Sentiments of gip-k: -Hello everyone. Please do not be upset. I know I haven't updated in like, forever, but it has to do with some lost zeal. I got carried away writing some poetry, reading fanfictions and playing computer games. As duty to my fans, and myself I shall hurry and complete this chapter! I was so excited about it in the beginning, so I don't see why I should just slouch around doing nothing while people are waiting. I hope you enjoy this. (Winks) It's about Kenshin, and his trip with Yamcha and Bulma to the mall. He-he.
Kenshin: Miss gip-k is sounding very mischievous, that she is. I certainly hope I will have a safe trip back home.
Me: You are a complete baka sometimes! You think I'd just make you die on some kind of stupid plane trip! I said I liked you and you still don't get that, do you.
Kenshin: ER- um- I apologize for being so rude.
Me: Just forget it, Kenshin. (I smile) Let's just start the story.
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Disclaimer:
Kenshin: Hiten Mitsirugi Style… Ryo Sui Sen!
Me: Good work, Kenshin. You too, Goku. I think that was the last lawyer! (Kenshin and Goku are gasping for breath)
Goku: I'm starving…
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---Chapter 6---
Kenshin stepped gingerly out of the helicopter, his footing unstable. Even though the helicopter trip had barely lasted ten minutes, Kenshin felt dizzy and nauseous. An unexpected pat on the back from Yamcha nearly sent Kenshin toppling over.
"Oops," Yamcha said, though his voice sounded highly amused. "Sorry about that, Kenshin."
Bulma's eyes shone with excitement as she stepped out of the helicopter and looked at the immense shopping area, which was none to far away. She literally jumped up and down, letting out girlish little shrieks as she did. She immediately started heading down to the crowded mall.
"Hurry up, you guys," she asked, stopping only a moment to glare at them. "I have lots of shopping to do!"
As Bulma hurried down the hill, Yamcha and Kenshin exchanged amused glances.
"Bulma's really crazy about her shopping," Yamcha said, grinning. "She'd probably kill me if I refused to come here with her."
Kenshin smiled.
"Miss Bulma seems to hold none to tight of a lid on her money, I say," he replied. "Miss Kaoru is quite the opposite, I say, though she does give high praise to her embroiled kimonos and ribbons."
Yamcha's eyes got a knowing look in them.
"I'm assuming this Kaoru girl is as pretty as her name says, right?" he asked, voice mischievous.
Kenshin nodded.
"Yes, she is very beautiful," he replied.
"I bet you never had the guts to tell her that, did you?" Kenshin's cheeks reddened slightly, which was exactly what Yamcha had expected and wanted. "Ah-huh!" Yamcha said teasingly. "I assume that something is going on between you and this girl."
"Er, um, she's just a friend," Kenshin said.
"Yeah right," Yamcha said, grinning. "A very close friend, you mean."
Before Yamcha could continue his mockery, he heard Bulma's voice, but it wasn't excited anymore.
"You GUYS!" Bulma called angrily. "I don't have all day to be waiting here!"
Yamcha and Kenshin jumped up. They exchanged surprised glances, and both of them decided it was time to high tail it down to the wall before more verbal abuse was exacted on them.
Multitudes of people swarmed around the series of massive buildings, as should have been expected at this hour.
"Oro!" Kenshin said, staring at the large building in awe. "This marketplace is quite large, that it is."
"Not marketplace," Bulma said, smiling. "This is a heck of a lot better than any marketplace, Kenshin. You can find anything here."
"Anything?" Kenshin asked, images flashing through his confused mind.
"Oh, just come on," Bulma said, grabbing Yamcha's hand. "You'll be even more surprised when you get inside."
They pushed through the seemingly endless crowds of people. They were of all ages and personalities.
"Oh my god!" cried one young lady. "What a dork! Look, Stephanie! He is such a dork!"
Kenshin blinked. He turned to the brown haired girl. She was gesturing to her golden-headed friend, and pointing to, yes, him. When her friend noticed, her mouth curled in disgust.
"Wow," she replied. "Dorkiest guy I've seen in ages. Maybe in like, forever."
"Excuse me, young women, but are you speaking of me?" Kenshin asked, confused.
The brown-haired girl clutched her friend's arm.
"Don't even talk to him," the girl said, seemingly frightened. "He could like, pollute us or something."
Kenshin once again blinked.
