Ruroni-chan: (Hands off chapter and mumble something, limps off))
Twilight-kun: (Blinks after Ruroni) Is she going to be okay?
Gerry-sama: Oh, She's fine. Didn't you hear?
Twilight-kun: Hear what? She didn't even speak ENGLISH!!!
Gerry-sama: She said, she was really tired but she brought the chapters for the readers and hoped they like it. Apparently she went with her mother to go work on a ranch and can't feel her feet anymore. She also blamed you for not being able to post a double chapter.
Twilight-kun: (Wide eyed) You got all that from a mumble?
Gerry-sama: (Big grin) You learn things when you have kids, and they try to talk while eating.
Twilight-kun: (Mumbles) Old man…
Gerry-sama: I heard that!
Twilight-kun: Okay, before I end up dead or missing… Enjoy the next chapter Ruroni-chan worked very hard on it. So Read, Review, and Enjoy!!! (Runs)
Kenshin stopped by the clinic early the next day. He walked into Hiraru's room with Megumi and a small bag. "Hiraru-dono, are you ready to go?" He asked happily.
Hiraru was on her back again, and she looked at Kenshin, "Go where?"
"Out! I thought you might like to get some fresh air." He smiled, "Megumi-dono agreed that it would help your spirits. She'll help you get dressed. I hope you don't mind, but I went through your things. I found a very pretty kimono. I thought you might like to wear that rather than a hospital robe, or the blood covered clothes we brought you here in."
Hiraru blinked at him, and with some trouble sat up, "What are you talking about Kenshin? I can't walk with my feet like this!" She gestured to the two lumps that were under the comforter.
"You would not walk," Kenshin said, "I would carry you out to Katsu and he would carry you around town. It will be good exercise for him, since we haven't been able to get him to leave the clinic in a week."
Hiraru blinked, "Thank… you… I think…"
"All right," He clapped, "Then it's settled. Megumi-dono, I'll be outside saddling Hiraru-dono's horse." He bowed and trotted out of the room.
"Is he running a fever?" Hiraru asked Megumi once he'd left.
"Ken-san is quiet fine. It's you we're worried about." Megumi raised an eyebrow at her, "Now, you are going with Ken-san, so let's make you presentable."
After twenty minutes of complaining, arguing, and fighting, Megumi finally managed to put Hiraru in the kimono, with her broken arm in a matching sling made out of the tuck-sash. Pleased with herself, Megumi got Kenshin, and he came back in to carry Hiraru out. Hiraru wrapped her arms tightly around Kenshin's neck as he picked her up, "You better be careful…"
"It's all right Hiraru-dono, I won't let you get hurt," Kenshin reassured her.
"I'm not worried about you letting me get hurt." Hiraru grimaced, "I don't like not having my feet under me…"
Kenshin couldn't help it, he chuckled, and out of respect quickly brought Hiraru outside, where she pulled herself onto Katsu.
"So where are we going?" Hiraru asked, once she was seated, uncomfortably, sidesaddle in an astride saddle.
"Oh, I just thought we'd wander the town… I do have some errands I need to complete, I hope you don't mind coming with me." Kenshin said, taking the reins, "Having company does tend to make outings more fun."
"Why didn't Kaoru or Yahiko come with you?" Hiraru asked, as he led the way out of the clinic and into the busy streets of Tokyo.
"I asked them not to," Kenshin said nonchalantly, "I thought you might like to get out of the clinic… We can all only stand so much time on bed rest."
"Thank you," Hiraru said softly, happy to be outside under the sun again.
Kenshin smiled to himself, and pretended not to hear. They continued to walk down the streets in a seemingly random direction, with a destination only Kenshin knew, sharing polite bits of conversation. This continued until Hiraru almost seemed back to normal, then she noticed the growingly familiar streets. "Kenshin?"
"Yes, Hiraru-dono?" He asked, a bright smile on his face.
