Subject: [KFFDisc] Better than Chocolate, Part 1 Date: Mon, 24 Aug 1998 18:35:40 -0700 (PDT) From: Kristin Olson Reply-To: kenshinfanfics@makelist.com To: kenshinfanfics@makelist.com Konbanwa, minna! This little beast has been devouring most of my waking hours for the past couple of days. It'll probably be finished in a couple more. It's cheesy, cutesy, slightly plotless, long-winded, and why do I feel the need to denigrate my own work before I even get it posted? Yare yare. :P Anyway, the idea was prompted by that stupid 'Crazy Steam Train Trip' filler episode, and a song by Sarah McLachlan called "Ice Cream." I'm going to post the first 3 parts tonight. Comments are very welcome. Oh, and a note about chronology--this tentatively takes place *after* Revenge, though I'm working on the assumption that none of the main characters have died or been emotionally or physically debilitated. ^_^;; -Kristin -------------------------------------- Better than Chocolate, Part 1 -------------------------------------- "I just hope this trip to Yokohama turns out better than the last one," Yahiko grumbled as he handed over his ticket to the official making rounds through the steam train's passenger cars. "It would be nice if we could go somewhere for once without something going wrong." "Yahiko!" Kaoru glared at her student from across the seat. "I don't want to hear another complaint out of you for the rest of the day," she said sharply. "No one's forcing you to come. Maybe you should have stayed home, and let Tsubame-chan come along by herself." The spiky-haired boy flinched, then reddened, infuriated at having been reprimanded in front of the one person he most wanted to impress. "Why you--" "Wh-what happened last time?" Tsubame asked, her brown eyes wide. She was quivering a little at the strange surroundings and the press of passengers; Yahiko's comment did nothing to reassure her. "Was it--something bad?" "Oh, we had a little run-in with some would-be robbers, was all," Sanosuke drawled. "They tried to hijack the train." "R-robbers? H-hijack?" "Sanosuke! You'll scare Tsubame-chan!" "Nothing the Kenshin-gumi couldn't handle," Yahiko added, inflating with pride. "Those guys won't be back. They're probably still in jail. And remember the reward money? That was cool. But then Kaoru had to go and spend it on something stupid like a photograph--" "Really? A photograph? Do you still have the picture, Kaoru-san?" Tsubame asked in delight, effectively shutting Yahiko up. "Of course! Haven't I ever shown it to you? I even put it in a frame!" "Ne, Kenshin, you never did explain how you got that horse to jump from boat to boat like that," Sanosuke said in an undertone. Kenshin, who had managed to stay safely out of the discussion thus far, twitched. "Well, um--" "Or where it mysteriously disappeared to afterwards." "Well, um--" "And when did you learn to ride, anyway? You may have fought in the Bakumatsu, but I know you weren't a cavalry man." "Well, I--" "TICKETS, please," boomed the uniformed official, startling them all from their seats. The man eyed their motley group from beneath the brim of his hat, glaring as if he expected one of them to attempt something illegal at any minute. "From all of you, please, not just the young gentleman here." The rest of the party hastened to comply. Kenshin did his best to make his sakabatou look like part of the woodwork, while Yahiko sat back and smirked at being so perceptively identified as a "young gentleman." "All aboard!" came the shout from the conductor, and a moment later, the locomotive heaved a great sigh of steam and lurched into life. Sanosuke, having determined not to show fear in front of Tsubame, clenched his teeth and attempted to look more bored than terrified. The little waitress, for her part, was glued to the window as soon as the train began to move. "It's so fast!" she cried. "I'm so glad you invited me to come, Kaoru-san, Yahiko-kun!" "This is nothing," Yahiko said, preening. "Wait till we really get going." Kaoru bit her tongue on a remark about certain show-offs, and laughed instead. "Really, it's almost a pity we don't have to foil some robbers," she murmured. "Another reward would be nice." She held up her limp handbag, gazing at it woefully. "Just buying the round-trip tickets used up most of my spending money." But she'd been so looking forward to this trip...it was the first carefree outing they'd had since...since before Kenshin had gone to Kyoto, really. And if the cheeriness was a little forced, well...she glanced at the quiet swordsman beside her. He was gazing out the window, but did not seem to notice the passing scenery. Since then, a lot had happened. It wasn't that she expected them all to go on as if nothing had changed. But... His hand was resting on the seat, not far from her. Slowly, so as not to attract anyone's notice, she let her own hand slide down from her lap to settle lightly over his. He turned to her, startled at the touch, only to be further startled by the mixture of tenderness and concern in her eyes. Then his face softened, and he lost his slightly haunted look; his shoulders sank as he relaxed, leaning back into the seat. Another moment, and his fingers opened to twine with hers. There, she thought, content for now with the almost-smile that ghosted over his lips. That was better. A subtle shift of her arm draped the sleeve of her kimono over their hands. No need to embarrass Tsubame, after all. "Jou-chan." "Eh?" Kaoru turned, blushing inexplicably, and blinked up at Sanosuke. "What