Author's Notes: Rurouni Kenshin doesn't belong to me, but to Watsuki Nobuhiro. First attempt at RK yaoi, whoo-hoo! Don't think this turned out too badly. The entire story is inspired by the idea of a conversation between Sano and Kaoru after Kenshin and Sano get together. What would they even talk about, really? The awkwardness sucked me in. Unfortunately, it was a bitch write. This is also an attempt at not kill off Kaoru and not do an AU and yet still keep the pairing. More emphasis on the bitch to write part. Takes place after the manga, but is ignoring its cheesy ending. Pretend Enishi gets beat up and then everyone goes back to Tokyo and live like they always did in the series.

After Cinderella

I knew she was outside.

I heard her. She wasn't trying to be loud, but she wasn't deliberately being discrete, either. I heard her through the screen door that separated Kenshin's room from the common room. Her clothes rustled slightly as she moved to kneel in front of the paper divider.

Kenshin did too.

It didn't stop us from our lovemaking. I swallowed a breath and proceeded to take away Kenshin's supply of air with my weight. His fingers scratched against my back. We were sweaty and slick against the sheets. Our limbs tangled in a complicated embrace as we arched against each other. The spring fever wrapped us in her frenzy, refusing to let go.

She was listening.

I never found out what she was paying attention to. Frankly, I didn't really want to know whether she was listening to Kenshin's moans or both of our loud pants. Or the creak of the wooden floor under us. Or something. It never came across my mind to ask.

It wasn't the first time she had eavesdropped, either.

It, however, was the first time Kenshin acknowledged his notice of her.

"Kaoru-dono . . ." he said after we collapsed next to each other.

"What about her?" I asked.

"She was crying,"

That shocked me a little. But not really, because I kind of expected it. I rolled over and stared at the ceiling. "She was listening on purpose."

Kenshin was silent.

I turned to him. "Maybe you should . . . consider moving out of here."

He shook his head. "You know I can't. Until Yahiko can take care of this dojo, I can't leave. It'll be too dangerous."

"Then someone needs to talk to her," I sighed.

He said nothing.

After a few more minutes of early morning quietness, I pushed myself up on my elbows. "Or," I said as I started to get dressed, "I should just stop coming here."

"Sano . . ."

I gave him a look. "It's the best solution."

He kept still for a moment, then jumped up from his dormant position, physically onto me and tackled me back onto the sheets. "I thought we went through this before." He accused as he straddled my thighs.

We did. I said the exact same thing two months ago. He wouldn't take it as an answer.

I smiled though, when I remembered what he did to distract me from it . . .

"Get off me, love, I need to finish getting dressed." I said to him instead.

He didn't move. "I don't want you to stop coming here."

I nearly rolled my eyes. "We'll talk about this later, okay?" I sat up, in result making Kenshin slide down my legs despite his intentions. I finished dressing and started wrapping bandages around my wrists.

Kenshin watched me, studying my expression with those keen eyes of his. I could tell he was worried. Not exactly about me either, it looked like.

I finished wrapping up my wrists and hand. Then I got up, kissed his scarred cheek lightly, and walked out the door.

Yahiko was the person who broke the news to Kaoru ten weeks ago.

Of course he didn't mean to do it. Everything happened that day turned out to be an accident. It was an accident that I nearly sliced my fingers off when I was chopping vegetables and Kenshin saw it. There was something odd developing between us already by then. So when he was taking care of my hand, and inadvertently brushed his lips against one of my fingers, I took the open opportunity without thinking much.

We didn't have a major necking session on the kitchen floor, no, but I did kiss him open mouthed and properly with tongue. Unfortunately, Yahiko picked that exact moment to come in with a bucket of water. He was so shocked he accidentally dropped the bucket on his toe, which resulted in a high-pitched scream that brought in Kaoru from the training room. Kenshin and I were so surprised we froze in a quite compromising position. Along with Yahiko's mostly incoherent blabbering, Kaoru figured out the odds and ends on her own fairly easily.

Needless to say, I avoided the dojo for a good two weeks before Kenshin suddenly appeared at my loft door one day, asking me back to dinner. I was fearing for my life of Kaoru's wrath, so I declined. Well, I tried to decline.

Goddamn Kenshin and his . . . persuasion techniques.

Kaoru wasn't anywhere around the dojo. I had a good suspicion where she was, but I asked Yahiko anyway.

"I saw her running out that way," Yahiko pointed. "What the heck did you do?"

My face grew slightly hot from the innocent question. "Nothing. Nothing. Which way you say?"

He pointed to the direction I knew all too well. Megumi's place, obviously.

"Thanks, kid," I said to Yahiko as I strolled unhurriedly out the dojo ground.

"Next time don't be so loud, ya hear? Maybe then she won't hear you guys!" Yahiko yelled behind me.

Smart-ass punk.

