Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Meddled Affairs ❯ Dinner and a Mystery ( Chapter 2 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

MEDDLED AFFAIRS
PART TWO - Dinner and a Mystery
A Rurouni Kenshin Fanfic

Written by Miyu, Vampire Princess
With helpful editing from Rinnako-chan

Disclaimer: Kenshin is not mine. I wish he was, but he's not. *sigh* None of these characters are mine. *pout* Proper rights go to Nobuhiro Watsuki, Shueisha, Fuji TV, Jump Comics, and their affiliates. Use of these characters is done without permission.




'Stick to the plan. Stick to the plan!'

Sanosuke had to repeat that over and over in his head. He and Megumi had spent
the better part of an hour discussing her plan. It was simplicity itself, or at
least she thought so. Sano didn't have a hard time keeping up. It was the
remembering what to do that was difficult.

Of course, his nervousness didn't help. Things had to go off without a hitch
tonight. Megumi would be counting on his report in the morning. But what did
he have to be nervous about? The plan was sound, and simple. All he had to do
was lie.

That was it. That was his problem.

He didn't want to lie to his friends. This was Kenshin and Karou. People he
considered family. And family was few and far between these days. He couldn't
lie to them.

"It's not really a lie," Megumi's voice loomed in his mind. "It's a protective
fib. There's a difference."

"Difference my ass, fox," he muttered, not caring if others on the street heard
him.

But Megumi did have a point. They had to do SOMETHING. Sanosuke just wasn't
sure that lying was the best solution. Besides, what if something BAD happened?

"Nothing bad will happen, rooster head," Megumi's voice chided. "Just stick to
the plan."

'Stick to the plan.'

He stopped short when he realized he had reached his destination. He stared at
the door for a moment, preparing himself for the task at hand. He felt inside
his jacket pocket. There was a letter in each one. One for Kenshin and one for
Karou.

'Here goes nothing.'

With a sigh, he pushed open the door and looked inside.

No one in sight
.
Not that that should've surprised him. Kenshin was no doubt in the kitchen
cooking. Karou was probably in the bathhouse, soaking in the tub. Jo-chan
loved to take baths in the middle of the day. And the noise coming from the
dojo indicated that Yahiko was still inside, practicing.

'Good kid,' his mind told him. He smiled as he walked past the dojo. 'Never
gives up.'

He walked towards the main house. He could already smell the delicious
vegetables cooking. He stopped in mid-stride, sniffing the air delectably. His
mouth began to water and his smile grew wider. It smelled like one of Kenshin's
famous stir-fry's. Sanosuke wasn't sure where the man had learned to cook such
a dish, but it had become a once week favorite.

"Yo! Sanosuke! Why you sneaking around?"

The street fighter jumped at the question in Yahiko's voice. Normally he
wouldn't have been so jumpy, or so off guard. But the kid managed to sneak up
on him. Maybe the boy was improving....

"Oy, Yahiko," Sano replied with a smile. "It's not nice to sneak up on guests."
The young boy smiled in return, a strange almost evil smile. "What are you up
to, baka?"

Sano blinked. The boy was sharp too. Did he know? No, that was impossible.
Switching tactics, Sano looked at the boy seriously.

"I ran into Kenshin while he was in town buying groceries," Sano replied with a
huff. He crossed his arms over his chest. "He invited me to dinner."

The boy's smile changed to one of amusement. "Don't you usually invite
yourself?"

Pretending to get annoyed...well, half-pretending anyway, Sano glared at Yahiko.
Was it his imagination or had the boy grown again? He was looking Yahiko right
in the eye!

"Don't you have chores to do before supper?" Sano countered.

"Just finishing up actually," Yahiko said, holding up a bucket of dirty water.
"Kenshin should be in the kitchen. I gotta finish up. I'm starved!"

With that, Yahiko took off towards the well. The boy emptied the bucket of
water before carrying it back to the storage shed. The kid actually did his
chores without Karou's shouting. How unusual.

He must've been hungry, Sano thought with a chuckle.

