-Please read the author's note at the end of the chapter. Thank you!-

(;D)

Brrrinnnnggg! Brrriiiinnnnggg!

I groaned and shifted in my bed to cover my ears with my pillow. "Five more minutes," I muttered as I tried to block out the incessant ringing of my alarm clock. I frowned, eyes closed, when the loud racket being made by the old-fashioned alarm bell wasn't bending to my will. Exasperated, I sat up quickly, took the alarm clock and send it flying to the eastern wall.

"You know it's only doing its job. And that's the fifth one in three weeks," a voice informed me dryly.

My mom was leaning casually against the doorframe of my bedroom door, already dressed for work. I grumpily kicked my sheets from my body and slipped on my soft, fuzzy bunny slippers. My hands groped the bedside table for my spare glasses that I laid out last night. I slowly slipped it on my nose the moment I found it, letting my eyes adjust for a bit at the brand new specs. My eyes were not opened all the way yet, but I still struggled to make my way towards the bathroom door. I felt my mom follow me, and it was all I could do not to roll my eyes at her.

"I wasn't able to sleep well last night," I mumbled softly to myself. "God! My head hurts…"

And it was all thanks to the shocking information I discovered last night…

"Kaoru, will you look at me when I'm talking to you!" my mother demanded sternly.

"Morning to you too, mom!" I grumbled sarcastically as I opened the medicine cabinet to take out my toothbrush. "Do I get a kiss with that?"

My mom walked towards my left side so that she could look at me in the eye. I lazily applied toothpaste on my toothbrush and started to raise it to my lips. But before I could do that, my mother stopped my hand in mid-air and forced me to face her.

"We need to talk," she persisted.

My eyes narrowed at her grip. "I'm going to be late," I told her pointedly as I tried to pull my hand free, but she wouldn't budge. "What?" I cried out in exasperation. "If it's the alarm clock you're bugged about then sor-ry," I rolled my eyes and twirled my index finger in the air. "I promise to replace it using my own allowance, happy now?"

"Don't get lippy with me, young lady. I have a bone to pick with you," my mother snarled. "I should punish you severely after that stunt you pulled last night."

"What stunt?" I looked away and grimaced at my puffy-red eyes and messed-up reflection in the medicine cabinet mirror. Oh well, I never was miss beautiful in the mornings. But come to think of it, I'm not exactly pretty girl in any other part of the day either. It was quite a wonder that my mom hadn't noted my red-rimmed eyes yet.

"That thing with the Himura boy! And then that very rude comment at dinner." My mom finally let me go and was now tapping her foot in vigorous beats against the tiled floor. "I'm waiting for an explanation here Kaoru!"

I sighed wearily at this reminder, "Mom I…"

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And so I'm grounded…

My mom stormed out of my room, all ablaze with anger when I was unable to provide an explanation -or at the very least- offer a sincere apology or a promise to never to do it again. So just for that, I'm grounded until I'm forty. Story of my life people.

I finished my morning preparations quickly and grabbed a toast for my meager breakfast on my way towards the front door. But I was stopped in my tracks while I was in the middle of crossing our front yard the moment I saw the big, bad, black Harley parked on our gate entrance. At first, I wondered to whom the big behemoth belonged to. Then suddenly, something clicked…

Something big and hard bumped me and I realized, rather painfully as I rubbed my left shoulder, that it was Aoshi who just passed by. He didn't say a word as he headed towards his monster of a motorcycle, with my eyes following his every move.

I felt a painful tug at my chest when I remembered the events of last night…

My breath was caught in my throat the moment Aoshi raised his eyes to meet mine, with his bangs falling haphazardly in every direction across his forehead and eyelids. Aoshi had a black sweatshirt on with a skull engulfed in flames printed in the middle. He was wearing a pair of tight, black pants that hugged and showed his hard, sculpted hips and legs, and a pair of heavy-looking, dark-green combat boots to finish the look. Kenshin was right, I realized. Everything about him screamed Goth with bright, flashy neon signs.

He looked as dangerous and as deadly as a coiled rattlesnake, with the ferocity and tenacity of a cunning tiger waiting to pounce. My heart picked up a beat; fear and admiration mixed in a tumultuous blend inside me. He was the stuff of sensual nightmares…dangerous and sexy.

It was a wonder that I didn't melt right there and then due to the uncomfortable heat that suddenly enveloped me.

Aoshi's dark, stormy eyes gave away nothing as he tilted a pierced eyebrow in my direction. "Well what are you waiting for?" he drawled.

That stopped my sinful daydreaming for a few seconds and pulled me back to reality. My brows wrinkled in confusion at his statement, "What am I waiting what for? What are you talking about?"

He pursed his lips as he assessed my form. Suddenly, I was terribly conscious of the fact that I was wearing nothing more but a simple red t-shirt with a long, black stripe lined across the chest, a denim skirt that reached below my knees, and a boring pair of pristine-white rubber shoes. My hair was tied back in a tight and neat unmovable bun and the plastic frame of my new specs matched the colour of my t-shirt.

My look spelled 'dork' with a capital 'D'! And for the first time in my life, I was ashamed of it…

You see, even though Kenshin teased me a lot (rather nastily) in the past about my lame choice of outfits, I was never the one to be moved by his insults or dry commentaries. I always had been comfortable with how I dressed and carried myself. I couldn't care less about how people thought of me. After all, I was comfortable as a shadow; as an invisible wallflower. Better-looking clothes would only attract attention- and attention was something I avoid like the plague.

And yet…one look; just one look from Aoshi was all it took for me to fully realize and accept this one, grim fact.

I'm ugly. And my clothes are not helping my appearance one bit.

