All's Well That Ends Well by flori-dono 

Disclaimer: This is a Rurouni Kenshin-inspired fan fiction. The author is not 
making any money out of this. The characters of Rurouni Kenshin belong to 
Watsuki Nobuhiro, Shounen Jump, and Sony and others that should be mentioned but 
were not.

CHAPTER 3: Yahiko Acts

"Kaoru?" a voice filled with concern found it's way into her subconscious.

"Kenshin?" she said opening her eyes. 

It was Yahiko.

Kaoru suddenly got up. She was still a little angry with him, but before she 
could say anything, she was caught by surprise as Yahiko knelt and bowed down 
before her.

"I'm sorry sensei for offending you," he began. "And to prove my sincerity, I 
shall do 600 swings during practice everyday for one week.

Yahiko winced. What made him say that? Six hundred swings? He gulped.

Kaoru was surprised. She wasn't expecting this. 

"Are you really Yahiko?" she blurted out.

"What do you mean?" Yahiko screamed. "I'm trying to apologize here, Kaoru!"

It was Yahiko all right. Surprised as she was, she couldn't help but feel 
pleased. And besides, 600 swings everyday for one week... heh, she'd love to see 
him do that!

"All right Yahiko," she said gently. "I forgive you."

Yahiko let out a sigh of relief. 

"That was easy," he thought. "And now for the kill."

He got up and walked towards Kaoru who also was just about to leave. 

"Uh, Kaoru, wait" he started.

Kaoru turned around.

"Well, Kenshin wanted to tell you something."

"Kenshin?"

"I met him earlier and he said ...well, he..."

"Yahiko!" Kaoru grabbed him at the collar and started to shake him. "What did 
Kenshin say?"

She was getting really nervous.

"WELLHEWANTEDTOASKYOUFORA.... A DATE!" he said in a rush.

Kaoru stared at him. Was it real? Did she hear it right? WAS KENSHIN REALLY 
ASKING HER OUT?

"Ken...Kenshin?" she stuttered.

Yahiko saw Kaoru's expression and smiled secretly. Perfect! He nodded, head 
still bowed. 

"He wanted to ask you himself but he said he was really shy, so he asked me..."

But she wasn't listening anymore. Kenshin was really asking her out! Thank you 
Kami-sama, her prayers have been answered!

Then Kaoru turned sharply, "This isn't a joke, right?"

"No!!!" he cried. 

Kaoru sighed. 

"So," Yahiko interrupted her musings. "What's your answer?" 

Kaoru was suddenly brought back to reality. 

"When is it exactly? And where?" she asked.

"Tonight I think, for dinner. I'm afraid I still don't 

know where"

"Oh, oh! Even so, tell him yes, yes! Yes!" Kaoru exclaimed and she hugged 
Yahiko, so tight that she almost cut off his circulation.

"Ka...kao.." he choked.

Kaoru suddenly let him go, letting him flop on the floor 

coughing. She suddenly panicked. 

"What would I wear? I don't even have a decent kimono!" she blabbed on and on as 
she began wearing out the floor with her pacing.

Yahiko shook his head vigorously. He was getting dizzy, following Kaoru walk 
back and forth.

"Konichiiwa!"

Two heads turned at the sound of the greeting. Yahiko almost hugged Tsubame and 
Tae with relief, as both women stepped inside the room . Tae winked at the boy 
and hid her smile. Even Tsubame was struggling hard not to giggle. After all, 
Kaoru and he must have looked funny.

Kaoru almost stumbled as she ran and greeted the two new arrivals. 

"Oh, I'm so sorry Tae but...HELP ME!"

Tae, who was amused by the girl's actions pretended to look confused and 
inquired gently, "Help you, Kaoru-san?"

Kaoru nodded her head looking more flustered by the moment, her face flushed a 
delightful pink. 

"It's about Kenshin... he asked me out to dinner tonight and.. and I don't have 
a good kimono, and I don't know what to do with my hair... Oh Tae, please... I 
beg of you, help me!"

And the girl just threw her arms around the chuckling Tae and sobbed her heart 
out.

Yahiko was staring at Kaoru in disgust. 

"Women," he mumbled.

"Huh?" the also amused Tsubame who was watching in silence, glanced at Yahiko. 

Yahiko mumbled a half-apology, chiding himself that he forgot Tsubame was in 
hearing distance.

Tae composed herself before turning to Tsubame and Yahiko.

"Tsubame, I want you to fetch the purple bag in my room," she said.

Tsubame nodded, giggling and started off. Yahiko grabbed her arm and told her 
that he'll accompany her back to the restaurant.

"I'm meeting with someone," he announced and glanced at Tae. Seeing that Kaoru 
couldn't see him , he mouthed to Tae, "I'll go check on Kenshin." And finally 
went out with Tsubame but not before giving her a thumbs-up sign.

"Thank you for the bargain," Kenshin thanked the vendor with a smile. 

