Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Are they REALLY foreign exchange students? ❯ Wal-Mart Shopping Madness! ( Chapter 12 )

MoTaS: OH MY GOD!!!! I'M STILL ALIVE!!! After that abnormally long break, I am back! Hopefully this chapter will be an attention getter; i.e., many people will read and review it! After not getting so many reviews from last chapter, I had serious doubts about posting this chapter. But I figured that for those of you ~GRATEFUL~ enough to review and be nice *cough* YUKI! *Cough* I'll do it anyways.

Kenshin: Why can't anyone be happy with my master's story? Simply read and review; it doesn't take much at all.

MoTaS: Baka deshi; you're back! How was the honeymoon? *Elbows Kenshin, winking at him*

Kenshin: If I told you, the rating would jump to `R'; maybe higher. ^__^

MoTaS: Go get her, TIGER! Anyways, nice to have you back; a dollar to those two *thumbs at Sano and Yahiko* was costing me more than it was worth!

Kenshin: Well, then you're happy to see me?

MoTaS: Compared to those two, yes. Just being around them was lowering my IQ by like 10 points everyday!

Kenshin: In that case, lets get the next chapter started. Master does not own RK; it belongs to Watsuki-san. Although, that could change very easily…

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They were in the car now, heading to the store in Saginaw, a nearby city. Aoshi and Misao had been given a quick rundown on where (and when) they were. Aoshi had been calm, like always, while Misao started yelling about it, among other lovely things as well. That done, the already there people told their newly arrived friends that they were all going shopping for clothes. Misao was overly enthusiastic, making up for Aoshi's lack of such. Karli then took Misao to get her some clothes to wear for now, and Ian took Heather back to her place to find some for Aoshi. When that was taken care of, Misao was wearing a "Princess" shirt and black jeans. Aoshi, not at all enthusiastic about his clothes (did he ~EVER~ feel happiness or any emotion?) He wore a black tee shirt and green cargo pants.

"Looks good, Ice-pop," Sano said. Most everybody agreed. Except Aoshi.

"Can I at least wear my trenchcoat?" he asked. Everyone sort of gasped that the Icicle had spoken.

"HE SPOKE! IT'S THE APOCALYPSE! RUN!!!" Sano yelled. For that, Kaoru nearly took his head off.

"Won't hurt the look, so sure; why not," Heather said.

Aoshi smiled (faintly) as he returned his beloved trenchcoat to his waiting shoulders…

When they had piled in the car, which turned out to be an old station wagon, they had a little trouble, but nothing major. Ian drove, of course. Kenshin and Kaoru joined him in the front seat. Karli and Heather surrounded Yahiko in the row right behind Ian, Kenshin, and Kaoru, which he very much protested. Misao sat in the very back between Aoshi and Sano, showing great joy of sitting next to her Aoshi-sama. Sano kind of mumbled to himself how a weasel girl could love a human icicle like Aoshi. Unfortunately, Misao heard him and they were soon yelling at each other. That's when the stereo was turned on. Very loud. Thankfully, it was only a twenty-minute drive so no one had to suffer too much.

Soon, they arrived at the store for their shopping. Everybody got out of the car (once it was parked, DUH!!!) and stared at the ginormous building. Kenshin uttered an "ORO?"; the rest his Meiji-friends gawked - except Aoshi.

"Welcome to Wal-mart!" Ian said proudly. "The place for ALL your shopping needs!" ^__^

"Right…" Karli said. Everyone else (minus Aoshi) stared at him. O__O

"Let's go!" he yelled. They then started walking up to the monsterous supermarket. "You think it's big ~now~, wait til we're inside."

When they got inside, they were… well, SURPRISED; DUH! Kaoru and Misao loved what they saw and Karli & Heather immediately dragged them off to shop. Kenshin oro-ed at least twice (maybe more). Aoshi, amazingly, smiled. Yahiko and Sano were "whispering" about how could such a place exist and other such crap.

"Come on, guys. Let's get youse a new wardrobe," Ian said in a joyous tone. Grabbing a cart, they went off.

"And guys," he continued, "please don't touch anything, as it is most likely breakable and I don't wanna have to pay for it. Okay?" Everybody just nodded. So off they went. Kenshin, Sano, and Yahiko kept looking around at all the stuff that was in the store. Aoshi and Ian kept on walking, quietly talking to one another.

