Rurouni Kenshin
Troubled Minds
"Sano..." sighed Kenshin. For the third time this week, the gangster had dragged the rurouni out for gambling. And so far, they lost every single time.
"What is it?" asked Sano.
"Maybe we should head back. Kaoru-dono might be getting worried." said Kenshin.
"Don't worry about it. I got it all covered." said Sano.
"Really?" asked Kenshin. Knowing Sanosuke, the excuse he made up would probably be a bad one.
"Yeah, I told Jou-chan that we were going to go and get a few drinks and just hang out." said Sano.
"Oro." sighed Kenshin. He knew that Sano would mix the excuse with sake.
"Anyway, don't worry so much. I know we had a crummy day at gambling and all, but that's no reason to worry." said Sano.
"It's all the reason to worry." muttered Kenshin.
"What?" asked Sano.
"Nothing!" said Kenshin, knowing that Sano's temper was only second to Kaoru's.
"Whatever." sighed Sano. Kenshin knew that Sano was a bit upset at losing all of his (and Kenshin's) money.
"Hey, look!" Kenshin pointed to a food stand, hoping to cheer him up.
"Hmm. Never seen that before." said Sano, "But all of our money's gone."
"You've got a point, for once." said Kenshin.
"Whadda mean "for once?!" I always come up with a good point!" yelled Sano, as he grabbed Kenshin and put him in a headlock.
"Today's meals are free." said the man at the counter.
"Huh? Oh, um...okay!" said Sano, who still had Kenshin in a " gasped Kenshin.
"Oh! Sorry about that. Well, he said the meals are free today, so lets eat." said Sano, letting go, then Kenshin fell to the ground.
"Oro." sighed Kenshin, knowing that Sano would do anything for free food. He got up and followed.
"So, what's on the menu?" asked Sano. Kenshin looked around a bit. The food stand was a bit different from all the ones he visited. The man came back from the back room.
Suddenly, the hairs on the back of Kenshin's neck rose up. The man, whoever he was, had something...unusual about him. His chi was different and was full of malice. But what could it mean?
"Kenshin!" shouted Sano. Kenshin was brought back to the present with an unpleasant bump.
"Oro!" yelped Kenshin, as he toppled out of his seat.
"Stop daydreaming about Jou-chan and order." said Sano. After a few minutes, they ordered some bowls of rice, miso soup, and...sake. A whole bunch of it. Since there was really nothing else to drink, Kenshin decided to have some, but not too much.
"Whoa, Kenshin! I think that's the most sake you ever had! Your face is beet red!" exclaimed Sano.
"Really? hic This one hic thought he didn't drink hic that much." said Kenshin.
"This sake is just a bit stronger than usual." said the man.
"Well, we'd better be going, right Kenshin?" asked Sano.
"Before you go," he put out two wrapped objects, "...take one." Sano took them both.
"Um...thanks! C'mon Kenshin." said Sano, as he helped the poor rurouni gain balance. They made their way out and back toward the dojo.
"You'd better get a hold of yourself, Kenshin. If Jou-chan sees you like this, then I'm dead." said Sano.
"Well, hic too bad hic for you." said Kenshin, swaying this way and that.
"Come here." said Sano, dragging the drunk rurouni into an alley.
"We'll just sit here and wait until you compose yourself." said Sano. They sat there for a few minutes, with Kenshin hiccupping, occasionally. He got the two wrapped objects out of his pocket and looked at them.
"Here, catch." said Sano, throwing one of them to Kenshin.
"What hic is it?" asked Kenshin.
"Dunno." said Sano. He unwrapped it.
"It's a fortune cookie!" exclaimed Sano.
"I wonder what hic my fortune is." said Kenshin. Sano sighed of relief. Kenshin's drunk hiccuping was starting to stop.
"Let's break 'em open." said Sano. He snapped his in half and grabbed the paper.
"Hey! This one's hic fortune is the same as hic yours, Sano." said Kenshin. It read:
You will face the troubles of your day, through another's eyes. Solve them and you'll be back to normal.
"That doesn't make any sense." said Sano. Suddenly, the ground started to shake, violently.
"What the?!" yelled Sano. Both him and Kenshin got up. The ground shook even more. Sano tried to get some balance, but he fell. Kenshin was standing, but he also fell down, right on top of Sano.
"Ow!" yelped Sano.
"Sorry!" said Kenshin. Then the earthquake subsided.
"What on earth was that?!" exclaimed Kenshin.
"Get off me!" hissed Sano, as he elbowed Kenshin in the ribs.
"Oro!" yelped Kenshin, as he got off.
"That was some earthquake! Enough to at least wreak a small building." said Sano. A bad thought struck Kenshin at that moment.
"Hm? What's up?" asked Sano, noticing the rurouni stiffen up.
"The dojo!" yelled Kenshin, as he took off.
"Whoa! Hey! Wait for me!" yelled Sano, as he did his best to keep up.
Kenshin cursed to himself. He knew that man had something bad about him, but this bad? A bomb. A really big bomb. That had to be it. No man could ever create an earthquake. The dojo was in sight now. He hoped everyone was alright. He threw open the doors.
"Kaoru-dono!! Ka..." he stopped. Everything was peaceful, like nothing happened.
"Kenshin! I...told you...to wait...up!" gasped Sano, as he finally came, "What? What's going on?"
"Kenshin?!" Kaoru came running from inside the dojo. Whenever Kenshin yells, there's reason to worry.
"Kaoru-dono! Did you feel it?!" exclaimed Kenshin.
"Feel what?" asked Kaoru.
"The earthquake! You mean...you didn't feel it?!" exclaimed Kenshin.
"Are you alright, Kenshin?" asked Yahiko, noticing the rurouni's unusual behavior.
"There was this huge earthquake! At least large enough to knock down a small building, that it was! Neither this one or Sano could stand up straight and-" Kenshin was cut short by a shinai, right on his head.
"Ororo!?" yelped Kenshin.
"Exactly how much did you drink?!" yelled Kaoru.
"A lot, actually. I didn't know the little guy could drink that much!" said Sano, making the situation worse.
"Sano?!" yelped Kenshin, as he sat up.
"Really." said Kaoru, giving Kenshin a deadly glare.
"Yeah, I'd say at least 30 things of sake." said Sano.
"This one didn't drink that much!! It was actually 26 glasses." said Kenshin. Then he realized that he had dug his own grave.
"Kenshin..." said Kaoru.
"Y-yes?" asked Kenshin.
"YOU ARE SO-" but she was stopped by a voice.
"What's with all the yelling?" asked Megumi. Kenshin sighed of relief.
"Kenshin got drunk with Sanosuke." said Yahiko.
"Oh, is that so?" asked Megumi. She walked over and sat next to Kenshin.
"You do have a fever, Ken-san." said Megumi.
"Oro. Maybe this one was just hallucinating the earthquake." sighed Kenshin.
"Hallucinating? Maybe I should check you more throughly, Ken-san." said Megumi.
"And just what do you mean by that, Megumi?!" shrieked Kaoru.
"Oh, nothing." said Megumi, dragging Kenshin toward the clinic.
"Where are you going?" asked Kaoru, as she grabbed Kenshin's other arm.
"I'm going to give Ken-san a check-up! He looks awful!" said Megumi, pulling Kenshin her way.
"He looks just fine!" said Kaoru, pulling Kenshin back. This was now a Kenshin tug-of-war. Sano and Yahiko helped Kaoru. Surprisingly, Megumi still held her ground. Poor Kenshin though...
"Oro! Now now, you two, ow!" yelped Kenshin, as his arms were about to fall off.
"You want him to stay?" asked Megumi. Kaoru nodded, vigorously.
"Okay!" said Megumi, as she let go of Kenshin's arm. Everyone, especially Kenshin, was thrown back.
"Ororo..." said Kenshin.
"You're gonna get killed by those two soon, Kenshin." said Sano, as he wrapped a bandage around the rurouni's head. Kenshin didn't really say anything.
"Why don't you just say that you love Jou-chan, and that way the fox lady won't bother you anymore." said Sano.
"Oro! Um...well, you see..." Kenshin stuttered. Sano tightened the bandage and laughed.
"On the other hand, if you don't confess soon, I can handle it..." said Sano, smirking. Kenshin started at that remark.
"Ororo?! S-Sano...you wouldn't....would you!?" yelped Kenshin.
"Well, she is free and all. Jou-chan's free game otherwise." Sano shrugged.
"Sanosuke Sagara. If you even touch Kaoru-dono, this one swears that you'll never be able to sleep with another woman again." hissed Kenshin, as his eyes changed to amber.
"Whoa, whoa! I was just seeing how you would deal with that kind of situation. Now, enough of Battosai, change back to rurouni." said Sano, as he hit Kenshin on the head.
"Oro!" yelped Kenshin, as he rubbed his head.
"Okay, maybe that sake was a bit strong. Maybe there was no earthquake. No use losing sleep over it. Well, 'night Kenshin." yawned Sano, as he left Kenshin's room.
"Goodnight, Sano." said Kenshin. For once, he actually felt drowsy. Probably the sake. Kenshin climbed into his futon and fell right asleep.
A throbbing headache woke up Sano. He had experienced hangovers, but this one was a bit worse. That's the last time he drank sake at that place. He got up and shook his head. Then he realized something. His room was different. His bed was a bit shorter than he remembered.
