Disclaimer: *Puts fingers in ears* LALALALALALALA!
Notes: Hi all! Here I am again, rushing to post another chapter before the school week takes away all my free time. *mutters about crazy math teachers and stupid test questions.* So he only mentioned at least two illegal acts in one math problem! Take a job from a drug dealer, move to Mexico, and shave money from his account. What kind of test problem is that?! I was trying not to laugh all through my test.
Warnings: Random guest appearances from other anime series. Whenever this happens, there will be a note that coincides with the notes at the end of the story for those of you who do not know the references. Um… shonen ai mentions. Extensive details on prom dresses (I worked in a social dress department for a year. Give me a break). Misao in spike heels... and holding a stickpin.
Special thanks to nemo for providing me with some information on what prom night can be like. Yay to nemo!
Life's a Dance
Aoshi, Misao, Kaoru, Okita, and Sano looked up in surprise at Kenshin's late arrival to the lunch table. Tossing down his bag, he took his chair between Sano and Okita. He spotted the spring jacket hanging on the back of Okita's chair and quickly snatched it up, throwing it over his head and slouching down over the table. The others were looking at him in amusement and confusion, wondering what had prompted this odd behavior.
"Uh... Kenshin?" Sano reached over the boy and lifted a corner of the jacket, peering at Kenshin with a quirky grin. "What's up?"
"Almost every girl and a great deal of guys in our senior class--some even in the junior and sophomore classes!" Kenshin replied sharply. "They won't go away!"
"What are you talking about?" Kaoru asked, her stifled giggle earning her a sharp jab in her side from Misao.
"Don't these people have anyone else to ask to prom?" Kenshin groaned. "I didn't even know half the people who came up to me!"
"Who all asked you?" Aoshi wondered casually.
"Shuura, Yumi, Kamatari again, some girl named Miaka, Yumi, Amelia, Lina, uh... Keiko? Nuriko--who I swear is a guy--and did I mention Yumi?" Kenshin cut off, panting a bit as he calmed himself.(1)
"You said Yumi three times," Kaoru murmured.
"She asked me four times!" there was the muffled sound of Kenshin's forehead hitting the tabletop. "I avoided her for months after she and Shishio harassed me in the hall, and suddenly she goes out of her way, corners me, just to ask me to prom?! I thought she was going assault me the first time she asked. She practically shoved me into the locker just to ask me to go to prom! And whatever happened to Shishio? Aren't those two dating?"
"Calm down, Kenshin," Sano patted his back... well, what he thought was Kenshin's back. With that jacket covering everything from his head to his waist, it was difficult to tell. "There are a lot of guys who would love to be in your shoes."
"They can have it!" Kenshin groaned. "If one more person asks me to go to prom with them today, I'm going to scream."
"Hey, Kenshin, you want to go--"
"Don't even start with me," he sighed and lifted his head enough to prop his chin in his hands. He looked utterly ridiculous with the jacket draped over him. "Tae even asked me again."
"What are you going to do?" Kaoru asked, a silly grin on her face.
"I'm thinking about saying yes to someone, just so no one else asks me," he grumbled. "Or maybe I should just paste a neon sign to my forehead saying: Not interested."
"Maybe you should go with Tae," Kaoru suggested, glancing to Misao. "She's a nice girl."
"Yeah!" Misao grinned and winked lightly at Kenshin. "Everyone else is going. It wouldn't be the same if you didn't come, Kenshin."
"And what about Okita?" Kenshin retorted. "He's not going."
"That's because Okita is a loser who won't even humor his friends by showing up to his senior prom," Sano said with a mock glare toward Okita, who just smiled cheekily in return. Okita's smile turned guarded as his eyes focused on something just past Sano. A pretty girl with thick, blond hair that fell to past her waist walked up to the table. She smiled brightly at the students at the table and stopped, standing between Sano and Kenshin, the latter of whom was still hiding.
"Is Kenshin here?" the girl asked boldly.
Kenshin moaned softly and answered a quiet, "No."
Everyone else nodded and pointed at the boy beneath the jacket. The girl grinned and grabbed the jacket, lifting it up completely so that she could see under it. Kenshin blinked and looked at her warily.