would you do with it, if you had the reward?" "Probably take another stupid photograph," Yahiko mumbled, earning himself a rather dismayed look from Tsubame. "No, I wouldn't," Kaoru said firmly. "I'd take us all out to dinner at a fancy restaurant, one of those places where they serve Western food, so we could all try it. I'd stuff myself silly, and then I'd order chocolate cake." Her blue eyes began to shimmer dreamily. "Ever since I first heard about it, I've been wanting to taste chocolate cake..." "Well, since I never say no to food, it sounds like a plan to me." As if by magic, Sanosuke produced a fistful of money from his pocket. "I figure I owe you guys a dinner out, anyway." "S-Sanosuke!" Even Kenshin woke out of his distraction enough to stare. "Sano, where did you get this?" "Won it," the ex-gangster mumbled. "Dice. Seems like my luck finally changed. I already paid Tae back some of her share." Silence among the group. "You...you paid Tae-san back?" Kaoru repeated. "Yeah. A couple of days ago." Three heads turned unerringly toward Tsubame. The little girl quailed under the sudden attention, but managed to squeak, "He did. I heard her say so." Sanosuke sat up straight, livid with indignation. "Hey! What are you asking her for?" "Gomen, Sanosuke, but--" Kaoru began to giggle. "Repent," Yahiko intoned. "The end is nigh!" "Hey, you know, I was gonna give you this, but nothing says I have to." Sanosuke made as if to return the money to the safety of his pocket. "If it's from gambling, I'll have nothing to do with it, anyway," Kaoru said, lifting her chin righteously. "Dame desu." "Kaoru!" Yahiko yelped. "Do you want your fancy dinner, or not?" "Choc-late-ca-aaake," Sanosuke murmured, swooping the money in front of her face. The righteous chin faltered a little. "Come on, Jou-chan. You know you want some." Kaoru closed her eyes in desperation. "That, Tsubame-chan, is the voice of temptation," she said. "No matter how persuasive it might be, I will not give in." "Actually, Kaoru-san," Tsubame said, in a very small voice, "I sort of wanted to try the cake, too." The pillar of morality began to crumble. "Tsubame-chan mo?" she said weakly. "Kaoru-dono." Kenshin's smile this time was solid and warm. "Sano has lost enough times for it to be considered divine punishment. If he's finally winning, can't we assume it's a divine blessing?" The strong fingers between her own curled tighter. "Well," she said, flushing again, "I guess so." "Oi, Kenshin, that hurt!" Sanosuke made a show of complaint, but smirked at Kenshin over Kaoru's head. He might not be able to see precisely what was going on between those two, but he had a good enough idea. The tanuki-girl was awfully tractable lately, if Kenshin was making the request. In Sano's mind, increased tractability was not a bad thing at all. "Sumanu." Having restored peace and harmony, Kenshin returned his attention to the disproportionately pleasant sensations Kaoru's small touch had evoked in him. It was very improper, he supposed, to think about these sorts of things in public. But...if he turned his hand just so, he found, he could stroke her fingers lightly with his thumb. Watching her out of the corner of his eye, he noticed as her lips parted for a moment, and her blush deepened. So, he thought, she really was not averse to this. The knowledge was rather disproportionately pleasant, as well. "All right! We don't have to starve!" "Well, as long as they'll let Sanosuke in the restaurant," Kaoru said. "What? Why wouldn't they let me in?" "They might have rules about letting in chickens." "Oh yeah? Well, what about raccoons, then, huh missy?" Tsubame regarded the feuding pair with escalating alarm, until a low chuckle from Kenshin reassured her. Since the swordsman seemed quite at ease with the whole situation, she resolved to set her worrying impulses aside. When she glanced out the window, she was caught by the beauty of the landscape sailing by. It almost seemed that the rest of the world was moving, while the train stood still. And there, in the distance-- "Ne, Kenshin-san," she said, pointing, "isn't that the sea?" His gaze followed the aim of her finger to a sparkling patch of silver-blue. "Aa," he replied. "It looks like the weather will be fine today." "Can you see the ocean yet?" Kaoru asked, abandoning her battle with Sanosuke for gentler pursuits. "Over there." Kenshin smiled a little as she leaned toward the window, and therefore against him. Her arm felt so warm, even through the silk of her kimono and the cotton of his gi. Of course, he told himself, she merely wished to see better. Of course. "I should have given you this seat," he murmured. She had not let go of his hand this whole time, he realized. Well, it was still a good while to Yokohama. "It's okay," she answered, with a sly tilt of her eyelashes. "I like where I am just fine." Kenshin tipped his head back lazily. With her next to him, he felt perfectly content to watch the world outside go by. "Sessha mo," he said. ----------------------- Notes: re: the mysterious horse, see that wacky filler ep. dame desu = it's no good sumanu = I'm sorry sessha mo = me too, Kenshin style ('mo' = also) _________________________________________________________ DO YOU YAHOO!? Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com ____________________________________________________________ List Site: http://www.findmail.com/list/kenshinfanfics/ To unsubscribe, send to kenshinfanfics-unsubscribe@makelist.com FREE group e-mail lists at http://www.findmail.com