I'M BAAAAACK!!!!!

Hey there, Minna!! I FINALLY have chappie 7 of Paradise out in the open for all to see!! Hope y'all like it ;)

For all that are wondering, there will probably be five chapters at the most after this one here. So, we're certainly more than halfway done. But don't think that this chapter ties up all the problems in the ficcie, I've got a few things up my sleevies

Now, for my reviewers who ROCK my BEiNG!

Quist : Haha, I'll agree about the pompous jerk part…and just you wait, my friend. Glad you have a reason to hate him in earnest now! Hope you like the update!!
Animegurl444 : ACK! runs from hockey-puck-burning smell throws update at computer HERE! Hehe, hope it's to your liking.

Monkeystarz : Hehe, go Sano! Hope you like how his slightly evil plan plays out!
Cyberdemon : I totally agree with you about the Kenshin being dense part! And it's amazing how many people thought that would be Sano's plan! Great minds think alike, I suppose. But read on to discover the real plan (:

the nadja : Haha, that would be a very Sano-ish plan, ne? Hope you're still reading and I hope you like this update!
WolfCreek : I took your advice for Europe and I'm so glad I did! Now I have everything conveniently saved for future reference! Thankies for the good advice and the review!
MZ.AMbEREYES : MUAHAHA! My evil streak lives on….. Kazuo is a bit of a controlling jerk tho, ne? Haha, thanks for the review, buddy ;0)
Poppy2 : Aww, thankies! I appreciate that! Yesh, I try to make it not so typical, I hope I continued that flavor into this chapter. Thanks again!
Ethereal Waves : Haha, if someone doesn't go after Kazuo soon, I WILL! Thankies for the review!
Asilin Kheldarson : But it's such a fun name to type, silly!!! Anyhoo, haha, I'll agree with you on the Kenshin bit. Could he be any more passive. re reads chapter 7 O wait, yesh, he just might be able to pull it off. Heh, thankies for the review!
nene-chan/iceweamber: GOOD! Hurry and make a fanfic, buddy! Can't wait to read it! Hehe, thanks! I'm glad you like my stories so much!
bscl43 : I know! You'd think she'd get her act together or something! Haha, read on to find out. Thankies for the review!
yume no naka : Thank you SO MUCH! My gosh, I really appreciate that, you staying up late and all. Hehe, thanks for the review and here's your next update!
Mia, Princess of Eternity : HAHA! It's funny how many ppl thought Sano's plan would involve that! Read on to find out, friend! Thanks for reviewing!
Kitsune-Tenshi-16 : Here's your update! Thanks for the review!

Angelicfairy : Heh heh heh, Kazuo is being controlling, ne? Read on to find out what a prick he can be! Thanks for taking the time to review!
Zxully anti-nostalgic: Hehe thanks soooo much for such a long review! And I know, I was pretty furious when Kaoru backed down on her argument just like that, but what're ya gonna do? Hehe, hope you like the terribly late update and thanks again for taking time to write such a long, wonderful review, buddy!
Crystal Renee : Virtual high five HAHA, you rock my socks, bud. So you caught on to the Paradise thing? Hehe, glad somebody did! Thankies again for the review!
Princess of Wildfire : Thank you so much for reviewing! Hehe I appreciate the Japanese part, I never know if I'm adding too much in there or not, but when I write them without it, it seems a bit forced. I'm glad you enjoyed it and hope you like this next update! Hope you're still reading!
Alea Seikou : WHOA! Thankies for such a long review, buddy! Heh heh heh, yesh, that's what best friends like Sano are for, to verbally and physically knock some sense into you…if they don't give you a concussion first! Here's hoping you like the update!
Keirran : Haha, I know, my muses are slightly evil, aren't they? Pooooor Kenshin, will he ever come to his senses? Thankies again for the nice review and I hope you're still with me!
loyanini : heh. Yesh. After like a millennium. cowers in shame But here's chapter 7, late as it is!
JDFielding: I agree. Kazuo is a complete dick, ne? I've been warned that rabid fangirls might just kill him if I don't, so that's what I'm banking on. Hope you like the update!
Sinnah : hehe, thankies! And, no reason to cry! hands u a tissue here's your update!
dinkydaelf : HAHA! Mistak – er, wedding… that's about how I feel with my characters right about now…. Keep reading to see how the 'mistake' plays itself out! Thakies again for the review!

