Standard Disclaimers Apply. The rights to Rurouni Kenshin are exclusively owned by Watsuki Nobuhiro, Sony Entertainment, Shueisha, Jump Comics and other associated groups. Do not sue!!! I am writing this to satiate my urge to write.

Lie to Me Chapter Four: The Aftermath

Chapter Four

~~~~~

[Misao]

Alright, so the original plan was for me to be fashionably late but I guess I was too anxious to see my blue-eyed honey again. I entered the restaurant and saw him sitting alone in the corner. I smiled inwardly as I greeted him, "You're early."

"I don't want to be late on the first date," he replied flatly.

I couldn't help but smile at his coldness. Trying to warm him up, I teased, "Oh so there's a second one?"

"Maybe," he replied.

Oh. Is that a smiled on his face? It worked. I allowed him to help me on my seat as I continued, "Maybe? I don't accepts maybe's today."

"Oh," he said as he returned to his place across me. "That's good."

"Really? How so?"

"Because I want to get to know the real person behind the romance novels."

My face fell. I was hoping that he asked me out not as an author. Oh well, I'll just play along. Trying to shift the focus of the conversation, I asked him, "Mr. Aoshi, what do you do for a living?"

"I direct soap operas," he replied as he took a sip of his Chardonnay.

I raised my eyebrows at that. I never really expected him to be a director. A model, maybe, but… working behind the scenes?

Definitely interesting.

"Really? Then you must be one great romancer, eh?" I chuckled.

"On the contrary, I don't believe in love."

At that, I almost chocked on the water I was drinking. I looked at him quizzically. "Huh? But I thought…"

Before I had the chance to finish my sentence, he cut me off, "No, I am not a fan of your novel, I just wanted to prove something."

"Which is?" I asked, raising my eyebrow. I was surprised his icy way of delivering that sentence, but then again, maybe he is just… I don't know.

"Real romance doesn't happen in real life."

"Oh." Shrugging slightly, I tried to make the conversation light by saying cheerfully,  "Well, that's your opinion anyway. Have you tried the lobster here? it is delish!"

"Aren't you even offended with that I have said?" He asked, looking at me in bewilderment.

I shook my head and said in response, "No, why would I be… I can't be mad at you for not believing in love just because you haven't experienced it."

"You don't know me at all…" he answered back gravely.

"I know that," I smiled. "We still have the whole night ahead of us…"

~~~~~

[Aoshi]

For the rest of the evening, I listened to the incessant chatter of the woman sitting in front of me. Normally, I would have found that irritating, but in this case, she reminded me of something…

…a ray of sunshine.

Yes! That was what she was. No matter how cold I was to her, her warm and cheerful demeanor somehow reached out inside me, giving me a tingly sensation all through out my body. As she finished eating the main course, I watched her pat the sides of her lips with the table napkin. She smiled at me and asked, "Do you know what you need?"

I shook my head, feigning a look of disinterest. "Humor me…"

"You need a blaze of raw passion to melt your heart"

I was taken aback at her words. Was that how a romance novelist think? I saw a triumphant smile forming on her lips. Hmm… she must've noticed my momentary shock so I smirked, "Is that so?"

"Uh-hmmm…" she nodded as she took another bite of her blueberry cheesecake. "Love and romance is a beautiful thing. It may not always last but the memory it makes is timeless. Whether it gives a person sweet or bitter feelings, it has ability to fuel, incite and stimulate your emotions from within. Make you feel. It is a wonderful feeling. You shouldn't shut yourself out."

"I don't have time for love."

There simple yet meaningful. I am a director. At my age I had achieved things that men in my field usually attain in their 40's.

"You can always make time if you wanted to."

After that, we remained silent as I contemplated on what she had just said. Man! This woman sure knows where to hit a nerve. Actually, I know that I can always make time but... I just haven't met the one I want to give time to.

As I rounded the curve to her house,  I  glanced at her. She was staring out on the window, watching the view, almost in meditation. I stopped in front of the house she told me while we were in the restaurant. I immediately went out of the car to open the door for her. She stepped out, smiling appreciatively at me. She whispered, "Thanks for the dinner. I had a wonderful time."

I was about to turn around and leave when she grabbed my shoulders, pulled me down towards her and gave me a long and passionate kiss. At first, I was too shock to respond but as moments passed, I gave in. I wrapped my arms around her, almost lifting her up to make her nearer. I saw her eyes widen when I kissed her back making me smile inwardly.

