Disclaimer: (I say this all the time.) Rurouni Kenshin isn't mine, and will never be mine. All I have is this little fanfic which I'm hoping to finish soon.

To everyone who has been following this fic, sorry for the long updates. I'm warning you that the next update might really take a while. I'm starting my internship this month and I'll be away in the hospital 100+ hours a week... but I'll still continue this, when I have the time. I'll find time.

So... on to the next chapter!

Kaoru stood before a skeptical-looking Okina, who was sizing her up. "Kaoru-san, are you sure you're ready to go back to work?" he asked her, doubt lining every inch of his question.

Kaoru mentally rolled her eyes. "Of course, Okina-san! It's been two days since I got sick. Waiting on tables is not so hard. Besides, Sae-san really needs help. Her restaurant is always full!"

Okina sighed, knowing that Kaoru was as stubborn as Misao. "Fine. Try not to stay out too late, though."

"You sound like a father," Kaoru said, giggling. "I only work overtime on Fridays. See you later, Okina-san. Ja ne!" She tossed him a wave over her shoulder as she walked through the gate of the Aoiya. It was hard to keep up a high spirit in front of Okina, especially when she was bursting with desire to ask him if he had any news on Aoshi. She was still too shy to ask him outright.

Aoshi had not returned to the Aoiya yet, and Kaoru was getting worried. It was the same gnawing feeling she got whenever Kenshin was away chasing after villains. What made it worse, though, was that she didn't exactly know why Aoshi had left. She tried not to think about it, reassuring herself that he had been called away on another case and did not have any time to tell any of them. However, in the back of her mind, she couldn't help thinking if it was still because of her.

"This is healthy, Kaoru, drive yourself crazy with your thoughts and you'll be as depressed as Misao-chan was, that is true," she muttered, belatedly noticing the weird look cast her way by one of the passersby. "See, that woman already thinks your crazy. Stop talking to yourself."

She pressed her lips tightly together to suppress a rueful smile, her innate cheerfulness breaking through her worries. She reached the Shirobeko in no time, and Sae welcomed her with open arms.

"Kaoru-san! Are you ready for another week? Thank goodness you're here, Mei came down with a fever last night and couldn't come today so we're one hand short."

"Not to worry, Sae-san," Kaoru said calmly. She was glad she had asked Aoshi not to tell anyone she had been attacked and gotten sick. The restaurant owner was already in a mild panic attack and it was only eight in the morning.

Kaoru donned her apron and fixed her hat into place. She remembered to wash her hands before handling the food, for Sae was adamant about keeping her restaurant clean. She proceeded to the dining area to wait on the customers, and waved to a couple of familiar faces, some of the Shirobeko's loyal regulars.

By the time lunch rolled around, Kaoru's feet felt a little sore from standing too long, and she was relieved to sit in the kitchen for a quick free lunch with one of her coworkers, Emi, who was ranting about the long hours they had to work.

"It is long," Kaoru agreed. "But Sae-san is a good boss, don't you think so?"

"Hai, she is," Emi conceded. "Besides, it's good pay. I just wish that we're not so shorthanded as today. My feet hurt already."

"Try putting them up for a while," Kaoru said, indicating a low bench at a corner in the kitchen. "It will surely help."

As Emi followed her advice and went to the corner, Kaoru finished her lunch. She was thankful that she wasn't sick anymore, for Sae would have even less hands working for her that day if she hadn't gotten well. After cleaning up her place, Kaoru waved to Emi, gesturing that she was returning to work. Emi waved at her while massaging her foot with her other hand.

As soon as the clock struck five that afternoon, Kaoru went to the wash area to clean herself up. "I'll be back on Wednesday, Sae-san, unless you need me tomorrow?" Kaoru asked the young woman.

"We're fine, Kaoru-san, you can just come back on Wednesday," Sae answered brightly. "Thanks for stepping up a bit today."

"Your welcome," Kaoru said.

"Here's another basket of treats for you and the others at the Aoiya," Sae said, handing her another basket.

