Part 6

 Nightfall had come. The stars twinkled faintly in the sky, surrounding the bright, full moon. Kenshin allowed himself to be enveloped by the dark sky and the night noises, immersing himself in his own thoughts once again. Something was making him uneasy, something he couldn’t place a finger on. An unknown enemy was creeping up on him, slowly drawing him into its grasp. It was an inevitable and almost unavoidable battle he would have to fight, whether he was ready for it or not. He swallowed deeply as he identified the sound of footsteps coming towards him and a shadow suddenly loomed over him. He squeezed his eyes shut as the realization of how serious the situation really was hit him. There was no way out.
 “You’re going to miss all the fun if you stay out here by yourself all night.”
 Kenshin forced a smile as he turned to face his foe. “Gomen ne, Tae-san... I, um, needed some fresh air.”
 “I know you don’t know many people, but how are you supposed to if you refuse to mingle?”
 “Well, actually--”
 “I just thought I’d come out here and see how you were doing,” she interrupted. “AND I wanted to inform you that there’s a very handsome young man waiting inside that would love to dance with you!”
 A wave of panic washed over Kenshin’s face. This was worse than he thought. She couldn’t possibly mean...?
 Before he could finish that thought, Tae had grabbed his hand and was pulling him towards the party room. Kenshin’s mind reeled with events from the past couple days. Not only was he reduced to crossdressing, but now they were making him dance? As they turned the corner he couldn’t help but wonder how this could possibly get worse.
 They entered the room.
 There stood Sano.
 It just got worse.
 “Kiyone-san,” Tae started addressing Kenshin. “This is Sanosuke. Sanosuke-san, this is Kiyone. You’ll be dancing partners for the night!” She smiled and gave Kenshin a light push towards Sano. He stumbled slightly, but recovered, giving Tae an unnoticed glare. He blinked a few times before slowly turning to look at Sano, and was slightly relieved to see him as nervous and confused as he felt himself. The music started, and it felt as it the whole room had their eyes on the couple. Kenshin could feel his control slipping. He refused to look at anyone or anywhere except straight in front of him. His senses told him that Kaoru and Yahiko were standing towards the back of the room behind him, so he couldn’t see them, but that was fine by him because he didn’t think he could face them anyway. Sano mumbled something inaudibly and suddenly grabbed Kenshin’s hands, blushing brightly.
 “We might as well get this over with...” Kenshin muttered. Whether Sano heard him or not didn’t matter. He scanned the room, trying to figure out what to do next.
 “Oy, anything the matter?” Sano inquired, raising an eyebrow.
 “That’s an awfully obvious question, isn’t it?”
 “I don’t want to do this anymore than you do. If only they knew that--”
 “They had better not,” Kenshin interrupted, giving Sano a deadly glare through his cold bluish-purple eyes.
 “Gomen...” Sano paused, avoiding eye contact with Kenshin. “Listen, the sooner we do this the sooner Tae and the rest of them get off our backs.”
 “Easy for you to say. You’re not the one in drag.”
 Sano’s grasp on his hand tightened. “Just dance.” He pulled him a little bit closer and attempted to start. Kenshin tripped rather ungracefully over his foot. Sano blinked down at him. “You ok?”
 “First, I’ve only just learned how to walk in this dress, let alone dance...” he paused. “Second, I’ve never danced before in my life.” Sano groaned.
 “Well, there’s a first time for everything, I guess. Though, I find it mildly ironic that the peaceful rurouni and legendary Hitokiri can’t dance...”
 “Don’t push it,” Kenshin retorted in a low, threatening voice. Sano quickly obliged.
 “Um, stay here. I’ll be right back,” Sano patted his shoulder lightly and quickly made his way towards Kaoru and Yahiko. After a brief conversation, they nodded and Sano returned to his partner, while his friends took a place on the dance floor next to them. Kenshin gave them a skeptical look. “Just do what they do,” Sano whispered harshly, taking Kenshin’s hands in his own once again. Kenshin nodded slowly, keeping his eyes on Sano’s feet and Kaoru’s stance. It didn’t take long to realize that this would be harder than any training he’s ever received before.

--End of Part Six--