"Excuse me?" he asked.
After a few more rude remarks, the girls headed off to do their own shopping, leaving Kenshin sitting there looking like an idiot.
"Hey, what're you waiting for!" Yamcha called, struggling not be dragged away by his girlfriend. "Come on!"
Kenshin snapped back to consciousness, and with a quick "Oro", hurried off to join his friends.
After what seemed like ten tiring decades rather than ten minutes, the trio finally made it into the mall. It was decorated with darkly colored tiles of red, blue, and purple, and flashing green and red lights overhead. The walls were of various shapes and colors, and the many shops simply added to the frenzied atmosphere. Kenshin blinked, struggling to adjust to the ever-changing lighting.
This place is a shopping area? Kenshin thought incredulously. This place is not safe for anyone, male or female. I should be careful.
Bulma and Yamcha, however, did not see it in the same manner.
"Finally," Bulma said. "I've been waiting forever to get in here."
Her eyes roved over to the bright blue sign of a shop that had "Fabbie-Lishilous" written on it in a half-cursive, half something else font.
"Ooh! There's Fabbie-Lishilous!" Bulma said, smiling. "The perfect place to start our shopping."
Yamcha groaned.
"Do we have to go in there?" he asked dryly. "Don't we go there every time we come here?"
"Well, yeah," Bulma said in a know-all voice. "It is my favorite store."
"Well I hate it," Yamcha said. "I say you go somewhere else."
"If you hate it so much," Bulma snapped. "Why the hell are you always drooling at all the outfits I get from there!"
"I don't drool over your outfits!" Yamcha said. "Well, not all of them."
Bulma crossed her arms in front of her chest, her face exasperated. Kenshin could see the plain amusement in her piercing blue eyes.
"My pardons, but I do not like this place," Kenshin said, eyeing the laughing people walking around. "It is the perfect environment for theft and violence, I say."
"Oh please," Bulma said, dismissing Kenshin's statement with a wave of her hand. "Even if it is, what do you think I have Yamcha with me for?"
"Can we just go?" Yamcha asked in an irritated voice. "The faster I get in that dang shop, the faster I get out."
It seemed like it did not matter, though. Two hours later, Yamcha and Kenshin were still sitting outside the dressing room. Kenshin's face had heated up to a level of great discomfort. Why did Bulma have to wear those scandalous outfits?
"Like this one?" Bulma asked, stepping out of the dressing room.
It was a bright pink, above-the-knee dress. It was muscle-sleeved with a dipping neckline. Bulma wore a decorative yellow belt with it, and some matching combat boots.
"Um, how about getting one with the neckline a little lower?" Yamcha asked.
Bulma punched him in the face so hard that he toppled over.
"You have no shame, do you!" Bulma yelled.
Yamcha got up, an angry look on his face.
"Well, I get a say in what you wear, too, don't I?" he yelled. He rubbed his cheek. "I don't hit you like that, do I?"
"Well, that's because I'm a girl!" she retorted heatedly. "You're suppose to appreciate me just the way I am, anyway!"
"That's what I should be saying!" Yamcha yelled. "You think you can just push me around, waste hours of my time sitting in stupid ladies' shops, and then all the sudden expect me to kneel down and worship you? Yeah right!"
"I never said anything about worshipping!" Bulma said, her temper flaring. "All I want is respect and simple courtesy! Instead, you give me a bunch of comments that sound like they should be coming from Master Roshi!"
"Um, excuse me?" Kenshin asked, fidgeting around in his seat. "My pardons, but can't you discuss this without raising your voices. My pardons," Kenshin said, lowering his voice. "But people seem to have taken a high interest in your argument, I say."
Bulma and Yamcha looked around, and indeed it was like Kenshin had said. The two glared at each other, and then Bulma stormed back into the dressing room and closed her door. Immediately, though, she opened it again.
"I don't care what you say!" she said angrily. "I'm buying the outfit, no matter what you think about it!"
"Well, I don't care either!" Yamcha retorted.
Bulma's eyes narrowed in angry lines, and then she slammed the door so loudly that everyone in the shop jumped.
After a few moments of silence, Kenshin turned to the fuming Yamcha.
"Er, my pardons, but I believe that perhaps you should, my pardons, um, apologize to Miss Bulma," Kenshin said carefully.
"For what?" Yamcha demanded in a biting tone. "I didn't hit her did I?"
