Disclaimer: Not mine in any way. But if Watsuki-sensei gave me Shinomori, I'd be ecstatic. Wouldn't you be? ;)

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Blue and White

Chapter 6

Realization

As he sat down on the couch, he ran his fingers over his long silky red mane and sighed. It had been a week since the dinner at his house, but he still found it difficult to forget. He had thought that soon enough, given a few days, those feelings of alarm would dwindle down into nothingness. He found himself unsuccessfully trying to convince himself that it was nothing he should worry about. But as days went by, it disturbed him more and more.

Kenshin let out a deep breath he was holding and closed his eyes. He wasn't blind. What went on during that one night struck his nerve. The stolen glances, the awkwardness, the uncharacteristic behavior…it sent him to the edge of his seat. There was an attraction between those two. The realization had hit him hard and set him into a wave of panic. Despite Aoshi's past declaration of his disinterest in romantic relationships, Kenshin could only worry. The man acted so…unlike himself. Especially around his Kaoru-dono.

'Your' Kaoru-dono? Who said she was yours?

"Kuso."

He frowned. Kaoru-dono didn't belong to him, or to anyone for the matter. He loved her, yes, but he was always afraid to taint her with his past. So innocent. He couldn't…no, he wouldn't allow himself. But he was sure that she loved him too. Her obvious display of affection towards him had always brought joy to his heart. It tempted him to no end, but there was always something stopping him from showing her how he truly felt. Perhaps it was because she always gave him her undivided attention. Her smile, her laugh, her blushes…it was all for him. He was happy with what she was giving him. He was happy when she smiled for him. And he was contented with that. He needed not to take anything else from her. But all those thoughts came crashing down when he realized that he was not the only man capable of holding her attention.

He snapped out of his thoughts when a young man, probably around his early 20's, walked out of Aoshi's office. He seemed to have relief washed over his face, but the kid was still jittery with nervousness. He looked like he was about to go into a nervous breakdown.

A smirk came out of Kenshin's mouth. Had an encounter with the devil himself? Ah, no…the description doesn't really fit the ice block…

He remembered at once Kaoru's nickname for Aoshi…and then he remembered Aoshi smiling at her. Aoshi hadn't smiled like he did in years. He swore in his mind.

"Himura-san, Shinomori-san will see you now."

Kenshin stood up and smiled graciously to the secretary. "Seems like your boss is having a bad day."

The secretary rolled her eyes. "Everyday is like a bad day for him."

He laughed out loud. "Seems so. Arigatou Yamaguchi-san."

Opening the door to Aoshi's luxurious office, he walked in and braced himself and put on a teasing grin.

"What'd you do to the kid who just walked out? I swear he was going to piss his pants any second." He said as he popped himself down on Aoshi's couch.

"Hn. Taught him a lesson." Aoshi gruffly said without looking up from his work.

Sensing the seriousness of his tone, Kenshin didn't press the question any further. As Aoshi looked over the reports he had on his hands, Kenshin silently observed him from where he sat. Nothing's seemed to change in him. Still too engrossed in his business. Perhaps I was wrong to worry ov-

"Something bothering you Himura?"

Aoshi never looked up from his papers, but Kenshin knew his staring was starting to irk the tall man. Am I that obvious?

He crossed his arms over his chest and sighed. "Nothing. Nothing at all."

He saw Aoshi raise one brow, as if in doubt, but no reply came out of his mouth. He just sat there in silence.

Kenshin couldn't take it anymore. He desperately wanted to interrogate the man about how he felt about that night, the dinner…about Kaoru. He wanted to hear from his friend's own mouth that he wasn't interested in Kaoru. That he was a friend and that there was nothing to worry about. Bloody hell…like that will ever happen. Aoshi will probably just deny everything and wave him off like he was a bothersome little fly who just had to get himself worked up over nothing. He told himself not to ask. Not directly, but maybe he could maneuver the conversation to where he wanted it to go.

He cleared his throat. "So…what did you bring me in for?"

"Kamiya."

Kenshin's eyes widened at this. Fucking hell. He was more direct than I thought. I'm not ready for this! "What about her?" he asked too quickly.

Aoshi looked at him quizzically and frowned. "Him. The father. Not the kid. Is she all you can think of?"

Opening his mouth to form an "Oh", Kenshin smiled sheepishly and raised his hand to the back of his head. "Gomen….so…what about Kamiya-san?"

