Perfect Fit

Standard Disclaimer Apply


A/N: Thanks so much for all the reviews. Glad this fic is helping the Aoshi/Kaoru cause! (grins) Also to those who are kind of hoping for some Misao/Kenshin action…I'm not sure. I don't really like them as a couple. No offense to those who like that pairing. Oh and I've written an Aoshi/Kaoru One-Shot entitled Awareness, set in Cannon universe. Please give it a read, neh?


Chapter Seven:

Tae rolled her eyes and closed her ears to the ramblings of everyone at the table. She leaned over and filched a piece of Tempura from Sano's plate and nibbled at the end after dipping it in sauce. Kenshin had left shortly after Tae had announced that Kaoru would not be joining them for lunch. The redhead had looked worried and asked why. The reasoning that Kaoru was simply 'not hungry' did not seem acceptable to him and so he'd left a little while later after politely excusing himself from the group.

"What about food Ken-san? You've hardly started eating!"

"Daijoubu Megumi-dono, I'm fine," Kenshin said as he had slipped away.

"Neh Kenshin, can I have your food?"

"Sure Sano, help yourself."

Tae sighed and made little clicking sounds with her chopsticks. Megumi didn't seem too happy about Kenshin leaving and neither did the other females in their table. Tae wasn't especially close to them but they were her acquaintances/friends nonetheless. Most of the people around the table were those she had grown up with or were family friends.

Sometimes Tae wondered why some girls even tried to get Kenshin's attention when it was obvious it was Kaoru he regarded with the most affection. Granted Kenshin was always helpful and gave his attention to others as well, but Kaoru was the only one who didn't have to call out to him for him to turn her way.

What would it take for Kenshin to finally acknowledge his feelings for Kaoru?

A hard hit on the head perhaps?

A detailed PowerPoint presentation?

A combination of both?

"Tae, that's my tempura!" Sano complained when he noticed what Tae was eating.

Tae glanced over at him and smirked in amusement, "Not anymore…" she said as she leaned over to pick up another piece.

"Tae how's Misao doing? We heard she got into an accident?" one of the girls asked.

Tae smiled, "She's recovering. Most likely she'll be back in a week or so."

"Oh hey yeah, you never did tell me how Itachi Musume hurt her ankle…" Sano said.

"Just a little mishap," Tae assured them as her thoughts drifted over to the small clinic. The old man there had been very helpful and nice to them. A thank you note seemed a little weak and Tae wondered if perhaps she should do something nice for him in return…

"Hey Tae, aren't you supposed to be a vegetarian?" Sano reminded her.

Tae blinked and looked down at the tempura she'd been nibbling on. She shrugged, "I make allowances for seafood."


.

"Kenshin? What are you doing here?" Kaoru asked as she walked inside her classroom. It was pretty empty since there were still several minutes more before lunchtime was over. Most of the students were probably still lazing about enjoying the free time. It was a good thing that the classroom's occupants were all male for the time being since Kenshin would surely have been swamped if it had been females around and he was standing without Kaoru at his side.

"Where's Tae?"

"She's still with Sano and the others," Kenshin said with a smile. "She said you weren't hungry…but I bought you something from the cafeteria just in case you changed your mind."

Kaoru groaned mentally at the sight of the tempting confection. She had eaten a lot, finishing off her bento and she doubted if she had any room for more. "Wait, were you here the entire time?" she asked suddenly. "What about the picnic?"

"Oh I already ate some when Tae and Sano came."

"Uhm…" Kaoru smiled. "Did you enjoy the picnic?"

"Megumi-san cooks very well, I think you would have liked it as well. I was concerned that you weren't there," Kenshin put a hand on Kaoru's forehead. "Are you feeling sick again?"

"Oh no, I'm completely recovered!" Kaoru assured him, taking his hand and giving it a squeeze. His violet eyes were gazing at her in concern and she felt her heart squeeze.

He was looking at her right now… only at her.

