One lazy afternoon, Sanosuke and his friends came over to play cards. “I got to study de gozaru yo.” Kenshin uttered as they barged into his apartment with bottles of sake and snacks.

“Come on, there’s a time for work and a time to play! You’ve been hitting the books too hard.” Sanosuke argued, knocking his friend on the head.

“Oro, but if I take it easy now, I’ll be cramming later.”

Kaoru peered her head in the door. “Hey, what’s going on here? A party?”

“Jou-chan!” Sanosuke said, waving, “Have you met my friends? This is Anji, Chou, and Katsu.” Anji was a large, muscular man with a cloth around his head and black circles under his eyes. Chou was a skinny tall guy with spiky blond hair that stuck straight up in the air. Katsu was a bishonen man with long black hair. “Guys, meet Kaoru. She lives next door.”

Katsu said, “We’re just having a friendly game of cards. Would you like to join us?”

“Iie, but thank you for the offer.” she replied, “Ne, Kenshin, do you have a copy of the classified ads? I need to take a look at them.”

He handed her the pile of newspaper. “Somewhere in there. Why do you need it?”

“Oh, just looking for another job.”

“ORO?” Kenshin went frantic. “But you already have two jobs! And also, you’ve already exhausted yourself so much with them! Why do you need another job?”

Kaoru sat down and took out a highlighter. “I just finished my budget and it seems that since I’ve missed a lot of work lately, I’m really behind. If I don’t get more hours or another job, I won’t be able to keep my apartment.”

“Demo Kaoru-dono…!”

Kenshin was cut off by Sanosuke’s outburst of cursing. “YAKUSO!!! I LOST AGAIN!!!”

Anji smiled as he pulled in the center bet. “Maybe you shouldn’t play with us big boys, Sano.”

Kaoru stopped and looked over at the card-players. “Come to think of it… maybe I’d like to play for a bit.”

“Oro?”

She walked over and sat next to Sanosuke. “What’s dis? A chick playing?” Chou chuckled, handing her deck of cards, “F--king knock yourself out.”

“Don’t mind if I do.” she replied, taking the deck. She then shuffled the cards like a trained Las Vegas dealer. The guys stared at her in surprise. After ten games, a large pile of money had piled in front of her.

Anji asked, “One more game?”

“Nah, it’s like they always say ‘Better to quit when you’re ahead’.” she noted, picking up her winnings and the classified ads, “It looks like I can pay my electric bill. Have fun, boys.”

The eyes of Sanosuke’s friends followed her out the door. Katsu noted, “Oi, Sano. Your friend is pretty good at cards. She’s also pretty cute.”

“Huh?” Sanosuke lifted his head. “You guys interested in Jou-chan?”

“Hai. Is she seeing anyone?” Anji asked.

“Well, that all depends.” he uttered, looking over to Kenshin.

Kenshin tapped his chin. “Let’s see… a Buddhist priest turned satanist, a bad-ass who collects katana, and a man who makes bombs in his basement. Hm… no, I don’t think any of these guys should see Kaoru-dono.”

“Oh, like you’re any f--king better, ex-assassin bastard.” Chou snapped, “Hell, what’s f--king wrong with collecting katana?”

Anji noted, “When you try them out on the neighbor's cats.”

Katsu shrugged. “We’ll see what kind of guys Kaoru-san will see. Anyway, we’ve played enough. See you later, Sano, Kenshin.” He and the other two left.

Closing the door, Sanosuke noted, “You hear that, Kenshin? All those guys want Jou-chan. You better make your move fast before you lose your chance.”

“Sano, it’s really not like that.” he replied, rubbing the back of his head, “Kaoru-dono and I are just good friends.”

“So? Anyone with eyes can see that is bullshit!”

“Oro, Sano…”

Sanosuke crossed his arms. “Sure she packs a punch and is pretty naïve, but she knows about your past and doesn’t care. Damn, that’s some kind of a girl. Now all Jou-chan needs to do is wear short dresses and be more servitude, and you’ve got it made!”

Kenshin laughed, “If Kaoru-dono heard what you just said, she’d probably knock another one of your teeth out again.”

“Oi, that was my last baby tooth!” he exclaimed, grabbing him by the collar, “YAKUSO! It really pisses me off!”

“Oro…”

* * *
The next day, Sanosuke and his friends were having breakfast at the Akebeko. “This place is good, but does anyone have any money for the bill?” he asked.

Anji replied, “I thought you said you had a friend here who can score as some free food.”

“I did, but she’s not here today…” he started to say. He stopped gnawing on a bread stick and jumped up. “Aa! There’s Jou-chan! Leave this to me. I know how to talk to her.”

Sanosuke walked towards the front counter, where Kaoru was arguing with Tae. “There’s no way I’m giving you hours today!” Tae exclaimed, “I mean it’s your birthday, for goodness sakes!”

