Disclaimer: I have never owned, or claimed to own, Rurouni Kenshin. It belongs rightfully to Mr. Nobuhiro Watsuki.

A Note: I challenged myself to write this fic without the use of fangirl Japanese, so that's why it's completely Anglicized. Yes, I also mean no honorifcs, which are actually good to use if done so correctly, but it's not a challenge if it's not hard, right? Anyway, if the lack of Japanese bothers you, I'm sorry, but I hope it won't keep you from reading.

A/N: I didn't want to post this next chapter until I had updated my number one priority fic Digging Up a Buried Path. Now that I've updated, I present chapter two of this fic completely guiltlessly.

Thanks again to D-strike, Pu-chan and Fairy Mage, as well as everyone who reviewed.

Tanoshimu!

"If you want rainbows, you have to put up with the rain." -Dolly Parton

Doubts

2. The next day, Kenshin woke up knowing what he had to do. For weeks he had been feeling increasing depletion of his health and strength. He knew it was time to see a specialist. The only reason he hadn't before was because he wasn't sure he wanted to know his condition. Also because he couldn't really work up the nerve to tell his friends that he felt less than healthy when he knew that most of them regarded him as some sort of superhero. He didn't want to give them any reason to doubt him.

Kenshin couldn't help but tell Naruku. He had to be upfront about these things, because he knew that she would always be upfront with him. Everyone else, he could smile and wave at, telling them he was going to see the police chief or just to look around in the market…but Naruku, he knew, expected nothing less than total bluntness from him. Which was quite a standard to live up to, but part of him liked that he didn't have to lie to her. He liked, as hard as it was sometimes, that Naruku made herself impossible to push away.

While his other friends might saythey wanted no lies from him, Kenshin knew that they would be deeply upset if he had told them, truthfully, that he thought he had a fatal disease. Part of them would always wish he had shaken it off and laughed like always.

Naruku had an inherent desire to not be deceived, even for the right reasons.

He knocked delicately on her door and waited for her to rouse herself and greet him.

"Good morning," she said, staring up at him sleepy-eyed. "Is it a bit early, or have I slept in again?"

Kenshin chuckled. "It's a bit early," he replied. Then, after a moment's hesitation he asked, "Can I come in?"

Naruku nodded and stepped away from the door to allow him entrance. She stood, waiting for him to speak.

"I'm going to a doctor today," Kenshin said.

"Hm," Naruku replied. "I don't want you to think I'm unobservant for saying this, but why?"

Kenshin bobbed his head regretfully. "I'm worried that I might have…something. A disease."

Naruku's eyes widened. "I'm not going to pretend like I'm not surprised, or upset," she said. Then, as an afterthought, "Why are you telling me?"

"Because I know you'd want me to," Kenshin replied. "And also, I don't want you coming with me to the clinic."

"I guess that's all right. You'd want to be alone. I can respect that," Naruku said. "I don't really expect you to have a life-threatening illness anyway. Plus, I don't really want to sit around and listen to a doctor talking about arteries and stuff." She shuddered. "No thanks."

Kenshin couldn't help but allow a small smile to settle on his lips. Naruku seemed pretty confident that Kenshin wasn't sick like he thought he was. Was she just deluding herself into happiness? What if the truth was, he did have lime disease or tuberculosis?

Certainly Nakuru wouldn't take the news well, if that was the case.

But then she added, "If…something is wrong, though, I want to be with you. Next time you go, I mean," Naruku said. "Can you promise me that?"

Kenshin nodded. "Of course." He patted her shoulder before turning around and walking back into the hall.

Minutes later, as Kenshin made his way down the hall and was almost safely out of the Fujita house, Hitomi spotted him and silently stalked him in the shadows. She was furious. Ever since she had found him again the day before, she had sworn not to let him out of her sight, and she hadn't. Now he was sneaking out without telling her!

She didn't want to be apart from him any longer, so she vowed to be with him at all times. As she crept closer, Hitomi could quickly tell that Kenshin sensed her presence.

She followed him silently out of the house, through the gardens and finally beneath the archway that signified the front of the Fujita manor.

