Author's Note: Here's another! I was thinking of not putting in this chapter and just writing something different but changed my mind. I hope its okay!

Disclaimer: Again, I own nothing related to Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen or anything with Rurouni Kenshin. It makes me sad.

I could still use some help with deciding with who characters should be... I'm having trouble with Lady Catherine, her daughter and Charlotte still! This is hard. Make up a name! (Japanese please!) She would be an OC of course...I hope it won't make any readers think badly of this story is I happen to decide on this option.

Thank you to all the reviewers for the comments and help so far! hugs

Pride and Prejudice

...a Megumi and Aoshi Romance

Chapter 2:

A little late night conversation...

Kashiwazaki Megumi was a very intelligent young lady who was determined to learn medicine like her dearest godfather Dr. Genzai. She was a romantic at heart, though she'd never tell anyone but Kaoru that. She was closest to Kaoru like that because they were best friends.

And she had never seen her as happy as she was now.

The ball at the Hajimes' was over and after a couple of days; everyone was still talking about the successful ball, even if it was a western tradition. ("Perhaps Japan should allow more Western communication?" some people thought.) Kaoru was love struck, Megumi was certain of it.

Everyone, except for Okina, didn't approve of Aoshi's cold demeanor. Okina would wave it off and his eyes would twinkle with old memories. But Megumi hadn't let her little snub by Mr. Shinomori let her spirits depress because her sister's future was on the line here!

Megumi and Kaoru were now out of their western styled gowns and into night yukatas for sleeping. Kaoru had snuck into her room in the middle of the night and they whispered fervently with smiles. "He is everything I'd hoped for!" Kaoru smiled. "He's charming and handsome and…just perfect!" Megumi sat at the other end of the futon, her legs pulled up to her chin.

She loved the way Kaoru's eyes sparkled when she spoke of Kenshin.

If only I could find someone for me…someone to light up my life…

When Kaoru excused herself to slip into her own room, Megumi left her room to take a midnight stroll. Now that there was no one around who spoke of the happiness and joy that had made itself into the Kashiwazaki household, Megumi only thought of Aoshi's words about her.

How had she not been pleasing? Had her dress offended him? Her bow had been inappropriate?

She knew it was pointless and unutterably stupid to think of why he said those heartless words…but she wanted to know. He had really hurt her. Because she was allowing this to hurt her so, it fueled her dislike towards the man.

Wrapping her outer robe over her yukata tighter, she made her way back to her room.

"Megumi-chan?" Okina smiled at her as he slid the door to his rooms open. "Come, sit by me and we'll talk."

Megumi obliged. "You are not cold, Otou-san? You're not sleeping."

Okina smiled gently, revealing a persona so different from the eager man trying to get his daughter to wed just that afternoon. "Are you cold?" She shook her head. "I'm sorry I could not talk to you this afternoon. I even forgot a dance with you… I'm a bad father." Megumi turned her head and gave him a look that said 'No, you're not!' "Did you enjoy yourself at the ball, Megumi? Really?"

"Yes, I did." she murmured wistfully. "But I'm glad we're back home and not husband hunting." she said more humorously, a smile on her lips.

"No! She's not, 'Tou-san!"

The two turned and saw Enishi had slid his door open, his head (the same shade of silver-white as Okina's) poking out. Okina gave Enishi a look. "What do you mean, my son?" He turned to his daughter now. "You did look a little forlorn when we were leaving. Did someone do something to you at the ball?" he asked with concern.

"Enishi knows not what he speaks of, Otou-san. I was tired of all the dancing." Megumi quickly said.

Enishi sat next to Megumi now, laying his head against her shoulder and yawning. "Noo-yaah-ooo…you didn't dance at all for at least the last hour we were there, Meg nii-chan." Megumi silently wondered how this little child could be so perceptive for his size and age. He was like a little ninja, stealthily sneaking into Tae and Tsubame's room and placing worms in their beds.

Okina was staring worriedly at his second daughter. He had been so caught up with his Kaoru and Kenshin…and the surprise of seeing Aoshi again… The old ninja's mind seemed to rewind…

He had seen the look in her eyes when they had approached; Aoshi's face was literally mirrored in his daughter's almond eyes.

"Hmm…are you smitten to Shinomori-san, Megumi?" Okina questioned her softly.

Enishi lifted his head at this. "It was HIM you were blushing at?!" the boy cried. "I'll ring his neck—"

Okina patted his son's head with a chuckle. "Trust me, son, you wouldn't even be able to touch the man. When I list the top ten men never to mess with, he'd be in the top five. I've seen what he could do, even when he was a young teenager." Okina's eyes flashed to other memories again. "He was my son before you came around, Enishi, my too-grown up child, though was a deadly fighting machine, but my child when I deeply missed your mother and sisters."

"Wow…he's really good, huh? I'll try a surprise attack then…" Enishi whispered to himself as Megumi smiled at his antics.

"You know, Megumi-chan, if I had known you'd like him, I would have put you two together years ago! I'd have two daughters taken care of already!" Okina huffed.

Megumi blanched. "Please, there is no way we would get along, Otou-san." said Megumi, adding a touch of finality in her tone…just in case Okina was having crazy thoughts.

Which he was.

"Why don't you try talking to Aoshi, Megumi? He's rich! A good warrior, friend and man! Most of his family is gone, just him and his little sister! Oh, Megumi, you must!" Okina said.

