Rain

By: Psychotic Tanuki

Chapter Four: Moonlight

I could feel the air leave my lungs. It felt like my ribs were going to crack and I couldn't catch a proper breath of air. It felt like an anaconda had wrapped itself around my torso and started to constrict. I was going to die. And I was going die a slow, painful death.

"Aw buck up Kaoru. You look pretty in a kimono." Misao jibed, plucking at the invisible dust on her own kimono. She had taken her long inky black hair out of its regular braid and done something to fancy to it. The number of twists and hairpins in Misao's hair were incalculable, but it had a sophisticated effect on my immature neighbor.

"She's right. You'd never know by the clothes you wear; honestly Kaoru," My mother clucked approvingly, "But I must say you clean up nicely. If only you could do this more often…" Sighing wistfully, my mother tugged at my obi, determined to make a beautiful, complicated knot in the back.

"This kind of beauty is not worth the pain." I hissed. I hated dressing up, and further more, I hated dressing up in kimonos. They were restrictive, took forever to put on, and geta were so damn hard to walk in. My mother frowned, she had never liked the disregard I put into my looks.

"Don't worry Mrs. Kamiya. Once she falls in love with the right man she'll come around." I stuck my tongue out at Misao, who was currently sharing a good laugh with my mother. Whereas Megumi was naturally beautiful, Misao was naturally cute. Even more petite than I was, Misao exuded enthusiasm and it was reflected in her round rosy cheeks and girlish smile. It was hard to believe that she was older than I was—even if it was only by two months.

"Speaking of falling in love," Mom tugged sharply at my obi, "Your uncle is bringing Katsura Kogoro with him and that friend of his from Japan." I groaned. I was only nineteen and Mom was already hinting about men she thought to she'd like to have as a son in law. Where had I heard the name Katsura before?

"What about it?"

"Katsura-san has a son about your age. If you make a good impression, maybe we could set up a date." As if to drive her point home, she tugged extra hard and I could feel my ribs bruising. I was happy my mother couldn't see me grimace in pain.

"What about his friend from Japan? What's he like?" Eyes sparkling, Misao smiled coyly as she propped her arm on her knee and her chin upon her upturned hand. Misao and my mother got along famously. Both were lively, loved to gossip and held a great appreciation for music. It was no surprise that my mother invited her to my father's birthday party.

Today was Dad's birthday. He was turning forty-two, an unlucky number. In Japanese, the numbers four and two were shi and ni respectively, but if you put them together you would get "shini"; and that was all too reminiscent of the word "shinimasu", which meant "to die." Granted, my father could care less about stuff like that. My mother, on the other hand, was very superstitious.

"There's something off about Shinsaku's friend from Japan," I noticed Mom's hand shake slightly as she paused; "He's very handsome but, I didn't get a good feeling from him. He's too standoffish; too aloof."

"Maybe Misao would like him then. She tends to like strong and silent type." I smirked as a bright pink color spread across Misao's face. My mother had introduced Misao and Aoshi a few months ago. Ever the matchmaker, Mom was intensely pleased to find out that they were dating.

"That's a different kind of aloof. Aoshi may be quiet and moody, but this one…this one is gruesome. I don't like him. But enough about him—just smile and make your father proud. Don't be grumpy." I frowned. Uncle Shin's friend couldn't be that bad to warrant the adjective gruesome. Mom wasn't usually this…rude about other people. Looking over to Misao, we exchanged glances and she shrugged. Maybe he had rubbed Mom the wrong way.

Making the final knot, Mom stood me in front of the full length mirror. Mom had an entire arsenal of old silk kimonos. For Misao, Mom had picked out a dark blue kimono, decorated with sparrows, complete with a white under-kimono and silver obi. It made her seem more mature, more womanly, more…sophisticated. With her complicated hairstyle and the dark colors of the kimono, my mother had turned a bubbly, somewhat immature girl into the pinnacle of worldliness.

For me, my mother had dressed me in a kimono that was the color of pure driven snow. Staring at my reflection in the mirror, I tried hard not to grimace. The kimono was blinding. Blinding. If it weren't for the midnight blue under-kimono and matching obi, I might have seemed like a ghost. As for my hair, it was swept up into a simple ponytail tied together with, another blinding white ribbon. Just my luck, knowing me, I would irreparably stain the kimono.

