Standard Disclaimers Apply.

It's the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting.

-Palo Coelho

Chapter 1A: Take One

Morning came.

Kaoru shifted on her bed as she felt the unforgiving rays of the sun scald her skin. She glanced at her clock.

9:00 am.

"Damn!" she cursed out loud. She woke up too early! Wednesday was her only rest day and she only had four hours of sleep yet. Oh well, she couldn't do anything about it anyway…

or so she thought.

Closing her eyes, she laid on her stomach to resume her much needed sleep. Sleep meant so much more to her now than it did before. Sleep meant escapism. A way to block out the harsh realities of life. Her only rest.

I think it was the fact that she didn't dream anymore that she was able to acquire rest because if she did dream, well, everything would turn out ugly. Since she couldn't control REM dreams… that would prove much more disturbing than the nightmare she was living in where she had at least little control.

With a heavy heart, she stood up and headed towards the bathroom. Normally, she would be so pissed off because she didn't get enough sleep. But eventually, she got used to it.

She had to if she wanted to get through a decent morning, that is.

For your information: Actually, what she failed on realizing was that if she hadn't discarded her floral curtains and satin sheets, she would have been protected by the sun's rays, hence, a good night's rest. It was such a simple solution to her morning problems yet she somehow missed it.

After taking a shower. She wrapped one towel on her hair and another one around her body. She stepped out and walked towards her empty bed to put down one of the towels. She then took a couple of steps forward, stopping only a yard before the mirror.

She stood naked before her eyes, scrutinizing every detail of her body. She blinked back the tears that suddenly welled up in her eyes, mentally consoling herself.

Not like anybody else would notice.

Actually, she would but…

She stopped her trail of thoughts before she damaged herself further. She knew she was the source of her anxieties but you see, the real culprit there was that she noticed something that wasn't even there.

Sighing to herself, she walked to the corner of the room where her closet was located. After donning a short black dress attire, she tied her hair in a neat ponytail before heading downstairs. She sat by her favorite couch, turning on the radio.

"Earlier this morning an unidentified woman, robbed, badly beaten, raped and killed was found laying inside her car at Kuroshi Avenue. Police claimed that robbery wasn't the motive of the heinous crime but they refused on giving a formal statement since

investigations were still going—"

Kaoru let out an audible sigh, turning off the radio. She didn't want another reason to depress her that day.

It wasn't as if she could do something about it.

Wanting to soother her nerves, she took a deep breath, stretching out her arms, rotating her suddenly tensed neck muscles.

Just then, she saw a puppy peering inside her house through the window, chewing on something… well, interesting.  The dog seemed to grin at her mischievously as he barked an invitation.

Kaoru stared at the dog, a sparkle emerging from the depths of her dull eyes. As a child, she loved dogs. She always played with Sanosuke's dog, Notarou. There even came a time when she'd rather open up her problems with Notarou than with best friend, Sanosuke.

It wasn't that she didn't trust Sano, it was just that dogs were easier to confide in. They wouldn't judge you or make you feel bad about yourself. They were just there to listen, admire and keep you company.

Unlike some people she knew.

When Sanosuke moved out to the city to pursue his career in boxing, he took Notarou with him. It gave Kaoru both feelings of relief and loneliness. 

1.         Relief because there would be no one left to remind her of the painful past.

2.         Loneliness because no one was left. Period.

The next thing Kaoru knew, she opened her front door, keeping her eyes on the dog. Slowly, she offered him her hand, approaching him slowly. "Hey there, cute doggie."

Then, he ran, barking at her, beckoning her to follow.

So she did.

A ghost of a smile almost formed on her lips when suddenly, the dog sat down beside his master. At that point, Kaoru couldn't hide her disappointment.

"Hi! I hope Seabright didn't bother you," the stranger stood, looking at her  apologetically.

"Hnn.." she replied, giving him a cold look. She was always like this when she was with strangers. One can never be too cautious, she constantly reminded herself. However, as she eyed him from head to foot, noting his unbelievable striking red hair and amethyst eyes, she eased up.

A guy you can spot a mile away wouldn't try anything stupid on her.

"He just loves socks!" he grinned, despite her passiveness. He reached down his dog, petting him lovingly before taking the sock out of his mouth. "I don't know what it is about socks that he loves. He doesn't even care whose it is as long as it is socks."

The red-haired man continued babbling as Seabright sat beside Kaoru, stroking his forehead against her calves. Unable to fight the urge, Kaoru squatted, petting him on the head.

Seabright just gave a satisfied purr.

"I'm so sorry about the socks. Can I just pay for it or would you like me to replace it?"

Kaoru glanced at him for a while before returning her loving attention to the dog. She couldn't help but fall in love with his innocence and untainted loyalty.

She hadn't had any of those since… well… she couldn't remember.

"No need," was her simple reply.

"I insist," Seabright's master, kneeled down to level with her. "Seabright is always a nuisance— "

She snapped defensively, "He seems like a great dog."