"Hi," she greeted cheerfully.
"Uh... hi," he replied uncertainly, obviously trying to place the girl in his memory and failing.
"I'm Minako," the girl announced(2). "Would you like to go to prom with me?"
Kenshin was well aware of the expecting stares of the students at the table, waiting to hear his response. He stared at the new girl, still unable to recognize her. Then, he calmly took the jacket back from her and bunched it up over his face. A second later, the others could hear his muffled screaming. They looked at Minako, who had an expression of confusion, surprise, and amusement on her pretty face.
Aoshi looked up, a slight smirk on his face.
"That would be a no."
^_^
Kenshin stared at his reflection in the mirror that hung on the door of his room, his head tilted doubtfully. He briefly focused on the large figure that appeared in the mirror just behind him before a hand came to rest on his shoulder. It was Hiko, of course, the man being the only person who was so tall that his reflection in this particular mirror gave the impression that he had been cut off just above the shoulders.
"You look good, kid," Hiko informed him. "Who would have thought you could pull off a tux?"
"Tailored to fit," Kenshin murmured self-consciously, tugging at the sleeves of the jacket--still a little too long. He did look pretty good, he had to admit. He glanced to the side, and Kaoru grinned at him from her perch on his bed. She had agreed to help him figure out how to deal with his hair. She had worked for a good twenty-five minutes, working his long hair into a French braid. The hair laid flat against his skull, giving the illusion of short hair, although most of his bangs still fell forward into his face.
"Short hair or long, you're still handsome," Kaoru complimented, hopping off the bed. Her hair was professionally styled, large curls piled atop her head, spirals of hair framing her face. Little red flowers were scattered about in that mess of curls, bold against her black locks. Kenshin blushed to nearly that shade of red when she kissed his cheek and smiled. "My dress awaits me. You and Hiko can have your man-to-man talk while I change and put on some make-up."
Kenshin watched her leave the room, unbuttoning her shirt as she went, then turned his head to look at Hiko skeptically.
"Man-to-man talk, hmm?" Hiko stated what Kenshin was thinking, a sarcastic grin on his face. "I don't think I have to lecture you, kid. It's prom night. You've heard the stories. No drinking, no vandalism, don't stay out past one without calling me, no sex--"
"Hiko!"
"Don't give me that look," Hiko smirked. "I was young once, you know. I went to my senior prom. I know what goes through the minds of young men."
Mortified, Kenshin just shook his head and looked down at his feet.
"Not my mind," he grumbled.
"Then the minds of boys like Sanosuke, Okita, and that Kamatari boy," Hiko shrugged.
"Kamatari?!"
"He's had his eye on you--"
"HIKO!" Kenshin glared at the immense man, his face bright red with embarrassment. "Okita's not going to prom, and Sano is going with his cousin. And I don't think Kamatari is going either! It'll be fine!"
"Just making certain we're on the same page," Hiko chuckled.
"Same paragraph, same sentence!"
"Yet I've already finished the sentence while you're still on the first two words."
"Who's the adult of this conversation?" Kenshin scowled, turning to leave the room. Hiko caught his arm, stopping his retreat, and he looked up into that chiseled face, confused by the almost gentle expression he saw there.
"Have a good time, kid."
Kenshin smiled and impulsively wrapped his arms around Hiko's chest, hugging him tightly. His guardian stiffened, then scowled, opening his mouth to protest. But Kenshin had pulled away and was out in the hall before he could say anything.
"Kaoru!" Kenshin called as he walked toward the kitchen, "Hurry up! I want to see you in your dress!"
^_^
The first half of the night progressed like a series of snapshots. Kenshin found the comparison fitting, considering that along every step of the way, at least one person had a camera and was shouting out for everyone to smile and to say 'cheese' (and the occasional 'pickle!'). So he, along with Kaoru, Aoshi, Misao, Sano, Sae, Soujiro, and Tae stood in Hiko's back yard, offering their goofy smiles for the flashing cameras.