"Great. Now I'm in a different room." muttered Sano. He stopped. His voice had completely changed. Then he got a good look at himself. His legs were a lot shorter.
"What's going on..." he stopped. Sano touched his head and found that his hair was in a ponytail...
A throbbing headache woke up Kenshin. Probably the first hangover he experienced in a long time. That was the last time he drank sake with Sano. Then he realized something was different. He got up and looked around. His sword was nowhere to be seen. Instead, there were bottles of empty sake all over the place.
"Oro. This one must of wandered into Sano's room." sighed Kenshin. He froze. His voice was different. The bed was a lot bigger than he remembered. Kenshin shot up out of bed.
"What the..." he stopped, as he saw himself in a small mirror...
"YYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!" They both darted out of their rooms and collided with each other half way down the hall.
"K-Kenshin?! Is that you?"
"How's this one supposed to know?! I'm talking to myself!"
"Well, so am I!!" They both calmed down after awhile.
"Okay, I'm in your body and you're in mine." said Sano, who was now Kenshin.
"How did this happen?" asked Kenshin, who was now in Sanosuke's body.
"I don't know, but I hope no one's here at the dojo." said Sano. They both tensed up and listened, intently.
"No one, good. Now, how could this have happened?" asked Sano.
"We need to think about the events last night." said Kenshin.
"Okay. First we lost all of our money. Then we ate at that new store. Then we sat in the alley. Then the earthquake. After that, we went back to the dojo, where you got tortured by the girls. Then bed. I can't see where this could've happened!" said Sano.
"It was right after we read the fortune that the earthquake happened." said Kenshin. Sano tensed up a bit. "What is it, Sano?"
"That guy at the food stand. Did he seem...different?" asked Sano.
"Yes, actually. His chi was full of malice and trickery." said Kenshin, thoughtfully.
"Do you think...that the earthquake...and the body change...was done by sorcery?" asked Sano, in a quavering voice.
"Oro. Sano..." Kenshin didn't even have time to finish.
"I knew it! He's a witch and he cast this spell on us!" shouted Sano. Though he didn't look like it, the gangster was very superstitious. And hated all kinds of magic.
"Sano-" Kenshin was cut off again, as Sano got up and ran off. He kept muttering "evil" under his breath, as he ran. For once, Kenshin was getting a bit annoyed. If anyone saw them, they would think that he had gone nuts.
"Sano, stop." said Kenshin, as he purposely tripped Sano.
"Ow! Hey, what was that for?!" yelled Sano.
"Think about it! Everyone else thinks we're normal. They don't know that we've switched bodies. We have to act like each other until we can figure this out." said Kenshin. Sano nodded in agreement. They both went to the front of the dojo and sat down. After a few minutes, they had nothing.
"What are we gonna do?" asked Sano, playing with the end of Kenshin's reverse-blade sword.
"This one has no idea." sighed Kenshin.
"What are you two doing?" Both Kenshin and Sano jumped.
"I heard a scream and I decided to check it out." said Yahiko, behind them.
"There's nothing wrong, Yahiko. Where's Kaoru-dono?" asked Sano. Kenshin stared at Sano in disbelief. He acted like he was Himura Kenshin.
"Kaoru's off doing something, I dunno. So, what's left over from yesterday, Sanosuke?" asked Yahiko with a sneer.
"Just a headache." muttered Kenshin.
"Whatever. I'm going to the Akabeko, see ya." said Yahiko taking off. They waited until Yahiko went out of the dojo.
"That was a close one, that it was." sighed Kenshin.
"You idiot!" yelled Sano, hitting Kenshin on the head.
"Oro!? What was that for?!" yelped Kenshin.
"If you're gonna be me, you're gonna have to act like me." said Sano.
"Easy for you to say." muttered Kenshin.
"Acting like an innocent rurouni is easy." said Sano.
"Acting like a gruff gangster isn't going to be easy." said Kenshin.
"Easy! For you, just change into Battosai." said Sano.
"Wha?! You know just as well as I do-" but Sano interrupted.
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Okay then, act like Battosai. Easy enough for you?" asked Sano.
"No! I wasn't that rude back then!" yelled Kenshin.
"Then just act like me!" yelled Sano.
"I-I...just can't do that!" Kenshin knew he fighting a losing battle.
"Well, fine! People are gonna think we're nuts." said Sano.
"Do you think anyone heard us?" asked Kenshin. They both looked around and saw no one.
"Well, Jou-chan probably left a list of things to do. Let's go check it out." said Sano. They went into the main room and saw a list.
"Oro, I have to go shopping again." Then an idea struck Kenshin, "Wait...no I don't!" He whirled around at Sano, "You have to go shopping!" exclaimed Kenshin.
"What?! Why me?!" yelled Sano.
"Because you're the working rurouni and I'm the free-loading gangster." said Kenshin.
"Shut up." hissed Sano, as he tried to hit Kenshin, but he missed.
"This one's too tall for you to hit him on the head now, Sano. Tough luck." said Kenshin. Sanosuke retaliated by elbowing Kenshin in the gut.
"I'm still tall enough to hit you, just be lucky that it wasn't lower." said Sano, to Kenshin, who was doubled over.
Kenshin took off into the streets of Tokyo. No shopping...what would he do? Then again, he was now Sagara Sanosuke.
"I wonder what Sano does for fun? Oh, that's right. Gambling, drinking, fighting...oro. Does he do anything...normal?" said Kenshin to himself, "Then again, doing laundry, cleaning, shopping...I don't think those would count as normal, that they wouldn't."
"Zanza!" Kenshin looked around and saw a man looking straight at him.
"Yeah?" asked Kenshin, trying to act like Sanosuke.
"You're Zanza, the fighter-for-hire?" asked the man.
"Yeah, that's me." said Kenshin, hating the way he sounded.
"Good. Now die!!!" yelled the man, as he charged at Kenshin. Kenshin was a bit surprised at how the man moved. Then he got slugged in the face.
"Feh. That's all? I expected more." snapped the man. Kenshin got up, surprised at how he could almost barely stand.
"That was just the first strike. I'll get ya next time." said Kenshin, as he stood up, still hating the way he sounded. The man charged again and this time, Kenshin got him with a roundhouse. The man went flying. Kenshin stood there, stunned.
"...Wow. I didn't know Sano was that strong!" exclaimed Kenshin, as he made his way through town.
Sanosuke cursed to himself. He has been to a whole lot of stores, thanks to the items on the list.
"At least I get a break now." sighed Sano, as he sat down in an alley. He didn't know how the rurouni could stand up to it.
"Battosai!!" yelled someone. Sano looked over and saw a person. Probably a drunk swordsman. Sano sighed, inwardly.
"Yes, what is it?" asked Sano, sounding like an innocent rurouni. The man really didn't say anything. He drew his sword, and then charged. Sano got up, surprised. Then he realized that he was up against a lethal weapon and tried to dodge the man's strike. It didn't work out as well as he planned, as he got slashed in the shoulder.
"Ha! That's all you got?! Show me some Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu!" he yelled. Sano drew the sakabato.
"This one does not wish to fight, but if you insist..." said Sano. He flew at the man and jumped in the air.
"Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu...Ryutsuisen!!!" Sano came down on the guy's shoulder with the sakabato. The guy fell back, down for the count. Sano looked down at him, then to the sword.
"Wow! I didn't know that Kenshin could jump that high! Now I'm a bit dizzy." said Sano, walking back to the groceries that he bought.
The sun was setting, as the two troubled minds met in town.
"This one doesn't know how you keep this up." sighed Kenshin, who was covered in bruises.
"Heh. Same with you, how do you take this everyday?" said Sano, who was covered with cuts and bruises.
"You know, if we go home looking like this, Megumi-dono will get worried." said Kenshin, as they made their way back to the dojo.
"Don't worry. We'll sneak in and take care of ourselves." said Sano.
"Your body is not ideal for stealth, Sanosuke." said Kenshin.
"Sure it is! You just don't know my secret." said Sano. Kenshin then blushed and looked down.
"During one of the fights, I was knocked out." said Kenshin, "This one didn't know that you liked Megumi-dono."
"Hey, whoa there! What exactly did you see?" said Sano, who was also blushing.
"Um...Megumi-dono and you, uh..." Kenshin was finding it very hard to describe what he saw.
"Don't tell anybody about what you saw!" hissed Sano, who was blushing furiously.
"Oh, and what if I do?" asked Kenshin, with curiosity.
"You know, with all of these cuts, I passed out in an alley." said Sano, "Looks like your not the good boy we all know, at least in your dreams." he added with a sneer.
"Oro!! S-Sano, you...you wouldn't." stuttered Kenshin, blushing as red as his headband.
"If you tell, then I tell." said Sano. Kenshin looked about ready to faint.
"Fine, I won't." said Kenshin.
"Wow, what I saw..." Sano giggled, inwardly.
"What this one saw was a lot worse than what I actually dream." said Kenshin.
"Ha! So you actually admit them!" shouted Sano.
"You already admitted it too, Sano." said Kenshin.
"Shut it." said Sano.
"And what if I don't?" asked Kenshin. That was a terrible mistake. As soon as they were a few feet away from the dojo, Sanosuke tackled him.
"I'll make sure those dreams of yours turn into nightmares, Kenshin!!" yelled Sano, as he shoved Kenshin face into the dirt.
"Oro! Sano-ow!-stop it! Sano! Ororo..." Kenshin tried and failed to get up. He didn't know that he was that strong!