Kenshin sat back down in Tae's seat after Kaoru took her normal seat beside him.

"Where did you go?" Kenshin asked.

Kaoru opened her mouth to answer him but hesitated. Should she tell Kenshin about Aoshi's secret hiding place? It didn't seem right to divulge the information so she smiled at him instead and shrugged. "I ate. I found I was hungry after all."

He studied her for a long time, his violet eyes staring into her blue ones. A small crease formed in his brow and Kaoru found her hand lifting to smooth it over. "Don't go all mother hen on me again Kenshin, I'm fine. Promise."

Finally, he nodded and smiled. "Don't you want to eat the chocolate mousse cake?" he inquired.

Kaoru's attention was once again drawn towards the calorie temptation. What the heck? She'd already indulged once today, what was a few thousand more calories? It wasn't like she even cared or anything. She glanced at him and smiled, "Only if we share."

Kenshin nodded as he dug in and held out the dessertspoon towards Kaoru. "Open up."

"I can feed myself Kenshin," she said with a laugh.

"I know."


.

Tae excused herself earlier from the group. Kaoru would most likely be in the classroom and she wanted to talk to her friend about her plan. Tae's mother chaired several charitable committees and she was always careful to instill in her daughters a sense of gratitude for their blessings as well as giving back to the community.

Dr. Genzai, the doctor who had helped Misao, was doing the same and Tae wanted to help him.

She passed by a couple of first years and heard something about Yohji and Aya having relationship problems. She recalled Aya pretty freshman (or was it sophomore?) that Misao disliked for her supposed interest in Shinomori-san. If Aya and Yohji were indeed having relationship troubles, perhaps it had something to do with a certain stoic new student?

Tae filed away the information to relate to Misao at a later date.

She arrived at her classroom and started to walk in but she stopped by the door and stared. She smiled when she saw Kenshin talking to Kaoru while feeding her cake. A few girls already in the classroom could be seen gazing at the two with a dreamy look in their eyes.

Kenshin was indeed quite a catch. Almost every female in school was attracted to him or liked him in some way be it romantic or platonic. He was cute and always polite, he was good in school and very responsible. He was the perfect guy and Tae could easily understand exactly why Kaoru was so in love with him.

Kaoru took the spoon from Kenshin, cut off a rather large piece of cake and fed it to him. Tae could see Kaoru's laughter as Kenshin struggled with the large piece.

The two of them were perfect together and she waited a little by the door entrance of the classroom, watching Kenshin bend his head forward a little to catch the words Kaoru were telling him. Kaoru smiled and laughed, hitting his arm slightly as she spoke to him. Tae bit her lip in thought. She and Kaoru were both plotting on ways to help Misao get closer to Shinomori-san, perhaps they could also use their time to plot ways to get Kenshin to confess his feelings towards Kaoru as well.

Hitting two birds with one stone as it were.

"Excuse me Tae-san…"

Tae turned and gave a sheepish smile to one of her girl classmates. "Gomen nasai!" she murmured before walking inside.

"Tae," Kenshin greeted, smiling as he started to stand up from her seat.

"No, it's okay Kenshin," Tae said as she grabbed an the empty seat in front of Kaoru.

"How's the picnic Tae?" Kaoru inquired as she brought another spoonful of chocolate mousse in her mouth.

"It was…strange…but the food was good though. Ken-san was sorely missed."

"I bet," Kaoru snorted, rolling her eyes.

Kenshin smiled at them both. "Would you like some cake, Tae-san?"

"No thanks, I'm full. You guys finish up."


.

The school had ended a couple of minutes ago but since Tae along with Jin, had both been chosen as class monitors and were tasked with cleaning up after the classroom. Kaoru hung back and helped them a little as she waited for her friend to finish. Kaoru glanced over at Kaito, Jin's friend, who was also hanging back inside the classroom, watching as they worked.

"He'd finish up faster if you would just help you know…" Kaoru teased the blonde.

