Lost From Within Chapter 8: Why didn't you tell me sooner?

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin

He took her face in his hands and kissed her. Kaoru heard for the second time his voice in head due to his extraordinary gift.

I can feel you. Even when you're not with me. Why? Why? What are you to me? I don't even know myself. I think I—

Kenshin released her lips. He bent his head. His grip on her loosened.

"What do you mean? You can feel me?" Kaoru asked. She pulled Kenshin's hands off her shirt and he slumped on her, pinning her beneath him.

She tried to push him off, succeeding only in getting him to curl himself gently around her body.

Kaoru froze. Kenshin wasn't acting himself... He wasn't dominating her with his cast-iron strength, or forcing himself on her... Instead he was acting submissive, needy. He wasn't holding her down anymore either; instead his body was loose, draped over her. Kaoru started to worry as he became completely still; then, she heard a small snore.

He was asleep.

Kaoru sighed. He was still on top of her. She tried to push him off.

Kenshin groaned at the movement and wrapped his arms around her. She stopped moving and studied his face.

Red hair framed his face. His long lashes fringed his cheeks. He looked peaceful and relaxed due to the absence of the usual scowl.

Kaoru frowned. He looks like a little boy.

"You make me worry about you too much." Kaoru muttered. Kenshin moved slightly in response.

Kenshin,Kaoru thought ,could you really be in love with me?

Kaoru yawned and closed her eyes. It had been a very long night.

Kenshin awoke slowly. His head hurt and he felt really tired. He kept his eyes closed trying to avoid the harsh sunlight. For some reason, he didn't feel like getting up yet.

His bed had never been this warm, had it?

Kenshin also noticed that his pillows were incredibly soft. He moved his hands toward them.

His pillows were smaller than usual but damn, they did their job well. So well in fact that Kenshin buried his face in them some more.

"KENSHIN!"

Why was Kaoru yelling at him so early in the morning? What had he done? He was impressed at her lung power. It sounded almost as if though she was exactly in the room with him.

Suddenly, his pillows began to move. So did his bed.

Kenshin grabbed at his moving furniture with his eyes still closed. It had truly been an awfully long night last night, that it had.

"KENSHIN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!"

Kenshin opened his eyes.

Lying beneath him was Kaoru with a blush on her face and eyes blazing with anger.

His hands were on her breasts.

Ahhhh… that was it.

Suddenly, Kenshin felt a sharp pain on his head. Kaoru had socked him.

"Oro?"

Kaoru loomed above him. She clenched her fist and raised it above her head.

Kenshin looked up at her. Waiting for the pain.

Kaoru dropped her fist and stared into Kenshin's eyes in amazement.

Kenshin looked at her in confusion.

"Weren't you about to hit this unworthy one Kaoru-dono?"

Kaoru dropped on her knees and stared deeper into Kenshin's eyes.

"They're violet." She muttered.

Kenshin looked at her again with a funny look on his face.

Kaoru grabbed Kenshin's face and pulled it close to her face.

"Isn't this a bit inappropriate Kaoru-dono?"

"Kenshin?" she murmured wonderingly.

His eyes had turned violet. At first, Kaoru had thought that it was a trick of the light. Now she realized that they were indeed violet.

"Kaoru-dono, would you kindly let go of this one's face? He would appreciate it, that he would." Kenshin said.

Kaoru backed away and ran out of the room.

Kenshin sat there with the same dumbstruck look on his face.

"Oro?"

"HIKO!"

Hiko had been sitting in the kitchen, downing a nice cup of coffee and reading his newspaper, when all of a sudden he heard his almost-daughter-in-law running down the stairs screaming hysterically.

She ran all the way down until she crashed into the door.

Hiko sighed, his eyes still on the paper.

"Is it that time of the month already?" Hiko asked aloud.

Kaoru dusted herself off and yelled, "I'm not on my period!"

Hiko rolled his eyes and flipped the page. "I wasn't referring to that."

Kaoru stared at Hiko; Here she was, nearly overwhelmed by panic and curiosity, at the end of her rope, and he was nonchalantly reading the comic-section!

It was actually quite a funny expression.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked. She moved closer to him until her face was practically touching the page.

"First answer me this," Hiko turned away from his paper and gave her a steady look. "What were you and Kenshin doing last night?"

Kaoru felt the blush creep back on to her face. "I…I… don't have any idea what you mean," she stammered.

Hiko smiled,a mischievous gleam in his eyes.

"Now," he said, "Back to this business of you starting every morning screaming like an Amazon going to battle." He said cheerily.

Kaoru slumped and tried to remember what they had been speaking about before. Damn mind reader and his stupid head games!

"Good morning, Hiko-dono." A cheery voice called as it came into the kitchen.