"I need to know his intentions regarding the development of Yonezawa's research facility."

The redhead frowned. "Why don't you ask Beshimi?...I know where you're getting at Aoshi. I don't need to tell you again." If he was asking him to use Kaoru just so he could get ahead in his business, he might as well rot in hell. No way was Kenshin ever going to do that.

His response had garnered him a glare from Aoshi. "What a waste of a perfect opportunity."

He was really getting sick of this. Kenshin couldn't hold his temper any longer than he would have wished.

"Aoshi…What you're asking me to do…it'll ruin my relationship with Kaoru-dono!"

"Will that be so bad? Women more beautiful than her are throwing themselves at your feet. Just pick another-"

"I LOVE HER!"

"Does she love you?"

Kenshin's anger was starting to loosen his hold on his control. He hadn't felt so threatened in his life, his knuckles were turning white as his hands formed into tight fists. He couldn't believe Aoshi would kick him low like that. It took all his strength to keep his fist from hitting Aoshi's face.

Aoshi seemed to have realized that he had hit a sensitive spot. Kenshin saw him sigh as he leaned back on his seat, rubbing his forehead with his fingers. "I didn't realize…you've fallen hard. I thought you were just…" he trailed off. Then he looked at Kenshin with a blank expression on his face. "Forget I asked. I apologize. What I said was uncalled for."

Taking a deep breath, Kenshin tried to relax. He sat on the chair in front of Aoshi's desk and raised his head to look up at the ceiling. "Gomen…for my outburst." Looking back at Aoshi, he gave him a sad smile. "I'm pretty sensitive when it comes to Kaoru-dono."

He saw Aoshi frown at this. "You've gone soft Himura. Maybe I should hire another lawyer…"

Kenshin grinned. "You wouldn't. I'm the best out there."

Aoshi smirked. "How modest."

Looking at his watch, Kenshin stood up from his chair. "I have to go now. I promised Kaoru-dono I'd take her out for dinner. She passed her exams and we're celebra-"

"Why are you telling me this?"

Yea, why am I telling you this? Kenshin wondered. Maybe in the hope of getting a reaction from you, even just a small one…

"I was going to ask you if you'd join us." Damn! Baka! Stupid thing to say! I hope he says no... Kenshin mentally prayed. He didn't want Aoshi there. He wanted Kaoru all to himself.

"You already know the answer Himura."

With a sigh of relief, Kenshin put on a smile. "Figures. See you then."

As Kenshin turned towards the door, he thought he caught something from Aoshi's eyes. He wasn't sure, but it seemed like the man was troubled.

Walking out of the office and entering the elevator, Kenshin frowned. He had thought he wouldn't get anything from this visit. But he was wrong. He was good at reading people…even people like Aoshi, as difficult as it may be. Kaoru always had this effect on people. He thought Aoshi would be an exception, but the conversation they just had proved him wrong. Even if the man himself wasn't aware, or even if he was in denial, it didn't matter.

As he pressed the button for the ground floor, Kenshin stared at his own reflection on the mirror. If I don't deserve Kaoru-dono, neither does he, or anyone else for the matter. It was a selfish thought. But Kenshin had decided. He wasn't going to let anyone take his Kaoru-dono away from him.

Yes, she belongs to me.

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Slamming his car door, he started the engine and drove his way home. Aoshi couldn't believe what he had said. He felt guilty, attacking Himura like that. It frustrated him. More than once, he wanted to bang his head on his desk. Why did I have to bring up the subject? He knew Himura was going to refuse his request. He always did. So why bother?

Maybe because you wanted to talk about her.

Aoshi frowned at this. Bullshit. Why would I? He grunted and slammed his foot down hard on the accelerator. Well, they did talk about her. And it didn't end up real nice. He hadn't seen Kenshin that angry for quite some time now. He had hit a nerve, he realized. The man has it hard for her.

He should be happy for his friend. He should be.

Then why am I so bothered by it?

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"I can't believe I passed! This is so great!"

Kaoru was feeling very happy. She passed the exams, she received a great sense of approval from her father, and Kenshin had taken her out for a dinner date. Well, he didn't really say it was a date, but that's beside the point! The point was, Kenshin was right beside her, walking with her along the park. She could pretend it was a real date.