"Nah, he's doing fine Kaoru-san!" Kaito said with a grin.

"Hmmm…Gracie will hit you over the head with her fan again if you guys are late for basketball practice."

"Sagara-san's always late too but she doesn't hit him! It's so unfair Kaoru-san!"

"He's the captain baka!" Jin commented.

Tae and Kaoru laughed.

After cleaning up the classroom, all four of them walked down the flights of steps together, talking about their mutual friends and the homework they would have to do. Tae and Jin were discussing something about Physics when Kaito turned to Kaoru and detained her, letting Jin and Tae walk a little further ahead.

"What wrong?" Kaoru asked noticing the blush staining his cheeks and the way he seemed to be squirming.

"Haven't seen Misao around lately, is she okay?" Kaito said after a while.

"Hey Kaito, what's with your sudden interest in Makimachi's welfare all of a sudden?" Jin called out from ahead of them.

Kaito turned beat red and growled for him to shut up.

Kaoru and Tae laughed.

"Misao's fine. You should visit her if you want." Tae assured Kaito while Jin smirked.

Kaito nodded, seemingly flustered. "Well, uh maybe one of these days…uh…well I gotta go to the gym now, see you tomorrow!"

Jin bowed to Tae and Kaoru before running off to follow his friend. "I'll call you later, neh Tae-san?"

Tae nodded and gave him a wave.

"What was that about?" Kaoru asked, glancing over at Tae.

"He was asking me help with some subjects he's having trouble with." Tae said with a shrug. "Kaito likes Misao…how sweet!"

"He's nice…but Misao's so focused on Aoshi she probably won't notice."

"Like you are with Kenshin?"

Kaoru glanced at Tae questioningly.

Tae rolled her eyes. Misao and Kaoru were indeed quite oblivious sometimes. Tae had eyes and she could see what other people sometimes took for granted. There had been some guys who had expressed some interest in her best friend but they always gave up, because their rival for her affections would be Kenshin and it was so obvious that Kaoru was devoted to him. "Where's Ken-san?"

"His teacher elected him to lead a project of some sort so he won't be going home until later today. I don't know how long that will keep him busy."

"He should have just turned it down, he doesn't really have to do everything other people request of him."

Kaoru sighed, "I tried to tell him that but he won't listen. Besides, I think it's a part of what makes Kenshin who he is. Its just getting harder and harder to spend time with him…and pretty soon he'll be leaving for college and I don't know how often I'll be able to see him then."

Tae sensed that a change of topic was in order. "Hmmm…neh Kaoru-chan, I've been thinking, you know my mom chairs several charities right?"

Kaoru nodded as they stopped by the lockers and exchanged their school slippers for their street shoes.

"Well, do you remember the clinic we told you about? The one where Misao got her treatment for her leg?"

Kaoru slung her bag over her shoulder and made an affirmative sound as she and Tae walked out of the school building. It was already nearing late afternoon but that was all right, they lived in a secluded place where walls and gates made sure that the residents within were protected.

Tae told her friend about wanting to help out at the clinic. "I thought perhaps I could write a check or something but I'm not sure how he would take it. Father says that some people do not take kindly to…that sort of thing. Do you think I could give him supplies? Nothing really fancy, just some simple medicine, bandages and stuff like that."

Kaoru knew it had something to do with pride. Hiko-san had once explained it to her.

It's hard to face the fact that you need someone's help…especially when you are a prideful person, you would not want to appear weak or be an object of pity in someone else's eyes. That is why if you are to offer help…make sure that you do it in a way that would keep their pride intact…

"I think it's sweet Tae. If you want, we can go over to the mall to buy some supplies right now." No one was waiting up for her at home anyway. All she had to do was inform Cook that she'll be returning home late.

Tae smiled, "That's great! Oh and since you only had half a cake for lunch, I'll treat you to some…pasta?"

