Chapter 6
Megumi and Sano walked up to the dojo together, verbally sparring as usual.
"Oi, fox, yer gonna be the death of me," laughed Sano, wiping his eyes at a particularly witty riposte she had just made.
"Then my work is finished," she replied with a glint in her light brown eyes. Shaking her head, she joined in with her "Hohoho" as his hearty laugh rang out and they came up on the porch. "Come in, come in" called Kaoru, hearing them.
Dinner was Kenshin's simple but well prepared dishes served up with friendly talk and banter.
Sano kept winking at Kenshin, who refused to catch his eye. "I wonder how Kaoru is going to react when Sano tells her we're going out after dinner?" mused Kenshin.
Sano leaned back, groaned, rubbed his belly and let out a big belch, signaling he was finally full.
"Ew," Megumi said, wrinkling her lovely nose.
"Better out than in, fox, I always say." Grunted Sano. "A guy could explode if he doesn't let it out. Yer a doctor, you should know. Besides, its a compliment to the cook to let 'em know you've enjoyed a good meal."
"I doubt you even tasted it, you bottomless pit," exclaimed Megumi. Yahiko smirked and Sano gave him a mock-evil look that promised "I'll get you later for that, kid."
"Uh, Kenshin, now that we've disposed of that very TASTY(looking pointedly at Megumi) meal, shouldn't we tell the ladies here what's next on our agenda for the evening?"
"Oro?" said a clueless and rather sleepy-looking Kenshin, who was beginning to pick up the dinner dishes.
"Ya know, our little excursion into the night some purely male entertainment?"
"WHAT?" Kaoru's head jerked around from her tete-a-tete with Megumi.
"What do you mean, "purely MALE entertainment"? You hentai, you're not dragging my Kenshin off to one of your sleazy gambling parlors or worse, the red light district!"
"Maa, maa, Kaoru-dono, nothing like that entered sessha's mind!" cried Kenshin.
"Are you sure?" threatened Kaoru, thunder clouds seemingly appearing over her head.
"Of course not, Jou-chan, and I'm offended you think I hang out with 'loose women'. I may be just a ruffian, a street fighter, but I'm not like that! Sure, I like to toss the dice a little, get into a fight now and then, but hey, I'm a good guy, ain't I?" Sano pouted, looking not a little chagrined and embarrassed.
"Besides, if you didn't treat Kenshin here like some sort of slave, I wouldn't have to come and rescue him from his drudgery once in a while. Yer working the poor man to death!" glared Sano from under his red headband.
Kaoru looked pointedly at Kenshin, who was suddenly acutely interested in a spot of spilled soy sauce on the table.
"Is that true, Kenshin, do you think I treat you like, well, a SLAVE?" Kaoru asked quietly.
"No, no, no, Kaoru-dono, sessha is treated very well, that I am!" Kenshin said, not raising his head to look at her.
"Oh no, maybe Sano's right!" thought Kaoru, her eyes going wide, "he even addresses me as though he were my servant!"
She reached over and touched his arm. "Put down those dishes Kenshin, you're not my servant." She said in a sad, quiet voice. "You're my f- friend, my protector and we're family. You should never do anything here you don't feel like doing. Please, put those things down, and I'll clean up. You go have some fun."
"I don't mind doing things for you, for Yahiko, the dojo, Kaoru, honestly, I don't." Kenshin said, his voice low, his eyes still on the soy sauce spot, his face faintly flushed. He put down the dishes and raised his eyes to hers, smiling softly.
Sanosuke rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to say something, which got him a sharp smack on the arm with her fan from Megumi. "Oi, fox, what's that fer?"
"Come on, lunkhead, it's time to go. You can walk me home, if you keep your big trap shut." They rose to go, with Megumi thanking them for their hospitality, and ushering a still-clueless Sano to the door.
"Hey, what about me and Kenshin's 'boy's night out'? You women, I swear, it's all a damn female conspiracy to keep us from enjoying ourselves."
"Hush, rooster, or next time you hurt your hand, I'll put something on it that burns like Hades!"