I sucked in some air and fiddled with the strap of my backpack uneasily. I lowered my eyes to the ground, unable to bear the intensity of Aoshi's gaze.

I'm ugly.

I'm ugly.

I'm stupid and ugly!

"What? What did you say?"

My eyes quickly shot up to meet his when I realized that I unwittingly voiced out those last thoughts. Aoshi was looking at me with a confused expression. At this, I shook my head vigorously and stammered, "N-nothing. I didn't say anything."

He eyed me suspiciously and for a while I feared that he didn't buy my lie. But after a few seconds of pensive silence, he finally shrugged to dismiss the whole thing, and proceeded to put on his helmet as he uttered a low, "Whatever…"

I continued to stare at the ground after that. I mean, what else was there for me to do? Shinomori unnerved me with his cold demeanour, and his presence caused a deep ache in my heart. And I am to suffer these tortures for the next few weeks that he'll be staying with us…

I hate my life.

I heard Aoshi's movements as he gunned up the engine to life. "Heads up!"

I looked up just in time to catch the gray, shiny helmet thrown in my direction. I looked up at him quizzically and he answered my unvoiced question smoothly, "Your mom asked me to take you to school."

I couldn't believe my ears. "My mom would never let me ride a motorcy-!"

He shrugged again and leaned forward on his motorcycle. "Get on or I'm leaving you," he replied simply, voice detached and indifferent.

"But!"

I heard Aoshi exhale wearily before he got off his Harley. And before I could react, he walked up to me, grabbed me by the waist, and forced me down on the seat of his Harley. I was about to protest but my words were muffled when he forced the helmet down on my head.

His next words were, "Hold on!" followed by the sound of wind whipping past me. I screamed when I almost tumbled out of seat when he started to go without so much as a warning. So I had no other choice but to do as he instructed and hold on tight. I wrapped my arms around his slim waist -extra- tight while I gritted my teeth to keep them from chattering in fear.

My first ride on his motorcycle happened a few days ago, the night he came upon me after I escaped Tsunan's party. It was okay for my first experience on any two-wheeled transport system other than a bicycle.

But today, my second time on his big bike gave me the impression that he was riding in a way that would make ten devils beg for holy redemption and promise eternal sainthood.

I bit the insides of my cheek to keep myself from bursting into tears due to the strong fear that gripped me. He was riding like a maniac!

And I probably knew why he was doing this.

Aoshi was furious.

And the memories of what happened last night came to me in a flash…

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Last night…

I turned around to the sound of the creaking door, fully expecting my mom to come out of her bedroom and blast me. But much to my surprise, my eyes found Aoshi instead.

He looked equally shocked to see me, thus dismissing my initial assumption that he was lying in wait for me all this time. What's more, he looked like he was just recently out of the house himself and was about to return to his own room- very much like my position now.

Which could only mean one thing: he sneaked out of the house too and was obviously trying to hide the deed, based on the trapped look on his face.

The uncertainty in his expression only lasted for a mere second though. He was quick to compose himself and return to that grave, apathetic mask that he always wore. He mentally dared me to say something about the matter, and was found smirking slightly when I didn't rise to the challenge. After that, he entered his room and closed the door behind him without a word.

But in the end, my curiosity got the best of me, and in seconds, I found myself briskly walking towards his room. I didn't bother to knock and opted to push the door open without permission.

"What the hell!"

Aoshi uttered in surprise and anger when I caught him in the middle of spreading out small, plastic packets of powdery-white substance on top of the bureau desk provided in the guestroom. At first, my eyes only widened questioningly at the queer items lying about. But the answer quickly came to me when a certain lesson on illegal drugs education came back to my mind and when I noted the guilty and angry expression on Aoshi's face.

My hands flew to my lips in disbelief. I looked at him and uttered weakly, "A-Aoshi, is that…?"

"Get out!" his face was lined with fury. "Get out!"

I was shaking now as tears began to form in my eyes. I couldn't believe it! I WOULDN'T believe it! It was just not possible! Not Aoshi…not my Aoshi! Not him…not ever…!

I didn't realize I was hugging myself as an ominous chill ran up and down my spine at the alarming discovery. Aoshi moved forward to push me out of his room but I held onto his arms and wouldn't let go. I looked up at him earnestly as I blubbered over and over, "Aoshi's that's not what I think it is. Please tell me it's not! Aoshi it's not…you will never…it can't be what I think it is!"

His voice was strangled and pained, but he continued to push me away just the same, "Get out Kamiya!"

"Aoshi…" my tears remained at bay; unable to flow freely.

"Out!"

The door slammed on my face and I heard the audible sound of the lock falling into place. I stared blankly at the carved, wooden panel for a few minutes, dazed and shocked. For a while I stood there, unmoving and emotionless for a few fleeting seconds. Finally, my knees buckled under me and I crumpled to the floor in a pathetic heap, moaning like a child in pain.

He can't be…he just can't!

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The memory ended as we arrived in the school grounds in good time, thankfully, without any collision of some kind. I didn't think it was possible, but he pulled it off. With his insane driving, I was really amazed that we weren't scratched or harmed in any way whatsoever.

My legs were still trembling as I shakily got off his Harley. I handed Aoshi his helmet back. But to my surprise instead of getting off, I saw him start his bike once more. He turned to me and lifted the glass visor of his helmet to give me a piercing glare.

I started, "What?"

"Kaoru you're a smart girl," he told me in a low, gruff voice. "I don't want to hurt you. But I will have no other choice if you cross me…. "

I instantly understood what he meant. "Aoshi I-"

He lowered the glass visor back in place. And before I could protest any further, he was speeding out of the school gate and towards the main highway. He was going so fast that he almost collided with an incoming red Mustang convertible. But with the precision and ease of a pro, he managed to swerve to the right and avoid a possible crash with the car.