Now! ON WITH THE STORY!
Chapter 7: Living in Kitsune Paradise


She yawned.

Stretched.

Flexed her toes back and forth, sat slowly up, took the back of her hand and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. Then, just as she did every morning, she looked at the ring finger of her left hand and gave herself a hard pinch.

"OUCH!" she screamed, feeling the bruise begin underneath her skin. But, at least she wasn't dreaming. The huge diamond attached to the engagement band caught the early morning light and nearly blinded her. Kaoru pulled the blankets off of herself and stood up, feeling the cold floor beneath her feet. She could now count the days on one hand. Four. Four sunrises and sunsets until she was Mrs. Kazuo Takahashi.

A knot of excitement landed at the pit of her stomach. Or maybe that was a knot of nervousness? Too much to think about right now….

She walked lightly to her closet and slid it open, revealing a wealth of new kimonos all at her disposal. Kaoru fingered the fabrics, she had never dreamed of owning anything half this expensive, let alone a collection of them… Of course, she had never dreamed she would be getting married to anyone but Ken-

Kaoru forced the thought out of her mind. Kenshin hadn't ever given any indication that he felt at all for her and that was that. She was happy, dammit! With that last thought, she pulled a yellow kimono with golden butterflies from the wardrobe and hurriedly put it on. She couldn't find a hair ribbon anywhere, so she merely ran her fingers once or twice through her thick hair, letting it fall around her shoulders, and headed towards the kitchen.

It was only halfway there that she realized she wasn't the only one up in the Kamiya dojo. There was one – no, two people in the main part of the house. She began to catch snippets of the conversation.

"Oh, Sir Ken!"

Kaoru's blood froze as a light tinkling laughter bounced off the walls around her. The singular scent of fox hung thick in the air. What was she doing here?!

And speak of the devil. There sat Megumi in HER kitchen at HER spot at the table drinking HER tea from one of HER cups and talking to HER Kenshin…which perhaps was the most infuriating part of it all.

Megumi turned her body towards Kaoru and gave her the once over. "Morning. Sir Ken and I were sure you'd never wake up! But then again, children do need their rest, so we thought we'd let you sleep." That grating laughter reached Kaoru's ears again. Kenshin pretended not to be listening.

"Good morning, Kaoru-dono. Sessha prepared some breakfast for you, de gozaru yo."

'There he goes with that Sessha stuff again,' Kaoru thought to herself. 'You'd think he would have dropped it after all these years!' She sat down across from Megumi and next to Kenshin. "Thank you, Kenshin, but you didn't have to do that!"

"But Sessha wanted to!" And here they were in their old, painfully polite morning routine once again. It was a comfort, really. Kaoru knew she would miss it more than a little once she was…married.

"And what are you doing here so early, Miss Megumi?" Kaoru once again directed her attention back towards the Fox.

"I came here to see you, actually."

"Me?" Well, that was unexpected. Usually, the Fox only showed her tail around the dojo if she was coming to flirt with Kenshin…which not-so-secretly bothered Kaoru to no end.

"Mm. Come take a walk with me." At this, Megumi stood up and made her way around the table until she was standing right behind Kaoru.

"B-but what about breakfast? HEY!" Megumi had suddenly jerked her up out of her chair and was pulling her towards the door.

"Thanks for breakfast, Sir Ken. We'll be back before lunch!"

"But I'm hungry now!" Kaoru whined as the shoji clicked shut.

"Can't you wait?!" Megumi was still dragging in the direction of the meadow out back.

"Mind telling me what this is all about, Miss Megumi?!" Kaoru pried her arm from the Fox Lady's grip.

"What? Can't two friends take a walk?"

Friends?

Yeah, if your definition of 'friends' were two people who wanted to maim each other every chance they got….