Once they were halfway down the path, Hitomi made herself known. "Kenshin," she whispered, striding up to him and lacing her fingers with his. "What made you think you could sneak away?"

Kenshin looked away to where the large Crepe Myrtle tree stood on the side of the road. "I just had some business to attend to," he answered, aloof as always. They resumed walking at a normal pace again.

Hitomi pressed close to Kenshin as they walked, but the action was not for to escape the chill of the morning, but rather for love that she felt for him. "Where are we going?"

"The doctor's," was Kenshin's reply. Kenshin thought again how we would've liked to go alone to the doctor's. Hitomi's presence wasn't exactly unwanted but a little galling, simply because Kenshin expected to be unaccompanied.

"Oh, Kenshin!" Hitomi cried. "Is something wrong?" Her eyes were full of overplayed concern.

"I think there may be," Kenshin replied. "But if there is, I know I won't have to suffer it alone," he added, thinking of Naruku's request.

"No, of course not," Hitomi replied at once. "You'll always have me."

-

"Well," the doctor began gravely. "I can't say you're in perfect health."

Kenshin looked up, having just completed his examination. He saw the doctor's eyes and it was as if his worst fears were confirmed.

"From my analysis…you're probably suffering from anemia, Mr. Himura," the doctor finished.

Kenshin blinked and nearly topped off the examination table. "Iron deficiency?" he asked uncertainly. That's what anemia was, right? That couldn't possibly be his worst fear!

"Would you like the young lady to come in here for this discussion?" the doctor asked politely.

"No thank you, that won't be necessary. I don't need to talk about this—I'll be back on track in no time," Kenshin replied. "Thank you, though."

The doctor shrugged. "If you're sure you can take care of yourself. You've ignored your condition for quite some time now…"

"I'm fine," Kenshin replied, sliding off the table. "Thank you, again." He bowed and quickly exited.

Hitomi looked up from where she had been staring pensively. "Well?" she said in a hushed whisper.

"Miss Naruku was right. It's nothing."

A broad smile settled onto Hitomi's usually expressionless face. "That's wonderful."

Kenshin nodded and Hitomi quickly stood up. They exited the clinic.

"That doctor certainly was a nice man," Hitomi said. "Though he wouldn't let me in the room."

"Did you ask to be let in?" Kenshin asked.

"Yes. He said only family members would be allowed inside. But we're practically family, aren't we, Kenshin? The good doctor seemed annoyed at my persistence. I could tell he was probably thinking, 'what a silly young couple!'" Hitomi giggled.

"I suppose," Kenshin replied. "But a man could be thinking about any number of things at a given time. Who's to say he wasn't thinking about the migration patterns of black-crowned herons?" It was such a Naruku thing to say, and Kenshin briefly wondered how it had come out of his mouth at all. The humor, however, was lost on Hitomi.

"I'm so glad that you're not ill," Hitomi said, her eyes shining. "You don't know how worried I was, just waiting there!"

"I had no idea that you were so troubled by this, Miss Hitomi," Kenshin said.

"Of course I was!" Hitomi retorted. "But I wasn't just worried for you—I was worried for myself as well, because I simply wouldn't be able to bear loosing you again." She sighed softly and looked downcast.

The next words that Kenshin spoke were not of comfort, as Hitomi had hoped. Instead, Kenshin waved to someone who walked down the path on their left.

"Saitou," Kenshin greeted, his tone unusually friendly as he addressed his one-time nemesis.

Saitou snarled. Obviously, he wasn't in quite as good a mood. He didn't even return a word of greeting as he stalked past them down the path. Instead they just heard his muttering. "I say one wrong thing…blows up at me…che, pregnancy…"

Kenshin blinked in confusion but continued walking all the same.

They arrived back at the Fujita Manor within minutes. Kenshin was struck by how much more beautiful the flowers and trees in the garden looked than they had earlier that morning. There was more color, more richness in the world, or so it seemed to him. But perhaps he was just seeing a little more clearly.

-

"I'm very sorry for that," Tokio said somberly to Naruku. The older woman, agitated due to pregnancy, had just had a rather lengthy outburst to her husband, who had promptly left to let her cool off. "Very sorry."