The Mustang stopped in front of me and a perfectly annoyed and irate Kenshin Himura stepped out. "Who was that monkey on the Harley!" Kenshin was grumbling out loud. "He almost totalled my precious baby."

But I wasn't listening to Kenshin. My eyes followed the speeding Harley, and right there and then a plan hatched inside his mind. I went past Kenshin and strode over to the passenger side of his car. "Come on Kenshin we have to follow him!"

"Wha-! Follow what? Follow who? And we still have class!" Kenshin's brows were furrowed in confusion as he got inside his car. I buckled myself in and didn't bother to answer his questions. "I'll explain later! Please don't ask because I'm currently running on adrenaline right now. What's important right now is that we follow that guy's bike!"

"But school?" Kenshin was protesting but at the same time was already strapping himself in. He inserted the key in the ignition and started the car.

"Doesn't matter! This is too important!"

He eyed me quizzically after that. He knew that I was grade-conscious to the extreme level, and me skipping class was the second most impossible thing I'd ever do. The first impossible thing? Me falling in love with Himura of course, what else?

Kenshin pulled out of the school driveway and towards the main road. I only hope that I could still stop Aoshi from this whole mess before the whole affair blew out of control!

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"Himura hurry up!"

"Damn it Kamiya! Do you think I want to be stuck in this traffic jam?"

I blew up some air in exasperation while Kenshin honked at the vehicles in front of us several times. There was an incident involving a broken stoplight just a few cars away from us, thus traffic came to a standstill and Kenshin and I got in the middle of it before he could backtrack.

It was a hopeless case! Aoshi's big Harley was probably a good fifty miles away from us by now! He managed to dodge the traffic before he got stuck in it.

And now it started to rain... I stared at the raindrops against the car window in defeat. There was no way I could stop Aoshi now. Everything was bleak…

I leaned forward and let my forehead rest on top of the dashboard. A sigh escaped my lips while a single tear slowly slithered down my cheeks and to the tip of my nose.

"Kaoru…are you alright?"

I didn't look up. But I shook my head to answer him.

"Who was that guy in the bike anyway? Why do you want to follow him?"

I raised my head and looked at Kenshin. I exhaled wearily and shook my head once more, "It doesn't matter Himura. Let's just…let's just go back-"

The words died in my lips and I leaned forward towards Kenshin's seat when I spotted something on his window side. I pushed him out of the way and squinted through the pouring rain that was blurring my vision.

I couldn't be mistaken! Right there, in a dark alley near Kenshin's Mustang was the unmistakable silhouette of a motorcycle.

Make that a BIG motorcycle!

A BIG, BLACk motorcycle!

Do I dare hope that it's a Harley? That it's AOSHI'S Harley?

Before Kenshin could stop me, I was already removing the seatbelt around me and making my way out. As soon as I got out of the car, the hard rain fell on me like liquid bullets against my small, unprotected frame- but I didn't pay any attention to this. Stumbling and slipping slightly due to the rain-slicked road, I unsteadily made my way towards the narrow alley and towards the bike. Once I was near, I let out a jubilant cry when I recognized it as a Harley- Aoshi's Harley!

Now the question here was: Where's Aoshi?

And through the low, hum of the falling rain, I was able to discern the distant sound of voices.

Men voices…

I looked around and saw what looked like an abandoned warehouse in the distance. And if I wasn't mistaken, the sounds were coming from within those crumbling walls.

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"Fuck it Shinomori! Give us our money already!"

A green-haired, Mohawk stylin' teenager with more piercings on his topless body than Sahara desert has sand pushed the grim-faced, dark-haired Aoshi to the wall. He would have done more if not for a man's hand that restrained the Mohawk guy by the shoulder. A big, burly man with brown skin and shaved head held the green-haired kid to the side to keep him from doing anything stupid.

"Thanks Ram," a blonde man with slicked-back hair, pale, pasty face and long, thin arms stepped forward after the big guy contained the Mohawk boy. "Now, now Shiro. You wouldn't want ruin our friend Aoshi's face first before we get the money now, would you?"

"Shit Kohji!" the Mohawk teen by the name of Shiro spat on the ground. "I'd rather beat the information out of him."

Kohji, the blonde, tsk-tsked and wagged his finger in front of his pierced friend. "I'm sure Mr. Shinomori is a reasonable man Shiro. Remember what the boss instructed us." At this, Kohji dug his hands inside his slacks pocket and desperately tried to peer through Aoshi's bangs. But he found this task impossible since the latter was too tall for the former. Shrugging and finally giving up on that idea, Kohji backed away and addressed Aoshi, "If you just give us the boss' money Shinomori, then there won't be any need for Shiro to get all this excited you know. Shiro has been out to do some serious damage on that handsome face of yours ever since this woman he fancied dumped him for you."

Aoshi's gaze never faltered. No emotion was revealed as his lips moved to tell them, "I can't produce the money…"

"Oh?" Kohji raised an eyebrow. "And why is that so Mr. Shinomori?"

"Because I lost the stuff…"

The simultaneous reactions of the three goons were so identical that it was almost comical. Kohji choked on his own saliva, Shiro spat on the ground again and the silent Ram made a rough, gagging sound that could only be considered as a cough of disbelief.

"You didn't!"

"You cocksucking, motherfucker!"

A token grunt from Ram.

"My, my, this will not do," Kohji gave the Shinomori teen a look of pure disgust and hatred, his pallid complexion paling even more. "And to think that it was me who referred you to the boss. You do realize what you have done. Whether you've lost it or not, you have to pay it back."

