DISCLAIMER: Rurouni Kenshin and all of its characters belong to
Watsuki-sensei. This is a work of a fan, who claims no possession of RK,
its plotlines, or character catch-phrases.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter 1:
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Since the dawn of fanfiction, the 'Blanket Scenario' has been popular. Two people. One cold night. One blanket to share. Ah, what strange and wonderful adventures a blanket might be able to divulge. Some funny, some tragic, some frightening. Stories of love and lust, of joy and sorrow. And tonight, gentle reader, if you will join us, we'll begin a peek into the lives and times of blankets. So, beware Meiji Era, beware Japan, beware hitokiris, ninjas, doctors, street fighters, and tanuki-girls, and Akebeko attendants. Beware friends and enemies, young and old.
Beware.
Your blanket witnesses all.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Kenshin?"
"Yes, Kaoru-dono?"
The once-feared hitokiri looked up from scrubbing the dojo floor. She hadn't asked him to do it, but it needed to be done anyway. He didn't mind. Too much dust or mud on the floor might cause someone to slip while practicing and hurt themselves. Then he'd blame himself forever for being too lazy to do the chore when Kaoru-dono did, after all, let him live here for free.
Kaoru-dono looked lovely today, didn't she? Was that hair bow new? It was a pink one. Really set off the rosy blush of her cheeks nicely. Showed off the brightness in her eyes, it did.
'Oro! Sessha is staring. Stop staring!' Kenshin looked back down at the floor, watching a blurry semi-reflection stare back with utter cluelessness.
"Kenshin? Why are you cleaning the floor? That's Yahiko's chore. How is he going to learn discipline if you do his chores for him?"
Kenshin shrugged sheepishly and replied, "Sessha hasn't seen Yahiko around since breakfast."
Exhaling a deep sigh, Kaoru grumbled something about Yahiko skipping training and how he was such an irresponsible pupil. Kenshin was pretty sure that Kaoru would go on to include a violent description of how, exactly, she was going to bludgeon Yahiko senseless when he came home, so he interrupted. "Did you want something of me, Kaoru-dono?"
Kaoru stopped mid-sentence, alarmed at how murderous she was sounding in front of Kenshin. "Oh. Oh...um..." Kaoru proceeded to smile in the hopes that Kenshin would forget that she was a dojo's mistress, and instead think of her as...well...as...
Sigh. Deep, longing, does-he-even-notice-my-existence sigh.
"Kenshin, I was trying to find all the things I promised to give Misao when she comes to visit next week, and I can't find that blanket she always admired. You know, the green one with the white flowers on it? Have you seen it while doing laundry?"
Kenshin had to admit that, in fact, he had not seen that particular blanket today.
"Hm. I wonder where it could have gotten to..." Kaoru murmured, tapping her finger on her lips.
"Sessha will go look for it, Kaoru-dono. It has to be around the dojo somewhere. Unless it was stolen." A twinge of worry crept into Kenshin's head. Blanket bandits. After those Feng Shui guys, it wasn't beyond the realm of possibility. What despicable lowlife would steal one of Kaoru's favorite blankets?
"Kenshin, um, don't you think they'd steal something more valuable? Like your sakabatou?"
The sakabatou! Kenshin put his hand to his hip. Where was the sakabatou?
"My..."
Kaoru pressed her fingers to her temples. Sometimes Kenshin should be so stupid.
"Kenshin, you took it off so you could clean the floor. See, it is leaning against the wall behind you."
Ah. Kenshin turned and smiled. His trusty sakabatou. Good thing it was still here. He might need it to fend off blanket thieves. It was his duty to protect Kaoru-dono in any way possible,
And besides, if all the blankets in the dojo disappeared, it would mean that Kaoru-dono would be chilly while she slept.
She'd shiver.
And he might...be tempted to...go and warm her...
Such forbidden temptation. Kaoru-dono sighing and clinging to him to gain body heat... Flesh against burning flesh...
Kenshin's eyes grew wide. What was he -thinking-? This was Kaoru-dono! Pure, innocent, wonderful Kaoru-dono! Kenshin jumped up and grabbed his sakabatou. He would never! He was unworthy!
"Sessha will find your blanket, Kaoru-dono! Don't you worry!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I really think...um...you're nice, Tsubame, and I...want you to..."
