Author's Notes: Welcome to chapter eight! I'm just going to skip chapter seven if that's alright with you. There isn't a chapter seven, okay? REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!!! Thank you minna-sama!

        Disclaimer: I don't own my muses, I just play with them. Meow.

On with the story. . .

Chapter Eight

Kaoru woke up to the sound of somebody talking. It didn't sound like a real person talking though. It sounded like something from off a television. But wait! Kenshin doesn't have a tv! But then. . .

"NOYU!!! TURN IT DOWN!!!" she heard Kenshin scream over the tv sound. She rolled her eyes, still in bed. 'I should have known. . .' she thought. She strained to hear what Kenshin and Noyu said.

"YOU OUGHT TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON!!!" Noyu screamed back, laughing his head off.

Somebody from down the hall shouted, "SHUT UP YOU MANIAC!!!" the laughing stopped. Kaoru listened carefully to what the news was saying.

"Yesterday in the afternoon at the Tokishi Bar, five people were murdered as well as Tokishi himself. At first it was obvious that Tokishi had killed the five people but police officers are still trying to find out how Tokishi died. As far as they know it was not suicide."

Kaoru heard Kenshin groan in irritation. She smiled. 'I remember what happened yesterday. Kenshin kissed me and his eyes were violet!' she thought, remembering the tender touches that Kenshin had given her.

The newsman continued, "Now with Tokishi dead, businessman Katsura has now won the election of Highest Rank by default, right next to the Supreme Rank. He is now the second most richest and powerful man alive in Japan."

Kaoru sat up on her bed. 'Well, now that Tokishi is dead, what's going to become of me?' she wondered. She walked over to the closet. She gasped when she saw it. It was a beautiful dark purple kimono with pink sakura petals on it. It was beautiful.

She nearly snickered with delight when she saw a sticky note on it that said, "This is from Noyu. He thought you ought to have something good to wear. ~Kenshin" Kaoru smiled evilly. "But is it really from Noyu like you say, Kenshin? Or is it from you yourself???" she whispered.

Kaoru slipped into the kimono perfectly. The obi was the same color as the cherry petals and so was the ribbon that went along with it. There were also white socks and black sandals. Kaoru smiled.

Once she was all done getting dressed except for the sandals, with her hair up in a ponytail with the pink ribbon, she walked out into the living room. She smiled at Kenshin when his eyes grew big looking at her.

'Whoa. . .' Kenshin thought. 'Hey wait a moment! What am I thinking???' he asked himself.

'Kaoru-dono is very pretty today, that she is, de gazoru yo,' Rurouni said mentally, with a sappy smile.

'Yeah yeah. . .' the Battousai grumbled.

Kenshin covered his look of surprise and went about making breakfast again, listening to the news. Kaoru smiled and sat down at the small table, eating her miso-soup, also listening to the news, and smiling brightly when they mentioned the weather.

"The weather lately has been extremely off course. We can't actually tell you what the weather will be like this week, but if weather is as it normally is, we will have bright sunny weather getting into the mid nineties," the newsman said.

Noyu could be heard shouting, "HA!"

There was a knock at the door and Kenshin got up to see who is was. He peeked at the person through the little eyehole, and then looked back over at Kaoru, a grim look on his face. He seemed to be asking if he should even open it.

Kaoru thought about it, and then shook her head as a no.

Kenshin nodded once then sat back down and continued to eat. He didn't even look up when he heard Noyu screaming, "HEY! LET ME IN HIMURA! I WANNA SHOW YOU SOMETHING!"

"I'm busy right now, Noyu! Come another day!" then Kenshin whispered, "Or another week. . .or month. . .or year. . ."

Kaoru couldn't keep in her giggle. Kenshin heard her laugh for the first time. 'She sounds even better then what she did in my dream. . .' he thought. 'Wait! Hold on a second here! What is going on???'

The Rurouni shrugged. 'I dono, de gozaru yo. . .' he started.

'OH WOULD YOU STOP THAT???'

'ORO!'

Noyu just kept on pounding the door. "Listen!!! Himura!!! Katsura wants to see the girl!!!" he shouted. He smiled evilly when Kenshin opened the door. "So you decided to open the door, eh?"

Kenshin frowned. "Does Katsura really want to see Kaoru?" he asked.

Noyu nodded, and puffed on his cigarette. "Yep. He said that he wants to see you too, but he wants to see both of you without the other in the same room. I don't know why, but he told me it was urgent . . .Oi Himura, exactly what were you busy with?" Noyu looked over Kenshin's shoulder at Kaoru.

