I just realized I forgot the disclaimer for Chapter 1, so here it is: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin. These are not my characters.


Chapter 2: The Stranger In Her Bed

"Shit!" the dark haired man said as he laid Kaoru's unconscious body against the bedding before leaving the room.

He returned moments later with a bucket of cool water and a rag. He dipped the cloth in the water and rung out the excess before pressing it against gently her forehead. "Kaoru, can you hear me?" He waited as few minutes and moved the cloth to her cheeks before rewetting it and returning it to its original position. "Kaoru?" he asked as he saw her eyes moving behind her closed lids.


"Why is my face cold? And wet?" She laid there quietly for a moment, absorbing the movements of the damp rag on her face. "Who is here with me?"

"Kaoru?" she heard a deep voice ask.

"I remember!" She thought as she sat straight up, looking at him with wide eyes. That is until the vertigo set in and she blacked out. She swayed and he caught her in his arms, holding her still until the dizziness passed. "Arigato."

"Don't worry about it."

Kaoru pushed herself out of his arms, and he gently released her. She pulled back enough to look him full in the face. "Master Hiko . . . why are you . . . ," she blushed, "here . . . on my futon . . . with me?" She turned her head down so she wouldn't have to look at him.

"I found you last night in the bathhouse. Your head had sunk halfway below the water. When I pulled you out your breathing was shallow. I removed as much of the water as possible but you still weren't breathing properly. I wrapped you in a towel and brought you in here. I dressed you a yukata and just held you while you slept." He reached out, grabbing her chin to force her to look at him. "I didn't think you would make it through the night."

She tried to turn her eyes down but he squeezed her chin and made eye contact again. "Kaoru, I got to you before drowning was a serious issue but it was like your body refused to fight back. It wasn't until two hours ago that your breathing truly regulated." He closed his eyes and released her from his grasp.

"Gomen," Kaoru said in a small voice.

"I want to know what's going on here. Where is Kenshin and why did he let you come this close to death?"

Kaoru clenched her eyes and fists, her whole body suddenly going rigid. She felt the tears burning behind her lids, but refused to let them out. She had held them back for too long to give in now.

Hiko sensed the change in her and pulled her awkwardly into his arms. He ran his large hands up and down her arms trying to calm her as she began shaking and almost hyperventilated. "Kaoru, you need to calm down. Just breathe, okay?"

"What is he doing here? And why did he have to say his name? Doesn't he understand?"

"Breathe, Kaoru." She was still struggling. "Do I need to fetch a doctor?" She shook her head no. "Then breathe."

"I'm trying to breathe you big oaf!" Kaoru's breathing did slow enough to where she wasn't gasping for air.

"It's alright. You're going to be okay. In, out. In, out."

She did as she was told until she regained control. Her breathing was normal and the shaking stopped.

"Kaoru, look at me. I think you just had a panic attack. You might not want to talk about this but I need some answers and I will only ask you about this once, okay?" He waited until she nodded her head in agreement. "Did Kenshin leave you?"

Her breath caught in her chest but she forced herself to stay calm. "Hai. He left me. Several months ago. No one's heard from him since."

"Alright, next question. How long have you been like this? Have you kept anyone how this has affected you?"

"Yeah."

"It's not healthy, Kaoru. You bottle it up until you body can't contain it anymore and you end up like you did just a few minutes ago." She nodded. "Kenshin may be gone but there are still people that care about you."

"You sound so sure of that."

"I'm always sure of everything. I know that Yahiko would never have left you alone after Kenshin left." He looked down at her questioningly. "This is the first time you've heard his name since he left, huh? You've winced every time I've said it."

She nodded. "It just hurts too much to even think about him, let alone hear his name."

"Very well then. I'll say no more about this." He stood and helped her to her feet. "I think its time you ate something."


Hiko had gone ahead to the kitchen to prepare something to eat, giving Kaoru enough to sort through her very confused thoughts.

"Why is Hiko here? I haven't thought about him in so long. Does that make me a bad person? I mean, I never expected to see him again. I pushed everything that had to do with him away from me." She sighed as her stomach rumbled. "Guess I had better go before he comes back in here to get me." She opened the shoji to her room and walked quietly to the kitchen.

Hiko was waiting for her when she got there. He had a tray with a bowl of plain rice and a cup of green tea. "Sit."

She sat.

He placed the tray in front of her and positioned himself opposite her. He watched as she ate slowly. "Just eat, Kaoru. No use being proper now." He smiled as she began to eat with fervor. "Soft foods are good for a sensitive stomach."