"He is actually!" he smiled at her enthusiasm with his dog. Pausing for a moment, he offered in a sot voice, "How I can make it up to you?"

"Like I said, it isn't necessary."

Being the perfect gentleman that he was, he didn't take no for an answer. Trying a new tactic, he asked, "Can I just take you out for lunch or something?"

"The pair of socks isn't even mine. If you take a closer look, you would realize that it belongs to a child," she replied matter-of-factly.

"Oro?" he glanced at the pair of socks on his hand. "Oh yeah, right," he muttered as his face flushed a deep shade of red.

How could he not notice the bright orange color of the sock? Impossible! He couldn't have thought that she would be wearing anything like that. Did he think that she was like that? Eccentric?

She sighed inwardly, 'Orange socks? Ugh!'

Little Ms. Vanity couldn't get over it but… upon seeing embarrassment and shame clearly written on his face, she chuckled.

He broke through her barrier. He actually made her chuckle without even trying! He had managed to achieve something monumental in his own little way and he didn't even know it.

Neither did she, for that matter.

Even I am not really sure how it happened but I guess, it was mainly because of the dog. Seabright had a calming effect on her that she was able to taste Kenshin's goodness.

It was sweet and like chocolate, it lightened her heart.

Back to the story… she looked up at the stranger, motioning him to sit beside her as she placed the dog on her lap. "You really have a great dog! I had always loved Chow-chows!"

"I think he likes you!"

"I think he does," she grinned back. "How old is he?"

"Only six months."

"Really?" her eyes widened in childlike fascination. "He is so big already! Look at his paws…"

"I know. He is hard to maintain though because of his size. But… he is worth it!" he beamed"

"I can see why. She is so lovable!"

Clearing his throat, Kenshin cast her a furtive glance as he asked, "So what do you think of that offer I made you a while ago?"

Kaoru looked up at him, unbelieving. Did she hear him say what she thought he said? Surely there was a– "I don't think it's time for lunch yet. It's barely 11:00 am… ano…"

As I had predicted, she gave in. Hope wasn't completely washed out from her system. Only battered, I suppose.

"Kenshin. Himura Kenshin," he extended his hand, giving her an equally warm smile.

"I'm Kamiya Kaoru."

"Kamiya-san…"

"Just call me Kaoru, Himura-san," she chirped. "I'm not used to being called as formally as that."

In truth, nobody really called her Kaoru. It was always Kamiya-san or Kaoru-san. Nobody got close enough… or shall I say, she had never wanted anyone to be close enough to her to address her as that after…

It just brought her too much painful memories that…

That…

I think I should leave it as that. Better not open up past wounds.

Well, maybe this time, she wanted to attach a different meaning to her name. One that would remind her of something special. Someone special.

"Then, just call me Kenshin."

"Kenshin…" she repeated, a sparkle forming in her sapphire eyes as she stared intensely at his.

The wind blew hard, kissing them both, making them feel his presence or…  would it be more appropriate if I said to make them return to the reality of their surroundings?

Seabright barked.

"So? How about it?" Kenshin coaxed. "I know a great place about 30 minutes from here. By the time we get there, it's already lunch."

Kaoru just gave him a teasing skeptical look.

"Seabright is going to be there," he pressed even further.

Kaoru glanced at Kenshin then back to Seabright, mentally debating whether she should come or not. The relatively strong cautious part of her warned her and strongly urged her not to come. She would have given to that part of her in if she hadn't come there in the first place… if she hadn't given him her name or if she hadn't encouraged him to call her by her first name.

She had already broken her barrier for him. If she backed out now, it would have been extremely silly and downright stupid— she would have just wasted her time.

She had already chosen him to heal her.

Plus… Seabright was there. She had her assurance.

Finally giving in, she sighed, "Ummm… alright."

But what kind of a sigh was it?

Relief?

Exasperation?

If you were her, why would you sigh?

As Kenshin offered his hand to her, helping her stand up from the grass, Kaoru slowly started to lose her footing on the ground.

Would she fall again as expected?

Author's Notes:

Thanks to Tan Kimiko for correcting my error on that Notarou thing. Thanks girl! I owe you one! ^__^

Things are still vague now but don't worry reasons for everything will unfold at the right time. But, I guess, I gave you enough hints already. This is only half of the first chapter. I wanted to post the whole chapter but it might take me until next week to finish it since I am so busy and I could only spare an hour or so every weekdays to write. The reason I did  this was so that you guys won't forget the details I had included in the previous chapter which is important in the whole story. Also, the next chapter would be focused on Kenshin. The why's and the how's. ^__^ Hope you like this! Send me your feed backs to inspire me!

Questions about Kaoru… Kaoru's character may seem a little too complex… complicated… jaded…  but actually, being her… putting myself in her shoes… I think she is quite easy to understand. She is a dreamer… she might not seem like it or act like it but deep inside… she couldn't let it go. It is as much part of her as her soul. More about this in the chapters to come.

If you have any questions… just email me or leave it in the review. ^__^

Go on… push that button!