Hey everybody! Sorry about the delay, I didn't mean to keep you waiting for so long! Ok, I won't talk anymore! Here it is!

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Kenshin looked at Kaoru, then back at the burning inn. "Sano…" He whispered softly. His best friend was gone now, and he was helpless. The mighty Battousai felt worthless and dead. He wanted to crawl into a hole and hide there until the end of the world.

Suddenly, Kaoru moaned, bringing Kenshin back to reality. He was not the Battousai anymore; he was Himura Kenshin, and, though his best friend was now dead, Kaoru needed him, and he was not going to just let her die.

Megumi greeted him at the front gate of the dojo with Yahiko at her side. Kenshin carried Kaoru in his arms and looked downward. "Kenshin?" She asked softly. "What happened to Sanosuke?" Kenshin glanced up and Megumi put a hand to her heart. "He's not…" She breathed. "He can't be…"

Kenshin sighed. "Miss Megumi, I'm sorry. I don't think he could have survived; the whole thing collapsed on him."

"What?" Megumi screamed. "How did…? Why…?" Tears streamed down her cheeks as her legs buckled and she fell to the ground.

"He went back to save Min. I'm sorry." He glanced at Yahiko. "Will you please go for Doctor Gensai? I don't think Megumi will be a very good doctor right now." Yahiko nodded darkly and ran out the front gate. Kenshin glanced at him as he sped off and saw tears in his tightly clenched eyes.

Kenshin shifted Kaoru and helped Megumi up. "Will you please come with me? I need to see that Miss Kaoru is safe, alright?" She nodded and followed after him silently.

Kenshin lay her gently down on her bed and sighed. Megumi sat down next to him and closed her eyes. Kenshin sat for a moment, trying to think of something to say, when she suddenly stood up. "Kenshin, get out." She said with only a slight warble in her voice.

"Miss Megumi? Are you-?" Kenshin started, but was cut off.

"Kenshin, I need to change Kaoru out of that ridicules thing and your not going to stay in here. Go…go heat some water and bring it here. That cut on her fore head needs to be cleaned. Then, if you would be so kind, brew some tea. We're going to need it." She wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Miss Megumi, are you sure you're alright?" Kenshin asked quietly.

"No, I'm absolutely sure I'm not alright, but right now Kaoru is my top priority, and I'll save my grief until later. It probably seems cold hearted, but you're doing the same thing, aren't you?" She glanced at him. "Now out!" she chased him out, whacking him with amazing accuracy. "And don't forget about that hot water!" She called as she shut the door.

By the time Dr. Gensai had arrived on the scene, Megumi was barking orders to Kenshin, who would run off to get whatever it was she wanted. Upon returning, he would manage to say something to set her off, and would be given a new order, which he would run off to for fill. Kenshin had forgotten several times about the tea he was supposed to be making, and by the time he took it off, he had made four pots in all; three had boiled over and the other he had taken off, but forgot about.

"Well," The old doctor said, "she's certainly keeping him on his toes! By the way, Yahiko, I don't see Sanosuke anywhere. Do you know where he is?"

Yahiko sighed. In his rush, he hadn't had time to tell Dr. Gensai about Sano. He made a noise as if going to speak, but then thought better of it. "No, he hasn't been here at all today."

As it turned out, Megumi had done a fine job of taking care of Kaoru. Her wound was quite clean and bandaged, and, Megumi predicted, by the time she woke up, the poison would have worn off, and she would be back to her normal, bossy self.

Kenshin nodded, saying he would keep an eye on her if everyone else wanted a rest. The others quickly filed out of the room, and Kenshin sat down and leaned against the wall, meditating. It had been a long time since he had last meditated, but he needed to now, and Kaoru's presence in the room was very calming.

He didn't know how long he sat there, but he heard a noise from where Kaoru lay. He jumped up instantly and ran to her side. "Kaoru?" He whispered. Her eyes opened, but were blurred and out of focus. "Kaoru, are you alright?" He asked softly. She blinked a few times, adjusting to the amount of light.

"Ken… Kenshin…" she whispered. She tried to get up, but winced in pain.

"Don't try to get up Kaoru. You have a very bad cut on your head, and you should rest a while still." She nodded and closed her eyes.

"Kenshin…."

"Shh. It would be better if you didn't try to talk." He grabbed the teapot, which was, of course, cold by now, but he poured her a cup anyway. "Are you thirsty?"

"Kenshin…. I'm…I'm sorry." A tear slid from her closed eye.

"Oh, Kaoru," He whispered, gently whipping the tear away, "You have nothing to be sorry for." She took a rattling breath and fell asleep again.

He sighed and went back to his meditation.

The next morning, he sat down with everyone and explained what had happened once Megumi and Yahiko left. He made breakfast and gave everyone a little time to them selves. At about noon, he approached Yahiko, who was practicing vigorously in the yard.

"Yahiko? I know you're very stressed at the moment, but I have a favor to ask of you."

The boy looked up. "What is it?"

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Alright, I know it's short, but it's better than that last excuse of a chapter I gave you all last time, right?

OK, here's the scoop. I'm so close to being done with this story! Only a chapter or two more to go! Amazing, it's been almost a year since I started this… wow, I'm so sorry you guys!

All right, please review, and have a fun and safe 4th of July!