Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Curl ❯ Chapter 7

The early morning sunlight streamed into the bedroom of one certain weasel girl. The only window in the room was above her bed, so luckily, the light didn't shine directly into her eyes. Sleep was threatening to leave her, but she hung on tight, as she snuggled into her bed, hugging a pillow with both her arms and legs.

Sunday had passed with little incident, in the aftermath of the arrival dinner the night before. Aoshi had spent the day at work, curiously enough. The pig-tailed girl wondered what could possibly have to be done on a Sunday? Not that she had been waiting up or anything, or noted that he didn't come home until late afternoon, and had left somewhere upward of eight in the morning…

Sanosuke, to no surprise, slept in that morning. When he eventually did get up, he took a shower and went 'on the prowl.'

"I'd invite ya, squirt, but you'd cramp my style," he'd flashed her a grin as he grabbed a set of keys that were hanging on the wall by the front door, and skeedaddled. Aoshi had made two extra sets, it seemed, and Misao had discovered them that morning.

She had no real reason to want to 'prowl,' as her oniichan put it. Frankly, she was too nervous about going to her new school.

*-*-*-*

"St. Catherine's preparatory school for girls," she read off of one of the brochures, "Explain to me again, Jiya… what does this have to do with me?" There were pictures for horse-back riding, cooking, and academia. She twisted her lips slightly, thinking that their self-defense and phys. ed. had room for improvement. And it looked… prissy.

"Well, with Sanosuke moving away to Tokyo for next term, I felt that perhaps you should go along as well," Misao was about to get up and protest, but the old man just waved her back to sit down. "I know… it's late in your school career to uproot you like this, but it's the perfect opportunity for you… it's a very good school…"

Misao looked at her grandfather incredulously. There was something he wasn't telling her, it showed in the way he didn't look at her straight in the eye. She rapped her fingers on the table, glaring at him across it. Finally, he relented and sighed, "… Misao-chan, it has been the joy of my life to watch you grow up here… and to be able to raise a child again as my own…"

"… buuuut?" Misao's features had softened, but she wasn't ready to put her guard down completely, just yet. Arms folded on the table, her ocean blue eyes gazed at him evenly.

"… but," he confirmed her prediction, "You're life has been kempo, an silly old man, and a sillier rooster head…"

"Hey hey hey, what's wrong with that?" Her eyebrow rose, as though he was making absolutely no point whatsoever. And to her, he wasn't.

"Misao-chan, if even for just a year… maybe you should learn a little bit about what it means to be a 'lady' -"

"OH no. You're not shovin' me in the kitchen THAT easily!!" Slamming her fist onto the table, she began to form a hundred and one retorts in her mind… but then took a second look at the old man. He looked as though he'd never been any surer of anything in his entire life, and spoke again with his gaze fixed on hers.

"Misao-chan," he stated firmly, "I have been your mother and your father, and more of the latter," He sighed, slightly faltered, "… there's a limit to what one old man can teach his pretty little Misao-chan…"

Her arms dropped to her sides, looking at the old man she loved so dear. He was only trying to give her everything he could, every opportunity… how could she refuse?

*-*-*-*

Misao had been relieved of a little stress when Sano told her he passed the school while he was out, and that it was on the way to where he'd be studying anyway, so he could walk with her. A little of the old, to get her comfortable with the new is how she looked at it.

They had dinner again that night, but Sano seemed to still be put out by the happenings of the night before, and refused to do anything but glare at his elder brother. The elder, unaffected by the fiery aura that the younger was projecting, simply ate in silence, as if neither of the two were there. It seemed, to Misao at least, that the Akabeko was going to cater their meals for the time Sano and Misao were to be there. She guessed it was because Aoshi didn't have time to cook, or something of the like. It boggled her why he insisted on having dinner together each night. It's not like he said anything. Or at least, he didn't say anything much.

So she hardly expected to be rudely awakened by a rooster who sounded like his head had just been cut off.

"MAKIMACHI MISAO. I WANT NAMES, AND I WANT THEM NOW!"

Smacking her lips a little, with the less than subtle taste of bacteria that collected overnight on her tongue, Misao groaned at the intrusion. The bathroom door had opened and flooded the room with bright fluorescent lights, and it didn't help that Sano flicked on the ceiling light to worsen matters. Rendered blind by the whole thing, she tried to dive under her covers for some refuge… only to have them rudely ripped off again.

She rubbed her fists into her eyes, and shivered, as her form was suddenly exposed. Wearing a tank top and boxer set, that was littered with stars and moons, she slowly was able to crack her eyelids open to glance at the clock. Her voice was slurred, as most of her parts had yet to awaken, "… lemme sleep… got… an hour still…" It was six in the bloody morning, and she didn't have to be at school until eight-thirty, and him at nine. If she had the brain capacity, she would've been boggled to why he was up so early.

