned against the counter. "All right, I'm listening…"
"All right, good." Megumi said smugly, nodding her head, "Now listen good Kaoru…to get Ken-san…you need to be extremely flirtatious in a very subtle way."
Kaoru stared at her blankly, blinking every so often, trying her hardest to understand that statement "Doesn't that contradict itself Megumi-san?"
"Exactly!"
"What?"
"Ken-san reacts awkwardly when women touch him in a very…what's the word…something way…"
"Sluttish way?" Chimed Kaoru, grinning at her cleverness, "I know what else that word describes as well…" She huffed, crossing her arms over her chest, then finally pulling up the sleeve of the gi that had been drooping down her arm for the past hour.
Megumi, being the refined woman she was, ignored Kaoru's rude comment and continued…well on the outside…on the inside, she was planning her revenge like any normal person. "Just touch him softly, that's daring for you isn't it?"
"I can't touch him Megumi-san…" Kaoru snapped nervously.
"And my point proven!" She shouted, exasperated. "Why can't you?" She demanded, "You always seem to be clinging to him like a little girl anyway, so what's wrong with kicking it up a notch…or three?" Megumi shrugged, not finding a problem with her idea.
"It just…that isn't like me…I think…" Kaoru trailed off, unsure of her own thoughts. It was true she did cling to Kenshin often…and before she even dunked him into a tub while she was in it. So why was it when it came to any sort of confession it always got harder for her? She wondered this, looking down at her feet for any kind of answer.
"Well, don't be yourself then." Megumi replied simply.
"How can I not be myself?" She questioned, throwing her head up to look Megumi in the eye angrily, "If I am not myself who can I be, you?"
"No, Ken-san doesn't love me." Megumi responded, narrowing her eyes for the next challenge Kaoru was going to bring up.
"And for all I know he doesn't love me either." Kaoru retorted, biting her lip to keep it from shaking. "I don't know…"
"That's why I am here." Megumi sighed, "You need to understand that I know all the ways to flirt with Ken-san…I do it every day, don't I?"
Kaoru glared at her, "Annoying as it is, yes, you do."
"Then trust me." Megumi said softly, grabbing Kaoru's shoulders, "Just touch his hand or arm when ever you can…gently, no rough stuff, this will give him the hint that you want…intimacy I guess."
"Intimacy?" Kaoru asked, "Well, all right." She nodded, "I can do that."
"Of course you can, I mean, I would do it, but then I'd take Ken-san from right under you! Hohohohohohohohoho!" Megumi laughed, covering her mouth with the back of her hand, "You'd have no chance!"
"YOU FLITHY WOMAN! WHY DO I LET YOU IN THIS HOUSE?"
Misao, who had been unusually quite for sometime, finally spoke, "Do you think the guys are wondering what's keeping us?"
The fighting girls looked at her, "Wow, I almost forgot they were here…" Kaoru said softly, dropping the piece of Megumi's black emerald hair she was pulling on, and turned around. She picked up the tray of sweets and rice that rested on the counter and nodded, "We should go, they're probably hungry…"
"Sanosuke is with them right?" Megumi asked like she didn't know, "He probably got every single one of them drunk…or maybe just himself…what an idiot."
But before that…"Let's get her drunk so she'll spill everything we want her to say!" Sanosuke shouted excitedly, like he had found a cure for every sickness known to man, "It's so brilliant I should pour myself some!"
Kenshin shook his head nervously, "I'd rather not have Kaoru-dono drunk, Sano…if I remember right, that last time she was drunk she punched me in the face, and the time before that she was talking about some secret!" Kenshin gulped, "I don't think Kaoru-dono and drinking is a good combination, that I most certainly don't."
"And besides that," Aoshi said softly, "You cannot control the mind of a drunken person, they might say the exact opposite of how he or she feels." He nodded at his deduction and took a sip of his tea.
"Right, that too."
"Whoa, wait…back to what Kenshin said…the control stuff is a little too crazy for a tipsy man to understand…" Sanosuke said, slamming down a jug of sake.
