Kaoru smiled genially at the postman the moment she opened her front door. It was 6:00 in the morning and the wind was quite chilly so Kaoru had to tightly pull her jacket around her body. Around this time, she usually wakes up to do her early-morning exercise routine to keep herself physically fit. It was a habit that was cultivated through years of athletic discipline in the high school Kendo club. And it was a habit of hers that she'd probably still have even 20 years from now.

"Mr. Shiro!" she waved at the aged postman as she jogged up to the front gate. Mr. Shiro returned Kaoru's greeting just as warmly, even tipping off his hat and bowing to his waist in a gesture of old-world respect.

Kaoru giggled at Mr. Shiro's old ways. He used to tell her that his own grandfather was the butler of the old royal family of Japan. And it was this same grandfather of his that taught him his manners, thus explaining Mr. Shiro's peculiar, traditional ways.

Whether this was true or not, Kaoru didn't know. Nor did she care. The postman was very nice to her and was the very first person she could call her friend in this place ever since she had come to settle here. She moved in from Tokyo only two years ago and was still in the phase of getting used to her surroundings and to the simple country folks that inhabited the rest of her neighbourhood. So she was very thankful for all the help and guidance that Mr. Shiro provided her.

"Any letters for me?" Kaoru inquired. But she didn't really need to ask because the postman was standing right next to her mail box when she stepped out of the house. And even before she approached him, she already saw Mr. Shiro lift the little sign to indicate that she had mail.

The postman nodded in affirmation. "I'll come back for it later after my exercise," she said.

"Take care then Miss Kamiya."

She smiled at his concern. And with that, she turned on her heels and started to sprint away.

The cherry blossom trees along the road were a sight to behold during this particular season. Around her, the air was covered with petals here and there coming from the trees, giving the illusion of pink snow in the middle of spring. The wind blew past her, ruffling her hair a bit and slightly colouring her cheeks almost to the same shade of the blossoms around her due to the crisp, cold weather. In the horizon, the sun was slowly peeking out from the heavy blankets of the night sky, streaking the heavens with a soft, rosy hue as it got up on its feet, ready to embark on another day full of life and laughter among the soft clouds.

It was still too early so the streets looked a little dead because of the ominous silence and stillness. But already, Kaoru could hear bits and pieces of sounds from people doing their early-morning rituals in their houses. In a little while, fathers would be coming out of their houses, ready to go to work while their wives bid them goodbye. Students too would soon be filling the streets, all of them prepared to take on another eventful day in school. And soon, these very same grey, motionless streets would be filled with signs and sights of life once more.

Kaoru was happy to move in to this relatively quiet but lively town. It had been two years since she moved from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo to settle here. And in all those two years, she never regretted coming here, not even once.

The newspaper boy rode past her. But young Yutaro managed an energetic wave in her direction, to which she returned just as pleasantly.

Kaoru was nearing the intersection where she usually stopped to rest before she resumed her vigorous trot. But as she approached the intersection, she saw her next door neighbour Ms. Tae, owner of the town candy shop, standing idly under a lamp post. Kaoru was surprised to find the woman up and about this early so she halted by her side and greeted her.

"Oh hello Kaoru," Tae greeted back, albeit a little distracted. "I'm just waiting for my nephew. He's supposed to arrive here from Tokyo fifteen minutes ago."

"I didn't know that you have a nephew, much less someone from Tokyo," Kaoru noted with wonder. Ms. Tae, not to be derogative or anything, was one of the town's biggest mouths when it came to gossip. Most of the time if she was not selling candy, then you could be most assured that she'd be hanging out in the local beauty parlour, swapping stories with the other rumour-mongers of this place.

"Didn't I?" she looked surprised. "But I did! I could've sworn I dropped by your house two days ago to tell you about him. I wanted so badly for you to meet him!"

Aside from being a first-class gossip, Ms. Tae also prided herself for being a perfect matchmaker. She'd brag to anyone who'd listen that most of the town's most famous couples were paired by her. Groaning, Kaoru realized why she missed this news. Kaoru must have zoned out when Tae dropped by her house days ago and yakked on and on about her nephew.

