A/N- Last night I simply could not stop writing so I feel ridiculously accomplished. It is for this reason I've decided to post a few days sooner than previously planned, and I hope to pass on some of my cheer.

Oh, good old suspense... :D Happy reading!!


-February 22nd, 2006-

For some reason I had woken up in a mood to clean so I scrubbed everything down until the apartment was spotless. It's not like Kenshin and I were messy people- on the contrary, we were perhaps a little too cleanly- but sometimes the urge to clean takes over and I have no choice but to succumb to it. After I had finished with the kitchen, living room, and the bathroom, I moved on to the bedroom.

The laundry was ready so I replaced fresh sheets on the bed and fluffed the pillows nicely, and then proceeded to fold the rest of the clothing, ironing those that were wrinkly. I dusted everything, cleaned the windows and mirrors, and vacuumed. Satisfied with my work, I smiled. All I had to do was put away the clothes and then I'd cook a late lunch that I figured would be ready when Kenshin arrived home from work.

Kenshin and I had separate closets so I grabbed a few hangers from each and hung the proper garments. But when I was putting Kenshin's work shirts in his closet, I noticed something on the floor in the very back. Curious, I moved the clothes that were covering it aside, and pulled the objects out.

A mix of emotions washed over me as I carefully turned the two old, and certainly authentic, samurai swords over in my hands. I was impressed with the details on the hilts and when I pulled one of the blades from its sheath, I ran my fingers over the metal. They reminded me of my youth when father taught Misao and me the Kamiya-Kashin Ryu. Of course we always used bokkens, but real three hundred year old swords were showcased around the dojo and I always loved looking at them.

I concluded that they must have been from sometime around the Meiji era, and confused, I wondered why Kenshin would hide such beautiful antiques. As I replaced the swords exactly as I had found them, I made a mental note to ask him if he wanted to hang them on the wall instead. The wall by the front door was empty anyway- it would be perfect.

I finished hanging the clothing and spent the next half hour preparing oden and a beef stew, all the while wondering how to tell my boyfriend that he was going to be a father. I had just finished setting the table when the front door opened and my scarlet-haired lover floated inside. I barely had time to register his appearance before he flew over to me and wrapped me in a tight hug and kissed me passionately.

He pulled away and grinned at me when he felt my knees quiver. "I couldn't resist…" he explained.

I glowered at him playfully and went to check on the oden but he caught me a step later.

"I wasn't done yet, koi," he said, nipping at my neck.

I melted into the embrace but forced myself not to succumb to his kisses. "Lunch is going to burn…" I breathed.

Kenshin kissed me a few more times before disappearing from behind me and appearing all the way in the kitchen. He stirred the stew and examined the oden before looking back at me with golden eyes. "It's ready…" he almost growled.

This concerned me. "What? Does it smell bad?"

"Of course not. I just don't like to wait," he said, taking the time to look me up and down.

I rolled my eyes and went to take the food to the table. "I apologize for your suffering." By the time I got to the stove, I realized that the large pot that was almost to the brim with stew was already sitting in the center of the kitchen table. I blinked, somehow still surprised that Kenshin was able to move that fast, especially with something heavy.

"Keep it up and I think I'll just have to punish you for your sassiness," he called from over his shoulder.

"Sassy, huh?" I said with a smirk, grabbing the udon. "That's a first."

Kenshin would have rushed me through the meal but he restrained himself, muttering that we would both need energy. The second I had swallowed my last bite, he nearly ripped me out of my chair and carried me off to the bedroom, drowning me in passionate kisses.

As we lay in bed after, he kept kissing me hungrily. I didn't complain- I mean, how could you complain about an impossibly attractive man showing how he just can't get enough of you? But I was confused; he was never so needy afterwards...

When he pulled away and our eyes met, I realized that even his golden eyes were a little darker than normal and there was an almost hollow look in them. It seemed like he was trying to drink my image just to hold himself together. There was no denying the strange, almost distant air about him and my heart nearly stopped. "Do you trust me, koi?" The question was serious, though there was no hostility at all. It was more like he needed to know for his own personal sake and I felt that if I said the wrong thing it would break him.

"Of course I do," I said, concerned. "Do I have a reason not to trust you?"

"You know I will always protect you," he said, though it wasn't the answer to my question.

I opened my mouth to ask what was wrong but he kissed me again, successfully silencing me. "I have some work to take care of tonight, koi, so I won't be home until the morning. Are you going to be alright?"

I stroked his cheek. "You worry about me too much. I'm sure I'll survive the night, Kenshin…"

He searched my eyes for any hesitation and finally climbed out of bed.

Kenshin showered and dressed in dark pants and a black trench coat, and pulled his hair into the rare high ponytail that he only wore when he had late nights at work. I walked him to the front door, where he pawed at me again hungrily and almost started taking off his clothes once more before I stopped him. "Be safe and hurry home, alright?"

He looked like he was holding back from saying something but just told me that he loved me and that I should spend the night relaxing. Then in a flash he was gone.