"Point taken." Aoshi replied to Sanosuke's slurred ramblings.
"Kenshin, you still don't know what Kaoru was going to say to you that night?" He pointed accusingly at Kenshin, "Man, you are dense, or maybe just stupid…ah I don't give a damn."
"Thank you Sano…" Kenshin said, slightly depressed and a little angry.
"I do not think he does not know, it is more really…he knows but does not wish to acknowledge it, because once he does, he knows he will need to confront it. Battousai is afraid of the woman's feelings, or more so, her rejection."
Kenshin turned to look at Aoshi, his eyes narrowed slightly, "Please forgive this one for saying this…but…please, shut up."
Aoshi seemed to take it, but if you looked at him closely, you could catch his left eyebrow rise at Kenshin's rude comment, not all is, as it seems.
"I am just stating the obvious Battousai there is no need to take it offensively," he sipped his tea, "Now, Sanosuke, were you not going to give him ideas to get his woman?" Aoshi said, changing the subject.
"Let her touch you all over." Sanosuke slurred, smiling. "That'll do some good."
"What good will it do?" Kenshin asked, his eyes wide with wonder, and a little bit of horror. "It isn't like she's just going to come up and start touching me like…Megumi-dono."
"Listen to me Kenshin! I SAID LISTEN! We have no clue what those three women could be talking about in that kitchen, and Megumi is one of those three…fear it man, fear it." Sanosuke shouted, slightly spitting all over Kenshin's face.
Aoshi sighed as Kenshin wiped his face the back of his hand, "Sano, why don't you lay off the sake?"
"No need, I'm not drunk."
Kenshin groaned, "Didn't you say you were going to help me? It's my birthday…and I'd like to get what I really want…" Kenshin trailed off, not realizing the trap he was getting himself into until it was too late to get out of it.
Sanosuke and Aoshi stared at him, "No…" they said at the same time, "Are you serious?"
Kenshin blinked, "What are you talking about?"
"You want her for your birthday? Kenshin, I never really thought sex would be that big of a thing…DAMN GOOD!" Sanosuke cheered, "I was a little iffy, but…"
"Sano, don't you dare finish that sentence!" Kenshin threatened, he closed his eyes to calm his more aggressive inner-self down. "I swear if you say anything more like that I won't hold back by cut…" he stopped short, turning to the direction of the shoji.
Kaoru, followed by Misao and Megumi walked back into the room after a long while it seemed and sat down, "I hope we didn't keep you waiting too long…" she said, apologetic. "We girls lost track of time."
Kenshin smiled at her, "We kept ourselves occupied Kaoru-dono, no worries."
Kaoru frowned at him, "Kenshin, you know my present to you is still in effect," she softly touched his hand, "You don't have to call me dono…at least for right now…" She pouted her lips. "All right?"
Kenshin nodded, lost in her blue eyes, "I understand Kaoru…"
Kaoru grinned and moved closer to him, "Good, I'm glad…"
"Great, great." Sanosuke said sarcastically, "I'm glad that's over with…now…LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!"
Misao cheered loudly after secretly getting herself drunk on an unmarked sake bottle. She clapped her hands and laughed, "Yey! Yey! Party! Party!"
She was ignored by basically everyone except Aoshi, surprisingly, who seemed to be smiling secretly at her wildness, "That's enough Misao…"
"No…"
"Misao…"
"Aoshi-sama…"
"Forget it…" he sighed; closing the subject…he looked over towards Kenshin who seemed to be fighting a battle within himself. Aoshi shook is head and took a long sip of his tea.
Kenshin bit his lip at the enjoyable closeness of Kaoru. He hated that neither Aoshi nor Sanosuke could give him a decent idea of how to get this oh-so-wonderful woman. He looked down at the top of her head.
Let me see, he said to himself inwardly, I've already seen her naked…and she as already confessed her feelings for me from afar…so why is this hard again?
Kenshin opened his mouth to say something but Kaoru looked up at him, her blue eyes made him lose his words, "Are you having fun?"
