Identity

Summary: Kaoru was living the perfect life then she found out that she wasn't her parents' real daughter. AU.

I do not own the characters in this fiction.

"Aoshi!!!"

The young teen who apparently owns that name turned to find the girl who called him out. He saw his little sister waving enthusiastically as she was running towards him. He smiled as he looked at his sister who was already turning to a pretty girl. Soon she won't be wearing her midnight black hair in pigtails anymore. He sighed as he envisioned himself exerting much self-control to not pound unconscious the boys that will flock around her. Right now he was doing all it take not to glare at his schoolmates that was eyeing his sister.

"What are you doing here, Ru?" he said when the girl reached him and was now catching her breath.

"I came to see you." She said a matter-of-factly. "Since its Friday, I just thought you'd like to treat me in that new ice cream shop that opened this week." The girl said innocently to her brother. "I've read in a book somewhere that eating ice cream with your brother is a good way for you to bond especially when the older brother pays."

"Nothing left in your week's allowance huh?"

The girl just grinned in reply.

Her brother smiled and said "Come on." which earned him a load "Yahoo!!!" from his sister.

They walked silently for a bit and then the girl said "Uhm.. where's uh.. ?"

"Ahhh…"

"What?" the girl looked questioningly to her brother, she wondered why his brother would say something incomprehensible as ahhh…

"I see what you're doing, this little treat was a way for you to see Kenshin isn't it?" her brother asked her with raised eyebrows.

Upon hearing that name Aoshi observed as his sister blushed a bright red. It was no mystery to anyone at all that she was infatuated with her brother's friend. Aoshi recalled the first time he introduced Kenshin to his sister and he couldn't help but smile.

Aoshi went home one day with Kenshin to do a project together. After he introduced Kenshin to his parents, Ru came tumbling down the stairs arms wide open to hug her brother, but she suddenly stopped when she saw the red-haired visitor.

"Ru, good timing I want you to meet my classmate Kenshin, he and I while be working on our project in my room so I won't be able to play with you today." During her brother's introduction the visitor smiled, bent over and offered his hand.

Hearing the words "I won't be able to play with you today", Ru immediately branded their visitor as a threat between her and her brother. She ignored the outstretched hand and she heard the visitor/threat say "Oro?"

"Ru.." her brother said reprimanding her.

She looked at her brother with watery eyes and ran back in her room. Aoshi stood bewildered at his sister's behavior, usually she was always happy to see him back home and she never forgot her customary hug and kiss for him coming back home.

"Go on." Kenshin said, completely understanding the situation.

Aoshi ran to her room and knocked at her door, when she wouldn't answer, he stormed inside her room and saw his sister sulking in her bed, he walked over to her and told her that she was rude to Kenshin a while ago and she should apologize to him. She said no and a heated argument ensued. Their parents heard the shouting match and was about to interfere when Kenshin told them that they should leave the siblings alone. The parents grew worried for it was not often to see the two fighting. They heard Aoshi coming down the stairs and the three looked at him questioningly. Aoshi shooked his head and told his parents that he and Keshin will be working in his room now. His parents had the good sense not to question him further. He and Kenshin started to work on their project but his argument with Ru troubled him. It was a relief for both him and Kenshin when Aoshi's mom called out to them for dinner.

When they came down, Aoshi saw that Ru was already sitting in the dinner table with their parents. He felt his heart fall as he saw her tear-strickened face. But he wouldn't budge, he knew she was in the wrong and he won't give in to her this time. The atmosphere in the dinner was tense since neither brother nor sister was talking to each other. He listened half-heartedly as his parents' ask Kenshin about himself.

The conversation was interrupted when Ru said "May I be excused? I'm really not that hungry." She didn't wait for the reply as she fled from the dinner table.

Aoshi made a move to follow her but Kenshin asked him if he could talk to her for now. Aoshi nodded. He remembered being tense all the time Kenshin and Ru were gone. But he felt relief when he saw Kenshin coming back after a while with a smile on his face and then happiness when he saw Ru following Kenshin close behind. They got back to their chairs and Kenshin resumed eating. Ru was looking at everything other than her brother but she took a deep breath and said meekly "I'm sorry." Anyone seeing her with those puppy-dog eyes can't help but forgive her and Aoshi was no exception. He smiled and told her that she was forgiven and the bond between siblings was stronger than before. Their parents could be heard giving out one tense breath. They looked at their children and they couldn't help but feel proud for producing two wonderful and beautiful persons. Kenshin smiled to himself that day, happy to have met the brother and sister.

As Aoshi was recalling that incident, Ru was also playing in her head one of the most cherished memories that she has, the moment when Kenshin went after her that dinner. Ru couldn't bear to stay at dinner when her brother was not talking to her so she excused herself from it, her usually large appetite was nowhere to be found at that time. She went straight to the garden to vent out her emotions when she heard someone behind her, she looked back and saw their red-headed visitor.

"What do you want?" she said aggressively, she was surprised at the voice that came out of her mouth, she doesn't normally speak that way.

"I'm sorry," the visitor said "it was my fault so don't be angry with your brother."

When Ru heard the sincere tone of the visitor's voice, she felt her anger receding. She realized that she was really acting like a spoiled brat and Aoshi was justified for being angry at her. She looked at their visitor questioningly and asked him why he was taking the blame on something he had not done. The visitor just smiled goofily at her and he was rewarded with one of her own.

"You look very silly when you smile you know" commenting on the visitor's goofy smile. She was caught completely off-guard when she heard him reply, "You look very pretty when you smile you know." And that's how her first crush began. Just the memory of it was making her spine tingle, but enough of that she was with her brother right now and she couldn't bear him teasing her all day.

"You're wrong you know," answering her brother when he implied that she did this just to catch a glimpse of Kenshin. "I really wanted to be with you." Anyone witnessing this would think that that was the sweetest thing that a little sister could say to their big brother, but Aoshi knew his sister all too well.

"Since I'm the one paying right?"

"Right!"

"That was so good and it was even better because it was for free. Thank you brother!!"

'Brother huh?' Aoshi thought.

"Aoshi looked, it's Kenshin!!" Ru shouted. She turned abruptly away from him then and shouted for Kenshin.

Kenshin was too far away so he couldn't hear her calling him. Ru decided to run to catch up to him like she did with her brother. In her excitement, she forgot that they were on the other side of the street, she didn't notice the car speeding towards her until it was too late.

END OF CHAPTER