"What's going on?!" Yahiko opened the doors of the dojo...to see Sanosuke and Kenshin, still arguing.
"Kenshin, if you tell anyone I swear-" Sano stopped cold. Kenshin lifted up his head.
"Sano? What is...?" He looked in the direction Sano was looking. They both stood up quickly. Yahiko's expression didn't change.
"You...you're...you're not..." Yahiko swayed a bit, before he fainted.
"Oro..." Kenshin also fainted. Sano looked at both of them.
"Oh boy." he sighed.
SPLASH!!! Kenshin sputtered as he was awoken by Sanosuke.
"S-Sano?" sputtered Kenshin.
"At least you're awake." said Sano. He pointed to Yahiko, who was lying in a futon with a wet cloth on his head.
"Good news is that you took a harder hit than he did. Bad news is...he knows that we're not who we are." said Sano.
"How do we tell him?" asked Kenshin, shaking his head sending water flying everywhere.
"Hey! I dunno, you tell him." said Sano, who was now soaking wet.
"Okay...wait...oro?! Why this one?!" exclaimed Kenshin.
"You're better at explaining things. If I tell it, he won't believe me." said Sano.
"Oro..." Kenshin looked over at Yahiko, "...he's awake." Yahiko groaned and sat up.
"You okay, kid?" asked Sano. Yahiko looked at Sano with wide eyes.
"Kenshin?!" he exclaimed.
"Actually, this one is over here, Yahiko." said Kenshin.
"You...your..." Yahiko looked about ready to scream. Kenshin and Sano looked at each other nervously.
Then they heard footsteps. Yahiko almost called out, but Kenshin and Sano tackled him and covered his mouth and stayed real quiet. Then the footsteps trailed off.
"Phew! That was close." sighed Sano. They got off Yahiko, who looked a tad bit calmer.
"Okay. Let me get this straight: Kenshin is in Sanosuke's body and Sanosuke is in Kenshin's body." said Yahiko.
"That's about the jist of it." said Kenshin.
"Whoa...I'm not saying that I don't believe you, since I saw it with my own eyes. Um...how are you going to tell the girls?" asked Yahiko.
"We plan to hide this, until we can figure it out." said Sano.
"I'm not sure that's a good idea, Sanosuke. Kaoru's already worried sick about Kenshin. And Megumi is actually worried about Sano." said Yahiko. They looked at each other.
"Oh! One more thing: Shinomori and Misao are coming over tomorrow." said Yahiko.
"Well, maybe Mr. Buddha will get us out of this." said Sano, crossing his arms.
"Sano..." warned Kenshin. Yahiko was laughing. Then the footsteps came back again.
"Uh oh." said Yahiko.
"By the way, Sano, who's room are we in?" asked Kenshin.
"I dunno, I just picked one that was closed." said Sano.
"Way to go, Rooster-head." said Yahiko.
"What? Who's room could it be?" asked Sano. Then they heard the ever-so-familiar voice,
"Yahiko? You better not be in my room." they heard Kaoru shout.
"Sano..." said Kenshin quietly.
"What?" asked Sano.
"You are such an idiot." said Kenshin. Before Sano could say anything, Kaoru started to open the door.
"Out the window!" whispered Yahiko. They clambered out the window, and in the nick of time, as they heard Kaoru look around and close the door. They all sighed.
"That's one we avoided. Now for the fox lady..." said Sano. They got up quietly and tried to sneak back into the dojo, unseen.
"Ken-san! Sanosuke!" All three of them jumped out of their skins at the sound of Megumi's voice.
"Um...hello, Megumi-dono." said Sano. Yahiko looked surprised at how the ruff gangster could act like an innocent rurouni.
"Both of you, how did you get like that?!" she gasped, as she hurried to check them both.
"Gang trouble." said Yahiko.
"Oh really." she glared at Kenshin, who was Sanosuke, and the look on her face told them that it was his fault.
"Wasn't my fault! They started it." said Kenshin. Yahiko was equally surprised with Kenshin.
"You're the one that mouthed off to them first, Sano." said Sano, who found it a bit hard to try and address himself.
"Now now you two." said Megumi, separating the two, "Let me check those wounds, then you get straight to bed." They followed Megumi, barely saying anything. After a few minutes, they headed off.
"Not as bad as I thought." said Sano.
"Megumi-dono really didn't seem to notice." said Kenshin. They didn't talk much otherwise, as both were exhausted.
Before Kenshin went in his room (Sano's really), he stopped by Kaoru's room and peeked in. She was fast asleep.
"Kaoru..." said Kenshin, forgetting the honorific as he closed the door quietly, "...I'm sorry." He walked off, not knowing if Kaoru could stand this anymore. Or him, for that matter.
"Kenshin!" Someone was calling his name...Kaoru? Kenshin opened his eyes, then realized the person was far from Kaoru.
"Hey, you okay?" asked Sano.
"Wha...?" asked Kenshin, drowsily. Did something happen?
"I mean-it's almost noon. I don't even sleep in that late." said Sano. Kenshin then realized he was outside.
"...You were worried about Jou-chan...right?" asked Sano. Kenshin nodded. He didn't know he wandered outside because of that.
"Everyone's gone, even Megumi and Kaoru." Kenshin looked up in surprised: Sano usually never calls Kaoru by her real name.
"Well? You getting up? We're gonna face that guy at the food stand today." said Sano, nudging Kenshin. Kenshin groaned as he sat up. He was exhausted, but the idea of finally getting some answers woke him up a bit.
On their way to town, Kenshin almost drifted off to sleep, walking.
"Hey! I'm not gonna lose you now." said Sano, snapping his fingers in front of Kenshin's face, "I know! You just need some sake." Kenshin groaned at the idea.
"Sano...this one doesn't need sake...just sleep." said Kenshin, but he knew the gangster wasn't listening. They came to a small bar and Kenshin ordered the drinks.
"Usually when I'm drowsy, a good cup of sake wakes me up." said Sano, pouring himself some. Kenshin drank the sake, and was really surprised at how much awake he was after three cups.
"Wow! This actually works!" said Kenshin, looking over at Sano. He didn't look so good, "But as for this one, sake in the morning makes this one a bit sick."
"You could have told me sooner." hissed Sano. Afterwards, they headed toward the food stand. The same man was there. Sano shuddered.
"You're right. There is something wrong with this guy." Then he stopped, "Wow, I can sense chi now!" Kenshin sighed. The man looked up at them for a minute, then bolted into the back room.
"Hey!" yelled Sano, as both of them jumped over the counter and followed him.
It was dark in the room. The man was backed into a corner, with a dagger.
"I-I don't know who you are but, I-if you get any closer I'll-" but he was cut short by Sanosuke, who drew the sakabato and knocked away the dagger out of his hands.
"Pin him up, Kenshin." said Sano. Kenshin grabbed the front of the man's shirt, lifted him up, and pinned him against the wall.
"By the sign on the food stand, you're Yukuzi, right?" asked Sano.
"...What do you want from me?" asked Yukuzi.
"Well, it seems like after we read the fortune of one of your fortune cookies, an earthquake happened then our bodies got switched." said Sano.
"You're out of your mind." said Yukuzi. Kenshin lifted him higher and this time slammed him against the wall.
"You know all well what we mean. You're the one who did this to us, ne?" asked Kenshin, angrily. Yukuzi finally gave up.
"You've cornered me. Alright, it was me who did this." he said.
"And how exactly do we get back to our normal selves?" asked Kenshin.
"You can't." said Yukuzi. Sano lifted the sword up to his face.
"There has to be a way! And you know it, don't you?" asked Sano.
"Alright, alright! Loosen up, there is a way. Make the fortune come true." said Yukuzi.
"Huh?" said Sano, confused.
"Make the fortune I gave you come true." said Yukuzi.
"Um...what was it again, Kenshin?" asked Sano.
" 'You will face the troubles of your day, through another's eyes. Solve them and everything will be back to normal' that it was." said Kenshin.
"Exactly." said Yukuzi.
"Yeah, but that makes no sense, whatsoever." said Sano.
"If you solve each other's problems, you'll be back in your own bodies." said Yukuzi.
"What problems?" asked Kenshin.
"Love." said Yukuzi.
"What?!" both of them exclaimed.
"Yes. You both have a woman you like, ne? Get them to like the other." said Yukuzi.
"You mean...I have to make Jou-chan love Kenshin..." said Sano, looking at Kenshin.
"And this one...has to make Megumi-dono love Sano?" asked Kenshin.
"Yes, and if you do, you'll be back to normal." said Yukuzi. The conversation was finally over.
"Well, lets make the love commence." said Sano. Kenshin let go of Yukuzi, letting him fall to the floor.
"Don't you dare hurt Kaoru-dono's feelings, Sano." warned Kenshin.
"Fools." whispered Yukuzi. They whirled around, but all they heard was a shot of air...then blackness.
Kenshin woke up, and was surprised to find himself lying down. What happened? Last thing he remembered was hearing a shot of air....
"Hey." Kenshin looked over and saw that Sano was also awake, "Have you any idea what happened?" he asked.
"No. The last thing this one remembers was hearing a shot of air." said Kenshin. At that moment, Megumi came in and noticed that they were both awake.
"Oh, you're up. I didn't think it was strong enough to keep you both down that long." she said.
"What wasn't strong enough, Megumi?" asked Kenshin. Megumi was a bit startled. Sanosuke never calls me by my name. What's gotten into him?