“So?” Kaoru replied, “Tae-san, I’m in a tight spot. Just an extra shift? I’ll polish the chandeliers!”

“No! Absolutely no! Today is a special day… you should be spending it with someone special!”

“Someone special, huh?” she muttered, “Sorry, don’t know anyone. Not even a night shift is available?!”

Kaoru looked up and saw Sanosuke. “It’s your birthday, Jou-chan?” he asked.

“H-hai, it is.”

He then replied, “Could I borrow some money?”

“WHAT!? THAT’S NOT SOMETHING TO SAY ON SOMEONE’S BIRTHDAY!”

“Oh yeah, um… have you lost weight?”

“THAT’S NOT IT EITHER!”

Tsubame walked in between them. “Hello everyone. I’m just here to pick up my paycheck. I’ve got to meet Yahiko-chan.”

Tae smiled as she handed her an envelope. “So, where’s Yahiko-chan taking you on your date, Tsubame-chan?”

Tsubame blushed, “We’re going to buy the new Ayumi Hamasaki CD. We’re going to the concert on Friday.”

“Honto? Oh, I’d really like to go to the Ayumi Hamasaki concert too.” Kaoru sighed, “But there’s no way. I’m all out of money…”

Katsu, Chou, and Anji exchanged glances, “Did you hear that? Tickets went on sale this morning…” The trio took off running, leaving behind a bewildered Sanosuke.

Tae stared at him and held up the bill. “Sir, please make your payment.”

“Uh… uh… well…” he stammered, “Damn those bastards deserted me.”

Kaoru was shaking Tsubame, “Come on, give me just one of your shifts this week! Onegai! I’m desperate! I have five job interviews lined up today and if I don’t get any of those jobs, I’ll be living on the streets!”

“K-Kaoru-san!”

* * *
The ticket sales booth had a long line coming from it. Ayumi Hamasaki fans covered the sidewalk, hoping to get their tickets before it sold out. Katsu, Anji, and Chou arrived and took their spot at the end of the line.

“At this rate, I won’t be able to take Kaoru-san out to the concert.” Katsu mumbled.

“Hey, I’m going to take her.” Anji grunted.

“Like hell!” Chou retorted, “I’m taking her to the f--king concert!”

“That’s what you think!”

The three of them got into a fight, giving each other black eyes and bruising the people in front of them. They stopped to see something before them. ”No f--king way!” Chou cried, pointing ahead. Kenshin was standing in line ahead of them by ten people. “What’s that guy doing here?”

Katsu rubbed his chin. “Maybe he was thinking the same thing and wanted to beat us to it.”

Anji noted, “That sneaky devil. We should drag him off into the alley.”

Chou nodded. “Yeah, let’s f--king kill him!”

“Hold on.” Katsu said, pulling the two back, “I heard from Sano that this guy means business. They don’t call him ‘Battousai’ for nothing. So, it won’t do to take him on. We’ve got to work out a plan.”

“That f--king little boy?”

The trio left them place in line and walked over to him. Kenshin was wearing his backpack, which he kept switching books. He was studying as he waited in line. He lifted his head to see the three angry looking guys. “Oh, hi.”

“What do you thinking you’re doing?” Anji asked.

“I’m going to buy tickets. I’m a big Ayumi Hamasaki fan de gozaru yo.”

Katsu asked, “How many tickets were you going to get?”

“Two, why?”

“Who are you f--king taking to the f--king concert?” Chou asked.

“Oro, I don’t know. Maybe Sano or Kaoru-dono.”

“All right that’s it!” Chou yelled, grabbing him by the collar, “Let’s f--king go and duke this out in the alley!”

“But, I’m next in line.” Kenshin replied, “How about later?”

Anji noted, “He’s right. Let him buy the tickets first and take it from him later.” The other two agreed on the plan. However, as Kenshin’s turn came, the ticket salesman put up the “sold out” sign.

Kenshin fell over. “Orooo…”

The four looked at the man who had bought the last tickets. He had a little toddler on his shoulder, who was waving the two tickets in the air. “Mommy’s going to be very happy, isn’t she, Iori?”

“Shakku shakku shakku!” little Iori chanted.

“Such a cute kid de gozaru yo.” Kenshin said, smiling.

Anji noted, “The man’s a weakling, we can take him on.”

Katsu rubbed his chin. “We can use the kid as a hostage.”

Chou nodded. “Yeah, let’s f--king kill him!”

Kenshin’s mouth dropped open. “Oro…”

He watched as the trio grabbed the boy and ran off. “No! Iori! My boy! Somebody save my boy!” the man cried, running after them, “Please don’t hurt my son! I’ll do anything!”

They had stopped in an alley. Chou was holding the boy up with a katana. “Anything? I want those f--king tickets!”

“But those are for my wife’s birthday!”

“Give em to me or the kid gets skewered.”

The man was going to give them, but Kenshin showed up. “Don’t mind these bullies, I’ll take care of them and get your son back.” he replied, hiding his eyes.