"No, you did not," Kenshin replied calmly. "However, you did say something, er, quite offensive to her."
Yamcha glared at Kenshin, but his face gradually softened.
"I guess you're right," Yamcha said, sighing.
Kenshin nodded, smiling.
"She will come around, that she will," he replied. "She will eventually apologize, and all we be will, I say."
After a few more minutes, Bulma stormed out of the dressing room, a cold look in her eyes. She held her many outfits in her arms.
"I'm done," she said icily. She walked up to the register, and dumped her load on the counter, where a woman chewing bubble gum welcomed them.
"How 'you doing 'ooday?" she asked as she rung up the clothes. Kenshin watched carefully. Ah! Somehow the machine seemed to be telling the woman how much each item cost. Kenshin's eyes widened. All these strange machines were making him uneasy enough already, but the pricing of that clothing was outrageous.
"Fine," Bulma said, her tone still sharp as a razor. She reached in her purse to get her money.
"I'll pay," Yamcha said, pulling a flat card out of his pocket.
Kenshin watched carefully. His eyes narrowed as the lady slid the card through one of the machines. Now what on earth did that do?
Bulma's eyes widened, then filled with concern.
"Yamcha are you -?"
"Thanks for comin' 'ere," the woman said, giving her first smile. She glanced at Kenshin for a moment. She turned away before he could even smile back. Why did people seem to think he was… what was it? Oh yes, dorky.
The three some walked out of the blue store. Yamcha touched Bulma's arm. She turned to him, startled.
"Bulma, can I talk to you?" Yamcha asked, glancing at Kenshin.
Kenshin understood the gesture, and stepped a few feet back. Yamcha and Bulma walked over to a corner.
"Do you think that paying for my clothes will suddenly make you forgive me?" Bulma asked hotly. "I think not."
Yamcha sighed.
"I know that, Bulma," Yamcha said. "I just wanted to say… I guess I'm sorry for, uh, yelling at you." Bulma stared at him attentively. "Uh, and I'm sorry for, uh, saying what I said. That was wrong. I, uh… well, I guess that's all. Happy now?"
Bulma continued staring at her with her frosty expression, but soon the ice melted. Her face split into a warm grin.
"I never thought you'd apologize so quickly," she replied. Her face became serious. "Well, I'm sorry too. I guess I shouldn't have hit you, even if you really deserved it."
"I didn't deserve-" Yamcha began, but stopped himself. "Er, I guess I sort of did."
This made Bulma more amused. She wrapped her arms around Yamcha and pulled him close.
"Why do you always confuse me, Yamcha?" Bulma asked.
Yamcha looked down at her.
"Well, I don't know," he grinned. "I guess I just can't help it."
Then Yamcha bent and kissed her. She started giggling.
"Let's go," she said.
"We're leaving?" Yamcha asked, kissing her again.
"No, you idiot," Bulma said, pulling back. "I still have a ton of shopping to do!" She turned to Kenshin, who was blushing furiously. "But first, we need to get him fixed up. Uh! When people look at him I'm pretty sure the first thing that comes to their mind is 'dork'."
"Oro!" Kenshin cried, surprised. "You, too?"
"Well, yeah," Bulma said. "I mean, look it you. You look like some sort of a bum or something."
Kenshin fell down anime style.
"Why does everyone say that?" he asked dizzily.
"Oh, get up," Bulma said. "You're just bringing more embarrassment upon yourself."
Kenshin quickly jumped up.
"My pardons, but what clothing store I we going to?" he asked.
"We're going straight to Burnin' Boyz," Bulma said. "They should be able to fix you up."
So the threesome headed to Burnin' Boyz. They were greeted by a short young lady wearing a white shirt and gray pants, which were somewhat of a welcome from the bright blue outfits worn at Fabbie-Lishilous.
"Hi," she said, giving them all a warm smile, especially Kenshin. "Welcome to Burnin' Boyz! What can I do for you today?"
Kenshin was relieved to hear a person speaking plain English (A/N: Or should I have said Japanese?)
"We need to get Kenshin here some clothes- fast," Bulma said.
"I can see that," the small woman said, her grin widening. Her rich brown eyes said: This will be lots of fun!
Kenshin gulped.
"Um, what kind of apparel do you sell in this shop?" he asked somewhat nervously.