The difference in the selections of kimono between me and Misao were not lost on me. Misao was dressed as a very mature, very taken woman. I was dressed as a very pure, very naïve, very marriageable girl. Mom was very cunning when she wanted to be.

"I think its time we made our appearance." I think it would be lovely if we could just stay put. However, to my dismay Mom just kissed me on the cheek and steered me towards the party with a jubilant Misao skipping behind.

Mom quickly led the way from the upstairs dressing room of the Aoiya to the party downstairs. Standing tall amongst the crowd was a stoic man, with jet black hair. He seemed to be quite anxious and misplaced, but then again, that was my brother Aoshi for you. He didn't fare well surrounded by strangers. Misao squealed with delight, and literally jumped into his waiting arms. I didn't fail to notice that his anxious look had disappeared almost instantaneously. Quietly, I slipped away from Mom's side.

The large clock above entrance read seven-thirty. Megumi said she would be arriving around eight forty-five. Oh joy. As much as I loved my parents, they would try to goad me into meeting this Katsura person. Although I wanted to say hello to my brother, he and Misao were off in another world. It wasn't their fault I was a socially inept caterpillar.

And I couldn't bring myself to see Uncle Shinsaku. After the "museum incident", he had run off and he hadn't bothered to contact me since. That was on Monday, and today was Friday. I didn't really care if Uncle Shin had a criminal record, but there were so many questions I wanted to ask him. Still…I trusted Uncle Shin; he would explain in due time. That is, if he knew what was good for him. For now though, I could wait patiently.

So basically, I was alone for the night. The most I could do by myself was watch my dad's friends make fools of themselves on the dance floor and pig out at the sushi bar. I steeled myself for a long night; Megumi had said she would bring a date. A date meant that even if Megumi came, I wouldn't be to freely talk with her. Leaning against the wall, I watched as people enjoyed themselves; it would seem that I would be the only wall flower tonight.

I sighed. I really hated being a wallflower. It was enough to make me go insane. A dull ache settled under the soles of my feet. If push came to shove, I wouldn't be able to run very far or very fast. Megumi would call me silly, but I got the feeling it would be important to be able to run.

"It's not healthy for young eligible girls to be wall flowers." I looked up to see a familiar looking man, but I could not place a name to him. He was of medium build, and had a kind face framed by groomed strands of ebony. "You are Shinsaku's niece, are you not?"

"I am." Perhaps he was my uncle's friend from Japan? He certainly didn't look gruesome. His kimono was comprised of solemn blues and black. I glanced around the room; most people were dressed in dark blues, green, black and the occasional red. It would seem that by dressing me in white, Mom had also intended to make me stand out.

"Do you remember me? I met you when you were little." So that's why he was familiar looking. Even so, I've met hundreds of my uncle's friends and they all looked pretty similar. I couldn't be expected to remember every single one of them.

"You seem familiar, but I can't say that I remember you." He smiled warmly and offered a hand. But the smile never reached his eyes—I didn't like him.

"I'm Katsura Kogoro. Shinsaku always speaks of you fondly." I shook his hand politely, careful not to end the image that I was the nice, marriageable, naïve little girl that my mother dressed me up to be. There was a calculated amusement lurking behind his eyes and I could see that I had failed to give a bad impression. Dammit.

"Although, Shinsaku described you as very talkative; am I disturbing you?" I flushed. I wasn't talking because I didn't want to. How ironic. The man that I was trying to avoid had found me anyway. To the casual observer he was nice enough, but I was not a casual observer. I was on the verge of remembering something important; something that told me that Katsura Kogoro was not all that he seemed.

"Katsura, there you are! We were looking for you!" Booming loudly, Uncle Shin rushed over frantically and, for lack of better word, smacked Katsura on the back. There was a blatant display of relief on Uncle Shin's face. I didn't pay as much attention to my uncle, however, as I did to the man behind Uncle Shin.

It was him. Oh joy.

"And I see you've met the raccoon!" I turned my attention back to my uncle who proceeded to wrap me in a bear hug. My ribs protested as he continued to squeeze what little air the kimono had left in my lungs. Katsura let out a laugh and he wore an impassive mask. If it surprised him that Shinsaku Takasugi was hugging me, he didn't let it show.

