Disclaimer; I do not own Rouroni Kenshin. The characters and their histories all belong to someone else. I just like to write about them, that's all - honest. . . .I think \_/

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Part 2; Arrival

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"Misao-chan sure was nice for inviting us over to this party of hers, even if she didn't explain what it was very clearly," Sano announced. He had decided to tag along with Megumi and Kaoru on their trip to Kyoto. It was obvious why he had decided to come, the invitation had the word 'party' in it, and partying was one of his favorite pastimes.

Yahiko glanced up at him with a sour expression on his face. "Well, I didn't want to go," he protested angrily. Sano had dragged him away from the Akkebeko and Tsubame.

"Listen, you need to broaden your horizons," Sano told Yahiko, with a mock serious expression on his face.

Kaoru glanced back at the three men following her and Megumi. "Do you really think Misao knows what she's doing?" she asked curiously.

Megumi tossed her head elegantly. "I have no idea, but what difference does it make? She's throwing the party, and the invitation didn't exclude them. Besides, I have a feeling that none of them knows what a slumber party is," she added with a slightly evil laugh.

Sano, Yahiko, and Kenshin stopped walking to look at her in confusion with a little bit of apprehension. "Megumi-dono, is there something the matter?" Kenshin dared to ask, his eyes looking slightly bugged out.

Megumi cover her mouth with her hand and laughed merrily again. "Everything's fine, Ken-san. Why do you ask?" she inquired innocently.

"Oh, no reason," Kenshin said, but he still looked suspicious. Almost as if he realized he was walking into a trap, and that it wouldn't be a pretty picture when it was completed.

They continued walking. "What makes you think that they don't know what it is?" Kaoru asked quietly.

Megumi's red lips curved up in a smile. "That should be obvious, don't you think? None of them brought anything to change into. They brought nothing but themselves and the clothes on their backs. So unless they plan on sleeping naked, they will be wearing their clothes to bed tonight, and. . . . . "

"And what?!" Kaoru demanded as the fox's voice trailed off.

Megumi smiled but shook her head and pointed towards Sano, who was hovering close behind them. She waited until the rooster backed off to talk to Yahiko then leaned towards Kaoru. She whispered into the younger woman's ear. "None of them is going to like the idea of sleeping in a room with several women. I believe that Ken-san will have a particularly hard time with it."

Kaoru's sapphire eyes widened and she giggled. "You're right, they don't know what's going on. I only hope that Misao-chan knows exactly who is coming to her party."



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"Tokio, why don't you wear the red kimono?" Saitou suggested to his wife. He had decided that he had better be safe and bring a date to the mysterious 'slumber party'.

"What kind of party is this again?" Tokio asked suspiciously. She knew her husband, and he was being far to quiet about the upcoming party. He wasn't even complaining about it like he did for most parties he attended.

"Just a party that some. . . .uhmmm. . . . . some friends, yeah that's the word . . . . some friends in town are throwing," His wife's comments were making him nervous, he didn't want to expose his ignorance to her.

"Who are these 'friends'?" Tokio asked. Her husband wasn't known for having all that many friends, and it was strange for him to phrase things like he was. Normally he spoke in complete, well thought out sentences.

"Uhmmmm. . . . . . . I told you about the Oniwabean Group, right?" he asked. He was fairly certain that he had, but he couldn't remember for sure.

"Aa, you said that they were a ninja group full of losers," Tokio said. Her voice was dry, as she glared at her husband.

"Well, you know me, I call everyone losers behind their backs, and to their faces," he said nervously. He forgot that he had been critical of the ninja group, if he had remembered that he would have. . . . . An angry glint in Tokio's eyes alerted him to danger. "Tokio?" he asked, his voice little more then a squeak. "Is something the matter?"

"You call 'everyone' losers behind their backs? Does 'everyone' just happen to include me?" her voice wasn't pretty, and he realized that if he didn't placate her soon, he would not be able to go to the 'slumber party' and if he couldn't go to the slumber party, then he'd never know what it was.

"Oh, honey - " Her eyes narrowed in a silent warning that he shouldn't try and sweet talk his way out of the situation.

"I don't think that we're going any - " Tokio started to say when Saitou did something completely unexpected.

"Please forgive me!" he shouted and dropped to his knees, pressing his head to the floor in front of her feet. "Gomen nasai! I didn't mean it like that. Please, I have to go to this party."

Tokio looked at him in surprise then smiled at him. "All right, we'll go to the party, and I'll wear the red kimono."

"Thank-you," Saitou said. **I will learn what a 'slumber party' is** he silently vowed.

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Seijiro Hiko was having second thoughts about going to the party. He really wanted to go, but he had a feeling that he would just be making a fool out of himself in front of a bunch of people.

**This is ridiculous, no one can make a fool of you, not even yourself.** He thought to himself, but the feeling stayed with him. He was almost there, it would only take a little bit longer.

He was surprised that Misao had sent out the invitation, she hadn't been affected as much as the other two woman had been. If they had sent the invitations and were throwing the party, he wouldn't worry at all. He knew that they realized that he was a stud. The other one, the self-proclaimed Okashira of the Oniwabean Group, she resisted the idea of his being the most gorgeous man alive. It made the type of party she was throwing difficult to prepare for.

He didn't know what to expect, and it didn't help that he didn't even know what a 'slumber party' was.

He stepped onto the street that the Aoiya was on, moving through the early evening crowd. In the distance, he could see the popular restaurant.

The map on the back of the invitation had said to go in through the back door into the living space. That made sense considering the disruption walking through the center of the restaurant would cause, but at the same time, it didn't make any sense.