Yahiko scowled and ground his toes into the dirt of the deserted alleyway. He'd been sitting on these steps for the past hour, going over and over what to say to Tsubame, and it -still- wasn't coming out right. She'd probably laugh at him. Well, not -laugh-, because Tsubame wasn't mean like that. No, she'd probably smile and say something like, 'Oh, that's so cute, Yahiko-chan, you're such a sweet -little- boy.'
"Crap," Yahiko muttered. He lifted the green blanket sitting atop the picnic basket he'd brought, and fished around inside for a snack. Maybe a little food would help jump start the romantic thought process. He munched on a rice ball while he watched people pass by on the street connected to the alley. Lots of couples. They looked happy. Surely there must be a -right- way to go about such things.
All he wanted to do, was to ask Tsubame to be his girlfriend.
If only he had someone at the dojo he could talk with about this. But, Kenshin was obviously utterly -hopeless-, since he couldn't even tell Kaoru he liked her. Kaoru was too ugly to ask. And Sano...
Geez, if he asked Sano... Well, Yahiko had no intention of getting slapped by Tsubame.
"Alright, Yahiko. Let's try again," the miniature samurai said to himself. "Tsubame. I like you and you should, no I mean, you could be my girl. If you wanted. I mean, if you'd like to..."
Argh!
"Tsubame, be my girl, or else!"
Grrr.
"Tsubame, I like you more than my shinai, and you smell better than the dojo!"
Damn. Damndamndamn!
"Tsubame, please..."
A shadow fell across Yahiko's face, causing his head to shoot up and his hand to fly to his back to grab his shinai. A bandit? A thug? The yakuza?
No. Far, far, far worse.
Saitou Hajime stood at the mouth of the alleyway, arms crossed, a cigarette between his fingers.
Oh, Kami-sama. Oh, CRAP! Today was -definitely-, absolutely, without a doubt the worst day of Yahiko's life.
"Yare, yare, the runt has a girl, does he?" Saitou said with a wicked smirk as he approached.
Yahiko removed his hand from his shinai. Yeah. Like trying to attack Saitou would do any good. "Why are you here, you twisted old cop?"
"I'm patrolling, moron." Leaning against the wall across from Yahiko, Saitou narrowed his eyes. "And it looks like I've found another loitering miscreant for my growing collection."
Yahiko's gaze wandered towards the nearby street as he instinctively planned an escape route. He -was- going to become the most skilled swordsman ever, of course. But, Myojin Yahiko wasn't stupid. No one could be a swordsman from jail. And he -definitely- wouldn't get the chance to become strong if he got skewered by Saitou's Gatotsu.
'Be calm,' Yahiko told himself, 'That's what Kenshin would do.'
"I'm just sitting here."
Saitou ashed his cigarette into the already dingy alley. "That would pretty much line up with the definition of 'loitering', wouldn't it?"
"But, I'm not doing anything wrong!"
The fingers of one gloved hand strummed against the thick fabric of Saitou's uniform sleeve. "You're about to do something -very- wrong, though."
"Huh?" Yahiko didn't like the tone of Saitou's voice. What the hell was the crazy cop trying to get at?
"Look runt, I'd hate to see any girl be put through the torture of what you're concocting. So, let me tell you what to do."
Yahiko leaned forward, his jaw dropping slightly. Saitou Hajime was...he was going to...give him advice on women? Well, he -was- supposedly married, after all. Maybe Saitou knew something useful about those sorts of things. "Uh...um...er...."
"Just tell her the truth."
"But, I..." The truth? The TRUTH? Of course he'd tell Tsubame the truth. It wasn't like he was going to -lie- to her. But, the words just wouldn't come out right.
Saitou turned towards the street and laid his hand on his katana. "And if you find you can't tell her the truth, just say 'You are the most beautiful creature I've ever laid eyes upon. Would you do me the utmost honor of being mine until the sun turns dark and the stars fade away?' That always works."
"It...does?"
"Of course it does, you ahou." Saitou looked over his shoulder with a wry smirk, "Tokio fell for it, and she's the most intelligent woman I know."
Yahiko leaned back against the wall as Saitou disappeared into the marketplace beyond the alley.
Saitou's wife fell for it.
Well.
Yeah.