"Sae-san, you're spoiling us!" Kaoru said, laughing. "Okina-san will be glad. See you!"

Sae waved before returning to her cooking. Kaoru stepped out of the Shirobeko and was greeted with a very pleasant and unexpected surprise. "Aoshi-san?" she asked uncertainly.

The tall man was standing outside the Shirobeko, leaning against its wall with his arms crossed, his cool eyes surveying the passersby. He looked at Kaoru, and gave the smallest of smiles. "Kaoru-san, I thought we could walk home together."

Walk home together… Kaoru repeated in her thoughts, unable to reply as Aoshi stepped towards her to take the basket from her hand. "Oh… that sounds good," she stammered, feeling a slight tingle ascend her spine as his hand brushed hers briefly. "You're back from your case?"

Aoshi wore a bemused expression on his face. "Well, yes, obviously," he said.

"You're making fun of me after suddenly leaving Sunday morning without saying anything?" Kaoru asked, irritation creeping into her voice. She tried to keep it down, belatedly realizing that it was irrational of her to expect him to say goodbye to her. Hold it, Kaoru, you aren't his wife. "Forget I said that," she added lamely. "Of course you had to leave early."

"Yes, I'm sorry about that," Aoshi said, steering her expertly through the late afternoon crowd with a light touch on her elbow.

"That's all right," she muttered, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear and wishing that she had spent more time fixing her hair before leaving the Shirobeko that afternoon. "I was just--- well, I really wondered what had happened to you. Okina told me these things sometimes happen."

"Were you bored yesterday, then, without me there to babysit you?" he asked her lightly.

"A little bit," Kaoru answered, glad that the nervousness that erupted in her stomach upon seeing him was dissipating already. She laughed. "Misako was the unfortunate one who babysat me yesterday."

"Well, I wouldn't exactly call that unfortunate," he said neutrally, causing her to look at him. "I just got back from my trip and I'm a little thirsty." He gestured towards a different teahouse. "Join me for tea?"

They stopped walking, and Kaoru looked down at her Shirobeko uniform, sighing. "I… eh…"

He clamped a hand firmly onto her arm and pulled her lightly towards the teahouse. "You look fine, Kaoru-san. Honestly, what Misao lacks in concern for her self-appearance, you make up for in such abundance."

Kaoru wrenched her arm free of his grasp to land a hit on his arm. "What's that supposed to mean!" she said as she followed him into the teahouse.

He didn't answer her, hiding his eyes under his hair while he scanned the restaurant's offerings. Finally, he gave an order to the girl waiting upon them, ordering for Kaoru as well. "I ordered for you," he told her unnecessarily as the girl walked away. "Consider it a start of your education about tea."

"I'm so excited," Kaoru said sarcastically. Then she changed her tone. "So what was your most recent case? Can you tell me about it?"

He gazed out the window for a moment before meeting her eyes, and she once again admired the bluish gray hue that reminded her so much of a stormy sky. "Nothing interesting," he said after a while. "To tell you the truth, Kaoru-san, my work isn't really worth any tales."

Kaoru sat back, a little disappointed. "I suppose that's how you would feel, after everything else you've done before," she admitted. "But I like listening to you talk. You have a way of making things sound a bit more interesting. Even if you're talking about tea."

Aoshi chuckled and shook his head slightly. "Are you always going to tease me about my drinking habit?"

"Most probably," Kaoru said, nodding. "But it's not such a bad habit," she said, thinking about Sano's gambling. "I mean, you might even get me to like it after a while," she said as their order came and she smelled the aroma of the tea.

"Aa, that's what I intend to do," he said, lifting his cup to take a sip.

Kaoru drank her tea, too, watching him out over the rim of her cup. She couldn't help teasing him, it had become as natural to her as bullying Sano and Kenshin back in Tokyo. She set her cup down, half empty, and watched as darkness started to fall outside. The warm lights and the gentle chatter inside the teahouse made her forget her sore feet and warmed her insides.

When she returned her eyes to Aoshi, she caught him studying her face. She raised her eyebrows. "What?" she asked him.