I stood in the doorway for a moment before shutting the door and then sat on the couch and grabbed the remote. But before I hit the power button, I swore I heard something- almost like a window opening- in our bedroom. I immediately calmed my ki and focused, unflinching. In fear I realized that someone was in the room… and his ki was strong and smothering… exactly like Kenshin's- but in a heartbeat, it was gone again.

I leaped up and ran to the kitchen, grabbed the biggest cleaver, and carefully neared the bedroom. The door was only slightly ajar so I kicked it open and scanned the room. It was completely empty and the window was shut tightly. Not satisfied enough, I checked every possible spot an intruder could hide, even though I couldn't feel the person's ki anymore. When I opened Kenshin's closet door, I poked around behind his coats to ensure no one was hiding behind them.

And I found nothing.

Nothing.

The two samurai swords were gone.

I spun around and ran through the entire house to make sure no one had gotten past me, but my heart was racing for another reason entirely. My blood was circulating so quickly that it made my head spin and I had to sit down before I threw up. Subconsciously I had already put the pieces together but I refused to acknowledge the only logical explanation.

Of course I had just imagined the swords earlier; they never existed to begin with. It didn't even make sense to hide such beautiful swords, especially when Kenshin loved Japanese history so much. I must have just wore myself out earlier with all the cleaning or perhaps I had inhaled too much cleaning solution and that's why I had imagined two samurai swords- of all things- tucked away in my boyfriend's closet.

Absolutely ridiculous, right?

Nevertheless, I flew out of my seat and started pacing nervously, unable to calm myself. In the end I grabbed my phone and keys and ran nearly the entire way to Megumi's place, not knowing what else to do.

"Kaoru," my best friend said when she saw me, breathless and disheveled, leaning in her doorway. "What's wrong?" She urged me inside and I took a seat on one of her bar stools and swung back and forth anxiously. "What happened?" she asked me again when I refused to speak.

And so suddenly that I surprised even myself, a burst of laughter escaped my lips. The sound of panting mixed with hysterical laughter was strange even to my ears but I couldn't stop. Megumi's worried look deepened. "Kaoru?"

I finally caught my breath and laughed again, this time forced, and I faked a large grin. "Haha, Gumi… I can't believe you fell for that. You should see your face right now," I giggled, pointing.

It was only at that moment that I realized just what I had gotten myself into. I had just run into the bear's cave. Had I been thinking clearly, I would have went to Misao's apartment instead because she was completely trustworthy.

For her credit, so was Megumi. My best friend wouldn't backstab me, I was sure. But the fact was that she was now engaged to Sanosuke, so Megumi would be more loyal to him. Since Kenshin and Sanosuke were partners any potential threats to one would be a threat to the other and if Megumi suspected that I was suspicious about Kenshin's work, she would say something. Even if she wasn't afraid of me endangering the two men, she would just as likely tell Sano to have Kenshin explain himself. I knew Kenshin wouldn't hurt me but I still feared his reaction. He was intimidating enough without trying; I didn't want to ever find out how terrifying he would be if he was upset with me. I was concidering that he was hurting people- how could he ever take such an accusation lightly?

But of course, the whole thing was ridiculous, after all. I mean, was I supposed to believe that my boyfriend was currently roaming the streets pretending he was some samurai?

Megumi eyed me distrustfully. "What are you talking about?"

"It was a joke to see how scared you would get. I was just watching tv and they had a prank show where people tried to scare their friends. I wanted to try it out but I didn't think I could actually pull it off!" The excuse was weak and I knew she didn't believe me for a second.

"Are you out of your mind?"

I walked to the kitchen, ignoring her, and helped myself to a glass of water. I needed to distract myself. "Anyway," I said in between sips, "I thought we should have a girls' night since the guys are out. We haven't gotten to hang out just the two of us in forever." I was sure that Megumi knew all the details of Sano and Kenshin's work lives. She wouldn't tell me anything about it, but if I played my cards right, I would at least be able to get her to discredit my outrageous theory.

Megumi looked at the clock. "Well, I have a few hours but I have to leave at 9. I'm working graveyard again."

"Oh," I pouted. "Do you want to go rent a movie and get take out for later?"

The slender woman grinned. "I'll drive."

We placed an order for a medium pizza and ran into the movie rental store next door.

Megumi took the romance isle while I took the comedy, agreeing to pick out the best candidates and meet in the middle. I selected one about a high school drinking adventure gone wrong, one about a comical wedding disaster, a funny take on the classic Robin Hood, and a fourth with a picture of my favorite actor- I didn't know what it was about but it was absolutely impossible for any movie with him in it to not be funny.

I waited in the middle for Megumi but she was taking longer than I expected. When she emerged, I explained my choices. "I have a modern take on Romeo and Juliet," the taller woman said, flipping through the boxes in her hands, "another classic forbidden love story, a silly-looking vampire love movie that would be more of a comedy, I suppose, and…" she paused to pull out the one from the bottom. "Oh, right. This one is about a girl who fell in love with a swordsman."

