Chapter 1: Breaking The Shell…Or Is It a Soft, Fuzzy, Squishy Thing?

Kenshin stood in front of Kaoru, and she tried her best to suppress each and everyone one of the giggles dying to escape her lips.

In honor of being a master, Kenshin had changed into a slightly fancier gi, that happened to be a fairly nice royal blue, and he was looking…well…good, so good in fact that his slave happened to be in love with him.

He cleared his throat and stood in front of her. "Kaoru, as your master…" he said strongly and in charge at first, but…

"Kaoru-dono," he whispered, "What do I make you do?" he asked meekly in a murmur.

Kaoru sighed and stomped her foot, "Master!" she said, making sure she got her point across, "This humble one cannot tell you what to do for it is your day, MASTER KENSHIN!" She giggled a bit then regained her composure.

"Oh, oh right!" he said, his voice husky and it made Kaoru blush. He bit his lower lip and leaned in towards her ear, whispering, "I can have you do anything, right?" he asked, hesitantly.

"Anything you desire." She said, looking towards his face, he looked at her and after a silent battle of locked eyes, Kaoru turned back to her original position.

Kenshin gulped and stood straight one last time, "Kaoru…I want you to change your kimono." He said, building up his courage, and also shouting the very first thing that came to mind...

"Um…okay? Into what other kimono master?" Kaoru asked, a slight question and hesitant in her voice.

Kenshin shook his head, "I'm going to pick it out for you today." He grabbed her hand and pulled her along towards her bedroom. He opened the shoji, stepped inside and she sighed.

Kenshin walked towards the dresser and Kaoru opened it, quickly stepping away after she finished.

Kenshin looked inside and dug. He had seen a lot of these kimonos already, a pink one, a white one, the usual yellow one, a rare forest green one, a lavender one, a pale yellow one, and a light blue one. Kenshin sighed. He thought she looked beautiful in all of these, but he wanted something different. Something to make her his own…

At least for today…

Then it hit him…

He shut the door and turned to Kaoru, "Go to my room Kaoru and put on my gi and spare hakama."

Kaoru blinked to register what he just uttered. "W---"

"Are you going to speak back to me?" He asked, an eyebrow lifting.

"No Master, Yes Master." Kaoru said, her voice high pitched and nervous. She spun around and fled her room to go to Kenshin's. She stopped mid-way and felt her face, "It's warmer then normal...What brought that on?" she said, running again. She wasout of breath when she opened Kenshin's door. She walked in and peered around.

"Well, there's his gi…but where's his hakama…" She walked in further and went to the chest in the corner of the room; she opened it and gasped.

"Well, there's his hakama…" she said to herself, taking it out and throwing it on his futon. She then reached into the chest and pulled out one scroll out of the five or six that were lying there, "He wouldn't," she said to herself in a chiding manor. She unraveled it, "Oh…my…Kenshin…"

Kenshin waited patiently outside for Kaoru, tilting back and forth on his heels and toes, he whistled a little tune the regained his master-like composure when he saw his servant girl in his gi and hakama. She was not smiling and gave no emotion on her face what so ever.

...This concerned him...

He smiled at her and put his hand on her shoulder "You look good." He said simply.

Kaoru nodded her thanks, "I have something for you…" she said, her voice slightly filled with venom. She took two scrolls out of the left sleeve and handed them to Kenshin. He took them curiously and unraveled them. "ORO!" he shouted and passed out to the floor.

"So Maaaaster!" Kaoru said annoyed, "Didn't know you like that kind of stuff MAAAASTER!" She tapped her foot repeatedly on the ground and spun around, "I should burn these things." She said in a huff under her breath.

"But Sano gave them to me! He said I should lighten up!" Kenshin said, suddenly standing up, pleading his defense.

Hey...Wait…!

"Excuse me." Kenshin said suddenly, "Aren't you supposed to be my slave?" He asked, a cocky manor coming over him in seeing how he just turned the tables on the girl.

Kaoru's shoulders tensed and she turned around, "Yes…" she said, not wanting to admit it. "I am."

"Then please, return these items to my room…you can kill me at midnight." Kenshin said, shooing her off.

Kaoru bit her lip and tightened her hands into fists to control her rage, "Yes, Master…" she spun around and stomped off…

Oh yes, she would so kill him tomorrow…

Kenshin let out a sigh of relief and relaxed, "At least I have a few hours to live before she kills me…" and he fell to the ground in a heap.

"Oi Kenshin!" Sanosuke called from the gate, he waved, and walked over towards him, "Where's Jou-chan?" he asked, scratching his head in wonder and kicking Kenshin lightly in the head, repeatedly.

"She's inside putting those LOVELY SCROLLS you gave me away." Kenshin said with an air of frustration, magically standing up.

"Kenshin! You're not supposed to let your woman find them." Sanosuke replied, hitting Kenshin over the head, knocking the man to the floor again.

Kenshin stood up quickly, "She's only my woman for today!" His eyes widened and he shook his head wildly.

"What?" Sanosuke asked, an evil glint in his eye. "Why just today? Why not have her all the time?" he said, a questionable tone in his voice, "I mean, you loooove her don't you? You find her beautiful. You find her unique. Can we get any less perfect?" Sanosuke asked in jest.

