Since so many people have requested faster updates, here's the next chappie for ya now!

Chapter 9: Preparations and Lots of Giggles

Shortly after lunch Tae from the Akabeko came over. Somehow she knew about his and Kaoru's date (he suspected Sano). She and Kaoru retreated to Kaoru's room.

"What are you doing to take SIX HOURS! Are ya trying to make Busu un-ugly?" Yahiko commented snidely. Kaoru turned back to him and smiled sweetly.

"Oh, Yahiko, it sounds like you need to take 500 swings at the practice dummy. The dojo floor needs to be cleaned, too, and…" Yahiko backed away hastily, before she could add anything else to his growing list of things to do.

"Alright, alright, I got it…" He grumbled under his breath as he walked toward the dojo. Kenshin sighed and gathered the day's laundry.

Upon recollection, this really wasn't the wisest thing to do, since he was really preoccupied about that date later. But scrub he did.

"Hey, Kenshin?" Yahiko looked up from his swinging and walked over.

"Yes, Yahiko?" Yahiko gingerly took a garment off the drying line.

"Why does Kaoru's hakama have soap on it?" Kenshin looked up curiously, then his eyes widened. He stood up swiftly, knocking his bucket over as he did so.

"Rinse! Sessha forgot to rinse!" He ran to the well to get more water.

"Kenshin forgetting how to do laundry? What is the world coming to?" Yahiko wondered aloud. Shrugging, he turned back to the practice dummy as Kenshin ran around like a headless chicken.

After rinsing his abused laundry, staring at the sky for while, checking his sword 15 times, being kicked out from eavesdropping behind Kaoru's door 12 times, and running around the dojo 6 times, Kenshin was bored. All he could hear coming from Kaoru's room was a lot of giggles, which wasn't doing a whole lot for his nerves. Well, yes it was. It was making them worse. There were still two whole hours before the date.

Date. He thought to himself. What a wonderful word.

Creeping back to Kaoru's door, he listened with his mind, ignoring the nonstop giggling. He concentrated on Tae, afraid of what he might find in Kaoru's mind.

Oh, Kaoru looks so cute like this; Ken-san will just die! Well, no, he won't, but he'll certainly enjoy the view!

"Tae, are you sure this is okay? I mean, I don't want Kenshin to think…" Kaoru's voice trailed off. Tae giggled again.

"He won't, Kaoru-chan, besides, it's cute." Kaoru sighed gustily.

"Kaoru, I'll be amazed if Ken-san can do more than stare and drool!" Kaoru laughed at that.

"Goodness, Tae, give him more credit than that! I bet he'll look just as good…" Kaoru's voice drifted off dreamily. Then her voice hardened. "He better be wearing something other than that ratty old gi he usually does!" Behind the wall, Kenshin winced, very glad he had thought of that. He'd have hated to be on the other end of her temper tonight.

You probably will be anyway. You never seem to get anything right around her. Kenshin cringed.

Oh, gee, Battousai, no need to soften your words for little ol' sessha… He got the feeling Battousai snorted.

No need indeed. You are going to mess this up so badly you'll wish you had let me out. Unless you want to do that now... Battousai's voice trailed off in a pointed suggestion. Kenshin shook his head and concentrated on the room behind him again.

"…go ask him."

ORORORORORO! Kaoru will kill me if she finds me back here again! Frantically, as quietly and quickly as he knew how, he ran to his room. It's a good thing my room is just next door to Kaoru's.

He shut his door just as Tae opened Kaoru's. Calming his racing heart, he waited for Tae's knock.

"Ken- san?"

"Uh, yes?" He opened the door and Tae's eyes narrowed.

Well, now I know how to wake Tae's Battousai. All I have to do is wear bad clothes to an important occasion.

"Ken-san, you're not really going to wear that gi, are you? It's, well…"

"It's old," He supplied. Then he smiled his rurouni smile. "Of course not, Tae-dono. It's not proper for the occasion, that it most certainly isn't. Sessha will be changing right now." He smiled, she left, and Kenshin breathed a sigh of relief.

…Can't wait… tell Kaoru! Her mind-voice faded like a bad television set. Kenshin sighed, then dug under his futon for his new clothes. Shaking out the few wrinkles that had accumulated, he shrugged off his old clothes. There came a rap at the door.

"Oro!" Sano stuck his head in to see the poor rurouni in his loincloth frantically searching for a place to hide. He laughed and shut the door behind him.

"Chill, Kenshin, it's just me. Fox-lady came by to help Jou-chan get ready, and I thought you might want the same. Hey, those look nice!" He strode over to Kenshin's laid out clothes. He held them up.

"Buy these to wear for Jou-chan?" He asked wickedly. A faint blush appeared on Kenshin's cheeks.

"Well, sessha couldn't wear everyday clothes for Kaoru tonight…" Sano cackled, more like an old hen than a rooster. Taking his garments from Sano, he pulled them on, feeling the texture against his skin, very different from his well- worn gi.

"Heyyy… looks real nice!" Kenshin turned, suddenly insecure.

"Really?" Sano smiled, seeing the swordsman's eyes fill with worry.

"Smoking!" Worry was replaced by confusion.

"That's good, right?"

Poor rurouni, you know so much and so little! Bwahahahaha! Let the torture, er, story, continue. Enter Kaoru, and then they're on their way! Next time: Chapter 10: The time is now! An Eventful Journey. Coming soon to a near you!