Kaoru's dress was a slinky red thing, nearly backless. It had a halter top and slits up both sides to just above the knee. While the front was fairly modest, it was cut down to the small of her back, and she spent the greater part of twenty minutes with her face nearly the same shade as the dress while Sano speculated about her lack of brassiere. However, she looked very nice standing next to Soujiro, who looked sharp in his black suit, as he awkwardly slipped a corsage around her wrist. Kaoru returned the favor by pinning a rose to his lapel.
Misao looked stunning in a blue dress that made her eyes look brighter than usual. It was a bit more exotic than Kaoru's dress, with a complex crisscrossing of straps over her back that made a person wonder how she had managed to get the thing on without getting tangled up. She hung on Aoshi's arm, more because she was off balance in her three-inch heels than anything else. He pinned his own corsage onto his lapel after having nearly been impaled with the giant stickpin by a wobbly Misao. While everyone else giggled uncontrollably--Misao calling out countless apologies--Aoshi went inside with Hiko to get a bandage for the little hole in his chest. Misao swooned over the corsage he had brought her while he was getting patched up.
Sae was more successful with Sano's corsage. They made an attractive pair, tall and slender, standing side by side. Sae wore her short hair back in pretty silver barrettes that caught in the light to reveal little butterflies. Her black dress was fitted and a mass of beads and glitter that sparkled in the afternoon sun. She had fewer problems with her two and a half inch heels as she strode across the yard next to Sano. They chatted lightly, making it obvious that they were related as their conversation topics tended to turn toward family events.
Kenshin felt awkward and short next to Tae, but the girl was so outgoing and friendly that he quickly relaxed and joined the fun. Tae's dress was covered in so much silver glitter that everything she touched was showered with the sparkly stuff. It was a strapless, form-fitting gown, the slit cut so high on her thigh that it revealed her white garter. All of the girls had purchased one as a joke, the guys soon discovered. Kenshin presented Tae with a corsage and tried not to shift as she pinned a white rose--to match the garter, wink--to his lapel.
After the pictures were taken in the yard, the eight stuffed themselves into the limousine. It was a roundabout trip to the restaurant, followed by a pleasant dinner. Then they returned to the limousine which took them downtown to the building where the dance was being held. Soon, they, along with several dozen other juniors and seniors, and the occasional freshman and sophomore, mingled on the balconies that overlooked what was to be the dance hall. At the moment, the floor was filled with well over a hundred smiling parents and relatives.
"There's Hiko," Kaoru pointed out the man, as if he was not easy to spot as it was. Kenshin smiled and shook his head.
"I still can't believe he actually came," he murmured, leaning forward on the railing to search the sea of faces for anyone familiar. He glanced at Tae, then pointed down to the floor. "Aren't those your parents?"
"Where?" Tae followed his arm and quickly spotted the couple. Her eyes lit up, and she smiled brightly, grabbing Sae's arm as she pointed as well. "Look! There's Mother and Father."
They waved and received a jaunty wave from their father in return. Sano burst out laughing from the other side of the identical duo, and everyone looked at him curiously.
"My brother actually showed his bratty face here," he jabbed his finger through the air at the floor, and they quickly spotted the boy. Yahiko was trying to hide behind the handsome man who was his and Sano's father, all the while attempting to keep his cool. A very attractive man, was this Souzou Sagara, former member of the US Marine Corps. Left a widower by a complication in the birth of young Yahiko, he raised the two boys on his own. Sano all but worshiped the ground the man walked on, thus his entry into the military. "Oh, there's Tsubame. She must have asked him to come. I bet her sister managed to get a date."
"Her sister?" Kenshin inquired.
"Rei something or other," (3) Sano shrugged. "Drop dead gorgeous girl, freshman. Long, dark hair. Legs for miles. A lot of guys jump at the chance to date her. I heard she's a real bitch."
"Sano!" Sae scolded. "That's not nice."
"Whatever," Sano grinned and slung his arm over the girl's shoulders. "Hey, Kenshin. You look like you're wearing as much glitter as Tae is."
"Hm?" Kenshin glanced down at his suit. He lifted his arm and studied the way he sparkled. Shrugging carelessly, he smiled. "Oh well. Maybe I won't get lost in the crowd. Although," his smile turned mischievous as he glanced over at Kaoru and Soujiro. "At least I'm not the shortest guy here this time."
