The woman sighed. "Young lady. Kamiya Kaoru, is it not?" At Kaoru's nodding, she went on. "I will explain things to you in due time... But it isn't really my place. Kenji," she pointed to him. "Will explain things to you. That is, if he wishes to. But right now, he has no idea what is going on either. I will explain things to him, and then he will return to you."

Kaoru nodded blankly.

"If that is the case. I will be leaving."

Then they were out in a flash. All the evidence that someone had been there was the open doors to the dojo.

Going Back

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin... Jeez, if I did, you think I'd be writing fan fiction??

Chapter 2

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Kaoru Kamiya, assistant master of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu had never been more nervous in her life as now. Kenji... He wouldn't even give his last name. Just Kenji. A smile rose on her lips. He was a wanderer!! Just like Kenshin.

'Mou!' Kaoru thought. 'I just hope he doesn't go around everywhere saying 'oro!''

 

"Oi, Jou-chan. Stop staring at him. First of all, you're making him blush, and second of all, it's not polite, third of all, Kenshin's glaring murder with jealousy at him."

"Oro! Sessha has not been 'glaring murder with jealousy' at Kenji-dono, Sano," Kenshin frowned.

"And you baka, I wasn't staring at Kenji... I was just... noticing how much he looked like Kenshin..." Kaoru blushed.

Kenji rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. He quickly changed the subject, "I thank you, Kamiya-san for letting me stay here... And speaking of this place... this is the Kamiya Dojo... is it not? I'd like to learn some swordsmanship. A wanderer cannot go without protection and a bokken would be just fine." Kenji grinned at her.

Kaoru blushed and fiddled with her hands. When she opened her mouth to speak Megumi interrupted, "Why would you want to learn such thing from a... a woman?? If you stay with me, I'm sure I could teach you more... useful things..." she raised her eyebrows suggestively.

Kenji frowned. This is not how I remember Megumi-san.

"Hey!!" Yahiko objected. "I'm learning from busu!! And I'm Tokyo's best samurai!! Don't insult my teacher!!" At Kaoru's gaping mouth he continued. "You can make fun of her when she's an old hag. Not that she isn't a hag already..."

"Yahiko-chan, you wouldn't want to sleep at Sano's place tonight without a kendo instructor tomorrow, now would you??" Kaoru calmly sipped her miso soup.

Yahiko's eyes widened considerably as her words registered in his brain. He shook his head violently.

"Please refrain from calling me a 'hag' or a 'busu' and stop embarrassing yourself in front of our guest."

Yahiko glared at her. "Well, since he is staying here, he's going to be part of our Kenshin-gumi!!" then he added with haste after Sano's glare. "That's if he learns some of the Kamiya Kasshin and Kenshin says okay. And if he wants too!!"

"Kenshin-gumi?" Kenji asked with interest. Kenshin looked sheepish. Megumi whipped her hair incredulously.

"That's what we call our little group, Kenji," Sano frowned. "And it's only the four of us. Kenshin, Yahiko, the Jou-chan, and I. We don't need anymore people."

"But isn't it dangerous for a woman to go around being in part of the... Kenshin-gumi?"

Kenji regretted that the moment he said it. He knew his mother was a strong person and that was really the wrong thing to say if he remembered even a little bit of her from his early childhood.

"Just because I'm a woman does NOT mean that I cannot swing a sword, Kenji-SAN!" she huffed and stomped out of the room.

After a moment of blinking and oro-ing, Sano grinned. "Our Jou-chan, without a doubt is the scariest person I will ever have the pleasure of meeting!"

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"Kamiya-san??" Kenji whispered quietly, knocking his knuckles against the wooden part of the shoji.

"Go away!!" her muffled voice was heard. He knew he had to do this, no matter how much Yahiko-kun told him to leave her alone, that she'll be alright tomorrow, no matter how much Sagara-san said that their Jou-chan was strong.

People get hurt.

Words can hurt. A LOT.

"'Kaa-s... I mean Kamiya-san... Please... I want to apologize," his voice came out whiny. He didn't mean to do that.

"What do you want?" she came out. Her hair was braided in to a long caress unto her back and her eyes and cheeks were the rosiest shade of pink. Her lip seemed to be swollen for she had been chewing on her lower-lip a lot. Her nightly yukata clung to one side of her body as the wind blew against them.

A part of his bangs hid his eyes. Kaoru reached out and pushed them back behind his ears, then pulled away, as if she had been burned.

'Did you... Did you feel that??' Kaoru wanted to ask. The burning sensation she felt when she touched Kenshin was there when she touched Kenji.

She had to admit, Kenji was handsome; almost as much as Kenshin. There! She admitted it! She was attached to the newest family of the Kamiya Dojo.

She clutched her heart and asked softly, "You wanted to talk to me?"

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"I don't believe him!! He's really going to apologize to her!!" Yahiko shouted.

"I wonder how she'll react?? I mean come on, it wasn't all that of a big deal... It's natural for someone like Kenji to mistake Kaoru for a fragile gir- I mean woman." Sanosuke quickly corrected himself.

That only reminded Kenshin of how Kaoru grew up in front of him. He first bumped into a carelessly hotheaded 17-year-old but now... she was a temptress... a beautiful young woman.

"Boy! You're right!! I'd like to see Kenji's face when Kaoru looks at him strangely and says 'why do you need to apologize??' I totally have got to see this!!" Yahiko shouted and walked out.

Sano walked out without an excuse. Kenshin's excuse was to make sure the two didn't do anything stupid and to make sure that the 'Kenji' fellow didn't try anything.

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'What the heck??' Kenji felt his body go ballistic when he felt her gently caress his cheek. 'I feel so... weird!!'

It wasn't helping that Kaoru looked at him with questions in her eyes. He wanted to so badly ask her question.

He loved her. His mother... Then he began to search his mind...

If I prevent them from marrying, they won't have a child... I'll cease to exist!!!!

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"Did you SEE that!?!?" Yahiko whispered loudly.

"Yes, squirt, now pipe down... I want to hear the rest of the conversation!!"

"She touched him!!" Yahiko whispered again.

"Yes!! I know!! Now SHUT UP!!" Sano hissed.

Kenshin hissed as he saw Kenji take a step forward to Kaoru. He was ready to jump and kill the man when he pulled her into a loving embrace.