Review replies: just making this clear, i will only reply to ones that have questions or if i feel tht i'm giving the wrong idea. so don't kill me.

LORD-BIG-DOGGIE: Kenshin in this is more battousai than the rurouni we all know. and tomoe... ya i have no excuse, i wanted to be a tomoe v.s evil megumi but i do like KxK more.

Firalyn Tiatra: i meant VIP tables. and uh, well kenshin bumped into her on purpose, u'll find out why and other details in this chapter.

Anonymous but very interest... : so far i have no decide on what will happen to Tomoe. and my new year wish was that i would get less assignments so i'l have more time to update my story. ;;

Karmen : Kenshin's going to find out... now... just read on and he's gonna have a fit.

cherryblossom3: well lets say she's going to be innocent after this.

kkfan : i was thinking that, but letting kenshin see it would spoil the suspense so instead it's going to be inferred. ah i dunno what i'm saying, just read and i think it'll be explained. a day of school is what happens to me, thank god i wrote this yesterday

antica: evil ideas? lol from where else? ME! so don't u mess with me, or i'll turn those ideas on u. . hehe jk

animegurl23 : she'll do anything to get kaoru in trouble... these evil actions are nothing compared to what i plan on next. they just get worse and worse.. hehe they'll get bad to the point of being a criminal

royal blueKitsune: sorry i only reply to questions, but i'll try to keep in mind to reply to u if it makes u happy.

A/N(Important) those who do want to know the main pairing i will personaly reply to ur review if u leave a email address and ask for the pairing, because this will ruin the suspense at the end... so i don't want to post it in public. if u don't request for pairing i don't plan to put it up in my chapters. also i will be busy lately, so unless i get some weird extraordinary amount of request to update, i will see you all hopefully in two weeks. sorry.

Chapter Ten:
The Beginning

The music ceased immediately and people turned to look at us.

"Why did you do it, Kaoru?" says Tomoe, feigning shock and sadness.

"I didn't! Honest! I wasn't even near her!" I say, turning to look at everyone.

"Why must you always do something to make me look bad, so that I won't upstage you?"

"I didn't do it! You and I both know what happened. You deliberately spilled the wine on yourself! Stop putting the blame on me!"

She shot me a pitiful gaze. "Kaoru, stop trying to lie your way out of this and embarrass yourself any further. Nobody is going to believe you. Why would I deliberately pour a glass of red wine over a thousand dollar dress?"

Murmurs were heard from the people around us and I closed my eyes in utter disbelief. I knew that no matter what I say or do, nobody is going to believe me. I mean, what she said is pretty true. Who would throw a thousand dollars into the drain just like that? I know I wouldn't. When I opened my eyes again, I could see Aoshi, Akira and Soujiro pushing their way towards the front of the crowd. Kenshin was already standing next to Tomoe, gently wiping away her tears. I couldn't even bring myself to look up at him. Just then, Sano spoke up from behind me.

"I can vouch that she didn't do it."

By now, the guys had already reached my side and Aoshi put a protective arm around me. As I looked at the sea of faces around us, I saw Aoshi's icy eyes glaring at Kenshin and Tomoe, Akira's eyes were shinning with confusion and Soujiro's warm brown eyes looking into my own pool of blue. I suddenly feel so tired. I had no more energy left in me to go through an ordeal like this. I put my hand on Sano's arm to stop him from saying anything more.

"Don't, Sano. I know you mean well, but it's no use. The damage has already been done." Then I turned to the guys and said in a very small voice. "Let's just go home."

Aoshi guided me out of the ballroom with Akira and Soujiro in tow. Sano threw Tomoe one last glare as he walked me out. I wasn't in the mood to talk, and I was glad that Aoshi didn't ask me anything. He gave my hand a gentle squeeze, telling me without words that he believed me and that everything was going to be all right.

Once at home, I took off my shoes and headed upstairs to my room, without saying anything. I turned on the shower and hopped into the bathtub, washing away all the make-up and hair gel that Shishio and his crew had applied onto my face and hair. After I was done, I toweled myself and changed into a pair of comfortable sweats and a t-shirt, before plopping myself down on my bed. Up until now, I was surprised that I had managed to keep my tears from falling. I closed my eyes for while, and just lay there, silently. I could hear the guys' worried voices next door, no doubt, talking about me. I ran my fingers through my wet hair, then hopped off the bed and made my way to Aoshi's room, where they were all huddled.

"Hey," I say, going over to sit cross-legged next to Aoshi on his huge bed. There was an uncertain silence before Soujiro spoke up.

"You alright, Kao?" he asked, looking at my face.

"I would be lying if I said I am."

"If it makes you feel any better, we know you didn't do it. You're just not capable of doing something mean like that. I'm sure most of the guests over there thought the same thing too," says Akira, giving me a small smile.

