Disclaimer: As I said before, I am just one those unfortunate girls who can't own Rurouni Kenshin and its characters. They rightfully belong to Nobuhiro Watsuki-sensei so don't sue me. I'm poor and I wrote this kind of stuff for entertainment purposes only.

Author's greeting: Hello! So how was my first chapter? Did you review? Well, I edited Chapter I yesterday so if you want, you could go back and read it again. That's all. The rating was also changed.

Rating: PG (though ratings may vary as the plot unfolds)

Second Chance

Chapter II: Who I Was

Chop! Chop! Chop! Went the knife Kenshin was using to chop the vegetables for his miso. Half of him concentrated on cooking, while the other half was pondering over the events earlier that morning. He had heard her scream as if a man had a knife on her throat, and Kenshin's eyes had narrowed, thinking she was in danger. He rapidly ran to her room and hastily slid open her door. She was lying there on her futon, screaming with all her might.

He was positive she was having a bad dream but he was also hesitant to enter her room. IT was HER room, after all. Gathering all of his courage, he kneeled beside her and shook her shoulders as gently and as loosely as he could. He was flooded with relief when her eyes opened. *Those beautiful navy eyes. * He had closed his eyes and turned away to show his respect when he saw that her yukata was slightly opened. He had hidden his blush successfully then. He understood how she felt when she hit him. How else would a woman react if she finds a man inside her room? *Hysterical. * Kenshin told himself. *But in Kaoru-dono's case? Furious. *

But Kenshin knew that deep inside, his Kaoru-dono is definitely a nice, sweet girl. Trusting too. She did not care whether he was an ex- hitokiri or not.

"I didn't say I wanted the Battousai to remain; I said I wanted the wanderer to stay." She said those words. He was very glad then. She accepted who he was, his past, and his present. No wonder he loved her. *But I am not worthy of her. * Kenshin sighed softly. *She deserved someone better. Someone whose hands are not stained of blood. *

He was jolted out of his reverie by a sweet voice. HER voice. "Ano… Kenshin?"

Kenshin turned around, eyes closed in greeting. "Ohayo, Kaoru-do--" his eyes opened, sensing that something was different. "Oro…" She was wearing a dark blue kimono with roses printed on it. And she was wearing a matching dark blue ribbon in her hair. That ribbon was from him. He had bought it when they were staying in Kyoto with Misao-dono.

*She looks beautiful. * Kenshin thought to himself. *Iie… she looks like an empress…*

@@@

Kaoru stood her ground uncomfortably. Kenshin was slowly staring at her from head to toe, eyes wide in surprise.

*What's wrong? Doesn't he like how I look? He's looking at me as if I'm… his fairy god---sister…* Kenshin kept staring at her, knife in his right hand with the left hand supporting half of his weight on the table.

*Do I look like a monkey? * Kaoru asked herself. But she was certain she looked nice. She walked slowly towards him and casually stood beside him, facing the pot of miso. So literally, she had her back on him but she was beside him. Very close actually, with their shoulders touching.

"What's cooking?" She asked coolly, smelling the boiling soup, keeping a careful distance.

Kenshin's eyes had followed her movements. He didn't answer.

She felt really uncomfortable. "Ano… earth to Kenshin!"

Kenshin turned his attention away from her. "Miso." He answered abruptly. He continued chopping the vegetables.

"Kenshin?"

"Hai, Kaoru-dono?"

Kaoru winced. *When is he gonna drop that –dono from my name? * She controlled herself from hitting him. She did come to apologize. " Gomen…" she said finally, bowing her head and hiding her face behind her hair (bangs).

He turned to her direction, "Oro! Gomen? What for, Kaoru-dono?" He answered as if nothing happened that morning. But he knew what happened. He just wasn't sure what she was apologizing for.

"For hitting and yelling at you." She answered, blushing prettily. She took over his work by chopping the vegetables he had been chopping recently at the table. She was a pretty shade of pink. It was really hard for her to apologize.

Especially when it meant apologizing to Kenshin.

Kenshin hid his amusement. He sighed and quickly turned his attention to stirring his miso.

@@@

That night was a usual night at the Kamiya dojo. Sano was sitting at the porch, his ever-present beloved fishbone at his mouth, reading the day's newspaper.

"Kuso! Things sure are getting weird, Kenshin. Listen to this: "A BAND OF SAMURAIS BROKE INTO A GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL'S MANSION LAST NIGHT, KILLING HIM AND ALL OF HIS GUARDS, WITHOUT SPILLING A DROP OF BLOOD." What are they? Freaky magicians? They've been doing this for weeks now!" Sano tossed the newspaper to the ground, and staring at it like an angry mother bird.

