Disclaimer: We don't own Rurouni Kenshin! Anyways, we wish we could!

A/N: Yay! FIRST STORY! This makes me/us happy, ne? Please R&R! Arigato! Happy reading!

Summary: Kaoru, a new girl at Sarayashiki High, has a crush on her friend Kenshin Himura. But after his first girlfriend's death, is Kenshin ready to love again?

Forever in a Moment

Losing Someone Precious

"Happy birthday Kenshin!" Tomoe said as she hugged Kenshin. She leaned back and smile at him which caused him to smile back. She brought her hand up to his left cheek and traced her fingers along his scar. The scar was a diagonal line that goes from his nose to his lower cheek. He smiled even brighter and leaned down to kiss her gently. When they broke apart they continued to smile at each other.

"Will you two love birds stop staring at each other? Megumi and I would like to have some food over here," Sano said as he stared disgustedly at Tomoe and Kenshin.

"Actually, I thought it was quite cute," Megumi stated her opinion as Tomoe and Kenshin sat down next to each other.

"You've got to be kidding me," Sano said as he stared at Megumi in disbelief.

"She can have her own opinion Sano," Kenshin said as he looked at his best friend with a disapproving look. "She's her own person."

"Whatever," Sano said as he grabbed a menu and eagerly looked at the options.

"See you tomorrow Sano," Kenshin said as he and Sano slapped each other on the back.

"Yeah, see yah. I've gotta get fox lady over here back home."

"Sano!"

"I'm just kidding Tomoe, geeze!" Sano said, rubbing the back of his head where Tomoe had punched him. "That hurt you know!"

"Well you have to learn to respect ladies!" Tomoe said in a huff.

"I do… well except for fax lady over here."

Tomoe was about to hit Sano again except Kenshin had a tight grip on her wrist.

"Don't worry Tomoe, I'll take care of him on the way home," Megumi stated coldly, glaring at Sano.

"Well, good night Megumi-chan," Tomoe said as she and Megumi hugged.

"Good night Tomoe-chan!" Megumi said as she and Tomoe steeped away from each other.

Kenshin and Tomoe waved at Sano and Megumi as they drove of in Sano's car.

"They'd make a cute couple if they would just admit their feeling for each other," Tomoe said as she and Kenshin stepped into Kenshin's car.

"I'll tell Sano that later," Kenshin told Tomoe smiling.

"I'm fine with that as long as you make him promise that he won't kill me for saying that."

"I will," Kenshin said as he leaned over and kissed Tomoe on the lips.

"I know you will," Tomoe said softly before they kissed again.

"Well, I have to get you home before it is too late," Kenshin said, starting the car and putting his foot on the gas peddle. "We wouldn't want Enishi to take my head off for not getting you home in time."

"Nii-san wouldn't really do that you know," Tomoe said looking at Kenshin through the corner of her eye.

"I know, but sometimes it is best to play along," Kenshin said as he pressed his foot on the gas petal when the light turned green.

The two sat in silence and watched the colors of Tokyo fly by. The streets were surprisingly empty but Tomoe and Kenshin didn't care. All of a sudden they hear a crack and then a hiss as something hit their tire and caused the air to come out quickly.

Kenshin was about to step out of the car when all of a sudden Tomoe saw two cars coming strait at them in the review mirror. She grabbed Kenshin and pulled him into the car and out of the way of the two cars. She watched in horror as one of the cars hit the back of their car and the other one came crashing into her side of the car.

The last think she heard was the sound of glass breaking as everything went black.

Kenshin opened his eyes only to close them again quickly. He could hear sirens wailing in the background as he felt people lifting him up. He winced in pain as he felt straps come over his abdomen. He opened his eyes slowly, allowing them to adjust to the bright lights before looking around. People lifting a stretcher into an ambulance caught his attention. He could make out the figure of a woman and black hair coming out from underneath the white sheet that covered her body.

'Tomoe…' was the only thought that went through his head as his mind went blank and his eyes slowly fell shut.

"What happened?" Sano asked a doctor standing outside of Kenshin's hospital room. He was holding onto Megumi who was trying her hardest not to cry. He could see the tears starting to form in her eyes.

"There was a car crash," was the doctor's terse reply.

"Will he be alright?" Megumi asked, almost begging her to say that Kenshin would be okay.

"Yes. He'll be fine."

"What about the girl?"

The doctor sighed and looked at Sano and Megumi sadly. "She died on impact."

Megumi stared at her for a second before promptly fainting.

"I'm so sorry," the doctor said placing a hand on Sano's shoulder. "It's okay to cry," she whispered, barely loud enough for Sano to hear her.

Sano had been trying to hold back the tears but, when the doctor said that the tears broke his hold and started streaming down his face. He collapse to the floor, Megumi still in his arms, and leaned against the wall. The doctor looked at Sano with eyes full of pity before opening the door the Kenshin's room and walking inside.

