STANDARD DISCLAIMERS APPLY: For more information, refer to the header of past twenty-four chapters.

Quick little message from author: For the first time ever, this message will truly be a quickie. Sorry for being MIA for so long. Finals are over. My computer is back to normal – for now. Enjoy the chapter; it's especially dedicated to all K/K fans out there. Adios and thank you for your support.

Soundtrack: "Good Song" – Blur / "Asas" – Maskavo / "Middle of nowhere" – Hot hot heat / "'Til kingdom come" – Coldplay

Chapter 25: Breakfast

The surprise wasn't fading. The question remained unanswered. She was a heavy sleeper.

Kenshin had tried whispering her name, poking her, calling her loudly, even tickling her and, though he got a few sleepy giggles out of her – that, to be fair, sounded more like gurgling at the back of her throat –, the end result had been the same throughout each and every attempt: Kaoru was as dead to the world as she had been when first found by him.

How she managed to sleepily smile and snore away when her body was pressed against the chillingly cold granite floor was a wonder, especially since no blankets or sheets wrapped themselves in a tangle round her legs and the early mornings were always significantly nippy, no matter the season.

Resting his back against the wall, Kenshin let the situation sink in and chuckled. Somehow, Kaoru always found a way to make him smile, even if she didn't know it, even if their circumstances were as dire as he thought they very well could be.

Tenderly, he combed his fingers through her long hair and felt a dull ache build in his chest. She always made him feel so good. She always made him feel so bad. She was so lively and clueless; she just didn't know any better, did she?

An innocent. A true innocent. He hadn't bumped into one of those in a long time. What was someone like her doing sleeping in the hallway? What was someone like her doing, coming to see him of all people?

Kenshin knew that she wanted openness and honesty and optimism and trust. He knew she was asking too much too soon. He sighed. He knew that time wasn't the problem: the things she wanted, he simply couldn't give.

His nimble fingers, ensnared in the thick mass of satiny black, gently caressed her scalp and delicately glided down cascading ebony strands, splayed unevenly in a sort of sheltering cocoon that partially hid her face from view.

For the hundredth time, Kenshin mused that he would give anything for things to be different. Maybe, if the past had not been as it was, he could have been a more lighthearted, open person in the present. Maybe he would be able to disappoint less people every day if he had turned out differently, if he had done things another way, if he had been less of an idiot and seen the truth for what it was.

Bygones were bygones… except when they weren't actually gone; then, they were just there, standing by, provoking and mocking, never quite getting the hint and hitting the road.

Grimacing, the redhead quickly decided that his mind was not were it ought to be; except that it had been glued to the same spot and causing him the exact same amount of worry since the previous day so… it couldn't really be helped, now could it?

Moodily pondering how to stop pondering, Little Miss Sunshine intervened by mumbling incoherently and rolling onto her back. In spite of getting cornered further against the wall, lest his legs be crunched by her full bodyweight, Kenshin was glad that she had, once again, put a plug on his depressive thinking by grasping his attention.

"Kaoru?"

She grumbled in response, but did not open her eyes.

"Kaoru?"

Her eyelashes fluttered delicately; it would seem that this time Sleeping Beauty was just about ready to awaken. Since he had been trying to get her to rise and shine for a lengthy period of time, Kenshin should have been thrilled…right? All honesty aside, right. Truthfully, the peace and quiet had been nice and soothing while it lasted; what came next was a mystery that could perhaps not be up to par, so… all honesty aside: right, he was thrilled.

"Kaoru, wake up."

"…Five more minutes," she mumbled.

"Kaoru, you're killing your back just lying there, now wake up," he insisted.

"…Five more minutes, dad."

"I'm not your father, Kaoru."

"Wha…?" Opening her eyes, Kaoru tried to focus her hazy vision on something other than her arm, a hole being burnt into it by a merciless ray of light. "Wha… what's going on?"

"Good morning, Kaoru."

Pulling her arm to her chest and away from the scorching sunbeam that was torturing her, Kaoru craned her head to the side and found Kenshin Himura gently smiling at her.

