WHEN THE WORLD REVOLVES AROUND YOU:
By: Chiki Yumeshisa

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin…all original characters/ideas are mine to claim though.

AN: I just finished watching when Kenshin was in Shingetsu village and met Shishio for the first time. Saitoh and Kenshin had the courtesy to take off their shoes at the door! They fought in socks! KAWAII! Okay, I´m strange……….

Warnings: Mellow chapter! On a riff when it comes to writing.

Chapter 26:
The Turning Point

"Come on, Kenshin! Hurry up!" Kaoru sang, running up ahead. Her ponytail flew out behind her, the balloon she was holding on a slant because of the wind. She reminded him of a little girl.

He smiled tiredly. He felt like crap, even after the spa and massage earlier that morning, but he made it a point to keep his promise to Kaoru. He sure missed a few hours of sleep.

"I'm coming." He said, stuffing his hands into his pockets and following after her while she bounced from booth to booth, game to game, and ride to ride. She never tired of anything, and despite his fatigue, it lifted his spirits seeing her so excited and her sparkling eyes.

The sun beat down on them, and while it was better than a cold winter wind, it was still stifling and uncomfortable.

He was dressed in shorts and a sleeveless top, exposing his taut muscles on his arms. It was an LATX top that he was very proud of. He had clad Kaoru in pure GAP, having liked the way she looked in it.

"Let's play this one next!" She said eagerly, once he had caught up.

"Hnn…" He looked at the stall.

"I want that doll!" Kaoru said excitedly, pointing to a stuffed animal as big as her torso. It was a big tiger, with big eyes and its mouth wide open. How she thought it was so cute, he had no idea, but if she wanted it, her wish was his command. He stepped up to the person in charge.

"Play to win a doll for your girlfriend, sir?" The man asked, holding up a smaller version of the doll, squeezing it in his hands. Kenshin had the thought to tell him that Kaoru was not his girlfriend, but he didn't bother. Instead, he felt around in his pocket for his wallet.

Kenshin eyed the wall, which was lined with balloon upon balloon. "What is it you have to do?"

The man held out three darts. "You use these to get your girl a prize."

That was easy enough. There was bound to be a balloon he would hit: maybe even more. "How much?"

"Three dollars." The man replied.

Kenshin sweatdropped. He never carried change. "Can you break a $100 bill?"

Now it was the man's turn to sweatdrop. "Uh….no……sir, but if you wish to play 33 times or so, then……"

Kenshin shrugged. "Whatever. I'll just play a couple, and you can keep the change. I just want to get her that doll." He pointed to the one Kaoru had shown him.

So, shrugging, the man handed him the three darts.

Grinning, Kaoru shook Kenshin's arm, having not understood the whole encounter and whispered that she was counting on him.

He nodded, and drew his arm back to let a dart fly. Before he could let it go, the man quickly said, "Oh, I forgot to tell you, you're not supposed to let the dart hit any balloons; little stickers are placed between them. If you can hit those, then you will get a prize."

"Just great…." Kenshin murmured. He stiffened his resolve. I can do it. He thought. He wasn't about to let Kaoru see him give up. This was a strange turn of events……

At the end, Kaoru walked away with her doll, happily clutching it to herself. "Thanks so much, Kenshin!" She cried. She saw something else and began to run toward it, dragging him along. Hiroto and Kakujin, who both looked bored, tailed them silently.

She dragged him to a spinning teacup ride, where several cups of different colors spun and children squealed.

Kenshin hated that ride but went on anyway at Kaoru's insistence.

After stepping off, Kaoru excused herself while she went to the washroom, handing him her doll to hold.

Kenshin held it dumbly, still feeling the after-effects of the ride. Snapping out of it, he dumped the toy in Hiroto's arms. I think I'm gonna be sick……

He swallowed, his stomach roiling at the mere thought. He was glad Kaoru hadn't decided to have them eat before they went on the ride.

When his stomach finally settled, he was about to get the toy back from his bodyguard when he felt someone bump into him.

Mood darkening, Kenshin turned to see who it was that had the audacity to bump him like that.

Tired and irritated, he snapped, "Watch where you're going - " He cut himself off when he saw who it was.

"Sorry…" The girl replied automatically. She paused. "Kenshin?"

Kenshin couldn´t help but stare in surprise. He wondered if he was dreaming. "Jen?"