Enishi and Megumi looked outraged. "No, Okina!" they both almost growled.

Okina pointed to his son. "You have a very childish overprotective reason not to like him, Enishi…" Next he pointed to Megumi, "But you I don't understand why you won't give him a try." Again, he turned to Enishi. "You better not try another one of your 'guerilla ambush on Saito' tactics on him either…" Okina warned the boy. "Trust me. That man will mistake you for a rabid bird and dice you, boy."

This time, both Megumi and Enishi whitened at the thought. So it was established he was a man not to be reckoned with physically. At least, in Megumi's head… Enishi went over more war tactics in his head as Okina turned to Megumi once more.

"When I say he is a good man, he is a good man, Megumi." Okina said seriously. "Aoshi is not a man comfortable among strangers, he was grown to be like that…but he could use someone to make him happy in his life. That would be good for his sister, him and most importantly, yourself, Megumi."

Megumi was thinking over his words when Okina wished her good night. With one final warning look to his son (still plotting the downfall of Shinomori Aoshi) and a sincere smile to his daughter, he retired for the night.

Megumi led the sleepy-eyed Enishi back to his rooms and tucked him in.

All the while, the boy muttered to himself: "First…beat down on…Aoshi…then Tsubame's Yahiko…"

Megumi smiled, albeit a little worried for this Yahiko kid. The wicked sneer the boy had fallen asleep with did not lessen her worry. Aoshi deserved it though. Kissing her brother's forehead, she slipped out of his room and finally found dreams.

She dreamed of dear, sweet Enishi putting worms in Aoshi's bed.

…and then the mere notion of Aoshi's bed triggered other dreams… Megumi sat up a few hours later, half awake.

"I will not give up to that…that…heartless beast!" Megumi swore softly to herself, her cheeks a wonderfully flushed pink.

Back at the former Aoiya (which had gotten a completely new transformation into a luxurious and rich house) Shinomori Aoshi was restlessly sitting with Himura Kenshin at the front gate.

The two were similar in the relationship Megumi and Kaoru had for one another. Aoshi liked Kenshin's easy and, for most of the time, wise advice he offered. For Kenshin, Aoshi was loyal and very observant. The two couldn't be more different. Though Aoshi saw a lot of money-greedy women at the ball, there were some fine details to Kyoto he found very likeable…like Kashiwazaki Megumi…very, very likeable…

He wasn't sure why he had said she wasn't "tempting" at the ball earlier. He had been in a very foul mood, mostly due to his younger sister's letter he had received that morning.

If that scoundrel goes near her again I'll…I'll… I'm so sorry I have to be away, Misao…

And Kenshin's single sister clinging to him had made it worse. Hinting and politely telling this woman that he just wasn't interested was not working! Did he have to write it out to her on a banner?!

Well, he had no time for a woman anyway, Tomoe or not…Megumi or not… (Somehow, this thought depressed him silently.)

It was Kenshin's night; he was the joyful fool in love.

His day would be another day.

"So, you really like her, huh?" Aoshi asked, both men looking at the stars. They had escaped Tomoe's incessantly endless flirting attempts with Aoshi…while the steamy sexual tension between Yumi and Shishio had been VERY uncomfortable. If they wanted to go at it, couldn't they have retired to their OWN rooms already?!

Even their apprentices, Yahiko (Kenshin's pupil) and Soujiro (Aoshi's pupil), couldn't stand it anymore and went off to practice somewhere.

"Yeah…I've…it's just that I've never met anyone like her before! Aoshi, I can't even describe it! You know what I mean?" Kenshin asked bewilderedly.

"Aa." Aoshi muttered.

Kenshin turned to his friend curiously. "You do? I thought you told me you'd never been in love?"

Aoshi's eyes focused on the dark azure sky above the Kyoto roofs. "I haven't…" Aoshi sighed wearily…at least he thought he hadn't before tonight. "But I just know you're heart beats so loud, you think everyone can hear it, you're reminded of her whenever you look at the most random object…you'll be dreaming about weddings and kids soon too…"

"Yeah, you hit the mark…as usual…" Kenshin murmured with a smile.

"Do you think she likes you back?" Aoshi said suddenly after a quiet moment between the two. Kenshin's head shot up at this.

"Of course, Aoshi, why would you—"

"Kenshin, you NEED to be one hundred and fifty percent sure about this. Observe her, watch her reactions to you, compare how she reacts to being in love with the way you do." Aoshi advised. "You want to marry out of love, right?"

Kenshin nodded firmly. "Hai, just as you do too, Aoshi!"

"Then go into this like a war. There will be more battles to come." Aoshi warned him before leaving for a good night's rest.

"Couldn't I surrender?" Kenshin asked childishly. He shrunk as Aoshi glared at him. "Alright, forget I said that… But I truly appreciate your words." Kenshin turned to the sky again. I will pursue Kaoru!

Aoshi was lying on his futon, unwilling to fall asleep…he had a bad feeling his dreams wouldn't go over well tonight…

This chapter was WEIRD. Yes. So...I bet you can tell I was avoiding the eventual scenes with Charlotte in them. I was thinking of using Sae but I don't know anymore. What do you think?

PLEASE, pretty please, leave a review!

I wonder if the idea of little Enishi is growing on anyone...because it is with me. And if your answer is YES, Enishi threatens you to leave a review! In a nice, polite threat. Tae's trying to make him use his manners.