Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Curl ❯ Chapter 6

"I'll go."

Sano nearly choked again, but forced down the obstruction with a swift jab to his chest. He winced. 'That's going to bruise.' "Oy, Aoshi. I can go, I mean between me and Jiya we practically -"

"She is currently in my custody, it would only make sense that I go," Aoshi didn't even look up from his food as he spoke. He didn't think the school would be very much impressed if Sanosuke were to go with Misao. Frankly, he didn't want a lawsuit on his hands any time soon. 'There's only two years difference between them, after all.' It seemed the logical decision.

Misao seemed as though she was still in shock. Apparently, the thought had never even crossed her mind. She was closer to the conclusion of calling Jiya to excuse his absence, or getting him to Tokyo for the day. Her features softened, curling her feet behind the front legs of her chair. She began to eat again, slowly. 'Aoshi-sama's not very good with expressing anything… maybe this is his way of welcoming me to the neighborhood.' She noticeably brightened since the initial shock of the potential problem. "Arigato gozaimasu, Aoshi-sama," she said simply.

"Oy, what's with this '-sama' stuff?" It seemed that the third helping did the trick, as Sano wiped his mouth with a napkin, and leaned back leisurely in his chair.

"It's called 'respect for your elders,' ever heard of it?!" Misao bit out, glaring at her adversary across the table, nearly slicing through the plate she was eating off of.

Aoshi was seemingly not surprised by these turn of events, as he was… seemingly never surprised by anything. Frankly, he'd been waiting for it. '… I might as well get used to it.'

"Oh how the weasel forgets that I, Sagara Sanosuke, am *YOUR* elder," he grinned triumphantly as Misao was grinding her own words between her teeth. Crossing his arms in front of his chest, he kicked up his right foot to rest an ankle on his left knee.

"Sano. Go to your room."

"WHAT?!" Sano bolted out of his chair, sending the chair skidding across the floor a foot behind him. Slamming his palms onto the table, causing everything on it to tremble, and he almost managed a laugh. "You're joking, right?! Look, you can pull that father-figure crap with her, but I'm your-"

"… little brother." Aoshi had yet to look up from his eating, quite diligent in the task at hand. Taking his sweet time, as though savoring the scent of his lady fair, he was enjoying his meal… unlike some people in the immediate vicinity. "As you are done with your meal, you are excused to leave."

Sano pulled up his chair and spoke as he did, "Well maybe I'm not ready to go yet…" It seemed the young man wanted dessert. Although, the glare of negation from his elder was, clearly, not to be questioned. He quickly re-adjusted his stance and pushed the chair back under the table, "But lucky for you, I am."

In any other circumstance, Misao would've laughed and pointed. However, Aoshi was obviously not a man to be reckoned with it seemed, particularly, when he was eating. So, this once, she let it lie. "A-anno, Aoshi-sama…" she 'eeped' when he looked over to her. Just about done with her food, she set her fork and knife across her plate to signify that she was finished. "Uhm, well… about Tuesday… you really don't have to - I could just tell them that -"

"I'm going." Misao swallowed audibly. "…unless of course, that's a problem?"

"Ah… uhm… no!" She quickly got that out of her system, she didn't want to seem ungrateful after all. "It's just… you have work and things and… things." Not knowing what it was he did with his free time, or his work time for that matter, she didn't want to impose… not that… living under his roof wasn't imposing or anything. He simply shook his head.

They sat in silence for a couple more minutes, Misao sitting with her hands fidgeting in her lap, and her feet swinging. "Aoshi-sama?... would you need help with the dishes?"

'At least she asked,' he thought, smirking in the back of his head. Though, honestly, he never expected Sano to offer. "Iie, Misao-chan. You may go." Watching as she bowed her head, he noted the awkwardness in her step as she shuffled across the carpet to her room and quickly - and yet, stealthily - closed the door behind her. 'Curious girl.'

*-*-*-*

Standing in the bathroom, Misao began arranging her toiletries as well. Conveniently, there were two medicine cabinets resting on the walls adjacent to each of the bedrooms. Sano's was, of course, the one closer to his room… which made the other Misao's by default.

'Stupid rooster…' Could he go any more out of his way to make her look bad? She groaned inwardly, as she stacked the few cosmetics she had into her medicine cabinet. There was only one or two lip glosses, and a single bottle of perfume. She wasn't big on putting a bunch of gunk on her face… she had better things to do. Taking account of all of her other basic necessities, she put them all away after inventory and closed the cabinet.

There was a brief pause. Tapping her foot, she racked her brain for what was missing. Something just didn't feel right.

*-*-*-*

Sanosuke, back in his sweatpants, draped himself lazily off the side of his bed. The sheets were a dark navy, with a black down comforter resting on top of them. There wasn't much furniture in there, really. Mostly, there was just a desk, a closet, and some chest of drawers. Oh, and of course, the customary night tables on either side of the king-size bed. (A bed any smaller wouldn't accommodate someone of his height, in any case.) The blinds were drawn over the window that took up most of the far wall. But Sano's mind was anywhere but on the accommodations.

'Stupid Aoshi…' He tucked his arms behind his head, staring at the ceiling. It was starting to look like this was going to be a military state. Rolling over onto his side, he took a whack at the defenseless mattress. 'Stupid weasel…'

Sano reached from his bag, which was lying against the side of the bed, and shuffled through the mess of stuff that filled it. A crumpled, battered envelope was produced, and quickly discarded. '… Nine? That's not too early in the morning…' Not that he had any plans.

Lazily, he rolled back onto his back, staring at the ceiling. The letter was pressed over his chest, and he let his eyes close on his dark hazel gaze.

*-*-*-*

"I don't have to listen to you! You're NOT my father!!"

Sano lay on his back on his bed, back in their home in Kyoto. His arms were folded over a pillow that covered his face. He hated this. Only five years old, and he knew what it felt like to hate.

"You can't speak to him that way!"

His fingers curled into the once comforting pillow. If it would just stop… if they could just stop…

"You can't tell me what to do! You're just a backstabbing whore -!"

His eyelids shut tighter than they were ever meant to naturally, forcing out a single tear that no one would ever see. The cracking sound of a hard slap, then the stomping outside his bedroom door and down the hall, and then there was the inevitable slamming of doors, on either end of the house. Sanosuke knew what was to come in the hours ahead… the sounds of his mother's muffled sobbing, and his father's soft attempts to calm her down… And of course, the other wall screamed of the broken toys and lamps that were thrown against it.

Why did his brother beg for his mother to slap him like that? Why did he make her cry?

Sanosuke was always taught to respect his elders. But what made Aoshi so special that he didn't have to? And Misao… only three years old, and she could probably get away with murder if she knew what it was.

It just wasn't fair.

===

Author's Note: (this isn't *that* important, hell I usually skip the end notes, myself. ^-^;;;;)

I really dreaded that I would have to start another chapter with an author's note, but luckily I decided this could wait. ^-^

I want to semi-explain my posting policy for why sometimes there's three new chapters… and sometimes only one, which might be a little short. I stop my chapters where I feel they should be stopped according to where they are in the story - which is why the lengths may vary up to a whole page or two, give or take.

Please review, signed or with an e-mail address, preferably, so I can answer any problems or comments. (It would be silly to say "read and review" at this point as you must've obviously read the chapter… =P)

On a side note. Is it just me, or is there not enough cursing in this fic? O.o;;