Kaoru was about to tell Tae that she was full, that she had brought her own lunch and had shared it with Aoshi on the rooftop. Once again, something stopped her from divulging the information. The rooftop had been her own special place of sanctuary…but now it seemed to have been claimed by Aoshi Shinomori. It was clear he didn't want anyone else to know he was there.

If he wanted to be alone, that was his choice.

"Pasta sounds great Tae…just as long as it's free!"


.

The whole week went by without any opportunity to go and deliver the supplies they had bought for the clinic. Misao was healing quite well and would most likely be returning to school next week or the week after that, depending on her grandfather's overprotective whim. The two girls had told her about their plan and she was very supportive of the endeavor. Misao made them promise to tell Dr. Genzai that she was very thankful for all his help.

Most of Kenshin's free time was now spent trying to complete whatever project it was he was working on. He wasn't really very forthcoming with the details and when Kaoru had asked him why, he explained that it was supposed to be something 'classified'.

Kaoru had just rolled her eyes at him and said that it was silly.

Kaoru and Tae often ate lunch with Sano, Megumi and their other friends in a large picnic table in the courtyard. One day, during lunch, several girls began to question Tae and Kaoru about Aoshi.

"You're so lucky he's your classmate!"

"So what's he like?"

"I heard he's smart too! Wow, good looking and smart!"

"He's so cute, don't you think?"

Tae and Kaoru didn't really know how to answer these questions. They may be classmates with Aoshi but they weren't close and they explained to the girls that the stoic brunette mostly kept to himself and rarely talked to anyone, if at all.

"The strong silent time! So cool!" was the general consensus.

Sano was curious about Shinomori too, but only because he hardly ever saw the guy and because Gracie had mentioned him in passing one time. He knew Aoshi as 'the one who turned down the chance to try-out for the basketball team'. Their school was large and Sano had never really caught a good look at the supposed new guy. "Is the guy even a member of any sports club?"

The answer was in the negative.

Rin, one of Megumi's close friends, commented that she never saw Aoshi during lunchtime or after school either. He always just appeared in the mornings and then left immediately after classes.

It was as if he had disappeared.

The other girls around the table commented on how they would have loved to share lunch with him or simply 'bask in his presence', much to the annoyance of some males seated around the table.

Kaoru smirked slightly but said nothing.

If only the girls knew that there really wasn't anything special about eating lunch with Shinomori-san.

All he'd really done, when she'd had lunch with him, was eat his food.

After a few failed attempts to start some semblance of conversation with him, Kaoru had also given up and just enjoyed the silence.

She hadn't been up to the rooftop again after that first time.

It was now Friday and both Kaoru and Tae had changed their uniforms after school and donned on street clothes, deciding that today would be the day they were delivering the supplies.

"Kaoru can you have your driver bring us there?" Tae asked as she ran a brush over her hair before retying it again.

Kaoru nodded and brought out her cellphone to call home.

A few minutes later, they were on their way.


.

To say that Kaoru was surprised, would have been an understatement. Her reaction was similar to that of Tae's as she watched the row of houses go by in a blur through the tinted window of the car.

No wonder Shindo-san, her driver, had been surprised when she'd given him the address Tae had relayed to her.

"Aoshi lives…here?" Kaoru asked, glancing over at Tae.

Tae nodded. "I was surprised too. The building he lives in isn't really as bad as the others. It's actually pretty nice compared to…some."

"Wow, when you told me he lived in a lower-middle-class neighborhood, you weren't kidding…" Kaoru muttered as she chewed her lip. She'd never been in a place like this before and if her father found out that she'd been here, he'd most likely have a fit.

"Genzai-san says that most of the people he treats in his clinic don't really have much money and that's why he can't pay an assistant that well. Right now, he's operating his clinic alone."

"You know, we really are lucky, aren't we? We have no reason to complain about our lives when other people are actually having to live in an environment like this…" Kaoru murmured. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't reconcile the image of Aoshi living in a neighborhood like this one. She related this too Tae and her friend nodded in agreement.