"Well, it was a bit awkward to witness it," Naruku replied in good nature. "But I promise that it won't have lasting damage to anyone. People can get fed up with even the ones they most love."

Tokio sighed and fanned herself. "That is true," she said. She wondered if Naruku ever got fed up with Kenshin and his sometimes standoffish ways. She knew that Naruku cared for Kenshin a lot, but she wondered how Kenshin felt. After all, it was Hitomi, not Naruku, who Kenshin had brought with him to the doctor's earlier that morning.

"Miss Tokio?" Naruku said a second time. It was then that Tokio realized the younger girl had been trying to get her attention for quite some time.

"Oh, I'm so sorry dear," Tokio replied, turning toward Naruku.

"Not a problem. You know how unnerving it can be to have someone just staring, though, right?"

Tokio bit back a laugh at Naruku's words. She was so willing to speak her mind, but remained agreeable all the same. "Well, what is it?"

"I think Kenshin might be back," Naruku offered. "Yeah. That's probably him and Miss Yamazaki at the door right now."

Tokio sneezed delicately into a curled hand. "You don't suppose they'll be angry that we saved them no breakfast?"

Naruku got to her feet. "I don't think that's what's on their minds right now." She smiled and was gone from the room.

"Good morning," she called, walking down the hall to where Hitomi and Kenshin stood. Both looked fairly light-hearted.

Naruku turned toward Kenshin. "I can predict what the doctor said to you just by the expression on your face, Kenshin," she stated. "But I'll let you surprise me anyway."

Kenshin laughed. "All right. Then I guess I'll just have to shock you with the news. Turns out, I'm completely fine!"

Naruku threw her head back and laughed. "You're so kind to humor me," she said.

Kenshin chuckled sheepishly. "Well, actually, the doctor said I have anemia."

Hitomi turned to him at once. "You didn't say anything about this to me!" she exclaimed. "Iron deficiency can be very bad for your health!"

"It's not a big deal," Kenshin said to console her. "Miss Naruku will just make me a clam platter and edomame like she did last time Miss Megumi told me I didn't have enough iron in my diet."

"Yeah, but you didn't eat it that time, did you?" Naruku said. She was obviously still slightly sore with that subject.

Kenshin chuckled. "Well, I suppose it's true that I don't exactly like shellfish…"

"You're so difficult," Naruku said. "But in a way that makes you very likable," she quickly amended. "So I guess it's back to chores and pissing Saitou off for you, then, eh?" Naruku joked, knowing that Saitou was more annoyed with her than Kenshin. It seemed that the two older men had come to an understanding of sorts.

"Speaking of which, we just saw Saitou looking very surly…do you have any idea why?" Kenshin questioned.

"Well, Miss Tokio lost her cool for a few minutes. Something about food, I think," Naruku shook her head. "It's fine, though."

"My sister does have somewhat of a temper, I suppose," Hitomi spoke. "But I was always the quarrelsome one, right Kenshin?"

Naruku noticed how Hitomi didn't even glance at her, preferring to converse with Kenshin alone. She spoke up. "Miss Yamazaki, am I bothering you?" the tone was not accusatory or even condescending. It sounded like Naruku honestly wanted to know.

"No, of course not," Hitomi said. "I'm sorry if you feel that way. I know it can be tough to be around two people that are as close as Kenshin and I. It often feels like you're out of the loop."

Kenshin glanced at Hitomi and Naruku questioningly. From his view, the two did not seem to be at odds.

In fact, Naruku looked quite satisfied that Hitomi was speaking to her on equal grounds. Part of her was a little troubled at how Hitomi's tone was naturally condescending towards her. Yet, Naruku was pleased with the gesture, genuine or not.

"Oh," Naruku realized at once. "I promised Mister Yoshi to help out with chores today."

Kenshin raised an eyebrow and Hitomi looked curious as well. "That doesn't sound like him at all!" the older girl cried. Yoshi was always so respectful, the perfect image of a submissive servant. Why would he ask a guest to help him do his job?

"We made a bet, you see," Naruku went on. "About whether Miss Tokio would blow up on Saitou. Er…Mister Fujita. In any case, I lost."

Kenshin laughed, remembering many bets of the same sort that she had made with Sano and about Kaoru. "Well you better get going then," he chided jokingly. "You do owe him."