"Where exactly are we going?" Her discomfort was loud and clear in Kenshin's ears.
"Oh, I needed to check on some deliveries, and some other things…" Kenshin said carefully, sidestepping the question. Hiraru became very quite, but Kenshin kept up a one sided conversation. That is until they reached the Toma lumber yard. "Now stay here," Kenshin said letting the reins drop to the ground so Katsu would be ground tied, "I'm going to go have a word with the foreman."
Kenshin walked off, leaving Hiraru mostly stranded on Katsu's back. She sat there keeping her eyes on the ground, trying not to draw attention. In the end it was Katsu that drew the unwanted attention. "HEY, LOOK!" Someone yelled, from the yard, "IT'S KATSU!" Men started jogging up the incline the work house was on, and where Hiraru was sitting on Katsu.
The man that had called out stopped at the top of the incline, "Who are you?" Other men where right behind him.
Hiraru looked at him wide eyed, he didn't recognize her. All at the same time she felt relieved and disappointed. She turned away, not able to face him anymore, and gave him a good view of her profile. Hiraru could hear the shock in his next question, "Hiraru-san?"
Hiraru turned her head away from him a little more trying to get Katsu to walk away, but the horse was confused by the one sided directions and only sidestepped.
"Hiraru, it is you," the worker said. "What happened to your arm?"
Hiraru kept her eyes averted, hoping he would get the point, but more men had started to gather, most of them recognizing her.
"Hiraru?" The man reached out, and less then gently gripped her foot.
Hiraru bit off a curse and nearly fell off Katsu trying to get away from the pain that raced up her leg.
"Oh Kami!" the man swore, "Are you all right? Hiraru-san what's happened to you?"
Hiraru looked at him, a false smile on her face. She laughed weakly, "Oh, nothing, I'll be all right."
Another man flanked her other side, patting Katsu's shoulder, "That's what I call some prime bullshit, Hiraru. Or should we call you Lady Hiraru?" He mimicked a very bad western bow.
The other men laughed and somehow Hiraru laughed with them, "I'm the same person I was three weeks ago."
"Yeah, right," the shortest said, from Katsu's head, "The Hiraru we know didn't wear a kimono, or sit on Katsu all day while the rest of us work our asses off."
Hiraru shot him a glare, "The Hiraru you know would have kicked your ass to France for that comment, but obviously I can't! I've got a broken arm, asshole!"
The man smiled, "The Hiraru we know wouldn't have let that stop…him."
"Kiss my ass," Hiraru stuck her chin up, "I can't even fucking walk!"
That stopped the chuckles that where spreading, the first man stepped forward carefully, not touching her feet. "Why? What happened to you? Why are you in a kimono? We thought you were trying to be a guy."
Hiraru suddenly found Katsu's mane very interesting, "Well, the thing is… I've kind of lied to you for the past few months… I'm actually a girl."
Kyo stepped next to the first man, "No shit, I knew that the first time you laughed a one of Saku's jokes, and I mean really laughed. I've got four sisters, Hiraru. If I can't tell a boy apart from a girl, well, I'd probably have been beaten to a pulp and left to die in some alleyway. Now how about you tell your brothers at Toma, what happened?"
Hiraru looked around at the concerned faces, "All of you knew?"
The short man laughed again, "Most of us had a good idea after Rai saw you soaking your happi in the creek. Now stop avoiding the question, you know we won't let you leave until you've told us how you got hurt."
Hiraru made something up off the top of her head, "I was fixing a roof and lost my balance."
Rai raised an eyebrow, "Then explain what happened to your feet?"
She swallowed, "I tried to stop myself from falling all the way off and got splinters in my feet."
Saku snorted, "Give us the truth."
She sighed, "All right, I got beaten and tortured for three days, got glass and steel shards in my feet, and nearly got raped to retrieve my father's stolen swords from a psycho general who cut off my father's head."
