Author's Note: This is a little short, though it actually contains quite a bit of interaction and dialogue. Hope everyone enjoys. Only one more part to go!

Updated: 2nd Author's Note: Grrr...I'm irritated. A reviewer for this chapter pointed out some missingpunctuation in the dialogue, which confused me because I always make sure my dialogue clicks...I went and checked, and realized that when I uploaded the damn chapter, the stupid program deleted them. Freaking deleted them all! So I hope I fixed them all. Thanks to reviewer Triste1 for pointing this out to me. Thank you so much.

Reviewer Responses:

person: I honestly had never been to a Laundromat, either, till two weeks ago when our washer crashed. Interesting experience to say the least. Heh. Sitting by yourself for an hour or two gets the creative juices flowing, though…and this story is the product of that…I'm glad I described it reasonably well. (wipes sweat off brow) And don't worry about underestimating me. I completely understand. I usually don't think I'll be able to pull off a story the way I want until I've finished the final draft…and then still sometimes it's not up to par. Writing, I find, is a tricky business. Thanks for your review. Great to see your response!

Ange Noir: I know, I know. Another story. I'm not sure what's wrong with me. Ideas just keep coming so fast it's almost ridiculous. I actually started some other stories, too, that I haven't posted yet for fear of killing myself with the pressure of updating everything in a timely fashion. Heh. Oh, well. Clone…clone…I burst out laughing when I read that. Strange thought, lol. Thanks for taking the time to review one of my stories once more. It's always great to see a friendly face, or I guess in this case a friendly…contact? Er, sure. Lol.

erica6060: Thanks for the positive review. I'm glad you're enjoying it so far!

Aine of Knockaine: Yeah, I never thought I'd be inspired to write a story revolving around laundry. He he. Thanks for the review. Hope you like this part as well.

: Thanks so much for taking the time to review. It's always great to get feedback. I'm glad you like my story so far. Hopefully you'll like this update as well!

scythe195: Glad you reviewed. I'm happy you like it so far!

Triste1: I've noticed that I do tend to drift a little heavily into the descriptive end of the writing spectrum inadvertently. I'm sorry you thought there was a little much of it in the last part. Thanks for your other encouraging thoughts on the way I've portrayed the characters and such. Very helpful. Glad you reviewed.

someone: Aw…that's nice of you to say. Unique? That's always a great thing to hear! Thanks for your review! Here's the update.

Imana: Thanks so much for the enthusiastic review. I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far. Here's the update, which I hope you enjoy as well. Thanks again!

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin

Amethyst Serendipity

Part 2

A dark night of bitter cold enveloped the dank streets of the sleepy city. The pedestrian traffic had slowed to a small trickle of random bodies walking with a proclaimed destination, their shoulders hunched to ward off the wintry slash of the stabbing wind.

Struggling with the biting strap of the large blue duffel bag, Kenshin stumbled a little on the wet sidewalk when the tip of his tennis shoe caught the lip of an upraised block of concrete. He let out an annoyed grunt and easily caught his balance with a practiced twist of his back and leg muscles. Peering through the long fringe of his red bangs, Kenshin squinted and blew out a warm breath of relief when he saw the welcoming door of his resident Laundromat. The bag he carried on his shoulder was getting pretty damn heavy.

Placing his palm flat against the moist glass of the door, Kenshin pushed it open easily and slipped inside, a rush of hot air bathing his tingling, wind-chapped face. Clenching and unclenching his hands, he tried to get the blood circulating through his fingers again. Kenshin stomped his wet feet against the tan welcoming mat at the entrance of the building and managed to dry the soles of his shoes slightly. Scanning the room for empty washers, Kenshin ambled slowly over to a row of five where three washer lids were open, ready to accept their next load.

Slipping the large duffel bag from his aching shoulder, Kenshin stooped down and started to sort through his laundry, carefully dividing his clothes into three piles. One pile for colored clothes, another for hand rags, towels, socks, and underwear, and the last for his miscellaneous white items of clothing. Then he evenly distributed the clothes into the three washers, added the liquid detergent, inserted his coins into the machines and began the lengthy cycle of washing clothes. Leaning down again, Kenshin neatly folded the now empty blue duffel bag and stood, slipping the bag underneath his arm.

Thrusting his hand roughly into his pant pocket to check for some more loose change, he almost didn't hear the small call behind him, beckoning for his attention.

"Kenshin?"

Blinking, he frowned quizzically and swiveled to the side to find the owner of the soft voice. Three people were currently sitting in the Laundromat chairs. A large man reclining awkwardly in an orange chair shifted uncomfortably, his eyes glued to a green hardback book perched in his rough hands. An older blond woman flipped through a magazine while carefully inspecting the electric pink nail polish on her manicured fingernails with interest, frowning slightly when she found something amiss with the nail of her left thumb. Finally, there was a young girl sitting rather straight in her chair, her fingers twitching somewhat anxiously on her leg. Her hair was pulled back in a neat ponytail, a red and blue baseball cap covering the top of her head while the hard bill of the hat shaded her face from prying eyes. Unconsciously tilting his head to the side, Kenshin noticed a small smile on her lips.

