A disclaimer, in the tradition of fanfiction writers everywhere: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, the Nissan Jetta, the mangled Casablanca reference, Saturn cars, or any daiquiri mix. I am using them without permission.

Author:YetAnotherCatgirl
Word Count: 3,103
Notes: A valiant attempt at dialog without too many descriptions. I'm glad everyone likes the Easy Review Options- if you see them elsewhere, remember you saw them here first! (I could be the start of a review-whoring trend!)

Thanks given to Laegdin, SilentTearsofAgony, en route, clebbers, Mio and alexia, without which this chapter would be horrible. It still isn't my favorite- but it's not their fault.

Night Out Chapter 3: Saturday
OR "The events that followed could have been prevented…"

Kenshin politely held the car door open for her, forcing her to squeeze past him into the back seat. She took petty pleasure from not sliding over to the driver's side until he was halfway around the car, forcing him to circle back to the passenger side. For a second, she considered sliding over once again, but decided against too much overt rudeness with Megumi in the car.

She set up her messenger bag in the middle as a barrier.

"So Misao's not coming?" Sano asked, after Megumi had eased the Jetta from its tight parking spot.

"No." Megumi looked resigned. "I think she's found another. Let's hope this one doesn't blow up the way the last one did."

There was a moment of silence for all the failed relationships in Misao's past, until Kenshin broke it. "So this happens often?"

"Oh, no. Well, yes." Megumi explained.

Kenshin looked puzzled. Kaoru shook her head. "It's never Misao's fault- she throws herself completely into every relationship."

"She's got the worst luck in men." Megumi added.

"No, I think it's a problem of taste."

"Well," Megumi said with a foxy smile, "if we're discussing people's taste in men…"

"Shut up. I don't comment on your taste in music."

Megumi had tuned in to the public radio station, which was playing something by Bach or Beethoven. "You just aren't old enough to appreciate it."

"So Kenshin, where do you live?" Sano asked, as Megumi negotiated a tricky bit of passing.

"On the corner of 36th and 48th. I'm across the street from the school, once we get closer."

Kaoru stiffened. Megumi smirked. "Don't worry, I know just how to get there. So we're going to drop Kaoru off first, is that ok?"

"No," Kaoru protested, "I'm sure Kenshin wants to get home to rest from his work day as quickly as possible. You can drop him off first. I'm fine."

"No, I don't mind at all." Kenshin said.

"I really couldn't keep you." Kaoru demurred.

"Honestly, it's no problem. I could be riding as a third wheel with Aoshi."

"Besides," Megumi interrupted, "it's on the way. You wouldn't want to make me pull a u-turn, would you Kaoru dahling?"

"I have faith in your u-turn capabilities, if you're such a good parker."

"'Methinks the lady doth protest too much," Sano said. "You never appreciated the foxy parking jobs before."

"Foxy parking jobs?" Megumi was amused. "Well, that's a new way to think about it."

"You're a total fox, foxy lady." Sano said, loyally. And at the next stoplight, they exchanged another kiss.

Kenshin blushed and looked away, while Kaoru just glared. "Green light." She said, when the light changed. They didn't notice. "Hey, lovebirds, green light!"

Megumi zoomed across the intersection as the cars behind her honked angrily. Only two of them managed to make it across before the light changed.

"I thought you were a good driver." Kaoru said accusingly. "If Misao were here, she'd never let you hear the last of it." She looked at Kenshin. "Bet you wish you were with Misao and Aoshi now, even as a third wheel."

The conversation turned to other, more pleasant things, like the rainy weather, the benefits of leather upholstery (Sano was planning on buying a car, hopefully before the wedding), and the likelihood of Katsu buying another building.

When Megumi pulled up at the corner in front of Kaoru's blue house, the wingman leaned across the back seat towards her. He had that smile on again, and his eyes sparkled. "I hear the word of the day is legs."

She pulled her bag out of the car, ignoring him. "What say you come kitty corner to my place, and we can spread the word?"

Slam.

After shutting the car door in his face, Kaoru rushed through the mist into her house. It was dark inside, since her housemate was at work. Hurrying to the window, she peered carefully through the blinds.