She heard Kenshin laugh beside her. Kaoru looked at him quizzically. In response, he just grinned at her.

"Mou! What's so funny?" She pouted.

"Nothing. It's just that you're acting like the kid you are." He grinned at her teasingly.

"Hey! I'm not a kid! I'm a full grown woman!"

Upon saying that, she noticed Kenshin's teasing demeanor slowly disappear. He looked ahead and whispered enough for Kaoru to hear. "I know."

As they continued to walk in the park, Kaoru was puzzled by Kenshin's silence. She noticed he was in deep thought, as he barely registered a kid bump carelessly against him. She had asked him if something was bothering him, but he merely smiled at her. It was as if he was hiding something from her.

They stopped in a fairly secluded section of the park, where a pond highlighted by the moonlight gleamed beautifully before them. Kaoru smiled. "The park is very beautiful tonight, ne Kenshin?" She looked back at him and realized he had sat down and leaned against a big oak tree.

"What're you doing there?" She asked as she approached him.

He just looked up at her and smiled. He pat his right hand on the ground beside him. "Sit."

It was the way he said it that annoyed her. He's talking to me as if I'm a kid! Kaoru frowned and put her hands on her hips. "Kenshin!" She whined disapprovingly.

The redhead put on an innocent face. "Please sit?"

How could she refuse? He's just too cute! "Oh all right!" She pretended to be angry, but deep down, she felt butterflies in her stomach. As she sat down, she wondered what the man beside her was up to. He was really acting strange.

Silent moments passed when Kenshin suddenly spoke up. "You know, I really wouldn't have minded if you didn't sit down as I asked you to. That way, I would have had a great view of your butt." He grinned teasingly.

Kaoru gasped and slapped Kenshin on his shoulder. "Hentai!" She couldn't believe her Kenshin said that! And with the way he grinned at her, she was beginning to feel her face turn a deep shade of pink.

"Gomen. I was just kidding!"

"Like you were!" Kaoru huffed and crossed her arms below her chest. "You take that back, or…or…"

"Or what?" Kenshin challenged her.

Kaoru paused. "Or…I'll tickle you to death!"

Kenshin smirked at her. "That wouldn't do any good. I'm not really ticklish…unlike you…" Kaoru noticed a sudden glint of mischievousness sparkle in his eyes. "…which gives me an idea…"

She froze. Oh great job Kao! You just had to give him an id- Shit!

When his fingers started tickling her by her ribs, Kaoru couldn't hold back her laughter. "Kenshin!..." she gasped for air as she tried to get away from him. "Matte!"

She was struggling so hard that she felt herself slip and her back fall onto the grass, her hand pulling Kenshin down onto her. "Ouch! That hurt…Kenshin you baka! I'll get you for-"

She stopped when she looked up to find Kenshin before her, his hands trapping her from her sides, his face wearing a serious expression. It felt like déjà vu. Just like what happened in the hall outside her apartment. But this time, Kenshin had no intention of pulling back. Her breath caught when he inched his face closer to hers. She was paralyzed. Her mind didn't seem to register anything but his closeness…and the way he's looking at me. "Kaoru…" she heard him whisper. Kaoru? Did he just drop the honorific? She didn't notice that she was holding her breath, but she was greatly aware of how fast her heart was beating. She gasped as his lips softly brushed against hers. "Ken-?" Her question was left to hang when he kissed her fully on her lips. Kaoru's eyes went wide at the contact, but when Kenshin deepened the kiss, she felt her eyes flutter close and allowed herself to slowly kiss him back. She heard him groan softly in response, and deepen the kiss even more. Kaoru whimpered in surprise and grabbed the collar of his jacket with one hand. She felt him slowly pull away from the contact, but he kept his face close to hers, breathing in her scent. "Kaoru…" she heard him whisper breathily again. "Look at me."

She didn't understand why she couldn't look him in the eye all of the sudden. Face flushed, she opened her mouth to say something, but words wouldn't come out. She felt his fingers slowly tilt her head towards him. "Look at me." He commanded once again. When Kaoru obliged, she found herself mesmerized by his gaze. "Aishiteru."

She felt her eyes start to water, her heart melt. I love you too.

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They stopped at the door of the apartment she shared with Misao. Turning to him, she smiled and enveloped him in a hug. She felt herself blush as he hugged her back, placing his head at the crook of her neck, inhaling her scent.