In a swift move, the girl reached up and pulled the baseball cap off of her head, revealing her smooth features. She lifted up a hand and brushed stray wisps of dark hair from her blinking eyes.

"Do you remember me?" she asked, her eyes questioning him silently.

Did he remember her?

Kenshin almost snorted in response. Oh, boy, did he. Not matter how hard he had tried in the past few weeks, he couldn't force her remarkable face out of his muddled mind. And she still looked the same as she had on that fateful Saturday afternoon.

And for some odd reason, whenever Kenshin tried to speak to her, now at this very moment and especially on that auspicious day of bumbled introductions, he felt as if his ability to communicate with other humans fled cowardly from his jumbled mind, revealing him to be a stuttering, clumsy idiot. It seemed his embarrassing lack of words had hit him with full force again; Kenshin could only nod wordlessly in response. Mentally rolling his eyes in flustered annoyance, Kenshin's grip on his duffel bag tightened causing his knuckles to turn a strained white.

Apparently, the girl didn't mind though, taking his lack of response easily. Her captivating sapphire eyes sparkled with amusement, smiling kindly at his fidgeting form. She crossed her right leg over her left in a move of comfortable relaxation and folded her hands neatly in her lap. The red t-shirt she wore advertised a local university not a few blocks away.

Her lips parted slightly as her eyes crinkled with friendly mirth. "I almost didn't recognize you. You look so different from the, uh, last time I saw you."

Clearing his throat nervously, Kenshin looked down at himself in confusion, carefully analyzing his appearance. He wore a pair of faded light blue jeans, black Adidas shoes, and a somewhat baggy, though very warm, teal hooded sweatshirt. What was he wearing before? A few long seconds ticked by before comprehension dawned on him, his cheeks flushing slightly with a bashful blush.

Oh, yeah.

Those horribly mismatched clothes.

Smiling sheepishly, Kenshin rubbed the back of his neck with his hand nervously and shuffled his feet.

"Those were laundry clothes. Didn't have anything else to wear at the time. My roommate stole all the other good ones," Kenshin replied faintly once he found his voice.

The girl let out a magical tinkle of laughter which caused Kenshin's heart to beat a little faster in his constricted chest. Welcomed by her open expression, he stepped closer and slowly sat down in the plastic chair beside her, carefully stuffing the duffel bag underneath his chair.

Wryly she replied, "Sounds somewhat like my roommate. Always thinking of herself before she even imagines to acknowledge another person in her mighty presence."

Kenshin chuckled at that, nodding his head with a hesitant smile. "Mmm," he responded.

"I'm Kaoru, by the way. I don't think I introduced myself to you last time we met. Rather rude of me," she said with a frown.

Kenshin crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in the chair, watching her revealed emotions play over her pretty features. His lips curved into a small smile as he started to relax in her unexpectedly tranquil company.

"Don't worry about it," Kenshin told her, stretching his legs out in front of himself and crossing his feet at his ankles. He wavered tentatively for a second, and then bumbled on, vaguely uneasy. "How did your laundry come out?"

Kaoru threw back her head and gave a surprised snort of laughter, her eyes dancing with mischief while she shook her head in exasperated mirth. "Horrible," she giggled, peering at him with a smile. "All shrunken and discolored. My roommate, Megumi, was not happy. Though, she deserved it for making me come down here without telling me the basics of the art of washing clothes." Kaoru tilted her head to the side and sighed heavily. "I really wish I had followed your advice."

Kenshin grinned at her as he watched the charismatic glow of her eyes. "I made the same mistake, actually, when I first started washing clothes. In retaliation for not only ruining my own clothes but my roommate's as well, my roommate just wore some of my leftover clothes," he said with a shrug of his shoulders.

Kaoru let out a small whoosh of laughter and shook her head in accord. "After coming home with that monstrosity of a mistake, Megumi sat me down and went over how to wash clothes in detail. She could barely talk to me at the time because her face was so red with anger," she said lightly as she restlessly fidgeted in her chair. Kaoru's eyes clouded a moment with a hint of poorly concealed apprehension before she had the chance to surreptitiously mask the emotion.

Kenshin watched her keenly, and set about to put her at ease.

"I have never seen you here before that Saturday you came a few weeks ago. Switch Laundromats?"

Kaoru bit the inside of her cheek and frowned slightly, taking her eyes off Kenshin's probing gaze of curiosity. She cleared her throat as she worked up a small amount of needed nerve. "I, uh, didn't really come here to wash my clothes, tonight. Well, I am washing some clothes right now, but that isn't the main reason I came tonight," she whispered quietly, peering at him underneath the cover of her dark eyelashes. "I came that one Saturday because the washer in my apartment broke down. But, I've been coming here almost every day since then to see if I would be able to catch you again. I've wanted to talk to you and apologize for my abrupt and rather rude behavior."

Kenshin's eyes widened with surprise and he sucked in a short breath as he watched Kaoru fiddle with her own fingers nervously, uncertain as to his response to her unforeseen revelation. A lighthearted smile creased his lips as he reached over to pat Kaoru lightly on her shoulder in kind reassurance. She turned her gaze to his in response.