“Challenging us unarmed, how foolish!” Anji yelled, charging at him. Kenshin reached into his backpack and pulled out his sakaba sword. “No way!” Anji uttered as the reverse blade came flying at him and sent him crashing into the wall.

Katsu reached into his coat for a pair of pineapple bombs, but Kenshin was too fast for him and knocked him out in a whoosh. All what was left was Chou. “Hand over the boy.” Kenshin uttered, his eyes flashing yellow.

Chou held out his hand. “Hey, it’s just pretend okay…so I got carried away. F--king calm down, okay?” He reached for another katana that was tied on his back, but Kenshin came at him. In three easy strokes, Chou was down.

“Iori! No!” the man cried, as his son went flying in the air.

Kenshin leapt up and caught him, then crashed into a couple of trash bags. Iori was unharmed, but Kenshin was a bit dazed. “Oroooo…”

“Thank you so much for saving my son.” the man said, helping him up. “I wish there was something I could give you. Oh, I know…” He reached into his pocket. “I have these vouchers for this summer resort near the ocean. I was going to give these to my wife just in case I didn’t get the tickets. But for all you’ve done, you can have them.”

“But…”

“Please take it. Me and my son are very gracious.”

Kenshin nodded and accepted the voucher. He then turned to see a crowd clapping. “Yaaay, you’re strong, Onii-chan! That was a good fight! Do it again!”

“Oro… I feel shy de gozaru yo.” he uttered as they surrounded him. He quickly made his escape from the scene.

The man uttered, “Who was that boy…?”

Iori chimed, “Gozaru!”

* * *
Kenshin arrived at the apartment building. He saw Kaoru coming from behind. “Hi, Kaoru-dono! How was your day?” Kenshin said as she dug for her keys.

Kaoru sighed, “I’ve had the most terrible day. I was nearly mugged and there was this pervert on the train… not only that, but also all of my job interviews went wrong and nobody was going to give me any extra shifts to work. Oh, Kenshin, what am I going to do?”

“Don’t worry. Things will turn out okay.” he said with a smile.

“That’s a face I haven’t seen all day.” she said with relief, as they walked up the stairs, “I’ve never been so glad to come home. Now all I need is a carton of ice cream and a bubble bath.”

Kenshin nodded. “Aa, just relax. I’ll come over later with snacks and the new samurai movie I rented.”

The two stopped as her door flew open by itself. “Surprise!” an enthusiastic group chimed. The two looked inside to see her decorated room full of people.

Putting down her tray of refreshments, Tae explained, “Since the incident this morning, Sanosuke-han and I wanted to give you a surprise party.” She stopped to point at Kenshin. “Is this your boyfriend?”

She turned bright red. “Eeh? N-no! He’s just one of my neighbors!”

“Are you the reason Busu was so late?” Yahiko snapped at Kenshin, “No thanks to you, I’ve been so hungry! Can we cut the damn cake already?! HELL! I'll do it!!”

Tsubame replied, “It’s a good thing we put the ice cream cake in the freezer. Well, I’ll help warm up the food. Everyone, please get your plates ready.”

Sanosuke chimed, “That’s right! Everyone, up! It’s time to PARTY!” He went around, kicking people off the floor, and then he turned the stereo high-blast. “Let’s dish out the sake and make a toast!”

“S-Sanosuke!” Kaoru cried, as Ayume and Suzume ran past them, “No drinks; there’s kids here! And the music’s much too loud! The neighbors are going to get upset!”

“What are you talking about, Jou-chan? They’re all here; even that old lady who lives upstairs. Man, she can really groove!” he noted, “You should relax since it’s your birthday.”

“Honestly… that guy. Then again, it's been awhile since I actually celebrated my birthday. Arigatou minna...” she uttered. She stopped to notice a frowning Kenshin. “Huh? What’s the matter?”

“I didn’t know it was your birthday. I feel kind of bad for not getting you a present.” he said, “Oh, I know. Here, take this de gozaru. It’s a voucher for a free stay at a resort.”

“W-whaat? Where’d you get this?”

“It’s a long story de gozaru.”

“Kenshin, I can’t accept this.”

“Iya, I want you to have this, Kaoru-dono. May you have a relaxing trip and forget about all your worries!”

She shyly stammered, “W-well, it would be nice if someone could come with me…”

Sanosuke popped up in between them and patted her on the shoulder. “Sounds like fun, Jou-chan! Do they have a large buffet and a casino?”

“I wasn’t asking you, Baka!” she exclaimed, “I was asking Kenshin…!”

Kenshin waved his hands. “But I have tons of studying to do before exams this fall. Perhaps just the two of you could go together and have a good time.”

Sanosuke and Kaoru looked at each other. Sweat beads covered their faces. “NO! YOU’RE COMING TOO!” they both yelled at Kenshin.

“Oro…”