co·op·er·a·tion | \ (ˌ)kō-ˌä-pə-ˈrā-shən:br /

1. an act or instance of working or acting together for a common purpose or benefit; joint actionbr /

2. the association of persons or businesses for common, usually economic, benefit

Chapter 9: Blow-Up at Breakfast

October 15th

The Hoppin Cafe was a large, oblong shaped restaurant boasting an industrial design which, as far as Kaoru figured, meant they didn't spend much effort on covering the air ducts or pipes that ran all over the ceiling in a dizzying array. Japanese hip hop music blared from indiscreet speakers, so loud the bass made her heart jump in beat the moment she entered through the door. Kaoru knew they were going to have to shout to be heard over the din. Asymmetrical shaped tables and chairs of various shades of pale greens and oranges were grouped close together to accommodate the large crowd that was apparently awake and ready for breakfast at the ungodly hour of seven thirty. The restaurant, which boasted an eclectic brunch menu, was wildly popular with young adults who frequented the chic district.

The hostess, a young woman who barely looked twenty and far too perky to see her, led her to the table where Yahiko and Himura were already seated. They both stood up as she approached, despite the tight squeeze of tables and bodies. Kaoru thanked the hostess and slid into the last remaining seat, grimacing when the so-called modern chair barely contained her entire body. "Who designed this furniture, midgets?" she muttered.

Yahiko must have heard, or at least guessed her complaint because he grinned. Despite the early morning hour and the fact that he was a university student, he looked as frisky as the hostess. His mother must have helped him dress, Kaoru thought, because his clothes weren't too formal but still put-together and neat: some sort of tight fitting dark sheen trousers and a white button-down shirt with a bright red chest pocket. Behind his chair was a vintage looking leather jacket. Kaoru had never seen him wear those clothes before, far more used to seeing him dress in his kendo uniform. Yahiko looked comfortable in this setting, making her wonder if the teen was considered fashionable and popular at school. She would have to tease him and find out later.

Himura, on the other hand, was frowning. He glanced outside the full length glass windows that displayed the street before his gaze reverted back to her. Leaning forward to be heard, he asked, "Did you walk here?"

Kaoru snorted. What a ridiculous question. "Um, no. I took the bus."

"Why didn't you just drive?"

She rolled her eyes and squirmed slightly in her seat, trying to align her hips to better stay in the chair. She was an athlete who maintained a healthy weight, even if she indulged in the occasional sweets. So if Kaoru was having a hard time getting comfortable, who could relax in these chairs, stick people? Stupid ultra hipsters, she grumbled internally. Out loud, she replied, "I don't have a car. Can we get this meeting started?"

His frown deepened. "You should have told me. I would've picked you up or at least have sent a driver to your place."

Why was he giving her grief about this? Sure, the bus took longer, but it was convenient and there was no way she would ever ask Himura for a ride. "It's fine. I take the bus all the time. Can we please start?"

Himura sat back, brows still furrowed in displeasure as the waitress came by with menus. She chirped out the specials which Kaoru couldn't hear over the music. Skimming the list of dishes, she ordered juice and a basic Western breakfast sandwich of eggs, cheese, and plant-based sausage. Apparently this place didn't believe in real meat, but Kaoru didn't mind vegetarian foods.

Yahiko seemed to request all of page two for his still-growing body and gently flirted with the waitress, while Himura settled on coffee and whole grain Belgian waffles with fruit. When the server left, he told them both, "I apologize for the noise level. I've never been here before but Misao said the food was excellent with an engaging atmosphere."

Despite herself, Kaoru grinned because it seemed like just the type of place Misao would relish with all her energetic, bouncy wonder. "It's fine," she said with a shrug. "So, Himura-san, why are we here?"

He looked different today, and she realized it was because he wasn't wearing a suit or his kendo uniform. Instead, he wore dark skinny jeans and a thin charcoal gray sweater with the sleeves partially rolled up to show lightly bronzed and toned arms. With his long hair tied back at the nape and his smooth, flawless skin, Himura also looked like a university student, albeit one who was about to graduate compared to Yahiko, who still retained the last bit of the awkward teenage lankiness. And, in fact, Kaoru realized Himura looked far more comfortable in this setting than she did, which didn't seem fair at all.

