Chapter Two: Dizziness and Jealousy

*When Kaoru opened her eyes in the morning, she shifted uncomfortably. She felt hot and dirty. Her muscles ached, and she groaned with the simple effort of pushing herself up onto her elbows. It had been a very long time since she had felt so sore. Shaking the pain away, she smiled lightly to herself and berated her memory. She should have remembered what it meant to practice and then sleep without warming down properly. Why hadn't she remembered?

Kenshin. Just the thought of the redheaded man cast a delicate blush across her pale cheeks. She hadn't wanted Kenshin to worry about her, so she had gone to bed without stretching or drawing herself a bath.

"Miss Kaoru?" A familiar voice called to her through her door. Gasping, she pulled the covers up over her just in time as Kenshin poked his head into the room.

"Kenshin! Get out!" She yelled.

"Oro?" Kenshin wailed, quickly ducking back out of her room. His head ached, and his body was not much better. Strange, it was not her blow that had caused the pain either- it had only made it worse. Finally he managed to gather himself and call to her again. "Miss Kaoru? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine! I'll be out in a moment!" He could tell she was still a little angry about his actions. But that was a good sign. It meant that she was not sick from standing in the rain.

When Kenshin had woken in the morning, he had realized it was still very early- before dawn. But he could no longer sleep. After tossing and turning, and trying to stay asleep just a little longer, he had given up. After rising and dressing, he had crossed the dojo and stood contemplatively in front of Kaoru's room. Was what Sanosuke had said last night true?

"You'd better hurry and get over your fear Kenshin- she won't wait forever."

But he didn't want her to wait forever. And no one understood that! It wasn't that he was frightened to tell her, not necessarily. There was more to it. He was still trying to come to terms with the thought that such a man, beast, as himself should deserve to find the emotion love. And he knew that even if he did finally accept it, that Kaoru…

"Kenshin?" He shook his head to clear his thoughts and had to fight off a bout of dizziness that came with it. Dizziness? Well, he always felt dizzy in her presence… but this time, it was different.

"Good morning Miss Kaoru." He managed to give her the soft rurouni smile he knew she trusted.

"Kenshin, are you all right?" Kaoru asked, ignoring his smile. He didn't look as he usually did. He looked troubled, tired.

"I'm fine. I was coming to inform you that breakfast is ready. I believe Yahiko and Sano are already there."

"Alright. We'd better go then, before that bratty boy throws a tantrum about having to wait to eat." She sighed resigned. He seemed to be all right she guessed. But he didn't look it, and that bothered her greatly. The two of them walked towards the smell of the wonderful food in a companionable silence, both too polite to speak the troubles that weighed on their minds.

"Hey! The ugly raccoon girl's finally up! Took you long enough, we were going to starve if you didn't show up soon." Yahiko immediately began.

"Why you little ungrateful, lazy boy! I'm trying to teach you the Kamiya Kashinn Ryu style, not to mention giving you a place to live and food to eat and you're going to yell at me?" Kaoru glared at Yahiko and smacked him hard over the head.

"Calm down Missy! We're just hungry waiting is all." Sano grinned. Kaoru turned to face him, face red with anger.

"You're just as bad Sanosuke! I'm going to-"

"Achoo!" She was cut off by the abrupt sneeze. All heads turned towards the origin of the sneeze. "Achoo, achoo!"

"Kenshin? Sneezing?" Yahiko asked in wonderment.

"Kenshin?" Kaoru's anger immediately forgotten as she staggered over to where Kenshin had seated himself while they were arguing.

"This unworthy one is fine Miss Kaoru, that I am." He smiled. But Kaoru was not fooled.

"Kenshin, you don't look well." She told him honestly. But Kenshin could hardly concentrate on her words. His head was swimming with a massive dizzy spell and he was hot and bothered. Even the feel of his clothing against his skin was painful.

"Kenshin's sick? I don't believe it. The great Battousai, brought down by a virus." Sano smirked.

"Sano, why don't you do something constructive, like get Megumi?"

"The fox?"

"She is a doctor, isn't she?" Kaoru snapped. Sometimes Sano was such a stubborn ass.

"Right. Come on Yahiko, let's go."

"Fine." Once they were gone, Kaoru turned her focus back to her sick rurouni. Quickly she sunk down to the floor and reached over. Lightly, she placed her hand upon his forehead, then let it slide down to his cheek. Soft… but so hot…

"Kenshin, you're burning up…" She whispered to him. Kenshin's vision was watery, but he could clearly make out Kaoru's worried eyes. He fought the urge to moan when she pressed her cool hand to his forehead gently and let her soft fingers drag along his feverish skin.

"I'm all right Miss Kaoru. Just a little tired is all."

"You're more than a little tired. Oh Kenshin, I wish you had told me you weren't feeling well."

"I would never want to worry you Miss Kaoru, that I would not."

"Kenshin." Kaoru closed her eyes and let her thoughts float for a moment before reopening them and focusing on the ill man sitting beside her. "Tell me how you feel? What hurts?"

"Miss Kaoru, I-"

"Kenshin, I need to know. Even if it's only a cold, I still need to know what to tell Megumi your symptoms are." Kenshin nodded, head swimming. This was his Kaoru, stubborn and direct to a fault.

