Hello, everybody! I’m so happy that I am home! It’s not that I don’t like to travel, it’s just that I couldn’t stand being away anymore (I guess I missed my computer). Just answering a review before I forget it. Javiera Anguita: Yes, I’m Brazilian. There are a few fanfiction writers around here that are from Brazil too. Just before continuing, I have to thanks to Kathie (a.k.a. Kayjuli), the editor of this story. Without her this chapter wouldn’t be possible (I got a major writer’s block!). Anyway, for those of you who like Card Captor Sakura, Kathie has the most amazing fanfiction about it. It’s called ‘The Power of Two Hearts’. I recommend it. Oh, I almost forgot. Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin. But I’m going to write a letter to Santa and I hope he’ll give it to me next Christmas. If the entire cast is not possible, I hope I can get at least Kenshin (mmm... Kenshin, wrapped as a Christmas present... Mou! Going hentai over a anime character? I think I need a boyfriend. But go figure, after watching Rurouni Kenshin, I don’t think I’ll ever meet someone that can measure him... I never met someone that can fight using the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu!). Dinner date It was a cold winter's morning at Kamiya Dojo. Kenshin was lying on his futon, not willing to move. However, his body didn't feel cold as it usually did. But that didn't mean he felt comfortable, quite the opposite, he felt like a potato sack had been dropped over him. In fact, he could hardly move at all. Not only that, but something was tickling his chin. He would take out a hand and chase away the itch, but he couldn't move his arm. Kenshin opened one eye, then the other, just to close them tight again. Then he opened his eyes again and it was still there. "GET OFF OF ME!!!!!!!" Kenshin shouted at Sano's ear. "Huh? Don't yell, Kenshin. I have a headache." Sano said, turning to the other side and resuming his snoring. "What kind of parallel universe is this?" Kenshin mumbled, pinching his arm. 'Yup, I'm awake. What is the last thing I remember? Sano told me he would help me with Kaoru.' "SANO! WAKE UP" Kenshin yelled again, kicking Sano's back. "Ouch, Kenshin! That hurts!" "How much did we get to drink last night?" "Not enough, apparently. You didn't get to tell Jou-chan what we came here for. But you came real close to that." "How close?" Kenshin asked. "Let me remember... You said you had something to tell her. Then she started talking dirty. She said she would spank you until you started looking like Randolph or something. Who the hell is Randolph? I told you to act quickly before a taller guy comes along and tries to take Jou-chan away from you. Didn't she say she met this Randolph on Christmas Eve?" "She was talking about RUDOLPH! You know, Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer." "That doesn't make any sense... Why would Kaoru want you to look like a reindeer? Does she have a fetish over pets? Oh... That would explain why she keeps the kid around." "Sano, could you please do me a favor?" Kenshin asked. "SHUT UP!" "There's no need for yelling. I'm only trying to help." "Please don't. If I'm going to do this, I'll do it by myself, okay?" "Are you sure you can? It would probably take you forever to tell her." "Just let me manage it." Sano gave away a resigned look. Kenshin sighed in relief. Maybe Sano just wasn't the right person to take advice from. But who would Kenshin ask? Maybe he could get a woman's advice on this. A woman would probably understand how Kaoru felt. It would probably be the best choice. That was it. After breakfast he would go see Megumi-dono. "Did you guys nap well?" Kaoru asked, when they arrived at the kitchen. She had already made breakfast. "Never slept better." Sano said, sitting down. Kenshin just looked at Kaoru, looked at the food and ran outside, with his hand covering his mouth. "Is Kenshin sick?" Yahiko asked. "No. It's probably a natural reaction to Jou-chan's cooking." Sano said, smiling, and bowl flew, hitting him on the head. Kenshin came back a while after. His face was the palest shade of white. "Are you okay, Kenshin?" Yahiko asked. "Daijoubu." Kenshin sighed. "If you aren't feeling well, you probably should go see doctor Gensai" Kaoru said. 'And quit drinking, of course.' She added in her thoughts. "You should go see Megumi. I bet she can fix you pretty fast." Yahiko said, shoving food in his mouth. "Besides, Megumi is a lot cuter than doctor Gensai, if you know what I mean." "Sessha will do that." *** Busy, busy, busy. Too busy even to breathe. Megumi felt like every kid, man and elder on the city had chosen that particular time to get the chickenpox, to get into a fight, or get the flu. It was surprising when she found Kenshin waiting patiently among other patients. "Ken-san! You look pale... Don't tell me you are sick." "Ohayou, Megumi-dono. No, sessha is not sick. It's just a small after effect from a little drinking." Kenshin said. Megumi looked at Kenshin, wondering if she had heard right. "I never thought you were capable of that, Ken-san... You came to see me because of a hangover?" She asked, pretending to be hurt. "No... Actually, I was wondering if I could have a word of advice." Kenshinsaid. "Advice?" Megumi repeated. "Yes... I need a woman's point of view on something." "I'd be glad to help you, Ken-san." Kenshin cleared his throat and found his mouth was dry. Why was so difficult to ask for advice? Maybe it was because he would be telling some other people about his feelings towards Kaoru and she not even knew that yet. He thought Kaoru should know before the rest of the world. Of course, Sano knew about it, but Kenshin didn't tell him. It was somewhat different if he told Megumi. "If... One loves a woman..." Kenshin began. 