Chapter 2: Friends Forever, Yahiko and Kaoru visit the Aoiya

Sanosuke Sagara: This was actually written to the Rurouni Kenshin closing theme, Heart of Sword, followed by that Limp Bizkit masterpiece, Nookie.

Little-Firefly: I listened to Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls while helping write but since I listen to that all the time I don't count.

(Because so many people seem to think it's important to repeat, we STILL don't own Kenshin. If we had a million or two bucks we would. We don't, so…we don't. So there!)

It took Kaoru a while to move. She had spent nearly a full day watching that small point on the horizon where she had last seen the only man she ever loved. And even when she did move it was because Yahiko had returned from his extended trip to the Akkebeko. He entered her vision in that same point, and Kaoru's heart jumped when she saw someone coming…but it was Yahiko, not…not Kenshin. Yahiko looked tired. Red-eyed. Crushed. He took a step up the stairs, turned to look at Kaoru, and burst into tears. He fell, bawling, into her lap and locked his hands around her neck, sobbing into her shoulder. Nothing could have surprised her more than bratty, and usually disdainful of Kaoru, Yahiko breaking down like this.

"WHY!?" He screamed, muffled only slightly by Kaoru's drenched kimono. "WHY DID KENSHIN AND SANO HAVE TO GO?!?!" So he missed Kenshin as a father, and Sano too…Yahiko always tried to act so grown up it was hard to remember what a sweet little boy he was. She wrapped her arms around her bitterly weeping student and carried him off to bed, knowing that Kenshin might abandon his duties, but that she could not. But now she could never live in this Dojo, and without her Yahiko would be helpless. There was only one option.

*

A messenger broke Misao from her sad reverie. "Aoiya?" He asked.

"Ye-Of course," She said, her throat husky from tears she could not let go of. They were all she had left…

"Telegraph for a Trogdor, the Burninator (Hee hee, I mean Misao)…that you?" The messenger squinted. Vaguely annoyed, Misao snatched the note and read quickly, tossing some change at the shortsighted deliveryman as he wandered off. She nearly cried right then and there from joy! Kaoru was coming! She could still remember the short time they had spent consoling each other, and she was sure that even now her girl friend would be enough to rouse her back to a life of playful, if violent, mischief. She could hardly wait…

*

When he awoke, Yahiko found an exhausted Kaoru cradling him. And instead of squirming away he merely sighed softly and tried not to sniffle. He failed rather miserably, and a small squeeze informed him that his motions had awakened his sensei.

"Trogdor, the Burninator (SORRY, couldn't resist lightening mood! I meant YAHIKO)," she started.

"No, I'm sorry." He breathed. "I shouldn't have-"

"Shush, Yahiko-chan, I just wish I could have done more. Soon I'll be going to visit the Oniwabanshu, I can't live here or teach you anymore…I've asked the folks down at the Akkebeko, and they said-"

"Now YOU shush! Just because I'm young doesn't mean I'll be ducking out, like-I won't leave you, and if you won't take me I'll follow you! The Kyoto gang is my friends too you know, and-Kaoru? I'm sorry, what did I say?"

Kaoru now cried a little into HIS shoulder, but managed to shudder out, "Oh Yahiko, thank you darling boy…thank you for not leaving me…thank you…"

*

Misao was TIRED of waiting. Her grief was not gone but, pragmatic girl that she was, it was locked away in a deep mental dungeon. But without her mourning to occupy her, or Aoshi to pester and try to seduce, she was going INSANE (er) with boredom. Sitou continually pestered her about getting some results on these new groups of revolutionaries, but Misao had already sent out most of the Aoiya as scouts, and had to keep up the illusion of normality by staying home herself. So when the remainder of the Tokyo Kenshin-gumi was 5 feet away from the Aoiya's entrance, they were both felled by a tremendous and near-murderous hug from the hyperactive and excitable Misao.

"KAORU!!! YAHIKO-CHAN!!! It's so good to see YOUUUU!!!!" She squeezed them to an almost fatal point before realizing the damage being done to her new playmates, and stepped back to examine her Kyoto friends.

Kaoru looked dead. Healthy, but dead. She had no animation, and her smile was reminiscent of Soujirou The Tenken's to the point of scaring Misao. Deep inside, Kaoru felt her soul lift at the warm hug Misao gave her. She felt wanted and hse hadn't felt that way in a long time. Yahiko looked slightly better off, if only because his anger at the homicidal greeting was enough to give him the illusion of emotions.

"What HAPPENED to you guys!? Where's Kenshin? What's with Yahiko-chan? Come in! Drink! Eat! TALK!!! I wanna know I wanna know I wanna KNOW!!!!"

*

It took only a few minutes to catch Misao up on the situation, and she immediately DEMANDED that they both stay with the Oniwabanshu as long as they wanted to, and in fact longer if they didn't want to stay long enough. In their battered state the Tokyo duo was in no shape to argue the point. Misao seemed to pick up on the sad mood, and suggested that they both join her in the morning for a little exercise.

Misao managed to corner Kaoru before dinner and wrapped her in a tight, wordless embrace. "I'm so sorry Kaoru…if you ever need-I mean, really, just come right to me, ok? Friends, right? Friends forever." In her arms Kaoru began to melt, and had to pull away before she could collapse in self-pity.

But not before whispering in Misao's ear. "Friends," She agreed. "Friends forever."

That night Misao stealth-ninjaed her way to both rooms to check on her mostly-willing guests. Yahiko was weeping slightly, and she comforted him for a few minutes, and despite his near-desperate protests tucked him in and kissed his burning forehead. From Kaoru she heard…nothing. No words of regret or anger, no weeping, no sounds of sleep. From what Misao could see the former master of the Kamiya Kasshin style was staring at a point in one wall a few feet away from her silhouette on the rice paper. She was tempted to visit the grief-besotted woman and comfort her as she had done Yahiko, but something told her that for now Kaoru should be left alone…maybe, she thought as she padded away, tomorrow I can try to get the old bossy Kaoru back…I miss her already.

It was only when she got back to her own room that Misao let out a tiny piece of her pain over Trogdor, the Burninator (jk, jk, Aoshi…I swear that's my last Trogdor joke) spill over her mental walls. It was only a tiny drop in a huge sea of sorrow, but tears still softly caressed her cheeks before her eyes closed that night, and Misao knew that it was far from the last time.

S: Am I the only one who thinks my writing is gone downhill? Oh well, maybe Ill improve by the time the romance half of this puppy starts up…Ill turn this over to my co-authoress so I can sleep now…YAWN!

F: The stuff I added was menial but gawd you people need to pester my co-author about spelling errors. He won't fix them without pestering. And I expect reviews as well. Just because I can't figure out how to set it up for co-authoring doesn't mean I don't get reviews too. Little-Firefly. Just search for me and send a review concerning my Kaoru/Misao affiliation even if it is sent under the pretext of another fic. The only other one I have doesn't get many reviews so when I get an influx I'll know where they're from. If someone knows how to do co-authoring stuff them puhleeeze tell me!!!!! Anyway, guten nacht.

S Again: Like my Trogdor Jokes? Hope so…muhahahahah! Ph34r t3h wr4th of TROGDOR; THE BURNINATOR!!!!

F: If you guys think the Trogdor jokes are bad try living with Sano just down the road. It's kinda scary…..but not as much as my bro is annoying. Just tell him to stop and he will. And I want all of you reviewers to be patient about the lemon part of the story. The sex will come to you. Just wait for it. I want to develop a bond between Kaoru and Misao before pushing them that far. Just wait and it will be all the sweeter. I promise.