Who was that Skateboarding Fool?!
By Altia
Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, so don't bother suing me.
A/N: Wow… I barely broke the 500 review mark! Thanks a lot for all of you who helped me get there. I'm so horrible… I planned to update every other Saturday, but college got the best of me. I am so sorry, everyone! College has beaten me to a bloody pulp and left me to ooze. Not only that, but writer's block as well. I'll try to update more often!
Chapter 31: Another Date: Dinner and a Movie
Morning soon came for an excited Kaoru, who woke up as soon as the sun hit her face through her window. She quickly got out of bed, just knowing today was going to be a good day. Well, of course it was going to be a good day, she was going on a date with an incredibly hot red-headed skater. You'd have to be crazy to think that wasn't a good day!
She sat on the edge of her bed for a bit, stretching her arms over her head as she let her mind wander. What movie was Kenshin planning to take her to? Would it be a scary movie, so she could cling to him when she got 'scared'? Or would it be a comedy, causing them both to laugh so hard that soda shot out of their noses.
There was also the possibility that he would take her to a romantic chick-flick movie, so they could sit in the back of the theater and make out.
Nah, scratch that. Kenshin probably wouldn't put himself through that, regardless of a possibility of a make out session.
Kaoru laughed slightly at the image of Kenshin grimacing as he purchased two tickets for a chick-flick only to realize he wasn't going to get a single kiss.
Deciding to go ahead and get mostly ready now, Kaoru stood up and went to take a shower. Once finished with that, she dressed in some comfortable, casual clothes before heading downstairs for breakfast.
"Good morning, father," she greeted happily, sitting down at the table.
"Good morning, Kaoru. You seem to be in a good mood today. Any reason in particular?" her father asked, serving up eggs, bacon, sausage and hash browns.
Kaoru shrugged a bit, taking the plate offered to her and setting about eating it. "I'm going out to the movies with Kenshin later. We'll probably get something to eat afterwards, too. I hope that's alright," she said, glancing at her father worriedly. Would her father be alright with her going out with Kenshin again?
Her father was silent for a bit before nodding his head slowly. "That's fine… Just try not to stay out too late," he said, sitting down and eating his own breakfast.
Kaoru smiled brightly, glad that her father would let her go out. Once she finished her breakfast, she put her plate in the sink and hugged her father gently around the neck. "Thank you!" she said brightly before heading back upstairs.
Now, all she had to do was wait for Kenshin to call.
:::OoO::OoO::OoO::OoO::
Kenshin wasn't one to wake up early unless he absolutely had to, and today was not one of those days. Though, knowing he would be sleeping in the next day, he had enough foresight to set his alarm for 10am so he had plenty of time to get up, get ready, and find a movie and place for them to eat at.
When the alarm did go off, however, he just rolled onto his side, reached over, and flicked the annoying little device off. Silence once again filled his room, except for the sounds of his own soft snores.
It was pretty obvious he wasn't going to be waking up anytime soon.
The only thing that caused Kenshin to wake up was the sound of his own stomach growling loudly. It was 12:30 in the afternoon by this time, and his body was screaming for food.
Kenshin sighed slightly as he slowly sat up, rubbing his face with his hands. Glancing over at his clock, his eyes widened when he saw what time it was. "Crap!" he yelled, quickly jumping from his bed.
He had so much stuff to do, and not a lot of time to do it. He was pretty sure Kaoru's father didn't want her out too late, so everything had to be done pretty soon if she was to get home at a decent time.
Wasting no more time, Kenshin ran into the bathroom and quickly took a shower and put on some decent clothes.
He was trying to stay calm, though it was obvious that he was stressed. Kenshin ate his food quickly before rushing to his computer to look up a movie and some place to eat afterward.