Kenshin nodded, speechless. Oh right, that's why…
"I'm relieved." She smiled and placed her hand on his cheek for a second, then pulled it away…
"This isn't working," she mouth to Megumi, who stared at her, "What now?"
Megumi blinked, sighed, then shrugged her shoulders, "You're on your own…" She mouthed back.
Kaoru's eyes widened, then narrowed crossly…
I should have known this…stupid, stupid, stupid! She thought, backing away from Kenshin. She tightened her fists in her lap and clenched her teeth. "I can't wait any longer," she whispered harshly.
"What was that?" Kenshin asked, leaning towards her.
"I said," she said softly, quickly trying to think of something to come up with, "I can't wait any longer for this party to really start! Well come on!" She shouted. "Let the wild ones come out to play!"
"ORO!" Kenshin shouted, completely confused by Kaoru's outwardly statement, "What does that mean?"
Kaoru shrugged, "I don't know, I heard it in a play somewhere, but that's not the point! Come one Kenshin!" Kaoru pleaded, really getting into her lie or idea, whatever she wished to call it. "It's a big day and no one is really doing anything big, let's get wild!"
Kenshin blinked, "ORO?"
Kaoru leaned over towards him, "I don't know…I lost it…"
"Oh, Kaoru…" Kenshin sighed, completely dazed and baffled.
Kaoru shrugged her shoulders, "I don't think you can be crazy with a small gathering like this…forget it…what was I thinking?"
Everyone looked at Kaoru, not able to think of anything to say to her, she had a point…
It was really boring…but honestly, what could be done? It wasn't like anyone was brave enough to make a real move or anything to start this so-called-party.
What could be done?
"Well…how about…" Sanosuke started, tapping his chin with his index finger, "Oh, forget it…I dunno."
"Aoshi-sama…what's that?" Misao wondered, pointing to nothing in particular. Aoshi looked in that direction for a moment…longer then a moment actually…
And while he looked, Misao had taken the opportunity to pour some sake in his tea…
She seemed to have forgotten about his intolerance…
He turned back to face her and sighed, "Misao, you are mistaken. There is nothing there."
"Oh, really Aoshi-sama…it must've been my drunken eyes." She laughed while the rest of the group groaned at the scene that happened before them.
Oro…hey…
Aoshi raised his cup to his lips and sipped…long and slow. He pulled it away and chuckled.
Whoa…Aoshi…chuckled?
"I've got a confession to make…I lied…" he laughed, "I'm smart enough to know I'm drunk, but dumb enough not to care…this must be what Sanosuke feels like."
Sanosuke gave him thumbs up, not realizing Aoshi's insult, "Damn right! Feels good, don't it?"
Aoshi grinned, "Hells yea!"
Oro…Hey…
Now basically everyone was drunk, including Megumi, who had seemed to lose her womanly importance during her chugging contest with Sanosuke. The things he'll do to piss that woman off…
Kaoru glanced around the room at the "wild ones" she supposed. She glimpsed at the sake bottle that rested near her…
Oro…HEY! Isn't this supposed to be about me?
Kenshin frowned, annoyed at his drunk friends, "Screw it…" he cursed, grabbing the bottle Kaoru was eyeing and chugging it down. "What a birthday…"
Kaoru blinked, a bit afraid, she was now the only sober one left…
But she was even more afraid of the ideas Kenshin might come up with this new drunken mind…afraid of his other side…his darker side…his somewhat very…no…extremely sexy side.
Yea…that one…
Well, not really afraid, more curious.
Kenshin smirked and faced Kaoru, "My dear, dear slave." He said, "Are the wild ones out yet?"
"Yes." She squeaked, trying to back away. But Kenshin grabbed her wrist before she was too far to touch. "No, no, Kaoru listen!" He chuckled, "I'm a bit drunk…I think…"
"Yes, Kenshin, I can tell…"
"And you know what I want you to do?"
"No, Kenshin, I don't…"
"I just want you to be happy about yourself and to never EVER doubt your beauty!" He exclaimed, "You're beautiful, do you know that?"