Knowing him, Saitou probably had his katana pointed at her throat while he said it.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Yahiko-chan, this is just so lovely," Tsubame said softly as she picked a fresh strawberry out of the picnic basket. "And you even thought to bring a blanket to sit on. It's pretty. Is it yours?"
Yahiko watched as Tsubame caught the edge of the green blanket and rubbed it between her thumb and forefinger. Oh, to hold that cute little hand. Tsubame had such tiny fingers, soft fingers. Well, he imagined they would be soft, anyway.
"No. Um, Bu...Kaoru lent it to me." Crap. He was already starting off with a lie. Well, that lie didn't matter, did it? Alright, maybe he -did- go into Kaoru's room and steal it. There were white lilies painted on the edges, and Tsubame had said that she really adored lilies. He wanted to buy some for her a couple of times, but lilies were pretty expensive. Especially when Sanosuke kept borrowing whatever money Yahiko made by helping out at the Akebeko.
"The weather is so nice today, perfect. It was nice of Tae-san to give me the afternoon off."
"Yeah," Yahiko agreed, "You work too hard, I think."
"Oh, I...I don't mind the work." Tsubame smiled lightly as she nibbled at the strawberry. Yahiko looked away quickly, pretending to be interested in a nearby tree. Thinking about Tsubame's cute hands was one thing. But, thinking about her cute lips was downright ungentlemanly. "Anyway, ano...thank you for bringing me on your picnic, Yahiko."
"Yeah." What to say? What to say? Just tell the truth, that's what Saitou Hajime had said. Yahiko closed his eyes. He was strong. A samurai, even. If he could help defeat Shishio and Enishi's henchmen, he could definitely do this. Right?
RIGHT?
Yahiko wiped his sweaty palms on his pants and turned to look at Tsubame. She was -so- cute. And the nicest girl he knew. Tsubame would never hit anyone or call them runt or try to steal the last beef pot. She was simply...kind and gentle.
"Tsubame?"
Stopping mid-nibble, Tsubame looked up from her strawberry with the most winsome and genial smile Yahiko had ever seen. "Yes?"
"Will you..."
She tilted her head to the side and waited for Yahiko to continue.
"You're the most beautiful eyes my creature has ever laid upon."
Tsubame blinked. And then she blinked again.
"No! I mean..." Yahiko's fingernails pressed into the palm of his hand as his cheeks burned in embarrassment, "It would be my honor if you would fade away like the sun..."
Tsubame tilted her head to the other side as beads of sweat appeared on Yahiko's forehead.
'Damnit, Saitou Hajime. You...bastard...' Yahiko muttered internally. 'This just -isn't- working!'
Suddenly, Yahiko felt something feather light touch his hand. He looked down to find Tsubame's fingers curling around his. Wow. She really -did- have soft skin, and so warm, too. He hadn't expected her touch to have any particular temperature, but it did!
"Yahiko," Tsubame whispered, "You can tell me whatever you want. You are my boyfriend, after all."
Yahiko's eyes grew wide. HE -WAS-? He was her boyfriend? Really? "I am?"
"I..." Tsubame blushed and looked down at her lap, "I hope so."
Wow. Elation flooded Yahiko's chest. He was her boyfriend. This was definitely, absolutely, and without a doubt the -best- day of Myojin Yahiko's life.
"Tsubame?"
"Yes?"
"You're the kindest, gentlest, prettiest girl I know. I'd be honored to be your boyfriend."
Right after he said it, Yahiko felt enormously relieved. That wasn't hard to say, at all. It was the truth. That's all you needed, really. Truth and the courage to say it.
Damn.
Saitou was right, after all.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Saitou Hajime slinked into the grove where, just a few minutes before, that runt and his girl had been having a picnic.
Well, the runt's intentions were honorable after all. Too bad. Saitou was hoping for more blackmail material. Not that he'd let that scrawny kid take advantage of an innocent girl. But, he just -might- let it go far enough to have something to hold over Yahiko's head later.
They'd run off, holding hands as they tromped through the flower infested fields. How...bucolic.
What a waste of time.
Then Saitou's gaze fell upon the item the pair had, in their obliviousness to anything but each other, left behind.
A blanket?
He bent down and inspected the soft fabric. "Hn. What's this?"
The name "Kamiya Kaoru" embroidered in black stitches on the lining?
Interesting.
