Backstabbed: A Rurouni Kenshin - Inu Yasha cross-over fic.

I'd just like to point out that this will probably be a really long fic. The first four chaps cover the span of a day and this one has a little of that same night in it too. I don't know how much of the summer is going to be written in, probably just late August, right before the concert.

This will probably turn into an even more depressing story as it goes along; I tend to write gloomy stories. Lots of drama and angst to come before a happy(?) ending.

-DE

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"I got her really mad at me, Kenshin." Kaoru was quite upset about the whole episode with Sojiro and Kerri. Seeing Sojiro behave like that, whacking his head violently against the closest object, could unnerve any one. Kaoru and Kerri had a fragile relationship; the older girl didn't like her very much because she was so peppy and optimistic. It didn't take much for Kerri to get mad at her.

"She'll get over it." Kenshin assured her, "Kerri is flighty. Things set her off, then she forgets about them. Her temper is very strong, but she cools off quickly."

"But she's mad at me. I hate when people are mad at me."

Tokio was also worrying over the situation. She blamed herself for Kerri running off because she was the one who invited the other girl along. "It was my fault…I should have known better. Kerri doesn't belong with us…I was just trying to do something nice and make her feel welcome."

"Tokio, calm down." Saito watched as she nervously fiddled with her necklace, a gold heart he'd given her for their third anniversary. Her eyes were full of anguish at the thought of upsetting Kerri and she was pretty distressed.

"I feel really bad about it. This whole night was a disaster, Hajime. I can't even apologize to her because I don't know where she is."

Saito sighed. Tokio was a very selfless, caring person. She wouldn't be happy until she talked to Kerri and made sure for herself that the girl was fine. "Do you want to find her and tell her you're sorry?"

"I don't know…I don't want her even more upset." She fretted.

"Tokio…" She exasperated him sometimes. He would never let her go, but she needed to get a little more backbone. "Let's just go home. This whole night was a bad experience. You'll feel better about it in the morning. You tried your hardest to include her, but she just doesn't fit in here."

"That's not right though…Everybody should be included."

"Sometimes, everybody can't be. Come on; I need a cigarette."

"You shouldn't smoke. It's-"

"I know, it's a disgusting habit. Deal with it."

Shaking her head, Tokio followed him out of the store. She called goodbyes to her friends, telling them she would see them tomorrow.

Kenshin looked back at his remaining companions. "We should look for Sojiro. He was very upset and not quite in his right mind when he left."

"What about Kerri?" Katsuhiro spoke up quietly, "She ran off too."

The redhead smiled at his friend's concern. "She'll be fine. Kerri's not emotionally unbalanced like Sojiro is."

Something had been dogging at Katsu's memory, something he just couldn't put his finger on. There was something about Kerri…he tried to remember what. Something lurked in the back of his mind…Kerri had been upset and depressed before. But every one was like that from time to time…His mind was racing. Suddenly he thought back to sophomore year. Kerri had…"We have to find her!" He ran off leaving them standing openmouthed.

"What's up with him?" Sanosuke scratched his head.

"He's worried about Kerri." Sojiro strolled back up to the group, looking much more composed than he earlier had. "And he has good cause to be."

"What're you talking about?"

"Don't you remember?" A withering sigh escaped the boy's lips, "Sophomore year, she tried to kill herself."

Crystal smirked. Katsuhiro had remembered this and he was going to make an ass out of himself whether she was involved or not. This would be well worth it. He would find Kerri. And she herself would ruin anything that may happen between them. "I'm going to look for Kerri." She sauntered casually away.

Kerri was sitting outside on a low stone wall by the wheelchair lamp leading into Ruby Tuesday's. She was hunched over, her stringy hair falling into her eyes. A million thoughts raced through her mind: This whole night was a waste. I shouldn't have come. I hate Tokio for inviting me. Poor Sojiro, he didn't deserve that. I hate the Deeper kids for doing it to him. Naraku was trying to get to me. I hate him too. Why did I come? I should have known it would only lead to this. I hate myself…

The moon disappeared behind a cloud. It was going to pour. The smell of rain hung heavy on the air and it was very humid. A breeze blew, whipping Kerri's hair around her face. She looked up at the dark, ominous clouds. They matched her mood perfectly. A few tears ran down her face.

It was like this that Katsu found her, sitting there sullenly, her knees drawn up to her chest. "You okay, Kerri?"

"What's it matter to you?" She didn't look at him, just continued to stare at the gathering clouds.

"I…" He paused, "I was worried about you. You seemed pretty angry when you left."

"I'm always angry." She said coldly.

"Kerri…"

"What?!" She asked sharply, turning to face him. He was looking up at her seriously, his dark turquoise eyes full of sadness. Some of her anger melted away. "Katsu…" He really was worried about her. "I'm so sorry."

"Come down from there. It's going to rain."

She slid off the wall, stood before him. He was a good five inches taller than her and she gazed up at his face. He smiled slightly, a hand on her shoulder. His touch felt warm and inviting. She could feel her face getting slightly pink. Her eyes prickled with tears. Some one cared about her. "…I always thought that no one cared."

"I care about you. You're my friend, right?"

Friend? She felt all the color drain from her face. He wasn't supposed to say that. Tokio said he liked her. He sure wasn't acting like it. Her eyes clouded and she was blinded by tears. Before she knew it, she was crying uncontrollably on the sidewalk outside the mall.

