Karou walked around the house for a week looking the happiest she had ever been. She floated around, doing her chores with little effort, and when she ate, she mostly missed her mouth and the food ended back on her place so it took her more time to eat than usual. The whole time, she was staring at the ring that she had placed on her finger.
Kenshin rather enjoyed the sight. To have her mooning over the ring that he 'gave' her made him feel like the best man on earth. Kenshin himself smiled constantly and skipped sometimes when he was walking around the house.
Roy, on the other hand, mopped around the house, dragging his feet and looking at the floor. He also looked like he had his favorite toy taken away. Sano and Yahiko where the only ones not effected.
"Do you think this will ever clear up?" Yahiko asked Sano while the bird head stood there watching the younger one practice rapid strikes on a dummy.
"I almost want it to but at the same time no. I like the food that Kenshin has been making and Karou hasn't said anything about me mooching."
"Yeah but that Roy guy, he gets on my nerves. He keeps treating me like a little kid like he thinks that if he sucks up to me he'll get closer to Karou." Yahiko swung too hard and managed to lop off the head of the dummy sending it flying. Karou walked right into its path.
Everyone heard the loud thump fallowed by a thud.
"KAROU!"
-
-
Karou slowly came too and stared at the red blur above her head.
"Ken…shin?"
"Ah! Miss Karou, your awake" Kenshin turned to her and smiled.
"What happened?"
"Yahiko go a little too sword happy and lobed the head of the dummy off."
"Great, now I have to get a new one…" she trailed off and tried to sit up but ended up slumping back down.
"My head…" she grabbed the mentioned body part.
"Yahiko does have a strong arm, that he does." He laughed and pushed her gently back down until she was lying down again.
"Now you just rest, that you must." She felt like a child, but not in a bad way. To have someone to take care of you without a second thought felt so good. She smiled and let out a small giggle.
"Is this one that amusing?" Kenshin looked at her.
"N…no" she blushed, "just thinking."
Kenshin smiled and shook his head silently, then left the room. Karou lay back down and closed her eyes. Images of Kenshin floated into her mind.
"This is going to be some of the best dreams I've had in a while." She thought before she drifted off into sleep.
-
-
Roy watched as Kenshin walked down the hall, headed for the kitchen. Looking both ways, he silently opened Karou's door and entered. There she lay, her hair undone and spread around her in a dark angelic way. He stared at her as she turned over slightly, her mouth opening just so…
He leaned in, not even meaning to, as if to kiss her. Her face was so close to his that he could feel her warm breath on his face. He was about to capture her lips when she spoke.
"Ken…shin" she mumbled and turned over again. Roy snapped up and pulled away.
That bastard, did he get to her before me? To Roy this was no longer about getting the girl as it use to be. No this was about beating that stupid redhead that was his now sworn enemy.
-
-
Kenshin sneezed three times in the kitchen…all over the pile of just washed dishes. He looked at them, sighed and pushed them to the other side of the sink for another round of washing.
He felt like he could cry…
-
-
Roy stared at the sleeping girl and quickly decided that he was going to take her from that guy…he bent over her again, this time meaning too, and again inched closer to capture her lips when the door slid open to reveal one pissed off cock (again aka Sano)
"JUST WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOUR DOING?!?!?"
-
-
Dishes shattered, floorboards rattled and people rushed to the source of the noise. Poor Karou sat, grasping her head, looked at the floor moaning in pain. When Sano roared she had sat up so fast that she had collided with Roy's head.
Kenshin rushed in, holding his now bleeding hand that was wrapped in a dishtowel.
Yahiko also rushed in but hobbled more, removing splinters from the bottom of his feet.
"What the…?" Yahiko stared at Roy who was still leaning over Karou.
Kenshin seemed to forget the pain in his hand as he stared at the two of them. Karou obviously had nothing to do with Roy leaning over her. He glared at the man that was standing over Karou, letting his hand fall to his side, blood running freely down his fingers.
"Kenshin…you're bleeding…" Karou spoke up from her spot on the floor. She reached up and gestured for him to come over. He slowly made his way to her and kneeled down, never turning his glare away from Roy, who was still next to Karou.
Roy stood quickly and removed himself from the room, retreating to his own. Sano and Yahiko both left without saying a word leaving Kenshin and Karou alone.