0-0-0-0-0

"Awww! There's only one more day of vacation after this. It wasn't long enough!" Misao whined, swinging her arms in frustration. Soujiro grinned, shrugging at her comment.

"We do go back on Monday." He said matter-of-factly. Luckily, the weather had let up its harsh bite, a cool breeze caressing their skin as they walked side by side towards Aoshi's. Okita was a few paces behind them, intending to go with the group to watch a movie and then go to Saitoh's house.

Once in a while, he would look over his shoulder to check if he was being followed. Saitoh had told him that the police hadn't just been there to tag him out for drinking, but because they had been given specific instructions to bring him back to his house. To his relief, there were no police in sight.

He turned his attention to the two ahead of him.

"Kamiya-san should be coming back by the end of tomorrow if not sooner."

"I wonder how she's doing?" Misao asked.

"Last I heard from her, she was fine. She seems to be doing well with Himura."
Misao grinned. "Really….." She looked skyward. "I wonder how I will do with Aoshi……"

Soujiro struggled to keep the smile on his face. "We will see……" He murmured thoughtfully.

She pulled out a chap stick, applying the balm to her chaffed lips. "Will you do me another favor then?" She asked.

"What can I do for you?'

"Can you ask Aoshi what he thinks of me? And you know, make me look good while you're at it."

He said nothing, fearing he would snap at her to go and do it herself for a change – that he was sick of her using him when he loved her and yet she didn't notice. Instead, he nodded.

Ai answered the door when they knocked. Misao couldn't help but glare. What was she doing there?

"Welcome." Ai said, stepping aside to allow them in. She herself was surprised to see Okita there too.

"It's good to see you again, Ai-san." Soujiro said politely.

Aoshi was pulling on his steel-toe boots. "I invited Ai to come with us. I hope it's okay."

Okita nodded. "It's fine." Inside he was wincing.

Misao took the opportunity to walk next to Aoshi, chattering a mile a minute, her green eyes glowing. Ai walked between Okita and Soujiro, allowing the two up ahead to have time together.

Okita was uneasy. He was about to excuse himself, when Ai suddenly spoke up. "Aoshi, I don't feel like going to watch a movie."

Aoshi turned, a confused look etched onto his face. "Why?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I just felt like going shopping. You guys can go ahead." She waggled her fingers indicating him and Misao. Then she turned to Okita and Soujiro. "Wanna come with me guys?"
Hiding his scowl, Soujiro nodded. "Okay, sure." He understood what she was meaning to do. "I'll keep you company."

Okita shifted his feet uncomfortably. He knew that he wanted to spend time with Ai, but he also knew that he wasn't entitled to. He searched desperately for something to say, her words from the other day still fresh in his memory, making his heart break at the recollection. Just before he could say something, Soujiro came to his rescue.

"Okita-san, don't you have an appointment with Saitoh-sensei?"
Gratefully, Okita nodded. "Yeah, actually……I was planning to go as it was on the way, but….."

Ai seemed to understand. "That's okay. I guess we'll see you later then."

Okita nodded. "Yeah, okay – later."

She walked on ahead with Soujiro, pausing beside Misao. In an emotionless voice, she said, "You understand, right?" And walked away, leaving Misao standing next to Aoshi, baffled.

Okita slipped away, almost too eagerly. Distancing himself was the best thing to do. He was thinking to break into an all-out run when he felt hands grip his forearms and a deep voice growl, "Finally found you, Okita-san. I'd advise you to come quietly."

0-0-0-0-0

Tomoe's were filled with tears. Talk about shock! She managed to finally find her voice. "Y-you're lying." She couldn't believe the story that Akira just told.

Akira was now sitting on the floor, glad he was able to tell her the truth. He would not have his childhood friend fall in love with a monster. He couldn't stand the way Kenshin acted. He had always gotten his way, but not this time – this time, no more damage would be done. "I'm afraid not. Suzuri-san no longer exists because of him. It's in school records and things."

She shook her head in denial. "He would be in jail."

"He's not in jail – his money is keeping him from being behind those bars." He sounded bitter. "That shouldn't happen. Justice wasn't served. He should be in jail right now, if you ask me."

Tomoe blinked the tears away. "He's no murderer! And if so, he's different now. Besides, I haven't heard his side of the story. Even if he did, he must have had a good reason to."

Akira snapped. "Why are you defending him?" He wanted to shake her. "Can't you see? Murdering is wrong! The point is, he shouldn't have, and yet he did! And here you are, protecting him!"

