Chapter 1: Kurogasa

This one does not own RuroKen or its characters, as much as I wish I owned Udo Jin-e.

Kamiya Kaoru was a simple girl. She enjoyed teaching her students about Kamiya Kasshin-Ryu, she loved cooking although she wasn't the greatest, and she especially loved to take care of people. The past few weeks for her had been anything but simple. Kenshin had just made his strange way into her life, and she had lost many of her students from the Battousai scare. She had no idea that with one grocery trip, she would begin to develop a taste for something a little less simple.

"Kenshin, Sanosuke! I'm leaving!" Kaoru yelled.

"Where ya headed, Jou-chan? Gettin' more food I hope. If you do the shopping today, can Kenshin cook tonight?" Sano said, trying to ruin her mood.

"Yes Sano…I'm not used to having so many to feed…Tell Kenshin I'm leaving. I don't have time to wait around."

"Will do. See ya." Sano said as he and Kaoru walked in separate directions.

Kaoru finished up her shopping with relative ease, but didn't quite have enough room in her basket. What couldn't fit in the basket, mostly vegetables, she tried to carry in some old cloth she remembered to bring, just in case. As she neared the edge of town, night began to fall. And as night fell, so did the groceries from her makeshift cloth sack. A shadow moved in the background, and a single leaf released a whispering crunch. "Hello?" Kaoru muttered weakly.

"What is a girl doing out this late?" the form replied.

"Umm…grocery shopping if you must know… I bought more than I can carry…" her fight or flight response was kicking in, and she wanted nothing more than to run away. Her stomach lurched.

"Let me help you back to your home. I ensure your safety. Uhuhuhu."

"No thank you, sir. This makes me uncomfortable." Kaoru bent down to pick up her veggies and as she collected her things, the man stepped out of the shadows.

He was very tall, with almost white hair peeking out from under a hat that shielded his eyes. She looked up at him as he picked up her basket. "I insist." He uttered with a very toothy grin.

Back at the Kamiya Dojo, Kenshin had never received the message that Kaoru had left, mostly because Sanosuke decided to nap not long after parting ways with her. He finished up his cleaning, and then went to the kitchen to fix dinner. No food. "She must have gone shopping." Kenshin spoke outloud. "Sessha should have perhaps gone with her. Although Kaoru-dono is a strong young woman…"

Kaoru was indeed a strong woman, and did not argue with the man offering to walk her home, as she had seen his sword. She tried her best from showing her fear, but her shoulders shook violently as she walked. He was attuned to fear. "There is no need to shake like that. I assure you, I will not hurt you. Uhuhuhu. It is a rare occasion that I get the privilege of walking with a beautiful woman. Uhu."

"Thank you, sir. It is nice to walk with a gentleman for a change. What is your name?" She felt herself beginning to relax.

"Udo Jin-e. And you?"

"Kamiya Kaoru. Why do you carry a sword?"

"Oh miss, some laws are meant to be broken! Uhu!" Jin-e smirked at how vague his words were.

"I suppose. That's an opinion. It makes you seem scary, especially when you lurk in the shadows in such a way." Kaoru daringly cracked a smile.

"Ahh, yes. A smile. I was hoping that you would eventually accept that I am merely being helpful. Uhuhu!" He laughed, "Your smile is entrancing."

This embarrassed Kaoru considerably, but luckily for her she was nearing the gates of the dojo. "This is where I live. I can carry everything from here. Thank you for your help." She said as she took the groceries from him, grazing his fingertips.

"I have greatly enjoyed this short walk. More than you will ever know. Perhaps when we will see each other again, I will not hide in the shadows. Uhuhuhuhu!"

"I would feel more comfortable if that was the case. Good night, Jin-e. And thank you." Kaoru said as she leaned up to give him an innocent kiss on the cheek.

"Goodbye, young lady." He smiled again, walking away.

Jin-e knew what he was pursuing, and had come to terms with the fact that his life was nearing its end. His second wish was to find some sort of happiness with a woman, no matter how short lived. His first was to fight Battousai to the death.

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