'How could I let myself sleep in this late?! I'm such a moron!' he mentally scolded himself as he quickly scrolled through the list of movie titles. 'Would she want to see a horror movie? I mean, I don't even know if she likes scary movies? How about a comedy? You can never go wrong with a comedy… She would probably like a chick-flick. Man… Could I stand watching a two hour long chick-flick movie? Why is this so hard?!'
Kenshin was just about to have a total mental meltdown when his phone began ringing. Reluctantly leaving his chair, he walked over to his phone and picked it up. "Hello?" he asked, his voice drained.
"Kenshin? It's Kaoru. You sound tired, is everything alright?" Kaoru's voice came through the telephone receiver, obviously concerned for Kenshin's well-being.
Kenshin sighed a bit, sitting back down in his chair and looking at the computer screen. "Hey, Kaoru… Yeah, everything's fine. I just woke up late and I'm trying to find a movie to watch," he said, scrolling down the page of movie listings. "Is there any movie in particular you want to watch?"
Kaoru was silent for a bit, letting it mull over in her head. "Well, any movie would be fine. But, I think the best bet would be to go with a comedy," she said, not really in the mood for a tear jerker or horror flick.
Kenshin nodded his head slowly, looking through the list. "I think I found a good one. Next showing is at 1:45," he said, glancing at the clock on his computer screen. It was only 12:45, so he still had time to get ready and pick her up.
Kaoru smiled a bit, sitting down on her bed as she talked to Kenshin. "Sounds good to me," she said brightly. "So I can expect you here around 1:30?"
Kenshin thought about it a bit. "Hm, better make that 1:20. Better to be there too early then too late," he said, leaning back in his chair. He was a bit more relaxed now at least.
"What about after the movie? Where are we going afterwards?" Kaoru asked, wondering just what kind of clothes she should wear.
Kenshin was silent for a while, letting the thought rattle around in his head. "Just dress casual. It's not like we're going to any place fancy or anything like that," he said, shrugging idly as he looked up at the ceiling.
Kaoru smiled at the other end of the phone, nodding her head. "Alright, I'll keep that in mind," she said. "Well, I should probably start getting ready. See you in a bit, Kenshin!"
Kenshin nodded his head a bit. "Alright, see you soon," he said, hanging up the phone. "Now where in the heck can I take her?!" he yelled out in the quiet house. He was going to go crazy trying to find a place they could eat afterwards.
Suddenly, an idea came to his mind. Megumi! She'd know some place they could eat!
The red-headed skater quickly dialed her number, listening as the phone ran in his ear.
It took around 5 rings, which was longer then usual for someone like Megumi who was always near her phone, before she picked up. And when she picked up, she sounded breathless, though it wasn't from running to get the phone.
"Hello?" she managed to get out, breathing deeply to fill her lungs with air.
"Um, Megumi? It's Kenshin… Is… everything alright?" he asked, worried about the sound of her voice. It was very strange. "Did I call at a bad time?"
Megumi laughed lightly on the other end of the phone, shaking her head slowly. "Its fine, Kenshin… What is it you need?" she asked.
Kenshin blinked slowly, straining to hear something in the background. It sounded like someone else was there with her… but who? "Oh, um, I was just wondering if you knew of any good places to eat around here. Like, for after a movie or something," he explained, leaning back in his chair.
Megumi was silent for a bit, trying to think of a good place. "Yeah, you wouldn't want to take her to the same place twice… Hmm…" she said, trying to think. "I say take her to this place that I hear is pretty good. It's called the Akabeko."
Kenshin nodded his head a bit, getting the address from Megumi and writing it down on a piece of paper. "Thanks a lot, Megumi," he said. "You're a lifesaver."
Megumi laughed a bit, shaking her head slowly. "Don't worry about it, Kenshin. I'm happy to help."
Kenshin smiled, glad that was taken care of. "Alright, I'll let you get back to… whatever it was you were doing," he said. "Bye."
"Alright, bye Kenshin," she said. Though right before she hung up, Kenshin could have sworn he heard Sano's voice in the background saying something along the lines of 'Now where were we?'.