Tomoe faintly replied, "It can't have been on purpose. Kenshin would never kill in cold blood! Never……"

"Fine! I tried telling you, Tomoe, but you wouldn't listen to me. The picture isn't nice, and it will never be nice. You can paint over it all you want, but it's still there. Believe what you want to believe but the truth is the truth.'

She fell silent on the other line, the news too overwhelming. She realized that she was sobbing. Akira was right. But she couldn´t see Kenshin like that. No……she refused to see Kenshin like that.

To her, Kenshin was kind and considerate. His touch was gentle, and he was confident. Even if he was hurt, he wouldn´t resort to something as low blow as killing someone. She saw no justification. Her head spun in confusion.

Who was she to believe?

"Tomoe…..I'm sorry……" Akira murmured. "I wanted you to know so that you wouldn't be deceived. I didn't want you to find out later when you were really in love with him." He paused. "Maybe he was planning to tell you and was looking for the right time."

He hated it when she cried or was upset. He heard a click on the other line, and then the dial tone.

Tomoe had hung up on him.

She decided, however, that when she saw Kenshin at the airport when she picked him up, she'd ask him herself.

And she'd get the real story for sure.

0-0-0-0-0

Her long light brown hair was slightly past her hips and he remembered those green eyes. It was somewhat of a shock to see them staring at him again. It had been three years, and seeing her again brought back bittersweet memories. His past knew how to torture him.

"What……a surprise." Kenshin voiced his thoughts.

Jen grinned, before pulling him into a fierce hug.

He changed it to a passionate kiss, crushing her form against his. She smiled against his mouth, before pulling away.

"You still remember that, huh?"

Kenshin smiled weakly. That was when he saw Kaoru standing there, quite shocked. Her eyes had widened and she had grown pale. She took a step back.

For some reason, she felt jealous seeing him kiss someone else. And for some reason, he made the attempt to quickly explain himself.

"Ah, Jen!" He ran his fingers through his thick red hair nervously. "This is Kamiya Kaoru. Kaoru, this is Jen."

Kaoru noticed he was speaking Japanese. She snapped her question out of reflex. "Your old girlfriend?"

Kenshin winced at her words. He tried to ignore the sudden flashbacks that came flooding back to him. It was really getting out of hand. He found his voice. "No."

Jen giggled, also shaking her head. "It's nice to meet you, Kamiya-san."

"It's nice to meet you too……Jen……san……." Kaoru said uncertainly. She bowed slightly.

Jen smiled. "Just call me Jen, please." She smiled brightly, amused at Kaoru's surprise.

"A…….ah……..okay." She stuttered in bewilderment. Jen's Japanese accent was perfect, her sentences clear and understandable. She couldn't help but wonder if Jen's parents were somehow connected with Japan if not Japanese. She certainly didn't look like it – tall and slim, with freckles and a nice smile. She caught a glimpse of a tattoo of a dolphin on her right leg's calf. She turned confused eyes to Kenshin in question, wanting an explanation.

"Jen used to attend school in Japan, but after Suzuri-san's death……" He paused. Oh goodness, the past really crept up on him unexpectedly. He cut himself off and started over, his cheeks heating. He felt Jen's eyes on him and self-consciously and he cleared his voice. "Well, Jen was an exchange student from America that went to Kojimachi Private High three years ago. She and I became good friends but she was……sent back to America……" He gave her an awkward smile.

Kaoru shook her head. "If she wasn't your girlfriend then why……?"
Jen grinned. "Oh, Kenshin was an idiot – he still is, but – when I first came to Japan, he really believed that Americans greeted each other by kissing passionately. So it became something like an inside joke."
She turned her attention to Kenshin who was blushing a bit.

"It really is a surprise to see you: I take it you're on vacation?"

He nodded. "Winter break. We decided to go somewhere hot." He changed the topic. "I haven't heard from you in a while. How are you and Scott?"

"He and I are great." Jen crooned happily. She held out her hand toward him, displaying a ring. "We're engaged."

"Engaged!" Kenshin cried. He had never known America to have traditions where the families arranged marriages. He voiced his thoughts out loud but Jen shook her head.

"No, Scott asked me for my hand in marriage. I'm so excited!"

Kenshin blinked. "I'm real happy for you Jen." He sounded sincere. Kaoru felt out of place.