"They're exactly the same height," Tae remarked. "Not that much shorter than you, Ken."
"Let the guy have his triumph, Tae," Sano laughed. "They're starting to call names. Let's get in line."
Aoshi and Misao were near the front, going down the stairs--actually a really long escalator--to get their pictures taken. Soujiro and Kaoru followed soon after. Kaoru kept her arm around Soujiro's waist, who, as it turned out, had a real problem with heights. Kenshin and Tae went right before Sano and Sae, as Sano had purchased all four tickets at once. They almost fooled people into believing that Kenshin was the taller of the two, until he had to step off the step above her to follow her to the room where a professional photographer waited.
Not too much later, after more pictures had been taken, the parents had filtered out, and the DJ set up, the music started, and the dance began. Familiar faces bounced back and forth, either on the dance floor, by the tables, or at the snack bar. Soujiro, Kaoru, Sano and Misao got some punch while Aoshi, Kenshin, Sae, and Tae held down two tables for their group.
"I wish Okita would have come," Kenshin said absently as he watched the couples dancing out on the floor.
"He said he was working tonight," Aoshi replied, an irritated expression crossing his face as Sae straightened the collar of his tux. "And he said he didn't want to show up without a date."
"He could have found someone," Kenshin muttered stubbornly.
"The person he wanted to go with already had a date."
"Who was that?" Kenshin asked blankly.
Aoshi shook his head and mustered a tiny smile as Misao arrived and plopped a plastic cup into his hand.
"I think we got there before anyone spiked the punch," Misao announced. "Drink up!"
"Got some water for you, Kenshin!" Kaoru said brightly, even as Soujiro nearly dumped the water onto Kenshin's lap. Fortunately for the redhead, he had excellent reflexes, and he steadied Soujiro before such an accident occurred. Kaoru just giggled and took the other cup from the boy, setting it on the table and guiding Soujiro to his chair. "Sit down before you hurt someone, Souji'. How did you end up being the star of the soccer team if you can't even walk without spilling the punch?"
"That's different," Soujiro blushed, the dim lighting in the room not quite hiding the fact. "Sorry, Kenshin."
"No harm done," Kenshin smiled brightly.
"Come dance with me, Aoshi!" Misao grabbed the boy's punch right out of his hand and set it on the table. "I love this song!"
Kaoru leaned over to Kenshin, whispering, "I don't think she's ever heard it before."
Kenshin covered his chuckling with a hand over his smile and glanced at Tae. She smiled and tilted her head toward Aoshi, who was being led away from the table.
"You want to?" she suggested.
He was hesitant, but a rough shove from Sano that nearly sent him sprawling out of his chair convinced him to accept. Standing quickly, Kenshin held out his hand to Tae. He soon discovered that Sano had been right about the outgoing girl. She quickly took the lead, and Kenshin, being the less experienced dancer, found himself struggling to keep up. Kenshin did not mind. He was having the time of his life, laughing along with Tae as Kaoru limped off the dance floor, an apologetic Soujiro trying to help her.
"Poor Soujiro," Tae giggled. "He tries so hard."
"He's a good kid," Kenshin agreed, hopping a bit on one foot so that he did not step on Tae's foot and put them in the same situation as Kaoru and Soujiro.
"You're not a bad dancer, Ken," Tae complimented.
"Eh... thanks," Kenshin wondered if his smile was as strained as it felt. "You're better."
"Thanks!" Tae certainly was not modest about accepting compliments. She did not even blush. "You look tired. Would you like to take a break?"
"We could go keep Kaoru and Soujiro company," Kenshin said hopefully.
Tae giggled and pulled him off the floor.
"I'm going to get some more punch," she announced, pushing Kenshin into a chair. "Be right back!"
Dazedly, Kenshin watched her go, then turned to Kaoru, who was nursing her sore foot. Soujiro smiled with helpless anxiety.
"I'm so sorry, Kaoru. Are you okay?" he was asking, and, judging by Kaoru's rolling of her eyes, not for the first time.
"It's fine, Souji'," she insisted. She looked at her foot doubtfully. "I'm sure the swelling will go down soon."
"Swelling?!"
