Disclaimer - I don't own Rurouni Kenshin.

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Toy Store

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Surprise Surprise

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"Himura followed me home from work," Misao screeched as she burst in the door. Kamatari had been staying with them for two days. "We've got to get ready; he'll be here any second!"

"What?" Kaoru asked, upset. "But Kamatari's not even home yet! How'd you beat him back anyway? He drives faster than you."

"I sent him for ice cream and avoided the cops while I broke several traffic laws," Misao said, slamming the door behind her and dropping her briefcase on the floor. "How are we going to do this?"

"Um," Kaoru tried to focus. "I'll answer the door and we'll all just sit down in the living room, and I'll explain the whole thing to Kenshin, hopefully before Kamatari comes back. Sounds like a plan?" Kaoru asked as she peeked out the front window and saw Kenshin pulling up in the driveway.

"That's not a plan!" Misao shrieked. "Kenshin's scary when he's mad, Kaoru. We can't let him get angry!"

"Ah, you're right!" Kaoru admitted. Kenshin was scary when he was upset. The time he'd been angry at her, she'd been too cross to feel anything besides adrenaline and resentment, but to stand here and wait for him to blow up, without the force of her own fury to hide behind… She wasn't looking forward that. "Maybe this isn't such a good idea. You answer the door. He'll know I'm hiding something."

"You're right," Misao agreed, nodding her head furiously. "I'll answer it and then you come out and hug him."

"I don't ever hug him!"

"You do when you need to tickle him," Misao informed her bossily.

"What," Kaoru exclaimed. "I can't just randomly start tickling him after I randomly hugged him! This is crazy, Misao. Think of something else."

"Hey, do you want Kamatari to walk in here before we soften Kenshin up a little? He's due back any minute, Kaoru." Misao watched Kaoru's face for expressions of rebellion, but other woman looked momentarily defeated. She continued. "Then, while you're hugging him, I'll tackle him from behind and we'll start the tickle torture. Quick," Misao made shooing motions with her hands, "Go in the kitchen and act like you just heard the door or something and didn't know he was coming. I'll back you up."

Grumbling, Kaoru retreated into the kitchen just as they heard a knock on the door. She was not going to start randomly tickling Kenshin! Sure she'd hug him. They did need to soften him up a little, prepare him maybe, but she wasn't really afraid of Kenshin flipping out on them. It wasn't like he was going to turn into a rabid dog and start biting them on the side or something. She was really afraid of him seeing it as betrayal, as her betraying him. She was afraid of what that would do to their relationship. Thin and flimsy as it had been, it had grown and thickened and toughened and now she thought she might just- Misao opened the door and greeted him. Taking a deep breathe, Kaoru pasted the most cheerful smile imaginable on her face and walked into the hallway.

He was still dressed in his work clothes, holding a plastic bag from the corner store, and smiling at Misao as she reached out to take it from him. Kaoru realized she felt guilty. Was it fair of them to think they could make him promise to lie to his sister for a whole month? But she'd heard Kamatari's story, and she'd promised him, damnit, promised him she would get Kenshin to keep the secret from Tomoe. She couldn't break her promise.

She watched as Kenshin glanced up and saw her, watched the way his eyes softened a little, softened with trust, she thought guiltily as he smiled at her, and for an instant her smile almost faltered. But she remembered what Tomoe had said to her. For some reason, this family held secrets, and she didn't agree with that, but she could hold this one just once, just for a few moments, to prove to herself that what Tomoe had said was ridiculous.

"Everything alright?" he asked instead of his usual hello, as she'd known he would, because she couldn't show him an emotion that wasn't real, even if she wanted to. She could lie to the rest of the world, but she couldn't lie to Kenshin. Why couldn't she lie to Kenshin?

"Is everything ever alright?" she asked him as she walked forward, knowing that was the wrong thing to say, because that wasn't the way she usually thought at all, no, only in these moments when she had to lie. Behind him, Misao's eyes widened a little in alarm. Kaoru focused on the fact that she was happy to see him, because she really was more happy than dismayed. But still, there was the dismay. He'd see it soon, if he hadn't already. "How was your day at work?" she asked him as she went in for the hug.

He froze for a moment, in surprise, she assumed, and she realized she was actually going to go along with Misao and Kamatari's crazy plan as she used his stiff surprise as her excuse to tickle him. He started laughing and jerked violently away, so suddenly and so surprisingly that she let go.

"Wow, you really are ticklish," she said, blinking in surprise because he was still laughing.

"Who told you?" he managed just before Misao worked up enough guts to go for his neck with light fingers and he started laughing again. Kaoru couldn't help laughing as he collapsed onto the floor and curled up in a ball in a vain attempt to protect himself, practically shrieking with laughter as she joined Misao in executing the tickle torture. She hadn't done this on one of her peers since college, but hey, college had been one of the best times of her life.

"Okay, Kenshin. You have to promise us one thing before we'll stop," Kaoru yelled over his laughter, and over Misao's laughter. The woman was having a little too much fun torturing him.

"What! What!" he breathed, his face flushing red. It was fascinating, the utter lack of control he had over himself while he was laughing, albeit laughing against his will. She hadn't recognized the degree of control he kept himself under, not until now. She smiled wider, witnessing him like this, a vowed to make him lose control more often, even if she had to resort to immature tickle tortures now and then.

In the end, she couldn't make him promise to keep secrets from his sister. She'd still do her best for Kamatari, but she couldn't betray Kenshin's trust. "You have to promise to hear out a certain person who'll be coming here soon," she said. "You have to hear him out before you react."

"Okay, okay, just stop!"

"Promise?" Misao asked, stopping, but jabbing his side just to watch him jump.

"I promise," he said, sitting up and sliding away from both of them. "What was that for?"

Kaoru shrugged and grinned wickedly. "Fun."

"So much fun," Misao exclaimed. "I didn't know you were so ticklish!"

"You're really getting a kick out of this aren't you?" he asked, rubbing his side, probably conscious that his stomach was sore from laughing.

"It's the little things, Himura, the little things."

"Kaoru, help me up. I trust you more than Misao," Kenshin said, holding up a hand.

"Sure," she said, and walked over to him. She was hauling him up at the same moment that the front door opened and there was Kamatari, looking surprised, she realized, just before she realized that she was equally as surprised. She let go of Kenshin, but he didn't let go of her because he was also equally as surprised, and he wasn't standing yet, so he accidentally pulled her down and he landed back on the floor and somehow she landed in his lap.

"Kamatari," he said in amazement. He seemed completely oblivious to the fact that Kaoru was sitting in his lap, and as long as he didn't notice, she wasn't about to be the embarrassing one to point it out.

"Hello, Kenny," Kamatari said cheerfully. "Hi, girls. It's not my turn for dinner, is it?"

"It's mine," Misao said cheerfully. "We're having lasagna tonight. Himura brought ice cream for dinner because I made him do it."

"Dinner?" Kenshin asked, still seemingly unaware of Kaoru in his lap, although he had to look over her head to see his brother-in-law.

"Is there some reason you're in Kenny's lap, Kaoru?" Kamatari asked, even though he'd seen them fall. He just had to say it because he was Kamatari, Kaoru realized.

And then the whole thing fell apart.