"He's come all the way from Arizona to visit me." She sounded like she was walking on a cloud. "We decided to hit Miami and party."

Kenshin looked around. "He's here?" He asked.

She nodded and winked as a rather tall boy came around the corner. He was holding two ice cream cones in his hands; one was dripping while the other looked about ready to fall over. He had curly brown hair and his hazel eyes shifted in question when he took in Jen talking with some guy he didn't know.

He stood next to her and handed her a cone, watching the pair in front of her curiously. He gave them a nod.

"Kenshin, this is Scott, my fiancé." She said, putting an arm around his waist. "Scott, this is Kenshin, the guy I told you about before?"

Scott merely nodded, and, having kept the cone that had the ice cream that was melting, wiped off the mess before extending his hand to greet Kenshin more formally. He was a good height taller than Kenshin, that was for sure, and much more built.

Kaoru felt even more alienated: they had once again begun to speak in English. She gave Scott and awkward smile, and was surprised when he suddenly took her hand and shook it firmly as well. She pulled back shyly.

Kenshin put a hand through Kaoru's; a silent gesture of assurance. He spoke with Scott. "Congratulations on your engagement.' He started. "You're a lucky guy."

Scott grinned. "I know." He answered sincerely.

They began to walk, Kenshin trying to keep stride with Scott's long ones, leaving Kaoru behind to chat with Jen.

"How is Kenshin nowadays?" Jen asked, scratching her upper arm while she stared at the back of the boys´ heads.

Kaoru shifted uncomfortably. It made her sound as if she were really familiar with Kenshin. However……come to think of it – she was in a sense. "He's um…..okay." She said lamely, unsure of what she meant by her sentence.

She shook her head, smirking a bit at her confusion. "Have you known him for a while, or……?"

Kaoru shook her head. "No. I just transferred to Kojimachi at the end of this fall."

"So that would mean that you don't know about the incident………'

Kaoru made a face. "What incident?"

"I really thought you were Kenshin's girlfriend. You look good together." Jen said quickly, changing the topic. It kind of irked Kaoru that she left her hanging like that, but she couldn't help but blush.

"No, Kenshin has someone else……."

Jen raised her eyebrows. "Really…….so soon……he must have gotten over it himself, that's good."

She couldn't stand the fact that she was always left in the shadows of Kenshin's past. "What happened? What did he do?"

"He hasn't told you either…?" Jen murmured to herself pensively. "I guess he wants to forget about it." She shrugged. "Three years ago, Kenshin killed his girlfriend."

Kaoru stopped walking.

Jen kept going, and Kaoru almost missed her next sentence. "……….And his girlfriend happened to be my best friend."

0-0-0-0-0

Hikaru brushed her hair out of her face, sitting up in bed. She blinked. Where was she?

Her brown eyes searched the room for some sort of familiarity, but she could find none except for when her eyes fell on her travel bags that lay on the floor a few feet away.

The other day filtered back into her memory. That was right: she was going to be living in the Okita's residence from then on. What a change……but she was determined – she'd show her father that it was something she could deal with.

A maid stepped up, offering to help her into her kimono after she had finished her morning grooming.

As she sat in front of the vanity mirror, allowing the maids to do her hair, she noticed that she was really pale. The other night, she had not felt well at all, and had tossed and turned in her bed after she had gotten sick. She lacked the sleep.

It wouldn't make a good impression on the Master of the House. In truth, she disliked him a lot. It made her blood boil when he spoke to her, telling her what she could and couldn't do. It upset her to no end that he looked down on women so much. But what could she say? He was to become her father-in-law, and she had to marry the person her father had paired her up with.

For the sake of their companies.

For the sake of his honor.

Hikaru brought her hand down angrily on the dresser and waved the maids away. They stole out of the room quietly, filing out in a single line.
She sat still for a moment, letting all her anger seethe. Her long black hair covered her face and hung in loose strands. She struggled not to cry. All her life she had been obedient and humble, but to be degraded to being less than an animal! She might as well be sold like a slave.

She jumped when she heard a soft knock on the door.

It was Soushi's older sister. Quickly, she checked the mirror to see if any tears were on her cheeks. To be doubly sure, she wiped them with her fingers.

"Good morning." She said trying to get to her feet to greet her with a formal bow.

She held up her hand to stop her from doing so. "Kobayashi-san, am I correct?"

Hikaru nodded, still halfway up out of her chair.