"Seems you were both hit with tranquilizers and sedated for about...oh, 10 minutes." said Megumi. She went to go out, but stopped, "We have visitors, so if you're up to it..."
"We're alright, Megumi-dono." said Sano. Megumi nodded and headed out.
"Man, you're good." said Sano, getting up.
"Oro? What do you mean by that?" asked Kenshin, following Sano.
"I mean, you're already getting Megumi, while I haven't even tried Jou-chan yet. Did you see the look on her face?" said Sano. They went outside and back into the dojo for some food.
"Oh Himura! Rooster-head!" they heard Misao chime, as she made her way down the hall. Aoshi followed her.
"Yo, Misao." said Sano. Kenshin glared at him, "Oops." he whispered. Misao stopped her bouncing around. Aoshi stopped dead in his tracks.
"Oh no. Here we go again." sighed Sano, for Aoshi had the same look in his eye as Yahiko did when he found out. Except that Aoshi finding out, was worse.
"You...you're...you're not..." Aoshi stuttered. Misao looked at him.
"Aoshi-sama...?" she asked. He passed out cold.
"Hopefully, I won't lose you, Kenshin. Kenshin...?" asked Sano. Kenshin was already swaying, then he also passed out cold.
"You lost him." said Misao, who was trying to wake up Aoshi...her style.
"No, no. You're doing it all wrong. This is how you're supposed to do it..."
SPLASH!!! Both Aoshi and Kenshin snapped awake. They looked at each other, screamed, then moved away from each other. Aoshi's reason: Battosai wasn't Battosai. Kenshin's reason: Aoshi looked just plain scary with his hair down.
"Well, seems you're both awake." said Sano. Both of them winced, as they felt a sharp pain in their face.
"Sorry. The water wasn't doing anything, so I tried slapping." said Misao.
"So...-wow, you look scary with you're hair down, Aoshi." said Sano.
"You've any idea how this happened?" asked Aoshi.
"Yes, but it's a bit complicated to understand." said Kenshin.
"Himura is in the Rooster-head's body and the Rooster-head is in Himura's body." said Misao.
"I think that's as simple as you can get it." said Sano.
"Then to get out of this, you need to get each other's lover to love them, ne?" asked Misao. They both stared at her in disbelief.
"That's...that's right, Misao-dono." said Kenshin, surprised on how accurate she was.
"Yep! I'm pretty good at predicting things!" said Misao, playing with Aoshi's hair.
"We're trying to keep this from the girls, so don't say anything about it, 'kay?" said Sano.
"What about Yahiko-chan?" asked Misao.
"Don't call me "chan!" yelled Yahiko, as he came in, "And yes, I already know about this...but not about the lover's part."
"Yep! Rooster-head has to get Kaoru-san to love Himura and Himura has to get Megumi-san to love Rooster-head." said Misao.
"...You're just as scary as Aoshi with his hair down." said Yahiko. Misao tackled him and they started one of their usual fights.
"Those two will probably never change." said Aoshi. Sano and Kenshin nodded in agreement. Kaoru called for dinner. They sat down and ate what Kaoru and Megumi cooked. Kenshin sat by Megumi and Sano sat by Kaoru. Kenshin kept a very close eye on Sano.
Later, both of them struck up a conversation. Kenshin's was going well with Megumi. Sano, however....
SLAP!!!!!!!! The noise made everyone jump, including Kenshin.
"Kenshin! How...how dare you!" shrieked Kaoru, who was blushing furiously. Kenshin looked at Sano, who was lying on his back, swirly-eyed, with a red hand print on his face.
Right now, Kenshin wanted some answers, but not in front of everyone. Trying very hard not to show his anger, Kenshin put up an act, which Yahiko started first.
"Whoo hoo! Go Kenshin!" jeered Yahiko.
"I didn't know you were that close in your relationship, Kenshin." said Kenshin, going on with the act, earning him and Yahiko a free bokken to the head.
"Now, now Kaoru-chan. You know, sometimes tranquilizers can make men a little..." Megumi stopped right there. Her and Kaoru looked at Kenshin and Sano.
"Oro?" said Sano.
Both Sanosuke and Kenshin were thrown into the shed. The door slammed shut and they heard the girls lock it...several times.
"What was that about?" asked Sano, rubbing his head. Suddenly, a well aimed punch hit Sano in the back of the head, sending him flying.
"Ow..." Sano groaned, as stars flashed in his vision. Any harder and it would've knocked him out. He turned around, and to his surprise, saw Kenshin: standing with fists clenched, "Kenshin?!"
"How dare you do that to Kaoru!!" yelled Kenshin, clearly upset.
"Whoa, Kenshin! Settle down a bit, before everyone hears you." said Sano. But even though Kenshin lowered his voice, he was still upset.
"What...made you think that you can do that?!" hissed Kenshin.
"Look. I thought it would go unnoticed, okay? I didn't really mean to upset you this bad." said Sano, who was clearly sorry. Kenshin lower his fists, looking down.
"...I'm sorry, Sano. This one didn't mean to yell." said Kenshin, slumping to the floor. Sano looked at him. He could tell that Kenshin couldn't stand this much longer. Sano went over to Kenshin and sat by him.
"Okay, this might sound a bit weird comin' out of me, but I can tell that you won't be able to do this any longer. Both you and Kaoru are being put through a lot. I know the mistake I made, and I swear it won't happen again, 'kay?" said Sano. Kenshin didn't move or say anything.
"We both can't handle this any longer. Neither can Megumi, Kaoru, Yahiko, Aoshi, Misao...anyone who knows we're acting different! So pull yourself together and we'll be able to get through this." said Sano, a bit more forcefully. Man, now I'm starting to sound like Kenshin. Kenshin finally looked up, his eyes a bit watery. He's-he's crying?!
"...Thanks, Sano." said Kenshin.
"No problem. Man, now I'm starting to sound like you." sighed Sano, "Soon, you'll be acting like me, maybe." Kenshin laughed.
"You don't sound like yourself, Sano. If you're still like that, then everyone will think you've finally snapped." said Kenshin, definetly in a better mood.
"And what do you mean by "finally snapped?" hissed Sano, who put Kenshin in a headlock. They both sat there, laughing. Even though this was very hard on both of them, it doesn't hurt to have a little fun in the midst of chaos. The shed door opened and Misao came tumbling in.
"Hey! Your allowed out now. They're gone." said Misao. Both of them got out and followed Misao.
"Since I'm really the only girl who knows about this, I'll give ya some pointers." said Misao.
"Oro? Pointers?" asked Kenshin. Misao giggled.
"Hearing that from Sano sounds a bit ridiculous. Anyway, on with the pointers." said Misao, getting out a sheet of paper.
"What's that?" asked Sano. Misao shot an annoyed glance at him and hit him on the head with a shinai.
"Ow!" snapped Sano.
"Shut up and listen, baka deshi!" said Misao. Kenshin mentally flinched. Now, how many times did Hiko call him by that...
Unfortunately, he daydreamed off a bit too far, also earning him a hit.
"No daydreaming, Himura!" snapped Misao, "Now, if I have everyone's attention, I'll begin the lesson. Aoshi-sama, you could also learn a few things from this!" she added, with a grin on her face. Aoshi blushed a bit.
"Okay, you need to know how to get a girl to love you, right? Well, since I'm a girl I'm gonna give you some on-the-field pointers." said Misao.
"Oro..." sighed Kenshin.
"No complaining, Himura! Now, on with the lesson." Kenshin and Sano quickly got out some paper to take notes, "First, you need to set up the right atmosphere; get her comfortable and relaxed around you. No quick or jerky movements near her, okay Sano?" said Misao, glaring at him. Sano smiled, sheepishly.
"Then, you strike up a conversation. Make sure it's something she'll like. Don't jump in too quick. If you get it just right, ask her out." said Misao.
"Oro? This isn't a one-day thing?" asked Kenshin, earning him another hit to the head.
"Duh! Women are a bit more complicated than men are, Himura. They need patients and time." said Misao.
"I thought you just give them flowers, ask 'em out, then the magic happens." said Sano. He also got within range of Misao's attack.
"Nope! Then, as soon as you ask them out, choose a place where they know they'll find it romantic." said Misao.
"Hmm....how about a bar?" asked Sano. This time it was Kenshin who hit him.
"Kaoru-dono wouldn't find it romantic in a bar, Sano, that she wouldn't." said Kenshin.
"Though, Megumi-san said that she found it romantic...." said Misao, thoughtfully.
"Oro?! Y-you mean...I have to go?!" exclaimed Kenshin. Sano laughed.
"Good luck, Kenshin! The bar I usually go to is a bit rough." said Sano, "Now....where would Jou-chan like to go...?" Sano asked to himself.
"She likes a romantic night by the river." said Misao.
"Easy enough!" said Sano.
"How exactly do you know all of this, Misao-dono?" asked Kenshin.
"I asked them as soon as they locked you two up. I said I was doing it because I was curious." said Misao.
"Go on..." said Sano.
"Okay, the date is going to be the second day. The night you come back, ask to speak to her in private." said Misao.
"Okay...then?" asked Kenshin.
"That's it." said Misao simply.
"What?!" they both exclaimed.
"Yep! After that, it's your feelings that get across. Keep those tips in mind when they come back, okay? It's more effective at night, so ask around then." said Misao.
"I can't believe I'm saying this...but thanks, Weasel Girl." said Sano. He got hit again on the head.
