Part III - Young, Dumb and Ugly

From the clinic, Sanosuke went directly back to the dojo. He didn't tell them what he'd witnessed right away. Yahiko had taken one look at his friend's face and launched into a grin. He couldn't resist teasing the tall man mercilessly. "Did you see how she treated him? Worse even than you!"

"Shut up, brat." The ex-gangster didn't even raise his voice. "I never had a chance to begin with. She's way too good for me. She deserves someone like him." He kicked aimlessly at an innocent pebble.

Yahiko shook his head, sensing that Sanosuke was upset. "I wouldn't bet on it. The problem is you both want the same things from a woman."

"Huh?"

"You want a female Kenshin."

Sano gave him the blankest stare imaginable.

Sighing again, the younger man sat down. "I'm not saying either one of you... you know… that Kenshin is... I mean you want someone willing to do what she's told, when she's told. You want someone to support you on what she makes, as well as cook and clean for you and cater to you and all that. Kinda like the ugly toad wants from Kenshin."

Floored, Sanosuke stared at his young friend. "But Kenshin isn't..."

Yahiko shook his head in disgust. "Oh please. Like he doesn't jump up running every time she blinks at him. It's gross! He has a son to raise, and if he's not careful, that kid is going to be a pushover too!" He seemed personally affronted by the very notion.

"But you like it when Tsubame does the same for you," Sano pointed out.

"That's different." Yahiko shrugged. "That's the way she is. The ugly toad ain't like that at all. Neither's Megumisan. She's very independent and would never stand to be someone's doormat. Someone like her needs a partner, not a master. She'd need to be the one in charge more often than not."

The more Yahiko said, the more impressed Sanosuke was. "You know a lot about it, especially for a kid." Admiration and envy mixed in his voice. "I just don't get women. Why can't they all be alike?"

Yahiko snorted. "It'd get boring fast. And I'm not a kid. I'll be fifteen soon."

The other man had to nod. "You've grown up a lot, kid. You're not such a brat anymore." He shot a sideways glance at Yahiko, who hardly seemed to notice. "Sometimes."

Yahiko ignored the addition. "How DO you think he does it? Kenshin, I mean."

Sanosuke shrugged. "Why not ask him?" Standing, he turned to face the dojo. "Oiy, Kenshin!"

A moment later, Kaoru emerged, Kenji in her arms. She was dressed for teaching. "Kenshin's making lunch. What do you want?"

"Nothin'. Wanted to ask him something." Sano shrugged again. Kaoru eyed him. "Guy stuff."

"Hm. So," she said, looking away from them. "What do you think of Hikosan and his... proposal?"

"He's gotta be nuts, tellin' the Kitsune he's 'decided' she'll be his wife. Is he that dumb?" Sanosuke wondered aloud.

Kaoru shook her head. "Can you blame him, really? You never met him before yesterday, so you wouldn't know, but he's actually very perceptive. Noble, too. You should have seen him back in Kyoto, at the Aoiya, the way he spoke to Fuji and talked him into a true fight, talked to him man to man and warrior to warrior." Her eyes sparkled with delight. "Really, he was amazing!"

"If you're so impressed with him, why don't you marry him?" Sanosuke grumbled.

"He didn't ask me," she said primly. "Besides, I am a happily married woman." Kenji giggled as though in agreement.

"Well, if you weren't and he had?" Sano stared at her intently. "Would you?"

Kaoru blushed. "The thing that bothers me about him is he's so much older than I."

"Which one?" Yahiko smirked.

Kaoru glared. "Hiko of course!"

"He's not that much older than Kenshin. Especially next to you."

For a moment, she looked like she was ready to blow off at them both, but something made her change her mind. "You're right. Kenshin is a lot older than I am. He just doesn't SEEM older, and he certainly doesn't look it. Hikosan... Does. I don't know. But so does Megumisan, sometimes at least." She sighed. "But I can't disagree that he went about it the wrong way. Does he really have no skill with women? Look at him! And Kenshin's so different from him. Does he really think Kenshin can teach him about women?" Kaoru looked completely incredulous. "I mean, it's not like we're that complicated."