Maybe it wouldn't be time wasted, after all.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I hope you'll tune in for the next chapter of Blanket Scenario! As the blanket passes into new hands, another adventure is uncovered....
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter 1:
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Since the dawn of fanfiction, the 'Blanket Scenario' has been popular. Two people. One cold night. One blanket to share. Ah, what strange and wonderful adventures a blanket might be able to divulge. Some funny, some tragic, some frightening. Stories of love and lust, of joy and sorrow. And tonight, gentle reader, if you will join us, we'll begin a peek into the lives and times of blankets. So, beware Meiji Era, beware Japan, beware hitokiris, ninjas, doctors, street fighters, and tanuki-girls, and Akebeko attendants. Beware friends and enemies, young and old.
Beware.
Your blanket witnesses all.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Kenshin?"
"Yes, Kaoru-dono?"
The once-feared hitokiri looked up from scrubbing the dojo floor. She hadn't asked him to do it, but it needed to be done anyway. He didn't mind. Too much dust or mud on the floor might cause someone to slip while practicing and hurt themselves. Then he'd blame himself forever for being too lazy to do the chore when Kaoru-dono did, after all, let him live here for free.
Kaoru-dono looked lovely today, didn't she? Was that hair bow new? It was a pink one. Really set off the rosy blush of her cheeks nicely. Showed off the brightness in her eyes, it did.
'Oro! Sessha is staring. Stop staring!' Kenshin looked back down at the floor, watching a blurry semi-reflection stare back with utter cluelessness.
"Kenshin? Why are you cleaning the floor? That's Yahiko's chore. How is he going to learn discipline if you do his chores for him?"
Kenshin shrugged sheepishly and replied, "Sessha hasn't seen Yahiko around since breakfast."
Exhaling a deep sigh, Kaoru grumbled something about Yahiko skipping training and how he was such an irresponsible pupil. Kenshin was pretty sure that Kaoru would go on to include a violent description of how, exactly, she was going to bludgeon Yahiko senseless when he came home, so he interrupted. "Did you want something of me, Kaoru-dono?"
Kaoru stopped mid-sentence, alarmed at how murderous she was sounding in front of Kenshin. "Oh. Oh...um..." Kaoru proceeded to smile in the hopes that Kenshin would forget that she was a dojo's mistress, and instead think of her as...well...as...
Sigh. Deep, longing, does-he-even-notice-my-existence sigh.
"Kenshin, I was trying to find all the things I promised to give Misao when she comes to visit next week, and I can't find that blanket she always admired. You know, the green one with the white flowers on it? Have you seen it while doing laundry?"
Kenshin had to admit that, in fact, he had not seen that particular blanket today.
"Hm. I wonder where it could have gotten to..." Kaoru murmured, tapping her finger on her lips.
"Sessha will go look for it, Kaoru-dono. It has to be around the dojo somewhere. Unless it was stolen." A twinge of worry crept into Kenshin's head. Blanket bandits. After those Feng Shui guys, it wasn't beyond the realm of possibility. What despicable lowlife would steal one of Kaoru's favorite blankets?
"Kenshin, um, don't you think they'd steal something more valuable? Like your sakabatou?"
The sakabatou! Kenshin put his hand to his hip. Where was the sakabatou?
"My..."
Kaoru pressed her fingers to her temples. Sometimes Kenshin should be so stupid.
"Kenshin, you took it off so you could clean the floor. See, it is leaning against the wall behind you."
Ah. Kenshin turned and smiled. His trusty sakabatou. Good thing it was still here. He might need it to fend off blanket thieves. It was his duty to protect Kaoru-dono in any way possible,
And besides, if all the blankets in the dojo disappeared, it would mean that Kaoru-dono would be chilly while she slept.
She'd shiver.
And he might...be tempted to...go and warm her...
Such forbidden temptation. Kaoru-dono sighing and clinging to him to gain body heat... Flesh against burning flesh...
Kenshin's eyes grew wide. What was he -thinking-? This was Kaoru-dono! Pure, innocent, wonderful Kaoru-dono! Kenshin jumped up and grabbed his sakabatou. He would never! He was unworthy!
"Sessha will find your blanket, Kaoru-dono! Don't you worry!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"I really think...um...you're nice, Tsubame, and I...want you to..."