Not only did he dress more casually, he was also acting somewhat differently as well. Compared to the formal luncheon at their very first meeting as the CEO of a prosperous company, Himura appeared less snake-like and more approachable. His shoulders were relaxed and, if she didn't know any better, his foot seemed to be tapping along with the music. Was it because it was the weekend and even sneaky enigmas wanted to unbend now and again? She was so engrossed in categorizing all the differences between then and now that Kaoru almost missed when he started talking.

"-his internship also includes modeling some of the latest equipment from the company. But instead of just photographing Yahiko-kun, I thought it would be a great idea to include the dojo, his instructor, and other students alongside him."

Kaoru blinked several times as she reviewed what he just said. "I'm sorry, are you saying you want the entire dojo to be part of the photo shoot?"

"Not everyone," Himura replied. "But I am asking permission for a camera crew to set up and take pictures during several lessons and take candid photos as well as posed ones. We'd supply all the equipment, of course, which you can keep afterwards. And we'll only use pictures with signed releases. But there would be several people who would have to come in and take up some space. I promise we'll be as discreet as possible, but all we want are some real shots of real people in real classes."

She frowned and shook her head. "I don't see why this is necessary, Himura-san. Yahiko is your intern, which has nothing to do with the dojo." She glanced at the said teenager, who was listening intently but didn't seem inclined to say anything.

"On the contrary, Kamiya-san, we deliberately chose Yahiko-kun because he came from a reputable training hall. Think of it this way: it's an opportunity to receive free publicity and get some of the newest equipment. In exchange, all I ask is that you give my photographers two days to come in and take some pictures with the promise we will limit the disruption as much as possible."

Kaoru slid her gaze to Yahiko again, who shrugged this time but his eyes remained bright and eager. It wasn't hard to see he was excited about his, but she felt the complete opposite. Strangers barging into the dojo didn't seem like a good idea to her, no matter which way she thought about it. What if they were spies looking for something to hold against her to force the sale of her land? "I'm still not inclined to say yes," she said at last. "Some of the parents and students take their lessons very seriously. They may not appreciate strangers sweeping in and changing things around. Not to mention I still have kempo and self-defense students in the mix."

"You'll, of course, have the freedom to choose what day and what lessons we can come in," Himura assured her. "We'd like to see a mix of both children and adults, and even different levels of classes." He leaned forward, his eyes completely focused on her. "You can refuse, of course, but this was one of the reasons why we offered the internship in the first place. If you don't end up agreeing, it'll affect Yahiko-kun's internship."

She drew back at the not-so-subtle threat that suddenly came from nowhere, taking in a deep breath to keep from exploding in a temper. Now was not the time to throw something at Himura's head, no matter how much her fingers itched to do that.

This was the infamous Himura Kenshin she had met that first time. He hid a streak of ruthlessness under a ready smile and woe to anyone who fell for his charms. Kaoru couldn't believe she was actually starting to think he was a nice guy. Obviously Himura was a snake disguised as a guileless puppy and shame on her for being so utterly fooled. "Well, Himura-san, you just know how to strike a decisive blow, don't you?" she answered tightly. Her gut clenched from the proverbial punch she received from his blackmail tactic. Red hot ire bloomed and spread all over her chest. Her heart pounded, nearly drowning out the sonorous tones of the pop group AKB48 trilling from the speakers. But Kaoru made sure to speak clearly so he could hear her convey exactly what she thought about him. "First, you try to buy my land, and now you're trying to weasel yourself into every aspect of the dojo. Of course you're not just satisfied to intimidate me, but you have to draw an innocent student into this? How do you even live with yourself? Maybe Hiko-san should have taught you less kendo and more about living with dignity and honor." From the periphery, Kaoru saw Yahiko's eyes widen in shock as her voice grew louder and louder with every word laced with as much contempt as she could muster through the burning fury churning in her stomach. "Don't think I'll let you do whatever you want, you insidious, incorrigible, disgraceful…jerk!"

The last word ended up being shouted so loud that all conversation in the restaurant stopped and every eye swung towards their table. But Kaoru was so upset she didn't even notice. She stood up, ready to leave this stupid place with the stupid chairs that didn't fit a normal person anyway, and go home to bury her head under her blanket. But before she could take a step, a hand siezed her elbow in a firm grip.

"Sit down, Kamiya-san."

The words were mostly growled, but there was enough authority in it for Kaoru to almost comply. She tried to shake his hand off while looking away because tears were starting to blur her vision. That made her even more furious because she hated crying, especially in public. And while the tears were a result of frustration and anger, Himura didn't deserve even that.

