Special Thanks to:

Jen, Rekka's Angel, Ana, shadow's flame, ice-chan, AnOnYmUs, Dark Sapphire Angel, LittleDragon5, Dragon of shadows, and Starian Princess

I love all of your reviews!

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin

Characters are slightly OOC

SANO'S PAST

Last time

"Am I interrupting anything?" asked the ever annoying and dangerous voice of the wolf. Saito took a long drag from his cigarette and looked at the occupants of the dojo's property for an answer.

And Now

All of the stress that had developed over the past few days finally had found an out.

He laughed.

He felt that he could do nothing more but to laugh. Yet, this was not a normal ha-ha laugh, this was an I'm-going-to loose-my-mind type of laugh.

The others watched in amazement as Sano held his side and tears came from his eyes. Kaoru was not sure what there was to laugh about and quite frankly it was getting on her nerves! Here where HIS friends, joining in a lie that HE started, so that HE would not have to marry, or feel bad about beating Yoru and Yara up, and HE was…ARGH! Her rage was on a short leash now, and Sano was not helping at all. In fact she was ready to call it quits and tell the whole truth, if only to stopped that insane laughter!!!

Kenshin knew what was going on, and felt that it was his duty to stop the truth from coming out. After all, he wasn't sure that Sano had suffered long enough. Although from the way that Sano was behaving, he seemed just short of going insane. But he wasn't, yet, so Kenshin felt no harm in continuing his torture. So before Kaoru could explode with anger, the red face and menacing eyes and clenching of her fists gave her away, he walked up to the group and spoke.

"San…" Kenshin grasped his throat; it still hurt and was a bit raspy. Clearing it, he tried again. "Sano, why don't you show Aoshi-san to his room, and give him an up-date on Yahiko's progress?" Nodding Sano approached the three still in an embrace, which was more like Kaoru and Yahiko embracing a stone statue.

Slapping Aoshi on the back in a friendly gesture Sano spoke, "Hey man, nice to see you again. Well, come on, let's get you settled in and tell you all that has been happening." Thankfully, Aoshi was a man of few words, and followed Sano, leaving Kaoru and Yahiko behind with the others. Yara looked over towards her brother.

"That man was like a block of ice. Who on earth is his wife?"

A visual of Misao entered Kaoru's mind and Kaoru had to keep herself from snorting, which she failed. Just seeing Misao acting as Yahiko's mother, when in fact she was only six years his senior, put her in a fit of giggles. Misao as Yahiko's mother, thank goodness that the itachi was not there or else they would really have been…

"Kaoru-dono?" Kenshin's voice drew her out of her thoughts. Straightening her kimono, and adjusting her hair ribbon, she looked at Kenshin as if nothing was wrong.

"Yes Kenshin?"

"Are you alright? You were spacing out for awhile." Kaoru lifted her hand and waved it in a nonchalant manner.

"No, no. I'm fine." Kenshin nodded his head, and as his violet eyes gazed into her shining sapphire eyes, he knew that she would tell him eventually.

"Ah-hem. I do believe that I have asked you a question." So caught up in recent events, they totally forgot about Saito, which by the looks of it was not a good thing. Saito did not enjoy being ignored.

"Ah, well, otusan, you see cousin Aoshi is here for a visit to check up on his son." Kaoru tried to give one of her best smiles, even though she was nervous. Saito raised an eyebrow and flicked his finished cigarette away.

"Sou ka. Himura, mind telling me why you are out of uniform?"

Crap.

Kenshin looked for his police jacket and found it by the tea. He had just given Saito leverage over him, especially since the twins where there. However, instead of answering, Kenshin responded with his own eyes narrowing.

Crap.

Kaoru knew what was going to happen next if they weren't stopped. Glancing at Yahiko for help, she approached the one man she never wanted to approach.

"Otusan, please. Kenshin was helping with the laundry." Saito's heated gaze went from Kenshin to Kaoru, as a chill of fear went down her spine.