It was because apart from trying to avoid the woman's prying questions about her life before she moved into this town, but also due to the simple fact that Kaoru was sorely not interested in men right now.

"Oh," was all Kaoru could muster.

"You'll like him dear," Tae was shooting off that famous mouth of hers again without even pausing to take note whether the person was still listening to her or not. "He's very handsome and you're very much available- not that he isn't available either, mind you. And I'm very sure he'll like you too!"

It was all Kaoru could do not to openly roll her eyes down at the woman. If only Tae knew that Kaoru was going through her own divorce then maybe the woman wouldn't be so persistent about pairing her up to every man she could think of. Honestly, ever since Kaoru settled right next door to Tae and people got the impression that she was single (she never affirmed or denied it), the exasperating lady had done nothing else (aside from gossip) but to convince Kaoru to find herself a nice man to grow old with. The woman's persistence was almost more than Kaoru could bear!

But come to think of it, if Tae ever found out that the real reason why Kaoru left Tokyo was to avoid a man (namely her ex-husband), then it might strengthen her resolve even more to convince Kaoru to take a lover, with the absurd reasoning that it would help her get over her broken heart easier. Tae was a hopeless romantic you see…and deeply devoted to her late husband. Bless his soul.

All the more reason for Kaoru never to disclose her marital status to anyone; most especially not to Ms. Tae.

"I'll be heading back to my house Ms. Tae. I think I'm developing a headache."

"But-!"

Kaoru didn't let Tae convince her or manipulate her to stay so she could see this supposed nephew. She quickly jogged back all the way to her house, not minding the lovely sights and scents of the morning unlike earlier. When she arrived to her one-story bungalow, Kaoru –almost- forgot to take the mail along with her. Once she crossed the foyer, she suddenly realized that she was sweating more profusely than normal. And it was cold sweat to boot.

Kaoru removed her jacket and tossed it aside. She knelt forward to remove her jogging shoes, and that too was haphazardly chucked to another part of the house. Kaoru was usually a neat freak so if anyone who knew her well saw her doing this, then they'd know for sure that something was wrong.

When she reached the kitchen, she dropped the stack of letters on top of the Formica counter top and quickly turned her attention to her fridge. She took a carton of apple juice, took out a glass from a drawer and poured herself some. After that, she pulled a seat towards her and sat on top of it, with a heavy groan escaping from her lips. She hastily brought the glass with the apple juice to her lips and drank it down greedily, with even some drops eagerly dripping down her chin. But she easily rectified that matter with a careless swipe of the back of her hand on her smooth jaws.

She was a fright to behold and she knew it. And all because she was afraid to meet Ms. Tae's nephew…

Two years… It had been two years since she parted ways with her ex-husband Kenshin Himura. It was a parting full of bitterness, anger and regret. After being married for almost three years to him, who would have known that their end would be so ugly?

Kaoru was too young when she married him; too romantic and delusional about the real world to realize that she was making a mistake when she agreed to elope with him. And Kenshin, he was too vigorous and full of life. He had too much hopes and dreams that he wished to put in action. He was so eager to prove himself to the world, too full of pride and youthful hot blood to recognize the error of his actions when he asked Kaoru to run away with him. And it was a blunder that they paid dearly with, three years later…

Many people called them mad when she, barely 18, and him, just freshly graduated from college at the age of 21, decided to run off, get married and make a life together. But back then, Kaoru and Kenshin called themselves hopelessly, irrevocably, undeniably, and irrationally in love. And foolishly, they believed themselves right.

Kaoru was the only child and daughter of a businessman and an important Japanese stateswoman. Kenshin was merely the nephew of a penniless ex-convict called Hiko Seijouro. Because of this background, Kenshin had to practically crawl his way to college. But through his intellect, he was able to attain a scholarship to one of the most prestigious and exclusive universities in Tokyo. That same university had a high school branch, and incidentally that was where Kaoru was studying in. The two naïve teenagers met by accident when their friends set them up on a blind date. But ever since then they were inseparable. Kaoru was only 16 years old and Kenshin 19 when they officially became a couple.

Naturally, her high-class parents strongly disapproved of this 'infatuation'. And that was when they arrived at a crossroad and decided to take the path that they should have known would inevitably lead to ruin.