I gave him a feeble smile in return. "Thanks guys. That means a lot to me." I drew in a shaky breath that immediately, helplessly, tuned into a sob. Suddenly, tears were streaming down my face.

"Kaoru?" asked Aoshi in alarm, it was so rare to see his sister cry in front of anyone.

"It's nothing. Don't worry. I just do—" I trailed off as a fresh flood of tears came.

"Shhhhh. It's all right. Stop crying, okay?" says Akira, wiping away my tears.

"Yeah. If you don't stop you'll get wrinkles and look like a granny faster," says Akira, squeezing my hand.

"Come on, Kao. Don't cry. You'll make me want to cry too," says Soujiro, with sad puppy eyes. I giggled through my tears at his comical expression.

"Yesss! She laughed! Did you guys see that? I made her laugh! Me. Seta Soujiro," he said punching his fist into the air.

"So, does this mean you're feeling better?" asks Aoshi, smiling at me.

"Yes, I'll be fine," I say, smiling at all of them. It may be a lie, but it was a lie that we all needed to hear at the moment, I'll have to be strong, if not for myself, then for them.

Back in the ballroom, the crowd began to disperse leaving Sano facing Kenshin and Tomoe.

"I'll just go and clean myself up a little, then we can leave," Tomoe said sweetly to Kenshin.

At her words, Kenshin just nodded his head. The moment she turned her back on them, Sano took a few steps forward until he was directly in front of Kenshin, his dark eyes boring into Kenshin's golden ones.

"You know that Kaoru didn't do it."

Kenshin shifted uneasily, not knowing what to say or do. He couldn't be sure, but it looked to him like Tomoe had spilled the wine on herself. The thought had crossed his mind several times. Why? Because Kaoru's glass was still filled whereas Tomoe's glass was almost empty. But Tomoe couldn't be that cruel, could she?

"No matter what Tomoe has said to you, deep down, you know that Kaoru didn't do it."

His eyes hardened. "How would you know?"

"In all the years that I have known her, from high school up to now, I am certain that she is not the kind of

person who would inflict hurt on other people. Her soft heart is just not capable of such things. I'm surprised at you Kenshin. I expected you to know better."

"And why would I know about these things?" he snapped.

"Because you like her."

Kenshin laughed mirthlessly while Sano just looked at him in amusement. "I don't know what you're talking about, Sano."

"You can deny it. In fact, you can deny it forever if you want. But you and I both know the truth. If you didn't like her, you wouldn't keep glancing at her out of the corners of your eyes, thinking that none of us would notice. You wouldn't clench your fists so hard seeing her talking and laughing with another guy. You wouldn't deliberately bump into her while she is dancing with someone else. Do I have to say more?" asks Sano, raising his eyebrows. (GO SANO, WHOOP SOME SENSE INTO KENSHIN)

"Why are you keeping tabs on me?" Kenshin asks quietly, then narrows his eyes. "You're not interested in her, are you?"

"That's solely for me to know. Right now, I just want to tell you something. All you have to do is just to listen, and listen well. You are not the only one, nor the first person to have feelings for Kaoru. There are many eligible guys out there who have shown her just how they feel about her. If you're going to keep up that attitude of yours, I believe you're going to lose in the competition."

"Why are you telling me all this?"

"Because I know that you've had feelings for her ever since we were in high school."

Kenshin was silent for a moment. "It must have been pretty obvious, huh?"

"Not really. Let's just say I notice things that other people don't. By the way, I know what happened between Kaoru and Tomoe in the office and how you handled the whole situation. If you want to find out what really happened, check the security cameras. I'm sure a corporation as big and successful as yours would have installed them everywhere. Funny how you haven't thought of that before. One more last thing, if I ever hear anything about you hurting Kaoru in any way, you can be sure I won't give you any more chances. I've given you enough to prove yourself to her. A sweet girl like her doesn't deserve someone who can't treat her well." With that, he turned on his heel and made his way through the crowd, leaving Kenshin to stare after him.

"Kenshin, we can leave now," says Tomoe, coming to stand by his side, linking arms with him. Kenshin turned to look at her, his eyes scanning her face.

"Sure."

When he reached her house, he cut off the car engine, then closed his eyes and leaned against the headrest while Tomoe fidgeted with the hem of her dress. Neither of them spoke for a moment.

"Tomoe, did you pour the glass of wine on yourself, to deliberately frame Kaoru for it?" asks Kenshin, his voice icy, as he turned his head to look at her profile.

"Why would I want to do something as low down as that, Kenshi? This dress doesn't come cheap you know. I don't know what Sanosuske had said to you while I was gone, but whatever it is, I didn't do it."

"Then why was Kaoru's glass still full while yours was almost empty? If she had poured the wine on you, won't her glass be the one that's empty instead of yours?"