Yahiko too, stood up and tried to calm her down. "Sensei, please sit. I think you misunderstood Himura-san."

Sensei. Yahiko hadn't called her that in a long time. Usually, especially outside of lessons, it was 'Busu' or 'Kaoru' but not that formal title. He had called her father sensei, so Kaoru knew it felt odd for him to call her the same even after she took over his training. Yahiko was one of her very first students and they had been close even before that so their relationship was more like sister-and-brother than teacher-and-student.

It was only Yahiko's pleading words and anxious face and the sudden, sinking realization that she had stopped all conversation in the hottest café in Shibuya that finally made her sit. Only the frenetic beat of music from the speakers pulsated into the silence. The atmosphere stretched with tension which, if she hadn't been so ashamed by her outburst, might have made her smug by the power she wielded. Kaoru dashed her hand across her eyes as subtly as possible so no one would know she was crying. Her butt almost missed the narrow chair, but at least she didn't fall off and further embarrass herself.

Yahiko glanced around with a sheepish grin. "Sorry, we're rehearsing for a university play and we just really got into it. Carry on."

"No one's going to fall for that lame excuse," Kaoru muttered, still not looking at the two men.

But then someone shouted, "You three are great! You should become professional actors." And a few murmured agreements littered the crowd before the noise level picked up again.

She sunk her face into her hands, worried about the next generation if they actually believed Yahiko. The teenager sat down and explained, "They'll believe it since it's less awkward than the truth. And also, what if it's true and we become the next biggest movie stars of Japan? Then they can brag about it to their friends later."

There was nothing to say about that convoluted fact so Kaoru decided not to respond. The waitress came by with their food and dropped it off, remarking that the play must be an intense one. Yahiko assured her it was and promised to come back and tell her when the show was going to be performed.

"Kamiya-san."

Himura's voice was still grim and curt, but there was a gentle underlying tone that finally made her drop her hands and face him, eye to eye. "What?" she asked just as brusquely, but without the gentleness.

"I wasn't trying to threaten you."

At that, Kaoru snorted. "Oh, really? Didn't you just literally say that Yahiko's internship is in danger if I don't agree?"

"I said it'll affect it, I didn't say it was in danger." Exasperation and something else crossed Himura's bright eyes. "He wouldn't get the full impact of the internship, which is everything from the business side to the practical side. My equipment is usually meant for competitive wear, but I can't properly sell it if the everyday dojo doesn't use it for practice. Using a popular neighborhood training hall will only enhance the reputation and spread its popularity to other people."

Kaoru stared at him suspiciously before flicking her eyes to Yahiko in question. He nodded in response to the unspoken inquiry. "That's what the application said, and Makimachi-san confirmed it when we talked at the interview last month. I should have asked you first but didn't think it was going to be a problem. I also didn't think I was going to get chosen anyway." He shrugged. "Apparently, Himura-san knew far more about the dojo than I realized and it helped sway his final decision."

"Is that true?" she demanded, wondering why Yahiko wasn't upset about the blatant nepotism.

Himura nodded. "Yahiko-kun was already in the top ten anyway. But when the internship committee realized he was from your dojo, they immediately recommended him with no reservations. His resume was impressive, including his experience in junior kendo tournaments and his current membership on the university team. They thought that with his local ties to the community and his experience in competition, it would be the perfect fit." Himura shrugged. "And I agreed, especially since I know firsthand the quality of his training."

She didn't blush at the compliment because her head was still spinning. A part of Kaoru felt ashamed at second-guessing Himura, but a smaller part still insisted he had some ulterior motive. No one would go this far just for an internship or for some promotional pictures. Between spending money to take private lessons and choosing her former student as his intern, he had to be up to something. But what?

This was something, she realized, that she would have to confront him. Being so actively suspicious of him was causing her lapses in sanity and plainly driving her crazy. Kaoru didn't know if Himura would tell her the truth, but perhaps he would let a hint of his true motivations slip. But now was not the time, and especially not in front of Yahiko. She would have to talk to him privately, and soon.

Which meant, she realized with a mental sigh, being alone with him again.

"Kamiya-san?" Himura asked, breaking into her thoughts.

