Author's Notes–-the much un-anticipated third chapter to Earth-Shattering is finally here! ^^*. Yay. I've been working on this thing night and day.. hoping to churn out something workable. This one is more fun to write than Passage.. it's more of an original idea from me. I know that meh little ff.net profile proclaims that I 'tend to favor alternate pairings'.. but that just seems a bunch of hooey. This chapter has a bunch of K/K moments.. and you are forewarned that I don't consider myself any good at writing romantic moments. Again, you were forewarned. Have fun reading and please please please review ^^*.. Please?

Disclaimer–-I'm not making a profit off of this. If anything.. I think I should be paying you to read this. But, alas, I'm broke and can't do that. So, I don't own Kenshin or any related mess, I'm just writing for my own sadistic pleasure. Enjoy.

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There was nothing here, in this world, for her. At least, that was what she had thought in the few moments after the brutal collapse of her home. Her mother, dead. Her brother, dead. Her father, may as well have been dead. But she continued. Something kept Kaoru alive. Something allowed Kaoru to meet the rurouni. Something was keeping her from her memories. And now, on top of everything else, something wasn't working right in the kitchen.

She'd been in there for about an hour. And there was really no explaining it. She had waltzed in there, with every intention of making the world's best rice balls.. ones that might repay Kenshin for all of his kindness during these past few days. She had all of the ingredients, the drive to make it, and what she thought were the directions. But somehow, all she had managed to make were circular discs of hardened charcoal.

Kenshin had been sitting in the same kitchen, offering to help with the cooking. "Really, Kaoru-dono.. cooking is very easy for this one!" (At this point, the rice balls were in the oven and beyond saving). But Kaoru had flatly refused any of his help, simply by saying that he had helped her in so many ways, and this one way she should be able to help him.

Emphasis on should. With the hour and meal lost, Kenshin pulled out the ingredients again. He had the perfect meal in about ten minutes. Kaoru couldn't help but feel crushed. "Oi, Kaoru-dono.. I told you that cooking is nothing." He offered, sitting down at the low table in a separate room. The dinner was spread before them.. rice balls. Simple.

"So why can't I do it?" Kaoru thought aloud, picking up a delectable-looking rice ball with a pair of wooden chopsticks. "Why..?"

Kenshin looked warily at her. "Perhaps you lost you memory of cooking with your other memories?"

"No.." Kaoru said shortly, distantly. She put the chopsticks to her mouth and chewed it silently. It tasted like even on the end of a chopstick. They sat in silence for a few minutes more, each eating their share of rice balls from the platter before them.

Kaoru's mind drifted once more. Really, what was this man.. a rurouni.. doing knowing how to cook? Think about it, she kept telling herself. He's a rurouni. The lowest level of samurai, related to the ronin. That implied poor skills in everything. Everything. Curious, and being the blunt girl that she was, Kaoru finally asked him. "Kenshin.. how do you know how to cook? You're a swordsman."

"Hai." Kenshin grinned. "My master thought that it was important to know daily chores. Thus, I can also sew, mend, and my speciality.. laundry."

Kaoru stared at him funnily. What kind of swordsman could this master of his be? She entertained the idea of a taller man, with fiery red hair like Kenshin's.. instructing a teenage Kenshin. 'First lesson,' the fictional master said in her head, 'Washboards. You take the clothes–and being very careful about this–run the clothes along the instrument. But you must be careful.. you wouldn't want those delicates to rip!' Before she knew it, Kaoru was laughing at her own mental jokes.

Kenshin smiled inwardly. "You're not like her."

"Who? Misao?" Kaoru asked, finally collecting her nerves again.

"It's nothing.." Kenshin covered quickly. Damn that girl had good hearing.

"Oh.. someone in your past?" Kaoru asked.

"Hai.." Kenshin's head bowed, his bangs fell beneath his face.. his expression became quietly unreadable. He was over it in a moment, grinning again as he collected the bowls and chopsticks.

Kaoru looked at him again, mystified. It was odd, she had never thought about him having a past. She just presumed that his life started whenever she met him. She never thought about anyone having a past, really. Maybe this was just a recent development. Honestly, she wouldn't know. Maybe it was her lack of memory that made her forget that everyone else had theirs. She stood with Kenshin, assisting to collect the dirtied dishes as well. But who was she not like?..