"Everything you see here," the girl said, gesturing around. "Oh, and by the way," she said, turning back to them, or rather, Kenshin. "I'm Myougi."
"A, um, pleasure to meet you, Miss Myougi," Kenshin replied.
For a reason unknown to Kenshin, Myougi giggled. When she recollected herself, she offered to show them around. The three received the offer gladly.
"Oh, look at those, Kenshin," Bulma said, voice high-pitched with excitement. She pointed to a row of dark jackets. "You would look really cool in one of those, especially the brown one."
"Um, my pardons, Miss Bulma, but don't you think those are a little… costly?" Kenshin asked.
"Their on sale, you idiot!" Bulma said. "That's nothing."
"Really?" Kenshin asked, gaping. The way people spent money in this world was quite crazy in Kenshin's eyes. "Well, I do not know. The material looks a bit, odd."
"It's leather," Myougi said quickly. "But I don't think you should get the brown. The black or the navy would match a whole lot better with your lovely eyes."
"What is leather?" Kenshin asked.
Bulma and Yamcha fell down anime style. Myougi simply stared. Then, she smiled, seemingly happy to be able to once again explain something to Kenshin.
"It's-"
"It's made out of the skin on a cows butt, but it looks good, okay!" Bulma said before Myougi could answer. Myougi glared at Bulma.
"Well, I will accept the black," Kenshin said.
"No, the brown looks way better," Bulma said.
"I believe Mr. Kenshin has already decided," Myougi said in biting tones. "He said he wanted the black."
"But the brown looks better on him, and he's such a dork he wouldn't know what he really wanted!" Bulma said.
"Well a freak like you could never appreciate him and his own personal tastes!" Myougi yelled.
"Hey, shut up," Yamcha said. "I think he should get the blue one anyhow, but he said what he said, right?"
Myougi nodded happily, but steam was constantly coming from Bulma's ears.
"Fine!" she said. "But I get to chose his shirts."
Kenshin grabbed his jacket, and the foursome continued browsing the ship. Yamcha tried to convince Kenshin to buy some of the screened tees, for he himself had gotten a couple. Kenshin had refused, stating that they did not appeal to his taste. Then he continued. He chose out several pairs of pants, all of which Bulma and Myougi stated to be very fashionable. Myougi, however, would not let him get a purple shirt he had liked a lot. It had someone that looked a good deal like Kaoru embroiled in pure white on it, and furthermore, it was long sleeve and button-up.
"Kenshin seems to like it a whole lot," Yamcha said. "Why don't you let him have it."
"Yeah!" Bulma retorted. "It's a little off-color, but who cares! I like it!"
"I think it would look quite good with any of the rest of my other apparel," Kenshin said calmly.
"NO!" Myougi exploded. "It's- it's too much the old you. This is the new you we're talk about. You can't go back to those same colors- you-"
"I, let him be," Yamcha said, snatching the shirt away from Myougi and handing it back to Kenshin. "He said he wants it. At least he's learning to choose for himself."
After a little more argument, Myougi pasted a very fake looking smile on her face and continued showing them the shop.
"Do you have any shoes?" Bulma asked, eyeing Kenshin's beat up wooden slippers in plain disdain. "He can't wear those."
"Well, we don't have any of those," Myougi said, hardly hiding her contempt for Bulma. "But we do have some boots that would look positively good on Mr. Himura here-"
"And they'd probably be perfect for the trip," Yamcha put in. "I mean, the terrain on Namek can be pretty rocky sometimes."
"Finally Yamcha said some words of wisdom," Bulma said, grinning cheerfully. "He got that from hanging with me," she added, winking.
"Well, I suppose it might not hurt," Kenshin replied calmly, though mentally, he was going insane. What was so bad about his slippers?
Kenshin picked out some boots. They felt quite awful. They were heavy and would probably slow him down a great deal. He spoke these sentiments, and though Myougi and Bulma both dismissed the idea as near absurdity, Yamcha agreed.
"You're right," Yamcha said. "Myougi, aren't there any lighter boots?"
"Sure," Myougi said, though she was once again upset about being wrong. "I can show you the lightest boots in the whole store. And the good thing is, their weight does not effect their durability or strength."
Myougi went to the very back of the store. After a few seemingly long moments, she returned, hazel eyes shining with delight.
"Here they are," she announced as she revealed a pair of brown boots.