"I'm Okita Reiko. I get a chance to meet my brother's fiancée….." She grinned. "I'm pleased to meet you."

Hikaru offered her a shaky smile. "As am I you……"

"It's quite late already, I was worried that perhaps you were still sick…..I overheard you last night."

Hikaru felt her cheeks turn bright red. Oh, how embarrassing! "I'm fine, now, thank you. What time is it?"

"It' around 1 in the afternoon." Reiko said. "Your lunch has gotten cold and father is upset that you haven't yet eaten."

She swallowed her comments: it wasn't nice to make rude ones about someone's father. As the saying went, if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. She decided to keep silent.

Reiko seemed to get the hint. "He can be demeaning sometimes, but after a while, you get used to it. And besides, it's hardly ever that you will see him."

"It's painful." Hikaru admitted. "I want things over and done with so that I won't have to go through the likes again."

The elder nodded. "At least your husband-to-be is nothing like him. The exact opposite if I may say so."

She picked up some strands from Hikaru´s hair and pinned them up. Hikaru let her, glad that someone in the Okita family was human. Even their mother seemed out there – reduced to no more than someone there for appearances only.

She pondered on Reiko´s last words. If Soushi wasn´t like his father, how would he act?

As they went downstairs, she heard a commotion, but Reiko led the way to the formal dining hall they had been in the other day. Just before she could start her meal, Okita-san came in, a mixed look of both excitement and exasperation on his face. Reiko instantly backed away, lowering her head in acknowledgement.

"Finally! Hikaru, I wish for you to meet my son, Okita Soushi."

She was not prepared for that. Her heart beat wildly in her chest, and numbly she positioned herself by the door, lowering herself onto her knees.

"Let me go, already! I am perfectly capable of walking through a doorway on my own!" She heard a voice say. It sounded upset.

She opened the door slowly, and a male entered, face flushed and eyes flashing angrily.

"What is the meaning of this, my father?" He cried, straightening out his clothing. Okita was taller and looked just like his father. It was obvious that he had been placed into his haori and hakama very quickly; the aqua color of the yukata he wore beneath suited him.

She was mesmerized, and her breath flew when he turned his hard brown eyes to her.

Okita-san merely smirked. "Soushi, I see that we finally found you. It's about time." His voice got menacing and commanding. "We will save this conversation for later. Right now," He turned to Hikaru who was still sitting on the floor, staring up at the young man, "I want you to meet your fiancée."

0-0-0-0-0

Aoshi and Misao walked side by side in the mall.

She was thrilled: it was nice of Ai to allow her to spend some time with Aoshi. What more could she ask for? A romantic movie, a romantic stroll, and then a romantic dinner……she was tickled pink.

"Are you okay, Makimachi-san?" Aoshi asked, holding a door open for her to step through. She had suddenly begun to giggle for no apparent reason.

"I'm fine, Shinomori-san." She said brightly.

He gave her a dry smile. He had not enjoyed the movie at all – Bulletproof Monk had proved to be quite a disappointment. She seemed to enjoy it though, so he didn't voice his opinion. Since they were at opposite ends of the thought, he wanted to stay away from conversation about the movie.

"Where do you want to eat?" He asked uncertainly.

"Let's go to the steakhouse……" She faltered. "I mean…..Cassadrima's is good too….." She recovered from her slip. That's right – he's a vegetarian…..

Aoshi nodded. "It's okay, if you really want to go to the steakhouse….."

"No, Cassadrima's is good. I'm okay with that too. I'm sorry, I almost forgot." She was kicking herself mentally. If only Soujiro was there! She had really been counting on him to ask Aoshi the question of his feelings toward her.

She would have to do it herself, but she feared she didn't have the courage.

"Ah, Shinomori-san, I wanted to know….." She paused, and when he gave her an unreadable look, she continued. "I wanted to know what you were thinking when you first found out that you had an arranged marriage."

He shrugged. "I didn't really think anything. I already knew, more or less, and when I first met Ai, I felt like I already knew her."

Misao frowned. "Could you honestly fall in love with someone you don't know?" She asked.

Aoshi turned to look at her. Ai's words and scolding rang in his mind. He'd have to tell Misao the truth one day. And he felt bad for leading her on: Ai was right – he had no right to play with the girl's emotions like that. He wondered what to do.

"It's possible." He said slowly.

