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 4: MAKEOVER

"Sano," Kenshin said exasperatedly. "What are we doing here in the clinic?"

"Well, we're going to ask help from the Fox-lady," he said as he pushed Kenshin 
inside the clinic. "If you're going out on a date then at least, you should look 
your best."

"But why Megumi?"

"Do you want me as your fashion consultant?"

Kenshin looked at Sano's hair then at his clothes.

"Uh, it's not that..." Kenshin protested.

Sano just snorted.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" Megumi said as she greeted the two. 
"I'm sorry Sano, but we don't do brain transplants!"

"Very funny Megumi," Sano started, controlling himself not to return that last 
bit. 

"Kenshin here just asked Jou-chan out for dinner and he's asking if you can help 
him out with clothes and stuff."

Megumi pretended not to know.

"Is that all? Then you made the right decision to come to me, Ken-san," she 
said. "If you let Rooster here get loose on you, then you'll have Kaoru-chan 
laughing her head off."

"Oh yeah?" Sano asked heatedly. "For your information Kitsune, I was the one who 
advised him to come to you!"

Megumi smiled. "See, you've said it yourself."

Kenshin almost laughed as he saw Sano's mouth still gaped open like that of a 
frog.

Sano snapped his head towards Kenshin's direction. "And what are you laughing at 
Kenshin?"

Kenshin controlled himself, although his lips kept twitching. "I was not 
laughing Sano-san."

"You could've fooled me then," Sano muttered. 

"Okay, enough sour-graping Rooster," Megumi said linking her arm to Kenshin's. 
"We've got work to do!"

***

"Blue!"

"Pink!"

"Blue!"

"Pink!"

"Are you a sissy?" Megumi shouted waving her hands in the air. "Why pink?"

Sano himself was yelling. "Can't you see pink suits him fine?"

The two looked at Kenshin who was sitting quietly in one corner, watching the 
two of them while they squabbled over the color of his hakama.

Megumi sighed in exasparation but she wasn't about to give up. 

"Look, any color looks good on Ken-san, but he can't wear pink forever!"

"Uh, Sano-san, Megumi-dono..." Kenshin decided it was time to speak up. The two 
had been at it for an hour. First it was the gi, now it was the hakama. What 
next? "Can't I just wear black?"

Two heads turned and two voices snapped back at him, "Stay out of this!"

"Oro?"

Sano rolled up his sleeves. "Alright, there's only one way to settle this..."

Megumi balled her fists, the light of battle shining in her eyes. 

"Sure, say when Rooster head!"

"Ichi... ni... san!"

"Gotcha Sagara!" Megumi squeeled. "I won!"

"Dammit!" Sano said as he slammed his fist on the wall. "You cheated!"

She tossed her head and gave a cute little lady-like snort. 

"I did not! I had paper and you had stone. It's as plain as day, I won!"

He shoved his hands inside his pockets and leaned against the wall, chewing on 
his fishbone. "Alright, dress him in blue. Fine, see if I care!"

Megumi chuckled and got out the dark blue hakama and forest green gi from their 
wrappings. She handed Kenshin these.

"Ken-san, why don't you try these on?"

Kenshin accepted the clothes and stared at the doctor. "Here?"

"Yes here, where else?" she answered patiently as if Kenshin was a schoolboy.

"Hey Kitsune," Sano piped in from behind. "Aren't you going out? Give him some 
privacy for Kami-sama's sake!"

Undaunted, Megumi raised her eyebrow and turned slightly around. "Why not? I'm a 
doctor, I won't gape!"

Kenshin's face went red and Sano's was also of the same shade. 

"Er, Megumi-dono..."

She laughed heartily, with her hand near her mouth. "Geez your faces are 
priceless. I was just teasing! You're taking things too seriously Kenshin-kun, 
lighten up a bit!"

The two men sweatdropped.

But the Kitsune was not yet finished. "And what about you Sano, aren't you going 
out too?"

"Huh?"

"Don't tell me you like to see Kenshin naked ?"

"Nani!" Sano cried out. "I swear Fox, one of these days, I'll get one over you."

"I've heard that before Rooster-boy,"she answered. "Now are you coming with me 
or not? Or do I have to drag you out of here?"

"Nope," he said resignedly. "My ego's been bruised badly enough as is."

"Heh," Megumi retorted as she went out of the room. "You still have hope. You 
don't need a brain transplant after all!"

