Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ To Prove You Wrong ❯ Plans and Shopping ( Chapter 3 )

To Prove You Wrong

By: EvilNekoEatsYourSoul

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin is the property of Nobuhiro Watsuki.

Author's note: I have no idea what's wrong with chapter two the formatting is all messed up, and only when I upload that particular document. So I'm trying to fix it, I'm hoping this one isn't messed up too… I actually did do a little research for this chapter and the next… I also had my wisdom teeth removed so I've been kind of groggy due to the medication they gave me for the pain and what not… So, that explains why it took me a bit of time to get this chapter out and if there are a lot of mistakes, blame the painkillers. Read and review please!

Last time: Everything Misao said made sense. They had no idea what kind of numbers they were up against, or why those people had taken Kenshin. There was no way Yahiko could walk into a place like that unnoticed and neither could Sano, Megumi wouldn't be much help since she didn't have any fighting skills. Kaoru looked at Misao, and a plan began to form in her mind.

Chapter 3: Plans and Shopping

~*~

The dojo was filled with raised voices that night as everyone had a different plan to try and save Kenshin. Everyone except Kaoru, that is. She sat silently through the hours of arguments, her face pensive as she sat apart from the others.

Sanosuke, in his typical manner, suggested they storm the building and fight anyone who opposed them. Then, they'd just go through every room until they found Kenshin. This plan might have worked, but as Misao reminded him, it was a teahouse and there would be innocent women working and living there. At that, the ex-gangster shrugged and said he'd take care of the women; a kunai just barely missed his head.

Yahiko's plan wasn't much better then Sano's. The young kenjutsu student suggested that they let him go in alone. Thinking that he was just a child, they would never suspect that he was on a rescue mission. With his `superior swordsmanship' he would challenge and defeat the leader of the group that had kidnapped Kenshin and they would all live happily ever after. His ego was greatly deflated when Sanosuke pointed out that a house full of Geisha was not a place for a child like him, and that his presence would be the most suspicious. That conversation ended with Yahiko chewing on Sanosuke's head.

Misao's plan would have been the most promising, if they had all been ninjas. She explained, that through stealth, with the cover of a dark night they could penetrate the building unnoticed. They could sneak up on any guards present and render them unconscious, then they could split up and each take a different section of the building to search, eventually one of them would find Kenshin and they would all meet up outside the building afterwards. Yahiko politely reminded her that they were not all `baka ninjas' and another kunai was embedded in the dojo's wall.

With each of them busy revising and arguing the wisdom of their plans they did not notice Kaoru's silence. As the night dragged on their yelling was interrupted by yawns and barely and hour before sunrise they were all asleep on the dojo floor, a plausible plan still to be heard.

Being the only one awake, Kaoru took it upon herself to cover each of her friends with a blanket before leaving the dojo for a walk.

~*~

Lost deep in her thoughts, Kaoru walked aimlessly letting her feet take control of her wandering. There was a deep ache in her chest that had intensified since Kenshin's disappearance. It was a pain that had always lingered there. It was the place Kenshin held in her heart.

She loved him, that fact had been evident to her for a long time now. Since the night he had left for Kyoto without her. The moment he had walked away from her she had known, life without Kenshin was no longer possible. Time stopped when he wasn't there, it didn't even exist to her. Now, someone was trying to take him away again, but this time it was against his will. It somehow made it easier for her to handle, the first time he had left her willingly. The thought that he could leave her and be all right had hurt. This time was different. He had told her that very day, he wanted to stay.

"You need me just as much as I need you…" she whispered to herself.

Her feet had taken her to the river, to the spot where they had found her on her knees crying before they all went to Kyoto. She wouldn't cry. Kenshin wanted to stay with her at the dojo, there was no reason for tears. She would get him back. All she needed was a plan.

Kaoru turned away from the river, walking towards the business district of Tokyo. Already part of her plan was clear to her. She'd have to leave Yahiko and Sano behind. The arguments of the previous night came to mind, Sanosuke would go head on and ruin any chances they had at moving through the building unnoticed and Yahiko's presence in a place full of adults would be suspicious. She would have to find a way of leaving them behind without them following her, but they would never agree to any plan like that. Not unless…

A smile came upon the lips of the blue-eyed kenjutsu instructor as a certain foxy doctor came to mind. Her footsteps quickened as she headed towards the clinic, hoping Megumi was awake and able to help her.