Kenshin, though busied by washing the dishes, was also mystified by Kaoru. She seemed so kind. But everything she had revealed of her past thus far was truly terrible. Maybe she just wanted to forget everything. There were times when he did, too. Times like now. Damn that girl was lucky. No–-that little voice in his head reminded him–-it's good to remember things. But still.. to forget the days of being Battousai. That would be bliss.

They continued working in silence until every single dish was cleared, scrubbed, rinsed, dried, and put away. It had all been done in an eery silence. They walked out of the room together, sitting on a porch, facing a courtyard before them. Together, they watched the stars.

"Kenshin.. who was it that you lost in your past?" Kaoru asked quietly.

Kenshin turned his gaze on Kaoru's upward-staring profile. She was softly smiling, and seemingly meant not to hurt him with such a question. He was quiet as well.

"Nevermind. You don't have to answer that." She said, again quietly.. Her eyes still fixated on the starts above her. Her feet were dangling in the grass.. it's cool touch to her bare feet reminded her of her home.. "Everyone has a past.. usually that they are not proud of. It doesn't concern me."

"Iie.." Kenshin's gaze now fell upon the stars now as well. "Her name was Tomoe."

"Oh."

"She was quiet, subdued."

"Was?"

"Hai.. She has passed." Kenshin said meagerly. He smiled. The memories were bittersweet.. like a morning rain–it was good that they were there, but it still hurt his heart. "You're nothing like her."

"OI!" Kaoru turned to face the rurouni again, a look of anger upon her face. "What's that supposed to mean, Kenshin?"

"You're blunt." Kenshin faced Kaoru. "She wasn't."

Kaoru decided just to drop the subject, something entirely against her character.

They sat like that for what felt like hours, Kaoru eventually falling asleep and leaning on Kenshin's shoulder. But they had basically only known each other only a few days. And Kaoru remembered practically no one else. To any onlookers, there were an ordinary couple recuperating from a traumatic day. Unfortunately for them, they did have an onlooker. Kenshin had been aware of her presence for a while. "What are you doing there, Misao-chan?"

"Just.. watching you guys. Are you sure you two aren't an item?"

"Oro?!?!" Kenshin said, laughing. "Ne.. we've known each other only a few day's time, that we have."

"Then what's with her falling asleep on you like that?" Misao said quietly from the shadows.

"She just fell asleep."

"Oh."

"Are you hungry, Misao-dono?"

"No.. not really. A man that I met earlier today handed out some kind of beef." Misao answered with a yawn. "What's on the schedule for tonight?"

"I dunno. It's pretty late, ne?" Kenshin pondered.

"It's around eleven." Misao answered. She was judging by what Aoshi-sama had taught her about time by watching the moon or sun. She sighed.. Aoshi-sama.. Where was he?

Kenshin moved a tiny bit and Kaoru stirred. Misao watched in awe as Kenshin swooped up the sleeping Kaoru into his arms with graceful, cat-like movements. He padded down the hallway, depositing her on the futon in her room. He returned to Misao. "Now.. what was it that you wanted?"

"Nothing in particular."

They sat in silence for a few moments. Kenshin commented, "You have a fighter's ki, Misao-dono."

"Really?" The teenager asked, pretending to be oblivious as she walked to the edge of the porch and leaned her feet over the edge, taking Kaoru's place. "What is you are trying to suggest, rurouni? I'm not a warrior or anything."

"I'm not suggesting anything." Kenshin laughed, holding his hands up in defense. "But those sixteen kunai you have might suggest otherwise."

"Kusho. You're good." Misao cursed. "How'd you know?"

"I've trained in Hiten Mitsuruugi Ryu. I can read opponents moves and the like rather quickly. This comes in handy when gambling.. But you emit the ki of a ninja. Stealthy ki."

"Hiten Mitsuruugi? That's the fighting style of upper-level samurai. What are you doing knowing how to wield it?" Misao asked, suspicious.

"It's always better if that is not known." Kenshin smiled.. simply. Before he knew it, Misao had reached a hand into a flap of her obi and pulled out four kunai between each finger. They were flying at him, piercing the air.

Misao had just thrown them to see if Kenshin really had trained in such a prestigious swordsmanship. She tried to watch his movements, but all she saw was a blur of a sword being unsheathed, a silver arc, and the sword being re-sheathed. It was all one fluid movement, much like when Kenshin had lifted Kaoru from sleeping. The kunai fell to the ground before reaching their targets. Misao collected them again. "Kusho! You're very good.."