Kaoru flinched, then turned slowly. Hiko's smile grew, if possible, even wider.

"Good morning Kenshin", he practically sang out. "Aren't you feeling chipper this morning?"

"Yes, this one is happy this morning. That he is." Kenshin replied, just as (weirdly) happy.

Kaoru marched up to Kenshin and grabbed him by the collar. She then proceeded to shove him in Hiko's face.

"What the hell does this mean? Why is Kenshin all- all- sweet and polite and weird?"

"So, it's that time of the month again?" Hiko commented absently, going back to his paper.

"I'M TELLING YOU, YOU HOPELESS BUFFOON THIS IS NOT THAT TIME OF THE MONTH!" Kaoru shrieked.

Hiko rolled his eyes. "Look at you, so self absorbed all the time. That's why you abuse poor Kenshin so much. Isn't that right Kenshin?"

Kaoru gave Hiko one of her best death glares. "You're the one who's sexually harassing me; Mr. I-wanna-know-what-you-and-Kenshin-did-last-night!"

Hiko's smile came back full force."So your admitting that you two actually did something?" he waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

Kaoru blushed. "NO! I'm just saying that it's none of your damn business!"

Hiko felt a sort of sting. It was his house. Didn't that make anything that happened under his roof his business?

"I apologize! I didn't know this was the Kamiya Residence!" Hiko hit back,angry now.

"It's not. I am just saying what happens between me and Raggedy Andy over there is my business!"

"You should calm down Kaoru-dono." Kenshin said, oddly sounding like the voice of reason.

"YOU STAY OUT OF THIS!" They yelled at him in unison. Kenshin shrank back into his seat.

Kaoru huffed and regained her composure.

"Look," she said. "Something is wrong with Kenshin. Last night he was trying to tell me something but I guess, he was tired or something. He fell asleep and the next thing you know, he wakes up the happiest man in the world. What is going on?"

Hiko breathed and sipped his coffee. "It's that time of the month." He said. He raised his hand up at Kaoru, who had just opened her mouth to protest. "Before you start, I am not talking about you. I am talking about Kenshin's human period."

A big question mark appeared on Kaoru's face. "His human period?"

"Yes." Hiko said. He pointed to Kenshin. "At this moment in time, Kenshin is human."

"Wait, wait, wait. Hold the phone. Kenshin is human." Kaoru pointed at said red-headed guy.

"Yes, I believe so. We all turn that way eventually." He said.

"Is he going to be human the rest of his life?" she asked. She really didn't know if she could handle this goofy persona every morning. It would drive her crazy. After all, cheerful people were dangerous.

"I'm not entirely sure." Hiko said. "He could be this way his whole life."

With that being said Hiko left with a cup of coffee in one hand and his paper in the other.

Kaoru slumped in exhaustion as Kenshin happily handed her a cup of coffee and then proceeded to wash the dishes, humming all the way.

Kaoru sank down further into her chair. She prayed to whoever was up there that Kenshin would not stay this way for long. It would drive her crazy. She downed her cup of coffee and then proceeded to let herself be swallowed by the chair.

Hiko sat in his big shiny office as he patted himself mentally on the back for a job well done. He turned to his monitors and stared at all of the bustling activity. Sano had just arrived, now flat on his back on his bedroom floor, Yahiko was playing house, albeit reluctantly, with Tsubame. And Kenshin, Kenshin was finishing off the dishes while his moody fiancée slumped in a chair.

"I should have told Kaoru," he said to himself while staring at the slouching young woman on the screen, "He might be better by tonight. You never know. After all, who said demons were predictable?" Hiko smiled and swiveled his chair to his desk.

Hiko had been playing the part of the idiot for far too long. He began to doubt whether Kenshin and Kaoru would ever get together.

He sighed. No matter; he could always let destiny handle those two. Then he grinned; a couple more laughs at Kaoru's expense wouldn't hurt though.

Hiko turned back to his monitors. Kaoru had gone back to work, Yahiko was dressed in pink and Sano was passed out in his room, back from another bachelor's spree.

Hiko continued to stare at Sano.

After a long pause, Hiko smiled a devilish smile.

Maybe it was time to trim the rooster's feathers once and for all.

A/N: Well, well, well. That one sure took forever. Not to worry folks. Just click on the little review button and I'm sure you'll be amazed at how quickly I update. Why, because now I have permanent access to my computer! YAY! I can update every other week now! However, folks, I must apologize. I hadn't forgotten my dear readers but, when you win a $40,000 scholarship, you must start applying to colleges. Let me tell you this is a very long process, therefore I sort of stalled on everything. I am sorry! Crazy-for-canines, I must apologize to you too! Do you forgive me?

CRAZYFORCANINES: *depressedly huddling in a corner* It's a loveless world...

I hope to update soon. Really soon. So see ya!