Kaoru dropped out of school and Kenshin's idealistic dreams of owning his own company would have to wait after they eloped. As a result, Mr. and Mrs. Kamiya disowned their daughter so the newly-wed couples were left to fend for themselves.

It was a classic story really. Theirs was not the first teenage marriage that fell into ruin. It was a typical formula: Kenshin, frustrated, and Kaoru, disillusioned. So after years of dissatisfaction and unhappiness, both of them finally came to the painful conclusion that their love was not enough to keep the relationship going. Shortly after that, Kaoru packed her bags and left.

She was thankful that during her three-year marriage with him, they decided to put-off having a child for the time being. And when they separated, it had seemed quite a very good idea indeed after all. Kaoru couldn't imagine putting a child through the harrowing experience of a parents' break-up. That was why it was really a good thing that they decided to wait…

They never heard of each other ever since…

Kaoru never tried to go back to her parents because she knew that she would never be accepted again. But now that she was on her own, she didn't know what to do. Without a college education, she could only hope in heaven that she'd get a decent-paying job to support herself.

But she persevered. She knew she couldn't ask for help from her parents or from her former friends, and especially not from her former husband, so she thought of a plan- and the first step was to leave Tokyo and all its unpleasant memories behind. For almost a year, she worked many types of odd jobs and she diligently saved all the salaries and tips she received during that bleak year of serving food and drinks, being a temporary saleslady and many more. So when she finally had enough money, she was able to enroll herself to the local college that next school year. She decided to take a business management course because that would be the most practical road to take. And in one of her classes, she met her future band mates: Sanosuke Sagara and Misao Makimachi. When the three of them found out each other's abilities -Sagara was good with the guitar, Misao on percussions and drums, and Kaoru with her beautiful voice and knowledge with the piano- that's when they decided to form an acoustic band.

At first, they played just for the heck of it. But then Ms. Tae noted their skill one day six months ago and she was the one who insisted that they use their skills to make money. And that was when they decided to try her suggestion and apply for a gig job at 'Java Street', a campus coffee shop that hired bands to play every night.

And they got lucky! Mr. Houji, an over-all disagreeable man, decided to hire them on a regular basis after their huge success on their first night. And ever since then, Kaoru's life was so much easier. She had quit her other odd jobs and focused on her new singing career. She was thankful that the job paid well enough to take care of the house bills and a part of her school finances. And with her job schedule of three gigs a week, she was free enough to still focus on her studies amidst being a working student.

But not free enough to date…

She laughed at the idea. Even if she could, she wouldn't. And that was because not only was she not interested in any emotional entanglements right now, but also due to the reason that –technically- she was still married.

It was because when Kaoru left Kenshin, there was no talk of a divorce. She guessed that during that time, both of them were too stressed out to take care of it.

But she had no doubts that they'd take care of it eventually, sooner or later, if in future it would be deemed necessary. But in the meantime, if her ex-husband didn't think it was worth the trouble for the time being, then she most certainly wouldn't bother herself with it.

She had no illusions that they'd eventually get back together. There was just too much bitterness and resentment to make such reconciliation possible.

They'd probably talk of a divorce settlement if one, or both of them, decided to get married again…

Kaoru saw no future in the possibility that she'd be tied to a man again. Her marriage experience left her sour with relationships. And besides, right now she was forward-focused on her goals: and that was to graduate with honours and start a business of her own. So there was no time to cultivate any type of romantic relationship in her life. At least, not now or for the next ten years.

Maybe after she had accomplished everything she dreamed to do in her life, then and only then would she entertain ideas of raising a family. But for now, there was no room, space or time for another individual in her life.

That still didn't explain the sudden anxiety attack that took over her when Ms. Tae insisted that Kaoru should meet the woman's nephew.

Kaoru brought her glass to the sink to wash and rinse it out. She returned it to its place in the cabinet rack and went to dry her hands. She glanced up to the wall on her left where a gold-rimmed, circular clock with a little pendulum arrow was located. It was already quarter to seven and her morning classes started at 8. She had to start her own preparations now if she didn't wish to be tardy.