"I'm afraid I am a little dizzy, and I'm hot… and I ache." He grimaced as he gave away his weak points, but his bad mood was banished when he saw Kaoru's concerned but ever-sweet smile and innocent eyes studying him carefully.

"Alright." She conceded. But there was little more she could say to him- she wasn't a doctor, and didn't pretend to know the first thing about how to help the sick. "Try closing your eyes and resting. Megumi will be here soon."

But Kenshin had already closed his eyes and slipped out of consciousness. Kaoru watched on, worried that he might not wake again if she took her eyes off of him, even if only for a moment.

Her dear rurouni was sick…

)(

"Megumi?" Yahiko called as he and Sano stepped into her clinic.

"Hey Fox, you around?"

"Coming!" They heard the familiar, deep but feminine voice call to them from the back room. They waited patiently, but when she didn't appear after a few minutes, Yahiko began to fidget, and Sano began to lose his temper.

"Come on Megumi! What if we had an emergency? What kind of a doctor are you?"

"Well, you don't have an emergency, otherwise you would have come in here screaming bloody murder." Megumi smiled a dark side smile as she stepped into the room, a motor and pestle in hand.

"Well, it's not an emergency, but we do need a doctor." Sano grinned.

"Which one of you is sick? Don't tell me- another hang over Sanosuke? Why can't you ever just learn that drinking-"

"Kenshin's sick Megumi!" Yahiko broke through her ranting, tired of being ignored. Megumi's head shot up, her eyes wide and lips slightly parted. Sano narrowed his eyes in jealousy, and then blushed, reminded of how she had looked last night, but managed to remind himself just why they were here.

"Yeah, Kenshin's got a cold. Yahiko and I know it's probably nothing too serious, but Missy, she's got it into her head that it's the end of the world. Mind coming over and taking a look at him?"

"Of course, anything for Sir Ken." Megumi nodded. "Let me get my things." And she quickly turned on her heel and headed back into the room she had just been in.

"Yahiko, I'm going to go help her, you stay here."

"Fine." The boy nodded, his facial lines set sternly. Sano quickly left, and when he reached the room, shut the door behind him silently. He spotted Megumi in the corner standing at a table with herbs and cloths surrounding her. She was packing them into a small bag. Silently he snuck around behind her and before she could turn around, he had his arms around her waist, pulling her back into his chest.

"Worried about 'Sir Ken' Fox?" His voice was deep and dark.

"Jealous Sanosuke?"

"Very." He spun her around. "Miss Megumi. If you are going to tease me, flirt with me, sleep with me, and profess your love for me, then you had better not dare try to make me jealous."

"And why not? I rather enjoy the darker side of Mr. Sanosuke. Zanza." He glared, and moved his arms from around her waist so that he could grab her shoulders instead. Shaking her roughly, he sneered.

"Don't call me that."

"You're right, because Rooster Head is so much better." She smiled, gazing innocently into his eyes. Then her air supply was cut off as her mouth was crush by Sano's bruising kiss. Megumi moaned and leaned in to actively participate in the violent love that was being sent to her through Sano's lips. He ran his tongue over her bottom lip, and she eagerly opened her mouth and began to mingle their saliva. Finally Sano broke the kiss, leaving her feeling vulnerable and naked.

"Sano is fine. Fox." She grinned. Sano couldn't help but smile too. God he loved it when she finally gave in to him. Every time they kissed it was a battle of wills, his versus hers, never stopping until they reached the breaking point and one failed. This time he had won, and that had only made the kiss sweeter.

"Well." Megumi pulled away from his grip. "Not to make you jealous, but I should take a look at Kenshin. I would hate to see him die, and I would hate to see Kaoru sad."

"Yeah. It would be heartbreaking to see something like that happen." Sano nodded, his thoughts lingering on her words. Kenshin, die? Kaoru, depressed? It would be something horrible.

"Did he tell her yet?" Megumi asked as she turned back around to finish gathering her things. Sano moved in closer and wrapped his arms around her waist again. Lightly, he kissed her ear, then made his way down her neck softly.

"No. He's being stubborn again. He's scared."

"Mmmm… Kenshin? Scared? That can't be."

"He told me so last night after I walked in."

"He was up that late last night?"

"I caught him and Kaoru talking on the porch. She looked like she had been practicing with her bokken, and Kenshin had been watching. I stood there and watched them for a little while, and when she went in, I called to him."

"Well. I don't see what he's scared of. It isn't as if she doesn't have feelings for him. She's lovesick over that man, that's what. It's pathetic the way she tries to hide her feelings."

"Don't mock her. You are just as bad."

"You're the one that doesn't want anyone knowing about us!" Megumi accused, turning her head to look at Sano. But she was silenced when soft lips covered hers.

"I just don't want them jeering at us."

"Well, I think that it's still a shame she can't tell him and he can't tell her."

"Are you two dead back there? Come on!" Yahiko's voice broke their conversation. Sano growled.

"Coming Little Yahiko!" He called, stepping away from Megumi. She picked up her satchel, and both of them left to collect Yahiko.

"Took you two long enough, come on, Kenshin's sick." Yahiko grumbled as they left the clinic for the dojo.*