*** 

"That buy one, take one was surely a great deal," Kenshin said to himself. He 
sighed. His head was still hurting with the bop Sano gave him. But it was better 
than having to answer his questions. 

Kaoru. Was she feeling better now? He knew that the plan to have lunch at the 
Akabeko was spoiled. 

"Lunch-date," his romantic side corrected him. And he couldn't help but smile 
again. A date, with Kaoru...

He was about to turn around the corner when Sano spotted him.

"Hey, Kenshin he shouted.

"Oro?" Oh no! Not another game of one hundred questions which would end with 
another bump on the head.Kenshin looked up at the heavens asking for help from 
the gods. He sighed. . If this was his fate as rurouni, he was having doubts 
already. 

"What is it this time Sano?"

The man walked beside Kenshin and clapped his back. 

"Well, I was just going to say sorry for that," he said pointing to the still 
swelling bump.

"I know you're not telling me everything Sano."

"Heh,"Sano smirked then turned serious. "I can't hide anything from you! Oh 
well, it's about Kaoru..."

He saw Kenshin's eyes slanted and grew steely. Just the reaction he was 
expecting and Sano gave himself a pat on the back.

"What about Kaoru, did something bad happen to her?" his voice also switching to 
battousai mode.

"We-ell..." Sano deliberately stalled and stopped as he saw Kenshin's hand 
grabbed the hilt of his sakabatou.

"Sano, " Kenshin warned.

"Hey, cool down a little Kenshin," Sano said. "Nothing THAT bad happened to 
her."

"But bad nevertheless."

Sano put his hands in his pocket. "If you call crying over lost lunch bad, then 
it may be is."

"Oro?" Kenshin was back to his old rurouni self and frankly Sano was relieved by 
it.

"Well, she was crying about the lunch that she had been planning for a week 
already. And nothing could appease her."

"Oh, I see," Kenshin said quietly. 

"I heard that Yahiko already apologized and Kaoru accepted it," Sano crossed his 
fingers at that, hoping Yahiko already did that. "But he said that Kaoru was 
still sad over the whole thing."

Kenshin sighed. It was just a little matter for anybody but anything that would 
sadden Kaoru was a big thing for him. He would do anything to see her happy. 

Sano knew that and it was what he was hoping for Kenshin to think. 

"So, what do we do?" Kenshin asked.

"What do you mean we?" Sano said, frowning. "You should do something!"

"But..." 

Sano stopped. This was a little harder than he thought. 

"Look, whether you realize it or not, Kaoru planned that lunch so she can be 
with you alone," he scolded him. "The least you can do is take her out to 
dinner!"

"You mean take her out on a date?" Kenshin asked incredously. 

Sano raised his hands to the heavens, he got it at last! 

"Yes!"

"Bu...but..."

"Oy!" Yahiko greeted the two men. He and Tsubame had just parted after he had 
escorted her back to the Akabeko to get Tae's bag.

"Oy, how's Kaoru?" Sano asked, the gleam in his eye warned Yahiko.

"Oh, well she forgave me but she's still sulking," he answered, acting really 
sorry about the whole thing. 

Kenshin was just silent.

"I hope she'd take a boyfriend," Yahiko continued. "So someone can take her 
out."

Sano glanced at the completely serious Kenshin then replied, "Well, I know 
Shintaro has a crush on her. Maybe we can ask him to take her out."

Yahiko and Sano were enjoying this. They could see Kenshin seething in jealousy. 

"Eek! That pervert?" Yahiko pretended to be disgusted. "He'll just paw at her."

Sano sighed exaggeratedly. "I know, but he's the only one I know who has the 
guts to go out with her. Well there are some other fellows but , they're too 
much intimidated by Kaoru's skill with the sword. Shintaro would do."

Yahiko nodded. "I'll just tell Kaoru," he said and started to walk away.

Sano said, "You do that and I'll tell Shintaro..."

"Wait," Kenshin said in a low voice with his head bowed down, hand on his 
sakabatou. "I'll take her out to dinner."

Sano and Yahiko almost laughed out loud with glee but controlled themselves or 
their plan would be ruined. 

"I'd rather take her than let any pervert harass her," the rurouni continued. 
"Yahiko tell her I'll take her out to dinner tonight."

"All right!" Yahiko said scampering back to the dojo laughing all the way. His 
plan was working! Now all he had to do was to tell Kaoru when and where, after 
all he had the information beforehand. He was just waiting for Kenshin's 
"confirmation". 

When he was out of sight, it was only then that Kenshin let out a sigh. Sano 
couldn't tell of what that sigh was.

"Kenshin, come on!" he said as he grabbed the other man's sleeve.

"Oro?" he asked bewilderedly as the gangster dragged him towards the direction 
of the clinic. 

Sano had a wicked grin on his face. "If you're going out, you'll have to have a 
make-over."

 On to chapter 4