*II*

*TOMOE*

(flashback)

"I want to give you something, Kaoru," Kenshin said as they walked up to the steps of the dojo.

She smiled weakly at him, surprised at his gesture. "What's the occasion? I have nothing for you and-"

"No, no. It's all right. It's something I had forgotten for a while, and now as I have found it once more I think it should be given to you." He searched the inside of his sleeve for a moment before pulling out a small sheath. It was simple and wooden with a red tie at the near top where it opened.

She took it from his hand carefully, almost afraid to touch it. She stared at it with curiosity. "Kensh-"

"Open it," he said softly, his eyes shadowed by his bangs.

Kaoru nodded and gently split the two ends of the sheath apart. Within the delicate wooden sheath was a dagger. It looked like it was made years ago, although only used once. The handle wasn't anything elaborate but it was the blade that caught her attention. Still sharp, it carried with it a single spot of blood at its tip, dried there from years of neglect. She brought it to her face and she could suddenly smell the blood's aroma in her nose. And something else. Snow. It must be…

"Tomoe's dagger…" Kenshin said, without emotion, his eyes still shadowed. He lifted a single hand to his cheek and ran his finger along the horizontal scar which had completed the X so many years ago.

"Why?" Kaoru asked, still gazing at it, part of her afraid to make eye contact with the man before her.

"You are important to me, Kaoru. As important to me as Tomoe was. And I promise you, Kaoru, that I will protect you. Protect you better than I did Tomoe. Never let anything like that happen to you. I never want to see your face like that lying in my arms. I never want to smell your blood mixed with snow. I never want to hear your cries. I never want to feel that dagger ever again. So I'm promising you, Kaoru, that I will protect you. And I give you her dagger as a symbol of this."

There was an awkward silence as she looked up at him, trying to read his covered eyes. He raised his head so that the bangs brushed aside in the wind and it surprised her to see him smiling, his eyes closed in a laugh. "And so if I ever do kill you accidentally you can always make the X an asterisk- or even start a new scar on the other side!"

Kaoru gave a half-hearted laugh at Kenshin's remark, which surprised her a bit considering the seriousness of the situation. But maybe making it into something of a joke would be better for him considering what had happened.

"Thank you, Kenshin,"  Kaoru nodded, and held the sheath tightly in one hand, as the other took hold of his fingers.  Together, they walked into the dojo.

*

An: That's all for chapter two. Oh, and it will have 7 chaps and an epilogue(typoed in the first chap). Thank you for the reviews and I changed the summary, like haku baikou suggested, thx ^^ and Ill be updating late evening every day to be more specific for impatient ones ^^. Short chaps is how I write so I hope that's ok ^^

So thanks for reading and if possible please leave a review, and perhaps, no flames- just constructive criticism. That means flames with an explanation. ^^