Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Trick or Treat ❯ I feel pretty, oh so pretty... ( Chapter 2 )

The night of the party arrived. Kenshin and Kaoru wandered amongst the costumed revelers trying to find Sanosuke. It was hard to discern familiar faces amid the sea of costumes. They spotted princesses, samurais, various animals, pirates, and mythical creatures. One bickering couple was even dressed as a miko and a red clad dog demon.

"Where is that rooster head?" Kaoru murmured, standing on tiptoe to scan the crowd. She spotted a desert bandit, a three-eyed god and a monkey boy, but not the former fighter for hire.

"He said he would be here, that he did." soothed Kenshin. Yahiko was off with Tae and Tsubame, leaving them alone to search for their missing friend.

"Oh, look! There's Miss Megumi." cried Kaoru, waving at someone.

"Are you sure?" asked Kenshin, peering into the crowd.

"Yes," said Kaoru with a laugh, "look at her."

The doctor was making her way towards them. She was wearing a lovely russet colored kimono and black gloves. Two red pointed ears peeked out from her hair and as she swerved to avoid another guest, they caught a glimpse of a furry red tail behind her.

"Didn't she know this was a costume party?" Kaoru giggled quietly.

Megumi smiled as she approached the couple. "Well you two certainly look different. I almost didn't recognize you tanuki; you look much more civilized than usual. Oh-ho-ho." She laughed at Kaoru's scowl. "Of course, Sir Ken, your hair gave you away."

The rurouni smiled. "Well then, at least Sano should have no trouble finding us. Although we haven't seen him yet, that we have not."

Kenshin was, for once, not wearing his usual hakama and sandals. Instead, he had on dark trousers and boots. Leather chaps, a plaid shirt, leather vest and a duster coat had replaced his worn kimono. His hair was tied back in a loose but tidy braid and was topped by a worn leather hat.

Kaoru's hair hung in two braids framing her face and a white stripe was painted on each cheek under her eyes. Her dress was made of fringed buckskin, adorned with feathers and beads. Soft leather boots covered her feet and a shawl was draped loosely across her shoulders. All in all, she made a very cute Indian maiden to Kenshin's cowboy.

"So, Megumi, do you know what Sano's wearing?" inquired Kaoru.

Megumi smiled knowingly. "I have a general idea, but I didn't see the final result. Besides, I promised I wouldn't tell. He really wanted to surprise you. Let's wander around, he's probably by the food." she chuckled.

The three of them strolled over to where the food stands were. It was very crowded and they were having a hard time avoiding people. "Oh!" a woman exclaimed, bumping into Kaoru's back, and nearly knocking her down.

"Gomen! I didn't mean to bump into you. Are you all right?"

Kaoru turned to the apologizing woman. "I'm fine. It was an accident, it's quite crowded after all."

The woman was tall and willowy, dressed in a scarlet kimono with black trim and white and gold cherry blossoms, and a gold and white obi. Shiny chestnut brown hair was held back from her face by a red ribbon and just touched her shoulders. Her dark, almond shaped eyes were lightly lined with kohl and red painted lips were her only makeup, yet it gave her an innocent sensuality Kaoru had never been able to achieve so artlessly. She moved with an easy elegance that made Kaoru even more envious. She hated her instantly.

The woman spoke; her voice low and sultry, like warm spiced honey. "I was supposed to meet some friends of mine but they seem to be confused." She laughed softly. "Perhaps you could help me find them?" She smiled at Kenshin, batting her lashes.

"Uh…" The rurouni looked nervously at Kaoru, who was now scowling.

The stranger stepped between the couple, touching Kenshin's arm lightly. "This place is just so crowded, and I'm afraid I'll get lost. Or worse." she said softly, giving his arm a little squeeze.

The rurouni blushed deeply. "O-of course." he stammered. "It wouldn't be proper to let a young lady wander about alone in a crowd like this, that it would not. What do they look like, these friends of yours?" He smiled at the young woman.

"Kenshiiin." pouted Kaoru, annoyed that he was so eager to help this (attractive) stranger.

The taller woman pursed her lips in thought. "Let's see, there's a very crafty fox-lady, an ill-tempered raccoon girl," her eyes twinkled as she leaned forward and tapped Kenshin's nose with a lacquered nail, "…and a silly little rurouni."

THUMP! THUMP! Two bodies hit the ground, eyes swirly.

"ORO?!"

"SANO!?!"

Sanosuke laughed as he helped the stunned couple up. Kenshin stared at his friend. He couldn't believe how… good Sanosuke looked. Or that he hadn't seen through the costume. He shook his head in amusement. "Well, you certainly fooled us, that you did."

Kaoru grabbed the ex-gangster and turned him around to get a good look. "I can't believe it's you! Look at your hair! How the heck did you get it to stay down?" she exclaimed.

"A whole lot of brushing and some oil." Sano said with a slight grimace. "Anywise, Megumi helped me out. The outfit belongs to her."

The doctor frowned slightly. "Humph, if I had known it was going to look better on you than me, I would've said no." she said wryly.

The rest of the night was spent enjoying the festivities, with few incidents occurring. Yahiko had laughed himself silly at the sight of the "mighty Zanza" in a dress and took every opportunity to tease him, especially as the kimono restricted Sano's ability to give chase. Tae had been duly impressed and even suggested if he really wanted to pay off his tab he could work as a waitress at the Akabeko, as long as he could control his temper. After all, the Akabeko was known for it's good service.

One rather persistent fellow dressed in the dark robes of a monk kept asking Sano to bear his child, until finally a wandering hand and a squeeze earned him a slap that sent him flying across the fairground. All in all, it was a very pleasant evening.

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Woot! Another chapter done. So, anyone recognize the cameos? They were pretty obvious. There were six other anime characters (not from RK) amongst the partygoers. There's also a reference to a great SaiSa fic (one of my favs).