The black Jetta was idling across the road, and the wingman was walking up the front walk of the corner house. It figured, she thought. It had always been a tacky house.

"'Spread the word, hmph. Why," she asked herself, "out of all people in all the bars of the world that could have hit on me, did it have to be the one that lives next door?" Resolving not to think about it any further, she locked the front door and headed for bed.

The next day was Saturday. Kaoruwoke up late and decided to cut down on the dishwashing by having cereal. She poured herself a large bowl with the last of the milk, rinsed the empty carton, and put the cereal back into the cupboard--all she had to actually wash was a bowl and spoon.

She took a moment to check the weather (warm and sunny) before conveying her cereal to the couch. While something cheaply animated played on the TV, she turned to her first order of business: creating a to-do list for the day.

Kaoru was a very organized person. She had a place for everything, unlike Misao, who was incurably messy, or Megumi, who was tidy only in public areas. Sano, back at the beginning of their relationship, had been surprised to find Megumi's bedroom to be a disaster area. "I was worried I was dating Martha Stewart," he told her. "But I think we'll get along fine." (That was also the spark for one of their first arguments, one which escalated to both of them yelling at each other from across Megumi's bedroom.)

The only place where Kaoru's organizational skills failed her was in cooking.

After a few minutes of thought, her list was complete. Buy milk. Check cupboards. Leave Misao a message. Call Megumi. Finish galley proofs. Yahiko coming? Then she revised it in order of the things she was actually willing to do, which left 'Message Misao. Call Megumi.'

With that plan of action in mind, she dialed Misao's number. When Misao got a ride home with someone else, it meant that she didn't get home until the afternoon. Since Kaoru hadn't gotten a call for a ride home, it meant that her date had been a success.

To her surprise, Misao picked up the phone on the first ring.

"Yo, Kaoru. I didn't sleep with him." She said, before Kaoru could even say hello. Caller ID was so handy sometimes.

"And?" Kaoru pressed. There was an awkward silence. "That came out wrong. You usually go for it."

"Well…" Misao giggled nervously. "I…"

"Let me guess- he didn't want you." Maybe the redhead was right about the wingman thing.

"No, he's totally into me. I expected him to drive me to his apartment. Or then, to my apartment. But we made plans for next weekend, and I got a goodnight kiss."

"Well, that's different."

"No kidding. Kaoru, I think this guy is different."

At Kaoru's skeptical silence, she pressed on. "We're going out together next Saturday. He has to work the rest of this weekend."

"Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"You never do anything anymore!"

"Exactly, I—" She was cut off by Misao's sudden panic.

"That means I only have a week to find the right dress! What are you doing tomorrow?"

"Nothing in particular."

"Then you and Megumi are going shopping with me."

"But—"

"I don't want your opinion. If you don't like it and Megumi does, I know it's the right one."

"Hmph."

"And maybe we can get you something, too. Strappy shoes…" She overrode Kaoru's objections. "I know you can walk in them, because I've seen you at it."

"Mou."

"And don't pout at me. Speaking of pouting, Megumi wants you to call her. I'll let you go so you can go do that now."

Kaoru looked blankly at the handset. Someday she was going to stop letting them bulldoze right over her. Still, it was nice to have friends.

She took another few bites of cereal, and dialed Megumi.

Megumi never picked up the phone until the third ring. "Hello?"

"Megumi?"

"Kaoru! You are coming this afternoon, right?"

"To what?"

"What we planned last night. With Kenshin."

"Oh, I can't. My car's been doing funny things; I planned to take it in this afternoon." Kaoru ate a large spoonful of cereal in an attempt to cover the half-truth.

"Really." Megumi sounded skeptical; apparently the cereal trick hadn't worked. "Well then, Kenshin can give you a ride."

"Ah… I guess it's not that serious."

"I thought not. I'll expect you here at 2:00." Megumi waited for Kaoru to get her grumbles out of the way. "Why don't you like Kenshin?"

"Besides the obvious?"

"What's all this about obvious? He's 'totally hot and totally into you,' as weasel-girl would say."

"He had long hair too."

"That's a shallow reason to turn Kenshin off."

"He was trying too hard."

"Kaoru…" Megumi's voice sounded a little exasperated.

