Sorry I have not updated this story in a long time, bit I have been very busy in school because at the ending of the year, the teachers seem to give out a lot more homework and things to study then usually. I do however have the next chapter to this story written and may post it sometime next week. I can't promise anything though, because I do have a lot to do. Please do leave a review, but please don't leave a flame.

AN- I don't hate Megumi. I'm sorry for making her character not so seemingly fit in this story, but for those who have read this story well, there is a reason why she is acting the way she's acting. I'm sorry about her character once again and if you don't believe I like her, then do read my other eleven fics that have her in it. In those fics I never had her act in any cold-hearted way that was an inappropriate manner.

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin series. I wish I did but I don't. : (

Minutes Before Timing

Chapter Four

"Kaoru, he's leaving tonight on a plane, that is going to New York. He won't be back for quite sometime, because his father is ill and he has to run his business in New York," said Megumi weakly, watching her friend bowed her head in defeat. Megumi realized she couldn't be cold hearted. She couldn't treat Kaoru the way she had been treated her whole life.

Kaoru looked up Megumi with utter sadness and shock.

"A man by the name of Sanosuke Sagara who works with Kenshin would know more his whereabouts then me. Visit the work place of theirs to receive more information." Megumi got up from the couch she was sitting on and headed toward the kitchen. She didn't want to stay in the room with Kaoru and Misao any longer. The room was becoming too unbearable for her to stand.

When she left, Kaoru got up with such speed that astonished Misao. She grabbed her jacket and her keys and ran out the door. It only took a moment before Misao caught up to her. They ran down the streets, only stopping here and there for air. People watched them as they ran down the streets heading toward their destination of Kenshin's workplace, but they didn't care. Once they reached close to their destination of the workplace, Kaoru increased her pace to get to the building as fast as possible. She never looked back to see if her friend Misao was keeping up with her. All that mattered was that she got there in time to see her beloved Kenshin leave, since she wasn't going to see him for a long time.

Finally reaching the main building, she stopped to breathe the fresh oxygen into her lungs. Her heart thundered in her ears, while her raven hair fell loose from her high ponytail. She scanned the front area of the golden lobby room, looking for any signs of a man by the name Sanosuke Sagara. All she saw were three men guarding the lobby room, their hands waving outwards stopping workers at the front desk, and asking for their IDs. Kaoru knew there was no way she was going to get in the building so easily. The security in the building was tight. The guards looked well trained. They were never going to let her without an appointment.

"What are we going to do?" asked Misao who now reached Kaoru's side. She never thought that she would have been so happy to finally stop running. The entire running took out a lot of her energy from her.

"I guess we have to wait for a while and hope that Mr. Sagara never left."

After the busy phone calls Sano located Kenshin's flight. He decided to try to get there before the flight took off. He had some important things to notify Kenshin about. Plus with a few months passing the company by, without Kenshin's presence, the business wouldn't be good and the boss would be very disappointed about Kenshin's absence. The boss warned him to try to persuade Kenshin from leaving. The business needed Kenshin that bad. If somehow Sano failed to convince Kenshin into staying in Tokyo, then Sano would have to say goodbye to his job. That was something he could not afford. The rent was already to high to pay for in Tokyo. He also did not want to be evicted from his nice apartment as well.

"You know what flight is Kenshin's flight, right?" asked Soujiro. Sano and Soujiro entered the elevator; they were waiting for before.

Sano fixed up his tie, before answering Soujiro's question. "Yes I know the flight and the time that is leaving. We just have little before getting there."

"Exactly how long do we have to get to the airport?"

"Just about twenty minutes."

"Shoot! That's little timing we have! I doubt we could make it there within twenty minutes with all the traffic out there!" Sano just ignored Soujiro's protest and tried his best to remain calm.

Finally when the elevator halted on the first floor, Sano saw the elevator doors opened to two young women who stood before him. One of them caught his eyes. He could have sworn he saw her somewhere. The woman with the disheveled hair and sapphire eyes that held grief reminded him strongly of someone, yet he didn't know whom. Her eyes seemed to capture his eyes. The sadness there would forever be edged at his heart. Something in him wanted to help her, to try everything in his will power to make her happy despite the fact that he didn't know who she was.

"Please tell me you're Sanosuke Sagara," said the same young woman. Her voice held so much grief. It took him a moment for everything to digest in his head, and then it hit him. The voice that held so much sadness was the same voice from Kenshin's answering machine.

"What are you doing here? Why aren't you at the airport with Kenshin?" asked Sano now confused.

"I came here to ask the information about his flight. I need to know when Kenshin is leaving," said the young woman desperately. The other woman next to her raised her hands together as though she was doing it in a begging gesture.

"I thought you knew that information already, after all you told me about his flight."

"Please tell me, I have no time for explanation right now." Both the women were now begging him. Their eyes pleaded to him to tell the information in which they were seeking for. Because something inside him wanted to help the young woman with sapphire eyes, the one who apparently happened to be Kaoru, Kenshin's girlfriend, he relayed the whole information without hesitation.

"He's leaving at midnight, in section four. The flight's number is 1567."

"Thank you!" That was the last thing Sano and Soujiro heard of the two women before they left the building nearly breaking the lobby doors. The guards looked at him with disappointment knowing that he was already lost his job.