"I'm kidding!" Kaoru laughed and raised her leg to display her foot, waggling her toes lightly. "See? It barely even hurts anymore."
Soujiro sighed with relief and laughed a bit. He rolled his eyes at Kenshin.
"Is she like this with you?" he asked in mock exasperation, smiling when Kenshin nodded.
"Worse," Kenshin offered, then yipped as Kaoru caught the tail of his braid and pulled on it.
"Jerk!" but Kaoru was laughing. She quickly released his hair and made a show of smoothing it back into place. "Look what you made me do! I almost messed up your hair!"
"At least we've already had the pictures taken," Kenshin replied lightly.
"How're you doing with Tae?" Kaoru wondered.
"She's nice."
"And dancing?" Kaoru's eyes glittered with mischief.
"She's uh... very confident," Kenshin blushed at Kaoru's and Soujiro's knowing smiles. He lowered his eyes and tried to brush some of the glitter off his sleeve. He sighed. "She likes to lead."
"Sano was right!" Kaoru laughed merrily. She pointed out onto the floor. "Look, Kenshin. We know a lot of the people out there. Aoshi and Misao are having a great time, even if Aoshi has to hold Misao up."
Kenshin and Soujiro shared an amused giggle at Misao's expense. Tae returned with the punch, which Kenshin politely took, then proceeded to ignore. She sat next to Kenshin and smiled brightly at the group.
"So! Are you all having a good time?"
"Uh..." Soujiro stammered.
"A wonderful time!" Kaoru reached across the table and squeezed Soujiro's hand lightly. "Right, Souji'?"
"R-right!" Soujiro grinned, confidence restored. He glanced at Kenshin, who smiled and nodded his agreement.
"We were just people watching," Kaoru announced. "Sano and your sister are really going at it out there."
Sure enough, when they looked, they could see the pair laughing and dancing, having the time of their lives. Tae pointed off to the side.
"There's Yumi and her boyfriend," she observed. "What's his name again?"
"Shishio," Kenshin frowned, disapproving of the couple.
"I've never seen anyone stick their hands down someone else's pants like that," Kaoru murmured, blushing and glancing away. Tae followed her example, glancing back briefly before looking away again.
Kenshin and Soujiro were less modest, observing the pair openly.
"If they keep this up, they may just have sex on the dance floor," Soujiro whispered to Kenshin, who looked a little ill at the prospect.
"I hope not," Kenshin grimaced and tilted his head curiously to study them once more before glancing away. "She's going to get stuck if she sticks her hand down there any farther."
Soujiro snickered.
"I'd like to see that!" he managed between giggles. "Just to see the looks on their faces when they have to ask for help."
"Souji'! That's terrible!" Kaoru snorted and broke into hysterical giggling.
"Not to interrupt--"
They forgot Shishio and Yumi for the moment, four heads turning to see who had spoken. They smiled at the sight of the gravity-defying, blond hair and a sarcastic smirk.
"But there's a lovely young lady here who's just beggin' to see some action out on the floor," Chou held out his hand to Tae gallantly. "May I have this dance?"
Tae glanced at Kenshin anxiously, who just smiled and shrugged. She grinned and took Chou's hand. Kenshin, Kaoru, and Soujiro watched as she followed the blond senior out onto the dance floor, then turned startled eyes to the person who plopped into the chair that had only been recently vacated.
"Hi there!" Kamatari grinned.
"Hi, Kamatari," Soujiro greeted brightly. "Enjoying prom?"
"Why yes, I am!" Kamatari smiled lewdly, turning his gaze to Kenshin. "Care to dance, Kenshin?"
Kenshin stared at the boy incredulously. Properly, Kamatari was wearing a suit. He looked strange, but curious enough, he looked good. Kenshin thought he might look more natural in a dress, but the tux suited him just fine. (*Fitz chokes* Ack! Bad joke! Bad joke!)
"Come on, Kenshin," Kamatari prodded when the shorter boy hesitated. "If Chou would dance with me, you certainly could!"
"Go on, Kenshin!" Kaoru nudged her friend, giggling all the while. "Humor him!"
"And us as well," Soujiro said, a broad smile on his face.