"This look even worse than all the rest," Yamcha complained.
"Yeah, these are really bad boots," Bulma said. "I can't believe you even brought these to a customer."
Myougi was about to start fuming again, as Kenshin could plainly see.
"I do not think they are so bad," Kenshin replied. He smiled warmly when Myougi looked at him in surprise. "I would like to try them on."
"Fine," Bulma replied. "Just don't complain if they mess up your feet."
Kenshin finally got to put on the shoes. Myougi, Bulma, and Yamcha waited apprehensively for his reaction. Kenshin stood up and walked around in the boots. He was even bold enough to do a small jump.
"Hey, those look pretty goo-" Yamcha began, but was shushed by Myougi and Bulma.
Kenshin continued testing out his shoes. Bulma and Myougi looked near their bursting point.
"Are they… all right?" Myougi asked, though she seemed afraid of the answer.
Kenshin turned to Myougi. She was relieved to see a smile on his face.
"They are perfect, Miss Myougi," Kenshin replied cheerily. "I thank you greatly for your assistance."
Myougi looked so blissful it nearly made Yamcha sick. Her ecstasy was so high she looked near tears.
"R- really?" Myougi said, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief acquired from one of her deep pockets. "'Cause people always say I'm, clumsy, and rude, and a bad employee and all sorts of things-"
"I do not think that at all, Miss Myougi," Kenshin replied, his smile growing in warmness. "You did perfectly, Miss Myougi."
Myougi jumped up from her seat on one of the shoe-trying-on benches. She wrapped her arms around Kenshin so tightly that his eyes bulged.
"Oh thank you!" she said, tears running down her cheeks. "You're the nicest person I've ever met! Oh THANK YOU!"
"My pardons, Miss Myougi-" Kenshin said, gasping for breath.
Myougi released him, though he still felt dizzy from that squeeze. How could someone so tiny hug so hard?
"I'm sorry," she said, dabbing her eyes with that handkerchief.
"Well, now what do we do with his hair?" Bulma asked.
Kenshin panicked.
"My hair is fine, is it not?" he asked nervously. Anything to keep them from touching his hair.
"It's very nice," Myougi said. "It's gorgeous. It needs a little fixing up though. I couldn't let your hair just be spoiled. I say let's comb it and wash it and cut it and then leave it… JUST THE SAME! Oh it's so gorgeous that's all I can think to do with it."
"You do hair, too?" Yamcha asked incredulously.
"Yes!" Myougi exclaimed. "Actually it's my strong point. I usually don't take customers, but I shall now." She gave Kenshin a wink.
"Oro!" Kenshin cried. "You mustn't cut it, that you must not!"
"We must cut it," Bulma said. "It needs to be clipped and everything. You look awful."
So, the two women forced him. Kenshin looked at Yamcha for assistance, but all he got was a smirk and a wave.
"Please, Yamcha," Kenshin pleaded. "You must not let these women do this to me!"
Meanwhile, Myougi and Bulma started laughing. They dragged Kenshin all the way into the back, where Myougi's "secret shop" was. (A/N: Don't worry, I think Kenshin's hair is just gorgeous, so they won't change it TOO much [snickers] Ha-ha!)
The girls combed Kenshin's hair, exclaiming about "wavy and nice" and "too gorgeous for any man" and "perfect for working with". Kenshin kept cautioning them not to over-do anything.
"Please do not cut it too short, now," Kenshin said shakily. "You won't… hurt it or anything, will you?"
Kenshin shuddered when he imagined himself with hair like Sano's, and then like the youth Gohan. Or maybe- NO! Not like Krillin. Krillin had no hair at all! Kenshin pleaded with the two young women to stop, but there was no stopping. They chatted while combing his hair, speaking of tangles and damage that could easily be remedied. Then the pushed his head down the sink and began scrubbing though his hair so vigorously it was painful. What did they think was there?
"Ah!" Myougi announced happily. "All the dandruff is gone! And his hair is even silkier now that it's washed. Wow!"
Then Bulma and Myougi began fingering Kenshin's hair.
"Um, my pardons, but do you mind not doing that?" Kenshin asked nervously.
The two simply ignored him and continued with their chatter. Kenshin flipped his head around when he saw Myougi reaching for the scissors.
"NO!" Kenshin cried, struggling to escape. Bulma grabbed his arm. Myougi helped. "Please, you cannot cut it! You cannot!"