Kaoru ran as fast as her legs could take her. She never had time to see if Misao was behind her. Nothing mattered now, except for him, except Kenshin. She never wanted a moment like this to come in their relationship. She thought he would stay with her for a long time, but to leave her now, was like taking her very breath from her. She was willing to give up everything to see him right now at this moment. The pain she endured became nothing, as the thoughts of seeing him, getting to him, blinded her of all senses.

She ran down her block, her hands jamming into her pockets deftly searching for her keys. She never noticed when a black cat crossed her path, coming from the section where the garbage was located. She never noticed when she ran under a ladder in the construction area right around her home. All that matter was that she had to get to him before he left. Her eyes wanted to see him in person. Her heart and soul yearned for his presence, yet with so many obstacles that stood in her way, she wondered if she would see her love with everything in one piece again.

Standing there at the airport gate, Kenshin awaited for the arrival of his true love. He could have sworn that she was coming to meet him before his flight left. He knew she would be worried sick about him not meeting her the night of their anniversary. In fact, that special night, he had a special surprise waiting for her. Now everything was different. He hoped she would understand why he was leaving Japan and going to New York. It did not mean he didn't love her and not wanted to be with her, it was just that he had to run his father's business until his father got better.

"There's only fifteen minutes left. You should consider boarding the plane soon, since there'll be no other flight leaving to go to New York anytime soon," said a voice from the distance.

Kenshin turned around to see his friend Aoshi waiting patiently for him. His calls of the plane's departing time kept reminding him why he was leaving Tokyo and his beloved Kaoru. His tall dark friend leaned against the wall; his arms folded across his chest, while his ice blue eyes looked through the window at the small plane. Kenshin knew Aoshi from small. Whenever he visited New York in his younger days, Aoshi was the first to greet him and take him all over the place. Aoshi became his best friend, and more like a brother to him. Never once did he ever feel left out with Aoshi as he did with his father. Aoshi was the serious, quiet type of guy, but that never fooled Kenshin. Kenshin knew that if he ever wanted a favor done from Aoshi, he would do it willingly, like Kenshin asked him to notify his girlfriend about his departure, and Aoshi did it for him.

"The flight only has thirteen more minutes left." That didn't bother Kenshin. He would sit there and wait for the remaining minutes. Something in his heart told him, she was coming to see him.

"Kaoru! Watch out! Be Careful!" Misao yelled out to Kaoru. Kaoru ran a great distance ahead of her, and was going completely out of control. It looked like Kaoru's sanity was gone, and replaced by insanity. The fact that it was thirteen minutes away from midnight worried her. That only rushed Kaoru to get to the airport faster. What else could happen besides the fact that Kaoru is almost killing herself to get to Kenshin?

Then from the distance, Misao saw a small round thing shining in Kaoru's hand. It was small but firm, fitting perfectly in the small hollow of Kaoru's hand. Oh my gosh! Kaoru is using a car in her insane state!

"No Kaoru!" But it was already too late. Kaoru got into her vehicle and started the ignition. The roaring of the engine alone could deafen Kaoru's ears. Her mind was too much in panic to realize the real world. All that mattered was Kenshin.

Misao ran with all her might to reach up to Kaoru's car, but it pulled out from it's parking space and headed down the streets leaving her standing alone in the dark deserted street. Through the dark, Misao could have sworn she heard a bird's hoot besides the roaring engine speeding down the street.

"Seven more minutes left before departure, sir," said the attendant, who now gave him back his ticket. Aoshi walked before him, reaching a narrow part of the hallway that led to the small airplane. He looked back to see if Kenshin was coming. When he saw Kenshin just standing right where the attendant was standing, he stopped and waited.

Kenshin looked down at his watch to see six minutes remained before the plane's departure. He knew he had very little time left behind, but he needed to see her. Why else would she not come down here to see him? If she didn't come now, he didn't know when they would see each other again. All he knew was that it would be a long time from now. And anyway, something in his heart told him she was coming to see him, just to wait a little bit more won't hurt him a bit.

Kaoru stopped and checked her radio's watch. It was now 11:56pm. Four more minutes left! Kaoru stepped on her pedal with all her leg's might. The car speeded, and only slowed when she had to make turns. She looked for deserted streets to drive on, while the smoke from her car left a fuming trace.

Getting closer to midnight! Her mind felt so much chaos, while she pressed her car peddle to go. She had to get to the airport no matter what. She had to give her blue ribbon to Kenshin, the one that represented the first time they started their relationship. She had it inside her car, wrapped around the small tube of her small view mirror. With the ribbon she could have him promise to see her again and with that promise intact, she could be sure to see him again with the ribbon when he would propose to her.

She slowed down to make a turn, when she didn't see another car coming her way. She didn't have time to look at the other car, or stop her own car from moving. The last thing that she could remember was her car getting into a big thump, while the indent in her car pushed toward her small body, trapping her hips and upper part of her legs against her steering wheel. Her head went through the windshield; the shattered shards of glass pierced her exposed skin, cutting her all over face and neck. The trickles of blood made a trail from her deeps cuts flowing to edge of the car. It seeped through the blue ribbon, staining it with not only her blood, but her life as well.

"Come on now," said Aoshi silently. "It's midnight, and your plane is leaving."

Kenshin turned around silently and walked toward the narrow hallway that led to the small airplane. All the while he never said anything, Aoshi knew he was disappointed because his girlfriend never came to meet him. The flight left Tokyo and did not arrive in New York until 2pm in the afternoon.

(To be continued)