Naruku trotted off, looking for the manservant.

"She's strange, isn't she?" Hitomi asked once Naruku had gone.

"I suppose," he answered, thinking he might go to the gardens for some time alone. "She really is something…"

Hitomi held her breath as Kenshin turned towards her, his red hair glinting off the morning light and his eyes pure and violet like she remembered. She took his hand, promising herself, as she had that morning, that Kenshin would not leave her sight. It wasn't enough just to know that he was there. Hitomi had to be with him.

-

As night fell and dinner came to an end, Naruku found herself feeling more doubt than she would have liked. She wasn't sure exactly what worried her so, but she was not one to let it sit there and rot inside of her, lest it turn into something truly concerning.

'Leave well enough alone,' Naruku would say. 'But when well is not enough, defuse it like a bomb.'

"Kenshin?" she questioned lightly, pulling him out of a small chat with Tokio and Saitou.

"Yes?" Kenshin replied. He'd been worried that Saitou was about to bite his head off, even though the red-haired man hadn't done much to tick him off…that he knew of.

"I think I'm going to retire early," Naruku said. "Would you walk me to my room?"

Naruku was never grabby or pushy in trying to get attention from him. In fact, she was quite passive in that respect. So now that she was explicitly asking for his attention, Kenshin wondered if something was up.

"Of course," Kenshin replied, standing up. He nodded his head to the three that still sat at the table. "By your leave."

Tokio waved a hand, sending Kenshin and Naruku off.

They exited the dining room without a word, and as they walked down the corridor, Kenshin touched her arm gently.

She jolted at the touch, surprised. They reached her door and she stopped before going in.

"Kenshin," she said impatiently, before Kenshin could bid her a good night.

"I'm listening," he told her gently, making her realize that he knew she wanted to talk about something.

"Well, it's just…" she hesitated. It was not from doubt or fear, but just from lack of a way to explain herself. So she said the first thing that toppled out of her mouth. "I think that Miss Yamazaki's presence is going to change things between us." She sounded a little on edge, as if she herself was trying to believe that it was a silly thought, but she didn't want Kenshin to say that.

He answered her sincerely. "With my integrity as a swordsman, and just as a living being, I can tell you that nothing will change. I promise." He kissed the top of her head. "Goodnight, Naruku."

She smiled as she turned to go into her room. "Good night, Kenshin." Just words were enough to reassure her, at least for the time being. But that was all she was looking for.

A/N: What did you think of chapter number two? Are you starting to actually like this fic, or now do you hate it more than ever? Please tell me what you think of the characters and their interaction, because that's mainly what the fic is about! Thanks for all your reviews of last chapter.

Another Baka: Great, thanks.

Zioncross: Then that makes you just as clueless about Tokio as I am! The truth is, no one knows what her personality is like because she never did make an appearance in Rurouni Kenshin, not even in the manga. But I'm glad you like my rendition of her. Weird that you would say Hitomi is 'interesting.' Well, she's definately something if not interesting! She's not exactly supposed to be flirty like Megumi, but she's definately, er, devoted to Kenshin. I'm glad you liked chapter one--after three tries, I'm pretty damn pleased with it myself!

Pu-chan: Thanks! There isn't going to be a whole lot of backround story to Kenshin and Naruku--I don't want this to turn into a re-telling of that series. Hopefully the important things, like how Kenshin and Naruku react to eachother, will become clear as the story progresses. Don't worry, Hitomi definately has her own personality that should become apparant in this chapter and more chapters to come. I had to introduce her as a role rather than a character but she'll get to be both. (Lucky duck. Ha!) Don't worry about being "too critical!" There's nothing wrong with that, it's what I want. As long as you're telling me things with the intent to help (which you seem to be!) then I will gladly accept all critique.

Philia-chan: This is just a side-story about Naruku and Kenshin, so it's not part of the series. It takes place sometime after Buried Path. Since Buried Path is set in March, this is probably around the end of summer, say August.

Love Chronicle: Thanks.

Thank you for all your comments and critiques, they help me grow so much as a writer. Stay tuned for chapter three, A Decision Is Made.