Kenshin couldn't help but laugh, thinking that was crazy. Megumi didn't seem like the kind of person that would be interested in Sano.
Putting the phone down, Kenshin got up and began looking for something nicer to wear then what he was currently attired in.
He walked over to his closet, looking through his various clothing articles. It was then that he realized he didn't have that much variation in his outfits. Most of the pants he owned were jeans, and all of his shirts were some kind of t-shirt. No combination of any of those seemed to scream 'date worthy'.
Kenshin felt like he wanted to pull his hair out by the roots. Why did this whole 'dating' thing have to be so complicated and involve so many rules?!
He kept frantically digging through his closet before he found a shirt that could work. He pulled out the hanger, noticing the shirt was just a bit dusty. Well, he could take care of that. It was a dark blue polo shirt, not a name brand, but nice enough for a date.
Walking outside, Kenshin shook the dust out of it and saw it looked practically new. He'd hardly ever worn it, only because it was a nice shirt and he hadn't wanted to mess it up. Alright, now he had a shirt, but pants were still another matter.
Almost all of his jeans were well worn; some had holes that had been patched up because of various falls during his skating.
After around 15 minutes of looking, Kenshin finally found a darker pair of jeans that he'd hardly ever worn. Main reason for that? They were just a bit too tight to skate in. Well, he wasn't skating tonight, so they should be fine.
Checking the clock, Kenshin saw he had enough time to really take his time and try to look nice. He changed into the clothes he'd picked out, seeing he looked pretty sharp in them. He brushed his long hair, making sure there wasn't a tangle in it before pulling it into a ponytail that hung against the back of his neck.
He made sure he smelt nice, as well, putting on his deodorant like usual, but adding just a bit of cologne. Not too much, though, not wanting the smell to be overpowering.
By the time he finished dressing and everything, it was 1:15, and he knew he was due to be at Kaoru's in 5 minutes. No problem.
Kenshin grabbed his keys and locked the door on his way out. He double checked to make sure he had his wallet and everything he needed for the date. Jogging to his car, he hopped in and headed out towards Kaoru's home.
::OoO::OoO::OoO::OoO::
Kaoru was practically giddy with excitement after she had hung up with Kenshin. She spent twice as long as he did trying to find something nice, but not too nice, to wear for the date.
She wanted everything to be perfect, just like any girl does when they go on a date.
Finally she settled on a nice baby-tee, pale blue in color, and jeans that were tight, but not to the point that they looked like they were painted on her skin.
Kaoru had wanted to do something fancier with her hair, but she didn't have enough time by the time she found what clothes she wanted to wear. So instead, she just brushed it out nicely and put it in a high ponytail, letting her bangs fall naturally.
She put on a bit of perfume, a light scent that was only really detectable if you got really close. And truth be told, she hoped Kenshin got close enough to smell it.
Kaoru quickly walked downstairs, getting her small handbag that had her wallet and a few essentials that a girl needed. Now all she had to do was wait for Kenshin.
And in fact, she didn't have to wait too long. Just about 5 minutes after she finished getting ready, and almost exactly 1:20, Kenshin pulled up and was at her door.
Kaoru opened the front door, about to say her greetings when her eyes caught sight of him. She looked at him up and down, her mouth hanging open a bit. Wow… he looked good!
Kenshin blinked a bit, noticing her silence when she opened the door. Was there something on his face? Though, his eyes couldn't help but do a sweep over her, though it was brief. He already knew she looked good, but today it was especially obvious.
He grinned almost stupidly as he finally broke the silence between them. "Ready to go?" he asked, leaning against the door a bit.
Kaoru blinked from her thoughts, her eyes rising to meet his. "Yeah… Let me go tell my dad," she said.
Rushing from the door for a moment, she said her good-byes to her father and promised to be home soon.