Tomoe looked out of the car window, desperately trying to think of a logical explanation. "I—I honestly don't know what you're talking about, Kenshin."

"Don't lie to me, Tomoe. You know perfectly well what I'm talking about. Didn't you think that other people would have noticed that little point? Didn't you think that they, too, would have found it weird?"

"Are you trying to say that I did it, Kenshin? Are you accusing me of doing it?" she asks, turning in her seat to face him, her eyes slanted into slits.

"Yes." A stern one, a word that shattered her mask.

She was a little taken aback by his answer. His face was stretched taut and his voice was so cold that she shivered a little. Not wanting to be under his accusing stare any longer, she opened the door and stepped out into the chilly night.

"Fine. If you don't believe me, I can't do anything about it." She slammed the door as hard as she could, then walked across the gravel to her house, stumbling a little in her heels.

Kenshin sat in the car, looking at her retreating back in silence. Then, knowing that she had safely entered the confines of her own home, he sped off, heading towards Hiten Mitsurugi Corporations.

"Get me all the tapes which were recorded from the Marketing Department on Tuesday," says Kenshin to the security guard, who was working on overnight shift.

"Yes, sir."

When he had gotten all the tapes that he had asked for, he went back to his own office located on the 30th floor. He poured himself a glass of vodka, popped a tape into his VCR and settled himself comfortably in his chair.

After a few hours of numerous fast forwards, his eyes suddenly widened at what he saw on the television screen. He leaned forward in his chair, while he pressed the button to slow down the video. He rewound the tape and watched the same scene for three times, just to be sure. Then, after ejecting the tape, he leaned back and rubbed his face.

I groaned as the incessant ringing of my cell phone woke me up from my slumber. Drowsily reaching for my phone,I flipped it open and mumbled a hello.

"Haalloow?" in between a yarn.

"Good morning. May I speak to Kamiya Kaoru, please?" said a smooth voice on the other end of the line which I did not recognize at all.

I jerked my head up almost immediately and checked the number on the screen only to find that it was an unfamiliar number.

"This is Kamiya Kaoru speaking. May I know who's on the line?" I asked, fully awake now.

"Himura Kenshin."

"Oh," I muttered, a little deflated. "What do you want?" the voice so cold that I didn't even recognize.

There was an uncertain pause before he spoke. "Meet me in my office at 8.30 later in the morning. This is regarding the incident that occurred on Tuesday."

"Sure."

"Alright then. I'll see you later."

"Right."

I flipped my phone shut after he had hung up, wondering how he had managed to catch hold of my number. I glanced over at the clock on my table and groaned. Forty-five minutes till 8.30. I laid back down onto my pillow and burrowed deeper under the warm comforters, my eyes closing. Just five more minutes, I thought to myself, slipping into slumber once again.

"Kao, wake up."

I stirred a little, and opened my eyes slowly.

"Morning, sleepyhead," says Aoshi, kissing me on the forehead.

"What time is it?" I ask, yawning.

"8.15."

I rubbed my eyes, then got out of bed and headed towards the bathroom. While I was halfway through brushing my teeth, my eyes suddenly widened and my toothbrush fell with a clatter into the sink.

"What time did you say it was again, Aoshi-sama?" I yell, running to my wardrobe and randomly pulling out clothes.

"Now it's 8.20. Why in such a rush?"

"MOU! I've got a meeting at 8.30 in the morning!" I replied, my voice a little muffled as I changed in the bathroom.

"And you only wake up now? Aish!" says Aoshi, packing my things into my bag.

As I put on my coat and scarf, he helped me brush my hair and pinned a pair of crystal-studded hairclips onto it. I greeted Akira and Soujiro as I dashed down the stairs, hurriedly put on my shoes and kissed Aoshi on the cheek before I ran towards my car and sped off, not bothering to eat my breakfast.

It was already 9 o'clock by the time I reached the building and I made a mad dash for the elevators. Once inside, I doubled over, clutching my hips, trying to catch my breath back. When the doors opened on the 30th floor, I made a beeline for Yumi's desk.

"Himura-san wanted to see me at 8.30," I say, panting a little.

"Oh yes, Kamiya-dono. Please have a seat. He'll be seeing you in a while."

I crashed onto one of the chairs nearby, glad that I could finally rest.

In Himura's office.

"Tomoe do you know why I called you here this morning?" he asked while his head was still looking down at some files, his bangs covering his eyes.

"Take me out to lunch?" She replied innocently.

"Your watch, you do remember what happened on Tuesday, right?" His voice stern, with no room for objection.

"Why are you bringing that up?" Tomoe's voice wavering as it increased several notches.

He slowly raised his head, showing Tomoe what he's been hiding. Even she couldn't look him in the eyes after seeing what was there, fierce anger, dangerously cold. It wasn't his normal eye color, not the ones that were trotting in the middle of purple and golden, mixed with emotion, but rather a pure gold. Never has she seen something so beautiful… and so terrifying.