"I…can't…breathe!!" Laughing, Uncle Shin let go and with his hand on my shoulder guided me towards him.

"This is my niece Kaoru," mirth fading somewhat from his voice, Uncle Shin took on a more solemn tone, "This is the one I told you about." Bowing slightly, I noticed that he wore a daisho in his hakama. Of course, many of the men were wearing swords—but most of them were fake. I had a lingering feeling that his were real.

K. Himura…we meet again.

"Tanuki-chan, this is my good friend Kenshin Himura. I told you about him at the museum." Looking him over, I understood why my mother thought him to be gruesome. Dressed in a white hakama and dark blue gi, he radiated an air of icy unfriendliness that seemed to burn hatefully in his gaze. Hair swept up into a samurai's topknot, his very presence sent unpleasant chills up my spine. He must have frightened my gentle mother senseless.

"Haven't we met before?" To my surprise, I was the one who had spoken. Two weeks earlier I would have nearly died of fright…now…I was testing the waters. A thrill of exhilaration rippled through my body.

Judging by the surprise on Uncle Shin and Katsura-san's faces, it shocked them too. Whether or not my quiet outburst surprised Kenshin, I couldn't tell. There was no visible reaction to my claim, and only the barest flicker of caution in his eyes told his true feelings toward the situation.

Apparently he hadn't told Uncle Shinsaku about me. Or the fact that I had bore 'witness' to his crime.

I could feel my lips twitch into a slight smile as I met his demonic gaze. Amber eyes flashing with turmoil, I already knew what he was thinking. He could either confess that I had bore witness to his criminal nature, or he could lie, and deny that he had murdered anyone. I already knew what answer he would give.

"You must have me mistaken for someone else." There was an edge to his voice and a glower in his eyes. Probably meant to silence me from divulging the truth behind his deception; I was no fool.

"Ah, my mistake then," I bowed silently before turning to Uncle Shin, "If you'll excuse me, I'll go see Dad. I haven't seen him in a while," I turned back to face the brooding red-head, "Nice to meet you…Kenshin."

His face blanched at my familiar usage of his name.

Ah, how nice it is to be one up your adversary.

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Megumi had shown up a little later than she had promised, and she had shown up solo. When I had questioned her about it, she'd turned into a bright tomato and began spewing foul curses that would have made the most experienced sailor cringe. Perhaps it was selfish of me, but I was secretly relieved that her date didn't show up. We kept each other company until she and Misao left a quarter of an hour ago.

The cake had been cut, the presents had been opened, and most of the guests had left. The few that remained were family, my father's assistant Gohei Hiruma, Katsura-san, and of course, Kenshin. It was funny; Now that I knew his name, he seemed less intimidating than I had thought him to be.

"Damn you Kamiya! I'll not be thwarted this time!" Aoshi and I turned our gazes to Uncle Shin's loud outburst. Aoshi owned the Aoiya and lived in the apartment above the restaurant. It was the only reason we could afford such an expensive party at one of New York City's most expensive restaurants.

"It looks as if Father will make an ass out of Shinsaku-san again." Aoshi smirked. It was family tradition that after all the guests had gone home Uncle Shin and Dad would have a drinking match. Dad usually won.

"Who knows? Dad drank a lot during dinner and Uncle Shin's been wanting revenge since last Christmas." I linked my arm through Aoshi's. He had always been too much of a cold fish, and had never really warmed up to Uncle Shin. Besides Dad, Mom, myself and Misao, Aoshi had never really warmed up to anyone and even then he could be quite frigid. Perhaps it was due to the fact that he wasn't really my blood brother, but rather, my adopted one. Or maybe, it had to do with the circumstances in which he became my brother.

"I don't like Shinsaku-san's friend." Surprised, I was disturbed to see Aoshi's glare directed towards Katsura. I felt my brow furrow with confusion; what made him say that? I would have expected him to say that about Kenshin. As if reading my mind, he blatantly stated, "I don't like the redhead either."

"Why do you say that?"

"…Rumors." With that, Aoshi shut his mouth and it was clear that he would not elaborate further on the topic. I wasn't seeing something, but Aoshi saw it clearly. His dark eyes stayed focused on Katsura, jaw tightening ever so slightly.