She sniffed. "But then you can't find love on your own. I think it's selfish for parents to do that." She turned around, her braid whipping out behind her as she did so. "If my parents ever did that to me….." She paused and sighed. "Who am I kidding? What parents? Those guys….."

Aoshi frowned. "What do you mean?"

She angrily replied, "They didn't take care of me, always so busy with their work, they didn't want me around. I would rather have it your way Shinomori-san, where your parents still pay attention to you and consider you as part of their lives."

He looked away at a display of a mountain of dolls. Great, it was getting harder to tell her what needed to be said.

"I was always being told that I was too noisy and to keep quiet. It hurt that they didn´t love me at all." She shivered with her anger. "But Jiiya's different: he cares for me – that's all I ever wanted."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Makimachi-san….." Aoshi said quietly. He was sorry for her. Being neglected was not fun. Even if he had been to a boarding school for almost all his life, at least his parents still wrote to him and called him up. He often thought that his parents didn't care about him, but he found he was mistaken.

He felt his mouth go dry. He couldn't keep it up much longer. Just before he could say anything, Misao blurted, "Just what are your feelings for me, Shinomori-san? I want to know – I need to know……..please……" She bowed her head, waiting for his response.

She had been denied love for all of her life from her parents, and she couldn't bear the thought that the person she loved would deny her of it again, but she had to know. She just had to! She would be strong……

Aoshi´s face was emotionless. "Makimachi-san……….I………"

He took a deep breath. It was time to tell her his decision.

0-0-0-0-0

Jen had refused to say anything more on the topic of the incident that had happened three years ago. She seemed to want to forget it too. However, it rang in Kaoru's head for the rest of the day, and it bugged her to no end.

Was it true that Kenshin was a murderer?

If so, what had caused him to do that……?

And……just how much about Kenshin did she not know about?
She was nervous. If Kenshin could kill his last girlfriend, then she felt very vulnerable.

Kenshin was joking with Jen about getting a tattoo too when Kaoru snapped back into reality. He seemed oblivious to anything that had happened. She supposed that Jen hadn't told him she had told Kaoru…..

"Well, Kamiya-san, it was a pleasure to meet you." Jen said warmly.

"Yes." Kaoru answered sincerely.

Jen lowered her voice. "Even if Kenshin did something like that, would you abandon him?"

Kaoru looked over to Kenshin who was talking with Scott about something. "No. I wouldn't……but, it's not like……."

"Ganbatte!" Jen interrupted, patting her on the back. (Ganbatte good luck)

She took Scott's arm and said goodbye to Kenshin before leaving the both of them alone together.

Kenshin turned to her, grinning. "What do you think of Jen?" He asked.

"She was very nice." Kaoru answered. She stared at his face. What is it about you……?

"Let's head back." He told her. "It's late, and I'm tired. We leave Florida early tomorrow morning too."

He pulled her close as they walked back toward the limo. "I hope you had fun today"' He told her. She nodded, smiling. Maybe he didn't really kill……

The question was on her mind all night though, and she didn't get much sleep. She managed to doze in the limo as they made their way to the airport the next morning.

Once seated and securely in place next to Kenshin on the plane, she decided to ask him.

His eyes were closed and he opened them when she tugged on his shirt. "Yeah?"

"Ah…..Kenshin……three years ago……did you really kill your girlfriend?" She asked.

His soft purple eyes instantly hardened. "That's none of your business."

She backed away a bit. "Jen told me……"

He glared at her. "Would you quit trying to pry into my life?" He demanded.

Taken aback and hurt at his tone, she snapped back, "I just wanted to get to know you some more……."

He ran a hand through his thick mane of red hair angrily. "Well, too bad – I promised you I wouldn't be jerk on the trip and I wasn't – but now that it's over, don't expect me to lower myself for the likes of you again."

It was like an unexpected slap to the face: Kaoru stared in shock.

It hurt like a million pieces of glass ripping through her heart. She wanted to burst into tears.

Even the ascent into the air had no affect on her, and as soon as the plane left the ground, she ran into the washroom and locked herself in. She began to cry – everything they had done meant absolutely nothing to him?

It was going to be a long 16 hour flight back to Japan…….

To Be Continued…..

AN: Hey guys! I'm glad to see that so many people are interested in knowing just exactly what Kenshin's past is. MERRY CHRISTMAS! Please be nice and give me the gift of reviews! Japanese cultural notes are going to be posted on the Yahoo group so please check it out and I'll see you all next Sunday!