"My, my, my. What a lovely red haired!"

Kenshin looked up and he unconsciously smiled.

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"I am very delighted to take glimpse of you for a second time, dear red hair." The lady with the raven hair was there to meet him, yet again. The lady in the party of their mission to kill a man named Enishi.

"Exactly the same here." He was staring at her… he didn't know that. He was far too busy studying every shade and glimmer of her deep ocean eyes.

"It is nice to hear that. You're the first one to be delighted to see me." She stated in a normal tone.

"Oh, why is that?" His curiosity was aroused. He thought of how precisely does this woman knows or feel when was the right timing for her to show up…? He was just thinking on when they would meet again and somehow he was glad of thinking that… but he's even gladder that his wish came true.

Her face changed and she seemed to be thinking. "Hmm. Let's just say that… When they see me the second time it isn't a good sign." He nodded at her. She felt like sinking… she had once again, lied. She doesn't like lying to others… especially those that she felt like they were somehow important even though she didn't want anybody to be too important to her. It might be the cause of her death and worse… those people that she learned to care for would end up lifeless.

"Well, I will always be delighted to see you anytime." He smiled at her and walked closer to her. Their eyes met… and at that exact moment… sparks flew. "The garden's great, isn't it?" He could not think of a greater speech to give her. Let's just say that he's the Aoshi now, the ten-word-per-sentence type of Aoshi, while he was simply cursing his self for being a stupid red haired assassin.

She turned to look at the lake once more. "Yes, it is. It's rather quite peaceful here, than being with whoever I'm with." She looked like she was avoiding talking about her and whoever was accompanying her on the trip.

Kenshin did the same… but after staring at her and almost melting her into a blob. "I thought of the same thing a while ago… And it smells wonderful here."

"Anyway, let's change the topic…" Her face looked somewhat… disgusted. He didn't notice it.

"It's fine with me. So, what do you prefer to talk about?" He turned to look at her and was welcomed with her deep blue eyes. He gaped a little but he soon noticed that she raised a brow. He closed his mouth and gulp. He tried smiling shyly. HE WAS CAUGHT GAPING! FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE!

"Well, for instance…" She looked up into the sky and then looked back at him. Then she noticed that she was actually having a conversation with this man that he met once. "Why are you here? And who are you with? A honeymoon with your fiancé or is it wife?"

He chuckled and it was her turn to raise a brow. "Sorry." He whispered and stopped his chuckles. "No, I'm here for a vacation with my friends."

The word friends echoed through her mind. "Tell me, is it nice to be with friends?" The question just came out of her.

He looked at her with his face asking while turning a little pale. "You don't have…?" He didn't want to say it so he trusted it to her mind's ability to catch up.

She nodded. "Not a single one. I've never had one. So, tell me." She sounded excited. Like a little girl waiting for her little lollipop reward for being kind.

Suddenly, he felt what he felt being alone until he found his two friends. He didn't have to wonder how it felt living without friends or anyone to talk to and lean to. Nobody to make you feel happy, no one to comfort you and not a single person to help you through your miseries. He didn't have to think of the feeling… since he already knew of it.

"You must be joking!" He chuckled.

She frowned and looked hurt but it didn't show very much… She must have thought it was supposed to jeer her. Her mind might have registered it as a purpose to be laughed at.

"Then what do you call me?" He asked smiling at her, with a finger pointing to his self.

She looked at him and tilted her head. She looked at him questioning.

"Well? What do you think of me?"

She tilted her head to the other side with the same expression. She thought very hard. His words rang like bell over and over through her head. 'What do you think of me?' She repeated those exact words with his voice. What do I think of him??? She asked herself. Still trying to figure out what she could have meant by that question.

Well, he was a person she met once in a party. He was the one that was the most enjoyable person she ever encountered. He was the only man that she never dared or even think about killing or giving her trademark. He was the only person that smiled at her so kindly and comforting. He wasn't irritating. He knows when to talk and not to.

What else…? … He's a man that I can stay with for hours and not get bored or get irritated. He's the only one that could make me loosen up at the same moment that he could make me feel welcome. He is also the one and only person that ever talked to her in a friendly matter…

Wait… friendly??? Her eyes grew, her head was in a normal way again, she pointed and finger at him and shrieked, "YOU!!!" Kenshin grinned at her and nodded. "You must be joking?! Why would you want to be friends with me?! I'm as cold as ice and as hard as stone!" She frantically stated to him and still try to make sense to him… without letting him think that she didn't want the friendship that he was offering.