Megumi settled herself in the tall meadow grass amidst a spray of wildflowers. She patted the ground beside her. "Come on, Miss Kaoru. Sit down beside me." Gingerly, Kaoru folded her legs underneath herself, half expecting the earth to be blown to smithereens by a well placed land mine.

For a minute, silence and sunshine pervaded. Then, Megumi let out a sigh and began making a daisy chain out of the flowers around her. "So, how many days is it?"

Kaoru had almost dozed off. "Huh? Till what?"

"The wedding!" Megumi snorted.

"Oh…four."

"Nervous?"

"No……"

"Don't lie."

"Ok…maybe a little."

Megumi laughed, not a fake, girly laugh either, a real, genuine laugh that made her eyes shine in a pretty way. "So…it's all over? You're not waiting around for Sir Ken any longer?"

Something about the way she said it so nonchalantly made Kaoru's heart give a little pang. "…I guess not."

"Good!" Megumi clasped her hands together in front of herself. "Then Sir Ken is all mine!"

"Whaddaya mean by that?!" Kaoru sprung to her feet.

"Just what I said! Sir Ken is mine, now that you've given up on him, there's no competition…not that there was all that much before...."

"B-but I didn't give him to you!" Her eyebrows knotted and she threw her hands out in front of her for emphasis.

"Come, come now, Miss Kaoru, don't be ridiculous! You're getting married, after all. You can't keep pursuing Sir Ken forever!"

"No, that's not what I meant-"

"Unless you still harbor some kinds of feelings for Sir Ken. Do you?" Megumi sat her hands in her lap and fluttered her lashes.

"No, I-"

"Are you still longing for Sir Ken and getting married to someone else because you're tired of sitting and growing old?"

"Wait-"

"Well, why are you so mad about the idea of me and Sir Ken? And why are you getting married at all, then?"

"BECAUSE I LOVE KENSHIN!"

A mischievous smile appeared across Megumi's features. "Who, dear?"

"Er….NO! Kazuo! Kazuo! Kazuo! I love Kazuo!" Kaoru's cheeks flushed red.

"Funny, that's not what you said a minute ago…."

"You Confused Me!" Kaoru roared, pointing an accusatory finger in Megumi's general direction.

"I did nothing of the kind! I just helped you point out a more than painfully obvious fact."

"But I love K-"

"Kenshin. Yes. I know. Which leaves me wondering why you're getting ready to marry this other man…"

"WILL YOU LET ME SPEAK!" Kaoru's fists were clenched down at her sides and she was searching the area for anything that even resembled a bokken. "I'm marrying him because I LOVE him. Case CLOSED!"

Megumi pursed her lips calmly and brought a hand to her cheek, carefully wiping Kaoru's spit off of her face. Then, deliberately and carefully, she rose to her feet. "Look, you…you…GIRL! If you're not going to listen to me, your senior and the voice of experience in these matters, then at least listen to the words that fly out of your own mouth!" Megumi stamped her foot. "And THEN, if you STILL decide to go through with this crazy wedding of yours, then you better be DAMNED SURE that you have NO feelings whatsoever for Sir Ken or ANYONE ELSE out there, because we women have NO legal divorce rights under the Meiji and you're stuck with the man you marry for THE REST OF HIS NATURAL LIFE! This isn't PLAYING HOUSE, Kaoru, this is CHAINING YOURSELF TO THE SUPPORT BEAMS!" With that, she began stomping her way back to the dojo.

It took Kaoru a while to process all that Megumi had said, and then to realize that Megumi…was actually….worried about her. "HEY, MEGUMI!" She yelled after her. The woman turned around and watched as Kaoru casually made her way across the field towards her.

"…Thanks. I know what I'm doing."

Megumi scoffed in reply. If only she did know what she was doing, Megumi thought. 'No. She has no idea. After all, she really is just a kid…'


A tall figure leaned against the dojo wall in a circle of shade. A fishbone dangled from his teeth and he chewed on it absentmindedly as he watched the two women walk in from the meadow, the shorter one going inside and the taller one slinking off to the right of the building.

"Did it work?" The gruff voice asked.

"She won't listen to herself. What made you think she'd listen to me?" Megumi flipped her hair behind her shoulder.

"Dammit." Sano threw a punch into his own hand.