Yahiko scowled and ground his toes into the dirt of the deserted alleyway. He'd been sitting on these steps for the past hour, going over and over what to say to Tsubame, and it -still- wasn't coming out right. She'd probably laugh at him. Well, not -laugh-, because Tsubame wasn't mean like that. No, she'd probably smile and say something like, 'Oh, that's so cute, Yahiko-chan, you're such a sweet -little- boy.'
"Crap," Yahiko muttered. He lifted the green blanket sitting atop the picnic basket he'd brought, and fished around inside for a snack. Maybe a little food would help jump start the romantic thought process. He munched on a rice ball while he watched people pass by on the street connected to the alley. Lots of couples. They looked happy. Surely there must be a -right- way to go about such things.
All he wanted to do, was to ask Tsubame to be his girlfriend.
If only he had someone at the dojo he could talk with about this. But, Kenshin was obviously utterly -hopeless-, since he couldn't even tell Kaoru he liked her. Kaoru was too ugly to ask. And Sano...
Geez, if he asked Sano... Well, Yahiko had no intention of getting slapped by Tsubame.
"Alright, Yahiko. Let's try again," the miniature samurai said to himself. "Tsubame. I like you and you should, no I mean, you could be my girl. If you wanted. I mean, if you'd like to..."
Argh!
"Tsubame, be my girl, or else!"
Grrr.
"Tsubame, I like you more than my shinai, and you smell better than the dojo!"
Damn. Damndamndamn!
"Tsubame, please..."
A shadow fell across Yahiko's face, causing his head to shoot up and his hand to fly to his back to grab his shinai. A bandit? A thug? The yakuza?
No. Far, far, far worse.
Saitou Hajime stood at the mouth of the alleyway, arms crossed, a cigarette between his fingers.
Oh, Kami-sama. Oh, CRAP! Today was -definitely-, absolutely, without a doubt the worst day of Yahiko's life.
"Yare, yare, the runt has a girl, does he?" Saitou said with a wicked smirk as he approached.
Yahiko removed his hand from his shinai. Yeah. Like trying to attack Saitou would do any good. "Why are you here, you twisted old cop?"
"I'm patrolling, moron." Leaning against the wall across from Yahiko, Saitou narrowed his eyes. "And it looks like I've found another loitering miscreant for my growing collection."
Yahiko's gaze wandered towards the nearby street as he instinctively planned an escape route. He -was- going to become the most skilled swordsman ever, of course. But, Myojin Yahiko wasn't stupid. No one could be a swordsman from jail. And he -definitely- wouldn't get the chance to become strong if he got skewered by Saitou's Gatotsu.
'Be calm,' Yahiko told himself, 'That's what Kenshin would do.'
"I'm just sitting here."
Saitou ashed his cigarette into the already dingy alley. "That would pretty much line up with the definition of 'loitering', wouldn't it?"
"But, I'm not doing anything wrong!"
The fingers of one gloved hand strummed against the thick fabric of Saitou's uniform sleeve. "You're about to do something -very- wrong, though."
"Huh?" Yahiko didn't like the tone of Saitou's voice. What the hell was the crazy cop trying to get at?
"Look runt, I'd hate to see any girl be put through the torture of what you're concocting. So, let me tell you what to do."
Yahiko leaned forward, his jaw dropping slightly. Saitou Hajime was...he was going to...give him advice on women? Well, he -was- supposedly married, after all. Maybe Saitou knew something useful about those sorts of things. "Uh...um...er...."
"Just tell her the truth."
"But, I..." The truth? The TRUTH? Of course he'd tell Tsubame the truth. It wasn't like he was going to -lie- to her. But, the words just wouldn't come out right.
Saitou turned towards the street and laid his hand on his katana. "And if you find you can't tell her the truth, just say 'You are the most beautiful creature I've ever laid eyes upon. Would you do me the utmost honor of being mine until the sun turns dark and the stars fade away?' That always works."
"It...does?"
"Of course it does, you ahou." Saitou looked over his shoulder with a wry smirk, "Tokio fell for it, and she's the most intelligent woman I know."
Yahiko leaned back against the wall as Saitou disappeared into the marketplace beyond the alley.
Saitou's wife fell for it.
Well.
Yeah.
Knowing him, Saitou probably had his katana pointed at her throat while he said it.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Yahiko-chan, this is just so lovely," Tsubame said softly as she picked a fresh strawberry out of the picnic basket. "And you even thought to bring a blanket to sit on. It's pretty. Is it yours?"