"We're here, Kaoru-san," Shindo announced as the sleek black limo halted gracefully to a stop by a small clinic.

"You can wait here by the car Shindo-san, Tae and I can manage," Kaoru said as she and Tae went over to the back of the car. The compartment had been automatically unlocked by Shindo and they lifted it up to get to the bags of medicine, cotton, bandages and other medical supplies they had shopped for.

When they went inside, they saw that there were several patients waiting to be attended. Dr. Genzai looked up, appearing a little frazzled and when he saw them he immediately recognized Tae and asked after Misao's health. Tae assured him that Misao was getting better.

"This is my friend, Kamiya Kaoru."

Kaoru bowed deeply. "Its very nice to meet you, Genzai-sensei."

Tae then showed the doctor the bagfuls of supplies she and Kaoru had brought. "This is sort of our way of saying thank you, for taking such good care of Misao."

"Oh, you needn't have done that, but I'm glad you did!" he said with a smile.

"Is there anything else we can do for you?" Tae inquired.

"Well…if you don't mind tending to some of the patients…? They need to fill in those papers over there…"


.

Kaoru sighed as she relaxed in Tae's bed. She'd been invited to dinner and was sleeping over there for the night. Helping out at the clinic had been a novel experience and the girls had discussed returning every now and then to help out as much as they could.

Kaoru remembered the little girl she'd talked to, the one who had Down syndrome. Despite that, the girl had been quite pretty and quite smart for her age. The girl's hand was bleeding from a cut, it wasn't deep enough to require stitches but it still bled quite a lot. It was clear that the young girl's companion was worried sick and Kaoru had tried to ease her worries as much as she could, without actually knowing what she was talking about.

The drive back was long; the neighborhood was quite far away from Kaoru and Tae's community. Even under the dimming light of night, the neighborhood didn't look any more appealing.

Kaoru felt guilty about feeling bad, simply because of her unrequited love for Kenshin.

"What are you thinking about?" Tae asked, turning away from the television to glance at her friend. "You've been quiet since we came back, are you hungry? Dinner won't be served until a little later on, but we can go make a snack if you want."

"No…I was just thinking."

"About what?"

"Stuff…"

Tae lifted an eyebrow at her friend's evasive answer. "You know, I think I figured out how Shinomori-san can go to our school," she announced.

Kaoru glanced at her.

"I think, maybe he's under academic scholarship. Toyotama accepts those, right? And he is quite smart."

"That makes sense," Kaoru nodded absently. "You said he worked in a restaurant too, right?"

Tae nodded, reaching up to play with a strand of her hair. "That must explain why he doesn't join any sports club or activity after school. He has to work and he probably commutes to and from school…"

Kaoru remembered the small brown paper bag that had contained Aoshi's lunch.

A sandwich, most likely he'd had a sandwich.

Only a sandwich…the bag didn't look big enough to contain two.

She remembered him eyeing the bento she'd offered.

A sandwich.

One sandwich.

He'd probably been still hungry but he hadn't said anything.


.

It was Monday and lunchtime, most of the students were filing out of the room talking about how they had spent their weekend or complaining that they still hadn't wanted to go to school.

"Aren't you coming?" Tae asked when Kaoru made no move to get up.

Kaoru shook her head. "No, you go ahead. I have a something I have to do."

"Want me to come with you?"

"No, it's okay."

"I'll see you later then," Tae nodded, waving as she exited the classroom.

Kaoru waited five minutes before she grabbed her bag and headed out. The halls were now thankfully mostly empty and no one really paid heed to her as she walked past with her school bag.

Would he still be there?

She didn't know.

She opened the door that led out on the rooftop.

There he was, only, he wasn't lounging. He was sitting Indian style with a book and a pad of paper in front of him. He was taking a bite out of his sandwich as his eyes perused over a page in his book, his right hand scribbling something on the pad. His headphones were firmly placed over his ears and it kept some of the longer strand of blue-black hair from falling over his eyes.

He didn't see or hear her coming.