"You'd do good not to doubt me, Misao-dono." Kenshin said, rising. "I'll forgive that little incident. You really don't need anything?"

"Nothing." Misao answered simply, replacing the kunai into her obi.

"Alright then. This one takes his leave of you." Kenshin stalked down in the opposite direction of Kaoru and her own room. "Konban wa.." He threw over his shoulder, turning the corner.

Misao sat looking at the stars again. Kenshin wasn't that bad of a character. He was seemingly more talented that her Aoshi-sama. Aoshi would have been able to stop all of the kunai, but not so gracefully as Kenshin had. And Kenshin was nice about it. But there was something about him and his very unreadable ki that just put her on edge.. What was it? She tossed her questions to the stars and stood, walking down the hallway towards her own room. She wouldn't rest so easily tonight.

-~-~-~-~-

Kaoru awoke in her small room again. She was still dressed in her kimono of the day before, but she couldn't remember for the life of her how she had gotten into the room. Great, she thought to herself, more stuff that she could not remember. She sat upright and was surprised to find Kenshin in her room again, his violet eyes smiling and the sakabatou propped up on his shoulder.

"Ohayou, Kaoru-dono." Kenshin still smiled, and handed Kaoru a small tray filled with small brown circles.

Kaoru yawned and looked at the tray before her. "Ohagi. That's usually made in the autumn, isn't it?.."

"Hai.. it's autumn" Kenshin told the amnesiac girl. Kaoru just offered him a look of 'ohh.. right..'. "Misao has already had some, she went out to explore for a bit." Kenshin said, assisting Kaoru to fold her futon and put it in the same closet that held the kimono-wealth. Sitting on the tatami in her room, the two began to enjoy their breakfast.

"Misao went exploring? Mou.. that girl is only a year younger than I am and has tons more energy." Kaoru said, whence stuffing her mouth with another ohagi rice ball. That was practically all they had eaten for the past few meals, rice balls. "Demo, Kenshin.. How is there so much rice in this dojo?"

"Well, it apparently wasn't just a dojo. There are rice fields extending in the back of this complex for about 30 acres. There are bags full of rice in the pantry, and the fields look near-ready to be worked on. I don't know anything about harvesting rice, though." Kenshin offered with a sigh. His own father had been a farmer, but he couldn't remember how to grow rice. What kind of a son was he?

"That's alright. I'm sure we'll encounter someone who knows how. Maybe Misao knows something about it." Kaoru thought aloud.

"I wouldn't doubt it. She's got a battle aura about her, though.. like a shinobi." Kenshin said, taking one of the last ohagi from the bowl.

"You can read ki?" Kaoru seemed awed.

"Hai. Can't you?" Kenshin asked.

"Not very well." Kaoru said disbelievingly. "I thought that only master swordsmen could."

"I never did finish my training, but Shisho was rather persistent with me learning to read ki. It's one of the basic foundations of Hiten."

"Hiten Mitsuruugi Ryu?" Kaoru asked, again disbelievingly.

"The very same."

"You'll have to spar with me sometime." Kaoru laughed, eating the last ohagi. "Those were good, Kenshin. Now would be a good time to go searching, ne?"

"Oh, yes, the weather is very nice. Are you sure that you're up for it?" Kenshin seemed worried, yesterday's searching had been a bit difficult for Kaoru.. taxing, if you will.

"Very much so." Kaoru said, stacking the two's trays. She adjusted her hair a bit (not that it really needed it.. her hair was always in a high ponytail and it still looked the same that it did yesterday). Carrying the trays, Kaoru followed Kenshin to the kitchen again. The dishes were then cleared, scrubbed, rinsed, dried, and put away. Misao returned from exploring the dojo.

"We're about to go searching for survivors, Misao-chan. Would you like to join us?" Kaoru asked of the younger girl.

"Sure." Misao answered happily.. she would love to help someone in the same way that these people had been helping her for the day.

Thus, the three bounded out of the dojo together, on the way to the same earthquake-wrecked village as the day before, hoping to put a dent in clean up or maybe just helping to bury the dead. Who knew what the day had in store for them?

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So.. what do ya think of Chapter 3? Flames will be stored in my woodbox until next winter whence they will be used to light one vicious bonfire. ^^* But reviews are greatly appreciated and welcomed.. as is constructive criticism.

See ya in Chapter 4.. No idea what it will be called yet.. ^^*