Kaoru shook herself and focused her attention on him. "All right," she said abruptly. "If you promise to reduce being a nuisance as much as possible, I'll give you two hours for two nights. If your photographers can't get what they want in that time frame, you're out of luck." She still wasn't sure she bought Himura's explanation of how it would impact Yahiko's internship, but Kaoru wasn't willing to mess up this opportunity for him, either. If that meant suffering through four hours of intrusive behavior, so be it. Most of her students would understand and be excited about the possibility of being featured on a popular sports website. She'd simply keep an eye out for any odd behavior from the photographers and ask Aoshi to do the same.

At least the dojo would get some shiny new equipment to replace the older ones. Scratch an item off to-do her list.

"That seems fair," Himura agreed. "Just send me the times and days and we'll be there. Now, let's eat before our food gets cold."

Kaoru half-heartedly hoped the rest of breakfast would end quickly without anymore talking. Let's just eat and go, she silently urged her student. But Yahiko didn't appear to get her mental message because he peppered Himura with a variety of questions, the first of which was, "You wanted to buy the dojo?"

"Not the dojo, just the land where it sits on," the older man explained. "It's a prime location and we would have used it to construct a separate and bigger product quality assurance building." He slid Kaoru a sideways glance that she ignored in favor of studying her sandwich. "But I was corrected very firmly about the availability of the property."

"Uh, yeah. It's been in Sensei's family for like three gazillion years," Yahiko said in a 'no duh' tone. "She's planning to hand it down to her kids, if she ever has them."

Kaoru wished Yahiko would just shut up, especially after Himura shot her a speculative once-over. "You'd like to have children one day, Kamiya-san?"

Why couldn't she be in the middle of chewing to avoid answering such a personal question? And why was he asking her that anyway? Was it too rude to jam her sandwich into her mouth to avoid speaking? "I guess," she finally mumbled, aware he was waiting for an answer.

He grinned at her reluctance, as if they didn't have a terrible blow-out not five minutes ago.

Breakfast eventually and mercifully ended and Himura paid before Kaoru could take out her wallet. She glared at him but he seemed to ignore it, signing the receipt and taking the copy. They all stood and he somehow managed to slide the wallet into the back pocket of his skinny jeans. She didn't know how it fit when the material hugged his backside so lovingly. Not that she was staring, it was just hard not to look when he turned and stuck it right in front of her face. This was the first time she had seen it not covered by a suit jacket or the voluminous kendo uniform so of course it caught her eye.

Yahiko caught her ogling and gave her a smirk and raised eyebrows. She ignored him, reminding herself to assign him some extra work in his lessons at one point during the week.

Outside, the abrupt hush of music was startling as their ears adjusted to the lack of noise. "I need to go home and help my mom with a couple of things before I head to the dojo," Yahiko said. He bowed, and to Kaoru's surprise, she was included in the gesture. "It was very nice meeting you in person, Himura-san. Sensei, I'll see you in a bit."

"Likewise, Yahiko-kun. I look forward to having dinner tomorrow night with you and your parents."

Kaoru stared as Yahiko strolled away, hands in his pocket and looking like any other carefree university student. But his demeanor indicated that he had changed a lot in his second semester. He had called her sensei three times. Yes, it was in front of Himura whom he was hoping to impress, but still. It was so odd, and another indication that nothing ever did stay the same.

Himura turned to her. "I'll give you a ride home."

The last thing she wanted to do was be in a car with him for twenty minutes, trapped. "It's fine, I'll take the bus."

"If the bus is running behind, you'll be late to teach. Come on."

Trust the sneaky man to know exactly how to manipulate her into obeying his commands. Kaoru scowled at him. "You know what? Let's go. Because we need to have a talk."

Himura drove a three year old Acura ILX which appeared to be a very nice car. White leather seats and wood paneling dominated the inside and she grudgingly found it comfortable without being too ostentatious. Still, she couldn't help but make a snarky remark. "I'm surprised you don't drive a Corvette or Porsche."

He glanced at her as he started driving in the direction of her home. How he remembered how to get there after showing up once was a little disconcerting but Kaoru tried to shrug it off. "I like Japanese cars," he replied easily. "They're reliable and easy to maintain."

"I think you just channeled my grandfather," Kaoru muttered.

Chuckling, Himura reached out and turned on the radio which was set to the contemporary station. One OK Rock blared out from the speakers. "There. Would your grandfather listen to a racket like that?"