~*~

"It has a horrible taste, but as long as you do the cooking I'm sure they won't notice."

Kaoru decided to let that insult slide as she watched Megumi mixing different herbs and things together. The female doctor seemed willing to help her in her plans, even going as far as to agree that Sanosuke and Yahiko would probably just get in the way.

Truthfully, it didn't surprise Kaoru that Megumi was willing to help her. After all, they had many things in common, despite the fact that they constantly insulted each other. Both of them were strong willed women who could easily survive alone in the world, they were both professionals in occupations thought to be solely for men, and they both cared for Kenshin.

It was silent as Megumi folded the drugs neatly into a white slip of paper and handed it to Kaoru. As Kaoru stood to leave, Megumi grabbed her elbow and their eyes met, respect was mirrored in both blue and green orbs. The doctor was the one to break the silence.

"Put it in their miso, the warmth will dissolve it quickly and they won't notice the taste as much. It should put them to sleep for about eight hours, and when they wake their minds will be hazy. Are you going to put it in their lunch?"

Kaoru nodded.

"Alright, then I'll go to the dojo when the clinic closes to watch them after they wake up."

The kenjutsu instructor smiled.

"Thank you, Megumi."

"Don't thank me, just bring him back safely."

"I'll be back, I need your help later." Kaoru called out as she hurried back to the dojo.

~*~

"Misao-chan… Misao-chan, wake up"

The ninja sat up and rubbed at her sleepy eyes. She then yawned and stood up to stretch her tired muscles.

"Kaoru, why are you waking me up so early?"

The older girl put her finger to her lips indicating Misao should be quiet. They both walked out of the dojo.

"I have a plan," Kaoru whispered, "but we can't tell Yahiko and Sanosuke."

Misao was instantly awake, curiosity filled her eyes as she looked at Kaoru.

"Tell me." She said in a serious tone.

Kaoru nodded, but looked warily around as if expecting someone to eavesdrop on the conversation.

"I will, but get cleaned up and we'll go to the market first."

Glaring at the delay, Misao just shrugged and ran to the well to draw some water.

As the two young women left the dojo someone could be seen approaching the dojo, they both tensed until Kaoru saw that it was just Toshiro. He waved to her and jogged the last few yards to where they stood waiting for him.

"Ohayoo Kaoru-san!"

Her smile was forced as she bowed to him in greeting.

"Ohayoo Toshiro-san."

Ignoring Misao's presence the young man took her hand between both of his and drew her a few steps away from the young ninja. His voice was low when he spoke.

"Kaoru-san, I need to speak with you… You see, I'll be leaving in a few days. I know you haven't known me very long…"

Kaoru took her hand back and looked away from him. This was too much for her to deal with all at once. First Kenshin goes missing and now her new friend was going to be leaving? Not to mention, the question of what exactly he was asking of her. She didn't want to face it now.

"Toshiro-san gomen, I'm very busy today and as you can see I have a guest." She gestured behind her to where Misao stood.

"If you would come by the dojo this evening I will be glad to speak with you then."

Without giving him time to answer, Kaoru called Misao and walked quickly away. Leaving a stunned and speechless Toshiro standing alone on the dirt path.

~*~

"YOU WANT TO DO WHAT?!?!?"

"Misao-chan, keep your voice down. You're attracting attention." It seemed that Misao had a few problems with Kaoru's plan. After her outburst the ninja now seemed at a lost for words.

"But, I… We… How do you…?"

Kaoru sighed, as she looked through a few kanzashi. She picked out two and paid for them before walking over a few more stalls to look at some inner kimonos.

(a/n: kanzashi are decorative Japanese hair pins. If you go to http://www.ask.ne.jp/~kanzasi/en/english.html they have some pictures of them there.)

"Misao-chan I'm sure we can pull it off. I mean, it's not like you're a child anymore. You've grown a lot since you last visited." She hoped the compliment would help convince Misao to help her. But it was true, Misao was a few inches taller then her now and her face had thinned, taking the childlike features away from her. No one would call her a child now, and she vaguely wondered if Aoshi noticed these things as well.

