A/N: I've been writing frantically with this fanfiction and hope to have many more chapters up for you guys to read. For those of you who have already read The Battousai's Princess, I have to say that this fanfiction is going to be longer than that one! Hard to believe? Well, I plan for this fic to have 60,000+ words. So for all of you who are enjoying this, you're in luck! Enjoy this chapter!

Previously on Reaching True Feelings: Youko was hoping that he could keep himself under control while he hung out with Kaoru. C'mon Youko, snap out of it. It's just Kaoru…yeah you know, Kaoru. The girl who hates your guts and the one who thinks that she's always better than you. That thought had managed to calm him down some. Even though she did look good on the outside, he knew who she was on the inside and that made him go back to normal as they walked side by side.

They were already in the pool, Kaoru relaxed as can be. She stayed in the deep end, for not many people were there and she was an exceptional swimmer. Youko would often splash her, which would irritate her up to the point where she would want to scream bloody murder. She just started treading water and shut her eyes, letting everything soak in. She loved the fact that more than half of her body was submerged under the crisp water and to this, she let out a moan of satisfaction. "Hey," Youko's voice suddenly erupted from silence. He splashed her to get her attention.

Kaoru gurgled as the water went in her mouth and eyes. Wanting to avoid being splashed again, she dunked her head underwater, only to be brought up again by Youko. "What do you want? First you're commenting my swimsuit, and now you're bugging the hell out of me! Just tell me what you want!" Kaoru said as she swam backwards, away from Youko.

"How many people can you find in this pool that you know?"

"What a stupid question! There must be at least twenty people in here!"

"Well, I see Himura!" Youko said as he pointed past Kaoru. "C'mon let's go say hi. He looks bored and Kami knows I am. Because you're just sitting there doing nothing! You're not even splashing me back!"

Kaoru didn't want to go over there, she didn't want Kenshin to see her in a rather skimpy swimsuit because she would feel really uncomfortable. But little did she know that Kenshin had already seen her that way and truthfully, he liked it a whole lot. "Maybe he wants to be left alone. You know that they all have to deal with so many students and I doubt that they get time to themselves. So maybe this is his way of calming down." Youko arched an eyebrow and blinked.

"Hey Mr. Himura!" Youko called, not bothering to listen to Kaoru's comment. Kenshin looked over and saw Youko waving and without much ado, he swam over there. He saw Kaoru less than fifteen feet away from him and he swallowed hard. He didn't want to violate her anymore than he already had but what if he really couldn't help himself? Kaoru watched him come and sank below the water, trying to conceal her outfit from his eyes. Her attempt was in vain, however. Youko pulled her hair upward, causing her to resurface and take a deep breath. By the time she opened her eyes, Kenshin was already near them and she smiled nervously. "So, what have you been doing?" Youko said.

"I've stayed in here for awhile. It's probably the best place to be right now because it's so hot out." Kenshin used his peripheral vision and that's when he noticed that Kaoru was fidgeting underwater. "Have you two been on any of the roller coasters yet?" Youko snickered.

"Yeah the one with the longest line. But…keep it under your hat that we cut the line." Kenshin laughed.

"So how was it?"

"It was the best! Right Kaoru?" Youko said suddenly, as if he actually knew that Kaoru had a huge crush on Kenshin. But of course, he did not.

"Yeah," she answered. "I wish that the line wasn't so long. I would have gone on it a few more times at least." Kenshin looked into her rich colored eyes and wanted her to continue, even if she really didn't have anything to talk about. He loved how feminine her voice was and he didn't want her to stop. And he really couldn't help but let his eyes trail down to the water's surface. "Are you going to go on any of them, Mr. Himura?"

"Hmm? Oh, probably not. I like it in the pool a lot, that I do. Besides, I don't think that I could take it if I had to wait an hour on line in this weather." Kaoru nodded and swam to the edge of the pool where she put her hand on the wall, she was getting a little tired of treading water all that time. She looked up, not wanting to actually believe that Kenshin was at her side at that exact moment! She still remembered the way that she forced herself off of Kenshin because of Tomoe.

"I wanted to talk with you about something." Kenshin shut his door and Kaoru gulped. "This morning, I was in my classroom talking with Tomoe, and she told me that you were beside my window." Kaoru's face felt hot, she wanted to run out of the room but that would only make Kenshin more suspicious. "I didn't think that you would be there but when I went to check, I saw you running away." Oh great! He had to see me didn't he? Kaoru's mind and heart were racing but surely, Kenshin couldn't peek into her private thoughts…or could he? "Kaoru…I am very concerned."

"About what?"