"Oh, stop being a baby!" Myougi said, struggling to hold him back.
Finally, after a long struggle, the girls won and forced Kenshin back in the seat. Bulma held his head straight, for he flinched every time Myougi snipped even a little of his hair off.
Then the two began combing his now shorter hair. Kenshin was in total panic mode.
"My hair," He moaned.
The two ignored him, too engrossed in their work. Then they brought out this strange machine that seemed to blow hot air on him for hair-drying purposes. Then they combed his hair some more, speaking in cheerful voices about how happy they were that he'd turned out as good as he had. Myougi used an odd device called a curling iron to do something to Kenshin's hair. Then they combed it some more. Kenshin's scalp was starting to ache. Then they rubbed some more cold chemicals (A/N: It was just some kind of condition/holding gel. Kenshin's a baka so he doesn't know) into his hair. Afterwards, they combed some more. Finally, Myougi pulled his hair back and tied it with his old hair band. She let out a sigh of bliss, then turned him to the mirror.
"Oro," Kenshin said, surprised at what he saw.
His hair was the same, though some strands were a bit more reddish or a bit darker than others were and it was somewhat neater and shorter from where they'd clipped it. So in short, he was the same, except that he looked better.
"Do you like it?" Myougi asked sweetly.
Kenshin just let out a sigh of relief.
"I am just glad that you did not cut off all my hair," he replied. Myougi fell down anime style. Then Kenshin quickly added, "But it does look better, that it does."
"See, you big baby," Bulma said. "Was it so bad? Now, all we have to do is get you out of these crummy clothes. They can be burned-"
"I can do that," Kenshin replied quickly. The two just looked at him. He gaped. "You were going to watch me dress?"
Bulma and Myougi quickly said a chorus of "Of course not!" and "What the heck are you, crazy?"
Kenshin shooed them, and stared at himself in the mirror for a long time. Myougi had done a good job, hadn't she?
* * *
Yamcha paced outside the "secret shop", his impatience quickly growing. He'd heard screaming in there. Maybe he should have helped Kenshin.
Suddenly, Myougi and Bulma appeared out of the shop, wide smiles on their faces.
"What happened to you two?" Yamcha asked. "You look a wreck. I mean, you're all wet."
"That was Kenshin's fault," she said, her grin slowly replaced by an annoyed expression. "He was such a baby. He was afraid we'd cut all his hair off!"
"You cut his hair?" Yamcha asked, suddenly feeling guilty. "You two are really evil. I mean, he was practically begging you."
Myougi cleared her throat noisily.
"Uh, people, here's the finished product," she said, a proud smile on her face.
Yamcha looked at Kenshin. He was wearing some baggy black pants, his new boots, and a short-sleeve, button-up yellow shirt. His hair looked…
"Wow," Yamcha said, a wry grin making it's way unto his face. "Looks like Kenshin just joined a new group."
Myougi was literally beaming. Kenshin gave an embarrassed smile. He seemed to be shy of praise.
"He actually looks cool, now," Bulma said, grinning. "And it was all thanks to-"
"Me," Myougi said, quickly. She wrapped an arm around Kenshin, who flinched. "Right, Kenny-dear? Who is your sweet-heart?"
"Me," Bulma said through gritted teeth.
Myougi and Bulma immediately began fighting over Kenshin once more.
"Hey, remember we're going to Namek in five days," Yamcha told Bulma. "Don't you need to buy some stuff for the ship, and some more clothes like you said?"
Bulma snapped out of it.
"You're right," she replied. "Let's go, then."
They paid Myougi, who gave them a huge discount. When the left the shop, Myougi was blowing kisses at Kenshin by the hundreds.
"Is it just me," Yamcha whispered to Kenshin alone. "Or does that chick dig you, or what?"
Kenshin studied the ground.
"I imagine she took some sort of a liking to me, but I do not know why," he replied. "I did not entice her in any way-"
"I'm sure you didn't," Bulma snapped.
"You heard what we were talking about?" Yamcha asked incredulously.
"Do you think I'm deaf or something?" Bulma asked. "I'm standing right here! And even if I wasn't, I'd know what you were talking about from the looks on your brown-nosed faces."
Yamcha and Kenshin started sweating.
"She is quite perceptive, I say," Kenshin said nervously.