She returned to the door, smoothing her clothes out a bit. "I'm ready!"
Kenshin smiled slightly, taking her arm in his gently. "Alright, let's go!" he said brightly, leading her out to his car.
He opened the door for her and helped into the passenger seat. Kenshin even gently kissed her cheek once she was settled in before he closed the door and climbing into the driver's seat on his side.
Checking his rearview mirror, he pulled out into the street and headed towards the movie theater.
The ride over was filled with various small talk, though none of it was particularly interesting. Soon, the couple reached the movie theater and Kenshin found a parking place.
Once parked, Kenshin hopped out of the car quickly and rushed to Kaoru's side, opening the door for her.
Kaoru smiled at Kenshin as he took her hand and helped her out of the car.
Arm in arm, the two of them walked to buy their tickets. Though, this was where a bit of hostility began.
"Kaoru, let me buy your ticket! It was my idea for this date, so I should pay for everything!" Kenshin said desperately, trying to convince her to let him pay.
Kaoru let out a deep sigh, shaking her head. "No, Kenshin! I'm not some helpless girl who has to have everything paid for. I can pay for my own ticket!" she said, her voice rising in anger.
Kenshin sighed slightly. "Kaoru, please… It's the whole 'guy's pay for everything on a date' deal. It's traditional…" he tried to reason with her.
Kaoru narrowed her eyes a bit. "Kenshin, get your head out of your butt and get over this macho attitude!" she practically yelled, her hands clenched tightly at her sides. "This isn't the 1950s, and things are definitely different. I'm paying for myself, and that's final!"
Kenshin flinched a bit, putting his hands in front of him in surrender. "Alright, alright, you can pay for your ticket. But at least let me pay for dinner, Kaoru," he said, practically begging now.
Kaoru sighed, taking slow, deep breaths to calm her down. "Alright, you can pay for dinner," she said softly, her eyes closed as she soothed her anger.
Kenshin smiled slightly, taking her hand in his gently and walking towards the counter.
They paid for their tickets and walked inside. The couple discussed the kinds of snacks they wanted, and decided to go light since they were going to have dinner afterward. They bought a large popcorn to split and a medium soda for each of them.
Once the snacks were purchased, them having split the costs, the two of them found the theater their movie was in and found the perfect seats.
The movie that Kenshin had picked out definitely lived up to its title of a comedy movie. By the end of it, Kenshin and Kaoru were both nearly in tears from laughing, and both had aching sides.
Even as they left the theater, they were still chuckling to themselves. Kenshin disposed of their trash on the way out, leading Kaoru back towards his car. He just hoped this place that Megumi told him lived up to his expectations. It should, since Megumi never gave him bad advice.
"So, where are we going for dinner?" Kaoru asked, walking next to Kenshin out towards his car.
Kenshin reached into his pocket, pulling out the name and directions to the restaurant. "It's called the Akabeko… Megumi told me about it," he said, looking down at her.
Kaoru's eyes brightened happily. "I love the Akabeko! I'm glad Megumi told you about it!"
Kenshin smiled brightly, glad for the fact he'd gone to Megumi for advice. "Good, I'm glad I'm able to take you some place you enjoy," he said, the couple soon reaching his car. Kenshin helped her into the passenger seat, walking to the driver's side and getting in himself.
Starting the car, he pulled out of the parking structure next to the theater and drove towards the Akabeko.
Kaoru smiled as she sat next to Kenshin, seeing that he was doing everything he could to make her happy. Though, really he didn't have to do anything more then just be himself, but she was glad for the extra special treatment.
The ride to the Akabeko was filled with a comfortable silence, and soon enough, they reached their destination.
Getting out of the car and to the restaurant took no time at all, and the couple soon found themselves in a booth towards the back of the restaurant.
Kenshin saw why Kaoru like this place; it was very traditional in its look, and even now, they sat on tatami mats instead of chairs.
