A/n: Yeah, yeah, I know my chapters are short. At least I'm getting them up fast, tho. So, yeah. Anyways, I only own the fluff-balls in my head and now I own MULAN!! Yes! I love that movie. . . anyways. . . On with the story.

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Kenshin woke up later in the morning than was characteristically him. Sano and Yahiko were still asleep, lying sprawled on floor by the window. The blankets between the two beds, where Kaoru had slept, were folded and her pillow was set neatly on top of them. He absently grazed his fingers over the pillow while he wondered where the girls had gone. He didn't have to wonder, though, as he discovered a note on the night stand. It basically said they'd gone to get their hair done, and that he should do the same. There was some money and an address. It also said to meet them at the large park around lunch time. Kenshin sat up and looked in the mirror. . . he refused to do anything with his hair.

Presently, Yahiko violently rolled over and punched Sano in the stomach. Sano violently rolled over and punched back. Yahiko screamed and began pulling at Sano's hair. Kenshin smiled. . . it was going to be a long and interesting day.

He looked at the pile of clothes on the dresser that were his, and picked up the ones Sano instructed him would look good together before heading to the bathroom to figure out this whole *looking cool* thing. Well, that's what Sano called it, anyway.

Three hours later, after arguing with Sano and Yahiko about his hair and carrying his sakaba around, all three guys walked into the park. Kenshin felt ridiculous. They'd allowed him to keep his hair long, but they'd decided ((forcefully)) against the sakaba. He was wearing khaki pants sort of like the ones Sano had been wearing the day before, with a white tank top and a blue button shirt that he left open at Sano's instruction. At least with the sunglasses pushed back on top of his head, he didn't feel so out of place.

It was just as he was thinking about how dumb the whole idea of fitting in was, that he saw Kaoru. She was sitting on the side of the most beautiful fountain in the middle of the park, with her feet resting on the back of a bench that Megumi was seated on. Kenshin almost fell over backward at the sight of her. Her bangs were softly curled, and less chaotic than he was used to. Her hair was up, but in a clip that made her hair seem like there was more of it, the ends all curled. She was wearing make-up. Not much, but enough that Kenshin could tell there was something different.

The boys walked over and joined Megumi on the bench, who looked completely accustomed to this whole modern idea. She totally looked and acted the part. She looked so casual, sitting with the book on her lap, whereas Kaoru looked fidgety.

Kaoru blushed as Kenshin sat by her feet, feeling very vulnerable indeed.

"Kaoru-dono?" he asked, worried that she wasn't feeling well.

"I just. . . I feel so bare. . ." she admitted feebly. He could kind of understand why. She was wearing a red plaid skirt, the hem of which hit barely above the knee. She also wore a thickly-strapped black tank top, socks that went almost up to her knees, and shoes that had platforms. Kenshin suspected he would not like to walk in shoes like those.

The outfit was also a good deal tighter than she was used to, and she bent her head in an effort to cover the blush on her face with her book. Megumi and the other two were already arguing about what they should do from here. Kenshin looked up into her face and held her eyes.

"Sessha thinks you look very pretty, Kaoru-dono," he said softly, and her blush only deepened. She smiled a little and hopped down from the fountain, feeling very young indeed under his gaze. Very young, but very pretty as well. She was about to open her mouth to say that she thought he looked. .. Well, she hadn't figured out the word yet. Seeing as how 'sexy' wasn't a word she was used to. But she was interrupted by Megumi standing up intimidating-ly (although she was still much shorter than Sano) and stomping her foot.

"Fine, then! We'll just spend the afternoon doing absolutely nothing!" She looked indignant and handed some money to Sano and Yahiko who ran off almost immediately. She took a tiny portion of the money herself, and said she was going to get a good book and a manicure, and handed the rest over to Kenshin who looked shyly at Kaoru, who blushed.

He smiled. "Let's see what they do for fun, here. What do you think, Kaoru-dono?"

She smiled back, "Okay."

*****

Later that evening, around eight or nine o'clock, Kenshin and Kaoru found their way back to the hotel. But only after they had eaten the most interesting thing they'd ever tasted, it was referred to as "fast food". They had also gone to an arcade and played video games. Although it had taken them about a half hour to learn how to start the game, and then another half hour to learn to properly play. But it was so addictive, although it was just a tiny click of a button. They also wandered around the park, talking, and eating various types of silly-looking snacks. Just after dinner, it had begun to rain. Again. The rain seemed to follow wherever they were, whichever world. But at least they had gotten their walk finished, and dinner outside as well.

They were both soaking wet as they stepped into the hotel room. Kaoru headed straight for the bath, and Kenshin thought it would be safe to change into his pajamas. Well, they were the closest thing he had to his regular clothes, although they were a little odd. As he put his shirt on, he saw a note on the table under where his shirt had been.

"Kaoru-dono!" he yelled just loud enough for her to hear. She poked her head out of the bathroom, and he saw that she had finally figured out how to get the mascara off of her cheeks. He almost forgot the point of calling her out. He coughed.

"Err. . . I just found this note. . . I don't know who it's from, but it says that Megumi, Sano, and Yahiko have been. Well, kid-napped. But we can't do anything till tomorrow afternoon." His expression was dark, and she thought she may have suspected a glint of amber color in his eyes. There was somewhat of an uncomfortable pause, Kaoru felt too hopeless to speak.

"And what will we be able to do tomorrow afternoon?" she asked quietly.

"Whoever it is, they'll meet me outside the city. According to the note, they're the reason we're here. I am ready to fight, Kaoru-dono." He was apparently trying to reassure her, but it didn't seem to be working so well. The rain outside made it even more tense and saddening and dark than it normally would have been.

He saw her eyes fill with tears. "Okay," she said shakily and closed the bathroom door. She immediately turned the shower on, but it didn't cover the sound of her sobs. He hated to think that she was closing him out, but he couldn't help feeling that the distance between them was more than just the bathroom door.