Kenshin rolled his eyes. "Nothing that concerns you. Actually I was listening to your stupid tv," he told him. His amber eyes sent a daring look at Noyu, as if asking him to keep asking the question so Kenshin could kill him.

"Are you sure you weren't doing something else?"

"Oh yeah. I was plugging my ears."

"Whatever Himura. You are so complicated. . ." Noyu went back to his own apartment and laughed very loudly.

Suddenly, the door across the hallway opened up and a person came out, screaming, "I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU, YOU MORON!!!" he ran into Noyu's room and screams of pain could be heard.

Kenshin raised an eyebrow. After just standing there for a few moments, silence came, and then finally the man came back out, whipping his hands off, a giddy smile on his face. "That should shut him up for a while. . ." he murmured happily.

Kenshin just shook his head in disgust and walked back into the room. He looked over at Kaoru. "We're going to Katsura's."



The car pulled up to Katsura's house. Both Kenshin and Kaoru got out and walked up the stairs. Kaoru looked around her and saw a burnt tree. "Looks like there was a fire. . ." she said.

Kenshin smirked. 'Yeah. . .because of your lightening. . .' he thought with a snicker. 'Funny. . .' He knocked on the door and the steward came once again, calling him, "Mr. Battousai." And calling Kaoru, "Miss Kamiya."

They walked into the dark room with the round table. Katsura smiled at them. "Himura, leave us please. It'll only be a few moments. . ." he said. He watched as Kenshin walked into what appeared to be a waiting room.

Kenshin looked around. There was nobody else there. There were a lot of brightly different colored chairs with a bright yellow carpet bellow him, a tv up in the corner with the volume down to at least two, and elevator music playing.

Kenshin rolled his eyes. 'Just like Katsura. . .' he thought.

Kaoru looked around and sat down at the round table. Katsura smiled at her. "You might think that I want to use you for a long time. Actually, I've found that now that I am Highest Rank, there is no need for you to help me. I'll just have Himura kill the Supreme Ranked man and then I'll become Supreme!"

Kaoru nodded. 'Thank goodness. . .'

"And since your fiancée is dead, we have found a small home for you in Tokyo. It has everything a young lady needs. All but a man of the house. There are many men living in that neighbor hood, and I know you'll find one of them more . . . how should I put it . . . more 'charming' then the others," Katsura continued.

Kaoru nodded, but felt her heart break. 'So much for Kenshin . . .' she thought.

"You will be moving there tomorrow. My men are still putting in everything you need. It has a beautiful garden, and a some-what small bathhouse. Is this alright with you?" Katsura asked.

Kaoru nodded, but felt her heart break even more.

"All right then. Tonight will be the last night you stay with Himura. You may go get him now and wait for us in the waiting room," Katsura pointed to the door to his left. He watched Kaoru walk in and Kenshin walk out.

"Well?" Kenshin asked, ruefully.

"Kaoru is to be moved to a safe house in a safe neighbor hood in downtown Tokyo. Tonight will be the last night she stays with you. . ." Katsura told Kenshin, but he trailed off a bit, as if reading Kenshin's mind.

Kenshin felt a tinge of despair. 'She's moving? But then I'd never be able to see her again, being the assassin I am. . .' he thought. He watched Katsura's lips form a smile.

"That is. . .unless you wish to go with her. . ." Katsura said, slowly.

Kenshin thought this over. 'Do I want to be with her?' asked Battousai.

'Well. . .this is tuff. . .de gozaru yo. . .' Rurouni said, trailing off a bit.

'Stop acting so smarty pants!'

'ORO!'

Katsura smiled, evilly. "You have tonight to think this over. I'll see later, Himura," he said. He watched Kenshin and Kaoru walk out the door. 'All part of the plan. . .' he thought.



Later that night, Kenshin could barely get any sleep on the large chair. 'To go, or not to go, that is the question . . .' he thought, thinking how lame his jokes were. Little did he know that in the bedroom, Kaoru couldn't get any sleep either.

'I've got to tell him!' Kaoru thought. 'I've got to tell him how I feel!' but then a mocking voice asked, 'How DO you feel?' Kaoru groaned. 'In love! That's how I feel!" Kaoru slowly walked out into the living room.

Kenshin heard her footsteps, but didn't move. He looked up at her. She looked so sad. He knew what she was thinking. Breaking off the painful silence, Kaoru asked, "Will you come with me?"

To Be Continued. . .

Author's Notes: ALL RIGHT!!!! Ok people, review. Or ELSE. REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW!! YAY!!! Thank you minna-sama!