As Yahiko disappeared into the storage shed, Sanosuke made his way into the main
house. He passed the kitchen, stepping lightly so as not to attract Kenshin's
attention. The smell of supper again tantalized his senses. He sniffed
greedily at the air, his mind only half functioning on his mission.

Finally he reached Karou's bedroom door. The room was dark, and there was no
noise within. Luckily the young woman was still in the bathhouse. Carefully,
Sanosuke slid the door open and placed Karou's letter inside on the floor. The
girl was certain to see it on her way back to get ready for supper.

Keeping an eye out for Yahiko, Sanosuke walked further down the hall. He
stopped just short of Kenshin's room. His room was one of the smallest in the
house, but he former battousai never seemed to mind.

There was a light on inside. Sano rested his hand lightly on the door,
listening. He heard nothing out of the ordinary. 'Stop being so paranoid,' he
told himself.

'Kenshin's in the kitchen making supper. Just leave the note and go.'

Slowly he opened the door. Indeed, there was no one inside. The light was
coming from a dying candle. Had Kenshin realized he'd left it lit? Probably,
Sanosuke realized as he watched the candle's flame disappear, leaving the room
dark.

Sighing in relief, Sanosuke pulled Kenshin's letter from his pocket. He stared
at it as he moved into the room. Carefully, he placed the letter against the
tatami mattress, making certain Kenshin would find it before going to bed.

'All done,' he thought with a satisfied smile. He closed the door to Kenshin's
room quietly, searching one last time for Yahiko. Not seeing the boy, he headed
for the kitchen again.

'Now let's eat!'




Karou stretched her arms lazily over her head as she walked back to her room.
The bath had been a most relaxing one. Her aching feet were no longer aching.
Her sore muscles were now warm and comfortable. Wearing a fresh kimono, her
hair tied back in its usual manner, she smiled happily to herself. She hadn't
felt this relaxed in...well, in months!

And boy did she need to relax! Her nerves had been on edge most of the day. It
was bad enough she had to sneak the fabric into the house without Kenshin
knowing. She'd managed just fine, thankfully. Kenshin had been busy sweeping
on the far end of the property to pay her much attention.

But there was something else too. She wasn't sure if it was her imagination or
not. Kenshin was very quiet most of the day. He'd kept to himself and his
room, unless he was doing chores or cooking. Even Yahiko couldn't drag him out
of his room to practice. Kenshin made some kindly excuse and said nothing more.
Yahiko had been disappointed, but he didn't argue.

'It's very peculiar behavior for Kenshin,' Karou had wondered before taking her
bath. 'I wonder if something is bothering him.'

Sighing, Karou opened her bedroom door. It slid open easily enough, but she
failed to notice the letter on the floor. The moment she stepped inside, she
slipped. Clutching the door for support, Karou righted herself quickly.

"Now what's this?" she wondered aloud.

Leaning over, she picked up the letter. There were no distinguishing marks on
the outside, no seals and no indication of who it was from. Only her name in
neat, bold letters appeared on the front.

"I wonder...." she muttered, opening the letter. But the she stopped herself.
What if it was from Kenshin? What if he was leaving again? Fear gripped her
heart. No, he couldn't leave. Not on that day. He just couldn't!

'Calm yourself girl," her mind told her. 'Why would Kenshin leave? Give me one
good reason.'

'I can list several,' she retaliated.

Sighing, she continued to open the letter. The butterflies in her stomach
fluttered ruthlessly. There was a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.
She walked into the room, quickly lighting a lamp to read.

"Dear Miss Karou," she said, sinking to the floor. "Meet me by the riverside
under the bridge at midnight two days from now. I'm sure you know the place."
Karou checked the letter one more time. There was no signature.

"Hmm," she mumbled. Refolding the letter, she stood from the floor. 'I wonder
who it's from. The writing doesn't look familiar.'

Once again, fear settled into her heart and she suddenly felt sick.

"Perhaps I should just go to dinner," she told herself. She placed the letter
by her bed pillow and left the room.