Megumi's face was full of anger when she opened the door. I looked down at the ground mostly, somewhat embarrassed, but there was no guilt. "What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"Need to talk to Kaoru."

"Oh, really?" She crossed her arms, barring me outside. "Where's Kenshin?"

"At the dojo."

Megumi raised an eyebrow. "You're telling me he's stupid enough to send you here as the peacemaker?"

Ouch. "Yeah, so?"

Megumi shook her head. "Get Kenshin."

I was getting impatient. "Megumi, just let me in. I want to talk to her; not Kenshin. He doesn't know about this."

She still had doubt written all over her face, but she stepped aside to let me inside. "She's in the back. She's been depressed a lot lately, so don't you dare make her –"

"Did you even ask what exactly happened when she came here crying?" I retorted. Knowing the both of them, I wouldn't put it past them to exchange silence instead of conversation when things blow up like this.

Megumi's confused expression told me Kaoru hadn't said a word. I scoffed to myself and went in the back, ignoring the doctor's eyes drilling into my shirt.

Kaoru was sitting in the corner of the floor, meditating. Her head snapped up when she heard my footsteps; they were too heavy to be Megumi's. I stopped a few steps away, facing her stiffened back.

"What do you want?" Her tone was acid.

I shrugged. "To talk."

"I have nothing to say to you."

"Oh," I raised an eyebrow. "You have absolutely nothing to say about what you were doing outside the room this morning."

She stiffened even more. "I don't know what you're talking about."

I figured I should probably calm her down before continuing, because her shoulders were tensed like vice. So I changed the topic. "Do you know why Kenshin is still staying at the dojo?"

Kaoru turned to look at me. "Because you don't want him at your place."

My eyes widened. "And who told you that?"

"Megumi."

I cursed the doctor in my head. "Since when do you believe everything that fox says?"

"She sounded reasonable!" Kaoru retorted. "Either that or he just couldn't stand your mess."

I blinked. "You ever considered it could be because he's worried about you?"

She stared at me blankly.

I suddenly realized that I haven't properly spoken with Kaoru since, well, the day I left the dojo for that two-week retreat. The few times we actually stayed in the same room for more than five minutes, we both deliberately avoided any conversation. I sighed. "Look, he doesn't want to leave because he's scared that someone will attack the dojo, since everyone knows he's there. He won't leave until Yahiko's old enough to defend it with you. Another reason is probably because if he moves in with me, people will talk. I – doubt this is something worth spreading . . ."

Kaoru's eyes were on the floor. "I'm not a helpless little girl, Sano." She said quietly.

"No," I agreed truthfully. "You're not. But Kenshin doesn't want to lose you at any cost. He can't afford it."

She raised her head to look me in the eye. Her eyes were glittering. "But he doesn't love me."

I felt the sudden urge to apologize, even though I don't think it's technically anyone's fault. I bit my lip and looked away from her. "Yet he should."

"He should." She looked at me coldly.

I smiled at her without mirth. "Glad we all agree that this is a mistake."

"What is?"

"Us," I laughed curtly. "I don't know why he – picked me – instead of you. The point is, even if it'll turn out to be the biggest mistake of his life, he made it. He chose it." I looked at her sideways, "So did I. And there's nothing more to it than that."

I think my words struck her, for the glitter in Kaoru's eyes finally crystallized and fell into tears on her cheek. She made no motion to brush it away. "I'm sorry," I continued. "Kenshin . . . would have made a fine husband."

A pause followed thus. I was reminded harshly of déjà vu earlier on the bed.

Kaoru opened her mouth several times before she replied, "So would you, Sano."

I stared at her.

She smiled.

I decided it's time for me to go.

"Uh . . . you going back soon?" I shuffled my feet around.

Kaoru shook her head. "I trust you guys won't wreck the place."

Our eyes met. Mine was steady; hers unwavering. Any spark between us was lost in the air. I looked at her a while longer. "You are coming back."

She nodded. "Yes."

"Good. Yahiko needs you."

So does Kenshin, in many ways. But I swallowed that down my throat. It didn't settle as easily in my stomach as I first had realized it. Maybe I was as jealous of her as she was of me. Maybe neither one of us was simply jealous of the other.

Maybe I should stop obsessing.

I turned and walked out Megumi's house.

I found Kenshin, ironically, in the kitchen chopping vegetables when I came back to the dojo.

"Did you see Kaoru-dono?" He asked without turning his attention away from the food prep. Ah, so he was perfectly aware of where I had disappeared to.

"Yeah," I said, walking behind him.

"Did you speak with her?"

"Yeah."

My hands by then were sliding around his waist. He paused in his motion, turning his head to look at me. "Is she coming home for dinner?"

I tilted my head. "I think so."

He smiled. "Good. This place needs her."

My fingers curled tighter. "She needs you."

"Perhaps," He put down the cooking knife and wrapped his arms around my neck. "But you don't. And that's why," he pulled me closer, "you're mine."

I said nothing in reply. The kiss was enough.