"I'll be polite." Kaoru conceded. "But any more of that 'word of the day' stuff, and I'm out."

"But I thought you liked bad pickup lines!"

"Good bad pickup lines."

"You do like him." Megumi sounded very certain.

"I don't." Kaoru insisted. "He's like… scenery."

"Sano's right- you haven't been this active for months!"

"Megumi…"

"What would you have done if he'd pressed your other buttons? 'If you were a phaser, you'd be set on stunning'? Or the one about 'adding you and me, and multiplying'?"

"It's 'add a bed, subtract our clothes, divide your legs, and multiply'. I hate that one."

"All right, all right... you are coming shopping on Sunday, yes?" At Kaoru's silence, Megumi continued. "My apologies for interrupting your sulking time- you can sulk after the weekend, I promise."

"I'm not sulking!"

"You are."

"Am not." After a few more exchanges, they dropped the subject of Kaoru for a while and dissected Misao's new boyfriend.

"He seems so frigid. And he looks like a vampire."

"You're determined not to like anyone. I thought he looked fine. And by 'fine', I mean both 'fine' and 'fiiine'." Kaoru could almost see Megumi's suggestive smirk.

"Don't encourage her."

"She hasn't told me anything. Usually she wants to make sure I know all the little details."

"Maybe she doesn't want you prying into her life."

"It's usually me that pulls out the snark in our trio."

"Your engagement has made you weak." Kaoru retorted. "How the mighty have fallen."

"I haven't fallen. Obviously, you are just trying to usurp my position."

"Hmph. I'll see you this afternoon."

"All right. See you." Kaoru took small pleasure in being the first one to hang up.

She finished her cereal, which had gone soggy, and brought the remains and her to-do list into the kitchen. Because her range of dishes was limited, there wasn't much to shop for. In cases of "people bringing leftovers to others", it was usually she who benefited, rather than Sano. Kaoru knew she was a hopeless cook, and wasn't afraid to admit it.

Kaoru heard a door squeak open from the bedroom area and started the electric kettle. Sylvia was up, and she would want coffee.

"I'm going shopping, do you want anything?" she asked, as Sylvia staggered in.

"Coffee."

"I've started the kettle now."

Her housemate woke up suddenly. "Did you put more water in before you started it?"

"Uh…"

"Out!" Kaoru was pushed out of the way. "I'll make my own."

"Mou." She heard water running, and retreated to her room. Sylvia was overreacting, as usual. The curtains only caught fire once, and that was months ago.

After a quick shower, she plotted out the rest of her itinerary. Work until 1:30, Megumi's, grocery shopping. She set an alarm for 1:30, and bucked herself down to the proofs.

When 1:30 arrived, she was out the door and into her old Saturn. She pulled up in front of the row house 12 minutes later, and managed to find a parking spot less than a block away. As she walked up the steps, she heard a burst of laughter and the door opened before she reached it. "Come in!"

The wingman opening the door wasn't startling- she was half-expecting it. The surprise was the effect of all that red hair in natural daylight. It was beautiful. Then she realized she was staring. She pushed past him into the entry, leaving him to shut the door after her. He dyes it every three weeks, she reminded herself.

Megumi and Sano were on the couch. "Beer?" The latter asked.

At Kaoru's pitiful look, Megumi rolled her eyes. "I have daiquiri mix--just don't set my kitchen on fire."

"That was a long time ago!" They'd never let her forget those curtains.

Kenshin trailed her into the kitchen. "Sano said it was on the top shelf."

"I know." Then, remembering Megumi's request, she added, "thank-you."

She retrieved the mix, handed it to Kenshin, and took a seat at the table while he mixed and blended.

"Virgin?" he asked.

"What?" The tone of her voice must have indicated the embarrassment, because he blushed too.

"I meant, do you want your daiquiri with alcohol or not?"

"Oh. I knew that." She waited for her blush to cool down. "None, please. It's too early for alcohol."

"Right." She expected him to turn it into a flirt, but he just poured her a glass. "Go ahead."

"Thanks." She took a sip.

"How is it?"

"Fine."

He carried the blender pitcher and several more glasses back into the living room, where Sano and Megumi were having an argument over the remote.