When they got to the clothing department, Ian showed Kenshin and Yahiko where to find clothes that would fit (in the childrens' section), and explained the concept of clothes shopping here and now. Meanwhile, he took Aoshi and Sano to the mens' section for their clothes, and gave them the same basic rundown. Ian browsed the pants and jeans, handing a pair or two to Sano and Aoshi each to get a fairly decent idea on their size. When they returned from the changing room, the pants had fit pretty good, so they went and put their original pair back on. Then came the shirts; they picked out sweaters, tee shirts, regular long sleeved shirts, and tank tops. A few flannels and button-down shirts were included…

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

*A/n: Word for you all, my sister wrote this next section, so where she got it, I will never know. So don't get mad; just be reasonable. ^_^*

Meanwhile, the girls were discovering and re-discovering, in Karli and Heather's cases, the wonders of modern shopping.

"Okay, now. Before we all reek havoc on this place we have a few rules," Karli said as the group of shopaholics neared the `accessories' section of the store. Misao and Kaoru turned to look at her as she spoke. Heather had wandered off to one side of the main aisle and was eyeing a specific blue scarf.

"C'mon!" moaned Misao as she tapped her foot and danced in place like a 5 year old. "Tell us and then let's get shopping!"

"Okay… first off," Karli said all official-like. "Control yourselves. We are women! Not men." The others nodded impatiently. "Second, we only have - $128 to spend." But before Karli could get all happy about this triumph, Heather piped up.

"Yeah… but it would be sooooo much better if we had $256 - WHICH WE DO!" At this, Heather whipped out a wad of cash from one of her coat pockets. Karli stared in astonishment.

"Well, Miss I-never-have-any-money-unless-little-sister-gives-me-some! Where did you get all of that?"

"Internet. E-bay. Little brother," Heather said calmly with a hint of triumph in her voice. The other three girls stared at her. Then Kaoru spoke for all of them.

"You mean you sold your brother over the internet?!" she cried. Heather put her finger to her bottom lip and shook her head slightly.

"No; I `lent' him to someone in - Abudabi?" she replied.

"And that's in the Pacific Ocean?" Karli questioned.

"Yes, it is," Heather answered back. The two friends put their heads down for a few seconds, staring at their feet. Kaoru and Misao looked around in bewilderment.

"Okay, 5 seconds of grieving over! Let's shop!" And so, the madness began! Within seconds, each individual had scooted off in a different direction.

A moment later an excited scream was heard over by the clothes. The voice was quickly identified by Heather as Karli's and so the three of them, Heather, Misao, and Kaoru rushed to see what all the hub-ub was about.

Karli had apparently found a shirt with Orlando Bloom on it, and next to it was a shirt with the band `Nickelback' on it. But there was more; next to both shirts and almost directly in front of Karli was Orlando Bloom himself and Chad Kroeger from Nickelback! (Sure, the rest of the band was there - but CHAD KROEGER!!! *Drool*) They were talking to each other too! And Karli just stood there - mouth hanging open, slightly drooling, eyes glitzed with tiny stars.

K/n: Man, she sure is crazy about those two, ain't she?

A/n: You don't know the half of it.

~back to me writing~

Heather saw and knew what would happen, while Misao and Kaoru did not.

*GLOMP!* The next second, Karli was attempting to glomp Chad and Orlando at once. However, a large group of darkly clad, sunglasses-wearing bodyguards had other plans. Soon, they started pounding her into a bloody pulp. Once done, the stars and their guards walked off, with Chad saying "I knew that would happen; where's the 50 bucks you owe me now?"

Rushing to her side, Kaoru, Misao, and Heather found a very flat and very bloody-almost-dead Karli. But thanks to the Incredible Instant Coffee Kit of Randomness, that Heather owned, she recovered soon enough and started rambling.

"STICKS - BIG sticks. Big long black DEADLY sticks," she muttered incoherently.

K/n: Sheer insanity, that it is.

A/n: Indeed.

~back to sister's writing~

When, after a few moments, she came to her senses, she cried, "But - b-but - Orlando! I love you!!!" She hung her head in defeat. Everyone stared at her. She looked up and said, more to herself than anyone else, "It's not like I had a chance with Chad - I just wanted a hug. I NEED A HUG!!!" She crumpled back into a mumbling and muttering pile on the floor. Heather sort of laughed.

"Aww! Melodramatic little sister!" She went over and scooped up her little counterpart. "No more running off after hot elves or rock `n roll band members for you today!" Karli pretended to die by being choked with her own two hands. Kaoru and Misao were confused by the little hyper girl's actions but didn't bother to ask.

*K/n: I knew master's sister was crazy, but this is ridiculous!!*

*A/n: Amen, Kenshin. Amen.*

"Piggy-back…" mumbled the `dead' Karli. Her hand twitched a little. She smiled mischeviously, and within seconds Heather agreed with a smile. In the blink of an eye Karli was attached to her `big sister's' back, squealing with delight. Everyone laughed.

So, for the rest of the time the group of girls wandered around the store, Karli riding happily on Heather's back with Misao scowling after them.

