Disclaimer - I don't own Rurouni Kenshin.
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Toy Store
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Going Out
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"You headed out?" Kaoru called to Misao as she heard her housemate's footsteps on the stairs. Misao was wearing heels. Funny. She only wore heels to work.
Misao popped her head into the living room, long black hair swaying into view behind her pea coat. "Kenshin's taking me out to dinner."
Kaoru, curled up in her pajamas for an early night in, struggled to sit up straight on the couch. "You're going out with him!"
Misao rolled her eyes. "No. I'm going out to dinner with him. Let's not assume a steady relationship where there isn't one." Her eyes caught her hair in the mirror next to the door, and she moved into the room to fix her bangs.
"But you can't go out with him," Kaoru exclaimed, wide-eyed.
Misao rolled her eyes and smoothed down a few stray hairs. "It's not like he's picking me up. I'm meeting him there, although he is paying for dinner. And why can't I go out with him? Jeez, you sound like my mother."
"But my sister-"
"They've been over. I don't care. Everyone deserves a second chance. You had your chance already, Kaoru. He seemed really interested in you when he came over here those two times. And what did you do? You picked fights with him."
"Misao, I don't trust him. If you knew what he did-"
Misao cut her off. "Don't judge people by past actions you've only heard about, Kaoru. You know how rumors are." Satisfied with her hair, she turned to face Kaoru with a smile. "I've been really patient with you, Kaoru. I sat and listened to you complain about him for a month when he and your sister broke up. It was like you were the one that broke up with him."
"He was horrible to her, Misao, and then he had the nerve to come and make up stories about how he did it all for her! He's a liar," Kaoru declared. "I even met Megumi in the gym the other day and he's got her wrapped around his little finger too!"
"Kaoru stop it!" Misao suddenly cut her off again. Her raised voice stilled Kaoru from her rant. Misao was cheerful. Kaoru was usually the one who yelled. "Stop hating him because you still trust him!"
"I don't!" Kaoru denied vehemently. "How can I? I have every reason not to and not even one to give him the benefit of the doubt! Not one!"
"How can you?" Misao repeated in disbelief. "He cared about you when he didn't even know you! And I admire him for still caring after he saw the ugly side of you. Sometimes I have a hard time living with you and I'm your best friend!"
Her mother's home training kicked in, and Kaoru felt guilty. She couldn't meet Misao's green eyes any longer. Then self-realization kicked in too, and she had to look away, down at the other woman's shoes, down at her heels. Was she really so determined to hate him that she'd missed out on what could have been a good thing? No. She couldn't believe that. But she didn't want to hate him anymore. Hating took too much emotion.
But she had to try and save her friend, because they were best friends. The other woman was right about that at least. "Please don't go out with him," she said, because there was nothing else to say.
Misao sighed. "I'm not going out with him. He's offering me a job and he's paying for dinner while we talk about the position I might take. At some point, we'll probably wind up talking about you, and it won't be me who starts the conversation either. Good bye, Kaoru."
She turned and left the living room. Kaoru looked up just in time to see the back of Misao's petite form as she shut the front door behind her.