"No!" I said a little too loudly and instantly covered my mouth. A couple in the neighboring isle glared at me for the outburst but it was Megumi's look that concerned me more. My reaction had confirmed something for her and I had the sinking feeling that the sly fox was going to rat me out. I covered up quickly, "I've already seen that one twice. It was so boring that I fell asleep. I think we should rent the vampire one. Romance and comedy- we can't go wrong."

Megumi's skeptical look dissolved into a happy smile, though I knew her well enough to recognize that it wasn't sincere. Tension was thick on the drive home but we kept the light conversation going throughout the movie as we nibbled on our veggie lover's pizza. I'd never felt so uncomfortable around my best friend and that in itself upset me.

Though I had previously planed on slipping some sort of comment that would have forced her to confess that Kenshin and Sano were not killers, after the movie store incident I dared not to say anything on the matter. The film was funny but we could only force our laughter and by the time it ended, Megumi only had thirty minutes to get ready for work. I wasted no time in excusing myself as casually as I could and bid her a good night.

Normally I took the bus home but I decided that a twenty minute walk would help me clear my mind better. I always hated the cold and the crisp winter breeze numbed my face but the feeling was nice and managed to distract me. I slowed and realized that there was no way I'd be able to go back home yet so I took a detour and wound up at a small park. Most of the benches were frosty but one was swept clean so I lay down on it, staring up at the starry sky, trying to convince myself that it was all just some horrible misunderstanding.

Sure, I was a bit suspicious about Kenshin but to actually believe that he was some sword-wielding lunatic was absurd. He was a police officer, for Kami's sake. If he was so dangerous and my best friend knew, why hadn't she warned me when I'd first met the scarlet-haired man?

I was deep in thought when my pocket started vibrating. The motion scared the wits out of me but when I realized it was just my phone, I pulled it out and saw Misao's grinning photograph dancing on the screen.

I let out a breath and clutched at my heart. "You know, you nearly just gave me a heart attack," I said.

The other end was silent for a few seconds before my sister's soft voice finally responded. "Where are you?"

"At a park by my place. I needed some fresh air."

"Why? What happened?"

I laughed, explaining the day's events while my sister remained strangely quiet. " Completely outlandish, huh?" I concluded, feeling silly when I had actually said the story aloud. Verbalizing it helped ease my thoughts.

"Do you know when he will be back?"

I sat up, wondering why that would be important. "He said he would be out all night. Why?"

"Listen," she sounded unusually serious. "I'm leaving Kyoto now. I want you to pack anything essential and I'll be there within two hours. We're going to get you out of there."

She hadn't spoken loudly but the words pounded in my head and my mouth dried completely. "What are you talking about, Misao?"

Hesitation. "I just finished his background check."

It took me a second to register the words but when I did the reality of it all punched me in the face.

It was true. The signs were so obvious now but I couldn't even put them together for two years. His impossible speed, his glowing eyes, his seriousness, his protectiveness, his ever-alert stance, his expertise with a knife in the kitchen…

This whole time he wasn't afraid of my inability to take care of myself. He was scared of his dark deeds somehow having an effect on me. He was afraid that he was going to -kill- the wrong person and someone would get revenge on him by attacking me. He was inadvertently putting me in danger and, aware of the fact, he made up for it by being overprotective and watching my every move to ensure that none of his enemies would ever touch me.

How could he not have told me? How could he spend two years with me and not think that I might want to know that he kills people? Would he have ever told me? I'd asked him so many times about what he did at work and what was bothering him so badly, given him hundreds of chances to confess. And I'd defended his innocence from my sister countless times!

My heart rate raced and I tried to keep myself from fainting. My boyfriend- my boyfriend!- had KILLED people!

Though he'd never actually lied to me, I would say that not telling me something this significant would be considered lying. Lying was keeping the truth from someone. I'd trusted him so completely with all of my heart and soul. I was hopelessly in love with him and had he asked me to marry him, I would have done so right at that moment. I would have followed him to the ends of the earth just to be with him. I'd done everything for him and I always wondered what else I could do to show him how much he meant to me... and he had lied to me.

"Kaoru...? Kaoru, sis... please breathe.." Worry caked her tone.

Only my subconscious heard the words and slowly my erratic breathing began to calm... and then sped up again and my eyes widened as my hand absently crept up to my stomach and stroked it softly.

Now it wasn't just my life that was going to be in danger. There was no way I'd let an murderer raise my child- especially one that he didn't even want. It didn't matter how much I loved Kenshin or how my heart would shatter from never seeing him again. Even at that moment it felt like an invisible hand had taken hold of my chest and throat and squeezed as tightly as it could. It felt like some sinister demon had lept up from the underworld and was cackling as it seared my heart. I felt my eyes cloud over with some strange wet mist as the seriousness of the situation sunk in. I had a murderer's child inside of me...

"What did you find?" I whispered, so desperately hoping against hope that I was wrong. Please, PLEASE tell me that I was a fool and I had misunderstood everything... this was all some horrible nightmare. None of it was true...

There was a long silence. "I think you already know…"