With that notion suddenly preoccupying her mind, she soon forgot about her earlier thoughts and quickly went to the west wing of the house where the bathroom was located. She was so possessed about the firm determination not to run late that she had completely forgotten to open her mails…

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"So how's that song coming along?"

"You have to ask?" Kaoru groaned at her good friend Misao Makimachi. They were in 'Java Street' that afternoon even though it was not their schedule to play. And it was all thanks to the band that was supposed to play tonight for getting themselves fired by an angry Mr. Houji when they were caught by the town's patrolling policemen fooling around with marijuana last night, just outside the café. And since it had been so sudden, Kaoru's band had to fill in for a while until a replacement could be found.

Right now, they were currently setting up for their gig since they're due onstage in fifteen minutes.

"Of course I have to ask," her pig-tailed friend pouted. "That song you're writing will be the one that will launch us to music fame you know!"

"Then music fame will have to wait because I'm still not finished with it."

"You just lack inspiration!"

"Oh please-"

Misao was almost as bad as Ms. Tae, almost always suggesting that Kaoru needed a love life to get her creative juices flowing.

Kaoru was spared from making a sarcastic remark about that when Sanosuke entered the backstage. He was grinning ear to ear as he approached the girls. "Kaoru I have a favour to ask," he began.

Misao and Kaoru knew what he was going to ask before he could even finish. And their reaction was the same when they made a resounding, "No!"

"Oh come on you guys," Sano was practically begging for them to understand. "Megumi is only going to be in town for a few days and I finally got her to come to one of our gigs so…"

The two ladies looked at each other, both with beaten expressions. Sanosuke was such a nice guy and they both loved him very dearly. So his friends couldn't understand why someone like him could ever fall in love with someone as nasty and as backbiting Megumi Takani.

"Guys please!"

Kaoru sighed and fixed her beret on top of her head. She looked at Misao and shrugged in defeat. After all, what else could they do for a friend?

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"Before we'd start our next song, my good friend Sanosuke would like to greet his most beloved Ms. Megumi Takani who just came back to town after her trip to Europe. He wanted her to know that he wished he had the ability to stop time so that their moment together would last forever… And so this next song is for her, with all his love."

Kaoru tried her best not to barf at those words. She turned her head slightly to the side and nodded to her friends. Sanosuke grinned at her with gratitude as they switched places, with Kaoru now in guitars and Sano with the mike. She started to strum and Sanosuke began to sing…

"It took one look

then forever lay out in front of me

One smile, then I died

Only to be revived by you…

There I was,

thought I had everything figured out

Goes to show just how much I know,

about the way life plays out...

I take one step away

and I find myself coming back…to you

My one and only-"

"-one and only…you," Kaoru opened her eyes while she played as her friend sang that particular line, and just in time to see someone enter the café entrance.

She almost choked when she saw who it was that just came in.

That individual was looking at her now, and his expression mirrored the same disbelief and incredulity she knew was written all over her own face when the man recognized that it was her who was playing onstage.

She felt weak, but she held onto her consciousness and would not let herself suffer the indignity of fainting in front of an audience- much less in front of him! She didn't stop playing though, because she didn't want other people to see how much she was shaken up when she saw that man enter the bar. But deep down inside, all she wanted to do was bolt out from her chair and escape that room.

What was Kenshin Himura doing here?

"Now I know,

that I know not a thing at all

Except the fact that I am yours,

and you are mine…

If you told me that this wouldn't be easy

And no…I'm not one to complain"

Their eyes remained locked with each other until the very end of the song.

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After only three songs, Kaoru motioned for a break. But when they went backstage, she quickly pleaded to a nauseating headache to her two friends and begged for them to excuse her to Mr. Houji and for Sano to take her place as the vocals for the meantime. Her friends must have sensed her extreme unease, and so agreed. She thanked them profusely and was soon out of the building before the two could even bat an eyelash.

Kaoru exited through the backdoor and purposely avoided the main street just in case Kenshin was there waiting for her. She went through a dark back alley and quickly hailed a taxi as soon as she saw one. In the car, she was fidgeting so much that the driver, stranger as he was, voiced his worry and even suggested stopping by a hospital for her sake. But Kaoru only smiled tightly at the man's well-meaning concern and assured him that she'd be alright.