She tussled my hair slightly as she allowed me to deepen the kiss. She pulled back shortly, her cheeks flushed a deep shade of red. She looked at me, smiling, "See? Even a little spark will do you good!" She waved casually and headed towards their door.

Calling that a spark is an extreme understatement.

~~~~~

[Kenshin]

This was it, we were going beside the lake. Oh gods! She was so beautiful, the way the moon shines on her face and illuminates her eyes mad her look like a goddess. I watched her  struggle to cover herself as she stood up so I offered her my hand. A strong bolt of electricity ran through my arm as I felt her palm on mine.

Unfortunately for her and fortunately for me, she tripped on one of the plates causing her to fall on my chest. My breathing became shallow as I looked into her expressive eyes, which were only inches away from me. She moved almost instantly, a pink flush tainting her cheeks making her even more beautiful. I smiled at her slightly, knowing that I, too, were blushing. Just then, she closed her eyes and leaned slightly forward. My eyes widened.

Did she want me to kiss her?

I licked my lips as I stared at her inviting and luscious mouth. I leaned forward to capture her lips on my own. Feeling her warm breath on mouth, I did the next best thing I could think of.

I ran.

Damn! Damn! Damn!

I can't believe it! What had gotten into me that made me leave the woman of my dreams in the middle of our date as I was about to kiss her!!!

At that moment, I really wanted to bang my head on something really hard but I couldn't stop myself from running.

I had to get away.

From what?

From something that was too good to be true that will only shatter my heart more if I had come to believe that there is a slight chance that it was true.

I stopped in front of a shrine, sat down crossed-legged and leaned on a tree as I gazed up on the stars.

I'm sorry for leaving, Kaoru. Please understand that I can't be too attached… because in time, I know I will. Even on our first date, I feel that I am really falling in love with you. If we keep seeing other… I will be so happy, but… we can't establish our relationship on a lie… Damn! I should have told you who I really was, but… would we have dated if I did? Would you have seen the real me if I did? Would I have ran if I did?

I closed  my eyes allowing myself to dream of a kiss that would have been a memory if only I hadn't ran away.

As she leaned her head forward, I would cup her cheeks, lowering my lips to capture hers. Then, I would wrap my arms around her, closing the distance between us. With one hand, I will caress her soft cheeks.

No, I would not close my eyes.

I want to see her and gaze in her deep blue eyes. I would make it long and passionate yet chaste at the same time. I would savor every second of it and memorize every detail. For I would want to remember our first kiss for the rest of my life.

I would do all that if I could… but I was to coward to stay.

I wasn't brave enough to take the risk of loving her.

After my reverie, I opened my eyes and sighed audibly, feeling my heart sank into the abyss of misery.

At least, I knew that even if we are apart, we were still staring up the same stars.

~~~~~

[Kaoru]

For hours, I stayed beside the lake gazing at the sky. I knew it was already late and they were probably worried sick about me. I really didn't feel like caring but I couldn't be selfish, I couldn't let them stay up worrying about me.  Because of that, I walked along the lonely streets towards my house. I closed the door silently behind me. I just wanted to go inside my room in peace.

Frankly, I don't feel like talking to anyone.

Not even Misao.

I can't tell her about this crazy day. She would just laugh at me and tell me that I had been writing too many romance novels.

Maybe I am, but I'd still be like this even if I didn't write romance novels. This is the way I am, the way I will always be. And because of this… I'll never find myself a man.

A man who be able to pass my standards.

