Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin is the creation of Nobuhiro Watsuki, with the manga and anime rights belonging to Jump Comics and

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin is the creation of Nobuhiro Watsuki, with the manga and anime rights belonging to Jump Comics and Sony Entertainment, respectively. I do not own and did not create the series or its characters...I'm just a fan, and I have no money anyways, so NO SUING ME!! :D

I started crying again…"Stop yelling at me!! You're being so mean!! As far as I'm concerned, our engagement was broken when you didn't return and I thought you were dead!!"

Taka softened. "Gomen nasai, Kaoru, I'm just jealous. I'm jealous that after all these years that I have come back to see you in another man's arms. Please don't say that our engagement is broken. Remember that it was your parents who promised you to me, you would not want to dishonor them, would you Kaoru?" he paused looking into my eyes for his answer…I looked down…Dad…Mom…"I still want to marry you…I want us to run the school here, together, just like we planned all those years ago. Don't you want that too Kaoru?" he questioned.

"I don't know what I want anymore Taka…Kenshin is upset, he deserves an explanation for all this, I'm going to go talk to him now." I said. I turned and ran towards Kenshin's room at full speed before Taka could catch me again.

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Chapter Ten

I paused outside of Kenshin's room for a minute and took a deep calming breath. You can do this Kaoru…I tried to talk myself into it.

I knocked softly on the shouji. There was no answer. So I slowly slid the shouji open, and stepped in. "Kenshin?" I questioned, my eyes adjusting to the darkness of his room, and I noticed him sitting with his arms wrapped around his knees in the center of the room, staring off into nothing.

I walked over to him and sat next to him, touching his shoulder. "Kenshin?" I questioned again.

"Hai?" he finally responded.

"Gomen nasai, Kenshin" I said softly.

"Kaoru-dono…why didn't you ever tell me before that you were engaged?" Kenshin questioned softly, still looking off into nothing.

I sighed. I might as well start from the beginning. "Well, Kenshin, you see, it's like this. When I was very young, probably 5 or 6, is when I first met Taka…he was one of my father's students here at the dojo. He was 11 years old, I think, and one of my father's best students, out of the younger group, and my parents both liked him very much. He took a real genuine liking to me, or so my parents told me, when they informed me that I would one day be married to him. I was still just a baby, and I didn't really understand, demo, my Mother told me that he was from a very wealthy family, that he would make me happy, and that we could continue teaching Kamiya Kasshin Ryu together. I agreed, liking Taka myself, he was very nice to me whenever I saw him, and he liked to hug me and he always had fun games to play. A year or so later, when I was 7 he left, with his father, they said that they had to go fight in the war, he was only 12 years old and I thought it was the most ridiculous idea I had ever heard, demo, my father told me that he was strong, and that he would be fine. When Taka left, he promised me that he would return, no matter what, and that we would marry, and become masters just as we had planned, and I trusted that he would. Not long after that, my parents died, and then before I knew it, the bakumastu had ended, and I was expecting Taka to return to me so I wouldn't be alone anymore. He never came back." I choked a little and Kenshin turned his head and looked at me…the pain in his eyes evident. "That was over 12 years ago, Kenshin. I was so sure that he had died, because he had promised he would return, I even tried to find him, and he was nowhere to be found, not even a trace of hope anywhere. I wrote him off as dead, and tried to get on with my life, forgetting it all, and considered myself free to marry whom ever I chose…when the time came. I remember it all so vividly, demo, I had placed it all out of my mind for so many years, and now it's so strange to see him, it's like I don't even know him, Kenshin, and he expects me to marry him still!!" I started crying again, I couldn't help it. This was all too much for me.

Kenshin put his arms around me and patted my back; I grabbed part of his gi in my hands and cried into it. Kenshin just held me and let me cry on him for a while, not asking any questions, bless his heart.

Finally when my tears subsided, I said "Arigato, Kenshin, for always being here for me."

Kenshin smiled, that smile he gives when he saves me, and said "Kaoru, do you love Taka-dono?"

I stopped short. Did I? I don't think I do anymore, demo I know that I did when I was younger.

"I – I don't really know how I feel about him now Kenshin…" I paused "I know that I loved him when we were little" he winced "demo, my life has changed so much since then…I'm a different person than I was then, and you and Yahiko are my family, and…" I don't want to marry anyone else besides you Kenshin. I finished in my head.

"And what Kaoru?" Kenshin pried.

"Oh, and I don't know…I don't know what to do, but I don't like it. What do you think I should do Kenshin?" I asked. Please tell me that you want me to throw him out and marry you and live here with me forever, Kenshin….

Kenshin stood, "I want you to do what will make you happy Kaoru, this is a decision that you will have to make on your own though, that it is." He answered.