Katsu, not realizing that she wished for him to be more than just her friend, thought she was upset about everything that had happened through the course of the evening. Sojiro was her best friend. Of course she would be upset after seeing him go nuts like that. He hated to see her cry. It didn't seem right for her to be in tears. It wasn't fair. She didn't deserve any of the crap she got.

He drew her into his arms, hugging her to him. It's okay to do this, he reassured himself, she won't think I'm being weird. She's upset; I can hug her. She won't assume it means I like her. I know she doesn't like me like that anyway…

God, he's hugging me! Have I died and gone to heaven? Kerri was slightly surprised to feel his arms around her. Fresh tears filled her eyes and she buried her face in his shoulder.

"So what's this?"

Crystal's voice snapped them both back to reality. The chubby blond was standing in the doorway, her arms folded across her chest. "Every one's been worried about you, Kerri."

Once it registered in his brain that Kerri was still in his arms, Katsu released her and took a step back, his face flushed red. How much had Crystal seen? And what was she doing there anyway? She didn't give a damn about Kerri.

"Every one hasn't been worried about me." Kerri muttered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She knew that they didn't care. They just pretended to look good. Sojiro cared about her. So did Katsu. The rest…They didn't give a shit. "I'm going home."

"Home? Wait, Kerri, how are you going to get home?" Katsu asked quickly. He didn't want to see her leave, not just yet. Not until he was sure she was okay.

"I'll walk."

"It's gonna rain!"

"So what?"

"I'll drive her." Crystal offered.

Kerri looked at her suspiciously. Why was Crystal offering her a ride?

"I've got the Neon and I need to get home soon anyway. You know, junior license and all. Can't stay out later than ten. Besides, Saito and Tokio left already. They brought you, but they can't take you home if they're gone, can they?"

It was Katsu's turn to look at the girl suspiciously. What was she trying to pull? He knew she was bad news and she and Sano were plotting something. Something involving Kerri.

"I'd rather walk and get drenched in the rain than ride in your damn car." Kerri spat out. Then she stormed away in a huff.

"Good going." Katsu glared at Crystal a moment, then set off after Kerri.

The other girl smiled to herself. Everything was going perfectly. Kerri Mortisen was just agitated enough to get in a fight with Katsuhiro if he didn't leave her alone. That would set him off yelling; he tended to lose his head on occasion. Kerri could be stubborn and Katsuhiro would not like that. Perfect…

Sojiro, meanwhile, was reminding his companions about Kerri's suicide attempt. "She slit her wrist after a particularly bad day at school. Her mother found her unconscious in the bathtub, the water red with blood." A queer smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he related the tale, "They packed her off to Sunny Side because the doctors at the hospital said she needed professional help. She was a wandering soul." His eyes, if possible, became even wider and more innocent looking as he spoke, "She became me that year. She became lost and alone, with no one to help her. Her parents turned a blind eye. Her friends -all of you- don't even remember. No one protected her. You say you will and you keep on saying it until something happens," His dark gaze turned to Kenshin, "Then when it happens, you're nowhere to be found."

The red-head stared at Sojiro. He still seemed slightly off-kilter, but what Sojiro said was true enough to send chills down his spine. He truly had forgotten all about Kerri missing a month of school two years ago. She was weak that she had tried to take her own life, and where had he been? Not there to help her. A frown crossed his face.

"You understand now? You understand, Kenshin? Kerri is weak like me. But she could be so wonderful." His smile widened and his eyes crinkled shut, "She could do great things with the help of the strong. I know this about her. I am the same way."

"Wait a minute, Sojiro! This isn't Kenshin's fault." Kaoru burst out, "He was never mean to Kerri. None of us were." A pause, "Well, maybe Sano was a jerk sometimes, but he never meant it."

"This isn't about being mean or nice." Sojiro stood there before them, taking them all in; Kaoru in her FHS sweatshirt, her hair in a long ponytail, Kenshin, his hair in his eyes, Sano dressed in his usual wife-beater and jeans. Misao, surprisingly, hadn't said a single word; she just stood there, her eyes wide. Aoshi stood silently beside her, a pensive look on his face. "It's more than that. You can be nice to her until you're sick, but that's different than really accepting who she is."

Misao studied Sojiro as he spoke. Only completing her freshman year, she hadn't been there when her friends were sophomores. She knew nothing of what had happened to the moody girl. Aoshi hadn't told her anything; he tended to keep things to himself. She blinked her large eyes, wondering what it was like to be hurt so badly. Aoshi periodically turned her away, but she knew he would always come back. It didn't hurt so much. But Kerri…every one had turned her away.

"She knows the truth, a truth even I didn't fully understand. She knows that some one only cares about you if they like who you truly are. I thought Shishio cared about me when he taught me to be strong. He made me into something he could care about. But Kerri cared about me even when I was weak." He looked thoughtful for a moment, then continued, "A real friend likes every part of you."

The real blow came here. All this time, Kaoru had considered Kerri Mortisen to be her friend. But there were things about Kerri she hated, from the way she always shut off her heart to the way she could make any one miserable no matter how happy they were. These things were what Kerri was and Kaoru hated them with a passion. She had tried to change the other girl, they all had. No one but Sojiro, nutcase that he was, had accepted every single thing about Kerri. "What do we do?"

"There is nothing to do." Sojiro said softly, a wistful tone in his voice. "It's too late for that. Kerri will always be Kerri and you will never be able to love her as she is. It's far too late. Every one will just keep on being nice until some one stabs her in the back."