"I want a piggyback ride, too!" she whined. Kaoru looked sideways at her. "Will you give me a piggyback ride, Kaoru? Pleeease?!" she asked, eyes huge, lower lip stuck out.

"No! Absolutely not!" Kaoru folded her arms Misao's eyes got even bigger, and her lip stuck out even more.

"No, Misao!" Kaoru said in a voice so stern that even the most persistent, most experienced begger wouldn't dare even breathe within 20 feet of her. Misao quietly pouted - knowing she didn't want Kaoru's wrath.

No really noticed when Misao disappeared a short while later, though. All they knew was that it had seemed a little too quiet. Suddenly, Misao appeared in a flash just as Kaoru commented on the quietness and serenity that seemed to exist within the group. Misao, no longer pouting, was holding a hanger that had a pair of purple boxers with yellow smilies on them in her right hand. In her left was a pair of purple and yellow checkered pants. They looked quite baggy.

"I want these!" she squealed, shoving the clothes into Heather's face because she couldn't eactly reach Karli's.

Heather looked at Karli, as she was now peering over her shoulder to get a good look at what Misao had found. Karli squealed in delight.

"Go try them on!" she urged. Heather winced and mouthed the words "ow, my ear!" "Sorry!" sang Karli. They all made their way to the fitting rooms where Heather got Misao situated in one of the stalls, then joined Kaoru outside.

When Misao came out, it was… interesting. (HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I SAID THAT NOW?) She had put the boxers on OVER the checkered pants. After a long discussion that lasted all of about 2 minutes, Misao decided that the outfit suited her very well.

~end sister's section; it's mine again!~

The crew was just about to leave when somewhere in the stalls, someone yelled, "HEY! Would someone pass me the toilet paper?" Instantly every stinking person in the stalls came running out in mass hysteria. The girls held their ground and watched it all unfold. Thirty seconds after the last person left the stalls, Aoshi walked out with Ian, snickering at their apparent joke.

"Told you it'd work." Ian said to Aoshi between laughs. Then they saw the girls. More directly, they saw Kaoru; she apparently wasn't pleased.

"Oops… Run." Then Ian and Aoshi took off in a flash, with the girls still standing there, wondering what the heck was going on.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Elsewhere, the guys, (Ian and Aoshi had safely rejoined the group before the others knew they'd left) had finished their selection of clothes, which consisted of shirts sporting dragons, flames, abstract objects, and other stuff they seemed to like. Thanks to his seemingly endless cash flow (E-bay!), Ian was able to get each guy his own leather trenchcoat. They also picked out sneakers for footwear, among other necessities. Now they were browsing around.

"So, Aoshi, how ~did~ you and Misao end up here?" Ian asked. Much to everyone's surprise, Ian was the only one that Aoshi would talk with longer than just two sentences.

"Misao and I were coming to Tokyo," he began. "Misao couldn't stand the two days that Himura and his friends were gone, and so wanted to visit them as soon as possible."

"Which meant "now", right?" Ian finished.

"It did." Aoshi replied. "The second day after we left, a darkly clothed man, about your height and build I'd say, met up with us. He claimed to be selling weapons of all kinds, naturally catching Misao's attention."

"Of course."

"They soon began arguing about a fair deal on kunai, when the man began yelling of revenge, four others, and other such things. He then seemed to go into a brief meditative state. Once out of it, abruptly bid us farewell and we were here."

"Sounds like this dude has a mean streak or something, eh?" Ian commented.

"Could. Maybe it was the fact that Misao had tried to stick him with half a dozen of her kunai, too"

"That too."

The two continued to chat like this for much of the tiem. At the same time, Yahiko, Sano, and Kenshin had found the toy department. And what a sight it was.

"Check out this thing you two!" Yahiko called, holding up a toy motorcycle.

"Wee-oo! Wee-oo!" Sano was making sound effects with his newfound friend. "Bob the fire engine is cool!"

Kenshin simply stared at them. Then Yahiko found something very interesting indeed.

"Kenshin? You should see this, like now." He said in a no-nonsense voice that people rarely heard.

"What is it - ORO?" That's when he saw it; or rather them. An entire shelf area devoted to "Rurouni Kenshin" merchandise! Yahiko picked up a Kenshin doll and squeezed in front of his face.

"Oro?"

"Oro?"

"Oro?"

"Oro?"

"Funny stuff." Sano was still holding Bob, but was still interested enough to wanna see what was with all the oros. He saw and was amazed; not enough, however, to drop his friend.

"Hey kid; look at this!" Sano held up a Kenshin-chased-by-Kaoru toy and pressed a button on it. "Kaoru" was soon hitting "Kenshin" upside the hed, with her usual spech and his oro-s.

"Cool; hey it even doubles as an alarm clock!" Yahiko said. The other two just stared at him strangely, but Yahiko didn't really care.