It was only then that Aoshi raised his eyes to the three men in front of him. His expression remained blank, but his eyes were as stormy and as turbulent as the emotions running amok inside him. In a low voice, he told them rather simply, "I can't pay."

It was amazing how Kohji's amicable face metamorphosed to ugly fury at those words. Shiro was shouting that Aoshi will be the death of them. Ram released the Mohawk-haired boy so he could flex and snap his big, meaty knuckles in warning of what was to come.

"You know the only punishment in this organization Shinomori…"

Aoshi remained unfazed. It was as if he was made of nothing but ice. It unnerved Kohji that he couldn't raise an iota of any other reaction from the stone of a man aside from this cold indifference. Even at the face of death…

Too confident, Kohji mused. And confidence could only mean one thing…

He was sure that he would win.

Ram and Shiro both produced baseball bats as they both started to advance at Aoshi. Shiro wasn't trying to hide what a big pleasure it was for him to finally have a piece of the arrogant Shinomori prat. "Any last words pretty boy?" the Mohawk kid sneered as he circled Aoshi in a manner very much like how a spider would circle its prey before it devoured the poor creature trapped in its web.

Aoshi followed Shiro's movements with an unwavering expression. He only cocked an eyebrow for a response, and for some reason that only irked the pierced kid even more.

Crying out, Shiro jumped, bat raised above his head as he prepared to land a blow. But Shiro was too stupid to realize how vulnerable his position was, with his arms and legs stretched away leaving his chest and abdomen open. And before he knew it, he was flying in the air once more. Only this time, it was caused by Aoshi's powerful high kick.

Kohji cupped his chin as he eyed Aoshi's stance. A martial artist eh, Kohji smirked. He felt the insides of his coat and the texture of a .45 calibre pistol with a silencer met his roaming fingers.

Kohji almost jumped when Ram landed on his feet. He was so engrossed with the feel of the gun inside his person that he didn't realize that Aoshi managed to K.O. his buddies in just two, easy strikes. Kohji held out his hands and clapped mockingly, "Bravo Mr. Shinomori! Bravo!"

He sidestepped his fallen comrade and slowly walked towards Aoshi. "You're fast sir, admirable!" his sneer was getting more and more deadly. "But let's see if you're fast enough to dodge a-"

Instantly, Aoshi felt that something was not right, and he took a step back from the small, pallid man who suddenly became threatening. His eyes widened when Kohji pulled out a gun from inside his coat.

Death was waiting for Shinomori, even he felt certain of that. His life is one trigger-fire away now…

An angelic face flashed inside Aoshi's mind. Curling, chestnut-brown hair, warm smile, beautiful lips, sparkling eyes…

Goodbye…Sayo…

Aoshi was so intent at the gun raised in his direction that he almost didn't discern the female voice that screamed, "NO!" when the pistol was fired.

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Kaoru didn't know how much time passed before she woke up. She didn't even know how she ended up in the ground, covered in a sticky mass of reddish-brown liquid. But as soon as she felt the stinging pain in her arm and saw the blood pooling beneath her body, then it all came back to her in a flash…

She followed the sounds of voices and breaking wood. She opened the warehouse door that was, not surprisingly, unlocked and was instantly greeted by the sight of two men twitching on the floor in obvious pain, and a blonde man talking to Aoshi. Kaoru saw the small man approach Aoshi and pull out something that made her blood freeze.

The moments after that was a blur to her, though. But she did remember running towards them and leaping out just in time to catch the bullet that was intended for Aoshi's heart. At the reminder, Kaoru tried to sit up and search for Aoshi. What if something happened to him? What if the man fired two shots and she wasn't able to shield him from the second?

That idea instantly filled Kaoru with numbing dread and an overwhelming ache to the emotional level. So even though she was wracked with terrible pain, owing to the fact that the bullet grazed her nerve endings, she tried to crawl towards the spot where she last saw Aoshi.

She need not go far actually, because her eyes only had to roam around to find Aoshi on top of the small, blonde man- and he was practically beating the life out of the guy! Kaoru suddenly feared that if Aoshi didn't stop, he'd end up actually killing the blonde!

"A-a-a," she was too weak and filled with pain to even utter his name. Her eyes were slowly getting drowsy, but she fought vehemently with herself not to give in to the welcoming darkness that was slowly enveloping her. "N-n-no…"

"A-Aoshi…" she whispered in a raspy voice. "S-s-stop…!"

And then out of the blue, a hand reached out and clamped its brawny fingers around her neck! Kaoru found herself being lifted off her feet, followed by a voice that was so deep and gruff that one would think that the voice was not used in so many years, "Aoshi. Let go. Him. Kohji."

Aoshi was holding Kohji by the front collar when he heard the command. He turned towards the voice and he visibly paled when he saw the big hulk Ram holding Kaoru in a tight grip by her neck. And Aoshi paled even more when he noticed the large amount of blood flowing from her injured upper arm.

An unusual terror, nothing Aoshi had ever felt before, suddenly overtook him when he saw Kaoru's ashen face. Her glasses slipped off her nose and her hair was freed from her bun and was now in hopeless disarray around her shoulders. He instantly let go of Kohji as he stared at Kaoru's pained eyes. Hot blood coursed inside his veins as his heart started to beat a frenzied rhythm- the first time such a thing ever happened to him…

Kohji, though badly beaten and bruised, was still strong enough to pull himself out of Aoshi's reach. And his cunning mind was still in good working order for him to realize that they may have just found a way to shake the imperturbable Aoshi Shinomori….