"Oh shit," she croaked out, "did I…? Oh shit, I fee… I fell… I fell asleep…? Crap."

Shifting around sleepily, her bleary eyes scanned the hallway absently, her gaze finally resting on the window at the end of the corridor that let her know without shadow of a doubt that it was light out. If she recalled correctly, it had barely been nightfall when she had determinedly planted herself at the loft's door. When Kenshin hadn't shown, she had taken her copy of Danilo Kis's book, Garden, Ashes, out of her knapsack and made herself comfortable, too comfortable apparently. Just how long had she been asleep?

"What time is it?" She sat up properly and gave him her full attention, all the while worrying her bottom lip.

Kenshin gave his wristwatch a quick glance. "It's going to be six AM."

"Oh shit."

Scrambling for her bag, Kaoru frantically scoured its contents for her cellphone. Her parents were so going to kill her! Her hand clamped over it and she squealed triumphantly, only to give a frustrated shriek once she realized it wouldn't even turn on. Her battery was just as dead as she was. What a lovely pair they made. Too bad she wasn't an organ donor; at least someone should benefit from the situation: D.O.A was most definitely the name of the game!

"Kaoru, are you alright?" He placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed lightly. "You look a little pale…er than usual."

On her knees, looking to the window, the young girl didn't even pay attention to Kenshin's presence, let alone his words; the cogs in her head were far too busy working, grinding together in the hopes of coming up with some sort of solution to her plight.

"For future reference, always bring coffee to stakeouts…"

"Kaoru, maybe we should go inside…?"

Whipping her head around, Kaoru's blue eyes fixed themselves intently on the man behind her. "Can I use your phone?"

"Uh… sure, be my guest," said Kenshin, quickly getting to his feet.

"Thanks."

It was strange, but Kenshin always seemed to be something of a paradox. This came through in anything he did. For one, he could be incredibly clumsy, which did not mean that he couldn't display unbelievable grace every once in a while. For someone who moved through life kind of awkwardly, Kaoru often found herself amazed by his ability to do two things at the same time without breaking a sweat, flinching, or even getting slightly confused. Now, for instance, closing his hand on her forearm, he pulled her up while inserting the loft's key in the brass keyhole and opening the door; she couldn't even chew gum and walk at the same time without tripping or choking.

"Leave it to Kenshin to keep me guessing," she thought as she slung her knapsack over her shoulder.

"After you," he said, holding her by the elbow to let her in.

So far, everything had been smooth sailing. They hadn't talked much and she had cursed repeatedly, yes, but no swearwords had been directed at him and she hadn't been snide or anything so, all things considered, they seemed to be on the right track. That was a huge relief. Of course, Kenshin had not been counting on locking eyes with her once he ushered her into the apartment. Getting lost in the moment was always so easy, wasn't it? Why was that?

"Are you still mad?" he asked as soon as he managed to find his voice.

Slowly shaking her head, Kaoru's lips curled into a soft smile. "I shouldn't push you."

"It's okay."

"No, I'm sorry."

"Me too."

Awkward. They had made peace with each other but, suddenly, they were back to being awkward, like at the very beginning. Blushing, Kaoru pulled away, hugged herself and closed her eyes, at this point willing to do anything to relieve herself of the tense silence that had grabbed a hold of them.

"Damn I'm sleepy," she muttered, looking around the loft as if it were the first time she had been there. Eerily enough, it somehow felt like the first time.

"Would you like some juice or water?" Kenshin asked as he locked the door.

"I'd say no, but my throat's kind of dry so… sure, water's fine."

"The phone's on the counter, alright?" he said, walking toward the refrigerator.

"Thanks."

Sliding her knapsack off her shoulder, Kaoru set it down by her feet and reached for the phone. Her hands were shaking a little.

As he poured them both two tall glasses of orange juice, from the corner of his eye Kenshin caught the schoolgirl blankly staring at the telephone, as if waiting for it to be so high-tech that it would make the call without her using her fingers or, hell, even saying the number out loud. Finally, she seemed to realize – thought dawned on her quite slowly, truth be told – that, unless she did the dialing, nothing would be resolved.