Kenshin blinked, "No…" he answered, "But it's just for today! I can have her do anything I want her to." Kenshin said smugly, like it was a huge feat or something…like he was the number one swordsman in Japan…

Oh wait…he was…never mind…

"Why just for today?" Sanosuke sighed in defeat.

"Because she forgot it was this one's birthday." He replied.

"Oh right! Man, I'm sorry Kenshin!" He said, slapping him on the back, "It's a big one too isn't it? The big three-O!"

Kenshin's face fell again, "Yea, I'm thirty! I get it!" Kenshin huffed and started breathing unevenly in annoyance.

"Calm down Kenshin." he said, putting his hands up, "Ill change the subject…so uh…what are you gonna make Jou-chan do?"

"That's the problem! I don't know!" Kenshin said, throwing his hands up into the air to show his desperation and his need of a dirty, filthy man's help.

"I see." Sanosuke said in great understanding, "Well…I'm not gonna say much, but I think if you reach real far down, deep within the bowels of your manhood…you'll find the right brain to use and put it to good work, cause man…that thing's gonna die if you don't get with it soon!" he shouted, calling to the sky!

Kenshin stared at him… "What!"

"All I'm saying is," he started in his normal tone, "Stop thinking with your upstairs brain and start using your downstairs one Kenshin! Break out of your meek little shell…or is it egg, I dunno, whatever, you get the point." Sanosuke sighed, "Do ya get it?"

"I think so…"

Kaoru slammed Kenshin's trunk shut and stood up, angry... "I wish I'd never even looked in that damn chest in the first place." She spun around and fixed the over sized gi that constantly kept slipping off her small shoulders.

She restored her meek, serventcomposure and walked briskly back outside to stare in wonder at two men who were having a conversation.

...And Kenshin seemed to be nodding in a perceptive way...

Kaoru quickly jumped in between the two men...almost like flying...and shook her head, "Don't please! He might give you naughty ideas!"

"Uh Kaoru?" Kenshin asked, staring at her oddly. "Sano and I were talking, step aside."

Kaoru looked at Kenshin and nodded, "Yes, Master…"

Sanosuke shook his head disapprovingly st her, "So like I was tellin' ya before, Tae told me that pretty soon my tab would be close to nine thousand yen…so I was curious…"

"No." Kenshin said matter-of-factly.

"You are so cruel." Sanosuke said impassively, sighing and turning around. "Well, 'member what I said Kenshin, see ya later Jou-chan…I mean…servant girl!" he laughed loudly but was silenced by a random vase smashing into his head.

"You can't call me that!" she shouted at him, her face red with anger.

"Kaoru, calm down." Kenshin said, putting a hand on her shoulder and she immediately relaxed. "All right Sano, we'll see you later."

"Right…later." And with those words, Sanosuke left the two alone.

"What now Master?" Kaoru said, her humor...returning to her...slowly.

Kenshin thought long and hard then stopped, kind of like an on off switch, "Well…I think we should go into town…" Kenshin said, nodding.

"Dressed like this?" She asked, holding her arms up to show him his magenta gi.

"Of course!" Kenshin said, taking her hand and pulling it, "Now come on slave, time to go."

Kaoru followed limply behind him, afraid of what the people in town might think of her most unusual outfit…or more…of what Megumi might think!

"Hohohohohohohohoho!" Megumi laughed at the crestfallen Kaoru, "This a new outfit for you Tanuki! Hohohohohohohohoho!"

"You see Megumi-dono," Kenshin said directing to Kaoru, "Kaoru is my slave for the rest of the day…she forgot my birthday."

"That's right Ken-san! It is your birthday, isn't it? Thirty years old!" She smiled but cocked her eyebrow at Kenshin's fallen face. "What's wrong Ken-san?"

"Nothing Megumi-dono…" Kenshin said dully. "Well anyway, I need to pick something up, Kaoru stay here okay?"

"Yes…"

"Yes what?"

"Yes…Master…"

"Hohohohohohohohoho!" Megumi laughed wildly again, as Kenshin walked off towards the many shopping stalls that lined the streets, "I suppose as Ken-san's servant girl you get to feel his soft, fuzzy, squishy, thing…hohohohohohohohoho!" She laughed after her most dirty joke.

"I hope you mean his hair!" Kaoru said in a squeaky, shocked voice.

"Not the kind on top of his head! Hohohohohohohohoho!"

"Oh my Megumi-san!" So crude…

Soon after Kenshin returned, he handed a few of the groceries to his servant girl who was waiting for him. They said their good-byes to Megumi and headed back to the dojo.

The walk was mostly silent, and Kaoru was having trouble carrying the bags of food as well as picking up the sleeves that constantly fell off her shoulders.

Once they returned home, both the master and slave put the food away in the kitchen...then sat on the porch pondering what to do next.

"Master…May I take a bath…"

Kenshin's eyes widened, "Uh…well…" he said, unsure of how to answer that. "I suppose so…" he looked down at his hands which rested in his lap then back up at the awaiting girl…

"I think I should go with you…"