Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Curl ❯ Chapter 36

Author's Note:

I've actually had this chapter laying around, waiting to follow it up so that I could upload two chapters at a time as I usually have. However, I've been focused on my Gundam Wing Fanfic, "How to Write a Fanfic Review, Gundam Wing Style" and the Rurouni Kenshin equivalent. I'm basically just uploading this to appease the people who have been super loyal and extra-betrayed by an author like me. @.@; I realize it's not as climactic as many of you might have been waiting for, but until I'm done with "How to Write a Fanfic Review, Gundam Wing Style" - "Curl" will be on an undetermined hiatus. Sorry. ;_;*

===

Kamatari never did tell Aoshi the truth about that night. Nor, did Aoshi have the balls to ask. It drove him crazy that every time they came across one another, Kamatari would look like he had a dirty little secret. He'd always seemed like the happy-go-lucky free spirited type, who pulled pranks, liked to rustle feathers… but he had reasons, too.

It was one of the few things he had gotten from Aoshi that he could keep to himself, for himself. He knew it wasn't fair, but neither was life. The life that had lead him skimping from one bed into another, from one hell into the next, and from old loneliness a new one is born. It was these crazy clichés that always circled around his head that drove him to drink. The guy friends he had wanted to talk about sex, the girl friend wanted to talk about love… Granted, there were those who didn't fit that mold. There was the occasional girl sex fiend or the overly sensitive lovesick guy. But it never seemed like these two qualities - sex, love - ever mixed in Kamatari's world.

However both of these things seemed very soluble in alcohol.

When Aoshi had walked into the classroom, in his finely pressed suit, with that *girl*… Kamatari didn't know whether to pounce or to claw. First, he's with a girl who is obviously too old to be his daughter. Second, Aoshi didn't recognize him. However… Aoshi was looking pretty damn hot. And he always knew when a guy was checking him out…

Kamatari could have some real fun with this. And not only could he dabble in Aoshi-torture, there was the rather interesting addition of this girl, Misao. Drumming his womanly fingers together, he plotted devilishly. He didn't want to destroy anything or anyone, he just… wanted to have a little fun.

You know. For old time's sake.

*-*-*-*

"How could you *forget*…" Aoshi grunted, and swiped his hand over his face as they double-timed it back to the apartment. Rather, he double-timed… Sano sort of, stumbled in the background. Apparently for today's torture, Kamatari was not needed.

"Well, it's not every day the great -" There was a dramatic pause, as Sano posed for no one imparticular. "Shinomori Aoshi!... invites his debonair, suave, cunning, devishly handsome…"

"… jackass…"

"… kid brother - oy hey! At least he couldn't get back into your room right?" Sano offhandedly chuckled, as memories flooded back. He firmly recalled Aoshi locking his door before coming downstairs. He'd been so taken off guard by Aoshi's sudden craving for liquor, particularly so early in the afternoon, that Sano had totally and utterly forgotten to do something about the dog. So poor Pochi was at home, alone…

"I'm not calling the cleaning crew back if it's your room he defecates," Aoshi said flatly, and Sano streamed into a few choice curses. The younger of the two brothers started dragging behind, until he saw his elder reach the doors of the apartment building they cohabitated. Sano sped up, jogging up as not to miss the window where he wouldn't have to open the door for himself.

"Alright alright, I'm sorry! I'm sorry! How many times do I gotta say it - I'm sorry!" Aoshi only replied him with silence. They got into the elevator, standing side by side, Aoshi tapping his foot as the numbers didn't climb fast enough. He wasn't one to beg for forgiveness… and Sano had to guess the little alcohol that was in his system was doing it. It helped that Sano had *a lot* of alcohol in his system so that he could later pretend none of this happened. Plus, what if he really did end up needing a cleaning crew?

It wasn't until the elevator stopped that Aoshi took in a calming breath, had a half millisecond meditation, and the doors opened. Sano glanced over at his brother, wondering why he hadn't moved - until he was roughly shoved out first. His brother came up behind him, and he flinched away overly cautious. 'Better safe than sorry, broken, and mangled, is what I always say.' He saw that Aoshi was going to say something once he reached the door to the apartment. Sano jumped behind him at the sudden halt in movement, and peeked over his brother's shoulder. Neither was sure what was going to be the scene behind that door, but the elder had learned his lesson. Aoshi purposefully made sure his brother was close by.

This time, Sano wouldn't have a door to hide behind.

*-*-*-*

Misao was already home, more than thankful she was able to get back and maybe nap off some stress. Although her body didn't quite agree, and wouldn't sit idle, so instead, she was telling Pochi the importance of self-defense. Her workout was a steady one, as she hadn't practiced for some time, so she was tentatively taking it easy. Plus, she had to go slow for her pupil, the furry one that was licking his own privates, to follow the lesson.