"Got a Plan B?"

"Always do." It was time for Sagara Sanosuke to stop fooling around and punch right at the heart of the problem…


The moon cast a long shadow across the paneled boards as Sano tiptoed his way down the hallway towards Kenshin's room. The whole dojo was asleep by now; it was, after all, nearing midnight, but Sano was almost sure he heard multiple voices coming from inside Kenshin's room. He knocked softly on the door.

"Kenshin! You up?" There was a rustling of fabric and then silence.

"Hai, come in Sanosuke." Sano popped the shoji open, his eyes adjusting slowly to the room, a single candle threw light onto Kenshin's face. "Tea?" Kenshin held out a cup.

"N…no. Isn't there someone else in here?"

"Iie. Why, de gozaru yo?"

"I could have sworn…oh, never mind," Sano sat himself down across from Kenshin with the candle in between them. "I have something that you might wanna take a look at." Sano reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a white piece of paper, holding it out towards Kenshin. "Seems our little Kazuo isn't as squeaky clean as we thought he was…"

It took a minute for Kenshin's brain to register. He held in his hands a postmarked letter, its envelope torn open at one end. In the left hand corner was Kazuo's hotel address, and the envelope itself was addressed to Vice President Honda Tenjou. "S…Sanosuke? You didn't happen to tear up any mailboxes to get this, did you?"

"Of course not!"

Kenshin breathed a sigh of relief. "Good." Tampering with the mail was a federal offense, after all.

"I did beat up a couple of mail carriers, though…"

"NANI?!" Kenshin struggled not to drop the letter right on top of the candle. "ORO!"

"Hey now! Read it before you burn it!" Sano pulled the letter out of its envelope and held it up for Kenshin to read. The further he got down the page, the more his fists began to clench…

From the Desk of: President Kazuo Takahashi, Takahashi Oil

To: Vice President Honda Tenjou, Takahashi Oil

Honda,

I'm writing to inform you of the latest developments. The wedding is less than a week away and still Kamiya suspects nothing. I can't believe she doesn't know that the old decrepit dojo she owns sits on a veritable lake of oil!

All is set. The wedding service will end sometime in the late evening, so that's when I'll legally have the official deed to this place. Make sure that you and a crew of workers are here at 6:00 the next morning to begin tearing this horrible hell hole down and start drilling. I can almost smell the money now!

In your last letter, you asked what I was going to do with Kamiya after we were done with her property. She'll be a good wifey and stay in my mansion in Hokkaido if she knows what's what.

The man that worried me at the beginning of our operation, a Mr. Himura if you will recall, is no longer a threat to us. I think he's actually scared of me!

You know, the strange thing is, despite all my efforts, I'm beginning to have an odd attraction to Kamiya, even if it is merely a territorial one... Until we meet again in person,

Kazuo

Kenshin read the letter. He re-read it. He read it a third time and still couldn't believe that anyone could be so cruel to his Kaoru-dono. Then, with a blank hollow stare, he turned his gaze to Sano.

"What're you gonna do?" Sano asked, trying to hide the smile from his face.

"Sessha…Sessha has to tell her…"

"Attaboy!" Sano gave Kenshin a sound slap on the back. "Now! Go wake her up now!"

"Iie…the time has to be right. Maybe in the morning…Poor Kaoru-dono, it'll break her heart…"

"Well, at least you'll get to pick up the pieces, right?" Sano rose and started to exit the room. "See you in the morning, Kenshin."

"Hai. And…arigatou, Sanosuke." Sano saluted him and clicked the shoji shut once again. The room grew quiet, so quiet that Kenshin could hear his own breathing separate and turn into two different patterns.

Battousai narrowed his amber eyes. 'That'll teach you. Next time I say I smell a rat, you'd better let me go ahead and kill it.'

'Point taken.' Rurouni was starting to think that Battousai's approach to Kazuo had been the right one after all….


Well Minna! That's all I've got for the moment! Did you like the longer chapters, or no? Hope you liked it and I'll try to update really soon! Flames and reviews, as always, are quite welcome and will win you chappie 8! Thankies for your time!

larachan