"Don't get used to it. I'm doing this, because I'm getting kinda tired remembering that you're switched." said Misao. Megumi and Kaoru came back and eyed the two warily.
"Oh, don't worry! They were behaving very well when you were gone." said Misao.
"Oh? I just bought the antidote." Megumi pulled out two, fully loaded syringes, "The after affect of the tranquilizers doesn't usually wear off until at least 8 hours after injection." said Megumi.
"Well..." Misao looked over at the two, "they did try to do something funny. Do it anyway, Megumi-san." said Misao. Both of them started to back away from the advancing Megumi, syringes in hand.
"Um...Megumi-dono, we're fine! Really!" said Sano.
"Yeah...anyway, me and S-I mean Kenshin were just going, so..." Kenshin looked at Sano, and they both took off.
"Hey!!" yelled Megumi, knowing she couldn't run as fast as them...but there was the alternative....
"Misao-chan!" said Megumi, calling her over, "Can you...?"
"Don't worry! I'll get them." said Misao, taking the syringes and holding them like kunais. She jumped up, aimed, and threw them towards the two.
"Where did you aim for?" asked Megumi.
"I know where and where not to hit, Megumi-san. The head and back of the neck are off limits. However, the back is okay. And below works even more..." said Misao, smiling. Soon, the needles struck the desired targets....and in their not-so-desired places.
"ORO!!!"
"YEOUCH!!!"
"Y'know...she could've asked nice."
"This one agrees...she didn't have to be this harsh."
Kenshin and Sanosuke were laying on their stomachs in the dojo, recuperating from today's attack.
"I don't think I'll be able to sit for awhile now." said Sano, getting up.
"Oro...and the medicine really did nothing, except make us weak and exhausted." said Kenshin, also getting up and following Sano.
"Hey, it's after dinner and it night. How about we do what Weasel Girl told us to do." said Sano.
"Oro? Oh.....that. Well, if we wanna get out of the situation we're in, we might as well try." said Kenshin.
"Okay, now you're sounding like me....that's scary." said Sano, as they split up.
"Don't you do anything to hurt Megumi's feelings, 'kay?" hissed Sano.
"I will, if you promise not to hurt Kaoru's." said Kenshin, dropping the honorific. Sano blinked in surprise, then nodded.
Kenshin walked in on Megumi, hoping he wasn't interrupting on anything. He was shaking a bit, trying to figure out when he had been this nervous before. Megumi saw him first.
"Oh, Sanosuke! Why are you here?" asked Megumi, clearly surprised.
"I....just wanted to chat, if that's okay." said Kenshin, wondering if he was going to turn into Sano, because this act was becoming easier.
"Yes, it's okay. If you don't mind, could you help me pick up a bit?" asked Megumi.
"Nope. Don't mind one bit." said Kenshin, helping her clean up the place.
"I'm so sorry about what happened today, Sanosuke. If you would've taken it peacefully, then you and Ken-san wouldn't have got hurt." said Megumi, apologizing over and over.
"Hey! Ease up a bit on the apologies, 'kay? It's alright, I told you that." said Kenshin, getting a bit of his rurouni kindness in.
They started up a conversation about the day's events. Megumi explained her day, while Kenshin tried to explain his. After awhile, they both sat on the floor. Megumi sighed.
"I think that's the most I've ever talked!" said Megumi, chuckling.
"I'd say." said Kenshin, who was just as surprised as her.
"Lets say we call it a day, ne?" said Megumi, sitting up.
"Hey, Megumi." she turned around, "You free tomorrow night?" asked Kenshin.
"Yeah....why do you ask?" asked Megumi, a bit confused on why Sano would be asking that.
"How about you and me....well..." then Kenshin realized this was harder than he thought.
"Are you....asking me out?" asked Megumi.
"Um....yeah. So....whadda say?" said Kenshin. He was really startled when Megumi started jumping up and down. Kenshin almost said, "oro!" but decided to keep his mouth shut.
"Oh, I'd be glad to go! But you have to promise me that you'll take me to that bar you always go to." said Megumi, clearly happy.
"S-sure!" said Kenshin, surprised on how easy that was.
"Okay then, it's a date." said Megumi, giving Kenshin a little kiss on the cheek. Kenshin stood there, stunned. Him, the rurouni, who is in the rooster head's body, just got kissed by a fox.
"Ta-ta!" said Megumi, as she left the room. Kenshin finally snapped out of it and walked to bed. I wonder how Sano's talk went with Kaoru....
As soon as he split up with Kenshin, Sanosuke tried to find Kaoru. Man! Where is Jou-chan? He looked everywhere in the dojo. He heard Kenshin and Megumi talking in one of the rooms. Looks like he's going alright. But where in the world is Jou-chan! Sano looked outside, but no Kaoru. All of a sudden, his senses flared. Sano gasped a little at this.
Of course, Kenshin can sense this kind of stuff. I'm not used to it yet....this chi feels like...it's empty. Lost in thought. Daydreaming, maybe? Wow, now I am starting to sound like Kenshin. Sano turned around and saw Kaoru on the roof of the dojoShe was staring up at the stars. Sano jumped on the roof also, and silently too, thanks to Kenshin's grace. Sano walked toward her, noticing that she definetly had something on her mind.
"Kaoru-dono?"Kaoru jumped a bit, coming back to reality.
"Kenshin? Why are you here?" she asked.
"You could catch a cold out here, that you can." said Sano, wondering if he was becoming Kenshin, because this was getting easier by the day. Kaoru shrugged.
"Maybe. I was just about to come in." Kaoru stood up, "The stars are shining bright tonight."
"Yes, they sure are." said Sano, looking up.
"If you want to stay for awhile, I'll stay." said Kaoru, sitting back down.
"Okay." said Sano, sitting next to her....and for a moment, forgot about the injury he obtained today. He winced as he sat next to Kaoru.
"I'm sorry about today, Kenshin. I thought that you would take it easy, but...." she shook her head, "boys will be boys." Kaoru laughed.
"It's alright, Kaoru-dono. Both this one and Sano are fine. We just won't be able to sit for awhile that's all." said Sano, and both him and Kaoru laughed. The conversation was going pleasant. Soon, it was getting a bit cold out and both of them started to shiver.
"Okay, now I'm cold. But talking this much surely helped." said Kaoru.
"It's getting late, so we might as well go in, anyways." said Sano, getting up and holding out a hand for Kaoru. He helped her up and they both climbed down. Sano miss-stepped and fell right on his back.
"Ororo...."
"Kenshin!" Kaoru rushed over and kneeled next to him, "Are you okay?"
"I-I'm fine." said Sano, getting up with Kaoru's help.
"Can you walk?" asked Kaoru.
"This one's fine, Kaoru-dono." said Sano, as Kaoru walked away.
"Well, goodnight Kenshin." said Kaoru, as she walked into the dojo. Sano then realized that he forgot something.
"Um....Kaoru-dono?" Kaoru turned.
"Yes, Kenshin?" she said, as she walked towards him.
"Um....this one wanted to know if you're....if you're doing anything tomorrow night." said Sano, blushing a bit as he stumbled for his words.
"No, I'm not, I'm free all day tomorrow. Why?" asked Kaoru, a hopeful glint in her eye.
"Um.....would you....uh, like to....go out with this one?" asked Sano, hoping he didn't mess up. Kaoru stared at him for a minute. Then she started jumping up and down, cheering.
"Oro!" exclaimed Sano, never seeing her like this before.
"Yes, I accept! Where are we going?" asked Kaoru.
"Um....maybe go for a round of shopping at the market and a nighttime picnic by the river? Is that okay, Kaoru?" said Sano, noticing that he dropped the honorific. Kaoru blinked in surprised at this. Kenshin didn't use -dono...... Then her eagerness came back.
"Oh, that sounds so romantic, Kenshin! It's a date." Kaoru walked up to Sano and gave him a little kiss on the cheek.
"Good night, Kenshin." said Kaoru, as she walked back into the dojo. Sano stood there, stunned in the moonlight. He, a gangster, who is in the rurouni's body, was just kissed by a tanuki.
Sano snapped out of his daze and walked to bed. Man, that was nerve-racking. I wonder how Kenshin's little talk went with Megumi....
The next morning, both of them were awoken by Misao.
"HEY!! Get up, already!! It's almost noon! Get up, you lazy bums!" yelled Misao, as she ran by both of their rooms shouting on the top of her lungs. Kenshin groaned and rolled over, trying to shut her out. He was exhausted. Last night's events took a toll on him. Even after he crawled into bed, he stayed up late thinking about the whole situation.
Kenshin almost fell back asleep, if it wasn't for the ice cubes she poured down his back.
"Oro?!" yelped Kenshin, as he hopped around the room, trying to get the ice out of his shirt.
"Get up!! Someone needs to make some breakfast!" she yelled, as she ran back out. Kenshin was wide awake now. He changed into Sano's normal clothes and headed outside.
"About time, Himura! Now, if only Rooster-head would get up." Misao stormed to his door, "Are you up yet?!" she yelled, knocking.
"Yeah, yeah I'm up. I'll be right there." they heard Sano's (or rather Kenshin's) annoyed voice. There was some rustling, then the door opened. Kenshin gasped in full at what he saw.
"So, whadda think?" asked Sano. He had on a black gi and white hachimaki. His hair was slicked back and looked like it was greased. It was in a ponytail, but it still didn't look right.