Megumi and Sano walked up to the dojo together, verbally sparring as usual.
"Oi, fox, yer gonna be the death of me," laughed Sano, wiping his eyes at a particularly witty riposte she had just made.
"Then my work is finished," she replied with a glint in her light brown eyes. Shaking her head, she joined in with her "Hohoho" as his hearty laugh rang out and they came up on the porch. "Come in, come in" called Kaoru, hearing them.
Dinner was Kenshin's simple but well prepared dishes served up with friendly talk and banter.
Sano kept winking at Kenshin, who refused to catch his eye. "I wonder how Kaoru is going to react when Sano tells her we're going out after dinner?" mused Kenshin.
Sano leaned back, groaned, rubbed his belly and let out a big belch, signaling he was finally full.
"Ew," Megumi said, wrinkling her lovely nose.
"Better out than in, fox, I always say." Grunted Sano. "A guy could explode if he doesn't let it out. Yer a doctor, you should know. Besides, its a compliment to the cook to let 'em know you've enjoyed a good meal."
"I doubt you even tasted it, you bottomless pit," exclaimed Megumi. Yahiko smirked and Sano gave him a mock-evil look that promised "I'll get you later for that, kid."
"Uh, Kenshin, now that we've disposed of that very TASTY(looking pointedly at Megumi) meal, shouldn't we tell the ladies here what's next on our agenda for the evening?"
"Oro?" said a clueless and rather sleepy-looking Kenshin, who was beginning to pick up the dinner dishes.
"Ya know, our little excursion into the night some purely male entertainment?"
"WHAT?" Kaoru's head jerked around from her tete-a-tete with Megumi.
"What do you mean, "purely MALE entertainment"? You hentai, you're not dragging my Kenshin off to one of your sleazy gambling parlors or worse, the red light district!"
"Maa, maa, Kaoru-dono, nothing like that entered sessha's mind!" cried Kenshin.
"Are you sure?" threatened Kaoru, thunder clouds seemingly appearing over her head.
"Of course not, Jou-chan, and I'm offended you think I hang out with 'loose women'. I may be just a ruffian, a street fighter, but I'm not like that! Sure, I like to toss the dice a little, get into a fight now and then, but hey, I'm a good guy, ain't I?" Sano pouted, looking not a little chagrined and embarrassed.
"Besides, if you didn't treat Kenshin here like some sort of slave, I wouldn't have to come and rescue him from his drudgery once in a while. Yer working the poor man to death!" glared Sano from under his red headband.
Kaoru looked pointedly at Kenshin, who was suddenly acutely interested in a spot of spilled soy sauce on the table.
"Is that true, Kenshin, do you think I treat you like, well, a SLAVE?" Kaoru asked quietly.
"No, no, no, Kaoru-dono, sessha is treated very well, that I am!" Kenshin said, not raising his head to look at her.
"Oh no, maybe Sano's right!" thought Kaoru, her eyes going wide, "he even addresses me as though he were my servant!"
She reached over and touched his arm. "Put down those dishes Kenshin, you're not my servant." She said in a sad, quiet voice. "You're my f- friend, my protector and we're family. You should never do anything here you don't feel like doing. Please, put those things down, and I'll clean up. You go have some fun."
"I don't mind doing things for you, for Yahiko, the dojo, Kaoru, honestly, I don't." Kenshin said, his voice low, his eyes still on the soy sauce spot, his face faintly flushed. He put down the dishes and raised his eyes to hers, smiling softly.
Sanosuke rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to say something, which got him a sharp smack on the arm with her fan from Megumi. "Oi, fox, what's that fer?"
"Come on, lunkhead, it's time to go. You can walk me home, if you keep your big trap shut." They rose to go, with Megumi thanking them for their hospitality, and ushering a still-clueless Sano to the door.
"Hey, what about me and Kenshin's 'boy's night out'? You women, I swear, it's all a damn female conspiracy to keep us from enjoying ourselves."
"Hush, rooster, or next time you hurt your hand, I'll put something on it that burns like Hades!"