"Move away, rooster-head!" Yahiko shoved him aside almost aggressively and sat down at the exact place where Sano was and began swinging his legs like a little boy. "You're just jealous 'cuz you can't exactly do what they can! And what kind of rooster-head would read a newspaper at night when it was meant to be read in the morning?!"

"Why you brat!" Sano hit Yahiko hard in the head.

"What did you do that for, rooster-head?!!! You're just jealous! Je- e-e-ea-loooous!!!" Yahiko rubbed his bump with this really angry look on his face. He stood up and challenged the taller and older guy.

In mere seconds, they were wrestling, pushing each other's face and kicking hard at each other.

Megumi sat before the wrestling duo, sighing an annoyed sigh. "Silly. They might be using internal pressure on their victims. How stupid can you get, rooster-head?"

Sano broke away from his opponent, still holding Yahiko's head though. "What did you say, Megitsune?!"

Megumi glared at him. "Rooster-head." She answered coldly. Then the usual arguing began. Yahiko was forgotten in the background, smirking at them both.

Kaoru almost laughed, but she was balancing a tray of teacups and teapot. Kenshin was sitting quietly on the porch himself, a careful distance from Sano, Megumi and Yahiko. He was looking into the starry sky, deep in thought. Kaoru approached him with two cups of tea.

Kenshin looked up at her, seeing her approach him. He smiled at her direction. "Kaoru-dono…" He moved aside to give her space.

Kaoru kneeled down beside him, handing him the cup of tea and sipping her own tea as well.

"Arigatou, Kaoru-dono." Kenshin said, a grateful look on his face. He started sipping on his tea.

Seconds passed in silence between the two, unaware of the noise the guys are producing a distance away from them.

Kaoru was the first to break the silence between them. "It's beautiful." She commented.

Kenshin turned to her direction. She was looking up into the sky, this faraway look in her sapphire eyes. Her skin looked creamier than it ever did before, not that it wasn't creamy before but it looked… more… more… well… delicious. Kaoru shifted her gaze to him, only to find him gazing back at her. Their eyes locked.

Kenshin dared not to look away. "Yeah… beautiful." But he wasn't referring to the starry sky.

Kaoru blushed slightly, looking down to her lap. She looked up at him again, still finding him staring at her.

*How I wish I could tell her how much I love her. She's so beautiful. * He thought. Kaoru smiled at him. He returned her smile.

It was Sano who was always wrong timing. "Hey, you two lovebirds!"

Kaoru pulled her gaze away from Kenshin and Kenshin shifted his gaze to the three grinning guys who had been watching them for the past few seconds without their knowing it. "Don't stare to hard, Jou-chan!" Sano teased.

Megumi got up from where she was seated and strolled gracefully towards Kenshin. "Ken-san, how could you look at a tanuki-girl like that? You never look at me that way." She said to Kenshin sweetly, sitting closely beside him. All Kenshin can do is mutter a surprised "Oro!" and move slightly away from her.

"Yeah!" Yahiko added. "Don't look at busu that way!" Kaoru's head was heating up now and it took all of her will power not to argue with Megumi and hit Yahiko in the head with a bokken.

Sano was just sitting there, with this really goofy grin that reached either ear plastered on his face.

"Well, let's call it a night and go to sleep." She started getting to her feet and gathered the teapot and teacups and placed them on her tray. She faced Megumi and, much to the older woman's surprise, smiled at her. "Megumi-san, it's very late. I suggest that you sleep here in the dojo. You sleep at Yahiko's room. Yahiko will sleep with Sano."

"What?!" Yahiko protested. He was cut short by a Kaoru's tiger look.

"Yahiko WILL sleep with Sano in another room." She confirmed.

Megumi smiled back and nodded.

She turned her back on them. "Good night, minna-san."

Kenshin watched her turn her back. *She accepted me. She didn't care about my past. She accepted… who I was. *



TBC

Author's notes: Appreciate me! I tell you, it's 1:15 a.m. now and I've spent all this time typing and editing chapters 1 and 2. So did Chapter Two sound corny? Sorry I have to type this chapter to show to you how Kenshin meant to Kaoru and how Kaoru meant to Kenshin. This is a romance fic after all, ne? And I had to… I think…

Hope you enjoyed. I poured all of my strength and will power in this so… PUH-LEASE! Review! Aishiteru, minna!

lieveit1 '^-^'