"Smells good, Kenshin. When do we eat?"

Kenshin looked over his shoulder as Sanosuke entered the kitchen. He smiled to
his friend in greeting. Then he returned his attention back to the pot in front
of him. He was stirring the concoction, sniffing the air to judge the flavor.
"It should be done in a few minutes."

Sanosuke watched as Kenshin poured the cooked rice over into a large bowl then
went back to stirring the soupy mix in the pot. The battousai seemed a bit
preoccupied with his thoughts. It was typical for Kenshin to keep his thoughts
to himself, even if they were troublesome.

Still, Sanosuke was curious. Was someone trying to challenge Kenshin again?
If so, there was no way he was going to let the battousai fight alone.

"How are things?" Sanosuke asked, hoping to get something from the other man.
"Good, that they are," Kenshin said, looking thoughtfully out of the window
above the sink. "But...I think something's upset Karou-dono."

Sanosuke raised an eyebrow. That wasn't quite what he had expected. Then
again, he wasn't sure what to expect. He smiled reassuringly at his friend.
"She worries about everything. It's probably something minor. You shouldn't
worry about it, Kenshin."

Kenshin nodded, a half-smile creeping to his lips. "I know. But she's kept to
herself all day. She's only left her room twice. Once to practice with Yahiko.
The second to take a bath." He sighed, shaking his head. "It is strange, but I
do...wish...she'd...I wish I knew what it was."

Sano blinked in surprise. Was Kenshin actually admitting feelings for Karou?
Wow, the street fighter thought, there's something new. Maybe this plan of
Megumi's would work after all.

But then again, maybe not. Something was bothering Karou. It could be minor,
as he'd said, but perhaps not. Karou worried about a lot of things, but it took
something major -- usually something happening to Kenshin -- to make her lock
herself in her room. This could be a problem. What about their plan?

"Sano, can you help me a minute," Kenshin asked.

Sanosuke's thoughts interrupted, he stuttered. "Ah...uh...sure, Kenshin.
What'cha need?"

"Help me set the table, please," Kenshin said with a happy smile. "It's time to
eat."


**R**K** **R**K** **R**K**


All four sat down to dinner in typical fashion. Sanosuke and Yahiko were
already seated at the table when Karou arrived. Sano had succeeded in making
Yahiko angry, a small fistfight ensuing. Kenshin tried to break them up,
especially after Yahiko nearly knocked a bowl of rice out of Kenshin's grasp.

"Honestly, won't you two ever grow up?" Karou muttered as she sat down.

"What about you?" Yahiko asked smartly. "When are you going to learn to cook?"
Karou began to fume visibly but she made no comment, stunning the entire table.
She remained seated, her hands clasped in her lap. Little did they know she was
cutting off the circulation to her fingers.

'Something must definitely be up,' Sano thought. He'd been waiting for her to
scream at Yahiko and start throwing things. But to everyone's amazement, it
never happened.

"Daijoubu, Karou-dono?"

Karou blinked. She looked up at Kenshin, then averted her eyes. She smiled
sweetly.

"I'm fine," she told them. Her voice sounded a bit strained, but otherwise
normal.

Karou's act did not go unnoticed by Kenshin as Yahiko and Sano started to argue
again. He frowned, walking slowly back into the kitchen. He wondered briefly
if he had done something to upset her. It seemed nearly impossible, but it was
difficult to tell sometimes. They hadn't done much together in the past few
weeks. And everything had seemed all right until today. Did something happen
while she was at the market?

Kenshin was jarred from his thoughts as Yahiko began calling for the main
course. He grabbed the last of the plates from the kitchen. The battousai
smiled as he rejoined the others, sitting down at the table.

Things were quiet at they ate. Sanosuke and Yahiko were having an unspoken
eating contest. It was normal, but this time Yahiko seemed to be winning. He
was on his third helping while Sano was still finishing his second.