Despite her annoyance, Kaoru struggled to hide a smile at the absurd gesture but failed. "Most definitely not. He must be so disappointed."

"Please give him my utmost apologies. I'll try to do better next time." He flashed her a quick smile. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

She stilled. This was her opportunity to clear the air between them once and for all - assuming she believed whatever reason he came up with to explain why he was slowly but surely insinuating himself into every aspect of her life. Kaoru took a deep breath, her pulse suddenly racing with unease while her palms grew hot. Was she ready for his answer? What if he did admit that he was worming his way to steal the land from her? She wasn't sure if that was better or worse than him lying to her.

But she couldn't live with this uncertainty forever, especially if it meant continuing to blow up at him in a very public place. As it was, while Kaoru didn't frequent Shibuya by any means, she refused to go back there for at least five years until the sting of the memory faded. Himura was also just too good at getting his way with her, from the photo shoot to eating lunch together on a regular basis. She was actually seeing him more than she saw Aoshi.

"You can ask me anything, you know. I'll answer honestly."

His quiet voice broke into her runaway thoughts and she looked over at him. "Really?" she asked, not meaning to sound skeptical but they both heard it anyway in that one word. "Can I trust what you say, Himura-san?"

"Have I ever lied to you before?" he countered. Apparently he saw the dubious look in her eyes and he sighed. "How about if I swear on my honor as a kendo student? Or Shishou's life? Or on the grave of my parents? What will it take for you to believe me?"

It was only the somber tone emitting frustration that finally made Kaoru relent from her reluctant stance. She grudgingly admitted to herself that he had never lied to her as far as she knew. Her eyes slid to his hands gripping the steering wheel, and she noticed the knuckles were turning white as he tried to contain his aggravation. "Okay, Himura-san," Kaoru heard herself say. "What's going on with all this?"

His brow furrowed. "What do you mean? What 'all this'?"

Kaoru gestured vaguely to encompass the entire past month. "I'm talking about the private lessons, the lunches, choosing my former student to be your internship, getting my dojo involved in your publicity shoot. All of it. Why are you suddenly everywhere when I turn around? Are you still trying to get my land? Because you won't."

Himura didn't say anything for several long, drawn-out seconds, but Kaoru didn't press him, staring instead at his profile. His expression remained blank for a moment, but then a myriad of emotions began to cross his face, some so quick she couldn't read them. His fingers didn't relax their death grip from the wheel, and his shoulders were so stiff a brick would have broken had one fallen on them. When he finally spoke, his words were as brittle as his body. "I don't know whether to laugh or tear my hair out. Which means once again, Shishou was right."

"What does Hiko-san have to do with this?" she asked in bewilderment.

"He told me you weren't getting it, that you didn't understand…" Himura murmured, but this time it was more to himself than to her. Finally, he glanced at her and more emotions seeped back into his amethyst eyes. Ruefulness for one, and amused resignation. "I have to tell you, Kamiya-san, that I've never worked quite so hard for one woman as I have for you."

Kaoru shook her head. "You're still not making any sense." Glancing at the windshield, she realized they were almost to her apartment building already. She actually didn't need to go home first, but it was better to have him drop her off there than in front of the dojo, in case some students were early and found them together on a non-lesson day. The last thing she needed were more rumors abounding about them.

"Apparently not. But in my defense, I'd like to point out that I was trying hard not to scare you off. Misao says I can come off as rather intense, and the last thing I wanted was to ruin a chance with you because I was getting too serious too fast."

"Uh…huh," she replied lamely as slow horror and mortification began to filter in on the direction where he was going with this. Or was she jumping to conclusions?

Himura pulled up in front of her apartment building and put the car in park before turning to look straight at her. And then the words she half-dreaded came out from his mouth. "I like you, Kamiya Kaoru. And I want to date you."

Forty minutes later, Kaoru arrived at the dojo out of breath. She had hidden in her apartment until she was absolutely sure Himura left so he wouldn't be able to ambush her again. Then she decided a nice jog would help get her mind off of everything that happened earlier. The jog eventually turned into a full-on sprinting exercise, but it didn't do anything to clear up the confusion in her mind.

Because Himura had dropped her off, she was early for the first class starting at ten. But as Kaoru let herself inside and headed to her office, she jerked in surprise when she saw Hiko sitting in his usual spot, skimming today's newspaper. "Um, good morning, Hiko-san. I wasn't expecting you here." Hopefully he wouldn't notice anything unusual about her or question why she was panting.