"Hey guys; you found the toys, eh?" Ian finally caught up with them, with Aoshi in tow.

"Icicle. Catch!" Sano tossed something at Aoshi, which he caught and examined. Pressing the button, he waited. Nothing happened.

"Apparently, that's about as life-like as he gets!" Yahiko whispered to Sano. Both of them started snickering quietly. Aoshi merely ignored it. About now, something strange was ready to unfold.

*A/n: I know some of you will like this next part! It's so funny and wonderful!*

"May I help you gentlemen with anything?" came a cheerful voice.

"No, we're just brows-" Kenshin started. He looking at the one who had just spoken and was in severe shock. `It's not possible!'

Everyone noticed and went slack-jawed, save for Aoshi, who maintained his composure.

"Soujiro? What are you doing here?"

"Mr. Himura. It's been a while, hasn't it?" Yes, it was Soujiro; our emotionally disturbed friend from the former Juppon Gattona.

"How did you-…?" Sano sputtered.

"I'm an employee here; see the tag?" holding up his tag, it said "Hellp. I'm Seta Soujiro. How may I help you?"

"After Mr. Shishio's plans failed, I began wandering. After a time, a darkly clothed man stopped me and asked for directions to Mt. Hiei. Naturally, I was still a little messed and tried to Shukuchi his ass before I knew what I was doing. I missed somehow, and he said something to under his breath. Next thing I know, I was here. That happened about 3 years ago. Now I'm head of the toy department!" finishing that, he flashed his Tenken-smile.

"It would appear that our friend Akuma is obsessed with people I have met or know, that it does." Kenshin said after a brief pause. "In the end, they end up here in the present."

"But why is a question that needs to be answered." Ian mentioned.

"Maybe he's just a lonely, anti-social guy who only knows anger and sorrow?" Aoshi brought up, in a quick and cheerful voice.

Everyone stared blankly at him.

"Uh……… got anymore toys of me, Soujiro?" he asked.

"Sorry, Mr. Shinomori; that's all we have."

"……"

"I don't think you've been properly introduced." Kenshin began "Soujiro, this is Ian, Ian, Soujiro."

Ian and Sou gave each other nods. Yahiko just stood there doing nothing. Sano started making noises with Bob again. Aoshi went meditative. Then Ian broke the silence.

"Well, we'd better get going guys."

They all agreed and said their good-byes to Soujiro. With all the clothes they had, they could have open a small store! As they walked to checkout, the guys (minus Ian and Aoshi) continued to look at all the stuff around them. There were also the TVs in the electronics section; Sano was a little nervous with all them on one wall, but not much. At the moment it was on a news channel, the newscaster talking about how the legal age for Americans to drink (alcohol) was now down to 16 years old, despite wide criticism.

When they reached the jewelry counter, they met up with the girls, who had a relatively full cart of clothes themselves.

"How are you going to pay for all of that?" Ian asked.

"With cash… from selling broher… on E-bay?" Karli suggested.

"You mean her brother, right?" Ian pointed to Heather.

"Yup."

"Okay."

Satisfied, they went to checkout. Were they in for a surprise. The clothes from Ian's cart were first to be rung up. Strangely, Ian thought this cashier look familiar. The guy's one eye remained shut almost all the time, his voice had a southern accent to it, and he looked like he had a broom for hair. Then he saw the name tag.

"CHOU?!"

"That's my name; what's it to you?" the broom asked.

"Guys - it's Chou!!!" Ian cried to his friends. They were every bit as stunned as him.

"Chou, what are you doing here?" Kenshin asked, knowing the possible answer but asking anyways.

"Well, it's kinda strange, really," he began. "I was out in the market one day, minding my own business, when this one dude about his size (points to Ian) offers to sell me some cigarettes. I tell him `no' and he keeps on pushing. After a bit, I kinda lose it and tell him to piss off. `Course, that just made him mad. Suddenly, he starts mumbling something and then he smiles all creepy like. Next thing I know, I'm here. That happened `bout same time as when Sou-ji-ro ended up here."

"Gee, two guesses who's responsible." Yahiko wondered aloud.

"Well, it was nice seeing you Chou." Kenshin said. "We'll probably see you again, ne?"

"See y'all later then." Broom-head replied.

With the shopping done, they headed back to the car and went home; more permanent sleeping arangements had to be made now.

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MoTaS: MAN! That was a long chapter! Hope you all enjoyed it. I want a serious amount of reviews for this one!

Kenshin: Shishou is right; it took forever to type this one!

MoTaS: Hopefully this is a nice make up for not updating in so long. I wouldn't have been happy either.

Kenshin: Remember to thank him! He worked very on it, that he did!

MoTaS: Tell me what you think and I'll see you all next time!!!