"Wow....I think you might rival with Aoshi-sama on this." said Misao.
"I tried to put on my regular jacket and pants, but they're huge! So I dug through Kenshin's clothes and found this nice little match. I also snuck in some gel. So, I haven't heard your opinion yet, Kenshin." said Sano, looking at him.
"W-well, if you want this one's direct opinion, I'd say that I look like a gangster." said Kenshin, stuttering a bit.
"Oh, come on, Kenshin!" Sano begged, "I need to look good for tonight!"
"Oro. Okay, put my hair back like it was originally. Also put on my old pink gi, we'll go shopping today." said Kenshin. Sano cheered and headed back into the room.
"I have to go, y'know." said Misao.
"Oro? Why?" asked Kenshin, as they headed for the kitchen.
"Again, I'm the only girl who knows about this and I'm gonna see if you're hot or not in the clothes you guys pick." said Misao, simply.
"Well, I have no objection of her coming!" said Sano, coming in, "She already gave us some great advice that worked, so what's the harm if she actually helps us some more?"
"Oro....alright. This one had no objections from the start." said Kenshin, as he prepared breakfast.
"But....if you guys don't mind, I want to do some experiments on your hair." said Misao.
"Hm? And what exactly do you mean by that?" asked Sano.
"Fix you hair until it looks really hot!" said Misao.
"And what styles are you gonna do it in?" asked Kenshin, as he brought the rice, miso soup and tea.
"I dunno, I'll have to wait until you get those clothes. And please sound like you always do, Himura. You are really starting to sound like Sanosuke." sighed Misao.
"Yeah, if you've noticed, Kenshin, we're starting to act like the person we're not.....you know what I mean, de gozaru." snapped Sano. Everyone looked at him, surprised.
".....Okay, now this one will admit....that sounded scary." said Kenshin.
"I'll agree with you on that, Himura." said Misao.
After breakfast, an argument arose....
"I should take the money, Kenshin! I'm the rurouni, now!" yelled Sano.
"This one doesn't trust you, Sano!" said Kenshin.
"Why, because I gamble?! You know I can't, Kenshin!" yelled Sano, grabbing the money pouch.
"You could easily sneak off. You've been known to do that! Give it back!" said Kenshin, pulling on the money pouch.
"No way, Kenshin. If I sneak off, then I can't impress Jou-chan!" yelled Sano, pulling back. This now turned into a tug-of-war between the money. Misao stormed in, annoyed at the two.
"Would you two just SHUT UP!!!!" yelled Misao, as she whipped out a shinai and hit both of them on the head. They both let go of the money pouch and Misao caught it, "Seriously, you guys argue more than kids! I'll take the money for now."
"We were just getting to that." said Sano, rubbing his head.
"Well, if you guys want to beat the others home, we'd better go." said Misao. Kenshin and Sano scrambled up and followed Misao to the market.
"Okay, Himura, I think I found a good one for you." said Misao, looking at a rack of clothes, "Try these on." she got out a midnight blue jacket and grey pants.
"Hey, now that wouldn't look good, Misao." said Sano, looking at what she chose.
"Deal with it. Now you come her and look at what I found for you." snapped Misao. She got out a green gi and yellow hachimaki.
"Whatever you say...." sighed Sano, as he went into a dressing room.
"Hey Himura! You ready yet?" asked Misao through the door.
"Just a minute.......okay." said Kenshin. He came out and Misao observed him.
"Hmm.......not bad! We'll get that." said Misao. They heard Sano rustling around. Then he came out.
"Hey! I don't look so bad! So.....what of me?" asked Sano. The two stared at him, incredulously.
"Um......Sano, you look like a-"
"-really messed up painting." Misao finished.
"Hey! Weasel Girl picked it out!" yelled Sano.
"Whatever. Himura got his outfit, so we'll get yours." said Misao. Sano changed out of the outfit and gave it back to Misao.
"Okay....now I might need Himura's help. What do you think looks best on you?" asked Misao.
"This one likes the old pink gi better, but I guess we can't go with that." sighed Kenshin.
"You're no help!" said Misao. She looked though another rack of clothing, "Hey now! I think this would look nice!" she got out some clothes and shoved them towards Sano, "Here. Try them on!" she pushed Sano into a dressing room.
"What did you pick?" asked Kenshin.
"You'll see. I personally like it." said Misao.
"Hey! Not bad, Misao! Not bad at all!" said Sano from in the room. He came out of the room wearing a blue gi and white hachimaki. Misao giggled while Kenshin just stared.
"Wow! Even better than Himura's!" said Misao. She looked over at Kenshin, "What's your problem?"
"He-he can't go l-like that!" stuttered Kenshin, turning a bit red.
"Huh? And why not?" asked Sano.
"Because....because that's.....um.....that's what this one wore.....when...he was Battosai." said Kenshin. Misao looked at him, then to Sano. Then back again. She shrugged.
"Well....it's only for one night anyways. You can handle that, right?" asked Misao. Kenshin nodded.
"Okay then! Lets pay for them and go back to the dojo for some hair styles." said Sano, taking the clothes.
Back at the dojo, the put on the clothes they bought and Misao went to work.
"Okay. I'll do Himura's hair first, since it's so short." said Misao, "Your too tall, sit down!"
"Okay." Kenshin kneeled down and Misao took off the headband, "What exactly are you going to do?"
"Yeah, no cutting my hair, Weasel Girl." said Sano.
"I know! I can't cut Himura's either. I'm just going to style it." said Misao, messing with Kenshin's hair. She got out a bottle of gel and squirted it in his hair.
"Oro! That's stuff's cold!" said Kenshin, as Misao started to mix it in.
"Now....should I give him a bed-head look, or a slicked backed look?" said Misao to herself. Then she mixed it up again, a bit more roughly.
"Hey, Sano! How about the bed-head look?" asked Misao, forcing Kenshin to turn towards Sano.
"Hm.....no. It looks like I didn't wash it in 2 weeks." said Sano.
"Okay, 2nd idea, then." said Misao, now grabbing Kenshin's hair and pulling it back.
"Oro! Misao-dono, what-ow!-are you doing-ow!" said Kenshin.
"Oh, just be quiet. I'm almost done." said Misao. A few pulls later, she was finished.
"You have too much hair, Sano." said Misao, "So? How is it now?" she asked, as she turned towards Sano.
"No way! I look like a....."Takeda Kanryu" type of guy!" Sano said, shaking his head.
"Oh, but those are the only ideas I had!" whined Misao, "Wait....that could work!" she said, and literally pulled Kenshin's hair back.
"ORO! Misao-dono!" yelped Kenshin.
"Oh, be quiet. This is the last time." said Misao, as she messed up Kenshin's hair yet again.
"Okay. Last time, and I like it." said Misao.
"That one I also agree with. But....it's just the same as my old hairdo." said Sano.
"Yeah, but it's a lot shinier." said Misao.
"Thanks, Misao-dono." said Kenshin.
"Okay! Rooster-head's time!" said Misao, jumping over to Sano.
"Go easy, 'kay? No hair pulling." said Sano.
"Don't worry. Okay, Himura's hair doesn't look good with gel in it so......I got it!" said Misao, ripping out the hair tie. Sano winced, but didn't complain. She messed around with a bit before she got an idea.
"What exactly are you doing? I'm getting bored and it's getting dark out." said Sano.
"No complaining! Okay! What do you think, Himura?" asked Misao. Kenshin turned, and his eyes widened.
"Hm? What's wrong? Looks like you just saw a ghost, Himura." asked Misao.
"I-I-I-I look exactly what I looked like 10 years ago!" exclaimed Kenshin.
"You mean....this is what you looked like when you were Battosai?" asked Misao. She looked over at Sano for a moment. She turned back to Kenshin, "Man, you hot back then!" Kenshin blushed deeply and squeaked a tiny "oro!"
"Okay! We're both done and.....now there's really nothing else to do but wait." said Sano, sounding a bit bored. Misao looked at both of them. Then she looked ahead and smiled.
"Aoshi-sama!" she ran towards Aoshi and got him in a tight hug, "Where were you this morning? I had to go clothes shopping for those two baka's." Aoshi looked at the two, still a bit confused on the whole ordeal.
"Well, how do we look?" asked Sano.
"You both look presentable." said Aoshi.
"Alright! If it works with Aoshi, then we have to be good!" said Sano.
"Do you know where Kaoru-dono and Megumi-dono are?" asked Kenshin.
"They are both in the market, also looking for new clothes." said Aoshi.
"Well, then it looks like you guys are gonna have to wait! 'Cause us girls love to shop!" said Misao.
"Looks like Yahiko had to go with them." said Kenshin.
"Man, I pity the kid! Two girls to go shopping with!" said Sano, laughing.
"But you're going shopping with Kaoru-dono." noted Kenshin. Sano stopped. Then he shrugged.
"Jou-chan I can deal with. She's not all that bad. I might even take her instead of you...." Sano stopped there, because Kenshin tackled him and started wrestling him.
"Don't you dare Sagara Sanosuke!" yelled Kenshin. Misao came and separated the two, physically.
"No way am I going to let you two mess up this night! Straighten up and stop teasing each other. Oh, and another thing...." Misao rummaged through her pockets and pulled out some money, "...this is from me and Aoshi-sama. Use it good, and no gambling." said Misao, glaring at Kenshin.
"Oro? This one doesn't gamble." said Kenshin, taking the money.