Nervously tapping her fingers against the kitchen island, the girl waited with baited breath for something of a miracle.

"Misao, I'm going to be grounded again!" she shrieked into the receiver as soon as someone picked up on the other side of the line. Kenshin winced and nearly dropped the frying pan he had taken out from one of the cabinets beneath the sink.

"They called you? My parents are going to kill me! I'm dead meat! Say hello to the abattoir Kaoru, because you, my dear, are going down! I can't believe this! I am so screwed!"

Lightly sautéing chopped slices of ham, Kenshin struggled to steady his grasp on the pan's handle, the rising tones of her already shrill voice making getting through cooking breakfast challenging.

"… You told them that and they bought it? What do you know, there is a God!"

Apparently, her prayers had been answered. The redhead chuckled and continued to grate parmesan into a bowl; she went from one mood to the next as easily as switching lanes, didn't she? Oh well, at least she was smiling again and that was what mattered most, in the end, wasn't it?

"Actually… I'm at Kenshin and Sano's place…" said Kaoru, innocently enough twirling a strand of her long hair round her index finger.

Chuckling yet again, Kenshin knew that that explanation would not blow over well, especially in the eyes of a teenager. When he heard Kaoru's loud yelp, he kept on calmly beating eggs, then switched to chopping mint leaves, unsurprised by the outcome of mentioning that it was a little past six AM and she just so happened to be at a boy's house.

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Misao!"

Growling at the telephone, the black-haired girl went conspicuously red in the face; the boy by the stove merely smirked and took care not to nick his finger with the knife he was using.

"Yes, he's here, practically next to me, and no, we did not have sex, so quit it already, unless you need me to put him on the phone so he can vouch for me, which he will because he didn't spend the night here, which just means that he was probably out banging someone else! So yeah, I have an alibi and, yes, I would be ashamed to use it, so stop thinking perverted thoughts and tell me exactly what you told my parents, word for word, and hurry it up!"

If he didn't cut himself, it was only due to sheer dumb luck. Kaoru might have been innocent, but that sure didn't stop her from being blunt…

"Hold on, which movie did you say we were watching when I supposedly fell asleep?" Pausing to hear the answer, Kaoru chanced a glimpse at the loft's owner. Whatever he was cooking sure smelled good! "Gigi, got it. Anything else I need to know before calling up the parental units?"

Adding pepper to the mixture, Kenshin stirred the slightly fried ham, minced mint leaves and some clotted cream into the bowl before pouring everything into the skillet. Now, for the tomatoes!

"Yes Misao, I love you too and you have made me wake up at the crack of dawn more times than I can count; the way I see it, we're even. See you at school."

After hanging up, Kaoru decided that she needed a minute or two to brace herself before lying to her parents. Hence, she propped her elbows on the counter and openly stared at the boy she had been waiting all night and dawn to see. …And what a sight it was!

"So…" Kenshin started off, without turning around, "aren't you going to ask?"

"Ask what?" she queried, absently wondering if sleeping on the floor had mussed her hair into bed head mayhem. She needed a mirror.

"If I banged anyone last night Kaoru, what else?"

When he set the glass of orange juice in front of her, she was still too shocked to speak. He looked deeply amused, which only made her feel much more embarrassed than she already was.

"Sorry about that," Kaoru sheepishly voiced, looking anywhere but directly at him, "I got kind of carried away there, didn't I?"

He shrugged. "It happens."

The moment Kenshin turned around, Kaoru took a big gulp of orange juice, sat down on a stool and, with his words in mind, decided to do the unthinkable.

"So… did you?"

The college student came, yet again, very close to hacking off one of his fingers once her question reached his ears. Staring at the tomato wedges and green pepper strips lying on the wooden cutting board, he had to ask himself why she would possibly care. What's more, he had to wonder… did he care whether she cared or not? Did any single variable make a difference?