"Helping with the laundry? Your laundry, with your under kimono's?" Saito sneered.

Kaoru swallowed. "Uh, yes?" she responded meekly.

"Out of my way onna. This man needs to be taught a lesson in the chain of command and where his place is." The words came out with spite and viciousness. So much that the twins felt that they needed to get involved.

"Hold it right there mister! That is no way to talk to your daughter!" Yara scalded as she walked up towards the man. Her finger pointing right at him.

"I agree. You have abandon your daughter after her mother died! Do not deny it, we know the truth. You have no right to get angry at her now." Yoru joined in.

"That's right! Not only that, don't you know that you are making her insane? A lunatic, that her only way to express her self is to beat her cousin?" Yara turned towards Kaoru. In a gentler voice, she regarded Kaoru. "Which I might add Kamiya-san, that is no way to treat a boy, regardless how insane you may feel. After all, he is going deaf due to your beatings." Her attention and heated gaze fell back onto Saito.

Kenshin, Kaoru, and Yahiko just watched in amazement as the two reprimanded the great Saito Hajime. At first Kaoru was really ticked off about the onna comment, that and Saito seemed to be more concerned about Kenshin being out of uniform, than him washing her under kimonos. Some father he was. However, this was a new development, and it was kind of fun watching Saito get yelled at by the twins in how bad of a father he was. But, a nagging feeling would not leave Kaoru alone. Somehow she felt cheated these past days, when others did the arguing for her. Yahiko was still holding Kenshin by the shoulders, but his grip relaxed with shock. Saito was surprised as well, but his patients were wearing thin. After all, how dare these…children insult HIM on how to be a proper father!

Yara jumped back as she heard a growling sound coming from the taller man.

"You have no right in telling me how to treat my family," his accusing gaze then narrowed onto Kaoru. "As for abandoning my daughter, I have no such memories."

Kaoru gulped and Yahiko sweet dropped. Apparently the twins heard Sano and his conversation earlier.

"Then why does she live alone, humm?" questioned Yara as she crossed her arms, relieved that his gaze was no longer focused on her or her brother.

"I do not have to justify myself to you." Kaoru could not help but to then join the conversation.

"Sending a police officer to watch me hardly says good parenting." Mumbled Kaoru, keeping eye contact with Saito. Unfortunately, Saito heard her.

"You ungrateful tanuki (Yara gasps). You are lucky that I even allow that ahou to be around you. I give you freedom and look how you repay me!"

"Repay me?! If I remember correctly, you entered here without permission and nearly killed Sano when you first met him!"

"Really tanuki. The sword wound would not have killed him."

Yahiko watched in fascination as the two continued to argue. Apparently they had a lot to get off their chest about the other.

"Kenshin, do you have a feeling that they are no longer acting?" whispered Yahiko. Kenshin could only nod in response.

"How do you know I was talking about that ahou?" asked Saito, letting go of Kaoru's gaze just a moment to shoot it at Kenshin. Kaoru fumed.

"Oh that's even better. You tried to kill HIM!"

"I was just testing him."

"Was not."

"Was to."

"Was not."

"Himura." Saito said through clenched teeth. He was tired in playing these childish games. Really, the whole occupants of the dojo was a bad influence for him, he just felt himself grow dumber.

"Hai, Saito."

"We are leaving, you need to be reprimanded." This time the growl came from Kenshin, his eyes turning amber.

Yahiko once again held Kenshin back, trying to restrain the older man, knowing that it would do no good.

Kenshin's hand went straight for the hilt of his sword. Kaoru spoke his name quietly.

Yara and Yoru wondered what type of men these were, or if they were men at all. Their constant growling made them doubt the two officer's species.

Kenshin looked towards Kaoru, and saw pain and sorrow. She did not want this to happen, she did not want the two of them to fight. Kenshin's hand went back to his side, and nodded. He gave Kaoru a sweet smile with no blame towards her. She returned it with a thankful one.

