Kaoru skipped along, receiving odd looks from everyone she passed. Most people knew Kaoru, due to her pro-wrestling father, and they knew that Matsubara Kaoru never skipped.
However, this was a completely new situation. She had a date, her first date, tonight at 7! She couldn't contain her grin. She whipped out her compact, stopping to lean against a lamppost as she called her friend.
"Miyako? How do you feel about you and Momoko getting me ready for my first date?"
A delighted squeal was the only answer Kaoru received. She sighed, knowing her friends would enjoy dressing her up much more than she would enjoy being dressed up. But it was for him...
She shook her head. He was her best friend! There was no way he felt anything for her. He was just nice.
And they were just friends. That was it. Nothing more. She began to walk over to Miyako's house, which was practically a mansion. She smirked. Miyako's grandmother was so rich; it amazed Kaoru that Miyako wasn't a spoiled brat.
She rang the doorbell, only to be greeted by huge hug from her ecstatic blonde pal. Miyako graciously took her bag upstairs for her, as Kaoru followed behind nervously.
"So, um... Miyako... what exactly are you guys going to do to me?"
"Well, there's your hair, nails, clothes, makeup... you do shave, right?"
Kaoru made a disgusted face. "Of course I shave!!!"
"Then that's one less thing we'll have to do. Your hair will be so much fun!"
Kaoru sat on Miyako's bed, watching her friend flutter around in a lovesick way.
"Your first date! That's so precious, Kaoru! Who is it with? Is he cute? Oh, is it that boy you've been hanging around with recently? He's so fine, Kaoru, Momoko will be so jealous!"
Kaoru blushed. "Yeah... it's with him. But it's no big deal, okay? We're just friends. He's taking me out for my birthday and..."
"OH MY GOD!" Miyako squealed. "Your birthday?! That's even cuter! Oh, now we definitely need to put you in some heels!"
"But I can't walk in heels, Miyako."
"Sure you can! Here, put them on now so you can practice!" Miyako pulled a pair of black open-toe heels from her closet, and dropped them on her friend's lap as the doorbell rang.
"Oh! That's Momoko! You put those on, and I'll go get her! She said she was bringing some of her stuff too! We're going to pick you out the cutest outfit ever!" Miyako bounded out of the room.
Kaoru sighed, slipping off her tennis shoes and socks and pulling on the heels. She stood up cautiously, taking a few awkward steps around Miyako's room. She was glad to have made her friends so excited, but regretted telling them it was her first date. A normal date they probably wouldn't have gone crazy over.
Watching the two excited girls discuss what color eye shadow she should wear completely changed her mind. They would go crazy over anything, as long as it gave them the opportunity to dress Kaoru up.
-+-
So they put Kaoru through what she would later recall as "absolutely, terrifyingly realistic hell". They did her nails and toenails a lovely shade of light green. They applied green eye shadow as well as mascara and eye liner, but not without a bit of a struggle causing the girls to transform and wrestle for a moment.
As Momoko and Miyako argued over what shirt she should wear, Kaoru was horrified at how short the skirt was. It barely covered anything. It was Miyako's jean miniskirt, and it really was MINI.
"Miyako, where do you wear this skanky thing?"
"Oh, on dates! Like the one you're going on. Don't worry, we're going to have you wear tights."
"TIGHTS? WHAT THE HELL?!"
Momoko gave Kaoru a funny look. "You'll be cold if you don't." She replied motherly, when an idea flashed through her mind. She grabbed Miyako and hauled her out of the room, calling back to Kaoru, "Just pick a shirt!"
Miyako yanked Momoko's hand of her collar.
"What was that for?! I wanted her to wear the cute green one!"
"Yeah, don't worry. She will. But listen, no tights!"
"What! Why?!"
Momoko got a devilish look in her eye. "Well, if she's cold, he'll have to help her somehow, right?"
Miyako got the hint, grinning back at her friend. "You're so naughty, Momoko. But okay, no tights!"
They giggled, then raced back into the room to force Kaoru to wear the cute green shirt instead of the black one she'd found in the back of Miyako's closet.
-+-
At 5:30, the girls decided it was time to tackle Kaoru's hair.
"You know, I could just wear my hat..."
"NO!!!"
"YOU CAN'T!!!"
And her two teammates sat her down in front of a mirror and began to fiddle with Kaoru's hair.
"We could do it in pigtails, like mine."
"Yes, but that's not very Kaoru."
"No, and neither is a ponytail."
"I agree. How about a bun?"
"Oh! I like that!"
"Let's do it!"
So for 45 minutes, Kaoru endured the pain of having two inexperienced cosmetologists play with her hair. Once they created a disaster, they called Miyako's grandmother who entered and had Kaoru's hair perfect in 10 minutes flat.
"Why didn't you just call her to begin with!?!"
Momoko and Miyako exchanged nervous smiles.
"Well, Kaoru-chan..."
"DON'T KAORU-CHAN ME!!!"
"We just wanted to see if we could do it. That's all."
Kaoru sighed, rubbing her forehead.
"Alright, is there anything else for me to do?"
"Get dressed!"
-+-
Momoko and Miyako grinned at their finished project. Kaoru stood before them in simple black heels, with a black mini skirt (Kaoru had refused to go if she had to wear the 'skanky' one) along with a lime green shirt. She had silver dangling earrings, and her hair was pulled into a little bun with a black scrunchie around it.
"So... I look okay?"
"Adorable!" Miyako sighed dreamily. "You're going to have so much fun!"
"You look so cute!"
Kaoru smiled, thanking them for their help.
"Anytime, Kaoru! But you need to get to wherever you agreed to meet!"
"Yeah! It's 6:40!"
Kaoru stared at them blankly. "I have 20 minutes, you two."
"NO, GO NOW!!!" was the unanimous answer she received. So she left.
Momoko smiled. "She's going on a date! Finally!"
Miyako turned to her and laughed. "With the guy you currently are obsessed with."
"WHAT?! She's dating Tobidogu Kano!? No way!"
"Yes way. It must have slipped my mind." Miyako walked away from a steaming Momoko, thinking. Go get him, Kaoru.
-+-
Kaoru was back at her house, waiting patiently. It was now 7:10. Where is he? Would he stand me up?
-+-
Kano was pissed. He didn't know where she lived, and he was late! She's probably going to hate me. He sighed, pulling out his cell phone and calling her.
He waited for her to pick up.
"Hey Kaoru, listen... I'm sor..." Kano flinched as a stream of cuss words directed at him whizzed through the phone.
"Look, I'm sorry. I just don't know where you live, so yeah."
He heard her quick apology and utterance of directions to her house. He smiled.
"Thanks babe. See you in a few minutes." He hung up quickly, thinking over their short conversation. He immediately flushed red.
I... I didn't mean to call her babe... Way to make her even more pissed...
-+-
Kaoru closed her phone, blushing outrageously. He... he called me "babe".. She grinned. Maybe this dating thing won't be as bad as I thought...
