O.O;;   ::gapes once again::  This is unbelievable! So many reviews and only 2 chapters?! ARIGATOU MINNA!!! It's really very encouraging and makes me want to write more!! Keep 'em coming please!! I'm a rather sporadic writer/updater, just to warn you, because school tends to get in my way a LOT, but I will do my best to keep this story updated on a regular basis…and to finally update my Inuyasha fic…sheesh…I always feel like I'm running behind on something…

Ah well, on with the fic!

Oh, almost forgot. DISCLAIMER: I no own, you no sue.

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He chuckled lightly, running a hand through the wet hair plastered to his neck. "I suppose I deserved that, that I did, Kaoru-dono, for ruining your kimono earlier." He smiled warmly.

Kaoru smiled back and was about to respond when a loud, obnoxiously familiar voice cut through the air. "Geeze, busu!! We all know you're so in luuuuuuve with Kenshin, but you don't have go throwing yourself at him like that!! It won't make you any less ugly!!" Yahiko was grinning widely from the dojo gate. He'd witnessed the whole thing.

"YAHIKO! I'LL GET YOU FOR THAT!!" Kaoru lunged in Yahiko's direction, brushing hard against Kenshin and knocking him back into the tub.

"OROOO!!!" *SPLASH*

 Yahiko set off at a run, laughing and yelling out loudly, "HEY SANOSUKE! KENSHIN AND THE RACCOON JUST TOOK A BATH TOGETHER!! HAHAHAHA!!!"

"OOOH, YAHIKO NO BAKA!!! YOU JUST BETTER HOPE I DON'T FIND A BURDOCK ROOT!!!!" Kaoru raced after him, leaving Kenshin sopping wet and forgotten in the tub.

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CH3: Something About This Fic and Food…

Luckily for Yahiko, there were no more oversized vegetables to be found at the dojo that day. Kaoru, however, who was still feeling quite indignant and miffed at having to change kimonos twice in the span of a few hours, not to mention having to deal with the rest of the morning's humiliations, had made up for it by training him especially hard. Yahiko got the message and decided to hold off on the snide remarks and taunts…at least until dinner.

Well, thought Kaoru as she watched the last of her students leave through the dojo gate, at least the remainder of today passed relatively uneventfully. This was due to the fact that they had both taken special care to avoid each other for the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon, not so much out of embarrassment anymore, but out of a sense of self-preservation. As long as you don't count bumping into him in the hall and knocking those clean clothes out of his hands…and then knocking heads when we both tried to pick everything up. Kaoru rubbed a slightly sore spot on her forehead ruefully. And then accidentally grabbing his hand instead of the towel we were both aiming for…And then the other incident in the kitchen…Kaoru blushed redly as she remembered what happened...

~*~*~*FLASHBACK*~*~*~

Kaoru, still wet from the washtub encounter, had made her way back to her room to change out of the second ruined kimono of the morning. Remembering that she would have students coming later in the day and not wanting to risk yet another kimono, she slipped into her training gi. Leaving her room to go to the kitchen in search of food (since none of her original breakfast had ever really made it to her mouth), she paused as she heard raised voices coming from outside. Sano and Yahiko…arguing again about something dumb most likely…She sighed as she entered the kitchen, stopping suddenly upon seeing Kenshin already standing there, struggling to wrestle a fish away from the cat. She smiled to herself at the sight of the fearsome Battousai now doing battle with a small feline. Sensing a presence, Kenshin turned abruptly to face her, and then smiled warmly, the fish and feline forgotten.

"Ah, Kaoru-dono, is there something I could get you?"

Kaoru noticed he'd changed clothes, but his hair was still a bit matted and slightly damp. She felt apologetic at having abandoned him in the tub earlier to chase after Yahiko. "Well, I am a little hungry since I kind of forgot about breakfast…" Her voice trailed off sheepishly, not wanting to embarrass either of them by saying too much. Kenshin blushed anyway, which Kaoru subconsciously registered in the back of her brain to be undeniably endearing. "Um, and gomen, Kenshin…for leaving you in the tub earlier…it's just that Yahiko made me so mad, calling me busu and saying how much I lo—" Kaoru stopped, realizing what she'd almost said, "—and, um, everything," she finished lamely.

Kenshin chuckled good-naturedly. "Yes, that one is definitely a troublemaker he is. It sounds as though he and Sano are causing a stir as we speak." Kenshin looked towards a window. The sounds of the argument could still be heard clearly. He shifted his attention back to Kaoru. "I was about to begin with preparations for lunch I was, so if you can stand to wait, it should be ready in a short while. In the meantime I can prepare you some tea, if you would like, Kaoru-dono."

Kaoru smiled, the earlier mishaps and her bruised pride nearly forgotten by the open friendliness of the Rurouni. He seemed perfectly willing to forget the events of the disastrous morning, and was now focusing on simply easing Kaoru's nerves as well. "Tea would be wonderful, Kenshin. Arigatou."

:::A Few Minutes Later:::

Kaoru having finished her tea, had stood up to thank Kenshin again and go prepare to meet her students, when a commotion erupted outside. Instinctively drawing close to Kenshin, Kaoru eyed the doorway behind him warily. Without warning, Yahiko burst through the doorway, running, with a raging Sanosuke in hot pursuit.

"GIMME BACK MY MONEY YA DAMN BRAT! I WAS GONNA GO GAMBLING TODAY!"