***

"Hey my man, you look good!" Snao said as he saw his bestfriend in his new 
clothes.

Megumi herself couldn't help but admire 'her' handiwork. "Are you sure you'd 
rather take Kaoru-chan out than me?"

"Desparate," Sano mumbled under his breath. But kitsunes also have big ears and 
this one was no exception.

"I heard that..." she said then added. "Oy Ken-san don't sneak out, we aren't 
finished with you yet!"

Kenshin trudged back like a lost puppy. This was making his head ache. 

"You can't go out with your hair like that!" Megumi scolded.

"What's wrong with it?" Kenshin asked, although he already knew the answer.

"Just when did you last comb it?"

Kenshin stared at his sandals.

"See?" she said then eyed his red mop of hair. "Now what should we do about 
that?"

"I have an idea!" Sano said as he pat his own head.

Megumi rolled her eyes. "Geez, you really don't have any fashion sense do you?"

"Okay, I'll shut up, will that make you happy?"

Megumi circled around Kenshin slowly, eyeing his hair from different angles. 
Kenshin visibly squirmed under her scrutiny. Sano was silent. He decided it 
wasn't his lucky day so he'd better keep his mouth closed.

"Ah hah!" Megumi exclaimed suddenly. "Just wait here." And Megumi went out of 
the room.

Kenshin almost toppled over. 

"Do you have any idea what she's up to?" he asked the still sulking Sano.

"She exists to humiliate me!" the gangster replied.

"Are you ready?" 

Both Kenshin and Sano stared at the doorway where Megumi was.

"No..."

Kenshin's eyes widened, shadows of fear darkening them. 

"Come on Kenshin, this won't hurt!" she said as she slowly made her way towards 
the scared rurouni.

"Please Megumi, anything but that!"

"Eh, Kenshin don't tell me the Master Swordsman himself is scared of that little 
thing?" interjected Sano.

Kenshin gulped.

Megumi tapped her foot on the floor impatiently. 

"Ken-san sit!"

He sat down immediately. In his eyes, Megumi has turned into the General of his 
nightmares. Nevertheless, he obeyed her. 

"Now, don't move..."

Sano chuckled as he watched his friend cringed. 

"This is more fun than I thought," he said to himself.

Snippity-snip-snippity-snip

"There!" Megumi said.

"Good," her victim muttered.

"Hey," she said as she pulled Kenshin back to his seat. "We're not finished 
yet."

Kenshin slumped his shoulders. He wasn't sure if he'd still want to go through 
the date. Being subjected to this kind of torture had almost worn him out. He 
winced as he felt the comb battle with the tangles in his hair. 

Finally, after a few more minutes of hair-tugging and tangle-cursing, Megumi 
declared that her mission was over. Upon hearing this, Kenshin almost got to his 
knees to give a prayer of thanks.

"Hey buddy, here's a mirror," Sano said. "Just in case you'd like to see 
Kitsune's handiwork. Though I may have to agree, you look so much better now."

"Of course," said Megumi with a toss of her head. 

Kenshin was almost afraid to take a peek. Hundreds of what if's zooming in his 
mind. What if I look like a china doll? What if I look like a mop? Or worse what 
if I look like Sano?

He took a glance. He was almost taken aback. The man staring back at him was not 
the rurouni that he knew. This one was smartly dressed in dark blue hakama and 
forest green gi. The man's red hair was done in a neat ponytail with his bangs 
cropped artistically. This man was actually handsome. 

"Hey, not bad!" he said, smiling despite himself.

"See," Megumi said triumphantly. "I told you to trust me didn't I?"

Sano now seemingly uninterested walked towards the door.

"Hey Ken-san, we have to do some reservations first for dinner, right?" he said. 
"Well Kitsune, thanks for the help but we have to go."

"Arigatou Megumi-dono," Kenshin said unable to say anything more.

"No prob," Megumi answered. "If you need something else Kenshin, just ask me 
huh?"

Kenshin flushed as she winked at him. Sano snorted.

"What about me, Megumi, aren't you going to offer me your services too?" he 
said, also with a wink.

For the first time, it was Megumi who blushed, though she recovered easily. "Not 
in a hundred years Sano, not in a hundred years..."
***
Meanwhile...

"This one makes my hips look bigger... oh, yellow makes me look pasty..."

"Kaoru..."

"Don't you think the pattern's too simple on this one?

