Disclaimer: Don't use a blow drier while soaking in the tub. I don't know why you would ever want to do this, but I'm sure some idiot tried it. Then their equally idiotic love one sued, and now we have to deal with those little pictographs on the tags for ever and ever.

"I don't understand dating.. and the other things that people do.. all I know is that you ought to find the one you recognize. The one who gives you four arms, four legs, four eyes, and has the other half of your heart. There's only one of those, so what are all the other things for? Like dating?"
― C. JoyBell C.

LAST TIME

"I almost forgot. Kenshin?" She said, the tip stopped a little closer to Kenshin's face than would strictly be considered comfortable.

"Ye-yes. Kaoru?" Kenshin was leaning back with his eyes crossed toward the practice weapon.

"Have you eaten anything today?" Her expression read 'deadly serious: just try and lie to me'.

"I had an omelet for breakfast." Kenshin's eyes were wide but his voice was steady.

Kaoru remembered what she had seen in the fridge. His story checked out. "Okay then." She smiled and bounded out the front door. "Come on, let's go!"

THIS TIME

"Can you pass me a box of those chicken-pot pies?" Kaoru pointed to a glass door further down the frozen foods section of the supermarket.

"Kaoru, don't you think you have enough frozen meals?" Kenshin was staring at the basket on her arm. It was nearly overflowing with frozen pasta, frozen chicken nuggets, frozen beef casseroles, frozen . . . well, you get the picture. Kenshin's eyes had grown in direct proportion to the fill level of the basket since they had entered the isle four minutes ago.

Morning practice had been more productive than Kaoru could have hoped for. The air had been awkward and stiff for the first few minutes but they had fallen into the rhythms of their respective kata and all the strange happenings from the previous morning was forgotten. Kenshin had even started making helpful suggestions here and there.

"Your form and moves are really good, almost text book. And that's fine for practice. But in a real fight they can become predictable. Don't be afraid to deviate from your training now and then. Keep your mind open to new possibilities – including those that seem less effective at the time. Even the best of swordsmen can be defeated by a trick he doesn't know."

Kaoru had thrown herself back into the kata with a new mindset and renewed vigor after that. It made sense. Almost all of her experience was limited to a practice environment where everybody did all the predictable things. So she did some of her own variations that morning. Most of them were clumsy and didn't flow right, but Kenshin had approved so Kaoru vowed to keep trying.

After practice, Kaoru had suggested a joint trip to the supermarket to restock their destitute fridges. Since the presentable breakfast yesterday, she had originally been planning to be as sneaky as possible about the trip to hide what was going to be irrefutable evidence of her food failure. But somewhere between her wedding memory malfunction and clumsy kata execution, she had decided to throw her caution into a deep, dark hole and burry it under heaps of independence and don't-give-a-crap.

So, after showering, changing and a quick car ride, during which Kaoru was suddenly very aware of how badly her car needed a spit shine, they were strolling around the store and filling their baskets.

To Kaoru's great dismay, Kenshin hadn't yet gotten anything other than whole foods. Not even a bag of chips. He didn't seem obsessed with getting all organic like Megumi was, but still, no pre-packaged anything. Kaoru had a passing thought that if they mixed everything in their baskets together it might just look like a normal, balanced shopping trip.

Kaoru spared her full basket an apprising glance. "I think I have about two thirds of the week covered."

"But you know what they say about shopping the perimeter of the store, right?" Kenshin watched as Kaoru marched passed him and snatched up the box of frozen chicken-pot pies. "This stuff isn't really healthy for you."

"Sure it is. This one has carrots, celery, and peas in it." Kaoru waved the box in his face dismissively. "Besides, Megumi's fridge is already stocked with plenty of fruit and veggies for snacks and whatnot."

"You could maybe get some eggs, or some fish and miso."

Kaoru rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure, if you want them to die a burnt and acrid smelling death."

"You can't be that bad of a cook, Kaoru." Kenshin reached to pull the cold box from Kaoru's grip.

Kaoru sidestepped his hand and balanced the chicken-pot pies in her basket with the rest of its frozen brethren. "Yes, I can be, Kenshin. And I really don't want to take chances with a kitchen that isn't actually mine."

"But, Kaoru you-"

"No 'buts', Kenshin. And you're hardly the person to be lecturing me about bad eating habits."

Kenshin winced and shuffled his feet on the linoleum. "You're never going to let me live that down are you."

Kaoru laughed and squeezed him briefly around the middle with the arm not holding her basket. "Nope."

Kenshin followed her as she all but pranced away and down the aisle, smile spreading across his face. "How about you let me cook for you, then?"

