A/N: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin.

Hi! I'm back! Thanks for the reviews; I did have you shocked at the end of the last chapter, didn't I? But, this is the point of the story which is going to make things much more interesting, you'll see. Anyway, I'll shut up now and let you get on with the story, okie? Enjoy!

CHAPTER 20: Faking It

Kaoru lay in the bed, the bed sheets wrapped tightly around her figure. Her heart was thudding painfully against her chest, and cold sweat had broken all over her body. She glanced around to her side and saw Shinta, fast asleep. She quickly switched her eyes back to the ceiling and clutched the sheets tightly with her hands. She felt tears well in her eyes as the memory of what she had done drifted into her mind.

She had gone and had sex with a murderer...and what was more terrifying, is that she had loved every single moment of it. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she had to choke back a bitter cry of agony and shame. How could she have done this? But then she remembered the way Shinta had touched her, the way he had kissed her...it made her want to do it all over again. She almost wanted to kill herself for having such thoughts. At that moment, Shinta draped an arm around her and pulled her closer towards him, and she felt herself shuddering at his touch.

Kaoru wanted to scream at him to leave her alone, but she just couldn't. Instead, she waited until she made sure that he was fast asleep again before quietly slipping away from him. Sheets still wrapped tightly around her like a flowing white gown, she bent down and collected her clothes from the ground, and with a last glance at Shinta, she hurried out of the room. She rushed to her room, and quickly started getting herself dressed.

She glanced at her self in the mirror and saw that she was looking terrible; her hair was messed up, and her mouth was pink and raw from all the kissing, and she had black streaks across her face from where the mascara mixed with her tears, and there, right beneath her eye, was an ugly blue bruise where Shinta, in the spur of the moment, had...

She felt herself drifting into another fantasy before quickly shaking the thoughts out of her head. She glanced at the clock hanging on the wall, and saw that it was three in the morning. She bit down on her lip. What should she do? Should she make a run for it?

She stood up and headed to her bedroom's door. She opened it just a crack and peered outside. Shinta was no where to be seen; she assumed he was probably still sleeping in his room, unaware that she had left his side. Kaoru took a deep breath and stepped out of the room. She tiptoed past the living room and to Shinta's bedroom; she still had to get the key from his coat. She peered through the door and found that he was still sleeping on the bed. She stood for a moment watching him. He looked so peaceful when he was asleep, with his crimson hair spilled all over the pillow and his eyes closed...and for a moment, she was actually considering returning to his side and never leaving it again.

She hated herself for having such thoughts.

She stepped into the room, trying to be as quiet as possible. She glanced around the room for his coat; the black coat he was wearing when they went out. She spotted it; lying on the ground right where she had slipped it off of him. She took in a deep breath, and darted forward. She reached inside the coat, and felt around for the key, all the while with her eyes fixed on Shinta. She found the key, and she pulled it out, fighting the urge to shout triumphantly. Her hand also fell on another object; Shinta's gun.

Heart thudding loudly in her chest, she took the gun as well, and backed away towards the door, watching Shinta the whole time. For a moment, she actually considered aiming the gun at him and shooting him. She even held the gun out. She placed her finger on the trigger. She tried to pull, but her hand shook terribly; why couldn't she kill him? She wanted to kill him…or did she? Did she really want to kill him? Did she have the courage to kill him? Just seeing him sleeping like that strongly reminded her of Kenshin…he looked so peaceful, the same way Kenshin had always looked.

Do it! Do it! You've always hated him; why don't you kill him? C'mon, do it! Kill him!, her rational mind screamed.

Kaoru tried to pull the trigger again, but she wasn't able to, and she hated herself for that. She put down the gun and hurried out of the room and to the front door. She fumbled with the key and inserted it into the lock. She quickly unlocked the door, and pulled it open. She stepped outside, but then she got an idea and hurried back inside to the bathroom. She turned in the water in the shower and closed the door. If that couldn't buy her time, then she didn't know what would. She hurried back to the front door.

She was finally free!

-

Shinta's eyes flew open and he sat up in his bed.

He instantly knew something was wrong once he realized that Kaoru wasn't lying next to him on the bed. He quickly scrambled off the bed and picked up the pair of boxers which was lying on the ground and quickly pulled them on. He left his room and came upon the rest of the apartment. He strained his ears for a moment and heard the sound of the gushing water in the bathroom. Smiling to himself, he headed for the bathroom and drummed his knuckles against the door.

'Kaoru, babe, I'm coming in,' he told her.

He didn't think he could ever get enough of Kaoru after those few hours they've spent together. Shinta had raped girls before for his own pleasure, but to have a beautiful, fierce woman come onto him willingly...he was just estatic. He turned the knob, visions of Kaoru in a foamy bathtub drifting into his mind, and walked inside. He froze dead in his tracks when he saw that the tub was empty, and that's when he knew there was something seriously wrong.

'Kaoru!' he called into the house.

He tore the apartment apart for her, but she wasn't anywhere to be found. Jaw clenched, he hurried back to his room. He grabbed for his coat and searched through his pockets. His gun was missing…and so was his key. Realization dawned on him, and he felt his blood boiling within him.