Silently, he went back to slicing onions, realizing that he was angry at her for being so bold as to ask him that, coming to terms with the fact that he was also angry at himself for caring, for thinking that her interest could mean the world to him.

"Well, Kaoru, last night, after I left the strip club and before I actually made it to the motel, there was this one girl at a bar…"

"Alright already, I get it!" Kaoru cried out. "It's none of my business and I won't ask again. Fair enough?"

"Works for me, I guess," he declared with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Although… If you have nothing to hide, then I don't see why you can't just give me a straight answer…"

"Kaoru," he began, setting down the knife, "do you remember when we walked in here today and you said you shouldn't push me?"

"I'm no goldfish (1), how could I forget?" she commented, idly wondering whose Physics homework she would be copying and just how to coerce Molly Lieberman, grade-A nerd, into lending her her History notes.

"Well, you're pushing me."

Startled, Kaoru gathered that it was time for her to zip it and let the intrigue eat at her without fussing. Either that or she could always try another, less direct, approach…

"Sorry, didn't mean to make you feel emotionally claustrophobic," she apologized, though a tad sarcastically.

"It's fine." Kenshin allowed himself a small smile as he added the vegetables to another pan, knowing that his houseguest was not at all sorry about getting far too up close and personal with him.

"So, sexual innuendos aside, where were you last night, Kenny?" Batting her eyelashes at the redhead, Kaoru delighted in the delicious scent assaulting her nostrils. "I spent a really long time waiting for you, you know. For falling asleep on your doorstep, you at least owe me the answer to that question."

"Now Kaoru, for that I think I owe you breakfast," he said, pointing at the stove, "and breakfast, as you can see, is only minutes away from being done. Not to worry, I won't let you wash the dishes."

Could there be anything more annoying on the planet than his good humored smile? Why was he being so evasive? Maybe he had slept with someone and that… that would suck! But his less than funny joke about a bar, a girl and a strip club indicated that she had made a wrong assumption. In that case…

"You were at your ex-girlfriend's place," Kaoru stated matter-of-factly.

"Oro? How did you know!"

So he admitted it! And here she had been hoping to have read him all wrong. Taking a quick swig from the glass set in front of her, the high school senior wanted nothing more than to click her heels and get magically whisked away to her house: Kansas sure was looking great from her current viewpoint.

"Kaoru, how did you know? Did I mention it earlier? I don't recall, but…"

Scratching his head, Kenshin lifted the lid from the skillet and breathed in the pleasant aroma of seasoned simmered tomatoes, green peppers and onion rings.

"I didn't. Chalk it up to female intuition or something," she noncommittally assured him. What else was she supposed to say? That it was as obvious as a pudgy streaker running across a soccer field in a jam-packed stadium? As if!

"Men should have that," Kenshin mentioned, adding an extra pinch of salt to the just-about-done veggies.

"Should have what?"

"Intuition, like women." Using the back of his hand, he wiped his forehead partially clear of sweat. "Maybe we wouldn't make such silly mistakes if we had a sixth sense like women do."

"Or you could always try thinking with your brain; that's what it's there for, after all," she quipped.

Chuckling, Kenshin stirred the contents of the pan. "You don't give men much credit, Kaoru. We're not all that bad, you know."

"No, you're right," she said, eyes closed, nodding firmly, "some of you are worse than even I can fathom."

It was with a few laughs that the lavender-eyed male acknowledged that remark.

"One day, you will meet a guy that will make you take all that back, I'm certain," he pointed out wisely.

"You promise?"

"I don't have to," he said, taking a couple of plates out of one of the cupboards.

"Let me guess: you don't make promises you can't keep."

"I try not to, yes, but that's not what I meant to say."

"Then enlighten me," she demanded, a broad grin coming to life on her lips. Drumming her fingers against the counter, she patiently awaited his answer.

"Karma," he stated.

"Karma?" she asked.

"Karma," he reaffirmed. "For all the times you hold men in general in derision, one will come along just to spite you."

"So, what you're saying is that Mr. Perfect is going to waltz into my life any day now to prove me wrong because of a little something called karma." Kaoru stood up and walked to the refrigerator. "Did I get it right?" she asked skeptically, arched eyebrow, Cheshire grin and all.