"Tanuki-girl! Get over here and pour the sake for your uncle!" I threw an apologetic glance to Aoshi, who merely kept his fierce gaze on Katsura.

"You could come with me and watch."

"I'd prefer not." Rolling my eyes, I grudgingly trudged over to where Uncle Shin glared across the table at my father.

"Using my own daughter against me…that's low, even for you." Dad laughed uproariously and Mom wore a grimace as she poured the sake for my father. Mom never really got into the whole holiday sake competition. Maybe because Dad would be hunched over a toilet later, puking all of this back up. As much as she hated the competition, she usually came around later on, thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to verbally abuse Uncle Shin.

Uncle Shinsaku threw the cup to his lips and as the warm sake poured down his throat his hand brought the tiny sake cup crashing down upon the table. Taking this as my cue, I pushed back the sleeves of my kimono and refilled his sake dish. His eyes were upon me. I didn't have to look at him to know that he was looking at me.

Kenshin sat rigidly next to Katsura. His eyes boring right through me, I began to feel quite unnerved. Apparently my connection to Uncle Shinsaku was not something he had considered as part of the equation. I fought down a smile; Kenshin was treading softly on volatile ground. I could feel it.

On the other side of Katsura was Gohei Hiruma. He was tall and swarthy, reminding me faintly of the pirate Captain Blackbeard. Most noticeable was the seedy, sycophantic smile that always graced his face and the small beady eyes that accompanied it. He gave me the creeps. Momentarily locking eyes with him, I shuddered.

"TANUKI—REFILL!" Uncle Shin was red in the face, and was beginning to feel the effects of the sake. He had never been one to hold his alcohol very well, and I had misgivings about letting him play the game at all. But the point of the game was to get piss ass drunk, and you couldn't very well get drunk without alcohol. Scowling, I poured his sake.

"My daughter is not a raccoon. You're the fucking raccoon." Dad was pink in his cheeks as he held his sake dish to Mom. Sighing obligingly, she poured the sake before frowning. I bit my lip nervously; usually by the third or fourth refill Mom was fully into the Uncle Shin bashing.

Six rounds later, Uncle Shin was down for the count and Dad was sharing a sloppy victory dance with an exasperated Mom. Katsura was in deep conversation with Kenshin and Gohei was nowhere to be found. I grimaced as Uncle Shin drooled on the table. Uncle Shin wouldn't be waking up anytime soon.

THUD.

"Kaoru, help me move your dumbass of a father upstairs." Mom had her arms hooked under Dad's armpits as she dragged him along the floor. Walking as fast as my kimono would allow, I bent down to pick up his feet. I glanced back towards my prostrate Uncle.

"Aoshi, bring Uncle Shin up too. He'll have a hangover in the morning." I turned back to the task at hand and struggled not to trip in my geta or to lose my grip on Dad's legs. Behind me I could hear Aoshi's quiet footsteps fall behind us. Finally, we managed to dump Dad onto Aoshi's bed. Vaguely, I heard Uncle Shin's body plopping onto Aoshi's spare futon. Mom gasped and I turned around.

Aoshi hadn't carried Uncle Shin up. Instead, Katsura had. He smiled apologetically and Mom smiled back graciously. It figured; Aoshi held an intense dislike for Uncle Shin. He had most likely felt leaving Uncle Shin downstairs was more appealing.

"May I speak to your mother in private for a moment?" I nodded and hastily made my way out of the room and down the stairs. I didn't really want to be in the same room with Katsura anyway. To my surprise, the Aoiya was empty and the lights had been turned off. Apparently Aoshi had closed up and left, trusting us to take care of the rest. He must have kicked out Kenshin and Gohei as well. I smirked; he'd mostly gone off to see Misao.

Although I now knew that Uncle Shin and Kenshin were friends, I hadn't found out much about what connected Kenshin and Uncle Shin to Saitou, and now Katsura. There was something weaving them all together, something unspoken but clearly there. The way that Kenshin stuck rigidly to Katsura's side, the fact that Uncle Shin had been searching so desperately for Katsura before finding him with me, the way that my parents pushed for me to impress, and Aoshi's intense dislike for Katsura. KATSURA, KATSURA, KATSURA! There was something important about him—something that I was missing. Sighing, I decided to take the shortcut through the kitchen and into the alley.