 Kenshin, who had sensed no dangerous ki, had not gone into 'battle-mode' and therefore did not manage to get out of the way as Yahiko and Sano hurtled towards him. The small samurai-in-training slammed into him, then scrambled up again to race away, shouting an apology over his shoulder. A split-second later, Sanosuke brushed by Kenshin, effectively destroying his balance completely and knocking him over.

Straight into Kaoru.

"ORO!!" Kenshin exclaimed as they landed, his body covering hers. Stunned, neither of them moved for a few critical moments. It was just enough time for them to both realize that their bodies were quite literally crushed against each other, and that, because Kaoru had turned her head at the last second, her lips were now resting very lightly against the side of Kenshin's face. He tensed when he felt her lips move as she breathily said his name into his ear. He tried to ignore the way her warm breath tickled along his jaw. Still numb with shock and other more subconscious feelings, Kenshin barely registered the words coming out of Kaoru's mouth.

"N-nani?" he stuttered.

"Get..off…" Kaoru repeated herself. "Can't…breathe…"

His mind snapping into awareness, Kenshin lifted himself off of Kaoru immediately, apologizing profusely and offering a hand to help her up. She'd had the wind knocked out of her and hadn't quite recovered. Although in Kaoru's mind, her shortness of breath was mainly attributed to being crushed under Kenshin's body with her lips grazing his skin…

~*~*~*END EXCESSIVELY LONG FLASHBACK*~*~*~

OK, so maybe their self-preservation instincts weren't exactly what they should be.

Kaoru blushed for the umpteenth time that day as she remembered how it felt to be smothered by Kenshin's weight. AGH! Baka! Quit thinking about it! He probably thinks you planned that whole episode, seeing as how you were practically in his arms kissing him! Kaoru narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Hadn't Kenshin been the one to land on HER though? I wonder if HE planned that whole thing with Yahiko and Sano…? Eh, but what am I thinking? It's KENSHIN for crying out loud! He would never do anything like that. No, never…he never would. Not to a friend. He just doesn't see me THAT way. Kaoru frowned. Hmph…and why the hell not?! *I* could see him THAT way—Er…I mean…Oh, Kami-sama, forget it… Sighing in frustration and feeling too tired to contemplate just what it was that she really wanted, she headed back into the dojo to clean up before dinner. 

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Kenshin began molding rice balls with his hands, staring off into space meditatively. He sighed. It had certainly been an 'eventful' day, though he wasn't entirely sure if he had one more blush left in his body. Suddenly a clap of thunder boomed over head, making him cast a wary eye to the heavens. Perhaps I shouldn't tempt my fate…Granted, he'd always held Kaoru in high regard and had always felt a certain protectiveness towards her…But recently, I've been noticing…things…

Things.

Little things, like the wisps of hair that never seemed to stay put not matter how firmly Kaoru tied her hair back...

Cute things, like the way she scrunched her nose when she pouted…

Female things, like the lilt of her laughter, and the smooth curve of her neck, and the way she bit her lower lip when she was nervous…

That lip had taken a lot of abuse today.

And then there were *other* things…things that he'd grown VERY aware of that day, thanks in part to their repeated 'accidents'. Like the softness of her hair…and the way her small hands felt against his skin…and the way her breathing quickened whenever they got close…and the way her body—Kenshin swallowed, then shook his head. Agh! Kenshin no baka! You'll stop right there you will! This is Kaoru-dono, whom you've sworn to protect! You shouldn't be thinking about her hair or her hands or her lips or her—

"Oi, Kenshin, I'm sure that whatever the rice did, it didn't deserve that kind of treatment."

Kenshin whipped his head up to see Sanosuke standing over him, smirking. His gaze dropped to his hands, expecting to see a nicely-rounded rice ball.

Unfortunately for the rice ball, it couldn't quite hold up to thoughts of Kaoru's hair, and hands, and lips, and other *things* either. Lost in his musings, Kenshin had successfully squeezed the rice ball into a sticky white mess that now coated his hands.

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A/N: If you see a rather raunchy joke hidden somewhere in those last two sentences, I will neither confirm nor deny. ^_^;; *Whistles nonchalantly.*       

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Guiltily, Kenshin looked back up at Sano. "Ah, um, perhaps I should go clean up…" Sano only smirked again as Kenshin rose to his feet and walked away with a distant look in his eyes. He could pretty much guess what Kenshin had been meditating on. He'd seen the same look in Kaoru's eyes earlier when she'd absently walked into a table. Honestly, you'd think that those two were bumping into each other on purpose. *snort* I mean I just don't get why they keep dancing around the issue. Huh, at this rate though, by the time they finally DO get the guts to just go for it, they'll be too bruised and injured to move. There's no way that they're both THAT clumsy on accident. Sano folded his arms across his chest and looked down to the unfinished rice balls, pausing on the remnants of the one Kenshin had demolished. He laughed quietly to himself. Dinner promised to be an interesting affair. Especially if *HE* had anything to do with it.

A/N: SOOOOOOO…..CAN YOU SMELL WHAT THA ROOSTAH IS COOKIN'?!?! OK, so that was really lame. Please don't hold it against me…..I'm nearly delirious from lack of sleep and I think I'm going crazy. I mean c'mon…the rice balls joke should've tipped you off right then and there…

But I'm still sane enough to LOVE reviews! R&R and make me happy!!!