His care over the girl was too obvious, Kohji noted with great wonder. What's more, for the first time that Kohji had ever known the man, Shinomori looked…desperate!

"Don't let go of the girl Ram," Kohji shouted. The pasty-faced blonde tried to stand up on his feet, and only managed to do so halfway, albeit shakily. "Where is that stupid Shiro anyway?" he muttered out loud.

"Here!" the Mohawk boy responded as he slowly walked up towards the group. The boy was holding his left side and groaning, "Goddamn! I think the fucker broke my ribs."

"Shut your girly whining and help me find my gun. It got thrown off somewhere when Shinomori attacked me," the blonde growled at his friend. Grumbling, Shiro scanned the dirt floor of the abandoned warehouse and soon found the aforementioned pistol. Aoshi tensed, but he knew he couldn't do anything about the situation as long as the big gorilla Ram still held Kaoru in a death's grip.

Helplessly, he watched as Shiro made his over to Kohji and handed him the gun. And with Shiro's help, Kohji ambled his way towards Ram and the half-conscious girl. Smiling wickedly, Kohji motioned with his head for Shiro to take the girl and for Ram to step forward in Aoshi's direction. Then he turned to the dark-haired teen with a sneer lining his bruised lips, "You shouldn't have done that Aoshi. You really shouldn't have tempted our anger…"

Then, using the gun, Kohji pointed to the floor, "If you wish that we'll make your death swift and painless, you must go on your hands and knees and beg for it."

Shiro and Ram grinned, obviously liking the idea. But Aoshi didn't flinch from where he was standing. His cold eyes were directed at Kohji in unconcealed fury. At this, hot anger quickly seeped inside the blonde's head at Aoshi's insolence when the dark-haired teenager simply refused to bend to his will.

Kohji exploded, "If you won't bow down for the sake of your own life. Then maybe the lady here will be able to persuade you more into submission!" At this, he directed the end of the gun to Kaoru's head and motioned to pull the trigger. But he was abruptly stopped from pulling the trigger when Shiro inhaled sharply and muttered, "Hot damn!"

Puzzled, Kohji directed his gaze to Aoshi once more. And his eyes widened in surprise when he saw the sight in front of him. For there he was, the proud, unyielding Aoshi Shinomori, slowly bending down until his knees touched the dusty warehouse floor. He was looking, not at Kohji's surprised face or Shiro's smirk or Ram's wondering expression, but at Kaoru's eyes. They never broke their eye contact as he slowly went down on the ground. It was almost as if he was telling her: For you…I do this only for you…

Kaoru's eyes were filled to the brim with unshed tears. He would never have done such an undignified act if not for her sake. He would rather die than shame himself by doing what his enemies wanted from him… Pain flashed briefly in Aoshi's eyes as his pride took a heavy blow, and his hurt was clearly communicated to Kaoru. It felt like she was suffering with him too…

She pressed her lips together and willed herself not to cry. She had to be strong…she couldn't let herself succumb to her own weakness. As Aoshi was being strong for her, so would she…

"Ram…kill him."

Kaoru gasped and the lumbering ape quickly stepped forward, armed with the baseball bat, ready to follow the command and beat Aoshi to death. She tried to struggle free from Shiro's grip. But the annoyed Mohawk boy only pressed his finger to her open wound to still her frantic movements. And it worked, for she was stopped by the nerve-wracking pain that shot out from her injured arm. The ache was so bad that it totally robbed her off any remaining energy she had left. So she ended up lying limp in the arms of the enemy, unmoving and totally defenceless.

At first, Aoshi didn't take that command too well either and he tried to fight back. But the clicking sound of the gun being cocked stopped him in his tracks. "Don't you dare if you want the woman to live through this experience," was Kohji's threatening remark.

Aoshi turned to Kaoru and the unusual fear gripped him once more. But this time, it was ten times worse because her eyes were closed and her face motionless. They killed her, was his first thought. Adrenaline began to pump furiously in his veins as fiery-hot rage blurred his vision. They killed her!

"Stop looking at us like that, jackass! The prissy little bitch just fainted. She's still breathing," Shiro informed him with a disgusted frown. For a moment there, Aoshi's fury when he saw the unconscious girl emanated so strongly from the dark-haired teen that Shiro felt ashamed for momentarily being afraid of him when they had the upper-hand over the situation.

"But not for long if you don't do as I say," Kohji pressed the gun to her temple. "Now stay put!"

Aoshi had no other options left. As he looked at Kaoru's face, fully devoid of any colour and life, he knew that he was defeated. So clenching his fist and gritting his teeth, he waited for the blows to come…

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Kenshin was cursing under his breath as the police officer ripped up a piece of paper from his pad and handed the red-haired teen a violation ticket. For as it turned out, the moment Kaoru left and Kenshin tried to follow her, that was also the exact moment when the traffic jam cleared up. And as luck would have it, a police officer found his Mustang in the middle of the road, blocking traffic and instantly summoned him before he could enter the dark alleyway where Kaoru was headed.

After that, Kenshin was forced to find a place to park first so they could talk about his offence. And when that was achieved, he got an earful from the conservative, Born-Again police officer when the older man found out that he was just a high school student. He was saying something about the country going to the pits and that the people were all going to hell with the direction the youth were taking nowadays. Kenshin had to prevent himself from outright rolling his eyes at the man.

The ordeal took a good fifteen to twenty minutes too. And as soon as the officer was out of sight, Kenshin got out of the car and ran towards the alley. He soon found the Harley that they were following, but neither the rider nor Kaoru was in sight. Scratching his head, Kenshin scanned the surroundings for any place that Kaoru might have gone to. The alleyway led to a dead-end, so where could she be?