As hungry as she was, Karou still didn't eat much. The feeling in her stomach
returned. She knew it was silly, to be worried about a single letter. But
doubt she did, and it refused to go away. She ate her food slowly, her eyes
focused on some imaginary spot on the table. Occasionally her eyes would stray
to Kenshin. But when he went to look at her, she would quickly look away.

Kenshin kept watching Karou out of the corner of his eye. He was still worried
something was wrong. He wished she'd tell him. He was her protector after all.
'Not that she needs one,' his mind said.

'She's a strong woman,' said another voice in his head.

Even still, Kenshin wanted to know what was wrong. He wanted to be able to set
it right. He wanted...he wanted a lot of things at the moment. Things he
hadn't been able to speak of before. But the time was coming. Soon, it would
all be okay.

"Kenshin, look out," Yahiko shouted.

The battousai blinked in surprise. His vision was slightly hazy, but when it
cleared he could see a bowl flying right for his face. There was no time to
duck. It hit him square in the face.

"Oro?"

'There's nothing to worry about,' Sanosuke told himself, holding back his
laughter. 'Jo-chan can still throw a bowl like no one's business.'

Kenshin sat up with Sanosuke's help. Apparently Yahiko had provoked Karou into
a fight. She was busy chasing the boy around the yard with her chopsticks as
Kenshin removed the bowl from his face. He thanked Sano for his help, raising
one hand to his face. He smiled, thankful that things seemed to be back to
normal.

"Kenshin, I challenge you."

The battousai's eyes widened at Sanosuke's words. Sano wanted to fight right
now? Wasn't that rude? Or was the young man just bored?

As if to answer Kenshin's unspoken question, Sano produced a bottle of sake. He
let it fall to the floor with a loud thud, stopping Karou's and Yahiko's antics
for a moment. Sano smiled wicked at his friend.

"What do you say?"

Kenshin smiled happily. Things had definitely returned to normal, if even for a
little while.


**R**K** **R**K** **R**K**


The dojo was as quiet as the night.

Sanosuke had left only an hour ago, finally sober enough to walk home without
falling over. The sake contest had been no contest at all. Both combatants drank
themselves silly. Sanosuke's speech was slurred and his balance was off. He
passed out twice, banging his head on the dinner table.

Kenshin, however, showed little sign of being drunk. But the battousai could
feel the pull of the alcohol on his mind. He had to talk slowly so his speech
was not slurred. Even now, the words floating through Kenshin's mind made very
little sense. His balance seemed to be okay, but he was pacing himself as he
walked so as not to fall over.

Karou and Yahiko cleared the kitchen table while the two men were drinking.
Kenshin hadn't realized they'd done so until the sake was all gone and Sanosuke
had passed out again. The two watched in amusement as Kenshin attempted to wake
the young street fighter from his daze.

Kenshin chuckled to himself as he walked from the kitchen to his room. It was
the best night they'd had in weeks. Everyone was smiling and laughing. But the
big party would be at the end of the week, he knew. The one party everyone
looked forward to.

The anniversary of his arrival at the Kamiya dojo.

But while things were looking up, he couldn't fight a feeling of apprehension.
Karou had been quieter tonight than normal. And while that had only lasted a
little while, the battousai couldn't help but wonder what, if anything, was the
matter.

Sighing, he slid open the door to his room. Immediately he sensed something was
different. The candle he had left lit had been snuffed. That was expected.

He'd been called away to help Yahiko that he'd forgotten about it. Everything
else seemed to be in order. Nothing appeared to be missing.

But there was something new lying by his bed.

Kenshin checked the room once more before sliding the door closed behind him.
He shut it softly, not wanting to alarm Yahiko, who was sleeping next door.
Quickly he covered the distance between himself and the bed. Everything was
still neatly folded. A piece of paper, with no name and no distinguishing
marks, lay folded against his mattress.

Kenshin lowered himself to the floor. His eyes never left the piece paper, as
if it would sprout legs and walk away. He took off his sword as he descended,
allowing it to rest against his shoulder once he was sitting. Feeling nervous
for the first time in a long while, Kenshin reached for the letter.