"No…" She blushed, momentarily forgetting that Kenshin was a bit tipsy.
"Kaoru," he started, "I'm going to be wild like you asked me too…by letting you be wild…no…if I say letting…" he sighed, "You'll just tell me, "Kenshin, I'm your slave, stop being so polite…"
Kaoru nodded slowly and glanced around the room. She was relieved that no one was really paying any attention to Kenshin and herself. She looked back to Kenshin, who seemed to be closer then he was before. The closeness was nice, but the anxiousness of what he was going to ask of her took that nice feeling away.
He pulled her even closer now that she was looking at him again. He placed his hands on her face, "What I want you to do is…"
"Is what?" She bit her bottom lip nervously.
"Is…"
"Is…?"
"Sing for me!" Kenshin let go of her face and crossed his arms over his chest. "It'll be a birthday song for me."
Everyone now had decided to focus his or her drunken attention to Kaoru, who was blushing insanely. "I can't sing Kenshin…"
"Yes you can."
"No I can't."
"Do it."
"No."
"Kaoru, I'm telling you to do it! Isn't that what you wanted me to do?" Kenshin asked, now getting a little confused at her defiance of his request.
"Yea, Kaoru!" Sanosuke shouted for no reason, "Sing!"
Kaoru didn't know what to do. It wasn't like she could come up with something on the spot. There wasn't even any music to sing with. This was going to be hard. The only real singing she'd ever done was little hums and sing-a-longs with her mother when she was a little girl…maybe she could remember one of those…
"Uh, well…okay…" She took a deep breath and thought about a song for a moment…
Something hot…
Something sexy…
Something…passionate…
Kaoru started to her little song with some Ahs…always a nice opening she supposed, nothing to complicated and nothing that would be too overwhelming for her to spit out. She started singing a random song her mother made up. "Jitto senaka wo mitsume Dakishime youka kangaeru…(WINGS By Utada Hikaru)"
Later that night…"I didn't think she'd actually break into a dance…" Megumi yawned, walking out of the yard with Sanosuke by her side. They were heading back into town to get a few more bottles of sake from Sanosuke home. Misao had fallen asleep and Aoshi had willingly taken her into a spare room in the dojo. He told Kaoru and Kenshin that he would be back when Misao had woken up…
It was silent between the two after that. Kenshin had thanked his Kaoru for the song and soon after that there was nothing to say. Kenshin's daze had fallen over as fast as it had consumed him and now he was thoughtless.
"Kenshin…" Kaoru started softly, "I want to know something…and you don't have to answer if you don't want to, but I still need to ask…"
"What is it?" He wondered now, unsure of anything Kaoru could come up with, any questions she needed answered.
"How…did you feel when you left me for Kyoto Kenshin?" She got that out better then she thought she would.
"I didn't want to leave." He said softly, locking his perfect violet eyes with hers.
"Why didn't you want to leave?" She questioned again, not finding a good reason in his previous reply.
"It makes me…restless…to be away from you." His eyes were gentle but intense when he spoke this. True that the conversation was random…but there was nothing else to say…nothing else he could make her do…
The whole singing thing was embarrassing enough for her…
Kaoru accepted this answer and nodded, somewhat flushed and lightheaded…he's restless when he's away from me, was all her mind could think of right now.
She almost forgot about her entire predicament…
"Kaoru, take everything into the kitchen…I need some time alone…" Kenshin got up quickly and walked outside, turning left and leaving Kaoru alone in the room.
"Yes…Kenshin…" Was all he heard her say as he walked quickly from the room. He couldn't take sitting there anymore, not with all these built up desires.
What was he going to have to do to get what he really wanted?
He made her dress in his clothes, he watched her bathe, and he made her sing. Was he really this boring? He mentally cursed himself as he slammed down on the porch.
He was going to confess to her everything he was feeling…
No more excuses…this is really it.
(WINGS-By Utada Hikaru-Lyrics Translation-"Motionlessly, staring at your back, I wonder if I should hold you close")