Part III -- Young, Dumb and Ugly

    "With that walking ego around, she might even go easy on you, Sano!"  Yahiko teased the tall young man mercilessly.  "Did you see how she treated him?  Worse even than you!"
    "Shut up, brat."  The ex-gangster didn't even raise his voice.  "I never had a chance to begin with.  She's way too good for me.  She deserves someone like him."  He kicked aimlessly at an innocent pebble.
    Yahiko shook his head.  "I wouldn't bet on it.  The problem is you both want the same things from a woman."
    "Huh?"
    "You want a female Kenshin."
    Sano gave him the blankest stare imaginable.
    Sighing again, the younger man sat down.  "I'm not saying either one of you.. you know..  that Kenshin is..  I mean you want someone willing to do what she's told, when she's told.  You want someone to support you on what she makes, as well as cook and clean for you and cater to you and all that.  Kinda like the ugly toad wants from Kenshin."
    Floored, Sanosuke stared at his young friend.  "But Kenshin isn't..."
    Yahiko shook his head in disgust.  "Oh please.  Like he doesn't jump up running every time she blinks at him.  It's gross!"  He seemed personally affronted by the very notion.
    "But you like it when Tsubame does the same for you," Sano pointed out.
    "That's different."  Yahiko shrugged.  "That's the way she is.  The ugly toad ain't like that at all.  Neither's Megumisan.  She's very independent and would never stand to be someone's doormat.  Someone like her needs a partner, not a master.  She'd need to be the one in charge more often than not."
    The more Yahiko said, the more impressed Sanosuke was.  "You know a lot about it, especially for a kid."  Admiration and envy mixed in his voice.  "I just don't get women.  Why can't they all be alike?"
    Yahiko snorted.  "It'd get boring fast."
    The other man had to nod.  "You've grown up a lot lately, kid.  You're not such a brat anymore."  He shot a sideways glance at Yahiko, who hardly seemed to notice.  "Sometimes."
    "How do you think he does it?  Kenshin, I mean."
    Sanosuke shrugged.  "Why not ask him?"  Standing, he turned to face the dojo.  "Oiy, Kenshin!"
    A moment later, Kaoru emerged.  "Kenshin's out with Hikosan.  What do you want?"
    "Nothin'.  Wanted to ask him something."  Sano shrugged again.  Kaoru eyed him.  "Guy stuff."
    "Hm.  So," she said, looking away from them.  "What do you think of Hikosan and his... proposal?"
    "He's gotta be nuts, tellin' the Kitsune he's 'decided' she'll be his wife.  Is he that dumb?" the man once known as Zanza wondered aloud.
    Kaoru shook her head.  "Can you blame him, really?  You never really met him before yesterday, so you wouldn't know, but he's actually very perceptive.  Noble, too, you should have seen him back in Kyoto, at the Aoiya, the way he spoke to Fuji and talked him into a true fight, talked to him man to man and warrior to warrior."  Her eyes sparkled with delight.  "Really, he was amazing!"
    "If you're so impressed with him, why don't you marry him?" Yahiko asked.
    "He didn't ask me," she said primly.
    "And if he had?"  Sano stared at her intently.  "Would you?"
    Kaoru blushed.
    "What about Kenshin," Yahiko queried.
    "The thing that bothers me about him is he's so much older than I."
    "Which one?" Yahiko smirked.
    Kaoru glared.  "Hiko of course!"
    "He's not that much older than Kenshin.  Especially next to you."
    For a moment, she looked like she was ready to blow off at them both, but something made her change her mind.  "You're right.  Kenshin is a lot older than I am.  He just doesn't SEEM older, and he certainly doesn't look it.  Hikosan...  Does.  I don't know.  But so does Megumisan, sometimes at least."  She sighed.  "But I can't disagree that he went about it the wrong way.  Does he really have no skill with women?  Look at him!  And Kenshin's so different...  Does he really think Kenshin can teach him about women?"  Kaoru looked completely incredulous.  "I mean, its not like we're that complicated."
    Sano snorted derisively.  "You're not?  Then explain what happened earlier."  He didn't look happy.  Clearly he resented Hiko's decision almost as much as Megumi did.
    "That's easy.  For one thing, women in general don't like decisions being made for them.  No matter how good looking he is," she said distractedly.  "Megumisan less than most, with her history especially.  And when a perfect stranger suddenly walks in out of nowhere and says he intends to marry you..."  She shook her head.  "It's not the kind of thing a woman appreciates.  Now, slow romance and compliments are more likely to win a woman's heart than barging in and demanding things from her."
    "Maybe you should be telling Hikosan that," Yahiko said.
    "But he came to ask Kenshin's advice."
    "I'd love to hear what Kenshin's got to say on the subject," Sano grinned.  "Did you see the look on his face?"
    "Did YOU see the look on HERS?" Yahiko chortled, pointing to Kaoru.  Indeed, the young sensei's expression had gone far beyond flabbergasted and incorporated anger, hurt, and jealousy, with a healthy dose of denial thrown in for good measure.  She refused to believe in Megumi's love for Kenshin.  After all, the older woman had basically told her she was backing off.  She refused to accept the old adage about setting something free that you love and would not allow herself to think that the doctor did.
    Now, however, she merely gave her pupil a dirty look.  "I'd love to hear it myself," she muttered.  "The nerve of that overmuscled old man!"
    "Suddenly he's not so good looking anymore, is he?" Yahiko smirked.
    Sanosuke looked thoughtful.  "He's never met the Kitsune before.  Why on earth does he wanna marry her anyway?"
    "Why don't you fight him for her, Sano?  Defend your woman!"  Yahiko's smirk grew bigger yet until a fist crashed down heavily atop his head.  "OIY!  What was that for, ya big jerk?"
    Sano had been studying Futae no Kiwami again; he was working on perfecting the technique with other than his right fist.  Yahiko had decided that it was because the tall young man wanted to make time with the beautiful doctor.  Sano insisted it was for moments just such as this.  "I'd tell you to shut up, but it doesn't seem to be physically possible," he growled.
    Kaoru shook her head.  "I'd just love to know what's going through that big lug's head."  Biting her lip, she looked unhappily toward the door of the training hall itself, where Hiko and Kenshin sat alone...