A waitress with a bright smile walked up to their table, looking down at the couple over her notepad to take their orders. "Now what can I get you two today?" she asked happily.
Kenshin blinked a bit, reading the menu through quickly a few times. It was then that he realized this restaurant was praised for its beef pot.
Looking up at the waitress, Kenshin smiled a bit. "We'll have your famous beef bowl. That's ok, right, Kaoru?" he asked, glancing to his date.
Kaoru smiled slightly, nodding her head. She always loved the Akabeko's beef pot. "Sounds perfectly fine to me, Kenshin," she said.
The waitress nodded her head, writing down the order. "And would you like anything to drink?" she asked.
Kenshin thought about it, glancing at what they offered. "Ice water's fine for me," he said.
"I'll have the same, but with a twist of lemon," Kaoru said.
The waitress once again nodded, scribbling the drink orders down. "Alright, your food will be ready soon, and I'll go get your drinks now," she said, walking off.
Kenshin smiled a bit, putting his menu aside and taking Kaoru's gently from her to put in the pile.
Looking around the restaurant, Kenshin was able to understand why Kaoru liked this place so much. It had a very friendly atmosphere and felt very homey. He would have to remember to bring her back to place whenever she wanted to go.
The waitress soon came back with their drinks and placed them on the table, smiling at the couple before once again walking off.
Kaoru took her drink, taking a sip as she tried to think of some conversation. "I'm really glad you asked me to come with you today, Kenshin," she said softly, almost as if she didn't want to break the silence between them.
Kenshin looked over at Kaoru, moving his drink a bit closer to him but not taking a sip just yet. "Anytime, Kaoru; I enjoy spending as much time as I can with you," he said, smiling kindly. "Anyway, I think we both need to relax a bit after everything that's happened the last few days."
Kaoru nodded her head in agreement, smiling a bit. It had been a crazy few days, that was for sure.
They continued to make small talk, mostly about school and how they grew up. Soon enough, their food came and a large pot was placed in the middle of the table. They were each given a plate of food to dip into the pot, and their own chop sticks to do it.
Once the food was served, most talk ceased so the both of them could eat, and eat they did.
The meal was finished in a matter of 45 minutes, and both were too full for dessert.
The waitress returned to their table with their bill, handing it to Kenshin.
Kenshin took out his wallet and removed the proper amount of money.
Kaoru blinked a bit. "Hey, Kenshin, at least let me pay my half!" she said, crossing her arms over her chest.
"No, Kaoru. I'll pay. It's not that much anyway," he said, handing the bill and the money back to the waitress. Standing up, Kenshin walked over and held his hand out for Kaoru to grab onto.
Kaoru 'hmph'ed, turning her head away and getting up herself; she wasn't about to let him pay it all himself and then act all gentlemanly. "I wanted to pay my half, Kenshin," she said stubbornly.
Kenshin sighed a bit, shaking his head slowly. "Yeah, yeah…" he said, turning and heading out of the restaurant.
Kaoru followed after Kenshin, not really upset, just annoyed as heck at the red-headed skater. She wished he would just let her pay for her half of the dinner and be done with it. Oh well, she'd just make sure to make up for it later.
They arrived at Kenshin's car, and the boy helped Kaoru into her seat. Getting in the driver side, he started his car and pulled out and headed towards Kaoru's home.
"Guess I should be getting you home now. It's nearly dark and I don't want to keep you out too late," he said, smiling over at her.
Kaoru nodded her head slowly, looking over at Kenshin. "Yeah, I promised my father I wouldn't stay out too late. Thanks for everything today, Kenshin. It was really fun," she said softly.
Kenshin grinned a bit, nodding his head once. "No worries. I had a good time today, too," he said, keeping his eyes on the road.
Almost too soon for the couple in the car, Kaoru's home came into view and they knew it was time for them to part.
Stopping the car and putting it into park, Kenshin turned and looked over at Kaoru with a smile. "Well, looks like this is where we part ways," he said.