It was just normal paper, he realized. His name was printed neatly on the
front. Someone with exceptional handwriting, he noted. The calligraphy was
near perfect. Nothing fell out of the letter as he picked it up, nor did it
smell funny when he placed it under his nose. After a deep intake of breath,
Kenshin unfolded the letter.

"Kenshin," he read aloud. "Meet me by the riverside under the bridge at
midnight in two days time. You know the place."

There was no signature.

'A challenge,' his mind registered. 'But from who? And for what?'

Kenshin hadn't been challenged for quite some time. Unless you want to include
the number of sake drinking contests Sanosuke would challenge him to. And most
of his challenges had been delivered personally, usually with the swing of a
sword. It was strange to get a letter of challenge. Stranger still to get a
letter at all.

Perhaps he was taking this too far. He didn't for a fact that it was a
challenge. It could be someone just wanting to meet with him. Perhaps Yahiko,
or Sano. But the handwriting was not at all familiar to him. Sano couldn't
possibly write as neat. Neither could Yahiko. Kenshin doubted that he,
himself, could write so well. Besides, why wouldn't they have just asked?

'That doesn't mean it's a challenge,' his mind kept repeating.

'Can I take that chance?' he kept replying. He didn't want to endanger his
friends. Especially Karou, who had the graciousness to put up with him for so
long.

'Perhaps it's time to move on,' his mind offered.

'No,' Kenshin screamed back. 'No, I don't want to leave. I can't. Not now.
Never again.'

'Well then, you have no choice but to do what the letter tells you.'

With a sigh, Kenshin refolded the letter. He clenched it tightly in one hand,
wondering what he should do. He couldn't tell Yahiko or Sano about the letter.
If he did, then they would want to become involved. That was unacceptable. He
couldn't tell Karou either. Not only would she become involved, but she'd worry
as well. He didn't want to put her through that.

Setting the letter and his sword aside, Kenshin prepared his bed for the
evening. Once finished, he changed into his evening clothes and settled onto
the tatami mattress. He spared the letter one final glance before drifting to
sleep.



TWO DAYS LATER....


Karou stifled a yawn as she made her way towards the main entrance of the dojo.
She was supposed to accompany Yahiko into town and help him buy a gift for
Tsubume. The young woman insisted that Tsubume-chan would love anything he
bought for her, but Yahiko wanted it to be special.

"Fine, fine," Karou had agreed, "I'll help you."

That was yesterday.

Karou had gotten only a few hours of sleep last night. She'd spent part of the
night working on Kenshin's gift for the party. When she wasn't working she
would ponder the mysterious letter she had received. She hadn't received any
other letters since.

'I'm worrying for nothing,' she told herself, holding back another yawn. 'I'll
just go tonight like the letter says. I know a few good hiding places around
there. I did, after all, sneak up on Kenshin there once.'

"Quit dragging your feet, busu," Yahiko called. "I want to get this over with."

The young man was waiting at the door when Karou arrived. He was dressed in his
usual striped gi and faded brown hakama. Karou had insisted on making him a new
gi for his last birthday. He had sorely outgrown the last three she had made
for him. The hakama would have to be replaced again too, she noted as she
approached. The boy could not possibly grow any taller.

The market was not as crowded as it usually was. Perhaps that was due to the
cooler weather. Or maybe because of the rain that threatened fall at any
moment.

In any case, Yahiko had a difficult time deciding on a gift for Tsubume. He
turned his nose up at most of the things Karou had shown him, while the young
woman did the same to the things he picked out. After an hour of walking
through the market, Yahiko still didn't have his gift. He was about to give up
when he spotted the perfect gift.

"Yahiko, wait up!" Karou called after him as the boy took off across the street.
When she finally caught up with him, Yahiko was proudly holding a small package.
He presented it to Karou for her inspection.

"Kawaii," Karou said with a bright smile.

In her hands, Karou held a small doll. It was dressed in a traditional Japanese
kimono and carried a small umbrella. Karou's eyes lit up when she saw it. She
remembered having a similar doll when she was younger. It had been a gift from
her father.