And so, Kenshin found himself dancing with Kamatari. They earned some amused glances from the students and chaperones alike, the two boys dancing near the middle. Kenshin felt a bit odd with his hands at Kamatari's waist, the other boy's arms around his neck, but with Kamatari's random comments on the people around them, he soon found himself laughing and enjoying himself.
"I can't believe they let her wear that," Kamatari muttered as they rocked to the soft pop floating through the hall. "Somebody call the fashion police." Then, it was, "Mother in heaven! They're playing 'NSync! Somebody save me! Oop! Kenshin, you just stepped on my toe! You're not very heavy, are you?"
By the side, Sano and Sae came off the floor for some much needed rest. Sano had his jacket off, and Sae propped her feet up on a chair, her heels on the floor beside her. Sano winked at Soujiro.
"Wearing Jou-chan out already?" he teased.
Soujiro giggled nervously and shook his head.
"I stepped on her foot," he murmured.
"We'll have her wear steel-toed boots next time," Sano laughed and leaned back into his chair. He glanced at Kaoru with a roguish grin. "Did I see Kenshin out there with Kamatari?"
"You did," Kaoru giggled and pointed. "They're still dancing. Kenshin looks like he's having a lot of fun."
"Oooh, Kamatari's good," Chou said loudly, inserting himself into the conversation as he held a chair for Tae and sat next to her. He grinned lazily and stretched, draping one arm over the back of Tae's chair obviously. "He's gotten Kenshin with his giggly attitude and jokes."
"Huh?" Kaoru looked at Chou blankly. "What do you mean?"
"Eh..." Chou shrugged. "He does it all the time. Uses any excuse to lean on a person. Kenshin's a bit short for that, so he's gotten Kenshin to lean against him."
Sure enough, when they looked, Kenshin was so caught up in his laughter that he did not seem to notice it. The natural tendency to double forward while laughing showed in the way he had his forehead against Kamatari's shoulder. Kamatari had taken the role of following, but at the moment, he was leading, as Kenshin was laughing too hard to do much more than stand there. Unnoticed by the petite redhead, Kamatari was smiling triumphantly, giggling a bit and discreetly wrapping his arms more snugly around Kenshin's neck.
"Should we be worried?" Kaoru asked uncertainly.
"Nah," Chou grinned. "Kenshin can take care of himself. And Kamatari's pretty harmless. It's all fun and games to him. He's still got his eye on Shishio."
"Shishio?!" Sano burst out laughing. "You've got to be kidding!"
"I wish I was," Chou's lazy smile went pensive. "Shishio's a bastard. He doesn't give a damn about anyone but himself."
"He seems to be pretty close to Yumi," Kaoru muttered dryly.
"That's a bit different," Chou chuckled. "The smart people just stay away from Shishio and don't draw his eye. Kamatari'll have his heart broken if he keeps pursuing this, but what can you do? He'll be fine. He's pretty tough for a guy who acts so girly."
"And Kenshin?" Tae asked uncertainly. "I heard he had a run-in with Shishio last fall."
"Shishio'll leave him alone," Sano said confidently. "Look."
They glanced to the side. Kamatari and Kenshin had been dancing fairly close to Shishio and Yumi, but suddenly there were two other people between them. To everyone's great surprise, Misao tapped Kamatari's shoulder. Aoshi pushed his way into the pair as well, shockingly, moving to dance with Kamatari while Misao and Kenshin pulled off in the opposite direction. Kamatari had a strange, dreamy expression on his pretty face as Aoshi picked up the beat of the fast song and encouraged the shorter boy to dance with him. Misao then tripped, falling into Kenshin, who helped her off to the side.
"I can't believe Aoshi did that!" Kaoru giggled as they continued to watch Aoshi and Kamatari dance.
Kenshin dropped into the chair next to Sano, followed quickly by Misao, who fell dramatically into his arms.
"My hero!" she declared.
"Ow..." Kenshin winced, trying to adjust the girl on his lap. "Misao... I was holding your shoes..."
"Is that what I'm sitting on?" Misao giggled and, to Kenshin's shock, dug down for the shoes.