Karou worked silently on his hand as he stared at the door, never giving up is killer glare.
"Kenshin…my door is beginning to smoke." Kenshin snapped out of his reverie and started to stutter.
"I…I mean…that it…ahh…"A bright red ran over his face and he turned away from her.
"Wha…what happened to make Sano yell like that?"
"Ahhh…"
"Do I want to know?" she gave him a small smile.
He stopped to think. If he told her, then she would hate the man and lean more to being with him. If he didn't tell her, then she would be at the same state with the man as she was now and would be unbiased in choosing him over Roy…
"No…"
She nodded and pulled the wrapping of the bandage to make sure it was tight then knotted it.
They sat in silence for some time, neither speaking just incase the other was about to say anything. Karou stared out side as Kenshin examined the walls. They both opened their mouths at the same time.
"Ken…"
"Miss…"
They both turned a light shade of pink and stared at each other. Kenshin nodded to her and she spoke up again.
"I was just wondering when dinner would be ready."
"Ahh! This one completely forgot that he did!" Kenshin stood in quick alarm and hurried off the to kitchen to throw something together.
Karou laughed as she watched the redhead dash out of the room and down the hall. She sat there looking out the darkening window.
"What is going on?" she thought to herself. "None of this is making any sense. One minute, I'm single and living with 3 free loaders. Next, I'm engaged to a man I don't even know and Kenshin seems like he would like to kill the guy and steal me away and yet another minute later he doesn't even care!" She laid back down, letting herself flop with her arms over her head.
"MEN!!"
-
-
Kenshin heard Karou's yell and looked in her general direction.
"What did this one do now?" For Kenshin had learned early on that when she did that she could only be talking about him.
"Yes, Himora, what did you do?" Kenshin refrained from throwing the large cutting knife in his hand at the intruder.
"Can I help you?" he didn't even bother saying his name.
"Just…just came to talk." Roy edged his way around the large knife in Kenshin's hand and to the other side of the kitchen, shutting the door. He knew it was dangerous but he didn't want that thug and that brat overhearing.
"About what?" Unknowingly, Kenshin began chopping carrots with more force than needed and the cutting board began to crack.
"What else, the girl."
Kenshin put the knife down. If he continued while they talked then he would be making a new cutting board. Instead, he picked up a smaller knife and leaned against the counter and began to peal potatoes.
"What about Miss Karou?"
"Lets be up front about all this, shall we? I know just as well as you do that we both like the girl…"
"That is where you are wrong." Kenshin interjected. " I am in love with Miss Karou, and you have some sort of twisted attraction that is no where near the feelings that resemble liking someone." He stared at Roy. Yes, he had just said that he was in love with Karou, he had come to terms with that and was no longer afraid to say it…except to her.
"Fine, whatever, you like her more, but I want her more. You don't know what woman like her are worth in high class society." Kenshin gaped at Roy. That was way he wanted her so bad? Because she would look good on his arm?
The point on the potato knife looked rather pleasing, or the cleaver was on the cutting board still.
"I have a proposal." Roy spoke up quickly as he saw Kenshin's eyes stray to the cutting board.
"A game."
"A game?"
"Yes, the winner gets the girl."
"Never!" Kenshin went to leave the room when Roy called out to him.
"Guess I win by default." Kenshin stopped and slowly turned back around.
"…What kind of game?"
-
-
Karou walked into the dinning area and felt like she should have run into something the tension was so thick in the room.
"Kenshin?" she whispered to him. He turned and smiled at her.
"Are you feeling better, Miss Karou?"
"Yes…" she stared at him. He had the look in his eyes that told her that he was in battle. Not fighting but mentally. Habit kicked in and she started to think of ways she could possibly help.
When the other two joined them the meal started. Kenshin and Roy sat facing each other with Sano and Yahiko on one side and Karou on the other side with the bucket of rice between her and Roy. She served the rice as Kenshin served the rest of the meal. They all dug in.
"Thank you for such another wonderful meal." Karou turned a bright smile to Kenshin. Looking back at her meal, she missed the evil smile splayed on Kenshin's face and the frown on Roy's.
Sano looked from one to the other, figuring whatever was going on was not going to turn out nicely in the end.
Ok I know it was short but it was good…wasn't it? Well, you know the drill, you like you review, you hate it review IN A NICE WAY and I'll try to fix it ne? Chu!!