Yahiko watched as Tsubame caught the edge of the green blanket and rubbed it between her thumb and forefinger. Oh, to hold that cute little hand. Tsubame had such tiny fingers, soft fingers. Well, he imagined they would be soft, anyway.
"No. Um, Bu...Kaoru lent it to me." Crap. He was already starting off with a lie. Well, that lie didn't matter, did it? Alright, maybe he -did- go into Kaoru's room and steal it. There were white lilies painted on the edges, and Tsubame had said that she really adored lilies. He wanted to buy some for her a couple of times, but lilies were pretty expensive. Especially when Sanosuke kept borrowing whatever money Yahiko made by helping out at the Akebeko.
"The weather is so nice today, perfect. It was nice of Tae-san to give me the afternoon off."
"Yeah," Yahiko agreed, "You work too hard, I think."
"Oh, I...I don't mind the work." Tsubame smiled lightly as she nibbled at the strawberry. Yahiko looked away quickly, pretending to be interested in a nearby tree. Thinking about Tsubame's cute hands was one thing. But, thinking about her cute lips was downright ungentlemanly. "Anyway, ano...thank you for bringing me on your picnic, Yahiko."
"Yeah." What to say? What to say? Just tell the truth, that's what Saitou Hajime had said. Yahiko closed his eyes. He was strong. A samurai, even. If he could help defeat Shishio and Enishi's henchmen, he could definitely do this. Right?
RIGHT?
Yahiko wiped his sweaty palms on his pants and turned to look at Tsubame. She was -so- cute. And the nicest girl he knew. Tsubame would never hit anyone or call them runt or try to steal the last beef pot. She was simply...kind and gentle.
"Tsubame?"
Stopping mid-nibble, Tsubame looked up from her strawberry with the most winsome and genial smile Yahiko had ever seen. "Yes?"
"Will you..."
She tilted her head to the side and waited for Yahiko to continue.
"You're the most beautiful eyes my creature has ever laid upon."
Tsubame blinked. And then she blinked again.
"No! I mean..." Yahiko's fingernails pressed into the palm of his hand as his cheeks burned in embarrassment, "It would be my honor if you would fade away like the sun..."
Tsubame tilted her head to the other side as beads of sweat appeared on Yahiko's forehead.
'Damnit, Saitou Hajime. You...bastard...' Yahiko muttered internally. 'This just -isn't- working!'
Suddenly, Yahiko felt something feather light touch his hand. He looked down to find Tsubame's fingers curling around his. Wow. She really -did- have soft skin, and so warm, too. He hadn't expected her touch to have any particular temperature, but it did!
"Yahiko," Tsubame whispered, "You can tell me whatever you want. You are my boyfriend, after all."
Yahiko's eyes grew wide. HE -WAS-? He was her boyfriend? Really? "I am?"
"I..." Tsubame blushed and looked down at her lap, "I hope so."
Wow. Elation flooded Yahiko's chest. He was her boyfriend. This was definitely, absolutely, and without a doubt the -best- day of Myojin Yahiko's life.
"Tsubame?"
"Yes?"
"You're the kindest, gentlest, prettiest girl I know. I'd be honored to be your boyfriend."
Right after he said it, Yahiko felt enormously relieved. That wasn't hard to say, at all. It was the truth. That's all you needed, really. Truth and the courage to say it.
Damn.
Saitou was right, after all.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Saitou Hajime slinked into the grove where, just a few minutes before, that runt and his girl had been having a picnic.
Well, the runt's intentions were honorable after all. Too bad. Saitou was hoping for more blackmail material. Not that he'd let that scrawny kid take advantage of an innocent girl. But, he just -might- let it go far enough to have something to hold over Yahiko's head later.
They'd run off, holding hands as they tromped through the flower infested fields. How...bucolic.
What a waste of time.
Then Saitou's gaze fell upon the item the pair had, in their obliviousness to anything but each other, left behind.
A blanket?
He bent down and inspected the soft fabric. "Hn. What's this?"
The name "Kamiya Kaoru" embroidered in black stitches on the lining?
Interesting.
Maybe it wouldn't be time wasted, after all.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I hope you'll tune in for the next chapter of Blanket Scenario! As the blanket passes into new hands, another adventure is uncovered....