"My stomach is not sensitive," she said between mouthfuls.

"Oh no? I'd say from the look of you, the feel of your ki, and the way you're eating that it has been at least three days since you've had anything. Am I correct?"

"Hai."

"May I ask why?"

"I just haven't had an appetite for the past few days. I just get that way sometimes. But I've never gone longer than four days without food so it's not like I was trying to starve myself or anything."

"Really? From what I can see you've lost a good bit of weight since last I saw you." She didn't say anything. "Depression will do that to you."

She looked at him hard.

"Don't try to pretend with me, Kaoru. I can sense it. I know he hurt you, but that's no reason for you to make it harder on yourself. You can be honest with me. You know I won't judge you."

Kaoru sat her chopsticks down. "Why are you here?"

Her blunt question hit him like brick wall. "Huh?"

"I mean, how did you know to come to Tokyo at this precise time? And don't call it divine intervention cause I don't believe in that nonsense anymore. I just wanna know why you came to Tokyo in the first place and how you ended up at my dojo. You're not one for social visits."

He smiled. "You're right, I'm not am I? Why did I come here? Well, I met Okon and Omasu as I was buying sake two weeks ago and they told me that the others had said you weren't yourself but they wouldn't say what had happened. And then they told me that the others would be coming to visit the ninjas at the Aoiya and you had refused to come. I didn't like the idea of you being here alone and I didn't know if something had happened to Kenshin and everyone had neglected to tell me so I came to see for myself. And I must say that it's a good thing I came when I did."

"It was. I'm very grateful to you."

"Don't worry about it. I'm just glad you're alright."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do you care? From what I've seen you don't care about anyone but yourself."

"Now why would you get that impression?"

"Because you're a pompous ass?"

"You do have a point there."

"So, why did you care enough to travel across the country to come check on me? What made you get your big butt off that precious mountain of yours?"

"I can't really explain it. There was just something about the whole situation that didn't sit well with me."

"Oh."

Kaoru started eating again.

"Kaoru."

"Hmm?"

"I am sorry."

"Don't be sorry for him."


Kaoru realized how much more quickly this day had passed for her than any others in the past month. After breakfast, or more correctly lunch, Hiko heated up the bath for Kaoru after making her promise she wouldn't fall asleep again. After bathing she did some laundry and picked some vegetables from her small garden for their supper.

That night Hiko sat outside with his sake bottle while Kaoru prepared to go to bed early. As she slid under the quilt she felt strangely lonely.

"It's weird. I never expected to share my bed with anyone again and now I miss it more than anything." She snuggled down the futon further. "The nights can be so cold when you're alone."


Kaoru was walking the yard just outside the dojo. She noticed that it was open and quickly went inside to investigate, knowing that no one but she or Yahiko ever entered it. What she saw stole the breath from her chest.

"Kenshin?" She asked tentatively.

He was sitting in the middle of the floor, cross-legged, palms up on his knees, with the sakabato lying in front of him.

Kaoru took a few unsteady steps into the room. "Kenshin, is it really you? Are you really here? Did you finally come back to me?"

"Why did you keep me waiting so long?"

"W-what? I didn't know you were here?"

"I told you this morning to meet me in here. What kept your from me for over half the day?"

"But, Ken—" Kenshin opened his eyes to stare hatefully at her. "—shin . . ."

"What woman?"

"Y-your eyes!"

"Is something wrong with them?"

"You're not Kenshin!"

"Of course I'm Kenshin. Who else would be here waiting for you all day?"

"You're Battosai."

"We are one and the same."

"No. You're not. Kenshin is—" Kaoru was cut off when Battosai used his god-like speed to grab her from behind, placing one hand on her throat, the other around her waist, trapping her arm.

"Kenshin is what?" He let out an evil laugh. "Kenshin is me. You should know that by now." He ran his hand across her neck, almost caressingly while he buried his head in her hair an inhaled deeply. "Your scent is intoxicating. The feel of you skin—so soft, so smooth."

"Get away from me," she said with disgust.

"Do I repulse you? Is my skin that is so scarred and stained with blood revolting to your perfect whiteness?"

"Please . . ."

"Pleading has never worked with Battosai. You should know that. You are in an ignorant state today." He squeezed his arms, pulling her closer to him. "Do I smell of," he leant down to whisper the last word in her ear, "blood?" The iciness and ferocity in his voice sent a shiver down Kaoru's spine. He laughed, pleased with her reaction. "Are you afraid of me?"

