Standard disclaimers apply **********************************************

"Megumi, I think that I need your help," she said carefully. It wasn't an easy thing to admit that she needed the beautiful woman doctor's help. In fact, Karou spent a lot of her time trying to be better then her. Trying to outdo her at everything.

Megumi Takani glanced up at the takuni girl as she stepped through the doors to the clinic. She had been by earlier hollering a question about feeding babies. Judging by the moving bundle in her arms, she hadn't just been flinging a random question at the doctor.

Usually Megumi would have relished the chance to tease Karou about needing her help, but something on the younger woman's stressed face told her that this was a semi-emergency and all taunts would have to wait.

"What is it?" Megumi asked as she moved foreword to examine the bundle. She had an idea about what was going on, but she was unusually far off.

'Someone abandoned that child and Karou happened to find it,' Megumi was thinking.

Karou took a deep breath and started to speak. "I. . . . well, you see this is. . . .Uhmmmm. . . . . " and her voice trailed off.

It didn't seem right just to exclaim that the child was Kenshin. In fact, if she did that she would probably be kicked out of the clinic. 'I'll have to phrase this carefully . . . . "she thought.

"You trust me, right?" she asked.

Megumi's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"And you know that I would never play with my feelings for Kenshin again, right?" Karou continued.

Once again Megumi nodded.

"Okay, then I have to tell you something, but you have to believe me. I didn't believe at first, but," Karou said while pulling the white blanket back from Kenshin's face. She had left the remains of his trademark magenta gi back at the dojo.

Megumi's hand flew to her mouth before Karou could say anything. "Ken-san!" she exclaimed and plucked the child from Karou's arms effortlessly.

Karou reached for him, but restrained herself. "Yes, how did you know?" she asked. "I didn't believe him when he said that the child was Kenshin, but - "

Megumi cut her off abruptly. "This is not Ken-san," she said firmly.

Karou stared in confusion. "But you just said. . ." she protested.

"I'm assuming that this is Ken-san's child. I'm also assuming that you used a different doctor then me and I'm extremely disappointed that you didn't tell me you were expecting." Megumi flipped her long black hair behind her shoulder.

"Wait, that's not right at all!" Karou exclaimed. "I never even did THAT with Kenshin! And now it's impossible because he's only a couple of month's old!" She had started out in dignified rage, but by the end of her sentence she was on the verge of tears.

Megumi frowned. Karou seemed convinced that the child was Kenshin. She had also mentioned that she hadn't believed someone at first.

"That was a mean joke for Sano to pull," Megumi announced. "He's just using you. Ken-san's still in Hokkaido - he's not due back until Friday. Is he still at the dojo?"

Karou blinked, trying to decide what Sano had to do with anything. "I - well yes, he's sleeping in my room. . ." she murmured, thinking about Enishi.

Megumi shook her head. "Well, he really got you good this time," she announced. She presumed that Sano was playing a joke on Karou.

Yahiko waved bye to Tsubame as he hurried towards the dojo. It was getting late and he had just gotten off work.

The orange glow of the setting sun caused him to squint as her arrived back at the dojo. The rain had stopped several minutes before he had gotten off work, so in spite of muddy saddles, he was fairly clean.

Entering the dojo, he started for the kitchens, trying to think up a snide remark to make on the burnt or at least tasteless condition the food was bound to be in.

There was a pot of burnt miso soup sitting on the windowsill. Yahiko stared at it with a slightly perplexed expression on his face. Karou was a bad cook, but she always severed her meals hot, and she did know enough not to leave them on the windowsill during a rainstorm.

On the table he noticed a bowl of rice water and a saturated sheet. "Nani?" he muttered. None of this was making any sense.

He left the kitchen, his feet barely making a sound on the wooden floors. Quietly he began to search for Karou without success.

Passing her door for the third time, he realized that it was partially opened. "Karou?" he questioned, pushing the door open slightly.

The bulge in the middle of the bed confirmed his assumption. 'So ugly decided to sleep in. . .' he thought with a smirk. 'I wonder if she's feeling well,' he had the decency to think as he snuck silently up to the sleeping figure and prepared to surprise her.

Author's notes,

Well, I started running out of time to finish this chapter off, so it's shorter then usual. However, let me know what you think -

Should Yahiko

Realize that it's Enishi Try and scare Enishi senseless thinking that it's Karou?

I'll try and update again soon. In the meantime, please read and review!

Thanks- for reading, Kissa-chan