"Why did you lie to me? even more why did you frame Kaoru?" His voice was dangerously low as he walked closer to her with her back up until her back was to the wall.

"You have no proof, why do you blame me? WHY DO YOU ALWAYS TAKE THAT GIRL, KAORU'S SIDE?"

He threw back his head and laughed, a laugh that sent chills down everyone who heard it.

"You're pathetic, you want proof? Take this."

Kenshin grabbed the tape on top of the TV and slammed it down on the desk in front of Tomoe with such force that she even jumped. He lifted his hand as he was about to strike the woman who has her head bowed whispering out a confession.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to go this far, but… I love you, I really do. I'm just jealous, I'm sorry. You made me fall in love with you and without you I have nothing left." Her words, for once held sincerity.

So much truth enough to melt Kenshin's anger. He looked at his hand wondering what he was about to do, he almost made the same mistake in high school. He almost lost control. With no more words to come to mind he couldn't face Tomoe like this anymore. Understanding part of her troubles he decided to forgive Tomoe, just this time, this last time.

(Kenshin is Kenshin after all, he has his soft side with women, though now he feels kind of disgusted with Tomoe's jealousy)

"Do not do something like this again. You are dismissed." Kenshin said still looking at his hand, the same one that struck Kaoru five years ago.

Tomoe turned around to start walking out of his large office as he picked up the phone to call for Yumi to send for Kaoru.

While out side waiting I ran my fingers self consciously through my wind blown hair, in an attempt to straighten them. Thinking about what happened the last time we were in Tomoe's office made me blush a little. Just then, Yumi came up to me, breaking into my daydreams.

"Himura would like to see you now."

I gave her a smile and thanked her, then made my way through the now familiar hallway that led to his room. I had only walked a few paces when I saw Tomoe exit from his room. The moment she turned away from the door, she stopped short and glared at me. We stared at each other silently, our eyes slanted and our arms folded across our chest. Then, she broke off the gaze and walked past me, her shoulders brushing hard against mine, making me stumble backwards a little.

I rapped sharply on the door, then waited patiently, one shoulder propped up against the doorframe. After a lot of shuffling around from inside the room, I heard him call out, "Come in." I pushed open the heavy wooden door and stepped in, my shoes sinking a little into the thick, plush carpet. I bowed slightly when I reached the front of his table.

"You wanted to see me?" I asked in a small voice, my gaze fixed on his tabletop.

"Yes. Please have a seat."

I sat down stiffly opposite him and twisted my fingers together. After a long uncomfortable silence, I decided to speak first.

"So…"

"There…" he said at the same time.

I gave him a small smile. "You go first. Mine isn't of any importance."

He cleared his throat before starting. "We've managed to find the culprit who took Tomoe's watch."

"Oh," I say, not in the least bit surprised. "That's great."

He looked at me strangely. "Don't you want to know who it is?"

I shook my head slightly. "There's no need for that. I think I already know who did it."

"Right. I believe you do."

We lapsed into another uncomfortable silence.

"Anyway," he began, "I wanted to apologize to you. For not believing that you didn't do it."

"It's no biggie. Don't worry," I say, smiling at him.

"So, if there isn't anything else, you may go back to work now."

"Okay. Thanks," I say getting out of my seat.

"Oh, by the way, how come you were at the Kiyosato's dinner party on Friday?"

I froze at his words. "Oh…um…" I say, racking my brains for an explanation. "You see, Soujiro got an invitation and he asked me to accompany him."

"Really? Where is he working now?"

"The Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu Corporations," I answered proudly.

"What about Sagara Sanosuske?"

"Sano? I didn't know you spoke with him. He'll be taking over Sagara Corporations pretty soon."

"Oh. Right. You may leave now. Thanks."

"Wait. You know that incident that happened on that night? The one where I supposedly spilled wine over Tomoe's dress? I didn't do it. She deliberately spilled it over her own dress."

His face hardened almost immediately. "Let's not talk about that. And please do not tell anybody who had taken the watch. It might tarnish her reputation and she will be stripped of all respect."

"She should have thought of the consequences before doing it," I retorted icily, slamming the door to his room.

A/N: YAY KAORU'S NAME IS CLEARED. For those who would like to see Aoshi and Misao get together, I'm sorry but I don't have that planned, but I will try my best to make them meet and get together because this story is so based on Kenshin/Kaoru/Tomoe.

Next chappie: Tomoe just doesn't learn, she does something that ultimately break Kaoru. No matter how forgiving or how strong someone is, they all have a breaking point, and Kaoru's is coming up when Tomoe lashes out her anger. (this is not one of her hatred plan, just pure anger) Big Drama coming up.