"Very much so."

"You should be. You should have been afraid when we first met."

"I met Kenshin that night! Not you!"

The anger with thick in his voice by now. "We are the same. We were the same during the Bakumatsu. We are still the same now and always will be."

"NO!"

He released growl and turned her around to face him. "Shall I prove it to you?" His tone promised violence.

"N-no." Kaoru was shaking in his grasp.

"I think I shall anyway." Kaoru shook her head fiercely but he bent his head and crushed his mouth against hers.

Kaoru tried to struggle, to fight him off, but he was too strong and held her still. He forced her lips open and claimed her mouth with his tongue. Kaoru let out a whimper of protest and he actually moved his head back.

"If your going to make noises at least make sure they are pleasurable ones." He looked her in the eyes for a few seconds. "You keep making pathetic little sounds like that and I might think of you as actually prey and do something far worse." He watched her eyes widen. "Good. Now I think I've made my point."

He bent his head and slowly nipped along her neck. "You know, Kaoru, you say we're different, but I don't understand where that logic comes from. Who saved you countless times? He did, I did. We are the same."

"You share the same body, but you are not the same person."

"Oh, I beg to differ." He moved his hands to her shoulders and pulled back to look at her. "I've missed your body."

"Well, you can keep on missing."

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice in the matter."

"NO! NO! NO!" She tried harder to escape him. "I WON'T DO IT! YOU CAN'T FORCE ME INTO THAT!"

"Men force themselves upon women all the time. Just be grateful that I haven't until now."

"NO! I DON'T WANT TO! YOU LEFT ME! YOU WERE NEVER SUPPOSED TO COME BACK! YOU WERE NEVER SUPPOSED TO HURT ME AGAIN!"

"I've never left you."

"NO! I WATCHED YOU WALK AWAY!"

"I've been here the entire time."

"NO!"

"Leaver her alone."

"Kaoru turned her head to look at her savior, but Battosai already knew who the intruder was.

"Master, what are you doing her."

"Stopping you from hurting this girl further."

"Get out," Battosai said forcefully.

"You don't order me around."

"I'm not you student anymore."

"As long as I'm alive you obey me."

"Well, I have a remedy for that."

"Stop it, Kenshin. Everywhere you go you leave a path of destruction. It's time it ended."

"I'm with my woman now. Can't you see we're busy."

"She's not your woman anymore."

Kenshin looked from Kaoru to Hiko and back. He then flung Kaoru towards Hiko so hard that she fell and slid across the floor to his feet. Hiko reached down and picked her up.

"You want her, you can have her. I'll find another one."

Kaoru had tears streaming down her face. "GET OUT! GET OUT! GET OUT!"

Kenshin to a menacing step towards her. "Don't you dare speak to me that way. Master can't protect you from me."

"HE'S STRONGER THAN YOU'LL EVER BE! LEAVE AND DON'T COME BACK1"

Kenshin was beside the other two in an instant. He put his hand on Kaoru's cheek and whispered in her ear. "You will always be mine."

"NO!"


"Kaoru! Kaoru, you need to wake up!" Hiko was kneeling over her trying to rouse her without hurting her. She had been screaming in her sleep and he had rushed in to find her mid-nightmare. "Come on, Kaoru."

"NO!" she called out as she opened her eyes and sat up. Her face was wet from crying and she was still shaking.

Hiko leant back so he wouldn't scare her with his closeness. She looked around until her eyes met his.

"Oh, Hiko!" she said as she began crying again and threw herself into his arms.

"Shh, it's alright. He's not going to hurt you here."

"H-he w-won't let m-me go!"

"Shh."


Kaoru stayed wrapped in his arms and cried for almost an hour. She cried until her throat and eyes burned. She cried until her body was exhausted from the effort and her muscles ached. When her sobs quieted, Hiko spoke again.

"Kaoru, are you done?" She nodded. "Okay. Do you want to go back to bed." She nodded again. "Alright." Hiko picked her up and placed her back under the blankets.

When he tried to move away from her he found that she was gripping his gi so tightly her knuckles were white. "Are you still frightened?"

"No."

"Then what is it?"

"I want you to make me forget."

"You don't know what you're asking."

"I understand exactly what I'm asking." She paused, her voice softening pleadingly. "Please . . ."

"Very well." Hiko bent his head, claiming her lips in a possessive kiss.


That's it for Chapter 2. The next one's coming soon with lots of lemon. Please review.