I sighed audibly as I slumped on my bed face first. I closed my eyes, succumbing the tranquility of the silence around me.

~~~~~

I woke up in the middle of the night when I heard shuffling noises outside my door.

Who could it be? Probably  it was just Misao.

As I was about to close my eyes to return to sleep, I saw the outline of Kenshin's figure outside my door. I was immediately snapped back to consciousness. What is he doing here? Probably, he just came to apologize.

I just stared at him, watching him raise his hand to knock, but then he lowered it almost immediately. Slumping his shoulders, he turned to walk away.

"Kenshin?" I called out.

Kenshin turned around once again and asked through the door, "Kaoru-dono, can I come in?"

At his single request, my heart began to pace rapidly. I immediately stood up from my futon, fixed my yukata, and combed my hair several times before I opened the door for Kenshin. I gulped a large lump that suddenly formed on my throat as I eyed him from head to foot. His loose yukata bared his finely chiseled chest enough to make anyone in the room drool.

Which in this case was me.

"Can I come in?" Kenshin repeated.

I nodded absent-mindedly as I opened the door wider to let my macho prince in.

Is it just me or did the room suddenly became hotter?

Once inside, Kenshin wrapped his arms around me and pressed kisses all-over my face.

I stared at him in shock and stammered "Ke… Kenshin, what is the meaning of this?"

"I love you, Kaoru. Be mine!"

My jaw dropped as I waited for the words to sink in. "You love me?"

He whispered huskily to my ears, "Yes, koishii."

I don't know if it was the heat of the moment but I allowed myself to be swept off my feet as we engaged in a heated and passionate kiss. I responded eagerly, wrapping my arms around his shoulder.

Gently, Kenshin lowered me to the futon as he laid on top of me, not breaking the kiss. With gentle and adroit, fingers, he untied the sash that held my yukata. He pulled back, looked deep in my eyes as he trailed down his fingers through the fold of my yukata, sending thousands of bolts across my body.

~~~~~

I woke up, drenched in sweat. I unconsciously raised my finger to my lips, feeling the lingering sensation of our kiss.

What was that dream that I had? It felt so real… I had never dreamed of anything like that before. It was usually sweet and it gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling. But now, it was so intense, so passionate, so…

But it was all a dream…

…and it will remain a dream…

…for I will never see him again.

Author's Notes:

Here is the Aoshi/Misao part! I did say I am going to have A/M and S/M on the side. Sano/Megumi will meet in the next chapter. ^__^ Don't worry everyone, Kenshin and Kaoru will soon meet. I just want them to contemplate the value of their so-called 'the one'. I don't know if there is going to be much humor in the next few chaps but one thing is for sure… it is going to have major waff!

***See? At least Kenshin and Kaoru aren't the only ones who lied! ^_~

Special thanks to all those who left a review!

Dfourthhorseman- I don't know if it is just me, but I think there are a lot of things …weird things going on inside people's mind that they just refuse to show. ^__^

Fey2Kim, Manina- Kenshin is a wimp but don't hurt him, ok? Love that red-head!

Claria- that's alright. Hehehe… if Kenshin kissed her that time, then there would be no fun, ne? heheh… I seem to have this habit of making Kenshin leave Kaoru. e.g. Surfacing Hearts.

Oro101- good luck on your finals!!! Tell me how it goes, ok?

Susan- thanks for reviewing every chap. How are you? I missed you! Had you been busy lately? If that is the case, thanks for taking the time to read and review.

Nim- heheh… points for trying, ne?

SAGE- yup, I think I went sugar high the time I wrote that chap! About the mosquito… hehehe sorry, I never thought of that. My fault! ^_^;;

Macy- me, too. I liked that headline. I was laughing when I wrote that.

Vesca- alright! I already have two cheers going for me! Do you have a dance step to accompany it? ^_^ Hehehe

KuroNeko-Sama- thank you for commenting on my writing style.

Hana-chan- thank you! Hehehe. Maybe the reason why I like this fic is because well, it is the output of my useless daydreams. ^_^;;

Dora-chan- here is the A/M you have requested. Hehehe, love that Cher joke. Thank you for pointing out the scenes you liked. Hehehe, its nice to know you had noticed those details.

Kori Suketchi- hmm.. another ARA! ^__^ don't worry, he'll explain it to Kaoru.

Linay- thank you!! Hehehe, that ARA reminds me of that sooo cute Soujiro! I've added your site to my links page. Have you received my mail?

Marta, Omochi, MP- hope this chapter answers your questions.

Marstanuki- thanks for the correction, I had already fixed it!

Tan Kimiko- hehehe, now Megumi adds to the list of liars! ^__^

Dementedchris- hmm… I wonder when I will find my other half…

Gypsy-chan, JML- hehehe… more romantic dates to come. But of course, I have to get them together first. Mail me about our fic, okay?

ArtemisMoon, Shin-chan, Onna- more waff to come, I promise.

Read and review!! Make me happy!

Happy Chibi-angel = Faster Chappies!