Disclaimer: Ask and I shall say "Yes, I do own Kenshin," so do us all a favor and don't ask. *smiles*

Warning: Uhh... blargh?

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Souken no Shibun

Eh?

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Kaoru glared between the two silent and very unsettled male residents. "Fine. You two children can sit here as long as you like. I'm not going to coddle you just because you had a bad dream."

Yahiko growled at his teacher. "Can't you be a little more understanding?! It was..." he shivered. "...scary."

Kenshin nodded his head in agreement, making Kaoru throw her hands into the air in frustration. "I'd be more understanding if you two would simply tell me what you saw!" Yahiko and Kenshin looked up at her with glazed eyes, then at each other, as if in silent discussion. Yahiko shivered again and the two shook their heads. "Argh! Enough. I'm going back to bed."

The two watched her storm off, hearing the shoji slam shut behind her. Kenshin sighed, prompting their attention be returned to each other. Each regarded the other coolly, trying to discern the emotions that lay hidden in their eyes. There seemed to be shock, fear, and a deep sense of confusion in both faces. Yahiko shrugged, trying to return the confident mask of the brat to his demeanor.

"Want to talk about it, de gozaru?"

"You first."

"..."

Yahiko grunted. "Thought so. Well, I'm going back to bed. Considering the training Kaoru's got in mind for tomorrow, I don't need to be staying up."

Kenshin nodded, more to himself than to Yahiko as the boy was already gone. Well, obviously, Yahiko hadn't been the one to drug the tea. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been affected as well. Unless, of course, the boy had planned ahead knowing that Kenshin might think that. Then again, Yahiko would have known that Kenshin would also thi- Nevermind, that train of thought always ended in confusion. Just leave it at the basics for now.

Yahiko had been drugged, Kaoru hadn't. As yet, there'd been nothing to denote Kyouki being drugged as well. He'd heard her heading to her room before settling down and even with the screaming, she hadn't woken apparently. Strange, but not unusual. Two screams of such terror would surely wake most people. Unless you were Sano. Sanosuke probably could've slept through the Bakumatsu had it not directly involved him in some way. So it was possible that Kyouki was the same.

There was only one flaw in that bit of logic. Even when the mind forgets, the body still remembers. Kenshin had seen evidence of this the first night he met Kyouki, and again when she sparred with Kaoru. Considering her life as an assassin, she probably slept about as lightly as he would.

With that in mind, he headed for Kyouki's room. It was empty, much the way Kaoru had found it earlier. He narrowed his eyes, something seeming off in the small room. He knew it wasn't proper to step into a girl's room uninvited, however, she wasn't there and he needed to find out what was setting his senses off.

Kyouki seemed cheerful and friendly enough in general, but anyone could see the confusion that lay within her if they looked hard enough. The girl seemed completely at odds with herself sometimes, as if even she didn't know who she truly was. The simple response would be that of course she wasn't. She was an amnesiac. While Kenshin was sure that was a main part of it, there was something else. Like she was fighting some part of herself that didn't belong.

At times, her eyes were empty and at others, torn. Somehow, he felt that if he could only get her to tell him why she looked that way, he would have the key to some important discovery. Kenshin was sure she would eventually. Still, the battle that obviously lay within her mind should have been exhibited in some way. Kenshin knew well his own internal battle was shown clearly through his behavior. The more he fought his darker emotions, the more polite, respectful, and humble he would appear.

Which meant that there should be something, some sign to give Kyouki's away. Unlike Kenshin, her attitude didn't seem to be it, nor did her actions. So perhaps it could be seen in her organization. Her room was orderly though, everything neat and put away. Still, there was something wrong with the scene. Something was missing.

The aura that would have made this room hers. That was it. Even though the room was visibly lived in, if you closed your eyes, there was a sense of emptiness. It felt as if the room had been abandoned for years. However, Kenshin knew the room was being used, had been used before.

It was almost as if she acted as a vacuum.

Or maybe... Kenshin just needed more sleep. That was probably it.

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The morning was gray and misty, the telltale signs of a storm on its way. The fog was both a blessing and a curse. It kept curious onlookers from gossiping about the body Sano was carrying over his shoulder, but it also served to confuse what little direction sense he had. Otherwise, he'd have been bunking at the dojo by now. But he wasn't and still had yet to even sight the gates.

The girl that had attacked him had remained unconscious the entire time, so he hadn't bothered to take her from his shoulder. Being that they were so close to Tokyo, he was guessing that was the direction she had come from. Maybe after getting her to the dojo and getting her looked over, he could send her on her way with a warning. Fighting girls was hard enough, he absolutely refused to kill one. Besides, that would only earn him one of those damned reproachful looks from Kenshin. Kenshin knew he could easily manipulate his little family with those looks of his and damned if he wasn't good at it.

Sano blinked as a raindrop hit his nose and he sighed. Thankfully, he could finally see the familiar walls of the dojo if not the gates themselves. The rain began to pour down in sheets, quickly soaking both Sano and his quiet luggage. He managed to find the gates before too long and pushed through them, hiding under what little protection the gate's roof offered as he surveyed the yard.

It was still pretty early, so it was no surprise that he didn't find the others racing about the yard trying to get out of the rain. He wondered if even Kenshin would be awake. Probably, knowing the redhead. The man tended to wake much earlier than the others just so that everything they might need would be prepared, making life run that much more smoothly. Which was why he was surprised to find not Kenshin, but Kaoru.

"Jou-chan?"

Kaoru spun on him, the knife in her hand coming dangerously close to gutting him before she realized who it was. She blinked, surprise and worry both evident in her eyes. "Sanosuke?" When he nodded, she lowered her head, quiet. At first he thought she might be crying. Usually she only cried over Kenshin, which was just as well. He didn't want to the reason for her tears.

Which was just as well, since there weren't any being shed. He quickly realized this when he felt a fist in his gut. "You stupid chicken head!! Do you have any id-" She stopped, blinking in confusion when she heard moans of a female variety. "Eh?"

Sano groaned a bit, trying to catch his breath, and pulled his package down to cradle her in his arms. "On the way home when I found this." Kaoru didn't respond, blinking some more at the girl he was holding. "Apparently, she didn't take kindly to my using that road. Wanted to skewer me." He smirked. "She didn't get the chance though. I think she was drunk or something. Kept going on about pink bunnies..."

Kaoru brushed the hair from the girl's face. "Kyouki?"

Sano set the girl down against the wall. "You mean know her?"

Kaoru nodded. "Yes." Kaoru sweatdropped, rubbing the back of her head. "I drugged her tea."

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A/N: Umm... kackleskookinmaklepinta? *blinks*

To cymberleah: You never know... after all, Kenshin's not awake yet. *snickers*

To SaveTheTurkeys: *sweatdrops* At least I've done something besides fall out of my chair... a lot...

Pass off! Go Author Lady! (Author Lady fumbles the story, recovers, and kicks for a field goal)