"Watch where you're putting your hands!" Kenshin yelped quietly, nearly dumping the girl on the floor as he stood. He caught her, let the spike heels clatter to the floor, and sat back down. Breathing a sigh of relief, he relaxed back against the chair. "Misao, there are open chairs."
"You're more comfortable," Misao giggled, watching her date dance with Kamatari. "Aoshi will be done soon, and I'll sit in his lap."
"That is such a comfort," Kenshin grimaced, still in a bit of pain over the sharp heels that had dug into his thighs seconds before.
"Have fun dancing with Kamatari?" Sano asked, winking lightly.
"He's nice enough," Kenshin murmured a bit defensively, glancing out at the floor. "I never thought I'd see the day when Aoshi danced with him, though."
"It was my idea," Misao chirped. "Kamatari kept dragging you over to Shishio, and Aoshi thought there would be trouble."
"I don't need you guys to protect me," Kenshin sighed, pointing at his water on the table, which Sano handed him. "I saw him. He's so busy with Yumi's hands down the front of his pants that I don't think he noticed Kamatari or me."
"Anyway, your date was having the time of her life with Chou," Sano nudged Kenshin's side with his elbow. "I think you've been dumped."
"Sano!" Tae's eyes widened in horror, her face red with a mortified blush. "That's not true!"
"We just came as friends, Sano," Kenshin smiled reassuringly at Tae, who looked immensely relieved. "If she wants to dance the night away with Chou, far be it from me to object."
"Ken, you're a doll!" Tae leaned over and kissed his cheek, earning a faint blush and a lopsided grin.
"Just save me a dance in that long list of names you've got on your card," Kenshin replied easily. "I don't expect to spend my senior prom sitting on the sidelines."
"Aoshi!" Misao flew off Kenshin's lap, to the boy's great relief, and into her boyfriend's arms. Aoshi caught her before she could fall face-first onto the floor while Kamatari then took her recently vacated seat. Kenshin gritted his teeth and forced a smile.
"You're a lot heavier than Misao, Kamatari," he grunted.
"Well then!"
A moment later, Kenshin blinked, wondering how he had wound up seated in Kamatari's lap. He smiled anxiously and stood, moving to sit in a free chair next to Soujiro.
"Ruin my fun," Kamatari laughed. "At least I can say I danced with you, not to mention tall, dark, and handsome over there," he waggled his eyebrows at Aoshi, who snorted and turned his attention back to Misao's cheerful chatter.
The night moved smoothly, hours passing quickly. The crowd thinned, and the clock ticked toward eleven. Chaperones hauled off the punch before the spiked beverage could do too much damage. Around ten-forty-five, most of the students had called it a night and gone off to their respective parties. Tae left with Chou and Kamatari to go to one such party. Surprisingly, Soujiro slipped off while Kaoru was dancing with Sano. Kenshin and Sae watched as the boy trailed behind Yumi, smiling sheepishly when she ruffled his hair and smiled warmly at him.
"Never expected that," Sae murmured.
"No," Kenshin shook his head. "It's kind of sad, actually."
"No wonder he didn't comment much when we were talking about Shishio earlier," Sae smiled. "Looks like you and Kaoru are both without a date now."
"It looks that way," Kenshin echoed blandly as he watched Misao and Aoshi sway to the soft music wafting through the room. He rubbed his head absently, not used to the braiding.
"Why didn't you ask her to begin with?" Sae asked curiously.
"Ask Kaoru?" Kenshin blinked at the girl. "I don't know... she's my friend. I just never considered dating her."
"Why not?"
Kenshin shrugged helplessly.
"It would be like dating a sister," he muttered.
"Leave him alone, Sae," Sano broke in abruptly, arriving at the table with Kaoru. He grinned and sat next to his 'date' while Kaoru sat on the other side of Kenshin. "He's still heartbroken that Okita didn't come."
"It's not like that, Sano!" Kenshin blushed.
"I think Okita likes you too, Kenshin," Kaoru murmured near Kenshin's ear.
"He just jokes around!" Kenshin protested.
"Who's ready to go hit the parties?" Misao interrupted, arriving quite suddenly with Aoshi on her right.
"I second that," Kenshin stood quickly.