Needless to say, neither Aoshi nor Sano suspected they'd walk in and see Misao in the living room in absurdly short shorts and a muscle tank with sweat just beginning to glisten her features. They didn't *stare* really, so much as just watched in idle fascination as Misao instructed a puppy with a lower attention span than her own, the Zen principles behind balance in body and mind.

Her hair was in its trademark braid, but she… She was built like a woman, that's for sure… This being a fact that both Aoshi and Sano were made uncomfortably well aware of in those few seconds. Misao also sounded like a woman. Her tone was almost maternal, and soothing in its melody. The control she had over her physical form was equally fascinating, with a feminine grace. And yet, she was trying to carry a philosophical lecture to a hyperactive puppy. All previous observations were forfeited as being a result of intoxication in both men's minds.

Her back was facing them, and if they were paying attention to the puppy, they would've noted that Pochi was currently trying to bite off the mini-Rambo bandana that Misao had fashioned him with. Shredded socks shouldn't go to waste after all.

"Now see here Pochi, you have to - and this is the golden rule! Expect the unexpec-…" In the middle of a spin kick round house combo, the foot Misao had been balancing on slipped on the carpet as she was taken off guard by Aoshi and Sano just appearing magically in the door way.

Their first instinct was to run to her aid. They settled for shaking their heads in shame. Sano and Aoshi exchanged a side-long glance, the statement Misao had just fallen on - literally - circling through both their minds. This resulted in the same thought through all three human occupants.

'Some martial artists we are.'

*-*-*-*

Aoshi opened up the sliding door to his balcony to let his room air out. It still smelled of a cleaning product cocktail, and it was really making him nauseous. Last he checked, Misao was going to take a shower, with Sano in line next… He sighed heavily. Now that he was alone, he was unable to hide from the onslaught from his subconscious.

Not only was he more than well aware that he had just ogled a girl that cold be hypothetically be his daughter, he'd noted that his brother had done the same exact thing. Aoshi wasn't even sure if Sano realized… As if it wasn't bad enough dealing with his own feelings… If he were any normal brother perhaps he'd sit his brother down and have a chummy heart to heart, with lots of laughs and lots of pats on the back. But of course, he had to be Aoshi.

Pressing his back into the door frame, looking out onto the horizon, he folded his arms in front of himself. Misao was one hundred and fifty percent off limits. It was like a little "to do" or grocery list that he had built up in his head in the past sixty seconds tabulating all the reasons why he should in no way even think there would be the remote possibility… He banged his head against the metal frame to jar his thoughts back to reality.

He was jarred out of his thoughts by the ringing of his telephone.

*-*-*-*

Misao stumbled out of the bathroom door, trying to hold one towel around her body, and balance another on top of her head. Her phone was ringing, now if only she could remember where the bloody thing was. Tripping over her own foot, and then over Pochi, the golly good pup was yapping at her musical backpack.

'Musical… backpack?' The final chords of the into bass line of "Tank!" were almost over and she dived for her cell, risking the impending rug burn. Turning it over and upside down - or right side up, as the case may be, she nearly barked, "Hello? Hello!?!"… She started cursing and shaking the chiming gadget when she couldn't hear anything, and the blasted thing kept ringing. *Right!* She was supposed to press something, and that she did and -

"My pret~ty Misao-chan…!" an aged jolly voice sang out of the transceiver. Usually, Misao would have loved to hear from her grandfather after her first day at school. Maybe even rattle on and on about all the details. But it hadn't been a good first day. No… she had been in detention. By a teacher of a class she should've never had. Why did she have this class?

"… Jiya." The other side of the line sounded dead, as Misao's voice was obviously drenched with venom. There was an extended pause interrupted by the knocking on Sano's bathroom door.

"Hey you done in there yet?!" Sano's voice carried through the door into her room. Covering the receiver instinctively she yelled off an affirmative, getting up to close her bathroom door. She was still in a state of undress, and as she began tugging clothes on she was still waiting for some apology, excuse, anything to prevent her from killing the old man over the invisible telephone line.

"… … … so!" Jiya so eloquently started. "How was the move…?" He was carefully tiptoeing around the school issue, and if he wanted to play that way, they'd play that way, sure…

"Oh you know… Fun for one and all," she said in the dullest voice she could possibly manage. Tugging on some underwear and fishing out a t-shirt, she was met with silence on the other end of the phone.

"And Aoshi? Sano?..." She was waiting for him to get to the school part. Just waiting. Baiting. Ready to wail on him the second he brought it up… Heads were gonna roll. Jiya had been a practical joker as far back as she could remember, but enrolling her into ballet was by far the least funny thing he's every done in his old age.

"Fine, fine…" Whether that was true or not, Misao didn't really pay attention. She knew the only thing left to talk about was school, and when he did she would -

"Well then…" Here it comes. "…see you at the holidays!"