"Alright Saito. But I cannot be gone long. You did assign me to watch over your daughter." With a curt nod, Saito left the dojo, with Kenshin following.

An uncomfortable silenced filled the remaining individuals. Not knowing what else to say Kaoru spoke up first, while bowing.

"Arigato Yoru san, Yara san. My father can be difficult at times." Accepting her thanks, the twins decided it was time to head back to the hotel. For some reason unknown to them, her father scared them stiff, and where surprised that he did not attack.

"No."

"What do you mean no?" Sano was given a hard glair by Aoshi.

"Even I suspect that you would know the meaning of the word." Sano fumed, than sagged his shoulders.

"Aoshi, look, we need your help. They won't be here much longer. Please, be Yahiko's father." Aoshi took a sip from the tea that he was holding. The desperation was coming off Sano in waves, and after being told the whole story, his refusal to help, was not making it any better. Setting the teacup down, he regarded the street fighter, than turned his gaze outside at Kaoru who said something to Kenshin. Moments later Kenshin left following Saito. None of them looked happy. He regarded Sano once more. This lie obviously was going too far, yet, when would some one put a stop to it? Himura the Battousai? No, he seems to be having too much fun, excluding Saito's involvement of course. Apparently, no one knew the seriousness that this lie could bring. Already a simple lie begot more complex lies. But these where his comrades.

"I will neither deny or admit to your lie." Sano knew that this was the best that he could get out of Aoshi. Nodding his head in thanks he got up to leave, but paused as a question came to mind.

"Why are you hear anyways?"

Aoshi took a pause to order his thoughts. "To get away from Misao." It wasn't a complete lie, yet it wasn't a complete truth either, but he would not embellish on it. He would not embellish on how he was driving everyone insane with his philosophy and meditation. The irony, Misao all but chased him out the Aoiya and Kyoto in hopes that Himura could revive a little bit of his warrior spirit. Nope, he was not going to tell them that, for one thing he could not stand was the tori-atama laughing at him constantly.

Accepting, but not fully believing his answer, Sano left the room.

Sano walked up to the obviously stressed out Kaoru.

"Jou-chan. You okay?" Kaoru gave him a small smile.

"I am so dead. Kenshin is so dead. What was I thinking?" mumbling, Kaoru left and headed towards the dojo.

"What's that all about kid?"

"Kaoru just told Saito off. She told him basically that he was a bad parent, and got into a small yelling match with him. I think she fears that Saito is going to take it out on Kenshin."

"Wow, sorry I missed it. Aoshi will remain neutral, but don't worry. He won't give the lie away." The two watched as the sun began to sit, it had been a long day. Surprisingly though, after his out burst earlier with laughter, Sano felt refreshed, renewed.

"Sano?"

Yeah?"

"Did you call me a kid earlier?"

"Sure did."

"Okay, I just wanted to make sure." Without warning Yahiko grabbed a near by bamboo stick and started chasing Sano around the dojo.

Meanwhile, in their hotel room, Yara and Yoru where staying in, they had a conversation themselves.

"I just don't know how to feel about all of this onii-chan." Yoru regarded his sister and let out a big breath of air.

"Neither do I. What once was so simple has now become so complicated. I don't think I can leave, not without knowing that they are right for each other."

"I understand. But what shall we do?"

"What can we do but to call Grandmother. She will solve this problem for us, whether she kills the others or not." Nodding, Yara turned her attention back to the setting sun. The red sky slowly turned black.

"I just hope that she wont get too violent. It would be a shame if Sano would not survive to marry Kaoru."

T.B.C.

Thank you for all of your patients, and don't worry, a Sano and Kaoru scene will come next chapter, after all they are suppose to be engaged right? I might as well put them together some time ^_^ Thank you also for the suggestions, and if there are any request please share. Till next time.