"Right as rain," he asserted with a nod and another one of his occasional blinding smiles. "Life is not without irony, as you very well now."

"No, really?" Kaoru took the orange juice carton out from the refrigerator and refilled her glass. She was usually pretty thirsty in the mornings.

"You would be surprised," Kenshin insisted, choosing to ignore her regular sarcastic streak. Turning around, he pointed a wooden spoon at her. "Here, taste this."

Grasping the spoon, Kaoru blew softly at the smoky piece of tomato resting on it, and then popped it into her mouth.

"Mmm, heavenly," she whispered, eyes closed, avidly chewing. Kenshin sure knew how to cook! Swallowing over and done with, the girl immediately took it upon herself to continue the odd conversation her host had initiated. "So… do you think that this Mr. Right would be able to cook, clean, do his own laundry and use his brain as God intended it? Is that what you're saying?"

"Well, if that's what you find all men incapable of doing, then yes, I suppose so." Once he tasted the tomatoes himself, he had to disagree with Kaoru; in his opinion, they were slightly insipid. "Are you sure this doesn't need more salt?"

"The tomatoes are just fine," she said with a wave of her hand. "Now work with me Kenny! Will he be handsome and smart to boot?"

"I already told you, Kaoru: whatever you think is impossible will happen. Think of it as a big cosmic joke, if you will."

"Trust me; if Mr. Right's real, then it won't be a joke, but more like a miracle."

"Miracles are said to happen. Of course, I'm not much of a believer in Divine Providence. Take your black pants, for instance; I don't know what you stained them with, but it's not coming off."

"My pants?" Kaoru looked down at her jeans and wondered if he was colorblind. "Which pants? What stain?"

"Oh, remember the frat party?" he asked. At her nod, he continued, "Well, after… everything, I sent your clothes to the drycleaners. I would have washed them myself, but the label said 'dry cleaning only' and you had kind of, partly thrown up a bit on yourself, so…well, I think the rest goes without saying, right?"

The schoolgirl hid her flushed face in her hands. Why was that night destined to forevermore come back to bite her tush? Men sure were tactless, weren't they?

"No kidding Kenshin," she said, her voice muffled by her palms. "Thanks for humiliating me so early in the morning!"

Chuckling, Kenshin took a pair of forks and knives out from a drawer. "Don't give yourself a hard time over it; what happened, happened."

Seeing as though Kaoru was still hiding from him when he set the table – or, rather, the kitchen island – he pressed on.

"The point is that it would seem that nothing on this earth can salvage your pants. A white stain on the right pant leg simply refuses to be bested."

"Maybe you picked someplace sucky to clean my pants," she considered.

"Oh no," he disagreed, turning off the stove, "they always do a really good job there. I would know, since I'm a regular customer."

"Then maybe my pants were sucky."

"Satin can be a tricky fabric when it comes to stains."

"You know too much about keeping clothes clean for your own good, Kenshin."

"You never know when knowledge of any kind will come in handy, Kaoru."

Serving their plates, the redhead smiled to himself. The food smelled wonderful and he was starving. He hoped she enjoyed her breakfast.

"Buon apetit!" he exclaimed, a delicious-looking plate of chow being set right under her nose.

"Yum, omelette!" she squealed enthusiastically.

"Not omelette."

"Sorry?"

Taking a seat on the stool beside hers, Kenshin explained, "It's not an omelette."

"…Then what is it?" she asked, hesitantly poking at the slice of what seemed to be an omelette with her fork. "And, should I eat it? Maybe I should just stick to the tomatoes…?"

"It's a frittata di prosciuto a la Kenshin with a sidedish of simmered tomatoes."

Staring down at her plate, Kaoru had to hand it to him: he always went all out. There was just this thing about him, in the way he did and said things that made him come across as terribly unique. Nothing about Kenshin Himura was common and no action he took was by the book: he walked his own path. He was one of a kind.

"There's nothing ordinary about you, is there Kenny?"