And that was when he spotted an old, abandoned warehouse not too far in the distance. And the door was standing ajar, strange…

Carefully, Kenshin made his way towards the crumbling, red-bricked building. And as he got nearer, he could hear voices from within. He pushed the door slightly to widen the space. And his eyes grew wide when he saw Aoshi Shinomori, battered and bloody right smack at the middle of that wide, spacious place. A big brute was beating him mercilessly with a baseball bat. And with the looks of it, Aoshi wasn't trying to fend of the attacks. He was just kneeling there, head erect, mutely receiving the blows. Now how strange was that? Kenshin wondered. Why didn't he fight back?

Kenshin may not like the Goth punk very much. But seeing that he was utterly defenceless and that he might be killed by the hulking gorilla, Kenshin had no other choice but to move in and save him.

But Kenshin froze when he saw that there were other people in the room. Not too far from where he was standing, a small, blonde man had his back turned to Kenshin. He was pointing what looked clearly like a gun on his right. Beside the blonde was a green-haired boy with a Mohawk hairstyle. And that weirdo seemed to be holding something against his chest, and that was what blonde boy was pointing at. Kenshin couldn't really tell what it was because both men had their backs turned on him.

-Which could be an advantage…

Kenshin crept towards the two with the ninja-like stealth he mastered due to the training he received from his eccentric, ex-convict uncle who was once a skilled swordsman. And as soon as he was near enough, he delivered a numbing chop on the gunman's nape and a high kick on the nose of the green-haired weirdo. The blonde quickly fell to the floor, unconscious, while the Mohawk kid got thrown to the other direction. Kenshin was about to retrieve the gun from the ground when he saw the bloody figure that Shiro dropped. He gasped when he recognized that it was Kaoru.

Instantly, he dropped to his knees and cradled Kaoru's lifeless form in his arms. He cursed repeatedly when he saw that she was losing a lot of blood- fast!

Kenshin pulled his left sleeves and ripped it up in one swift motion. He then quickly made a bandage out of it to assuage the blood flowing out from her arm. While he was doing this, he didn't notice that Shiro was slowly making his way towards him, a piece of a wooden plank in his hand as he inched forward. And just when the Mohawk kid was right on top of Kenshin, Kaoru's eyes fluttered open and she gasped out in alarm to warn him.

Kenshin turned around quickly, but not quick enough to deflect the attack. The wooden plank already swung low, Kenshin's nose was about to make contact with the weapon in full force when it suddenly stopped! Just like that, Shiro's blow halted in mid-air, just a few centimetres from Kenshin's face. Confused, Kenshin looked up just in time to meet Shiro's blank, dazed eyes. And after that eye contact, he fell to the floor, unconscious.

Kenshin's eyes widened with surprise as he watched the body fall right next to him. He was looking at the bump on the head of the green-haired teenager so intently that he didn't notice the other man towering above them.

"Aoshi…"

It was only when Kaoru whispered the name of the one who attacked Shiro from behind did Kenshin's head whipped around to look at him. Aoshi was a fright to see. Blood was dripping from the sides of his head and his left eye had swollen shut. With the beating he received, Kenshin was puzzled how the man could even stand, much less deliver a blow strong enough to knock out the enemy.

Kenshin then remembered the third man, the big, burly ape who was pounding Aoshi senselessly earlier, and quickly searched the room for his hulking form. He was able to spot the man easily, and he found that the big man was now slumped on the floor, very much as unconscious as his pals were.

As it turned out, Aoshi was only waiting for a chance or a reassurance that Kaoru would not be harmed before he retaliated. Kenshin's sudden appearance offered the diversion and salvation he needed so he landed two quick punches on Ram's gut before landing a blow on the big man's head. After that, he made his way towards the two and saved them just in time before Shiro could hurt the Himura kid.

Kaoru was not thinking about these things right now. All that mattered to her was the injured man standing in front of them. Kaoru tried her best to sit up as she whispered his name once more, "Aoshi…"

It was as if Aoshi was only waiting for this before he finally succumbed to the darkness. His face formed a gentle expression upon seeing that she was fine, and then his eyes closed and he slowly fell down. Kaoru would have screamed, but she was still too weak to do anything of the sort. It was just a good thing that Kenshin was there because he was the one who caught the dark-haired teen before his face could get acquainted with the hard floor.

Kaoru tried to come closer. Kenshin's brows furrowed with concern and confusion as he turned to her, "What just happened there Kaoru? What's the meaning of all this?"

She didn't answer. She kind of new what this was all about but she did not tell this to Himura.

"I gotta get you and Shinomori to a hospital. And I better get the police too while I'm at it," Kenshin started to tell her as he shifted Aoshi's body so that Kaoru could cradle him. At the mention of the word 'police', Kaoru looked up in alarm and cried out, "NO!"

Kenshin cocked an eyebrow down at her questioningly, "What are you saying?"

"No police!" she shook her head fervently, pulling Aoshi's unconscious head closer to her chest as if she was trying to protect him from some unseen threat.

"But why?"

"No police!"

"Kaoru-?"

"No police!"

Kenshin sighed. "It's going to be hard not getting the police involved here Kaoru."

She was shaking and holding Aoshi tightly against her. She was murmuring, "No, no, no," like a chant as she rocked her body back and forth.

Kenshin knelt forward and tried to touch her, "Kaoru…"

"No police!"

He exhaled wearily in defeat. "Okay fine! No police. But I'm gonna have to find someone to help me carry you and Aoshi to my car. We can't call the ambulance here because they're going to ask questions and will most probably call the police after seeing what happened here." his voice was gruff as he turned around to leave the warehouse and find the nearest telephone booth. And as soon as Kenshin exited through the warehouse backdoor, Kaoru hugged Aoshi as tenderly as her troubled emotions would allow her while a solitary tear slithered down her cheek.