"Yeah, but your Sanosuke now. Use this to buy some drinks for Megumi-san." said Misao. Then she looked at Sano, "And you use it to buy some food or something nice for Kaoru-san." said Misao.
"Don't worry. I got the food, so we'll just go do regular shopping." said Sano.
"They're here." said Aoshi. The two looked up and saw the girls....and an exhausted Yahiko.
"Man....never go shopping with those two, it's a pain!" said Yahiko, as he passed, "Oh, and good luck on your dates!"
"Well, it looks like you two did some shopping as well, and got your hair done." said Megumi.
"Yep! I helped them, even though they were a bit stubborn to do it." said Misao.
"Well? Shall we?" said Kaoru.
"Indeed." said Sano, standing up and taking Kaoru's hand.
"Let's go, Rooster-head!" said Megumi, excitedly.
"Aren't you happy. Alright, lets go Fox Lady." said Kenshin, taking Megumi's hand. The couples took off down the road, Misao, Aoshi, and Yahiko looking after them.
"Wow. I wonder if they'll survive the night." said Yahiko.
"Yeah, especially since the bar that Himura's going to is really rough." said Misao.
"They'll be fine." said Aoshi.
Before the two split up, they winked at each other, their way of saying "good luck!" Kenshin knew where the bar was; he'd been there a lot of times to back Sano up during a fight. He looked over at Megumi, who was smiling. She was wearing a purple kimono with little flower prints on it. It was against her fox-like personality, but she looked beautiful.
"Is that it?" Megumi asked, snapping Kenshin out of his thoughts.
"Hm?" he looked ahead and, sure enough, the sounds of the rough bar were in the building ahead, "Yep, that's it! Ready? It can get a bit rough in there." said Kenshin.
"I'm ready for anything! Send it to me and I'll face it head-on!" said Megumi raising her fists. Kenshin had to admire her enthusiasm. They walked in, and immediately everyone looked at them, and some jeered. Megumi snapped at them, using some language Kenshin thought she would never say.
"Really! I'll have to teach them a lesson later tonight." said Megumi, sitting next to Kenshin. He then imagined a drunk Megumi fighting some drunk bar guys....Kenshin chuckled at the thought. They ordered some sake.
"That's all your gonna drink?! Pathetic!" yelled one of the guys in the bar. Megumi turned around, mad.
"If you don't think a lady can drink, I'll show you a thing or two!" she turned around and ordered a whole jug of sake.
"Um....Megumi, you sure about this?" asked Kenshin.
"Of course I'm sure!" said Megumi. She turned to face the whole bar, and started chugging the jug down. Kenshin eyes widened as she started drinking. Some of the guys cheered. In a few minutes, she downed the whole thing.
"Wow! I think you might rival me, Megumi!" exclaimed Kenshin.
"We'll have to see, huh?" said Megumi, already turning red. She ordered 4 more jugs of sake and handed two to Kenshin, "First one to pass out, throw up, or quit, loses. Okay?" Kenshin was startled at the challenge, but he accepted it.
"Alright, Fox. But I'm warning ya, I'm pretty good." said Kenshin, grabbing a jug. This might be a terrible night........or it might be really fun......!
Sano's night was going pretty well. They looked at some stores and found a number of things. Kaoru was pretty excited. She was wearing a light blue kimono with pink cherry blossom prints on it. Kaoru also had a pink ribbon in her hair.
"Wow! Look at all the stuff here! There sure is a lot of cool stuff here! What do you think, Kenshin?" asked Kaoru.
"This one thinks there is a lot of interesting stuff here, that there is." said Sano.They turned a corner and found themselves at some foreign shops.
"Wow, I don't think I've been here before. Have you, Kenshin?" asked Kaoru.
"No, I don't think so, Kaoru." said Sano. They walked down and looked at the many shops. There was a lot of strange foreign stuff.
"Oh! Kenshin, look at this!" exclaimed Kaoru. Sano looked at what Kaoru was pointing out. It was a very pretty necklace made up of shells and beads, "But look at the price! I've already spent my money today." she sighed sadly. Sano took the necklace off of the rack and put it in Kaoru's hands.
"I'll get it for you, Kaoru." said Sano.
"Really...? Thank you Kenshin!" she hugged him, tightly. He paid for it, and put it on Kaoru's neck.
"It looks beautiful on you, Kaoru." said Sano, resisting to call her koishii.
"Look over there!" exclaimed Kaoru, as she darted off to another store. They were selling a variety of foreign clothes and items.
"Oro!" Sano exclaimed, as he looked at some of the items they had.
"Exactly! This is amazing! Look!" she pointed to a bag of chocolate, "I heard this is very sweet! We'll buy a bag of this!" she said, taking 1 lb of chocolate. Sano turned around and saw a weird hat. Curious, he tried it on...and it slipped right over his eyes.
"Oro!" yelped Sano, as he tried to get it off. Kaoru laughed and helped him take it off.
"That looked silly on you, Kenshin." laughed Kaoru, as she put the hat back. Her eyes wandered to a set of bracelets, "What are these?" Kaoru picked up the bracelets and looked at them.
"Those are love beads from China. They say if you giver your partner one, there's chance of love in the future." said the salesman. Sano and Kaoru looked at them.
"We'll buy them." said Sano, finally. Kaoru looked surprised at first. He bought them and gave one to Kaoru.
"T-thanks, Kenshin." said Kaoru, blushing a bit. Sano smiled. This was going really well, "Hey, look at this." Kaoru pointed out some bottles.
"The bottles say French Wine, Whiskey, and Bourbon." said Sano. Then he knew why she was showing these to him.
"I bet Sano would like to try these." said Kaoru, taking the four bottles, plus an extra wine, "They say this is great to use on dates." Sano smiled. This might not be so bad after all......
A bar fight erupted in the already noisy bar. Kenshin sat up, after passing out from the sake drinking challenge and getting knocked down by one of the guys. Wow. This is fun.....but a bit dangerous. Kenshin stood up and looked around for Megumi. He sat at one of the bar stools and ordered another thing of sake.
"Man! She can fight!" yelled one of the guys.
"Yep! That's my girl!" said Kenshin, not really noticing what he said. He was drunk. Very drunk. But he didn't care, this was a night to remember. Megumi was fending off some drunks, and she was really good at fighting.
"So....you're finally up." said Megumi, her hair all messed up, her kimono dirty and torn in places, and drunk.She sat next to Kenshin and ordered some sake.
"You're drinking more?" asked Kenshin.
"Yeah, I'm starting to fail a bit here." said Megumi, downing the sake in one gulp, "Say, how about we teach these guys a lesson. Y'know, for saying a lady can't drink an' fight." said Megumi. Kenshin chugged the last bit of sake he had.
"A rumble, huh? I like the way you think, you Fox." said Kenshin, standing up. This might be fun! Megumi lashed out first, taking out a guy in one swing. Kenshin got the next guy, starting a whole bar fight.
"Alright! Now the whole bar's fightn'." cheered Kenshin, ignoring his rurouni carefulness. Megumi cheered with him. Fists were flying everywhere. Even a stray sake bottle once in a while. So this is what Sano did for fun.....Kenshin considered if he should ask him to go with Sano one day.
"Sanosuke!" Megumi shrieked. Kenshin got there faster than he usually did, taking out the guys that surrounded Megumi. Now things were starting to get interesting.....Him and Megumi took out some more guys and had some time to drink some sake....making them more ready to fight.
Kenshin knew he had reached his limit....but did Sano even have a limit...? I drank at least.....what, 8 jugs of sake? And I'm not even starting to get dizzy or passing out! He took on some more guys, wondering if he'll ever stop.
"Go, Sano!" yelled Megumi, cheering him on, while she drank some more. Kenshin grabbed a sake jug and hit it on a guy's head. This was fun! His senses were screaming to stop, but the sake drowned it all out. This was way better than doing laundry. Suddenly, a guy got behind him and smashed a half-full sake jug on his head. Kenshin blacked out.
"This is so wonderful, Kenshin!" exclaimed Kaoru. They got finished with shopping and set up a picnic spot beside the river. Sano packed some bento boxes and sake.
"It's beautiful, isn't Kaoru?" said Sano. He had been dropping the honorific since they started, and Kaoru was getting used to it.
"This was a lot to think about, huh?" said Kaoru. Sano looked over at her, confused, "What I mean, is that you couldn't have thought this up over a day. That you would spend this much time planning this....for me. Thanks." Sano smiled.
"There's really no need for thanks, Kaoru. This one knew you liked the river by night and shopping, so I arranged something a bit extra, also." said Sano, who didn't even tell the rurouni what he did with the extra cash he found in Kenshin's room.
"Huh?" asked Kaoru. Sano pointed to the horizon of the river. Fireworks suddenly shot up and exploded into a brilliant arrange of colors. Kaoru gasped as the show went on.
"Wow! It's beautiful, Kenshin! You shouldn't have." said Kaoru, pouring herself some sake.
"All for you, Kaoru." said Sano, also pouring some sake. They sat there, eating and drinking and watching the fireworks show. They sat there for and hour or so, before Kaoru spoke.
"Kenshin, there's been something I've been meaning to tell you." Sano looked at her. She was drunk, but the look in her eyes told him that the thing she was going to say was truthful.
"Yes, Kaoru?" he said.
"....I love you, koishii." she said. Sano was stunned. He never expected her to say it like this. Kaoru looked at him, expectantly.