What kind of party was this anyway?

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"Everyone should be arriving soon," Misao said excitedly. "Do you think that we have enough blankets?"

Okon looked at the huge pile of blankets covering the floor and nodded. "We have more then enough."

"Do you think that we have enough food?" Misao asked.

Omasu looked at the table covered with snacks and nodded. "You have more then enough food for Megumi, Kaoru, and us," she assured the young ninja. **I just hope that no one else show up unexpectedly besides the ones we invited,** she thought. The look on Okon's face said that she was hoping the same thing.

Misao began to pace back and forth. "Do you think that they got the letter?" she asked. "They should be here by now, don't you think?"

Okon shrugged. Maybe no one would show up. That wouldn't be so bad, that way they could keep their secret invintations a secret. And then they'd definetly have more then enough food and blankets.



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Sano spotted Saitou first. "Hey, what's he doing here?" he demanded loudly. "And who's that woman on his arm?"

Saitou's gaze fell onto Sano and he mentally cursed himself. He had dressed in his finest clothes for the party and even brought his wife along, and the 'rooster head' was going to be there. What was worse was the fact that he seemed to be dressed like he always dressed. That pointed to the possibility that it was a plain clothes party, which would mean that he was over dressed.

Moron," he said. It was the first thing that popped into his mind, although he wasn't sure if he was referring to himself or the tall ex-gangster.

"Hajime," his wife scolded. "You shouldn't be so rude."

The color drained from his face. Most of the Battousai's friends didn't know that he was married. He hadn't told anyone except Misao and Kenshin.

"That's all right, that's how he always is, that it is," Kenshin said with a smile. "I'm Kenshin Himura. Are you - "

Saitou knew what the rouroni was going to say. 'Are you a friend of Saitou's' and then she would be mad, and he'd have to beg her, which would make the others all laugh at him. Even if he said it to help preserve Saitou's secret marridge, the damage would be done. It was time to reveal the truth about his marital status.

"Yes, this is my wife, Tokio. I'm glad you were able to recognize her from my description of her beauty," he interrupted. If Tokio could have seen his eyes, she would have laughed. He was giving Kenshin (and the others didn't notice ) puppy dog eyes.

Kenshin looked nervous. "Er . . .uhm . . . Of course I remember," he said finally even though he wasn't sure what Saitou was trying to tell him with his eyes.

"Your wife!" Sano roared. "You're married to - "

"That ugly old hag!" Yahiko completed with a shout. That, needless to say, was the wrong this to say.

Kaoru and Megumi both slapped his across the face at the same time and Tokio punched him in the mouth. "Take that back!" all three of them shouted.

Yahiko rubbed his cheeks and mouth. He had gotten double slapped before, but never triple struck. "Gomen nasai," he said with a bow of his head. Saitou's wife packed one hell of a punch.

"I was going to say 'hot babe' but I think I'll just refrain from comment considering what just happened to Yahiko-chan," Sano announced quietly.

"Yahiko-chan, what a sweet little name," Tokio said. She turned to her husband and took his hand. "I'm glad we decided to come to the party after all. This way I get to meet all of your friends."

"So," Megumi said clearing her throat with a cruel chuckle. "You're both coming to the party too?" she asked.

Saitou swallowed mentally then jumped into the conversation with both feet and no parachute. "Of course we are," he said brashly.

Megumi exchanged a smile with Kaoru. The boys didn't have any idea what was going on, and by the looks of things, Saitou hadn't told his wife that they were going to a slumber party.

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Hiko came to a stop looking at the assembled group of people standing in front of the Aoiya. He recognized most of them. Kenshin, Kaoru, Yahiko, Sano, and Megumi to be precise. Of the other two, he could guess who they were. The tall man had to be Hajime Saitou, and the woman was no doubt his wife.

"Well, what a surprise," he said.

"Master!" Kenshin said. A smile stretched across the swordsman's face and he took three steps towards the older man before launching himself foreword to give him a hug.

Hiko moved, letting the red haired man go sailing past. "Baka, I warned you about hugging me already. I'm not that type of person, got it?" he demanded.

"Hiko-san are you here for the party as well?" Kaoru asked innocently. Megumi almost died at the harmless expression on her face.

"Of course," Hiko said arrogantly. His confident response sent Kaoru into a fit of uncontrolable laughter.

**He doesn't know what's going on either . . . .** Megumi thought smugly.

"Well, if we're all going to the party, then why don't we go in and get something to eat?" Sano demanded. "I'm starving."

"When are you not starving?" Yahiko demanded.

"Right after I eat," the tall man retorted.

"Now now, let's not argue," Kenshin began to try and keep peace amongst the growning group of guests.

"Who's fighting?" they both demanded, turning towards him with narrowed eyes.

"Well . . . . " Kenshin began again.

"Baka," Hiko muttered. He dropped his fist on Kenshin's head prompting an 'oro' from the suddenly dazed boy. "Talking to them will only make them louder."

"Ignoring them doesn't work either," Saitou spoke up. He had been keeping quiet, trying to decipher exactly what a 'slumber party' was before he entered the building.

"What was that?!" Sano demanded, grabbing the front of Saitou's shirt.

Saitou calmly lit a cigarette and placed it between his lips. "Shall we go in?" he asked.

Sano scowled but released him and headed towards the entrance to the Aoiya.

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Author's notes;

Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! I had completely forgotten about this story. I orginally wrote it as a one-shot, and had it written down in my story planner as complete. I'll track down the rest of the story. In the meantime, here's part 2.

Thanks for the reminder to complete this, and thanks for reviewing and reading my story!

Kissa-chan