Kaoru had managed to escape.

Shinta tossed his coat to the ground and hurried to the front door. He tried the knob and found that it was locked.

Kaoru really knows how to test my patience…and it's starting to run low…

-

Kaoru ran.

She just continued to run away…away from Shinta, away from that bloody bastard. She had no money, and so she couldn't order a cab. She cursed herself mentally for not bothering to check into Shinta's pockets for money. Since their apartment was in the area which contained the restaurant they had both gone too, Kaoru found herself passing it. The place was crowded. Ambulances, police cars, people…they were swarming the place.

Should she stop and ask for help? But what if somebody recognized her to be the woman who was in the company of the murderer? What would happen to her then? Would they help her? Would they even bother to listen to what she had to say?

Kaoru felt a stab of guilt. This had been her fault. If she hadn't tried to escape, this man wouldn't have died. She shuddered to think about what Shinta might do when he wakes up and finds that she had disappeared. She ran past the crime scene. She ran into a really empty and dark alley. The apartment building where they lived wasn't located in the loudest and busiest area of Tokyo; she guessed Shinta had done it on purpose to keep her away from the rest of the world.

Feeling disgruntled, she continued to run. She was completely aware that she new nothing about Tokyo and its people, that she didn't know enough Japanese vocabulary to fill one small piece of paper, and that slightly unnerved her. Supposing she did find some help, how was she going to tell the people who were going to help her about what they're supposed to help her against? Lost in thoughts, she didn't notice the man who was coming round the corner until she had collided with him. She stumbled back, but he wrapped his arms around her to prevent her from falling.

'Oh, I'm sorry…I…um…' she murmured, and looked up at his face. Her eyes widened. 'NO! Let go of me, you bastard! Let go of me!!'

-

Shinta was doing his best to control the anger which was building inside him. Once again, Kaoru had defied him…but this time, unlike the other times; he felt that she had betrayed him. She had gone and run out on him after they've gone and shared the night together.

'I love you, Shinta,' she had told him. Shinta knew now that he had been really stupid to believe that bullshit.

He had been so hasty to leave; he had forgotten to place his wig. But who cares? As long as he didn't have his fake scar on, which, alternatively, was resting in his pocket, there was no way anybody would accuse him of anything…and besides, it was too dark and too empty for any one to come and take a glimpse at him. He had to find Kaoru before she could contact any of her friends. And he had to do it fast. If Kaoru happened to have contacted anyone, things would definitely be taking a nasty turn from here.

'Oi, Kenshin! Is that you?'

Shinta stopped dead in his tracks. He slowly looked around, and a man heading right at him, and not any man, it was Sanosuke Sagara…and he had called him Kenshin. Almost automatically, Shinta reached into his pocket and pasted the scar right onto his cheek. He turned around and waited till Sagara got to him. The guy thought he was Kenshin, so he was going to act up to his brother's role. This also meant that Kenshin was here…how, just how did Kenshin find out his location, he didn't know. And how did Kenshin get Sagara to trust him and work with him? And what the hell was he doing in this particular area, he also didn't know.

'Yes, Sano, what is it?' he asked.

'Did you find anything yet?' Sano asked him, sounding hopeful. 'I've been searching the area and I can't seem to find anything.'

'No, I'm afraid I hadn't found anything yet,' Shinta answered; of course, he knew that it was him and Kaoru Sano was talking about.

'Drats! I was hoping we'd be able to locate Himura now that we know he killed the guy back there!' he mumbled.

Shinta didn't say anything. So that was how they managed to locate him? By that little murder? Shinta cursed himself mentally for killing that guy. When he came to Japan, he was hoping that he wouldn't have to draw attention to his presence, but, obviously, he had failed.

'Do you suppose the others found anything?' Sano asked suddenly.

Others? There were others? 'I don't know, Sano,' he replied. 'I didn't run into anybody yet…why don't you call them up? Maybe they did find something.'

'Yeah, you're right,' he murmured, and took out his cell phone. He dialed a number and waited. 'Hajime? You and Yukishiro found anything yet?

Shinta froze. Yukishiro was here too? Tomoe's kid brother? He was here as well? There was no way Yukishiro would ever trust Kenshin unless his sweet brother told him and the others everything about him. He gritted his teeth and balled his hands into fists.

'No, I didn't find anything either,' Sano mumbled. 'What about Misao and Shinomori? Nothing, as well?' Sano sighed after a moment and ended the phone call. 'Nothing, we still haven't located Kaoru or Himura,' he said, sounding disgruntled.

Good. 'Alright, let's split up again, we'll cover more ground this way,' Shinta told him, and Sano nodded. 'I'll call you if I find anything.'

Shinta turned around and hurried away from Sano. If he was lucky, he would find Kaoru before them, and then he'd go into hiding. And if he was really lucky, he'd find Kenshin on his way too.

Kenshin has got a lot of explaining to do…

-

Kenshin felt extremely alarmed.

Upon information of a murder around this area of Tokyo, provided by Katsuhiro, they had all set out to investigate and hopefully, link the murder to Kaoru and Shinta. After doing some questioning, they confirmed the killer to be Shinta, and had set about trying to find him…and thereby find Kaoru.