In fact, she felt great. Never better. She felt some of the weight that she carried was lifted off of her heart. She felt a thing inside of her and I was a weird feeling. Her heart was beating fast although she wasn't scared and tired. She felt something inside of her jumping and she felt lighter.

"What are you saying?" He arched a brow and stopped his smiling lips. "You're not cold! And you're definitely not a stone." His voice sounded joking. Her face looked like she just saw a ghost flying in front of her. "And I happen to like seeing you, hearing your voice and talking to you." Why am I saying these words? He wondered.

"Really?" She looked like a ten year old innocent lost child.

"Yes. I really do." He smiled again.

She seemed to smile but not entirely.

"May I ask a question?"

She arched a brow and nodded. "Sure. Whatever."

"You seem happy but you do not smile…"

"Oh, I've never smiled since I turned at the age of twelve." She gave him a half smile.

"Well, you will again."

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"How long are you staying here?"

"A week or so."

"Great. Until we're together, you will stay with me."

"WHAT?!"

"No complaints. I really do insist. I don't have any better things to do."

She nodded. "Fine. Since I have no other choice, I would have to agree upon your oh-so-wise decision." She rolled her eyes.

"Correct. You do have no other choice." He smiled and she half smiled.

"So, where are we going?" She suddenly asked.

"We go out but we should change clothes first and I have to get my money."

"Okay. We meet outside of the inn." They nodded and went their separate ways.

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Kenshin walked through the hall and fixed his attire with his hands. She pushed the door and walked out. He found a woman standing there; she seemed to be waiting and bored. He approached the woman and tapped at her shoulders. She swirled around and he smiled at her.

"You look nice… well, better than what you were wearing earlier. You looked like a man." He admitted. She was wearing a black slacks, black top, which was hanging on to her top arms, and a black half inch sandals that was almost entirely covered by the slacks.

"You look nice… well, better than what you were wearing earlier. You looked like a man." She repeated the exact words that he said. He was wearing white pants and shirt with ordinary rubber shoes.

He giggled. "So, are you ready to leave?" He asked with a smile and she nodded at him.

"Where exactly are we going?" She asked curiously.

"Somewhere down the road." He answered back with sarcasm on his voice. He was serious with not giving her any clues on where he planned to take this fine young woman.

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"What's this?" She asked as they arrived at the place that Kenshin wanted to take her to. She stared blankly at the area and arched a brow. She turned her head to look at Kenshin who was staring at her with a smile. "What's this?" She repeated her question.

Kenshin blinked and turned his head to look at the said area. He smiled, nodded and turned back at her. "It's the place I wanted to take you to. It's nice inside but if you don't want to go… we could go somewhere else."

She stared at him and turned to the building. "No, I want to check it out. I've never seen this building before. She said with curiosity and slight enthusiasm on her voice. Kenshin quietly chuckled and offered his hand to her. At first, she stared at his hand then back to him and to his hand again. She arched a brow but slowly lifted her hand up. At last, her hand arrived at his own.

He nodded at her, reassuring her that it was okay and that there was nothing to worry about.

Kenshin intertwined their fingers and he dragged her inside the one storey building. He opened the door and pushed her inside.

As they got in, she raised a brow and, as she usually does, stared at everyone or everything. She turned to Kenshin. "Is this what I think it is?" She asked as she pointed somewhere in front of them.

"It depends on what you think it is. If you think it's another spa or a basketball court…"

"Baka! I'm not that stupid.!" She exclaimed.

Kenshin backed out a little and animatedly smile at her with his huge round anime eyes. He wave his other free hand in front of him and seat dropped. She nodded at him and looked at her surrounding.

If she wasn't this beautiful, I might have thought she's an assassin by the way she studies her surroundings with perfect concentration. Kenshin thought as he smiled secretly. "Come on," he tugged at her hand to get her attention, and he succeeded. "We have to get our things."

"But I don't have anything…" She whispered to him as they started walking or when he started dragging her.

She resumed her 'staring' as Kenshin paid for them and took their needs for the area, which she was obviously oblivion to it.

Kenshin smiled as he turned and saw her looking at all the people in the area. I swear, she really resembles a perfectly trained assassin… He shook the thought off his mind and approached her. He tapped her shoulders and showed her the stuff that they'll be using. She raised a brow as she saw the stuff that he was holding up to her. She looked up at him and tilted her head.

Kenshin chuckled at the way she looked at that time… She looked like a little lost girl.

"I don't know how…" She whispered to him as her eyes scanned the room if anybody heard.

"It's okay, I'll guide you." She nodded at him.

They approached the said area and then she exclaimed…

"I can't believe I'm going on a skating ring."

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