"We can't just sit here and watch football! We have guests!" Megumi was expounding.

"Ah, you're just saying that because you don't like it. But… Hey, Kenshin!"

"Yes?" The wingman was setting the blender jar on a coaster, three glasses arranged beside it in a neat triangle.

"How do you feel about soccer?"

"I like soccer."

Kenshin settled himself in an armchair by the window, so Kaoru took one as far away from him as possible. Sano flipped the channel to ESPN, and they watched soccer for a while.

With the TV as an icebreaker, conversation flowed easily. Kenshin was intelligent, or at least a news-reader. He had a nice laugh. He was dependable, since he had worked for Katsu since the Black Lagoon opened. He was hot—

Realizing that she was listing his good points, Kaoru quickly switched to enumerating the things wrong with him. He was too confident—someone should take him down a peg or two. Sano was enthralled by Kenshin telling how he broke up a 6-person fight by himself. Kaoru disapproved like brawling in bars. She liked her fights in the open, on mats. He had a nice smile—but he used it to approach random women in bars. Kenshin, she decided, was a player. It took a lot of research and development to look both harmless and dateable. He had also been a player.

But Megumi was giving her a significant look. She must have missed something. "What?"

"I said, 'I have some stuff from Katsu for Sano. You ladies are welcome to stay if you like'," Kenshin said, flashing his smile.

"And I said, 'It's fine, we'll just wash the blender'." Megumi gave her another significant look before taking the blender and empty glasses into the kitchen. Kaoru followed.

Once they were out of view, Megumi turned to her. "Well?"

Kaoru blinked. "Well what?"

"I noticed you noticing Kenshin." Megumi set the jar and glasses into her sink.

"So he's nice to look at." Kaoru plopped herself into a kitchen chair. "What's the deal?"

"Thinking any differently?"

"I don't want any men in my life right now. It's just because he's nice to look at."

Megumi unscrewed the blades from the jar, and was wiping at them with a foamy sponge. "You seem pretty melancholy from where I'm standing. All you do now is work."

"I like my job. I go out with you and Misao, that's not work."

"You only go because we bribe you. Left to yourself—"

"Left to myself I'm fine! Kenshin's like window shopping. Nice, but he doesn't match my sofa."

"They're not all like him." Megumi reached for a dishtowel.

Kaoru handed her one, then dropped her hands into her lap. "I know that, fox. Just leave it." She checked her watch. "Oh- I need to go shopping before the dinner rush hits."

Megumi accepted the topic change. "Out of food again?"

"Kinda."

"Only 'kinda'?" Megumi put the now dry blender assembly onto the top shelf, and began to wipe the counter down with the dishtowel.

"We're just out of milk, and Sylvia wanted some things."

"Riiight."

When Megumi finished, they made their way into the living room. Sano and Kenshin were discussing something about floor plans. "Misao and I will pick you up tomorrow morning."

"When?"

"Say… 10:00? Then we'll get to the mall by when things are open."

Goodbyes were said, and Kaoru grabbed her purse. Somehow, Kaoru found herself being walked to the car by the redhead.

Kenshin came straight to the point. "Sano told me you like pickup lines."

They had arrived at her car, and Kaoru was rummaging through her purse for her keys. "Did he?" She asked, not liking the direction the conversation was headed.

"So I was wondering…" Kaoru rummaged faster. She didn't like the sound of this at all.

"…if you wanted to do some math."

The events that followed could have been prevented. It was true that that particular line had a tragic history. He had used that line, back in the day. At that time, she had thought it was cute, a clever use of mathematical operators with a proposition on top. Now, though, it was a painful reminder of things better left buried.

So when she whirled around and stalked towards him, she should not have been breathing as hard as she was. And the hissing of "You're all the same, aren't you? Can't take no for an answer, can you?" had been overly harsh, as had shouting "I'm not interested in you! Go away!"

When he took a step forward to say something, shoving him into a fence had also been excessive.

She had vague residual memory of him trying to say something more as she drove away, and she probably should have listened.

Yes. She had overreacted, she could see that now. But on the plus side…

"I bet he's given up, huh?" she told the grocery store parking lot.

And she wasn't sorry about that part of it at all.

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