"Kenshin! Misao's gonna see!"

Raising his head to touch his nose to hers, he grinned. "I don't care." He stole a quick kiss on her lips.

Kaoru pouted at him. "I think it's better if I tell her. Rather than let her find us…um…like this. In the hall. She'd die of shock."

"Is that so?" Kenshin touched the tip of her nose with his finger and smiled softly. "Kawaii."

"Mou! You're not taking me seriously!"

They heard the elevator doors open. And then a loud gasp.

Kaoru looked to her right and saw Misao frozen on her spot, her jaw hanging. It took her a moment to realize that Kenshin was still holding her in a way that could make an old woman turn her head away in disgust. Quickly, she disentangled herself from his tight embrace and felt herself blush in embarrassment.

Kenshin on the other hand, she noticed, didn't seem fazed at all. He turned to her and smiled softly. "I'll call you." Kissing her softly on her cheek, he walked towards the elevator.

As he passed Misao, he gently pushed up her lower jaw to close her mouth. "Nice to see you too, Misao." And then he walked in the elevator and waved Kaoru goodbye.

As the elevator doors closed, Misao looked confused as she turned her head towards the elevator, and then to Kaoru. And then back to the elevator, then to Kaoru. Elevator, Kaoru, elevator, Kaoru, elevator…

"Misao!"

"Um, Kao…? Was that Kenshin?" She asked, pointing towards the elevator. She was still obviously in shock over what she had witnessed.

Kaoru rolled her eyes. "Is it that difficult to believe!"

She saw Misao's eyes go wide and a big grin form on her face. "Oh my God! Kao! Are you guys…you know..?" She ran up to her and gave her a hug, almost throwing them off the ground and onto the floor.

Kaoru giggled and blushed. "Hai. He told me he loves me!"

"Finally! That devil! Hey…you gotta tell me everything alright. Every single detail! Did he kiss you?"

"Misao!" Kaoru blushed again.

Misao squealed and pulled Kaoru inside their apartment. "There's no way am I letting you out of this. Spill the details!"

As they sat down on the couch, Misao grinned naughtily. "So…now that you have Kenshin…I'll have Aoshi to myself then!"

Kaoru froze. Aoshi… She shook her head and mentally berated herself. Misao had caught her off guard with her statement and Kaoru tried desperately to hide her discomfort. She grabbed a pillow and threw it at the grinning girl in front of her. "Like I care! Are you still at it? Do I have to constantly remind you of your dear Sou-chan?"

Misao giggled. "I was only kidding! And you have nothing to worry about Kao! I love my Sou-chan very much!"

"Yea…but you still worry me! I don't think I like you saying something like that! It makes me think there's some half-truth to it."

"Ah, Kaoru. Aoshi is just a fantasy for me…and will always be. Handsome and sexy he may be, but he can never be my sweet Soujiro." She smiled.

Kaoru felt sincerity in Misao's words, and she was relieved. She didn't want to see Sou-chan hurt. Is that really what you think? Or does it have something to do with Aoshi?

She halted her thoughts. What am I doing? I should be thinking about Kenshin! We should be talking about Kenshin! Her mind screamed.

"Kao? You alright? You spaced out…"

Kaoru smiled nervously. "I'm fine. I was just…thinking about Kenshin…"

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End of Chapter 6.

Woot! Another update! Hehehe….so? How was it?

Sorry if it wasn't very long…I'm not too good in writing long chappies…gomen!

Kenshin…possessive, huh? XD And the plot thickens! Evil laugh

Orchidaceae: thanks! The lack of AK fics encouraged me to write one myself!

Flaming-amber: there'll be more jealousy when Aoshi finds out about cough cough ;) We'll see about the lime. Frankly, I'm scared of writing lime. Scared it might sound corny. Ehehe

Bradybunch4529: yes. So sweet!

Blooded wings: don't worry…I'm planning something good. I just hope it works out real nice. I luv Soujiro and I would never hurt the sweetie! Hehehee

Almira & GreenAnimeLover: AK! I hope this doesn't stop you from reading though. ;)

Kai: hehe. Thanks! I'm updating while I still can. I'm not really busy these few weeks.

Orchidaceae, Kaoru4, Ken, Cheeyblossomsx, mistressofhyde, kai, kitsune theif, triste1,…and all of you guys! Thanks for reviewing! Please continue ;)