"....I love you, too, koishii." said Sano. This was going more than well...this was going great.
"But y'know....Sanosuke's date with Megumi probably isn't going as well as ours." said Kaoru, being her drunk self again. She started swinging her fists in the air, pretending to punch someone, "There's probably a fight and their the one's who caused it. They're probably very drunk too." she swung too hard and overbalanced herself. Kaoru fell right into Sano's lap, both of them laughing. Soon, the laughing ceased and Kaoru's head rolled into Sano's chest as she passed out.
"You over-drank again, Kaoru." said Sano softly, brushing her hair out of her face. He picked up the picnic and carried that and Kaoru back to the dojo. She's really cute when she's asleep. But Kaoru is Kenshin's girl. I can learn a lot from this and use it on the Fox. I wonder how the rurouni's date went......
Kenshin woke up, his head pounding. Ow....what happened...? He looked around as his vision slowly came back. The bar was a mess, and everyone else was gone. He looked down, and found Megumi, either unconscious or asleep, in his lap. Kenshin smiled. He got up slowly and shook off the dizziness. He picked up Megumi and headed out. Kenshin stopped at the bar table and put a tab on there.
"Thanks for making this a night to remember." Kenshin said, as he headed out. It was past midnight. Kenshin was swaying this way and that, and his head felt like it just got hit by a cart. He knew if he didn't make it to the dojo soon, he'll pass out on the streets.
He must've daydreamed, because before he knew it, the dojo was in sight. Kenshin gave sigh of relief as he walked toward it. Then he saw Sano walking with Kaoru asleep in his arms. They both stopped and looked at each other.
"Man, you look awful." said Sano, softly.
"You wouldn't believe the night I had." said Kenshin, "Lets hurry, I'm about to pass out cold." They made it to the dojo to find everyone asleep. They put the girls in their rooms and crawled into bed.
"Hey." Kenshin looked over at Sano, "I want to know the whole thing tomorrow. 'Kay?" he asked. Kenshin nodded and almost collapsed into bed.
"You awake?"
Kenshin blinked. Who was that? His eyes focused more and he saw Megumi. Megumi-dono? But...how....
"Huh?" mumbled Kenshin, as he sat up. His head swam a bit, wondering if he was going to pass out.
"You took a hard hit, last night. Remember, you got hit in the head with a sake jug." said Megumi. Kenshin was still confused, but he remembered. So that's why my head hurts, "You started getting delirious last night, so that's why I brought you here."
"Oh..." said Kenshin. He tried to remember Misao's lessons. "The next day after the date, ask to speak to her in private" There's no one here....this is it!
"Megumi, can I talk with you for a sec...?"
Sano woke up, and something was different. He felt like someone was also in the room with him. He got up, and saw Kaoru lying at his feet. When did she come in here? Kaoru also woke up, blinking at Sano.
"Good morning, Kaoru." said Sano. Kaoru sat up and rubbed her eyes.
"....Good morning, Kenshin." she mumbled. Sano smiled. Then he remembered what Misao told him. "The next day, after the date, ask to speak to her in private." There is no one here, except me and Kaoru. Okay, Kenshin, you better be doing this with the fox....
"Kaoru? Can this one speak with you for a moment?" asked Sano. Kaoru looked at him, confused at his question.
"...Sure, no one's up anyway." she said, sitting next to him.
"You don't have to apologize, you know." said Megumi. For the past 5 minutes, Kenshin had be apologizing for his (or rather Sano's) mistakes. Once in a while, he took a look at the romantic books Kaoru reads....this is how the men do it and then the girl loves them.....right?
"Yeah, I do. I haven't really been treating you with as much respect as I should." sighed Kenshin. To his surprise, Megumi started laughing.
"Oh, you little baka rooster head. Last night made up for all of those mistakes." said Megumi, a strange glint in her eye.
"...Really?" asked Kenshin.
"Yes."
"Really Kenshin, you don't have to apologize. You do that too much anyway." said Kaoru. For the past 5 minutes, Sano tried to think of some things that Kenshin did that would upset Kaoru.
"Yes, this one does, Kaoru. I haven't been worthy enough for your love." said Sano. Hopefully this would work. If not, maybe a crying scene would work, because he was on the verge of tears.
"Kenshin no Baka!" Kaoru gave him a slight cuff on the head, "You always say that! Don't, your worthy of everything you have....including me." Kaoru had a strange glint in her eyes. Sano didn't know what was happening, but he liked the feeling of this.
"Koishii....." but he was hushed with a look.
Then the kiss. A fleeting few seconds of a wonderful feeling that felt like a lifetime....then the next, their vision turning into a whirl of color. Then blackness.
"I think he's waking up."
Kenshin had no idea about what happened. His head was spinning, but it didn't hurt anymore. The last thing he remembered was kissing Megumi.....
"Kenshin? Are you alright?" Kenshin opened his eyes. Slowly, his vision came into focus and he saw Kaoru, Yahiko, Megumi, Misao, and Aoshi standing there. Then he realized that someone called him "Kenshin." Was he back? He looked at himself briefly. The blue Battosai gi.....he was back. Kenshin was now Kenshin again.
"Hey, you okay?" Yahiko's question snapped him back to reality.
"Yes, I'm fine Yahiko. What happened, anyway?" asked Kenshin.
"Well, by the looks of it, you passed out after a few seconds kissing Kaoru-san, Himura." said Misao.
"The surprise was probably too much for ya." said Yahiko, shaking his head.
"Battosai is man enough to stand up to a kiss." said Aoshi. Everyone looked at him, surprised.
"Ow...." everyone looked over at Sano, who was finally getting up. He rubbed his head and looked around. Then Kenshin saw that Sano realized that everything was back to normal.
"What happened?" he asked.
"You passed out after kissing Megumi. Really you guys, kissing a girl is no big surprise!" said Yahiko.
"How would you know?" asked Aoshi. Again, everyone was surprised by him. Yahiko blushed, furiously.
"Um....I, uh......it's none of your business!" he stuttered, turning red.
Everything was back to normal.... Kenshin sighed in relief, as everyone left the room, until only him and Sano were left.
"Well, we pulled it off, Kenshin." said Sano.
"That we did." said Kenshin, smiling. Then there was a short silence.
"Full details later." they both said at the same time. They blinked, then laughed.
"Well, the girls are probably getting a bit worried about us. Lets go." said Sano getting up. Kenshin followed the suit.
Finally, now everything can fall into place. After a few days of a living chaos, everything was back to normal......and that's how they both hoped it would stay.
A week later, Sano, Yahiko, and Megumi stood waiting in front of the main room, where an hour ago, Kenshin asked Kaoru to speak in private. They didn't follow, and they weren't eavesdropping.
"This is taking forever." sighed Sano.
"I bet he's putting the moves on her." said Yahiko.
"Ken-san's not like that. I'm just here to hear the results." said Megumi. Then the door opened and they all stood up. Kenshin came out, wearing the usual rurouni smile....but there was something different.
"Alright, Kenshin what happened?" asked Sano.
"Well...." Kenshin sighed, and his smile turned into a huge grin.
"Haven't seen that, before." said Yahiko.
"What did you do, Ken-san?" asked Megumi.
"......This one proposed to Kaoru." said Kenshin. Everyone started dancing around, cheering.
"Wait, stop! We have to know the answer before we actually celebrate." said Sano. Everyone stopped and listened, intently.
"She said....." Kenshin started.
"She said.....?" asked Megumi.
"She said....." Kenshin said again.
"She said.....?" asked Sano.
"She said....." said Kenshin.
"Out with it, rurouni!! Before I beat your head in!" yelled Yahiko, waving around his shinai, threateningly. Kenshin looked down, making everyone's hope's fall. Kaoru said.....no?
".....Yes." Kenshin said, finally. There was a short silence.....then a huge celebration came out.
"Alright, go Kenshin!!" yelled Sano. Everyone started to dance, including Kenshin, who was laughing giddily. Yahiko started to bounce up and down. Megumi almost squeezed the life out of Kenshin. Sano got him in a headlock and noogied him so hard, that Kenshin thought his hair was going to fall out. Kaoru came out, also very happy.
"I'm going to make some lunch!" she said, cheerfully.
"Now I really don't care if she cooks bad or not! I'm happy for you both, man!" said Sano.
"Where's Misao-dono and Aoshi?" asked Kenshin, calming down.
"They went into town to do something, I dunno." said Yahiko. Then they heard the usual bouncing of Misao at the gates.
"We gotta tell them the good news!" said Sano, dragging Kenshin to the dojo gates.
"Hey! Kenshin here proposed to Kaoru and she said yes! What do you think of that, eh?! What do you..." but Sano stopped as the scene he saw was wrong. Very wrong. In anyway possible, wrong. Misao was quiet and still as she came through the gates. Aoshi, however, was as bouncy as Misao was supposed to be. There was something definetly wrong here.
"Congrats, Himura! When's the wedding? Me and Aoshi-sama will definetly be there!" said Aoshi, cheerfully. Sano and Kenshin looked between the two.
"Yes, we'll go, Misao. Congratulations, Battosai." said Misao, plainly.
"Misao sounds like Aoshi and Aoshi sounds like Misao...." said Sano.
"Yeah! We went to this new food stand in town where we got some really tasty fortune cookies!" said Aoshi. Then the truth hit. Kenshin and Sano looked at each other.
"Oro...." sighed Kenshin.
"Oh man..." sighed Sano.
They both fainted.