One Dark and Stormy Night
Chapter 18
The rain was beginning to really piss him off… or maybe it was all this waiting… or Sakura's mystery illness. It didn't really matter what was annoying him. Anything. Everything. Nothing. He just really wanted to take out his frustrations on someone or something. How come there's never a good fight around when you need one to blow off some steam?! I just feel the need to beat the crap out of something! He growled his frustration under his breath, not wanting to wake Sakura or make anyone think something was wrong.
He huffed loudly, at a loss as to anything else that might help alleviate his dour mood, kicking a rock that lay just inside the doorway and launching it out into the yard. It splashed satisfactorily several times before coming to rest near the low stone wall and disappearing into the mud. His mind imagined himself kicking that irritating wizard in a similar fashion, and he chuckled to himself, picturing the normally fastidious and pompous ass covered in mud and planted on his butt while starting to sinking into the mire.
Now that would be a sight to see! He shook his head, upset at himself for allowing his mood to have fallen to the level of having thoughts of that nature. Damn mage… even when he's not around, he still manages to piss me off!
"Can Mokona get Syaoran-kun anything?" Mokona asked, trying to be cheerful and helpful.
Syaoran moved some of Sakura's hair and felt her forehead again. "Can you get her some fresh water to sip?" he asked, not really needing it but wanting to let her feel useful. "Maybe if we try to wake her again…"
"You got it! Mokona will be right back in a jiffy!" She quickly crossed the room and paused as she came to the doorway. "Would Kurogane-san like some water too?" she hesitantly asked. "Sure... whatever." He dismissively growled back, not really caring one way or the other and still lost in his thoughts.
She slipped past the grumpy samurai and out into the gentle rain. Her feet splashed as she went, unable to avoid the many puddles littering the soggy ground and she soon found herself distracted from her task, lost in the childish joy of splashing around, and giggling and squealing with abandon.
"Oi! What do you think you're doing, ya crazy pork-bun!"
Mokona was lost in the joy of splashing around and didn't hear him as she bounced around and headed for a particularly large puddle… that just happened to be in close proximity to the particularly grumpy Kurogane, giggling with glee the whole way.
He realized what plan was afoot too late to react to her trajectory and could only watch as the annoying fluffball jumped high into the air and just about cannon-balled into the puddle, emptying its contents and transferring all the mud and water onto the fuming ninja.
Mokona didn't think she had ever heard some of the explicatives that issued forth from Kurogane's mouth. She was sure that she had no idea what most of them meant, but was fairly certain that she didn't want to know either. She quickly ducked away from the muddied beast, but Kurogane was quicker still.
His hand shot out and grabbed Mokona by the ears, still cursing a blue streak and considering what he should do with his soggy captive by way of punishment for her transgressions. Mokona shrieked her disapproval, immediately apologizing and begging to be released, claiming it was all a mistake and that she had just slipped and fell in.
Kurogane wasn't having any of that and proceeded to return to their shelter, captive in hand. As they entered, Syaoran was already up and headed towards the door to see what all of the hullabaloo was about.
"What in the world happened to you two?!" He asked in astonishment, as he confronted the two soaked mudballs that entered the shelter.
"Syaoran-kun! Save Mokona from the Kuro-Beastie!"
"SHUT IT, you… pain in the…"
"Kurogane-san! Please keep your voice down- we don't want to bother Sakura-chan." Syaoran replied, upset at the both of them for causing such a ruckus.
Mokona quieted quickly too, upset with herself for being so loud. "Mokona is sorry to be so loud, Syaoran-kun. Please forgive Mokona!"
Syaoran gave them both a very stern look. "What in the world is going on between you two?"
"Mokona was just having fun and being Mokona! Kuro-Meanie all of a sudden grabbed Mokona! Mokona was scared!"
"Oi! That's not what happened and you know it!"
Syaoran just sighed, expecting conflicting stories but annoyed all the same to have to referee the argument. "Ok, so what is your side of the story?" he asked the samurai.
Kurogane tried to look as innocent as he could before continuing. "I was minding my own business when this fuzzball here…" Kurogane held out Mokona for emphasis. "…starts squealing like a stuck pig, so I came running, afraid that she was being attacked or something! But, no! She was just goofing around and then, well… LOOK!"
Syaoran couldn't help but laugh at the mud-covered duo. "It's just mud… and I'm sure Mokona was just trying to have some fun… it's been very stressful lately. You should cut her some slack, Kurogane-san." He smiled at his friends, hoping that Kurogane would give up on his grudge against Mokona.
"Fine." Kurogane huffed. He unceremoniously dropped Mokona who immediately made a bee-line to the safety of Syaoran's side. "Just don't do it again. I'm warning you."
"Mokona won't… Mokona promises!" she squeaked from behind the boy.
Kurogane sighed and turned to head back out into the rain. "I'm going to try and clean up… be back in a few."
Syaoran turned and made his way back to his spot at Sakura's side with Mokona timidly following, still embarrassed that she got in trouble to begin with.