Kaoru stopped suddenly and turned around slowly on the tips of her toes like a ballerina. "Are you asking me to dinner?" She was fighting a losing battle with the grin pulling at her lips.

"Uh, w-well, that is to say, those frozen meals aren't nearly as good as the home cooked variety, a-and I want to make sure . . ." Kenshin stopped to take a deep breath. " . . . Yes?"

Kaoru took her time closing the space between them, placing her feet one in front of the other, toe first. Her black flats tapped lightly on the shiny floor. "How does six thirty tonight sound?"

Kenshin was nodding mutely. Had her legs always been that long? Her jeans held her calves in a snug embrace and stopped just above her small ankles. Kenshin noticed one dark freckle on the top of her left foot dipping in and out of sight as her flats ebbed and flowed against skin along with her dainty steps.

Kaoru reached out and gave his hand an awakening squeeze. Kenshin blinked. "Six thirty?" Kaoru nodded and a hissed oath tore itself from his mouth.

"What is it?"

"I have a client meeting tonight." His thumb brushed against the back of her hand. "I had completely forgotten about it." His brows were pulled together; his eyes were staring, unfocused at their joined hands. "How about tomorrow night?"

Kaoru made a great show of mulling it over with a lot of "hm"-ing and trundling her eyes around like she was reading something floating in the air above her head. "I don't know. The cats have been so demanding lately. And all that sitting on the couch and doing nothing is really tiring." A mischievous grin cracked her lips. "But I think I can squeeze you in."

When Kaoru made it back to the house she had three missed calls from Megumi and way too many text messages to bother reading. So Kaoru decided to skip the voice mail check and just call. Her phone was picked up mid-way through the first ring.

"Hey, little missy. Now, before you say anything I have to know; is the house falling down around your ears? Because Meg is going to have an aneurism if she has to wait any longer for a status update."

Kaoru cocked her head to her shoulder to hold the phone in place while she shuffled through her grocery bags. "Is she really that bad, Sano?"

The sigh that followed crackled in the phone speaker in a long hiss. "She just worries. It's more of a control thing than anything else, I think."

"I'm sorry, Sano. I'll send her proof of life later."

Sano laughed. "A few photos should do it. Thank God for smart phones."

"Where is she now?"

"Taking a shower. What have you been up to?"

Kaoru slid the last of her frozen meals into the freezer and grabbed an apple from the crisper. "I've been sorta busy all morning. My phone – Well, I kinda got, um, distracted."

Sano's chuckle was interrupted with a yawn. "Doin' what?"

"Well, Kenshin and I sorta hit it off. And we've been doing stuff together. Where does Meg keep the cutting board?"

"Behind the toaster oven. You two kids are playin' safe right? Kenshin's a good friend and I really don't want to have to cut his nuts off."

Kaoru nearly dropped her paring knife. "Oh, my God! Sano! Not that kind of stuff." Kaoru was thankful for the barrier of technology to hide her raging blush. "We like, practiced kendo and went grocery shopping."

Sano's reply was colored with genuine shock. "Really?! Not even a little?"

Kaoru all but attacked the apple with the paring knife. "No! I mean, the most physical contact we've had was when I had to help him inside during his dizzy spell."

"Huh. I guess that's good. 'Cause, you see I wouldn't exactly enjoy the castration, but I'd do it." There was a brief pause. "Wait. What dizzy spell?"

Kaoru munched a piece of the apple. "Oh, it was this whole thing where Kenshin forgot to eat and over exerted himself during practice. The bump on the head probably didn't help either. Hard to believe it was only yesterday, actually."

"Jeez, Missy." Sano sighed. "And here I thought you'd be bored to tears."

Kaoru scoffed. "Anything but." She fell into the couch, the last apple pieces clutched in her hands. "I mean, we mostly do mundane stuff, but it's fun. I don't really know how, but it's fun."

Kaoru heard the creaking of a door and a feminine murmur before Sano began speaking very quickly. "Sounds great Kaoru. I'm sure it's true love. Send those photos soon as you can. Later, Missy!"

"Sano? Hang on. Sano?" The call had ended. Kaoru looked at her phone in annoyance. "True love, Sano? Really? Marriage has officially made you crazy."

CHAPTER END

I am so sorry for the lateness of this chapter. I haven't gotten the opportunity to write for nearly a week and I'm playing catch-up. Also, my sister got me hooked on the Vampire Diaries so that's consuming a lot of my free time. . I know, I hate myself too. lol I'm coming up on the end of season two.

P.S. We are about mid way-ish through this story. I expect to be between 18 and 20 chapters in length.

Expect chapters every other day until I can get back in the saddle.

Reviews are love.