"Well, you are very jumpy a lot of the time in this class and it worries me. Is everything all right at home?" Kaoru nodded without the slightest bit of hesitation. "You are unusually pale most of the time and you barely speak. Kaoru, I am really very concerned about you." Kaoru took a few steps back and she felt hot and lightheaded.

"Really…Mr. Himura, I'm fine. You know it's probably just the weather that's making me feel this way. We've had this heat wave and…" Kenshin couldn't hear the rest of what she was trying to say. He felt hot himself just looking into her eyes but he quickly snapped out of it.

"Let me see if you are burning up. Because if you have a fever, it won't be good at all." Kenshin came closer and before she could object, his hand was pressed against her forehead. And she was very uneasy about the fact that his other hand was rested comfortably against her back. She's too warm. I have a feeling that she's overworking herself in some way. "Kaoru, you're burning." Kenshin knew how she was feeling now but he still didn't release her. Her eyes widened as she felt his strong heartbeat pound within him. He was nervous as well. He had never seen such beauty before and he didn't know what to do next.

Kaoru shook her head violently and stepped back. "No you cannot do this to Tomoe! I won't allow you to!" Kenshin froze and his round eyes widened. "You told me yourself that you were seeing someone! So that means that you cannot touch anyone other than Tomoe," Kaoru said, her voice died down to a croak. "Even something as innocent as checking for a fever." Kenshin looked at her and knew that she was absolutely right. "Well, I have to go. I can't afford to miss this class."

"At least let me write you a pass."

"No, no you don't have to." Kaoru looked at him one last time and ran out of the door, leaving a stunned Kenshin behind. As Kaoru ran, she felt tears spilling all over her. She wanted Kenshin to hold her. She really wanted that. But she couldn't be someone who interferes with a couple.

Her eyes closed slowly and she felt another tear rolling down her cheek. Surely if Youko or Kenshin saw her in that state, they would question her. She let go of the wall and submerged her face, letting all of her tears wash away. Kenshin watched her as she went underwater, she looked like an angel according to him. Her hair flowed along the liquidated surface and imitated calm rivers. She resurfaced fast, her tears completely vanished without a trace and she looked at Youko and Kenshin and smiled. "Kaoru, is there something the matter?" Kenshin spoke softly to her.

"No. I'm fine." She said as she eyed his physique. With that figure of his, she was surprised that he would sit behind a desk all day and grade papers. "It's hot out…even when you're in the water." She said as she fanned herself, trying to take her mind off of that lingering inappropriate thought. Youko raised an eyebrow and put on a skeptical face. "Um…I think that if I stay in here much longer, I'll turn into a prune," Kaoru said cheerfully. "Excuse me," was her final statement as she climbed the ladder to exit the pool area. Kenshin watched the little water droplets make their way down her legs and shivered.

"I'd better go follow her, since I've got the key to the locker. Bye Mr. Himura!" Kenshin waved back and watched both of them walk away.

"Hey Kaoru, wait up!" She paused and looked back at Youko who ran to catch up with her. "What was all that about? It was like you didn't want Mr. Himura to come over and hang out. What's going on?" Youko said with a hint of curiosity in his voice. Oh, and if only he knew how much Kaoru wanted him to stay but the fact was that she was really uncomfortable around him wearing a bikini. Kaoru said nothing and continued to walk to the lockers. "Will you at least answer me? Giving me the silent treatment won't do you any good."

"I said it before, Youko," Kaoru said calmly, "clearly, I would prune up if I stayed in the water for much longer. Besides, that was supposed to be a quick and refreshing dip. Not an all day swim, right?" She said as she put on a mask that concealed her true feelings. Youko shrugged and pulled out the key so he could take out Kaoru's bag. "And anyway, I think that I should just spend some time alone."

"Yeah? You sure?" Kaoru nodded. "Well fine. I'll meet you down over by the snack bar later. Sano's probably still there stuffing his face." They both laughed. "Here." He said as he handed her the small knapsack that she carried around with her. "I'll see you later." He said as Kaoru walked over to the dressing room to change out of her wet swimsuit.

It was true that she hadn't planned on lazing around the park all day but it was something that she seldom did and she enjoyed roaming around freely. It made her feel as if she had control of her own life…instead of being forced to wake up at six o' clock every morning. She walked quietly, past the mobs of people and oftentimes, looked up at the pale blue sky, smiling all the while. So far, her day was very enjoyable and she liked walking around, admiring the amusement park scenery. And lunch hadn't even begun yet and that was going to be the highlight of her day!

