AN: ::blinks:: I'm glad so many people like it! ^-^ ::cuddles with Squall plushie:: I have a question for everyone reading. I was thinking that since Barra was so loved, I would make a chapter dedicated to him and such, where mebbe he looses his collar and turns all evil…^-^ Please tell me what you think!

Omochi: Kaoru did break down sorta fast, didn't she? ^-^;; But having the weight of someone else's' life and your own can do that to you, lol ^-^

Warumono: Wow, I should just make a whole Barra fic with all the reviews I'm getting about him ^-~ Arigatou for adding to my reviews!

Sabrina: I think if Barra were hurt, everyone who's reviewing this would stop reading…^-^;; And I don't have the heart to kill him off!

Isis: Yea, they are like hellhounds ::shudders:: I got freaked out when reading about them ^-^;; And Kaoru's father didn't really die for a particular reason ^-^;; I'll explain more in the fic.

No Name: ^-^;; Well, you didn't leave even an anonymous review, so…anyway, I already have an idea for the ending ^-^ But I won't tell you what it is! (I know, I'm mean). But I did say this was a Kenshin + Kaoru fic, didn't I? ::grins::

Genesis: I'm glad you don't find my spelling mistakes horrendous ^-^ And I'd have to say my favorite chapter was the last one.

Willow: I'm glad you like my fic with or without the pairings ^-^ you're only reading because of Barra, aren't you? ::pokes with stick:: ^-^;; Anyway, thanks for reviewing!

~*^-^*~

Kaoru woke up early the next morning, sunlight streaming in her face. She grunted and pushed herself up. Where was she? What happened? Everything from the day before was a blur. Shaking her head, she stood and stretched. A small scrap of blue on the bank caught her eye.

"Tomoe's….kimono."

There was no sign left of the Mordicant, which she had expected because it would have went back to Death. She shuddered and looked at the man sleeping in an awkward, twisted position.

"Kenshin…wake up."

She nudged his side with the toe of her muddy boot. She tried hard not to stare at his chest as he stirred.

"…Kaoru-dono?"

Kenshin yawned and sat up, rubbing his eyes tiredly. Kaoru quickly looked away, pretending to be interested in looking around.

"We should get going. We need to find Barra."

"Or, I can find you."

Kaoru spun around in shock. Sure enough, Barra stood on the right side of the bank. On his back was their backpack, and Kenshin's discarded clothes and sword.

"Barra!"

Kaoru ran through the barrier, causing it to disappear. She waded through the river and to Barra. Kenshin watched in amusement as she threw her arms around the cat and scooped him up, hugging him tightly to her breast.

"You're all right! And you have our stuff! What a great kitty!"

"Can't breath, Kaoru…"

Barra wheezed, struggling to get out of her arms. She sweat-dropped and loosened her hold. Barra took in a few deep breaths before talking.

"Of course I'm all right."

He jumped down on the ground and watched as Kenshin trudged over to them. Barra wordlessly nudged the bag to Kaoru.

"You might want to change. Your clothes are still damp. And…you lack clothes."

He glared at Kenshin. Kaoru giggled and dug through the bag, pulling out another set of clothes identical to the ones she had on. (AN: Again, wanna see a pic? Go back to the next chapter in the AN at the top, there's a link there.)

"Here, I packed a pair of my father's clothes in there. They should fit. I'm going to change."

Kaoru informed them and walked off behind some bushes. Kenshin stared after her until she was gone, and even then he didn't pull his eyes away from where she disappeared.

"Ahem. I assure you she isn't that attractive."

"Oro!?"

Kenshin spun around to look at the snickering cat. A scarlet hue tinted his cheeks as he went through the bag, looking for clothes. As he was picking through the bag, he noticed a certain piece of garment that Kaoru was going to need. More specifically; her panties. Kenshin's blush spread from head to toe as he pulled out the small scrap of clothing.

"W-what are you doing with that!?"

Barra asked, staring at him in shock. Kenshin darted his gaze to the cat and then quickly jumped up.

"I t-think Kaoru-dono is going to need this."

He mumbled before darting off in the direction Kaoru left in. Barra hid his face under his paws.

"This is not going to go over well…"

~*^-^*~

"Mou! Where is it!?"

Kaoru looked around for a certain piece of missing clothing. She had on her shirt, which came down to her upper thigh, and her pants were hanging on a nearby tree branch. She grunted in frustration as she leaned in a bush, looking desperately for the missing piece of cloth.