I frowned. I was hoping he wouldn't say something like that.

"Sessha can leave, if you would like to have some time alone with you iinazuke, Kaoru-dono" Kenshin finished.

I jumped to my feet and grabbed onto Kenshin by his gi. "NO!! You can't leave Kenshin, please don't leave me!!" I exclaimed.

"Maa, maa, Kaoru-dono, you really should have some time alone with Taka, to figure out your feelings for him." Kenshin said, slowly removing my hands from his gi.

"Nani?!?? How can you say that?" I questioned. How can he tell me this? Does he really and truly not love me? Does he NOT care if I marry Taka?

Kenshin took both of my hands in his and said "Kaoru-dono, sessha–sessha –Oh, nevermind, I have to go and make dinner for minna-san" and he walked out of his room and headed towards the kitchen.

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I stood there, stark still for a few minutes, lost in thought…Oh Kenshin…then I snapped out of it, and headed to the kitchen myself.

En route, I bumped into Taka. "Konbanwa Taka" I said.

He frowned. "What were you talking about with Kenshin?" he asked.

Now I frowned. "I told him about how we got engaged, and how you left me and never came back." I answered honestly.

"I'm here right now aren't I Kaoru?" he said, taking my hand and pulling me closer to him.

"H-hai, Taka, you are here now, demo, why did it take you 12 years to come back?" I questioned.

"Well, you know, I uh…I wanted to train more." He responded.

"Train more?" I questioned. "Why would you need to stay away from me for so long if all you wanted to do was train more? You don't think you could train more here at the dojo? Really Taka, you're going to have to do better than that…you know."

Taka squirmed a little (wow!! I was getting good at this!) and looked rather uncomfortable…"Kaoru, can we leave the past in the past, and start over please?" he asked.

My heart started thumping madly…"O-o-ok, Taka-san" I stammered.

He grinned at me…defiantly not as endearing as Kenshin's grin though, I noted.

I grinned my version of Kenshin's rurouni grin back at him.  Maybe we can be friends…that would be nice, and I could train with Taka, since Kenshin no baka won't train me.

Before I knew what was happening, Taka grabbed me and pulled me into his arms and said into my ear "I hope you haven't forgotten how much I like to hold you, my kawaii iinazuke" his whispered into my ear.

I blushed. Thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump. Taka smelled so good…like sandalwood. I breathed in his scent again. NO, this is wrong, he's not Kenshin!! …Demo, he's whom my parents wanted me to marry. So what? If my parents knew Kenshin they would have picked him in a heartbeat!! Right?

I don't know if they would…can I dishonor them so I can be with Kenshin, if he wants me? Does he though? Should I risk it all for something I'm not sure I will have? What if Kenshin laughs at me and tells me I'm a silly little girl and that he could never love me the way I love him?

"Kaoru!!! Would you prefer to have just rice and salmon tonight, or do you want…" Kenshin called as he turned the corner and saw me and Taka "…a salad too?" He finished softly.

I struggled to get out of Taka's arms, but his hold was firm. "Let go of me!!" I demanded.

"Why?" he questioned, "because your boy toy is here now?" Taka practically yelled at me.

Kenshin just stood there with his mouth open, and his eyes disbelieving of what he had seen, demo, I really needed his help to get out of Taka's hold on me.

"Taka-san, I said we could start over and forget the past!! I didn't say I would be your girlfriend, and I certainly didn't say that you could play the jealous iinasuke either!!" I yelled, pushing with all my strength against him.

With that comment, Kenshin moved into action, ripping Taka off of me and tossing him across the yard.

"Arigato Kenshin!!" I said, going over to him to hug him, demo Kenshin drew his sakabatou and jumped into the yard to fight Taka who had already drawn his sword also.

"That's it Kenshin!!" Taka yelled. "I've had it with you!! Always interfering with us, and snuggling with Kaoru, keeping her in your bedroom for over an hour. As soon as I beat you, unless you're dead, you are going to pack your bags and move on out of my iinazuke's home. You got that!!" Taka yelled.

Kenshin's eyes turned yellow, yet he remained silent, as if waiting for Taka to make his move.

"Taka!!" I yelled. "I'm NOT your iinazuke!! And don't try to fight Kenshin!! You are no match for him!! TAKA!! I mean it!!"

"What are you talking about Kaoru? Of course I can beat him!! I'm the best swordsman in Japan!! Why do you think I was training for 12 years!!" he yelled back at me.

Kenshin laughed. "You think that all your training makes you a suited match for hitokiri battousai?" he drawled and slashed his sword expertly in a challenge to Taka.

Taka froze for a second. "Hitokiri battousai?" he repeated as if in disbelief.