Her smile was contagious, but he refused to succumb to its spell.

"Just try the frittata, please," he insisted, desperately attempting to ignore how everything about her had a way of affecting him, how her happiness tended to become his own and how her sadness somehow swiftly turned into his concern and worry.

"Chef's orders?"

"Chef's request."

"Well, when you put it that way…"

Knife and fork in hand, Kaoru did as asked and put the architecture major's frittata to the test.

"Well?" he wondered aloud expectantly.

"Oh my God!" she exclaimed while chewing.

A frown creased Kenshin's brow. "What?"

"Can I come have breakfast here every single day?" Beaming, she eagerly piled some vegetables on her fork. "This omelette is awesome!"

"Frittata," he corrected.

"Whatever. It's really tasty!"

"Thank you."

With her mouth full, Kaoru winked at him, letting him know that he was most welcome. Happy with her approval, Kenshin dug in and savored his own meal, occasionally swiping glimpses of her. She always looked so concentrated when eating; apparently, she took her food pretty darn seriously.

When she noticed Kenshin was looking her way, she made it a point to catch his eye. Then, she began rubbing her belly.

"Mmm, mmm, mmm! Yummy!"

In no time, her antics had Kenshin shaking with suppressed laughter. She, of course, was swift to follow and soon, the pair was openly laughing and tearing up.

Once they both calmed down, the loft's silence caught up with them. Suddenly they were alone together, no petty arguments keeping them apart, no one else around to disturb them, no last minute ringing phones to ruin the moment; it was, suddenly, just them having breakfast.

Given their characters, they were bound to blush, look away and fumble for something to say that would kill the mood and the awkwardness. And so, they did just that.

"You can use my shower after you call your parents. I'll drive you to school."

"Thanks, Kenshin."

The world's order now properly restored, the two resumed eating, feeling slightly nervous and fidgety all the same, but also much more relaxed and accepting of the situation. They were alone together and, butterflies aside, it felt quite comfortable.

It was just like that, between one bite and another, that Kaoru randomly realized that she was having breakfast in the company of her so-called Mr. Perfect. Kenshin had been right; it did feel like something of a sick joke. But, Kenshin had also been somewhat off about one tiny thing: in the simplest of ways, this discovery had the well tempered flavor of a small miracle, a mixture of companionship and the heavenly taste of homemade food on the tip of her tongue and in the sound of cutlery being put to good use. Not to mention his laughter, the perfect seasoning for any dish, so rare yet so undeniably right.

Such was their story, in every wrong way, possible; in every right way, impossible. And, oddly enough, she wouldn't change a thing.

§

Note ( 1 ): A goldfish's memory lasts three seconds.
Reviewer Responses

To Aryanne: First of all I want to say that I'm sorry for not having read the latest chapter of Silver Cross yet. Life has been sort of a mess as of late and I haven't disposed of the time to check in on one of my favorite stories, which sucks because I know that it's winding down to a close, so… prepare to hear from me soon via review, alright? As to your appreciations on the last chapter, I would have to agree with you and warn that Soujiro isn't ENTIRELY evil, only partially so. He's sort of warped, but he's not that bad… depending on your definition of bad and evil, of course. I agree; Megumi should be happy to have a husband that cooks – how many women wouldn't jump at the chance of having a spouse who can prepare gourmet meals? – but, Sano and the kitsune do come from different worlds and are still young. Maybe they just haven't figured out exactly what they want yet? Communication is definitely something they haven't mastered yet and I think that they are still struggling to understand what love truly means. Megumi is a complicated character and I think part of the reason many people don't like her is because she's quite two-faced. The real Megumi remains to be seen, since she's always only putting people on edge, acting high and mighty and building a fortress round herself and I do think it is hard to relate to or appreciate someone who rarely shows who and what they are. That is only made worse by the fact that she can be blatantly honest about what she thinks of others without being honest with herself. Still, it's exactly all those imperfections that she hides behind her Miss Perfect attitude that make me enjoy writing about her so much. I am truly happy that you enjoyed chapter 24 and I hope that this glimpse into the K/K dynamic was up to par. Until next time!