When her shadow fell over him, he looked up and narrowed his eyes at her.

He made her feel unwelcome and it was obvious he wanted her gone, but Kaoru didn't pay attention.

She settled down across from him.

He took off his headphones, "What are you doing here?" he asked in monotone but his eyes stated that he was obviously annoyed.

"I happened to go here a lot, even before you started to attend this school," she informed him as she opened her bag and took out her lunch.

Kaoru could feel his laser eyes boring a hole in her skull, but she ignored him.

Finally, he looked away, accepting her presence; like he had the last time she'd joined him.

"Cook prepared more than I could finish, you wanna share?" Kaoru asked, when her bento was laid down between them. It was a rather large box and in it was an assortment of sushi enough for three to four people, depending on their appetite.

Aoshi's icy blue gaze flickered over to Kaoru for a moment, before they settled on the bento box.

He took another bite of his sandwich and went back to writing.

Since he wasn't looking at her anyway, Kaoru rolled her eyes in exasperation. Her eyes caught the equations he was doing and she winced. "You're doing math during lunch?"

He seemed to bristle at her tone and he looked up to glare at her for a good three seconds before he returned his attention back to his book.

Kaoru peered at the equations and recognized them as the math problems their teacher had asked them to solve for their homework. She had slaved away a good several hours out of her weekend, trying to decipher those hard mathematical equations.

Hours out of her life that she would never get back, all because of a stupid homework!

Her eyes softened.

Homework.

He was doing them now because he probably hadn't had time to do them…most likely because he was working.

"I hate math, it's the worst subject ever," she declared as she used her chopsticks to pick out a piece of sushi and popped it into her mouth. "I barely pass…and I have to study really hard just so I can. Plus, I think the teacher hates me. Have you noticed how he glares at me in class?" she inched the bento over to him a little bit more. "You should really try some, it's good. Cook always likes to make extra and it hurts her feelings when I have leftovers."

He sighed, shifted a bit before he finally raised his eyes to look at her.

Kaoru had the distinct feeling that if he had had the power to incinerate matter with a glance, she would now be a melted pile of burnt flesh, blood, bones and innards. The mental picture made her wince and Kaoru promised her self to lay off the action/adventure and Slasher fics Sano was so fond of.

She held out an extra pair of chopsticks towards Aoshi.

He looked at her with those icy blue eyes for a long, unblinking moment.

Kaoru wanted to squirm as he seemed to scrutinize her and she barely held back her sigh of relief when he finally took the chopstick from her hand.

Okay, so she'd made herself seem annoying and stupid…but that was okay.

At least now, he was eating.

"Itadakimasu," she said with a smile.

"Itadakimasu."

It's hard to face the fact that you need help…especially when you are a prideful person, you would not want to appear weak or be an object of pity in someone else's eyes. That is why if you are to offer help Tanuki…make sure that you do it in a way that would keep their pride intact…


.

A/N: Since Kaoru is still in love with Kenshin and doesn't particularly like Aoshi YET, I had to find a way to make her spend more time with Aoshi…hence the feeding sessions. (grins) I hope you enjoyed it! This chapter is a bit longer than what I usually write for this fic…hopefully I can get the next chapter out soon. You guys might be wondering why Kaoru acted a bit ditzy when she was offering Aoshi food. She didn't exactly want him to realize she was feeding him so she tried to distract him by making herself be slightly annoying. More of Aoshi's POV on things coming up in the next chapter.

Hayaku – Hi. As of right now, I plan on finishing this story. Hopefully, I can do it soon but it will be a while since this story is kind of long. However, I do already know how I want to end this fic so it's just a matter of getting there. Glad you enjoy the story, pls review

Kura-sama – Hi! Thanks for the compliment, it made me smile! I'm glad you enjoy my stories. This fic is an Aoshi/Kaoru/Kenshin love triangle, ultimately it's going to be Aoshi/Kaoru but Kenshin will play a major role in the story and will provide the conflict so there will be lots of Kenshin/Kaoru fluff moments as well. I agree, I love Battousai more than the Kenshin persona. I hope you like this new chapter. Please review! Anonymous – I'm glad you like the story. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Please review!