"Yep," Bulma said proudly. "And you're not. If you didn't 'entice' the snooty girl, than what did you do? Kiss her or something?"
"No!" Kenshin exclaimed. "I mean, what on earth gave you such an idea?"
"Excuse me?" Bulma asked irritably. "You practically flattered her in, like, every sentence you spoke. What did you expect her to do, simply take them as ordinary compliments?"
"Well, yes," Kenshin replied humbly. "I was simply trying to be kind, I say."
The threesome continued to chat as they walked through the mall. In five days, they were going to Namek, and they needed to be prepared. They bought everything from capsules to shoes to training clothes, and Bulma stated that she would ask her father, Dr. Briefs, to try and get some light-weight armor for Kenshin to wear that would fit perfectly with his normal clothing, and still not weigh him down.
After visiting a couple more stores, trio finally decided it was time to go home. Bulma said she was tired and she complained of aching feet, and Yamcha stated that the others were probably waiting for them.
Kenshin was relieved to see that Bulma had a kind side. She'd bought Gohan an outfit, though no doubt he'd wear his training clothes on the trip, and would probably hate what she'd bought him.
When the small group finally boarded the helicopter, Kenshin was filled with a sense of peace. He was quite glad that he had accompanied Bulma and Yamcha on the trip. Not only had he learned much about their odd culture, he'd actually become accepted into it. Furthermore, it helped him to keep his mind on things much more cheerful than worry about Kaoru, Yahiko, and all of the rest of his friends that had been left behind in his world. He certainly hoped they were as happy as he was, for he missed them greatly.
So, as the helicopter lifted off the ground, Bulma being too exhausted to drive it as quickly as before, Kenshin realized he was experiencing on of those moments of true happiness. Within five days, he would go to Namek, be sent back to his world in no time. Things were good.
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gip-k's Post Chapter statements: -Hello! Or maybe I should say good-bye? Well, anyhow, here's the end of the chapter and-
Kenshin: My hair… why did you allow them to cut my hair?
Me: Well, maybe I saw your reaction when Misao threw a kunai at you and nearly cut just a little of your hair off, and I felt like getting a kick out of your screaming. :) And I do believe she warned you not to mess with a girl's heart, so instead of kicking you like she did, I decided to frighten you.
Kenshin: None of those things have happened yet. Your story is before I left Tokyo, so I have not met her yet. However, you still look for an excuse to torment me. My pardons, but your wickedness exceeds that of Miss Megumi, that it does.
Me: How dare you! I don't behave scandalously like she does, do I? How many times do I have to tell you to have grat- Hey, wait a minute. Maybe I should have kicked you. (Kenshin goes all pale)
Kenshin: Uh, I pray you excuse me. I believe Miss Kaoru just called me. (Scampers away and is too fast for me because I'm a slow runner and he has Hiten Mitsirugi speed)
Me: Hey! Come back, here, Kenshin! I need you for the rest of the story! KENSHIN! Stop being a baby!
Kenshin: Do you promise not to cut the rest of my hair off? And to not kick me?
Me: I'd already decided the first, but if you don't get your butt over here now, I'll decide to bring Misao and Kaoru here to do the second! (Kenshin quickly brings his butt over and I nod in satisfaction)
All right, here are the special thanks.
Zeldagurl
Well, she did read my poems, didn't she? Thank you, Aislinn! Please read her stories, too! They're really good!
Dee-chan
A million thanks for staying with me in the fight to finish chapters!
Female Hitokiri Battousai
You even read my story AGAIN! Thanks a lot for staying with me, too!
Dragon Ladysupreme
Ah-huh! The girl who has Author Alert on me. Thanks for reading my stories. And hurry up and get the chapters up for "Don't Ask" or else I'll call Karasu! (Well, I wouldn't really do that since I hate him too much- he wouldn't like my frazzled hair anyways, though) Good luck with you and Sesshy-san! :) Oh yeah, Inuyasha would probably gladly kill you for marrying his hated brother. :)
Kenshin: Oh no! She read this story? But then she saw…
Me: Awww, Kenshin, don't worry, she's still your friend. Maybe she'll put some of it in "Don't ask".
(Kenshin frowns)
Oh yeah, and thanks to ANYONE who takes the time to read these stories. I'm really, really, grateful for all the support. Thanks, and until next time… Bye.
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