"You look tired," he said.

"What, I stop talking for only a minute and you already think there's something wrong," she joked. "I'm fine." She finished her tea.

"Let's go back to the Aoiya then," he said, finishing his tea as well. "Okina might worry about you."

"Oh, he knows I'm a big girl," Kaoru said as she followed him outside.

They joined the early evening crowd now, walking to their homes after a day in the heart of the city. She had her hand tucked comfortably into Aoshi's offered arm. She liked it that way, for it made her feel like a grown-up. Perhaps it was because she practically lived with three men for the past year that she relished the chance of being treated like a lady instead of being one of the boys.

They had been walking for several minutes already, and Kaoru marveled at how her feet didn't hurt at all now that she was walking with Aoshi. My, that does say a lot, Kaoru-san! she thought to herself with a slight smile. That he could make you feel better after working the whole day on your feet, and he doesn't even have to say anything at all… Kaoru suddenly halted, causing Aoshi to almost turn in a circle for her hand was still on his arm.

"Kaoru-san?" he asked, raising his eyebrows in a rare show of surprise.

"Aoshi!" Kaoru said, reaching over to grab his other hand, which was free. "Aoshi! We completely forgot Sae's basket!"

It took a moment for her words to register. "That basket…" Aoshi murmured, turning his head to look back the way they had come. "I'm sorry. I'll go back for it."

"Wait---I'll come with you," Kaoru said.

They hurriedly walked back to the teahouse, and Aoshi went to look inside as Kaoru waited outside. She was embarrassed enough to have forgotten the basket. She looked up sheepishly as Aoshi came out.

"It's no longer there," he told her. "I asked the owner about it, he said some people came in after we left."

Kaoru blew her hair out of her eyes with a frustrated sigh. "Mou! Someone got lucky and took home a basket of sweets!" She eyed him, narrowing her gaze. "It's all your fault."

"I'm very sorry," he said.

She sighed, rolling her eyes. "I was joking," she said, frustration still evident in her voice though her lips now betrayed the hint of a smile. "It wasn't your fault, of course. It was my fault."

"I was the one who was holding onto the basket."

"Yes, and I was the one who so captivated your attention that I made you forget about it," she said lightly, before erupting into a laugh.

He merely raised his eyebrow at her joke. Kaoru held up her hands. "I was joking again, of course," she said.

"I couldn't tell if you were," he said, an amused edge on his voice.

"Oh, come on," she scoffed. "It doesn't matter anyway, Aoshi-san. I'll just get Sae-san a new basket to replace her old one."

"I'll come with you."

"You don't have to," she said, not wanting to bother him any more than necessary yet desperately wishing that he would really come with her. I feel pathetic about this.

He looked at her closely, his eyes clouded with an unreadable emotion. "You'd rather not have me go with you?" he asked her

"Er…" She was trapped. She locked gazes with him, thinking that he was too sneaky to have put her in this position. He's just asking me if I want him to come along. He's not asking me to admit that I like him. Wait, I like him?

He broke eye contact with her, touching her elbow again to indicate that they should resume their walk home. "I just don't want to bother you," she said, answering his question. "If you want to come with me, then you may. In fact," she added, feeling a little braver now that he wasn't looking at her directly, "I'd like it very much if you would."

He looked down at her, allowing her to see the undisguised merriment in his eyes. "I'll go with you tomorrow, then. I want to."

She looked up at him and grinned, hooking her hand through his arm. "Good. After all, we're in this whole basket thing together, aren't we?"

"Aa," he agreed, nodding his head slightly.

She continued smiling as she looked ahead. She could feel the warmth of his arm through the sleeve of his coat, and she let herself indulge quietly in the pleasure his company brought her. A feeling of tenderness wrapped around her heart, making her sigh quietly in contentment. She answered her own question. Do I like him? No, I don't. I love him…very much. And this admission, unknown to Aoshi, erased the previous apprehensions she had about the man. Everything about Aoshi became simple. I love him.

End Chapter.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed!