Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ That Voodoo That You Do ❯ From Bad To Worse ( Chapter 1 )

Chapter 1

Like so many other mornings, Kaoru Kamiya awoke when she could smell something delicious coming from the kitchen. Kenshin was often up before she was, pottering around and making breakfast so good it made her mouth water thinking about it. She stopped for a moment to think that maybe it wasn't the food that was the tastiest thing in the kitchen, before poking herself mentally knowing where that train of thought would lead only too well.

With good reason, she got up and dressed in her navy hakama and white gi ready for Yahiko's training that morning. She tied her hair back tightly and then went to find the object of her affections.

"Good Morning Kenshin!" she smiled brightly, walking in to where the red haired rurouni was currently wondering around trying to find a missing ingredient to the food he was cooking. He barely batted an eyelid, and instead continued to search cupboards and crevices, muttering to himself.

"I said, Good Morning Kenshin!" Repeated Kaoru somewhat louder and her voice etched with irritation at being blatantly ignored.

"I heard you the first time Kaoru," snapped Kenshin, looking up at her sharply, "Can't you see I'm busy trying to make breakfast for Miss Megumi?"

To say the least, the girl was taken by surprise at this reaction. It wasn't like Kenshin to be moody in the mornings, and especially not with her. When his back was turned, once again looking for that illusive flavouring to make everything perfect, Kaoru stuck her tongue out at him cheekily, and then guessing Megumi was out on the porch, went out to join her.

As soon as she realised she was not alone, Megumi attempted to conceal the Kenshin doll she was whispering to. Instead, to distract her young friend, she picked up another from her lap, which just happened to be the Yahiko doll and held it up to her face. "Cute, don't you think?"

Kaoru spotted right away. "It looks like Yahiko. What's with the dolls, Miss Megumi?"

"They're not just any dolls. They have magical powers." Bragged the older woman, squeezing the Yahiko one a little tighter around the waist, "I just finished making them. You like?"

Kaoru didn't know what to say. "Magic… Dolls…? Megumi, are you feeling alright?"

"Oh, I feel fine!" smiled Megumi, passing Kaoru the Yahiko doll. "Here, this one's for you. Be careful with it, because whatever happens to that doll symbolically happens to Yahiko. Don't let anything bad happen to it, whatever you do, Miss Kaoru. But try it out, and you'll see."

Hastily making her exit, Megumi didn't notice how she accidentally dropped another doll on her way out, and Kaoru was too busy trying to find Yahiko herself to realise that her guest had unknowingly left behind a little plushie doll thing, resembling Sanosuke.

In fact, it was Kenshin who after finding no one to consume the morning meal he had so painstakingly made, threw the tray across the ground in a moment of annoyance, before noticing he had covered a small doll in ramen noodles and green tea.

Feeling very foolish with himself and considering that the doll probably belonged to either Ayame or Suzume, he picked it up, and resolved himself to wash it until it was nice and clean later.

Sanosuke had been wondering through Kyoto, minding his own business (in fact, thinking about regaining his lost change through gambling) and was just passing the Akabeko when Tae, who was taking ramen noodles and green tea outside to some western customers, tripped. He managed to catch the poor woman before she fell, but, alas, not before she spilt the contents of her tray quite messily all over him.

Sano stood there for a moment and blinked. Tae returned herself to her feet, and tried to conceal a smile, and did not do so very well. He could only stand there, dripping with hot, wet green liquid and covered in noodles.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Mr Sano!" apologised Tae, "I must have tripped over my own feet." Sanosuke said nothing, even as a noodle peeled itself of his headband and fell to the floor. He just looked at her.

"Oh just wait here," suggested Tae, hurrying back inside briefly, before emerging with a small thing in her hand, "You can have this. I found it earlier, but I think I'm a little old for dolls now, so you can have it."

"What am I meant to do with a doll?" he grumbled, peering down at the effigy of surprisingly, Aoshi Shinomori, trench coat and all. Recognising the likeness, Sanosuke smirked, "Actually, Tae, don't worry about it. I'll just go and have a bath at the dojo." He turned to go, pocketing the doll, but then stopped "Unless you would rather clear my tab for this?"

"Uh, I don't think so, do you?" came the reply, slightly offended with the suggestion.

"Nah, it was worth a try." He shrugged, and slinked off in that direction.