'Damn, it's too hard to tell Megumi-dono about this.' Kenshin thought. ‘Think of it as some kind of practice. Can you imagine if you start stuttering when it is the real thing?' He reminded himself. "If one loves a woman... And wants to spend the rest of his life with her, but he haven't told her how he felt, what would be the best way to do it?" A shocked Megumi stared at Kenshin. Kenshin just thought of how awkward the situation was, asking for Megumi's advice about Kaoru. 'Kaoru.' He just started picturing Kaoru, doing her daily duties, chasing Yahiko, trying to cook a meal - only trying, because there is no way she could get it right. But he would eat her meals anyway. He loved her so much that even her food was tasteful to him. Kenshin couldn't help but smile. Megumi looked at Kenshin. He was smiling. 'Could it be? Is he talking about me?' She thought, and became very nervous. "Well... Ken-san... If you want to tell a woman that you love her, it would be best if you ask her out... On a romantic date." Kenshin felt like hitting his own head. 'Why haven't I thought of that? It was so simple! But no! I had to listen to Sano and drink his stupid sake!' "When should I ask her?" Kenshin asked himself out loud. "The sooner the better." Megumi said. "Tonight would be great." "A dinner at the Akabeko... Alone. It sure is a great idea." Kenshin said. "Thank you very much, Megumi-dono." *** Kaoru knew he was there, watching her. She just pretended she didn’t notice. She still didn't know what to say or how to act near him. So, she just kept practicing. 'Just talk to her already, Himura. What are you? A chicken? It can't be that hard...' He took a deep breath, peeking inside the dojo. 'Oh... So beautiful. So energetic.' 'I'm sweating like a pig. I hope he doesn't come in' Kaoru thought, swinging her bokken mechanically. "Ano... Kaoru-dono?" Kenshin said, trying to catch her attention. Kaoru stopped a swing on the air. He had come in... What should she do? She felt she would start to panic. He would see how worn out and sweaty she was. But then... He had seen her like his before. "Yes, Kenshin?" She turned to him and tried to smile. "Sessha is very sorry for waking you up last night." Kenshin really seemed regretful "Oh... That was... Unusual. Do you plan starting drinking on a regular basis?" Kaoru mentally kicked herself. Didn't she had something more interesting to talk about? "No. That really was enough." Kenshin sighed. "That's what we get for trying to listen to Sano's advice..." The last sentence was more like a mumble. "What did you say?" Kaoru asked. "It was nothing... Ano... Kaoru" Kenshin had to make a particular hard effort to not say 'dono' with her name. "I was wondering... If you would join me for dinner tonight?" 'Please say yes.' Kenshin begged in his mind. 'Did he just asked me out?' Kaoru thought, feeling that her mouth was hanging open. 'Kami-sama! Is he really asking me out because he wants to, or because he feels guilty about everything that’s happened so far? What should I do? Do I ask him that? No. It would freak him out. I'll just say yes and figure it out later.' "I would like that." Kaoru finally said, and thought her voice sounded weird. 'YES!' Kenshin's mind screamed, but he was able to remain cool. "Where will we be going?" Kaoru suddenly asked. "I thought of the Akabeko, but if you want to go elsewhere..." "The Akabeko is fine." Kaoru smiled. "But could we meet there, Kenshin? There are some things I need to do. I think it would be better if we met there." Kenshin went to his room. He couldn't believe he actually had asked Kaoru out for dinner. Moreover, he couldn't believe she had actually accepted it. He looked at his gi. It wasn't actually fit for a date. It had been torn apart and sewed back together too many times. He had an extra gi somewhere on his room. He had bought it not long ago, without actually knowing why. ***"TAE-SAN! I NEED HELP!" Kaoru arrived a t the Akabeko, a panicked look on her face. "What happened?" Tae asked, imagining someone had gotten hurt or something really nasty was about to happen. "Calm down first." "Kenshin asked me out for dinner." Kaoru said, trying to calm down. "Did he? I'm so happy, Kaoru-chan!" Tae smiled. "But why are you panicking? You already have what to wear, right? That kimono will look perfect on you." "Yes, but there so many things to worry about! What do I do about my hair? How do I behave? What if I do everything wrong? What if he stops liking me? What if he doesn't like the way I look? What if..." "CALM DOWN! Everything will be fine, Kaoru-chan. I'm sure Kenshin-san will be nervous too. Just try to act naturally and don't worry so much. I will help you fix your hair and get ready." ***Kenshin arrived at the Akabeko before time. He thought he should be there when Kaoru arrived and not make her wait a second. "Hello, Kenshin-san." Said Tsubame shyly. "Good night." Kenshin smiled at her. "Tae-san already has your table ready." Tsubame said, leading the way. 