And that was it. She looked at her phone as if it were broken. Shook it a bit, brought it back to her ear, but no. The call had ended. Stomping her feet on the floor, she threw her phone onto the bed where it bounced on the mattress. All the while, Pochi watched the gadget through the air and wondered if this was another game. Yapping and jumping around at Misao's feet, he nuzzed about evading her stomping as if it was some twisted version of whack-a-mole. Misao snatched up the pup roughly, though Pochi was still thinking of all this as a game and merely lapped at her face when she drew him up.

"When I get my hands on that man, Pochi…" her voice was forced into a sugary sweet mold. "… I am going to tear him limb from limb and you're gonna have a nummy wummy barbequed old pervert buffet… yes you are yes you a~re…" she added with a lilt in her voice, and put the puppy down and tugged on the t-shirt she'd picked out.

"Born to Raise Hell."

*-*-*-*

There was something odd about this shower. Sano, with soap suds running down his face, his eyes firmly shut, he couldn't quite put his fingers on it. His hands were working up a lather on his unruly locks as the scalding hot water streamed down his features and… pooled around his ankles???

"What the HELL!?!?!" He managed to sputter out and hurriedly scraped away the soap from his eyes and rinsed out his hair. Looking down he noticed that the glass encased shower had filled up and the water level was quickly rising. Shutting off the taps quickly, he looked at the mini-lagoon he found himself in. The water was clouded with soap, shampoo, and what have you, and obviously the drain was clogged. Granted, it took the intoxicated man a full minute and two shivers to reach this conclusion.

Reaching down towards the floor, bent over funnily in the closed quarters, he fished around for the drain so he could let the water run out, rather than spill out all over the bathroom floor. That wouldn't have been the best method to get back on Aoshi's good side, that's for sure.

*-*-*-*

"FUCK!" Misao blinked as her bathroom … spoke? No, cursed. It was a rumbly curse at that. If Misao was in any mood to be humorous, she might've chuckled. Once she was properly clothed and her hair was combed, and she'd beaten up a pillow or three, she was… variably calmer. Padding over to the bathroom door, she glanced at Pochi as if he would know better than her what was awaiting her. If a puppy could shrug, he would have.

Rapping her slender knuckles on the door, "Mou. Sano, what's all the fuss about?" She blinked as she suddenly felt the carpet… mush? Yes, definitely mushy. A lil' squishy. She squeaked as the carpet around the door steadily darkened, and the mass was spreading. "What the hell are you -" The door she was reprimanded was replaced by a very unhappy Sano who had a hand full of dark, and very long hair. And it looked like there was a trail of it coming all the way from the shower. 'Uh oh.'

"And WHOSE do you think this is?!"

Misao shrugged and chuckled nervously, "…The tooth fairy's?" Lucky for her, between holding up his towel, and holding her hair, he had no hands to grapple at her with as she darted away.

*-*-*-*

Sano's yelling made it across the way, and it didn't take Aoshi long to figure what had transgressed. Just when he thought things couldn't get much worse.

Needless to say, dinner that evening was tighter than a piano string, ready to snap (or in this case, explode) at any given moment. Food was unrightfully glared at, the comfort level diminishing into the negatives, all save for one absurdly cheerful puppy that was currently enamored with Sano and sat behind his chair all through out dinner.

"Misao-chan," … the first thing said for quite some time. The girl winced and looked down at her plate guiltily. And rightfully, since well, this was all her fault. "Yours and Sano's bathroom cannot be fixed until Friday -" He paused briefly to let the information sink in. "So you two will have to share mine until then."

Aoshi didn't like this at all, though his expression (or lack there of) didn't show it. It was bad enough that his dream had all been set with in his bathroom, and that three out of the four - no, five - other players in it will be sharing it… but now that it had to be reality… He needed another drink. Not to mention he'd have to figure out some magical way to prevent this from happening again, and somehow, he didn't see Misao willingly going for a haircut.

Misao looked guilty as sin, and the "Born to Raise Hell" t-shirt wasn't helping her plead her case. She didn't have to be a mind reader to know how Aoshi felt about his sanctuary. Even though she'd finally be allowed into it, she was hoping it would have been under nicer circumstances… rather than out of sheer practicality and necessity. It was difficult not to pout. There was something about this that just cried disaster, and it was one that could've been easily avoided if she had less hair.

Sano was in between emotions - it was nice that he would get to use Aoshi's bathroom, but it just wasn't as much fun if he was *allowed* to do it. Although, he did note how Aoshi pointedly did not address him. He was going to hold him responsible for that Pochi episode for some time to come. As if it wasn't bad enough that he already owed Misao for one little slip up, now he had to lose the ball in Aoshi's court to boot. World: 2, Sano: nada… Three if you include the fact that the puppy was allowed to remain there against his will. He had to get his act together, and how.

And our super hero of the hour, Pochi, hadn't a care in the world as he lapped down the fur over his privates.