"I'm quite flattered, actually," Kenshin grinned. "It's not everyday that I hear a pretty girl like you is trying to find someone like me."

At ease, Kaoru uncrossed her legs and leaned forward, placing both of her hands on top of her bent knees. "What do you mean, someone like you?"

Kenshin brushed a hand across the top of his head and smiled crookedly. "I guess you could say I'm somewhat of a nerd." At Kaoru's frown of mystified confusion, he continued. "I'm a graduate student at the local university. I'm trying to get my Masters in Physics and Astronomy. I've got a full scholarship for my tuition, books and board if I agree to do scheduled experiments and observations with their sophisticated telescopic equipment at the university planetarium up on the mountain about thirty minutes from here. Sano, my roommate, calls me a vampire for staying out all night and sleeping in the mornings before my afternoon classes."

Watching him with a silent curiosity, Kaoru hung onto his every word, her eyes lightening with interested wonder. She turned sideways in her chair to face Kenshin fully, propping one foot on the flat surface of orange chair. She clasped her hands around her upraised knee and leaned forward a little in excitement. "I'm a sophomore there! This is my third semester. I'm undecided as to what my major will be, but I have to admit that I've always loved looking at the stars through a telescope. My father is an avid astronomer, and he often drafts me to join him with his planetary exploits in the middle of a clear night."

"It is quite a magical experience to be welcomed into the folds of heaven's light, hmm," Kenshin replied with a gentle smile. "Have you been to the planetarium?"

Humming softly beneath her breath, Kaoru shook her head negatively and bit the inside of her cheek in thought. "No, I've never been. My friend, Misao, always comes up with alternatives when I suggest we go up there."

"You should go there some time," he replied in a hushed voice.

"I will. Don't worry. I definitely plan on it."

A soft beeping sound interrupted Kaoru's train of thought, filling the Laundromat. Kaoru's eyes shifted from Kenshin's face to the wall of dryers, and she sighed when she saw that the dryer containing her meager amount of clothes had stopped. She was almost tempted to go over and put more quarters in the machine to extend her time with the interesting redhead beside her, but with the way her luck went with laundry machines, her clothing would spontaneously combust inside the revolving monster of doom.

"Yours?" Kenshin asked.

Nodding, Kaoru stood from her seat, brushing imaginary wrinkles from her dark jeans. Bending over, she picked up a small canvas backpack and walked over to the halted machine wearily, discontent apparent in her small, rigid steps. Kaoru pulled the clear door open easily and pulled out two articles of clothing: a pair of black jeans and a yellow sleeveless shirt with gold embroidered lettering. She folded them in a strange, haphazard way and stuffed them distractedly inside the small backpack. As Kaoru turned back, she slung the small bag over her shoulder and made her way back over to Kenshin.

Putting the baseball cap back on her head, Kaoru gave Kenshin a slanted smile and stuffed her hands into her pockets.

"I guess I'll see you later," she said.

Kenshin sat up and returned her smile. "Yeah."

He watched as she walked to the door, her steps slightly hesitant, her head held high. He felt a stab of regret at seeing her go as a stray thought filtered in his mind. He hoped he'd see her again.

He hoped.

-

It became an unspoken and natural agreement the two made to meet at the local Laundromat every Thursday night between 6:00 and 7:00 when a lull of customers left the small place of business comfortably silent, save a few random people who filtered in quietly. Gradually, Kenshin and Kaoru came to know each other shyly with open conversations and some gentle teasing about their separate lives and the diverse array of people each spent their days with.

Their tentative relationship remained in this slight state of hesitant limbo until one meaningful spring night when Kenshin took the first step to furthering their pleasant involvement.

Kaoru's laundry was up first, her bag packed with the small collection of now dry clothes she had brought. She opened her mouth to say some jokingly obtuse phrase of temporary farewell, but Kenshin interrupted her, a timid question apparent in his gaze.

"Do you want to stay and keep me company? That is if you don't have any plans after this," he asked timorously, some of his old reticence returning with hard clarity. "And if you want to, we could go get some coffee afterwards?"

It may have seemed as if Kaoru was trying to find a way to carefully decline without wounding the young man's pride, though in truth she was too shocked, too stunned to reply coherently. Her fingers fell from the rough fabric of backpack's strap, while her eyes widened, her breath catching in her throat.

This was something she hadn't expected.

Something, she had admittedly thought about, though.

Licking her lips, Kaoru's mouth finally curved into a brilliant smile of entrancing beauty, spearing the young man in front of her with hidden marvel. The two stared at each for a few moments, before she broke the silence while settling down back into her former seat.

"Sure," she replied in a delighted voice, setting her backpack in her lap. "That sounds like a great idea."

And that was the beginning.

The beginning of a chaotic, yet rewarding relationship.

-

Author's Note: I'm not quite sure what to think of this part. I wrote what I planned, though I'm not sure if it quite reaches my original expectations. Oh, well. I hope no one is disappointed with this.

Please leave your thoughts. You know you want to!

Thanks.