Clang. Clink. Clash.

I froze. As sure as the earth was round, there were flashes of moonlight glinting off metal as two men fought with swords. Or more accurately, the glint of swords as Kenshin fought off Gohei's vicious attacks. With Kenshin's back to me, Gohei's eyes glinted evilly.

A mighty battle cry erupted from Gohei's chest as he jumped past a distracted Kenshin. Eyes glittering with malice, his weathered hand gripped the front of my kimono. I unwillingly found myself in a tight headlock and a sword to my throat.

"You know I'll kill her Battousai. I'll slit her pretty little neck—just like I did to them. You remember don't you? How their blood spilled like…" There was a quality to Gohei's voice that told me he wasn't lying. Yet, even so there was no flicker of emotion on Kenshin's face.

"Hiruma Gohei, I have come to deliver Heavenly Justice. Your life ends here." Gohei grunted dubiously. The moonlight glinted off of Kenshin's sword...and then…

…the next thing I knew was that there was something hot and sticky splattered across my hands, hair, face and Mom's white kimono. Behind me, Gohei Hiruma lay dead. His head was severed from the rest of his body, his face disfigured with an unnamable expression. I had happened to fast for me to see.

"You are more troublesome than I expected."

Slowly, I brought my gaze from the corpse to face of Gohei's murderer. The same sticky substance dripped from his sword—I had been right, he had known how to use them. Long, crimson strands glittered like rubies in the moonlight, but brighter than the moon itself, those deep amber eyes flashed menacingly.

"Y-you killed him." He let out a bark of sharp laughter. I found myself backing away from him, seeking the safety of the brick alley wall. The next moment found his katana at my throat.

The blade was cool and warm at the same time. Cool like the steel that it was, warm because of the fading influence of Gohei's blood. It pressed against my skin, not hard enough to cut, but hard enough to burn. From the blade, I could feel the aura of death pulsating but…

"You saw me kill Kihei Hiruma. This should come as no surprise." My breath caught in my throat. I hadn't specifically seen anything. I'd merely heard him shoot someone and mistakenly thought the gunfire to be thunder. But Saitoh had said I'd played witness to the murder of Takeda Kanryuu…not Kihei Hiruma…

"Are you going to kill me?" Amber eyes narrowed as Kenshin grit his teeth. Gripping the hilt of his katana, he spat in my face and threw me to the blood soaked cement. His blade lusted for blood but…

The blade lusted for blood, but Kenshin did not.

He seemed to float over the ground as he stalked away from me and some part of my twisted mind found it humorous how delicately he stepped over Gohei's dead body. Crouched down on all four limbs, I looked up to see Kenshin eyeing the watch on his wrist. After a few minutes, a shady figure skulked into the alleyway. He was dressed garishly in a pair of purple velvet pants and a red muscle shirt, but it was his long, blonde hair which oddly resembled a broomstick that caught my eye. Eying Gohei's corpse, he whistled.

"Jesus Himura. You really did a number on this guy. Though, it's not as bad as what you did to that turd Raijuuta," He turned his attention to me and smiled crookedly, "Huh, You must be Takasugi's niece. Sure hate to be you tonight—" In an instant, the shady figure found Kenshin's sword pointed at his throat.

"Sawagejo-san, you're here to clear the body."

"R-r-right." The man hurriedly grabbed Gohei's severed head, which had been sitting a few inches in front of my hands. As he left, the overpowering smell of blood filled my nostrils as I finally registered what had happened. I vomited.

"Where's Iizuka-san?" Kenshin seemed annoyed and Sawagejo-san shuffled his feet nervously. Kenshin wasn't fazed by the fact that my stomach was heaving up my dinner, and if he was, he was a very good actor. Sawagejo-san, on the other hand...looked like he was ready to jump out of his skin.

"He's busy cleaning up the mess Shishio made." The blonde man cringed and Kenshin waved him off. His eyes darted back and forth between Kenshin, and me vomiting before he bolted out of the alleyway to get help.

Vomiting had left an acrid taste in my mouth and left me heaving for breath of fresh air. However, this alley had become entrenched with the stench of blood, death and vomit—it was enough to make my toes curl. As if noticing my plight for the first time, Kenshin stood there uncomfortably and rather uncharacteristically indecisive. Finally, he made the first tentative steps in my direction.