'How did she know I was coming? I didn't talk to anyone about it." Kenshin thought and was about to ask Tsubame the same question when he saw Yahiko. "Kenshin? What's that you are wearing? I almost didn't recognize you. And why are you here alone? Is this what you do when busu is not looking? She cooks, you pretend to like it, then you come all the way to the Akabeko to have a decent meal?" Yahiko said in one breath. "What?" "At least you look good in this clothes. Much better than that pink gi." "The gi is not pin..." Kenshin was cut off by Yahiko. "Oh! I see! You have a hot date tonight! I hope busu doesn't find out about this, because if she does you'll most certainly die. You know how she can get... Violent." Tsubame had kept the tray in front of her face the entire time. She patted Yahiko on his shoulder. "What is it?" The boy asked. "Kenshin-san is meeting Kaoru-san tonight." "WHAT? YOU ASKED BUSU OUT?" Yahiko said at the top of his lounges. "Shh... You don't have to yell." Kenshin knew that everyone on the restaurant were looking at them. "WHY WOULD YOU DO SUCH A THING?" "Huh?" "I mean... Busu is busu. You know her." Yahiko began. "Aha." Kenshin agreed. "You know she can be pretty tough." "Aha." "And you still want to date her?" "Aha." "You must be insane, but good luck. Try to not say anything wrong, or she will beat you to death." "Sessha will remember that." Yahiko turned to leave towards the kitchen, but stopped shortly after. "And complimented her. You know the old hag will always be an old hag, so if you compliment her, you'll get her drooling over you." Yahiko said and went into the kitchen. 'I must have hit the bottom of the pit now... Getting advice from a ten-year-old.' Kenshin didn’t even see Megumi approaching. "I'm sorry I'm late." Megumi said, sitting down. "Megumi-dono?" "Quit the 'dono', okay? We are all alone now." "But Megumi-dono..." Megumi put a finger over Kenshin's lips. "Megumi." She said "Okay, Megumi..." "I can't tell you how excited I am being here with you. It's like a dream come true... I always thought you liked the Tanuki girl more, but I'm so happy I was wrong!" "Megumi-dono!" "Quit the formalities already, if we are to be wed." She said, pulling Kenshin and kissing him. Kenshin tried to push her away. He thought he had succeeded making her understand he didn't want to kiss her, because she had stopped. Only then Kenshin realized he had his hand over her breast. "KENSHIN!" Kaoru's voice echoed through the restaurant. "Kaoru-dono! This is not what it looks like!" "Kenshin-san. This is a family establishment!" said Tae, that was by Kaoru's side. Kenshin realized he still had his hand over Megumi and put it away. "You were kissing her... To say the least!" Kaoru yelled. "Let me explain!" Kenshin tried to speak. "Explain what? You were kissing her! I saw that! I never expected you to do such a thing! SCUMBAG!" Kaoru tried to leave and Kenshin grabbed her wrist. "Please, Kaoru." "How could you do this? How? I'm such a silly romantic girl... I thought you would at least had some respect for me! I was so wrong!" "But Kaoru-dono, please listen..." "You are.. . You are... A PIG!" Kaoru shouted. Kenshin's grasp over her wrist loosened up and Kaoru was able to run away, covering her eyes with her hands. Kenshin made a movement to follow her, but Tae grabbed his sleeve. "No. Talk to her tomorrow. Right now she won't listen to you." Tae said and Kenshin nodded in agreement." ***Kaoru stood on her room, trying to calm her nerves down."How did he dare? The pig..."She felt like crying. She thought that w ould be the happiest day of her life, but it turned out to be the worse. Did Kenshin called her to the Akabeko to show her he had no interest in her at all? That he loved Megumi and not her? A tear rolled down her face. "Pig!" She cried again. "Kaoru no baka. Stupid, stupid Kaoru. I should never have fallen in love with him." Kaoru had never thought it was possible to love and hate the same person at the same time. She wished she could forget everything that had happened. "FIRE!" Yahiko's voice was heard echoing through the entire dojo. "FIRE!" ============================= I believe there will be just one more chapter to this fanfiction... It was nice to read all the reviews. I'm thinking about writing a drama next, but I'm not sure yet. Okay, you read it, so please review it. Reviews are very important to every fanfiction writer. ^x^ Thanks to Kathie and her cousin (sorry, I don't know your name) for checking on my grammar and spelling.