He was hurt because of her…

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Kaoru was awakened by the hand that touched her right shoulder. When she looked up, she saw Kenshin smiling down at her. She smiled back and got up from the chair she was sitting.

"He's still not awake?"

Kaoru directed her gaze at Aoshi's sleeping form. He was sleeping soundly on the hospital bed even though he was probably uncomfortable with the neck brace he was wearing. Kaoru herself had her injured arm in a sling. But aside from a few superficial bruising caused by her fall earlier, she was fine.

"So when are you going to tell me what this was all about?"

She shook her head. "I don't know much either," she lied to him. "All I know was that Aoshi was hanging around with bad company so I got worried."

"Is that why you told me to follow him earlier?"

"Yes…"

"Are you sure you don't know anything else?"

Kaoru didn't hesitate to shake her head. At this, Kenshin discreetly returned the small, plastic packet of cocaine back in his pocket. He found it in Aoshi's Harley when Kaoru asked him earlier to place the big bike somewhere safe. He had a feeling that Kaoru knew about this little fact. But if she was adamant to protect him, then he had no right to pry. So he didn't.

His role as her boyfriend, after all, was only pretence.

So if that was the case, then why was he getting so bloody irritated by Kaoru's care and affection for that Shinomori punk?

"What time is it?"

Kenshin glanced at his wristwatch and informed her, "5:00. It's safe for you to go home now. By the way what are you going to tell your mom about your injury?"

"I'll tell her that on my way home there were some thugs playing with a gun and it accidentally went off when I happened to pass by. The suspects, of course, conveniently ran off before I could get a good look at them. I'll tell her that I already filed the complaint to the police so that she wouldn't get involved anymore," she replied with a straight face.

Kenshin sneaked a glance at her, quite surprised by her impassiveness. "So you're going to lie to your mom? Do you think she'll believe you?"

She shrugged. "Probably. The police believed me when I told them the same story, except for the last part of course."

"The police?"

"It is hospital S.O.P. to report a patient who is injured or killed with any type of firearm, you know." Kaoru opened the window blinds before she turned her attention to the flowers placed nearby. She sniffed one and removed it from the vase to hold it close to her face. "I also told the doctors that my parents were currently away on vacation, just so that they wouldn't try to call my house to inform my mom."

And then there was a knock on the door. Kenshin turned to the direction of the sound and walked towards it, saying, "Oh that must be Sayo. I called her earlier about what happened to her step-brother. His father and step-mother were out of town, you see. And I don't know anyone else with a close relation to Aoshi, so I called her."

"Sayo? As in Sayo Muto, the school soprano? Step-brother?" Kaoru stepped forward with confusion. "Aoshi is Sayo's step-brother?"

Kenshin nodded in affirmation as he opened the door. And he was right because it was indeed Sayo on the other side of the door, a worried expression on her lovely, angelic face. The newcomer quickly rushed to Aoshi's side and all Kaoru could do was gape when Sayo kissed him on the forehead and held his limp hand close to her chest.

She felt Kenshin's arm around her shoulder as he whispered, "Maybe we should leave them alone for now…"

Kaoru nodded absent-mindedly as she let Kenshin assist her outside. All the time as they walked away, Kaoru couldn't help but wonder where Sayo fits in Aoshi's life… And how many more surprises were there left about him that she was yet to discover.

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"Will you tell me again why we have to leave them alone?"

Kenshin handed a Styrofoam cup filled with hot chocolate from the vending machine to Kaoru. He took the orange seat next to her and proceeded to drink the beer he got from another vending machine. Around them, nurses and doctors were busily walking about, looking at their clipboards and pushing stretchers towards different directions. The air smelled vaguely of anti-septic and medicine; and the lingering scent was making Kaoru ill. She must remember never to put a medicinal course as her choice when she applies for a university.

A rather buxom nurse passed by and winked flirtatiously at Kenshin. He smirked and Kaoru scowled. His eyes followed the sexy nurse until she disappeared behind the double doors of the emergency room.

"Maybe I should consider becoming a doctor, hmmm?" he thought out loud.

She rolled her eyes at him, strangely annoyed, "Don't ask for miracles."

"Jealous?" he teased. That earned him a sarcastic smile before she turned her back on the arrogant redhead.

A total of ten minutes have passed since they left and Kaoru was eager to get back into the ward's room to be with Aoshi. So when Kenshin didn't answer her earlier question, she stood up and placed her untouched cup of chocolate on top of a nearby chair as she moved to go back to the room. But she hadn't even taken two steps when Kenshin's words stopped her.

"I think Aoshi would appreciate it more if they were left alone."

She turned to him and cocked her head questioningly. At this, Kenshin got up on his feet and threw the empty beer can on the nearest waste basket. Slowly, he walked up to her and assessed her face, testing the waters, before he decided to break it to her gently, "Aoshi is in love with Sayo."

Kaoru took a step back in shock. "What?"

"Sayo told us months ago that she wouldn't be finishing the school year here. She said that she'd be leaving for Europe anytime soon to realize her dream of becoming a world-class singer."

Kaoru was shaking her head in disbelief and confusion. "I, I, I don't get it!" she stammered. "What's Sayo Muto leaving the country have anything to do with you knowing for certain about Aoshi's feelings?"

Kenshin couldn't help but pity the poor girl in front of him. Her world was probably shaken to its very foundation when she found out that Aoshi was dealing with illegal drugs. And now her heart was crumbling in front of him as she was faced with another painful discovery.

