Kaoru

[Carthrat]

"You moron! If he said goodbye to you, that means you were the hardest for him to leave behind! Of course he'll be happy to see you! Now eat something and get dressed!"

Yahiko stomped off, looking more than a little angry.

[Bean Bandit]

Bean sighed heavily. For some reason, his heart...was pounding. I guess it's decided. I'm not sure if I should do this...but I will.

"I'll go." he muttered, listening to the words come out of his mouth in Kaoru's voice. He was detachedly amused at the fact that she sounded just like her seiyuu on the anime. The fact that HE now sounded that way was less amusing. "I'll go to where Kenshin is..."

The worst part about it was that he was ever so slightly cheered by the prospect.

Leaning on the wall, he made his way out of the dojo, and back to the room he'd woken up in, a little over an hour ago. Has it really only been that long?

Seeing the room was now empty, He stared at the violet kimono sitting on the rack by the wall of Kaoru-of his room. He grinned weakly.

"My first foray into crossdressing..." he mumbled. He looked it a moment, then a small, neatly folded pile of fabric sitting beside it caught his eye.

That's...the obi, I think. Look at this thing! I...oh boy.

"I have no idea how to get dressed!" he moaned.

[Carthrat]

Unbeknownest to Kaoru, Yahiko was standing just outside her room...

"Come ON, Kaoru! You're getting more hopeless by the second! Don't TELL me you don't want to see him!"

[Bean Bandit]

Bean was taken aback by the knowing tone in Yahiko's voice. Oh man...If she's so in love with Kenshin already that even Yahiko knows, what's going to happen to me when we actually SEE Kenshin?

"S-Shut UP, Yahiko!" he snapped, blushing. "If you want me ready faster, go find Tsubame-chan or Tae-san to help! Otherwise, you can just wait!"

[Carthrat]

"Feh! They've already gone back to the Akabeko! Hurry up, Kaoru! Just wear your gi if you can't put all of that stuff on! Sheesh, why do girls HAVE clothes like that, anyway.."

[Bean Bandit]

"Don't be an idiot! People will talk if I travel in my gi! The last thing Kenshin needs is for us to attract attention!"

Last thing I need, too. Bean thought as he reluctantly shed the sleeping robes Kaoru had been wearing and quickly snatched up the kimono, leaving the thin undergarment she had been wearing on. Okay. I know how this SHOULD look....

He boggled at the amount of fabric involved.
Okay....Time to get started....

********

After far too long....Bean managed a passable version of a woman's kimono, and tied the obi tight. He glanced at the nearby table, and saw a length of pink fabric. He debated for a moment, but then sighed.

Well...I should try to look the part...She always wore the ponytail.

He untied the jet black braid, and the hair fell loose around his shoulders. A few quick strokes with the brush discovered nearby, and he pulled the hair into a ponytail, just as he'd seen his sisters at home do, hundreds of times.

After a few botched attempts, he managed to tie the ribbon around the hair.

This...feels a little TOO comfortable...but what can I do?

He took a deep breath...and Kamiya Kaoru, AKA Bean Bandit...stepped out of her room.

[Carthrat]

As Kaoru walked out, Yahiko raised an eyebrow.

"You took so long getting dressed, and you still look scruffy... well, I guess you must just be excited to go."

Shrugging, Yahiko walked off towards the boat that would take them to a steamship.

"Not like I care, anyway..."

OOC: Timeskip after your next post, Bean..

[Bean Bandit]

Bean flushed bright red, and could feel a vein throbbing in his forehead as Yahiko turned away.

I'm gonna KILL that kid... He sighed heavily. Or maybe it's not his fault. I did an okay job...but after years of practice, Kaoru must be pretty good at it.

He sighed and pulled on the traveling bracers and picked up the bag sitting on the floor, and opened it up.

Kimono...Kimono...argh! I HATE these things...Oh. This must be her gi and hakama...and three bokken. Okay, he did a good job packing for me. I won't kill him...yet.

He sighed and followed Yahiko to the door, internally cursing whoever inveted the kimono. He nearly tripped several times while trying to take small enough steps. Stopping at the door, he slipped on the sandals sitting there and picked up the straw hat nearby.

Ok...I'm off. Kyoto here I come...

[Carthrat]

On a boat heading for Kyoto...

The time for the trip was several days, so in the meantime, Kaoru and Yahiko were stuck with little to do...

While it seemed somewhat exciting to be on a boat to begin with, it quickly dawned on both of them that the anemities of the ship would most definately not be good enough to keep them occupied.

And so, the only way to stave of boredom was to talk to each other...

"Say, Kaoru, have you been to Kyoto before?" asked Yahiko curiously.

[Bean Bandit]

Bean glanced over at Yahiko, slightly surprised at the question, but relieved at having something to do besides fidgeting in the kimono, or tugging at her hair.

That brought him up short, and he shook his head mentally. Over the past day or so, he'd begun referring to himself with feminine pronouns, a fact that disturbed him to no end. He tried to correct himself every time it happened, but it was still happening more and more often...

He pondered the question a bit. What do I tell him? I have no idea what Kaoru's life before Kenshin was like...except for the Gohei thing...I'll have to make something up.

Hm. If 'Kaoru' has been to Kyoto before...anything I know that I shouldn't can be explained away...

He finally nodded, tugging lightly at the sleeve of the lavender kimono. "Uh-huh. I came once with my father, when I was a little...girl. Why do you ask?"

[Carthrat]

"Well, when we get there, we've got no idea where to actually LOOK for Kenshin, do we? I mean, we don't know where he is anyway, but I hope we at least know our way around."

Yahiko stretched.

"Not like it matters. It's not like red hair is common or anything, so he'll be easy to pick out."

[Bean Bandit]

Bean fiddled with the sleeve of the kimono, suddenly morose, for no real reason he could determine.

"I don't know...He lived in Kyoto during the Bakamatsu...he could know all sorts of hiding places where we'd never find him...."

[Carthrat]

"Yeah, but he's working with the police, remember? All we gotta do is follow the important people and we'll find him."

[Bean Bandit]

Bean sighed heavily. "Yahiko...You think it'll be that obvious? They were trying to keep it a secret, remember?"

He leaned against the railing of the ship, wondering  again why this whole thing upset him so much...aside from the fact that he was wearing the body of a seventeen year old girl in a restrictive kimono...

He groaned slightly at that, brushing a lock of windblown hair behind his ear...

[Carthrat]

Yahiko shrugged.

"It can't be *that* hard to find him. Kenshin's not very secretive these days, is he? I mean, if he's not going to kill the people he fights, he'll leave a trail behind him, I guess. I dunno...

..hey, it's been a couple days and we havn't done any practice! Comeon!"