'Why did she have to die?' Sano thought as he wiped fiercely at the tears coming down his face. 'He told me he was thinking about proposing to her when we got out of highs school… well at least when they got out of high school.'

"Sano?"

Sano looked down at the girl in his arms and could see the tears ready to fall. "Tell me it was a dream. Tell me it was all a fucking dream!" Megumi whispered fiercely at him.

"It's not," Sano replied hoarsely. He held Megumi tighter as the tears started to fall. It wasn't long before he could feel sobs shacking her body as she buried her face in his shirt.

They sat that way for what seemed like forever. It seemed as if everyone in the hospital knew about the accident, for whenever a nurse or a doctor sent a glance their way it would be full of pity. At first Sano would glare at them for not getting there sooner, for not saving Tomoe's life, but he knew it wasn't their fault so eventually he just looked away.

Sano and Megumi both looked up when they heard the door to Kenshin's room open. The doctor came out, looked at them and smiled. "Your friend's awake," she said softly. "You con go see him if you want."

"Thank you," Sano told the doctor as he helped Megumi up before walking into Kenshin's room and closing the door.

The room was a typical hospital room. The walls were painted in white and there was medical equipment everywhere. Sano looked away from the I.V. in Kenshin's arm and found himself studying his face instead.

In addition from the scar that Kenshin already had, he had gotten another one perpendicular to the first, creating and x.

Kenshin looked up and smiled at Megumi and Sano when they opened the door. Sano leaned against a bare space on the wall and Megumi sat down on the chair to the right of Kenshin. She took his left hand gently started to stroke it.

"I'm glad that you're alive," Sano said with a weak smile. "Although I must say that your car is now officially a piece of shit."

"I figured as much," Kenshin said as he looked at Sano and smiled.

"How are you doing?" Megumi as Kenshin tears coming out of her eyes again.

"I'm fine. What about Tomoe? Have you spoken to her yet?"

There was silence as Kenshin looked back and forth between his friends.

"We couldn't talk to her," Sano said. His voice was low and emotionless. It sent a chill through the room.

"What do you mean Sanosuke," Kenshin asked fearfully.

Megumi whispered something that no one could hear, but Sano didn't need to hear her in order to know what she said.

"What did you say Megumi?" Kenshin asked a little bit calmer.

"Tomoe's…" Megumi started before looking away.

"Tomoe's what?" Kenshin asked, panic was evident on his face.

"Tomoe's… dead."

There was silence in the room as Kenshin slowly leaned further back into his cushions. Megumi started to cry, but no sound came out of her throat. Sano just lowered his head, his bangs hiding his eyes from view. Sano slowly started to drag his feet over to where Megumi sat. He place his hand on her shoulder and she looked at him with tearful eyes.

"Come on," Sano whispered silently to Megumi while nodding at the door.

Megumi slowly stood up, letting Kenshin's hand go. She walked slowly over to the door, opened it and closed it behind her. Sano could hear her sobs from where he stood by Kenshin's bed. Sano slowly started to head towards the door himself after giving his friend a squeeze on the shoulder.

"Sano…"

Sano was barely able to hear the soft voice call out his name. He turned to face his friend, his eyes met the tear filled one's of his best friend.

"Sorry man," Sano whispered softly. He quietly opened the door and closed it softly behind him. He didn't want Kenshin to see him cry.

"Are you ready to go yet?" Sano asked Kenshin as they gave they're regards to Enishi, Tomoe's older brother.

"Not just yet… I want to say goodbye one more time," Kenshin said, looking in the general direction of Tomoe's grave.

"We'll wait for you by the car," said Megumi as she and Sano walked out of the huge living room.

Kenshin walked out of the living room and onto the back porch. He stood there and watched as the autumn wind pulled some sakura blossoms off of their tree. His red hair blew behind him and pulled at his suit, as if wanting to drag him off of the face of the earth, allowing him to be free of his grief.

"Not just yet," Kenshin whispered softly to the wind and, as if the wind heard Kenshin, the wind died down.

Kenshin walked in the direction of Tomoe's grave and soon found himself looking at the tombstone.

"At least you have the courtesy to visit her grave," said a voice coming from behind Kenshin.

"Why wouldn't I Enishi?" Kenshin asked as he turned around to look at Tomoe's older brother.

"Because you're the reason Tomoe is dead."

"How is that so?" Kenshin asked.

"I don't know how but I know you had something to do with this."

"I had nothing to do with her death," and with that Kenshin walked away from Tomoe's grave and to his friends.

'Whatever you say Himura,' Enishi thought as he watched Kenshin get into the car with Sano and Megumi. 'Whatever you say.'