Crossing to her bed in three long strides, which was parallel to the door, he gritted his teeth, and there was the sound of cracking plastic. "Mou… Sano-nii'…"

"DON'T. Don't 'Sano-nii' me!! I want names!" He dragged her up by the front of her tank top, and shoved a white and pink disk into her face. Then it was as though everything clicked together all at once in her mind.

"What are you doing with those?!" Pushing away from him, she tried to snatch whatever it was back, but he had it easily wrapped up in his larger hand, and wouldn't give.

"Makimachi Misao. I will only ask one more time, and you better give me some answers," Both parties were seething, Sano about the birth control pills he'd taken - stumbled upon in her medicine cabinet, and Misao for the invasion of her privacy… and property. "Who was it? Was it that Soujirou punk?! Was THAT why he smiled so damned much?!"

Neither of them heard Aoshi make an entrance, perhaps because of the cracking slap Sano had received across his face. The tall boy stumbled to lean against one of the bookcases that stood next to her bed. After regaining his senses, Sano quickly recognized that his brother was in the room. He tossed the pill case to Aoshi. Had Misao not been so angry at the moment, she might've been impressed by the swiftness of the fluid motion, and then by the graceful catch of the receiving party.

"Fine, let's see what Aoshi has to say about all of this," Sano stood at full height now, towering over Misao, who was kneeling on her bed now. He folded his arms across his chest, almost triumphantly. 'If there was any time to pull that father-figure shit, man, it's now.'

"About what?" Aoshi's reflexes were quick, but he himself had taken a moment to absorb what it was he was holding. It looked like a small plastic disk… a clear cover, and a pink back, sort of like a compact mirror or something. Inside was a white tray, which held a circular display of pills. Each pill had the abbreviations of the days of week above them, printed on the white carousel.

" 'About what?' he says. ABOUT THOSE!" Sano was pinting an accusing finger at the object in the palm of Aoshi's hand. "You *know* what those are, don't you?!! I found them -"

"In MY things!!! What were you doing in my medicine cabinet?!"

"Looking for some toothpaste… but low and behold, I discover that my 'imouto-chan' has been moonlighting on me!!" Sanosuke was too pissed off to see the hurt in Misao's eyes. She was trying to be strong, but her gaze glistened with unshed tears. Sano was now pacing back in forth along the side of the bed, while Misao's arms fell limp at her sides.

'How could he think that I…' Her gaze fell to look at her knees, as her hands fisted at her tousled bed sheets. The blood in her veins was quivering with anger, but it was battling with the sudden acidity that was building in her mouth, mixed with the dull taste of bile. In a few short minutes, she felt lower than a single-celled organism.

It was a high tension atmosphere that was held in silence, save for Sano's huffs and puffs. He couldn't find enough outlets for his anger, and was obviously very close to breaking something, or someone. Again, Aoshi shocked everyone by being the first to speak.

"You've slept with younger than her."

Sano stopped in his tracks.

Misao was frozen, as she gazed over at Aoshi, the tears still held back for all this time. The Shinomori heir hadn't failed to see her reaction to Sano's harsh words.

"T-that… THEY… weren't Misao!!" was all the ruffled feathered man could sputter out. His back hunched over, with his fists clenched till the knuckles were white. They were itching to hit something, and hit it hard. His arms flung out at either side of him, as though breaking invisible chains that bound his wrists. "Don't you take her side! Not on this!"

Misao looked back at Sano, and then at his brother. Unconsciously, she drew a pillow in front of her, and hugged it tightly. She knew the beginnings of a challenge when she saw one, whether it was outright declared or not.

"I am not taking sides," Aoshi said simply, tossing the case onto the owner's bed. "I am merely stating fact." He drew in a breath, closing his eyes briefly, his icy gaze hidden beneath his bangs. It looked as though he were decided whether to continue speaking, or waiting to make sure he would be given the chance to. Brushing them aside with a languid gesture of two single digits, "Misao is old enough to take such preparatory measures. Where would you be if 'they' hadn't?"

Aoshi was one to choose his words carefully, mostly so he could say what he meant in as few words possible. It apparently had worked, because Sano looked floored. His elder brother simply left the room after nodding a farewell to the occupants, while Sano stood there gaping at him. The infamous weasel girl was given time to recover, and Sano found himself being propelled back into the bathroom by a sudden barrage of pillows, which climaxed with a loud slamming door in his face. After hearing the lock click into place, he was able to digest into his consciousness the yells of, "GET THE HELL OUT."