To pyramidgirl89: I said it once in one of this story's chapters – I can't recall which one –, that clichés exist because they are true, they are recurrent. Many people tend to write about the same things, sometimes because it sells, and I don't just mean that there's a beneficial financial outcome to the production, but because it tends to be popular. Popular turns into a cliché every single time. Kaoru getting kidnapped sells, in terms of popularity. Aside from that type of cliché, there are certain themes that none of us can escape from, not only in literature, but in real life, like: meeting the parents, the boy meets girl / girl meets boy scenario, students in high school, the in-crowd versus the freaks, nerds and outsiders, etc. People write about these topics because they are real, they are true and very much relatable. In that sense, cliché cannot be avoided. Write what comes from your heart, even if it comes out in the form of an overdone subject; it's the way you portray the story you set out to tell that makes all the difference in the world. It's natural to be confused and feel clueless sometimes, but try to trust yourself and what you believe in. Thank you for your support.

To en route: I think it's great that you noticed how I cut back on the metaphors and that you found the portrayal of Sano and Megumi's relationship realistic. I know that last chapter had no K/K interaction, so I sincerely hope that this new chapter, in some small way, made up for that. I don't think that Kaoru worries more about Kenshin than he does her; I think that she is more open with her emotions than he is. Anything he feels, he tries to close off from; anything she feels, even if frightening, she manages to embrace in the long run. It's not that he cares less, it's just that he's different from her, he has more experience and more emotional baggage, which makes it harder for him to accept that he cares about someone, let alone take action. Don't worry, I don't plan on making Kaoru the helpless romantic that gets all goggle-eyed and worships the ground Kenshin walks upon, while he only gives her a crumb or two of his affection to keep her satisfied. Thanks for your encouragement. See you soon!

To Crewel: Sano and Megumi are also one of my favorite couples and I have great plans for them in this story! I am aware that communication is not their forte, so we will all have to see how that progresses, now won't we? Unfortunately, this chapter centers solely around Kenshin and Kaoru – them being the protagonists and all – but, don't you worry, your favorite pairing will be appearing soon, alright? Thank you so much for three straight hours of reading – you have no idea what that truly means to me – and stay tuned for more! Bye!

To missaw: You, running out of adjectives? I seriously doubt that! After all, you seem pretty resourceful to me – especially what with having Microsoft Word and all to lend you a hand. Nevertheless, if it is another 'awesome' that you wish to throw my way, I won't complain, but rather cling to it greedily. To be honest, the Meg/Sano scene from last chapter was my favorite one to write and, luckily, it seems to have had positive acceptance among my regular reviewers so… that's a relief! I don't know if you ought to be giving me more or less cookies, but if you could possible up the amount of hours in a day, I know you would be doing both of us a huge favor! Thank you for always being here for me, it means a lot. Kissies.

To Rhapsody07: Sadly, chapter 25 didn't come out as soon as both you and I wished. Making Kaoru and Kenshin interact without making them behave completely out of character is harder than it seems. Thanks for your comments and for your consistent reading. It's great to know that, after so long, you're still around and reading this story. Bye now!

To Vic'chonn: Gracias por los e-mails y espero que todo te salga de maravilla en London. Of course we'll keep in touch; now that I'm free from university it will be so much easier! Go to the London Eye as many times as you can – after it reopens, of course, seeing as it was closed after the terrorist attack – because they plan on moving it from London and transporting it to, if I'm not mistaken, France. Good luck, good music and good vibes! I'll write to you shortly, alright? Besitos y cuídate mucho, nunca sabes cuando los locos terroristas vuelvan a atacar – menos mal que estabas en Escocia.

To Queeney: A new regular reviewer? I'm psyched – a writer can never get enough of those! Thank you for finding the time to read all 24 chapters and welcome to the reviewer responses section; it will be my pleasure to have you around for as long as you are willing!