Hiko glanced up from the paper and set it down immediately to stare at her. "He told you, didn't he?" he asked.

Drat. Flustered that he could read her so easily, Kaoru ducked her head as she sat down behind her desk. "Um, what?" she asked weakly, wondering why everyone she knew seemed to be able to read her mind.

"Kenshin finally confessed his feelings for you," he repeated. "What did you say?"

She really needed to find some non-nosy friends and colleagues. Preferably ones who wouldn't question her about things she didn't know how she felt. "I don't remember," she admitted after several long seconds of silence. "I might have just ran out of his car, hysterically babbling about my cat turning on the stove for fun when he's bored."

Hiko's lips twitched. "You don't have a cat."

"Yes, but does he know that?" Kaoru sighed and let her head fall on her desk with a loud thunk. It hurt, but the pain was minimal compared to the massive amount of confused thoughts scrambling through her brain. "He probably does, that sneaky, manipulative man. He'll just search it on the internet: 'Does Kamiya Kaoru have a cat?' and the stupid internet probably told him everything he ever wanted to know about me and cats."

"I warned you, didn't I? That baka didn't get to be a successful CEO by not being prepared."

She lifted her head up and glared at him. "That's too vague! What am I supposed to think? I thought you meant he was trying to steal the land from me!"

Hiko snickered. "I could have been more forthcoming," he admitted with a grin that Kaoru could only categorize as evil, "but then where's the fun in that?"

"I'm so glad I was able to provide some amusement for you, Hiko-san," she replied sarcastically. Was everyone conspiring against her?

"Not you, I'm talking about Kenshin. As far as I know, he's only been serious about two women, and the first one practically fell into his arms the moment he looked at her. You, on the other hand, are a different story. I have never seen him try so hard to impress someone." Hiko looked thoughtful for a moment.

"What are you talking about, trying to impress? As far as I'm concerned, he literally manipulated every opportunity to worm his way into my personal and business life." Kaoru sighed as she thought back on the past month, wondering why she let Himura insinuate himself so completely in her life anyway. She had known he was up to something, though she had been wrong about the actual reason.

Or so he said. Maybe he was lying about liking her. But no, Himura had given his word and, oddly enough, she trusted him not to lie to her. And Hiko would definitely tell her if Himura was lying.

"That's what I'm talking about." The older man lifted a brow at her. "He had to create instances to spend time with you. He knew just asking you on a date wouldn't work because you didn't trust his motives, not after the whole buying the land debacle. And he was willing to pay an obscene amount of money to do it."

Kaoru sighed again. "So I'm supposed to be flattered that Himura Kenshin likes me and just go out with him?"

"Not if you don't want to. It's your choice. You've got a good head on your shoulders, Kaoru. Use it, but remember to keep my other advice in mind as you decide what to do."

"Which was?"

Hiko leaned forward, his dark eyes trained on her to impress his wisdom on her. "Don't be afraid of change and to take a chance on something different. A lot is going on, both professional and personally. But if you're capable of rescuing the dojo from the brink of bankruptcy and turn it into a thriving business, you can figure this out."

"I wish I had your confidence," she muttered but Hiko only chortled and went back to his newspaper, leaving her alone with her jumbled thoughts. It was during these times when she missed having her parents around the most, to ask for advice and listen to their stories. Because as much as Kaoru wanted Hiko to hold her hand until everything was settled, she knew he would only guide her when she asked, and only if she really needed it. "Hiko-san?"

"Hmm?"

She took a deep breath and steeled herself. The question she was about to ask was potentially insulting, but she wanted to know his perspective. "What do you really think of Himura-san? Is he someone I can trust?"

At that, the master peered at her over the periodical. His eyes reflected dark amusement, but his voice was entirely serious as he responded. "I wouldn't have chosen just anyone to carry on my legacy, Kaoru." And that was apparently all he had to say because he returned his attention back to the paper in front of him.

And his words did speak volumes to her, confirming Hiko did care about Himura, at least a little. That approval didn't come lightly and it was definitely something she'd have to consider.

AN: Things are starting to heat up *evil cackle* I love reading everyone's reactions to what's happening. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as well. Let me know what you think!

Next Chapter: Aoshi offers Kaoru some helpful relationship advice. Hahahahaha