"Well, still…"

Before she could argue more Kaoru interrupted her.

"Think about it while we shop. By the way, why exactly are you here? I didn't get a chance to ask you yesterday."

Misao shrugged and wouldn't meet Kaoru's gaze. She was fingering a simple pink kimono with cherry blossoms floating at the hem. Kaoru took the garment from her and lifted it to get a better view.

"Nice, you have good taste Misao-chan." She turned to the vendor, "I'll take this one and two of those." Kaoru pointed to two plain white under kimonos with high red collars. She fished around a pile of colorful obis before picking out a thin pale blue one with cranes embroidered at the edges.

"I'll take this too." She said, handing the item to be wrapped with the rest of her purchases.

"But, Kaoru I-"

"Don't worry about it. Let's go, I have to find a few more things."

Kaoru took her packages and paid for them. Then they went to a stall that sold cosmetics where she bought quite a bit of rice-flour powder and some red benibana juice. The walk out of the market place was pretty much silent, Kaoru only spoke once when she bought some tofu from an elderly woman.

(a/n: Benibana is also known as the safflower plant, it was used as a red dye among other things. There's information along with a picture at: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Shrine/2475/benibana.html )

They walked on, each lost in their own thoughts. As they neared the dojo they noticed a figure standing near the gate. At first Kaoru thought it was Toshiro waiting for her, since the person stood in the spot where she had left him. But it soon became apparent that it wasn't him, this person was much taller, with broader shoulders. He had dark hair and wore a long western-style coat. When they were a few feet away from him Misao stopped in her tracks.

"What do you want Aoshi?"

Her tone was cold, and Kaoru noticed she had dropped the honorific `-sama' that she had always used when speaking his name. Something bad had obviously happened between them. Wanting to leave them alone to talk, Kaoru began to walk towards the dojo gates. Aoshi's voice stopped her.

"Where is Himura?"

She felt trapped. If she answered truthfully what kind of actions would Aoshi take? He wasn't one to rush in like Sanosuke or Yahiko, but neither would he agree with Misao's part in her plan. She was sure of it. Luckily, Misao saved her.

"Go back to Kyoto, can't you see I came here to get away from you? You'd think that with all the meditating you do you'd have at least a little common sense!"

"Not until you tell me why you're angry."

"You really are an idiot. You hurt me, I finally get the courage to tell you exactly how I feel and you said nothing. Acted as if you didn't even hear me, it felt like I didn't exist."

With her outburst, all the anger seemed to leave her, she was exhausted and hurt she needed to just get through this day.

"Misao, I-"

"I don't want to talk about this now, Himura is missing. We'll tell you about it over lunch. Kaoru's preparing a special meal." She said, walking past Aoshi through the dojo gates and winking at a stunned Kaoru.

~*~

"Oi, busu this miso tastes decent for once!" Yahiko stated.

Kaoru just smiled at him. Sanosuke asked for a second helping, and as usual Aoshi ate silently.

"Yo, Jou-chan, why aren't you drinking any? This is the best soup you've ever made."

She shrugged.

"I'm not very hungry."

Misao said the same when asked, and no one commented on it. Content to eat everything, seeing as how it didn't taste as horrible as usual. It didn't take long for Megumi's medicine to take affect. Within minutes after the last bite was taken they were all out, lying on the floor around the table.

Grabbing the packages from their early shopping excursion, they left the dojo and headed towards the clinic.

They moved quickly, wanting to take advantage of every second they had before their friends awoke. Upon arriving at Megumi's office, they dropped the packages onto the floor. Thankfully, no one was there today and Kaoru could ask for the doctor's help without depriving any of her patients the attention they needed.

This part of her plan she hadn't told Megumi about. But she knew the doctor would help, she had to because to be completely honest she had no idea how to go about doing it herself. She was the master of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu, her mother had died when she was young and her father had taught her swordsmanship till the end of his days. She figured it was pretty much the same with Misao, who had never been very feminine.

"Megumi, I need your help. I need you to make us look like Geisha."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Author's note: I found this really informative site about Geisha if any of you are interested. This is where I got most of the information I'll be using about them: http://www.immortalgeisha.com