"What do you think?" Yahiko asked nervously. He blushed in embarrassment,
scratching the back of his head with his free hand.

Karou eyed him carefully, inspecting the doll more closely for fractures on the
skin and torn material. She smiled at him approvingly, stifling a giggle as he
sighed in relief.

"I think she'll love it," Karou said, patting the young man on the shoulder..
Yahiko beamed proudly, taking the doll from Karou. He carried it closely to his
chest as they walked home. And he was extra mindful of where he walked, not
wanting to damage his prize.

Karou opened the door for him and allowed him to walk into the dojo first. She
followed, closing the door behind her slowly. Walking towards the main house,
Karou called out.

"Tadaima!"

There was no response.

"Kenshin?"

Again no response.

Frowning, Karou made her way to the courtyard. Her eyes searched every inch.
From there she walked to the dojo. Empty. Finally she walked through the
house, stopping in the doorway of the kitchen.

The floors had been swept. The dishes had been cleaned. A fresh load of
laundry was hanging on the drying line.

But there was no sign of Kenshin.

"Kenshin?" Yahiko called out as he walked down the hallway from his room. Then
he noticed Karou standing by the kitchen entrance. "Oy, where's Kenshin?"

"I don't know," Karou said. Anxiety gripped her from head to tow. Worry
dropped into the pit of her stomach. Her eyes began searching around
frantically, hoping that they were mistaken. She turned to look at Yahiko, her
bottom lip trembling.

"He's...gone."



THAT SAME DAY AFTER SUPPER....


"Yo, fox! We need to talk!"

Megumi looked up from her book and stared at the doorway expectantly. Sure
enough, Sanosuke appeared. Both hands in his pockets, the street fighter did
not look happy. He frowned when he saw her, glancing around the room to make
sure they were alone.

Megumi closed her book and sighed. "About what?" She paused, thinking. Then
her eyes widened in horror. "Do Karou and Kenshin know what...?"

Sanosuke raised a hand to stop her. He shook his head, closing his eyes. When
he opened them, he gazed straight at Megumi. "No, they don't suspect anything.
I don't think they've even told each other about their letters. Karou's too
busy...."

"Then what is it?" Megumi insisted. It was her break time and she had wanted to
spend it with her newest book, not with Sano. But she knew, deep down, that
Sanosuke wouldn't have shown up out of the blue if it wasn't important.

Unless, of course, he needed money.

"Kenshin's missing."

Megumi blinked, surprised. That wasn't what she had expected him to say. A
comment about her intelligence, sure. Asking for money, fine. But...Kenshin
was missing? That was definitely a surprise.

"M-missing?" she stuttered uncertainly. "Since when?"

"Since this afternoon," Sano replied. He leaned against the doorframe, his arms
crossed over his chest. "Had to suffer through Jo-chan's cooking tonight. BAH!
Megumi smiled a little, but her thoughts were focused on Kenshin. "What did she
say?"

"Yahiko said that when he and Karou returned from market, Kenshin was no where
to be found."

"Maybe he had errands to run," Megumi said.

"Maybe," Sano said with a nod. "But if he had gone into town, the three
would've run into each other." He grunted. "At least he would've been home by
now. It's nearly dark."

He had a point. "When did Yahiko and Karou-san go into market?"

"Just after breakfast."

"And Kenshin was home then?"

"He's the one that makes breakfast, baka."

Megumi frowned. "I wonder if he took our letter the wrong way."

Sano pushed himself from the doorway, uncrossing his arms. "I've been wondering
that too. But even still, he would've said something to Jo-chan. Leave her a
note at least."

"Maybe, maybe not," Megumi replied with a sigh. "At any rate, we should look
for him."

"I agree," Sano said. "I'll start in the morning. In the meantime, I think you
should go talk to Jo-chan."

"Why me?"

Sano smiled, turning to leave. "Because it was your idea."

Megumi sighed again, staring down at her book.

'I hate it when he's right,' she thought miserably.


~~TO BE CONTINUED~~