Ruby – Yes! AK ALL THE WAY! (just as long as I'm not writing one of my KBK stories) Hehehe. I'm so glad you like this story. There's an Aoshi/Kaoru Yahoo group where they provide links for more Aoshi/Kaoru stories, just in case you didn't know. Go check it out! I hope you like this chapter, please review!

Agaxris – Hi! I'm very happy that you are enjoying this story, I hope you like this new chapter, please review!

Niki – Yeah I know, Kenshin doesn't pay enough attention to Kaoru. In the anime Kenshin and Kaoru got together but the ending of their love story was kind of sad and bittersweet with the OVA Sesshouhen…I wonder sometimes what would happen if Kaoru and Aoshi got together? He'll probably accept that government position that was offered to him and he and Kaoru can live long happy lives together! Ha! (But of course I still love Kenshin! Sigh…so hard, they are both so cute.)

d-strike – Hi! I LOVED your latest chapter, I'm not sure if I was able to review yet or not but it was hilarious. Ha! Aoshi is drunk and fell asleep on Kaoru! How cute is that? I'm so glad you like my story and I hope you liked this chapter. Please review.

matsuko – Hi! Yes, as of now, I do plan on finishing this fic. Of course, major Aoshi/Kaoru fluff will come but right now they are in the 'getting to know you' stage. Right now Kaoru is still in love with Kenshin and I don't want her to fall for Aoshi instantly and forget Kenshin, that would make her character/loyalty a bit weak…but promise, loads of A/K fluff will be coming. I hope you liked this chapter, please review neh?

cool-fox – Hi! Gomen nasai, I do try to update fast, promise! I would most likely be updating Back Home To You next. The next chapter of Only With You is in the works, so don't worry I will be updating it, just not exactly sure when. Anyway, I'm really so very happy that you like this story and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review!

Orchidacea – Hi! Thanks, I'm glad you like my fic. This chapter is opening up the Aoshi/Kaoru interactions so there will be an increase in A/K moments. Next chapter will be more of Aoshi's thoughts. I hope you liked this chapter, please review.

Mini-moonstar – Hi! Glad I'm swinging you over to the Aoshi/Kaoru appreciation club! (grins) They are cute together and I like them as much as Kenshin/Kaoru. Probably because I wanna keep Aoshi far from Misao. Hehehe, I just can't picture them together, no offense to those who like that pairing. Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter. Please review!

Thai – Hey there Thai, here you go, I updated! Hope you liked it! Please review!

Readit's – Well it's A/K but Kenshin will play a major part so there will be lots of K/K moments of fluff too so it would be kind of a love triangle. Glad you like this story and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review.

Lady Dark Angel – Glad you liked it, hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review!

Pego – Hi! I LOVE your review! I'm so glad you're starting to like AK because they really are a good pair. (but of course I love Kenshin too) I wrote Awareness, it's just a one-shot, set in the normal world of the anime and it's an AK fic, give it a read and see if you like it. Anyway, yeah, I don't want Kaoru to instantly fall for Aoshi. She's in love with Kenshin and she's loyal so she won't fall all over Aoshi just because he's cute. I am also a big fan of 'meaningful silences'. I think too much dialogue sometimes detracts from the poignancy of a moment. I'm really glad you like this fic and hopefully, this chapter didn't disappoint. Please review!

Alexis Barnes – here you go, I updated. Hope you liked it, please review.

Mizu-Ryuuseisui Inc – I'm glad you like my writing style. I'm always insecure about it coz there's so many writers who write such eloquent pieces that I think my writing sucks but anyway, I like to write so it doesn't really matter to me if I suck or not. It's purely for enjoyment. (grins) I'm glad you like this story and I hope you continue to enjoy my stories! Thanks for the review! I hope you liked this chapter.