Sano snorted derisively. "You're not? Then explain what happened earlier." He didn't look happy. Clearly he resented Hiko's decision almost as much as Megumi did.

"That's easy. For one thing, women in general don't like decisions being made for them. No matter how good looking he is," she said distractedly. "Megumisan less than most, with her history especially. And when a perfect stranger suddenly walks in out of nowhere and says he intends to marry you..." She shook her head. "It's not the kind of thing a woman appreciates. Now, slow romance and compliments are more likely to win a woman's heart than barging in and demanding things from her."

"Maybe you should be telling Hikosan that," Yahiko said.

~Maybe I should be taking notes,~ Sanosuke thought.

"But he came to ask Kenshin's advice."

"I'd love to hear what Kenshin's got to say on the subject," Sano grinned. "Did you see the look on his face?"

"Did YOU see the look on HERS?" Yahiko chortled, pointing to Kaoru. "When he said that about how old Megumisan is, I thought she was gonna choke!"

Now, however, she merely gave her pupil a dirty look. "I'd love to hear it myself," she muttered. "The nerve of that over-muscled old man!"

"Suddenly he's not so good looking anymore, is he?" Yahiko smirked.

Sanosuke looked thoughtful. "He's never met the Kitsune before. Why on earth does he wanna marry her anyway?"

"Why don't you fight him for her, Sano? Defend your woman!" Yahiko's smirk grew bigger yet until a fist crashed down heavily atop his head. "OIY! What was that for, ya big jerk?"

"I'd tell you to shut up, but it doesn't seem to be physically possible," he growled.

Kaoru shook her head. "I'd just love to know what's going through that big lug's head." Biting her lip, she looked unhappily toward the door of the kitchen, where Kenshin cooked. He hadn't said a word about his discussion with the man he called Shishou.

"Anyway, I'm off to the other dojo now. I want a full report," Kaoru said, glaring at them both meaningfully.

"Sure," Sano said without enthusiasm. He lapsed into a long silence, until Kaoru was well out of sight. "The old man should give up."

"You're just cranky because he beat you to it," Yahiko smirked at Sanosuke. When the tall young man didn't even respond, Yahiko got serious. "Wow, you really are upset about this, aren't you."

Kicking at a pebble in the road, Sano said nothing.

"I get the feeling you're gonna go off again, aren't you," Yahiko said slowly, staring at his friend.

"What?" Sano returned the stare in kind, completely shocked. ~How does the kid know?~

"Well, you've been talking about getting a job but you haven't found one yet. And Megumisan is going back to her clinic soon. When she goes," Yahiko smirked suddenly, "you have one less reason to stay. I'd bet you're gonna follow her to Aizu this time, aren't you!"

Instead of inflicting violence on the boy, Sano went back to kicking at pebbles. Yahiko started to worry. "You know, you really shouldn't let the situation get to you. You know Megumisan isn't going to marry Hikosan, not any more than she'd marry Aoshi." The smirk had sneaked back.

Unable to help himself, Sanosuke snorted derisively. "Like I care who the Kitsune marries."

"Uh huh."

"Why would I?"

"Cuz you're in LOOOOOOVE!" Yahiko grinned and took off running, but Sanosuke was faster. He gave Yahiko a flying start to somewhere in the distance, then resumed pebble abuse.

~Dammit, the kid's right. The damn Kitsune really IS a fox. Somehow, she's put up with me all this time. Sometimes I think she cares, and then sometimes… I wonder if my old man would have some ideas. Then again, maybe not…~ His thoughts wandered for a while, contemplating the little sister he'd left behind, his father, his little brother who was now a student at Kaoru's dojo… It was all Megumi's fault anyway, all these thoughts of family. Kenshin and the others were all the family he needed!

But what if… Just maybe, what if Megumi did decide to hear Hiko out? She had allowed herself to be railroaded into that date, after all...