Kaoru nodded her head slowly, smiling a bit. "Yeah… I guess so… Thanks again, Kenshin," she replied, looking over at him.
Feeling the need to get close to her, Kenshin took her hand gently, leaning forward while pulling her towards him. Their lips met somewhere in the middle of it all in a tender and gentle kiss.
Kaoru blinked a bit, slightly surprised at Kenshin pulling her towards him, though when their lips met, all thoughts of, well anything really, disappeared.
The kiss was pure bliss for the both of them, and they wished it could last forever. Though, all humans require air at some point, and they reluctantly parted with the need became too great to ignore.
Panting just a bit, Kaoru smiled at Kenshin as she unbuckled her seat belt and opened the door. "I'll see you at school, Kenshin," she said softly, smiling a bit. "Make sure you call me when you get home so I know you got home safe."
"Alright, mother," the red-head replied, an amused smile on his face. "I'll be sure to call you."
Kaoru nodded her head, smiling as she waved and headed towards the house. She gave one last wave before going inside.
Kenshin smiled slightly, waiting until she was safely inside before driving back home. It had been one fun day, but he knew that he had finish up things with his parents' funerals and get that settled.
It was going to be a long couple of weeks for him.
Arriving back at his home, Kenshin parked his car and got out, locking it up for the night. He walked inside and pretty much got himself settled for the night, changing into his sleeping clothing and freshening up before walking into his room.
Kenshin grabbed his phone, dialing Kaoru's number up and waited for her to pick up.
Before Kaoru could even answer, Kenshin spoke. "I made it home safe and sound, mother, so don't worry," he said, knowing it would be her on the other line since he'd called her cell phone.
Kaoru couldn't help but laugh a bit, shaking her head slowly. "Alright, so you're back at home?" she asked.
Kenshin rolled his eyes a bit. "No, I'm off in a ditch somewhere calling you on a pay phone. Yes, Kaoru, I'm at home," he said, teasing her.
Kaoru let out a cute annoyed grunt. "Well, sorry about worrying about you. I'll make sure not to do it again," she said, annoyance in her voice.
Laughing, Kenshin shook his head. "I'm just giving you a hard time, Kaoru… I appreciate you worrying about me," he said gently, hoping to calm her anger. He knew she could be dangerous when angry.
"Yeah, yeah… Well, since it's late, I guess I'll let you off the hook this time. I'll talk to you later, Kenshin," she said.
Nodding his head, Kenshin remembered he was talking to her on the phone, so he spoke. "Alright, sounds good. I love you, Kaoru."
"I love you too, Kenshin. Good night," she said softly.
"G'night," he said, hanging the phone up and laying down on his bed. Making sure his alarm was set, he turned the light off and drifted off into a peaceful sleep.
A/N: Wow… it's been almost a year since I updated… I'm a horrible author. I hope this extra long chapter makes up for it, though I don't feel like much was accomplished in it. Hopefully the next chapter will come easier, and I'll go back to throwing a monkey wrench into our couple's happy times. And now, to thank my reviewers, and hope for more:
MysticFirefly: Yeah, we found out a bit from his past and had cute moments. Sorry for the incredibly long update.
Sven: Thanks for the free review.
Taggerung25 (answering both reviews at once): Thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying my story so much. Yeah, sorry about chapter lengths. Hopefully this'll make up for it.
antica: Haha, well, the date wasn't exactly hot… I've never been on a date before, so I'm not exactly sure how things usually go…
Universal Fighter: Hope you enjoy this chapter, sorry for taking so long to update.
SushiLuver: Thanks a lot. Enjoy this chapter as well.
Satsuki Haru: Thanks a lot for your positive comments. Congrats, you are my 500th reviewer. Enjoy the new chapter.
Miharu Kawashi: Thanks a lot. Hope this chapter is good enough for you to enjoy.