"Kaoru..."

"I think this red one is so slutty..."

"Kaoru-chan!"

Kaoru snapped her eyes towards Tae. The poor woman was shaking her head like 
mad. Her usual neatly arranged hair was in complete disarray. Kaoru gasped.

"Leave this to me!" Tae snarled.

Kaoru backed away. She had never seen Tae looked so frighteningly determined. 
Perhaps, it was because the latter had never been so dazed in all her life. It 
had been an hour since Kaoru tried the first kimono on and until now, she still 
hadn't decided which of the five choices she wanted to wear. Her head spun from 
watching the other girl flutter here and there, sighing and making comments.

Tae took a deep breath.

"Okay, just sit down over there and I'll be the one to choose your kimono for 
you."

Meekly Kaoru knelt on the tatami mat and watched as Tae took a white kimono and 
a matching obi. The kimono was made of silk and was decorated by little peach 
blossoms. It was very simple yet very becoming.  

Satisfied with her choice, Tae helped the now docile Kaoru get dressed. And soon 
after, she had her hair fixed up as well. 

"Eep!" Kaoru squeaked as she saw her reflection on the mirror. 

Tae frowned at the other girl. Now what?

"Tae-chan," Kaoru said, her voice breaking. "I... I... I..."

"Yes, you...you...you..."

"I... I... I..."

"SPEAK UP KAORU!" Tae finally screamed.

"I'VE NEVER LOOKED THIS GOOD BEFORE!"

And she broke down.

"Yikes," Tae panicked. "Don't cry, you'll ruin your dress.. and the hair!"

"Gomen," Kaoru said, still sniffling. She still couldn't believe it was the same 
Kaoru who stared back at her in the mirror.Now with her artistically arranged 
hair and the kimono, she had never realized that she was indeed pretty. Kamiya 
Kaoru- budo instructor,the old hag as Yahiko sometimes put it. Kamiya Kaoru... 
the woman.

"What's this style called?" she asked Tae as she turned her head. Her hair was 
plaited up to her nape and the rest flowed down softly down her back.

"It's a french braid," Tae said. "Well, at least a half braid."

"You're heaven-sent Tae-chan, do you know that?" Kaoru said.

Tae smiled smugly at the compliment. Of course she knew that, but she would 
never admit it aloud.

Suddenly, there was a rap at the door.

"Who is it?" Tae asked.

"Oh my Kami," Kaoru said, her hand clutching at her chest. "It's Kenshin!"

"It's Yahiko," said the voice.

Tae opened the door, revealing a slightly panting and breathless Yahiko.

"What happened?" Kaoru asked. 

"Er, Kenshin wanted to tell you that he'll be back to fetch you at... whoah!"
 
"What are you staring at?" Kaoru asked, turning self-conscious.

"Hey, I didn't know you can look not like an old hag!"

"Why thank you," Kaoru said beaming.

"Now, you look just like a hag!"

"Ya...hi...ko..."

Tae glared at Yahiko with a don't-ruin-your-own-plan look on her face. Yahiko 
promptly apologized.

"You surprise me today," Kaoru said. "But remember you still have to show me 
that 600 swings starting tomorrow!"

He cringed at the thought.

Tae intervened.

"Er, Yahiko-kun what were you saying a while back?"

"Oh," Yahiko said, remembering the reason why he came actually. "Well, Kenshin 
wanted to tell you that he'll fetch you at around six thirty."

"That... that's only an hour and a half from now!" Kaoru exclaimed. "What do I 
do?"

Tae looked at the nervous wreck before her. "Kaoru-chan, one and a half hours is 
a long wait. Later, you'll be complaining that he hasn't arrived yet."

"But... but... I'm so nervous."

"Sush!" Tae said. "Don't worry I'll be here."

"Oh thank you!"

Then it happened...

As Kaoru stood up, she accidentally stepped on the hem of her kimono, causing 
her to stumble forwards, the hem making a loud unnerving ripping soud. It all 
happened so fast that even Yahiko and Tae weren't able to do a thing. The last 
thing they saw was a flash of white hurtling towards them and falling at their 
feet.

"Kaoru-chan!"

"Kaoru!"

They both moved at the fallen girl.

Kaoru raised her tear-streaken face. 

"Gomen..."

Tae sighed as she saw the ripped kimono, and the unruly hair.

"Here we go again..." 

*TSUZUKU*