There was a very drawn out pause and then they all started breaking out into laughter. "That's a good one," the short one said. "I've never heard that before. If you don't want to tell us, fine, no biggy," He shrugged.
Kyo stepped very close and pulled on her sleeve until her ear was the same height as his mouth, "I believe you."
Hiraru looked at him, surprised, before Ruri started yelling at them to get back to work. Toma, the owner of the lumber yard, came up to her with Kenshin as the others dispersed. "Visiting with friends I see," He smiled at her. He was a little heavy, with glasses and a retreating hairline, but he was a good person, that's why Hiraru had kept working for him. "Good for you," He patted her knee, "I'm happy you finally decided to open up to us. I was starting to wonder how you'd look in a kimono."
Hiraru's jaw dropped, "You knew too?"
"I may be mostly blind, Hiraru-chan," He said adjusting his glasses, "But I've got three daughters, and help raise my eight nieces. You never fooled me for a minute. I wanted to ask you, but I figured since you didn't cause any problems I'd let you tell us the truth when you were ready." He smiled warmly at her.
"Hiraru-dono," Kenshin said, drawing attention back to the present. "You'll never believe this, but Toma-san has agreed to call in a favor and have the roof finished by a friend for no charge."
Hiraru looked from Kenshin to Toma. "Why?" She asked bluntly.
"Well, with all the work you've done," Toma scratched his head in an embarrassed way, "We owe you more than you owe us. So I thought, since you've always refused money, this would be a good way to settle debts. Besides, Himura-san told me you won't be able to finish the dojo's roof for another few months, and the rainy season will be here by then…"
Hiraru laughed, giving him her best smile, "Thank you Toma-san, you have no idea how much this helps me."
Toma smiled back at her, "Just let us keep seeing that bright smile of yours Hiraru-chan."
Hiraru waved as the lumber yard and the workers who'd stopped to wave disappeared behind a corner. Kenshin had excused them, saying there were other errands, and led Hiraru and Katsu away. Once the lumber yard was completely out of sight, Hiraru straightened in the saddle; she rode silently, a small smile on her face, remembering what Toma had said.
Hiraru watched the back of Kenshin's head, "Kenshin?"
"Yes, Hiraru-dono?" He replied over his shoulder, the same goofy smile on his face.
Hiraru looked at him sadly, "How many more of those 'errands' am I going to have to make with you?"
"Oh," Kenshin laughed, "Not too many, This one needs to pick up some rice, and grain for Katsu-san, and I've been wondering if I can get something repaired… So only two more stops."
"Will those be as painful as the last was?"
Kenshin stopped and looked up at Hiraru, "Hiraru-dono, the truth is only as painful as you make it, and you need to tell those who have worried about you the truth. But if it's truly that painful, I'll take you back to the clinic and let you rest."
Hiraru searched his face, not sure what she was looking for. Finally, "Let's finish this, Kenshin, before I lose heart."
They stopped at the grain shop next, which was not as impressive. The shop owner said little as his wife cooed over Hiraru, telling her how worried they had been and asking why she'd never told them she was a girl. Then just as Kenshin and Hiraru were leaving, he looked up at her, "I expect to see you deliver my grain as soon as you're well."
Hiraru smiled at that, it was the closest thing to praise he'd ever give out. But by the time they reached the Smith's she was worried again…
Twilight-kun: (Still running from Gerry-sama, trips over Ruroni-chan) OHMIGOSH!!! RURONI-CHAN'S DIED!!!!
Gerry-sama: (stops and pokes Ruroni-chan with a stick. Ruroni-chan kicks Gerry-sama still asleep) Nope… She just passed out… and she has excellent aim… for someone passed out cold…
Ruroni-chan: (mumbles something)
Twilight-kun: (Looks to Gerry-sama) What did she say?
Gerry-sama: (Fixes suit) Something I wouldn't repeat exactly no matter how much money you gave me… But she, basically, told us to remind the readers to review, and told us to leave her alone…