To Ocean Fish: Pookie, chill! I don't hate you alright? Didn't I already say I could never hate you? Now relax, enjoy the story, give me feedback and all is forgiven, okay? This chapter goes out to you, a true K/K shipper at heart! Take care of yourself and, if you need any help with the progress of your stagnant stories, let me know what I can do to help, deal? Bye pookie.

To gwkitty: Thanks for sympathizing with me and my life's current state. I have to organize myself, find my center and sort everything out. I was very pleased when I read your review, especially in regard to your comments on the Sano/Meg scene last chapter. You are right about one thing: eventually patience runs out… I don't know if this chapter was 'amazing', as you dubbed how a K/K reencounter piece written by me would be, but I tried my best and took my time trying to keep it all as real as possible, without forgetting to add in that tiny touch of poetry that, in my opinion, makes all the difference in the world. I hope I didn't disappoint you and met your expectations as best as I was able to. Your views of Misao and Aoshi were dead on! It's so easy to hastily judge them both. Misao is bubbly and flakey; Aoshi is cold and stoic: I'm sorry, but people can always be described by more than just two measly adjectives, there is always something more lurking underneath the surface and I find it wonderful that you managed to perceive that that was the point I was trying to get across when writing about these two characters. As for naming my muse: I'm not so sure about the names you have offered thus far. What do you think of Geronimo? Let me know in your next review!

To Nyako: I'm glad that you found last chapter's Sano and Megumi storyline to be realistic and relatable, because that's what I was going for, even with all the flowery embellishments that I'm prone to use in my writing. Thank you for reviewing and for your e-mail, which I will be responding to shortly.

To Lara: Another fan of my take on the Sano and Megumi love tug-of-war? Yey! Thanks for the feedback.

To Inu22: Thanks for pointing out the confusion that arises from mixing third voice and first voice narration; I'll keep that in mind. Thank you, also, for your wonderful comments, for adding me to your favorite story's list and, specifically, for referring to this fic as 'kick ass'! Keep reviewing, alright?

To julien: Here's a new fix for your '180º SP&T' addiction! It's very flattering that you called in sick to keep reading, really! I hope that that sacrifice was rewarded by a fitting reading experience. Thanks for reviewing!

To Ri-nee-chan: As much as I missed you, I understand that you had to take your time to review and, considering that I took so very long to answer your review, rather than trying to kill you, I'd call us even. I'm glad that last chapter grew on you – it wasn't easy to digest, so I understand. Actually, I very much liked the fact that you called my writing 'soft', at least in the way you intended the word to mean that the situations I pen down aren't going all out in one specific genre, but rather remain slightly innocent. Soujiro is just SO freaking bipolar that he's terribly fun to write! I am thrilled that my Kaoru is truly getting under your skin – and in a good way too! – because, some people are concerned that I will turn her into something of a lovesick fool – kind of like a Misao without Aoshi's background story to help us understand why he is actually worth the trouble – so, it comes to me as a great relief to read that you understand that that is not the case. In answer to your questions: 1) The typo in last chapter is actually not a typo but a problem with the uploading of the document on fanfiction ( . ) net . The original line reads: "As for Megumi, she drew her arms around him, enfolding him in warmth and breath that felt like home, and rubbed his back, tenderly slipping a hand beneath his shirt, his soft skin small comfort for a womannsideringonsidering that she knew he didn'enfohe first place.pain that came with awareness that he couldn that knew she wasn't being believed." 2) You seem to be the only person to have picked up on that particularly cryptic sentence. As to why Kenshin would have peed into a cup for two years… it would be really funny if some sort of "accident" had occurred with his 'equipment' wouldn't you agree? Hahahahha. That aside, since I know for a fact that you were anticipating the K/K moment in this chapter – bet you didn't think I would make the entire chapter about them, did you? – I feel compelled to ask: was it any good? What was your favorite part? What do you think I could have played differently? What was least important, in you opinion? Irene, thank you for everything, your encouragement means a great deal to me and your feedback is most important. Kissies and take care.

To one and all, thank you for sticking around. To this website, thank you for very nearly giving me an ulcer. Goodnight everyone.