"Someone's in a hurry to go," Sano laughed. "Our cab should be waiting by now. We told him around eleven."
"Nice thing to call a limo," Kaoru sighed. "All right. Let's go."
^_^
(1) For those people who do not know, I made a few references to other anime shows that I like. They are: Miaka and Nuriko are from Fushigi Yugi. Amelia and Lina are from Slayers. Keiko is from YuYu Hakusho.
(2) Minako as in that weird blond from Sailor Moon. Not Sailor Moon. The other weird blond.
(3) Rei is also from Sailor Moon. Long black hair. Wears that red fuku and fights in pretty high heels. Now that is talent.
Notes: Wow, so prom night was such a long thing that I split it into two chapters. So don't think it's over yet! More random guest stars in the next chapter. And again, thank you to nemo for answering all my questions about prom. I took my 'from the sidelines' experiences and tried to make sure everything meshed nicely. That whole escalator thing… one of my friends actually did that. I watched her ride down that freaking long escalator in her pretty dress. I'm such a loser, not going to prom. Heck, I heard everyone left before eleven at our senior prom anyway.
Next chapter: Second half of prom night. (Isn't it amazing how I can make one night a multi-chapter deal, but months pass between other chapters? *shrug* Oh well.)
Reviewers: *Sigh* Yes, they're long again. Boy, can I ramble.
mae: Banter? Yeah, that's me, I suppose. I don't know that the teachers appreciate it, but I can be in the most boring of situations and find something humorous about the whole thing. *Recalling thought of people attacking loud, annoying, ticking clock with pitchforks and torches* DEATH TO THE CLOCK! *innocent whistling*
Jason M. Lee: *snicker* My last flying experience was interesting. The lady kept staring at my license. Staring. Staring. And then she asks me for one that's not expired! She said, "This expired in Dec. of 2002." *Smacks forehead*
Vesca: Uh… I'll just jump past the whole 'Kenshin's love interest' topic. And I was under the impression that these past couple of chapters were longer than the previous ones (according to the page count at the bottom of my computer screen anyway). *Shrug* Oh, and I read that story of yours! Something Tapestry… ooooh, bad memory. But I love it. It's on my favorite stories list. ^_~
Crystal: Does he look like Kenshin? He seems more clean cut to me (in matters of hair anyway). Oh well. He's one of my favorites too. That's why we see so much of him here.
ColbyWolf: *stands stiffly in hug then decides:* Awww, what the heck! *hugs back* Thanks! Glad you liked the chapter.
marstanuki: Hooooooowaaaa… um, this is not a Kenshin/Tomoe thing. I think the age gap is a bit much for the time and place. Let's get Kenshin of legal age before he starts dating women that much older than he is. Happy? I hope so. I certainly feel better. *shudder*
tenshineko: Ack! Lots of questions. Okay *rolls up sleeves* Sano is not normal. We all know that, right? So he can be weird and go to prom with his cousin. And as for Kenshin and college… that's something that, unfortunately, does not get fully resolved in this story. I will be writing a continuation later on (much, much later). The whole martial arts thing, again, I'm very vague. It's not as big here in the US, so it makes sense to me that we wouldn't focus so much on it. The next few chapters will really pick up with these topics, so I hope you like them.
Black Soul: I get this feeling that you're not a big fan of Kaoru. Huh. Whatever. Thanks for reviewing. I'm glad you liked the chapter.
Amara: Whoa. Three times you popped up there. Thanks for the review, though. And I'm updating as fast as I can manage in my time. *fiddles with AutoCAD, then bangs head on desktop* And you can certainly expect more personalities to pop up soon. It's been awhile, after all.
nemo: Aoshi not only fast dancing, but dancing with another guy. You know, he does have terrible taste in the show. I'm sorry, but that trench coat needs to go. And as I honestly do not care for Megumi, she doesn't appear much. Tomoe will return. And things take a bit of a twist next chapter. I hope you like.
Koneko-chan: I didn't forget it. It'll come back! I just wanted to focus on the relationships of the characters for awhile before swinging into everything. And I don't know much about tuxes, but I sure know about the danged dresses. *muttermutter* Teenie-boppers leaving $300 dresses all over the floor. *muttermutter*