"Kaoru-dono?"

Kaoru froze. What if he? She gulped and slowly pulled herself out of the bushes. She heard some rustling before Kenshin appeared before her, looking flushed.

"Hai Kenshin?"

She asked, unaware of her state of undress. He looked at the ground, unsure of exactly what to say.

"Ahh….I found, this, in the bag. And I thought you might need it."

He thrust out his hand. Kaoru blinked. Low and behold, he held her panties in his hand. Her first reaction was the blush that spread throughout her body. Her second reaction?

"Kenshin no HENTAI!!!!"

She grabbed it from him hand an pushed him out of the clearing.

"Oro!?"

He stumbled backwards and tripped over a root. Swirls filled his eyes as he lay on the ground.

"Go get dressed!"

Kaoru ordered, pointing to where he came from. He nodded and stumbled up, quickly scampering back off.

~*^-^*~

When Kaoru went back to meet Barra and Kenshin, she (and he) were fully clothed. Both avoided each others' gaze, much to Barra's amusement.

"Cat got your tongue?"

Barra chuckled and hopped onto Kaoru's shoulder. She, in turn, glared at him. Kenshin said nothing and picked up the backpack, hoisting it over his shoulder.

"Let's go! We're already behind schedule."

Kaoru announced, starting forward. Kenshin nodded and followed, pushing past low tree branches.

An hour into the walk, Kaoru was exhausted. She didn't really know why, considering she only had the weight of Barra on her shoulders.

"I need to stop. My feet hurt."

She panted, sitting down on a boulder. Kenshin, still embarrassed from before, merely nodded and sunk down on a patch of grass. Barra hopped off Kaoru's shoulder.

"I'm going to go scout ahead."

He announced, before slinking away. Kaoru watched him go through half-lidded eyes.

"Kaoru-dono….Can I ask you something?"

"Hmm? Sure."

"You said…your father was killed by a Mordicant, right? Was there any reason why?"

Kaoru almost fell of the boulder she was on. Her eyes were completely open now and she just stared back at Kenshin.

"That was random."

She muttered, running a hand through her hair. Kenshin smiled sheepishly and nodded, then turned serious again. She sighed and brought her legs up to her chest. Rocking back and forth, she began.

"Well….I was young. Around twelve. He came home one day from vanquishing some of the dead in the village nearby. He said…he had to go away. He had an important job to do. So he took me to an orphanage. He said…he said he'd be back soon. And told me to wait for him…"

Kaoru trailed off as her voice cracked. Kenshin scooted closer to her and reached up, placing a hand on her shoulder. She sniffled before continuing.

"So I waited…. and waited…. and then finally, one day, I was asked to go see my sensei. And she told me…he was dead. I didn't find out until later that it was a Mordicant that killed him. One of the men he went with told me."

"He wasn't killed?"

Kenshin interrupted. He found it odd that only one man was killed while another was nearby. Kaoru nodded.

"He said it was weird. That it was almost like the Mordicant was looking for my father. I wanted to go avenge him…. hunt for the beast. But I'm…a coward. From then I wouldn't leave the safety of my home. Until I was begged to get rid of dead that wandered into the village."

Kaoru fiddled with her hands in her lap. She didn't know what else to say. Here she was, spilling out her life story to a stranger.  She looked up and offered a watery smile.

"Gomen, you didn't need to hear all that. Basically, I don't know why he was killed. But one thing is for sure, he was wanted. So as long as I'm out here, I'm going to find out exactly who did this to him."

She vowed, wiping her damp eyes on her sleeve. Kenshin remained silent as he took in all she told him. He was grateful not only for her help, but for her trust. He was about to speak when a familiar, but annoying voice rang out.

"C'mon. There's a village up ahead. About another couple miles walk from here."

Barra hopped back onto Kaoru's shoulder. She nodded and stood, sniffling slightly. Kenshin stood and grabbed the bag, which was not considerably lighter from the clothing that was taken out.

"Do you think it's the village where Tomoe-san is, Kenshin?"

Kaoru asked, glancing over her free shoulder. Kenshin shrugged.

"Who knows?"

Kaoru said nothing else and continued to walk forward, unwanted thoughts plaguing her mind.

~*^-^*~

AN: Whee! I update too much too fast ^-^;; But I guess that's a good thing! Anyway, how was it? Good? Bad? Read and Review Please!

~Neoshipper~