He sighed; wishing he never had to tell her this. He had kept this information from her for so many days now, just to save her the unnecessary heartache. But now, he was forced to inform her about this because Kenshin realized that it was futile to keep it a secret for much longer anyway. So Kenshin had no other choice but to finally let the cat out of the bag.

"Sayo told Tomoe -and she, being my girlfriend, told me- that when Shinomori found out that Sayo would be leaving the country soon, Aoshi instantly proposed marriage to her…"

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I opened the door just a crack to peak in. And sure enough, I found Sayo sitting on the left side of Aoshi's bed as she parted his hair away from his face. I turned my eyes to Aoshi and saw that he was finally awake. But I felt my heart breaking when I saw something that I never thought he was capable of…

A smile. A full-fledge smile was etched on Aoshi's thin, pale lips. It was not just a shadow of a smile or a hint of a grin. Nor was it a smirk, much less a sneer. It was real… And what's more, it held all the sweetness and the love that someone like me could only hope in heaven to be bestowed upon by him.

The smile on his face made all the difference in the world. Aoshi's face, always rigid or expressionless, was now radiant and blissful. His eyes, once dark and stormy, exuded only love, tenderness and affection now. It was like seeing the REAL Aoshi Shinomori for the first time.

And it was all because of Sayo…

'I'm not interested with your mother because I'm already in love with someone else…'

Thinking I've seen enough, I quietly closed the door and turned to Kenshin. In a voice barely above a whisper, I asked him, "Does she love him too?"

Kenshin hesitated. He knew that a confirmatory answer would only crush me more. But finally, he shook his head and uttered a low, "No…"

I guess with that answer, I should be happy and that my hope should be renewed by this piece of information. But instead, the pain I felt only intensified upon hearing this sad reality. And it was probably due to the agonizing fact that, I for one, knew how terrible it was to have your love unrequited and unreturned. So instead of being happy, I suffered more for Aoshi's sake.

"Is it because they are…step-siblings? Is that the reason why she doesn't love him?"

"No," Kenshin shoved his hands inside his pocket and sighed. He looked weary and sympathetic as he told me, "Sayo is in love with Sanosuke Sagara, that's why… That's the sole reason why she said no to his step-brother's marriage proposal. That, and the fact that they were too young and that she only thinks of him as a brother probably contributed some of the reason for her rejection too."

I coughed with disbelief, "How can she choose that chauvinistic pig over Aoshi?"

"Kaoru, I think you yourself should know more than anyone else that love knows no how's or why's," Kenshin thought it wise to point that out.

I groaned out loud. Holding my head, I pleaded to Kenshin, "Please take me home. I don't think I can handle any more of these surprises."

Kenshin nodded and led me towards the hospital parking lot where his car was parked. And as soon as I was seated, I closed my eyes tightly shut and wished with all my heart that there was a way for me to completely forget about this day…

Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind, anyone? I mused dryly to myself.

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A/N: Wow! A chapter of purely AnK interaction. So the secret is finally out, eh? Aoshi fans please don't clobber me because everything will be explained in the succeeding chapters. Aoshi is not a drug user here btw, just in case someone gets confused. And he's not a bad guy here, trust me! There's a reason why he's dabbling with these things and the readers will be enlightened soon enough, I promise! Also for AnK lovers, be assured that Aoshi would still fall in love with Kaoru eventually, ok? Sayo's character is just for good conflict. (;P)

And KnK fans, don't worry because these two will have more moments in the succeeding chapters. Especially since Kaoru practically gave up on Aoshi now, with him being in love with someone else and all. I hope you hang around for the next chapters for their cute moments together.

Well I can't answer all the reviewer queries for now. But do please tell me what you think about this chapter and about this plan I have in mind. You see, all the suggestions given to me by the reviewers for the play that I will use in this story are all bloody good. But I can only choose one among these suggestions. But then, another reader suggested something unique. So please let me know what you think. Should I:

Use the play suggested 'Phantom of the Opera'? (thanks to BelleDayNight for the idea)

or

Create my own play? (thanks to Reignashii for this one)

I hope everyone gives me their feedback. Thanks to everyone who will give me their two cents worth about this one. So I guess that's all for now folks. 'Till next time, ciao, ciao!

P.S. I know I'm not supposed to…but I just have to respond to princess-oro here. Her review got me laughing and chuckling. (;P)

My answer: No, Aoshi doesn't have a pierced forehead. Pierced eyebrow, yes (Gawd! I love those on guys, looks hot on them!). Kenshin only said that because he was being inaccurate on purpose, just to irritate Kaoru. And to your other question, yes I like Sayo in the anime. But I don't like her with Aoshi of course. I like her more with Sanosuke. But I like Sano/Megumi pairings more than Sano/Sayo. I'm such a weirdo…(sweat drops)

P.S.S. The male villain in the story (Megumi being the female villainess here, obviously) will be revealed next chapter. Can anyone guess who? I'll give you guys a hint: he already appeared in this fic some chapters ago and was completely horrible. Can you guess now who he is?

P.S.S.S. Enishi will become more visible now in the next chapters. He will make the Kenshin/Kaoru/Aoshi dilemma so much more interesting, you'll see. (:D)

P.S.S.S.S. For IceAngelKaoru, I'm not going into detail about Kaoru's past with her dad. It will only be suggested every now and then, but don't expect a full retelling of her childhood memories anytime soon. Oh and Kenshin's parents died long ago and he's living with his eccentric uncle, Hiko.

P.S.S.S.S.S. Ate Gen, sa friendster ko na lang ire-reply yung suggestions and comments mo. Mahaba-haba kasi ang explanation and I'm kinda in a rush na.