"You're to come with me." Kenshin's feet came into my line of vision, and I looked up incredulously. He actually expected me to go with him? His lips were pursed, an obvious look of disdain and reluctance. He seemed just as wary of the idea as I was…

Softly, tiny drops of water fell from the sky. It was raining again—it always rained when he was around. Whenever he was around, things always got complicated and morbid. Whenever he was around, there was never any sunshine, or at least, I had never seen him in good weather. Perhaps, I eyed him thoughtfully; he was the bringer of pain and suffering.

"What?" I hadn't realized I'd said it aloud. His eyes slanted with anger, his voice quaking with silent fury.

"You really do leave nothing but pain in your wake. Look," I pointed towards the rain falling gently from the sky, "Your mother in heaven is crying."

I don't remember anything after that except for the hurt written so clearly in dark blue eyes.

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AN: I'm done with chapter four! Yay- w00t! I've actually had this chapter for a while but it went through some tweaking. I've already started with chapter five. But by the way this plot is heading, I might have to up the rating in later chapters.

So there…I dropped some more ambiguous clues. Kaoru's not that fast on the uptake though so it'll be a while before she remembers where she heard the name Katsura from. That and I finally got Kenshin and Kaoru in a situation where the actual bonding can start. Until now, the chapters have had relatively large time gaps between them…Starting from the next chapter that's going to change a bit…hehehehe…

I apologize if the plot is a little confusing. Once again, it's really hard to write a full blown plot like this from one person's perspective. So basically, you're only seeing what Kaoru sees and it'll only be revealed when Kaoru realizes the truth. If you're noticing incongruence with what Saitoh told Kaoru and what Kenshin tells Kaoru, then you're on the right track. All will be revealed in time. Hmm…maybe to add more insight and clear it up, I might write a sequel to this from Kenshin's point of view. Maybe.

Right…I'm also looking for someone who might wanna be a BETA reader for me and help me catch mistakes/help out with plot ideas blah blah blah…

I'm going to Korea on Friday, and depending on if I can get internet access on my laptop, I'll either post in about a week or so, or next month. I hate planes…

Please read and review. If you review, my brains will produce endorphins. And endorphins make me happy. And a happy tanuki writes faster than a morose one.

Thanks to all those who reviewed:

Linay: I am glad you like the fic and hope you enjoyed this chapter as well. I did some more foreshadowing in this chapter in the scenario with Katsura's request for a private talk with Kaoru's mother and with Aoshi's character as well. ) heehee

Nekotsuki: :D…There are a lot of fictions that just…jump into the romance where Kenshin and Kaoru are bitter at first, fall in love within two chapters and get to the kissing and groping by the third or fourth. Kissing, love confessions and groping are good and all…but getting them there to that point is just as, if not more, fun.

Ayame in Kouga-hating mode: I feel that way too. I'm always blown away by the tiny details that I missed that actually are really important in the end.

Nobody: ) Is Kenshin really trailing her? Or was he just there at an opportune moment and time? Like I said up there, its really hard to write a plot when all you have is the restricted view of one character. I'll clear up that whole issue within the next few chapters though…

Omata: Of course Kaoru wouldn't huddle. But it's unrealistic to believe that she would be strong and stand tall right away. I mean…no matter how strong you are, I think witnessing a murder would make you rather paranoid and nervous, which is why she was kind of weird in chapter two.

Blue Jeans: Kenshin will be very retaliatory in future chapters. wink. Kaoru's hand in the table will eventually turn out to be very important…but not just yet.

Lightning-storm: XD Gradual is fun to write.

Jouko-chan: Your review made me smile. While the mystery is fun, I hope I do well on writing the actual romance part. XX;

Nguardian: Yes heehee…clues are like bread crumbs…and I'm holding the basket, carefully making a trail for you all to follow. Plus…I think stories that make you think are more fulfilling than stories which instantly gratify. But instant gratification can also be at times, very good.

Flaming-amber: Uncle Shinsaku has many, many uses as both a guiding character, devil's advocate and is charming in his own right. Probably even more important that Katsura as the fic progresses.

Cincygurl22: Knowing me, I'm going to draw out this romance for about 13204723908234 meetings. Don't worry…that's an exaggeration…;