As soon as the vehicle stopped in front of her house, she pulled out some bills from her pocket, not even bothering to count it, and hastily handed it to the driver. She got out of the taxi and hurriedly crossed her lawn towards the front door. She fumbled for her key and cursed agitatedly beneath her breath when she missed the keyhole one too many times because of her shaking fingers. But after a while, she let out a low, jubilant cry when she was finally able to insert the key properly. Kaoru opened the door, got inside, and swiftly closed it behind her.

It was only once she was in the safety of her home did she realize that her heart was beating so fast that she thought it'd burst. She placed a palm against her chest and willed her heart to steady its pace.

When she was finally able to normalize her breathing did she only start to wonder why she reacted so strongly after she saw her ex-husband. To a sane person, it just didn't make sense.

It had been two years and seven months since she last saw him. And yet she was afraid of him… Not exactly what she expected from herself on their first meeting after two years. Too, it's not like Kenshin was a bad man. Even back then during the bleak years of their marriage, when their fights and arguments would get so heated it could practically turn sand into glass, not once did he raise a hand to hurt her. So WHY was she so afraid after seeing him?

Kaoru held her forehead as she made her way to the kitchen to get herself a glass of water. As she did so, she noticed her unopened mails on top of the counter and, in a split second, decided to distract herself from her current dilemma by reading them. She gingerly picked up the stack and pored over the bunch. Most of them were bills and junk mail. But one letter stood out among the rest because of its intricate, blue, embossed envelope. Taking a seat, she decided to open that first since it looked so interesting.

There were two papers inside the envelope. One was a plain bond paper. The other was a stationary that seemed like one of those things usually used for custom-made invitations in wedding shops. Kaoru sniffed the paper to see if it was scented. It wasn't, and she was a mite disappointed because she had a particular liking to scented stationeries. Finally, after some hesitancy, she finally unfolded the fancy one and the first words she saw written inside it knocked out the air from her lungs…

'You are cordially invited to the Himura-Yukishiro nuptials to be held on...'

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Kaoru was still in shock after reading and rereading the first and second letter. The second letter turned out to be Kenshin's personal summons for her to come back to Tokyo so that they could talk about their divorce. And the last part of that said letter showed the urgency of the matter when he wrote the words 'A.S.A.P.' in all caps and bold letters with double underlines. A little too dramatic if you asked her, but it definitely got her attention.

Never mind the fact that she was still wondering how the hell did he found out her new address. She was still pondering over the irony of the things in her life. Wasn't it just this morning that she told herself that she and Kenshin would probably iron things out about their divorce when one of them was about to get married? But when she thought of that, she didn't think that it would be this soon…!

It had only been roughly two years since their separation. How easily it was for him to replace her in his life, that jerk!

She caught herself when she realized she was angry. Why should she be? Kaoru castigated herself for these unexpected emotions. She and Himura agreed that they'd be free to see other people after they parted ways. And just this morning she assured herself that she would never come back to Kenshin. SO why was she feeling so frustrated?

She washappy with the life she established in this town. She was in college and was doing very well with her studies to boot. She had a stable job as a singer in 'Java Street' and she loved her work immensely. The townspeople were all very nice to her and she loved the peace in her neighbourhood. Her life was on track and everything was going perfectly!

So why oh why did it take only one stupid letter to shatter all that contentment?

She was still contemplating about the justification of her own feelings when she heard a knock on the front door…

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A/N: Waaaah! Another new story? But I couldn't resist, forgive me. Anyway, I hope you guys would give this story of mine a shot. And don't worry about my other stories because I haven't forgotten them and I most certainly would start updating those next. So in the meantime, ciao, ciao!

P.S. Oh I tried another style in writing in this story. Those who've read my other works knew that I usually write in the first-person perspective. But in this story, it was third-person perspective all the way. So could you guys give me some comments and suggestions about this? Feel free to criticize my writing if you think I'm better-off with first person.

P.S.S. I don't know if they have a divorce law in Japan. If not, then just for the sake of the story let's pretend that they do, if that's alright with you readers. (;P)

P.S.S.S. The feature song here was titled "Your Song" by one of my favourite Filipino bands called 'Parokya ni Edgar' (or in English: "Edgar's Parish"). (:D)