A/n: Yeah, yeah. I don't own anything except for the fluff balls in my head, my MULAN movie, and. . .err. . . my sparkly socks. So, yeah, don't sue me!

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He didn't know what to say to her, so he didn't say anything. Her mind was so focused on everything that was going wrong, mainly Megumi, Sano, and Yahiko, that she didn't even seem to mind the pajamas that had made her feel so bare the night before. She didn't even sleep on the floor. She just laid down on the bed closer to the door and cried, pretending to be asleep.

Kenshin knew she wasn't asleep, but turned out the light anyway. 'Sometimes,' he thought, 'maybe she just needs to cry.' He still didn't feel anywhere close to figuring her out. 'Kaoru. . . I want to be. . . no use wishing.'

He sighed audibly and laid back in the other bed heavily. "I will never understand you. . ." he said so quietly that he wasn't sure if he had said it aloud or not. He got out of bed one last time to check the locks on the windows and doors. Megumi, Sano, and Yahiko were gone, and that did hurt, but whoever it was that was doing this. . . they weren't going to get Kaoru as well.

She laid in the dark, quietly breathing, but not anywhere close to sleeping. What was it that Kenshin had said after checking the locks?

'Not worth guessing. Nothing ever is,' she thought hopelessly. But the fact that he'd gotten up and checked the locks meant more to her than she could really say. It made her kind of hope that he didn't want to let her go. She stared at the strange ceiling for some while longer before falling into a restless sleep.

Silent moonlight crept under the curtains, creating a stir of emotions in Kenshin. Maybe it was just the feel of this place, but he wished he could be nearer to her. As soon as he was sure she was asleep, he walked over to her bedside and just looked at her for a moment. He picked up her legs oh-so-gently and slid her under the covers. He had thoughts about kissing her, but thought better of it and touched her cheek gently instead. He laid awake, not wanting to close his eyes. But sleep came, although he was half awake. If Kaoru screamed, or probably even whispered, he'd be awake. He wouldn't let her go so easily.

* * * *

Kaoru sat bolt upright in bed to discover covers falling away from her. She'd fallen asleep on top of the covers, she was sure. But she looked down at her feet and guessed that Kenshin had tucked her into bed. The thought of him calmed her after the terrible nightmare she'd just had. She was terrified beyond words, still. Especially because the fear of Kenshin leaving her had just gripped itself over her even tighter. When she had cried in the shower, she was scared. What if that delicate balance between Rurouni and Hitokiri tipped violently towards Hitokiri for a while? Then it would lead to a collapse of her entire dream in life when it bounced over to Rurouni again, and he'd leave her forever. She tried not to think about it.

The room was dark, but there was just enough light from under and above the curtains that she could see outlines of everything in fervent detail. But her eyes were caught on him again. Lying so peaceful. He had such a worn and worried look on his face, even in sleep, but under it was a tone of hope. The kind of hope she could have used right then. Without realizing it, she stepped onto the floor and sat on the edge of his bed, looking down at him.

"Kenshin," she whispered. The sound of his name, even on her lips made her feel a little better. His eyes flicked open, but she didn't see because she was reprimanding herself for being so sentimental. He pretended to still be asleep, although he was curious to know what she was doing.

He wasn't as good a pretender as she was, but she couldn't read thoughts and actions as well as he could. So she believed he was still asleep.

She laid down next to him as gently as she could, and held her breath to listen to the sound of his breathing and his heart. She lay there peacefully for a while, wondering how she could feel so far away from someone who was always so near her. He moved, and she was about to stand or at least sit up when she felt arms around her waist. He had rolled over and now she was trapped. She was thinking about how to stand up without waking him when he whispered in her ear.

"Kaoru, what are you doing up so late?"

She glanced at the clock's bold numbers (3:11) before realizing something. She thought it might have been simply because he was still half asleep that he had left the 'dono' off of her name. But it wasn't there, and the thought of her name and just her name coming from his mouth made her smile. But she didn't have an answer to his question but the truth. And she knew "nothing" wouldn't cut it, this time.

"I'm scared, Kenshin," she said quietly. The sentence was so brutally honest that it brought tears to her eyes. But she turned her head to look at him anyway. As she was lying on her side, this was difficult, but she could almost see him. He leaned up a little to look into her eyes.

"I will do everything I can to get them back," he said. His face looked honest and determined, and she knew he didn't understand what she meant. But she was so scared to say the truth of the matter.

"No, it's not that. I'm scared for you."

"I can take care of myself, Kaoru."

This was so frustrating. He had his arms around her, but it didn't seem that he understood what that meant to her. She touched his hands, and tried to find the words to say. But she couldn't find anything to say.

"I won't leave you. Don't be scared about that. I would never leave you," he said quietly. It had taken him as much courage as he had left to say that. That and he felt kind of selfish saying it.

She started crying freely now, and it left him to wonder if he'd said the wrong thing. She rolled over to face him, trying hard not to cry even more. "Promise?"

He smiled and pulled her closer to him. "I promise. I couldn't leave you if I tried. You are half of me," he whispered. She looked up him, and he kissed her forehead before adding, "my better half."

Her grip tightened on his bare shoulders, and she became increasingly aware of how close they were, and how little she had on. But didn't feel so vulnerable anymore, even in her tank top and flannel pants. She just felt close to him. He held her eyes, and she was tempted to look away, but didn't.

"I love you." He barely breathed the words before kissing her. As soon as she finally realized what everything meant, she kissed him, too. All of the sudden he pulled his lips away.

"Gomenasai, Kaoru, it wasn't supposed to happen like that," he was blushing feverishly, wondering if he'd been too quick, too sudden, if perhaps she didn't feel the same way.

"Kenshin, I love you, too," even with the certain knowledge of his love, she felt childish. But she had a certain insane courage now. "And I thought it happened just fine. . ." she added quietly.

He smiled and kissed her, wiping the childish feeling away as it was replaced by one of electricity that ran from the top of her head all the way into her toes. Neither was sure how long they kissed for, or laid up to listen to the sound of the other's breathing. She wasn't sure if things would ever change, especially her feelings of being so small. He wasn't sure if things would ever be the same. But both were completely contented to lie there in each other's arms in an entangled mass of love and assurance. And they didn't feel so far away from each other any more.