There were cotton candy stands, kid rides, and so much more that made Kaoru grin. She had missed going to theme parks because she never really had the chance to go. Since her father had died a while ago…that left her alone with her mother. It wasn't the worst thing in the world, it was just that she wished that she could have both parents back so that she could enjoy her life more. Kaoru walked more of the way and looked up. Suddenly, she eyed a great big ferris wheel and squealed in excitement. It wasn't a fast ride and it wasn't suspenseful either but she enjoyed it. It was one of the types where you went on it to get a little relief, possibly from heat or exhaustion. And since Kaoru had been walking around by herself for a while, she decided to head over in that direction. There was a long line ahead of her and she wished that she could just cut the line like the way she did with the roller coaster but alas, there were too many witnesses around.

And suddenly she noticed that she was in the line that read 'partners.' Kaoru smiled as she knew that she wanted to ride alone to collect her thoughts and saw that there was a faster line that stated 'random.' She guessed that they would pair you up with someone that you didn't know. It beat waiting on line for a while and so Kaoru ducked under the bar that separated the two lines and ran ahead to the other line. She waited in anxiousness because her feet really hurt and she wanted to get an overview of the entire area. Some people feared going on ferris wheels because of the height issue; but Kaoru wasn't afraid of heights at all. In fact, she liked looking down and watching things from above…she liked seeing people resemble little ants.

"Next." The man who ran the ride called out. Kaoru suddenly jumped and ran over to the bucket. She sank down in that seat and moaned in satisfaction. And suddenly, the man's voice boomed, making Kaoru jump in surprise. "All right! Which one of you people are going to ride with this young lady?" A lot of people stared at her and to this, she blushed a little. No one answered the man that ran the ride. "I won't start this ride until she is paired up with someone. She isn't contagious! It's not a formal ball, people!" Now Kaoru was really embarrassed…no one would even sit with her. Was she that unwanted?

Apparently not…someone finally sat down beside her and Kaoru looked at the person who sat with her out of the corners of her eyes. She gasped as she recognized who it was…it was Kenshin. "Well now that wasn't very nice of some people who didn't want to sit with you, that it wasn't." Kenshin said softly. The ride kicked in and the bucket swayed back and forth. Kaoru kept her eyes to herself and folded her hands together. Kenshin could see that she was very nervous. "I wanted to talk to you about something important, Kaoru. But I don't think that I could have if Youko was there." Kaoru looked up at him and was suddenly transfixed on his beautiful eyes. "It's about the way that I touched you during school hours…a week ago."

"Oh, Mr. Himura…please forget about that."

"I can't. I hurt you in some way, I can tell."

"No, you did not. I promise you that. Please, can we forget about that? I really don't think that it would be right to talk about they way that it happened. It's all in the past and it wouldn't be right because you're seeing Tomoe. I don't want to feel like I'm dishonoring you or her in anyway." Kenshin looked away and cleared his throat. "What's…wrong? Did I say something wrong?"

"Um, Kaoru…Tomoe and I aren't seeing each other. Right after you left that day, I got a call from Tomoe and she told me that her mother died." Kaoru gasped. "She said that we couldn't see anymore because it would be too much for her to bear. Apparently her mother was very dear to her and it would just complicate things if she had to worry about a relationship as well."

"I'm so sorry," Kaoru said.

"It's alright. I said to her that I would support her and I told her that maybe we would stay good friends." Kaoru nodded. "So I needed to tell you that I was so sorry for moving in on you in that manner." Kaoru shielded her eyes from him and blushed. He doesn't have to be sorry. I wanted him to do that. And now that that woman is not with him anymore, I don't have to feel bad about him being taken. Now I want him to do that to me…I want him to touch me because now, I won't stop him. Whoa, Kaoru, you're a bit perverted. Just enjoy the time with him now. The bucket went around for the second time and to this, Kaoru beamed. She didn't really feel so uncomfortable around him anymore. "How many times do you suppose that this will go around?"

"I'm not sure." Kaoru said as she looked into him.

Silence overcame the two and they just stared deeply into each other. Kaoru wondered if something would happen but Kenshin swallowed hard and continued to stare at her. She wanted him to kiss her, touch her, anything that would involve contact. Her crush was slowly turning into something different and so she felt that she had to express what she felt for him…and soon. Kaoru's dream was slowly drifting away as the bucket slowed down and came to a gradual halt. "Thank you so much for riding with me, Mr. Himura."

"You're welcome. And I think that we're all supposed to meet in the cafeteria right now for a big lunch. So, I guess I'll see you there, Kaoru. I'll be looking forward to that." Kaoru's eyes widened and she suddenly felt her heart thump in her chest. Never before had she felt so loved and uncomfortable at the same time. But she simply nodded and looked at him one last time before she hopped off the bucket and ran down the path that would soon lead her to the big cafeteria where she would stuff her face with all sorts of goods!

A/N: Hee! I hope you enjoyed it! Review for me pweese? (Puts on puppy dog eyes).

Son Christine