And when Kaoru, herself, stumbled into his arms, he felt a wave of immense relief, only to be replaced by extreme alarm when she started screaming and pounding at his chest.

'Let go of me!' she shrieked, beating furiously against his chest with her fists. 'I don't know how you find me but I want you to let go of me right now! I'm not going back with you, you hear me? Now, let go!!'

'Kaoru, please, calm down,' he pleaded.

'Calm down?' she repeated. 'Calm down? Oh, I'll calm down, alright, and that's when you let me go!'

Kaoru brought up her knee and hit him directly in the groin…hard. Kenshin released her at once, moaning in pain. Kaoru took her chance and broke free, running away from him. Kenshin collapsed to the ground, groaning, and she stopped and watched him with disgust.

Kenshin looked weakly at her. 'Kaoru, it's me, don't you recognize me?' he said from his position on the ground.

But Kaoru had already taken out her gun. 'Oh, I recognize you alright,' she hissed. 'I recognize you as the person I should've killed when I first had the opportunity.'

'Kaoru! No! It's me…Kenshin!' he told her, struggling to get up to his feet; that hit Kaoru gave him was real hard.

Kaoru narrowed her eyes at him. 'Kenshin? You're Kenshin?' she sneered. 'I'm sorry, but couldn't you have come up with a more believable lie? Kenshin, as I may remind you, is still in the States…so you can't possibly be Kenshin…you're just hoping I'd believe you so you could take me back to the apartment without any sort of struggle.'

'No, Kaoru, I swear, it's really me,' he assured her. 'We found your location and came after you…I'm not Shinta, Kaoru, I'm Kenshin. And whatever happened to you? You look a terrible mess!'

Although Kaoru wanted to believe it was true, but she knew it wasn't. She had to marvel at the effort Shinta was taking in pretending to be his brother; his tone was soft, and his eyes were peaceful, and he even had his scar back on. But yet, he was wearing the same outfit; his black coat and his black pants.

'Words of advice, Shinta, next time you try to trick me, make sure you at least change your clothes,' she told him. She smirked. 'So, tell me, how does it feel to be on the losing side for a change, huh?'

'Kaoru, listen to me, you're making a big mistake,' Kenshin said in a firm tone. 'If you'll just let me call Sano for you, and he'll tell you that…'

Kaoru's eyes widened as he reached inside his pocket. He had another gun? 'Keep your hands out where I can see them!' she snapped, her gun still aimed at him. 'Don't think you're going to fool me! I'm sick of all your tricks and games!'

Kenshin looked confused. 'I just want to get my pho…' he started.

'Just keep your hands out!!' she snapped.

Kenshin obliged. He held his hands out where she could see them. Kaoru stood over him, gun held tightly in her hands. Should she do it? Should she kill him now and get over with it? Knowing that all her troubles would end the moment she shot Shinta dead didn't seem to make her move her finger in an attempt to pull the trigger, but why? Why wasn't she able to pull the trigger and kill him?

'Kaoru…' Kenshin said softly.

Kaoru just glared at him. She hated him...and yet, at the same time, she felt herself attracted to him. She absolutely hated him for what he was doing to her. All the misery he was putting her through, and her inability to shoot him because…why was she unable to shoot him? He was a criminal; after all, she had been trained to shoot criminals. So what was so special about this criminal? She couldn't possible love him, could she? She vaguely remembered telling him that when they were together, but she really didn't mean it...did she?

'Kaoru!'

Kaoru was taken by surprise; who, in Japan, knew her other than Shinta? She chanced a look around, and gasped. Standing a few feet away from her, was…Kenshin? Or was that Shinta? She cast a sharp look around at the Himura she had been aiming at, and then back at the Himura who had just appeared. She felt like she was having a double-vision. Why the hell did they have to dress alike?

'Kaoru, get away from him,' the second Himura told her. 'That's Shinta, Kaoru, he's just trying to trick you…I'm just glad I found you before he could do anything to hurt you.'

'What? No! Kaoru, don't listen to him!' the first Himura said sharply. 'I'm Kenshin, and he's Shinta…don't you see?'

'No, Kaoru, I assure you I'm Kenshin, don't fall for any more of his tricks,' the second Himura said, warningly. 'He just wants to hurt you.'

'He's just saying that to fool you, Kaoru, I advise you not to listen to him,' the first Himura said. 'He just wants to grab you and take you away with him.'

Kaoru backed away from both of them. She really didn't know what to think. If they had been wearing different clothes; she would've easily differentiated between them, but they both had on the exact same thing! And they both sounded like Kenshin!!

'Oh, hell,' she muttered.

-

A/N: Time for a quick decision!! Ah, anyway, how did this chappie grab you? I'm sorry it was a bit too short, and maybe even bad (I didn't think I did such a good job in this one) but I'm just building up for my next chappie, which, I'm afraid to tell you, is going to be my last chappie!!! Of course, there's going to be an epilogue after that, but it's still the official last chapter…so review, and wait for the next installment!! (Just bear with me, okay?)

- S. N. B.