Clemen – I'm glad you liked the last chapter. I hope you enjoyed this one too. Please review!

Goldmund – I know, lucky Kaoru huh? Two cute guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review!

Scarlet Rayne – Hey girl! Thanks for the review, I'm glad you enjoyed this chapter. Gomen nasai for not being able to E-mail you back. I'm really sorry but I've been busy lately, promise I'll E-mail you as soon as I can! Take care!

Triste1 – Hi! I'm glad you are a fussy reader and tell me about my errors. It helps me to improve my writing style. I try to proof read my stuff but when I go to quick edit on the site and sometimes make changes, they end up all wrong like with the 'married words' or certain words getting erased. Sorry about that.

Videl621 – Hi! So, are you adjusting nicely to your new home? Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter and please review! Thanks.

MZ. AmbER EYES – Don't worry, Kenshin's thoughts will be revealed. I'm especially looking forward to writing it because it will serve as a sort of turning point in the story. I hope you liked this chapter, please review! Thanks!

Pinay Tiger – hey girl! I haven't read your new fic, the one-shot, I think it's entitled HOME? But I will read it as soon as I have time, promise. Anyway, you know I always appreciate your reviews and views on my stories. They are very helpful and long. (grins) I hope you update Unsaid Words…soon. Can't wait! Yeah, in the anime Kenshin is too far-gone in his 'atonement for his sins' thing that he doesn't acknowledge Kaoru. He has special feelings for her but…he doesn't act on them. And then of course there is that OVA where they ended up together but the ending was just…UGH! Too sad. Oh, this is the only Aoshi/Kaoru fic you've ever read so far? (jumps up and down in glee and hugs PT) I enjoy some love at first sight fics, there are those out there that are brilliantly written especially when it's about the unexplainable pull of some cosmic force of other but there's also some love at first sight fics that I find unappealing. The reason is because it just seems shallow to me…I like character development and the evolution of relationships. I'm glad you like how I'm writing this so far, I hope this chapter wasn't a disappointment. Oh by the way, did you already finish sending all your college applications? I'm sure you'll get into the university you want!

Tiaravball15 – Hi! I'm Filipina too! Have you read d-strike's Anything But Ordinary? It's a cool fic too. Also, try out WhiteRabbit5's Aoshi/Kaoru fic, she's an awesome writer too. Hope you liked this chapter, please review!

Jbella – Hi! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Aoshi and Kaoru now have a reason to see each other, so their interactions will grow in number soon. Next chapter is more of Aoshi's POV.

Fire Kitsune – Hi! Yup, I can speak Tagalog. Kamusta ka rin? I hope you liked this chapter!

Kaoru4 – Hi! I'm glad you like this story, don't worry, more of Aoshi will come in the next chapter! I hope you liked this chapter and please tell me what you thought of it! thanks!

Brittanie Love – (hugs) I'm so glad you liked the last chapter! I didn't want to make them all OOC. Thanks for always supporting my stories, I hope you liked this chapter. Please review! Thanks!

Belle Day Night – Hi! I'm so glad you liked the last chapter. I just thought it would be a fun way for them to meet, plus it will be only the two of them and away from prying eyes. I'm not sure if I already reviewed your latest update of TBOI, but I just love it! Kaoru and Aoshi are going off to a foreign country together! Ha! Granted Yahiko and the other boy would be with them, but still! And Misao! Wow, I think her reaction was right on Misao. I'm not very fond of her when it comes to Aoshi. I hope you update it soon and also your Inuyasha fic loss of self…anyway, I hope you liked this chapter!

Lunatic-cupid – Oh, you're Filipino/Japanese? That's so cool, do you know how to speak Japanese? How about Filipino? Well, anyway, thanks for the review and I hoped you also enjoyed this chapter.

Venus goddess – The Aoshi/Kaoru goodness will only multiply from this point on in the story! (grins) Hope you liked this chapter. Please review


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