Hot tears slowly hit the ground and her chin began to tremble. She heard a knock on her door; she looked surprised and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Come in." She said quietly. Her father stepped into her room.

"That Kenshin boy just stopped by." Her father said a scowl present on his face and his head looking down the hallway as if Kenshin were standing there. He then turned his head to look at his frustrated yet lovely young daughter.

Her cheeks were pale and her nose was a light pink. Her deep blue eyes still held the same sorrow they had always had, it just seemed to rise above the rest of her emotions now in her time of desperation.

"You have your mothers eyes." He said slowly taking large steps towards her. He led her to her bed and they both sat down as Kaorus eyes began to water.

"Dad, please don't bring her into this." Kaoru said her voice depleted. "It will only make things worse." She whispered.

"But your mother can still help." He said in a kind soft voice. Contrary to the one he used on Kenshin minutes ago.

"How? How can she help me? She's crazy, she doesn't know what's happening in my life and you telling me that I have her eyes wont make my heart whole again." Kaoru said bitterly glaring harshly at her father. He looked hurt but he knew he would get this reaction from his rebellious daughter.

"Kaoru." He said putting his hand on hers. "I know you decided a long time ago that you didn't want what happened to your mother to happen to you. But life goes on; if you're constantly preoccupied with worrying over one thing other problems will arise. If your always worrying that you will turn out like your mother then something else horrible could happen." He said in the wise voice that only a father could possess.

"Like what?" She asked sniffling but interested in this particular lecture like speech.

"Worrying so much that you'll turn out like your mother could cause you to lose some one who cares about you very much. It could cause you to say rash things and regret things you do. It could cause you to never trust anyone, even someone who would never hurt you, ever. Someone who trusts you more than you will ever know, and possibly more than you will ever accept. It could cause you to lose someone like Kenshin." He said slowly trying to help his daughter and reduce her tears at the same time, which turned out to be a very difficult task.

Kaoru was sitting listening to her father speechless. She couldn't believe that her father, the man beat by her insane mother, would talk that way. Her father could tell she was confused and he just smiled warmly at his daughters gaping mouth.

"Kaoru, I wouldn't trade what your mother and I had for the world. Yes it was stupid of me to start drinking, and I should have seen the signs, but I love your mother. And I've gotten over it and moved on. You should to." He said smiling a twinge of sadness dripping form his cool misty eyes.

Kaoru smiled but still blinked in confusion. "Dad, how are you ok with what she did. It was unacceptable." She said quietly almost as if she spoke it to loud her mother might hear.

"It was, but I wasn't any better." He said in a hushed tone. "I guess I started drinking because I knew there was something wrong with your mother. I guess I started to get rid of the thought that my wife might have a problem." He said slowly smiling warmly at Kaoru as if she were the most interesting thing in the world. The way a father looks at his daughter, that look that only dad's have for their children.

"But-" Kaoru began until he cut her off for another time.

"Kaoru, when you love someone it's a beautiful unconditional thing, you cant control who you fall in love with. You just have to go with it and pray they feel the same always and forever. And sometimes it doesn't work out, but when it's over you cherish the memories and don't look back on anything but the happy times." He said looking up a bit at her ceiling as if reminiscing about something.

"And it looks to me like the one your in love with loves you too." He said referring to the persistence of Kenshin. "You better grab him and never let go." He said as if telling her the guidelines of love.

"And if he hurts you…" He said his voice getting rough and his hand tensing. Kaoru slowly put her slender cold hand around his warm uptight one and he looked at her. He held her hand for a long time staring at his attractive child.

"So…what are you going to do?" He asked almost anxiously.

"Im not sure, you're a powerful speaker dad, but I need to think this through." She said quietly kissing him lightly on the cheek. He stood up looming over her small figure. Slowly he turned around and walked out the door carefully closing it behind him. Exasperated, Kaoru flopped down on her bed and closed her eyes.

Kaoru began to remember the times she had with Kenshin-good and bad.

…There was that time they met…a long time ago, back in kindergarten.

----------Flash Back----------

A tiny frail young boy with a fire engine red mane covering his small head ran down the halls of a bright cheery school. His big purple eyes were watery and large streaks of wet tears rolled violently down his soft face. He had a slight trace of a red Kool-Aid mustache circling his large wailing mouth and relatively white skin. He was a small boy, even for his age as he ran down the hall in light blue shorts and a stripped red and white polo shirt with several large spills along the front.

The teachers, who either disliked the trouble-making child or just thought nothing of the common noise, ignored his incoherent shrieking. He was running as fast as his small legs could carry him up and down the halls screaming loudly for his mother. She had left this morning for a business trip and he missed her loving touch. This noise lasted for quite some time until a fed up young girl peeped out of her classroom door despite the teachers warning.

The girl's classmates distracted the teacher while she casually walked out into the halls watching the screaming, running boy. Her long ebony hair was tied into two low braided pigtails and her skin was a silky white. She had large inquiring blue eyes that were dark and deep. She was somewhat taller than the boy and bulkier. The red Kool-Aid stain was barely visible around her mouth and she was wearing a bright pink gap shirt and matching pants.

As she studied the boy she figured out his problem even though his calls were barely understandable. However, she was able to make out a 'want' and 'mommy'. As he came closer to her he didn't see her until he felt the contact. She had walked up quickly to him and had wrapped her arms tightly around him, stopping him form moving further.

Her warm body pressed against his in an affectionate yet forced hug. She didn't really like boys, she believed they had cooties, but if it got them to shut up she would hug them. Even though the boy didn't like girls and avoided them like the plague he still leaned into the embrace. He smiled and wiped his eyes on her shirt. He pulled back quickly so his friends wouldn't say anything but he felt warm inside.

He looked up to her and smiled. She smiled back and quickly ran back into the classroom a wide smile plastered on her chubby face. He stood in the hall stunned and happy. He didn't actually realize that anyone else in the school liked him. Though he didn't know who she was, he knew she was nice. He slowly walked back to his classroom and sat quietly the rest of the afternoon.

----------End Flash Back----------

Kaoru smiled thinking of their first encounter. Though she didn't know him then, she later found out whom he was and that he wasn't just a whiny kid anymore.

…There was also that time on the playground that he tripped her

----------Flash Back----------

Kenshin jogged out the doors of the brown school and into the warm slanted rays of the sun. He was following pursuit of a cute girl in his class that was just released form staying after class to help him clean up a rather large mess of glue. He stood besides her smiling stupidly and talked idly. She caught sight of Kaoru playing with a small girl, named Misao, near the swings.

She smiled wickedly her blonde hair blowing lightly in her face and her green eyes sparkling in the light. She looked over at Kenshin batting her eyes teasingly and swayed side to side asking him sweetly if he liked Kaoru.

"Well I don't know her." He replied indifferently.

"Well I don't. Kenshin, do you like me?" She asked casually trying to get him on her side.

"Of course I do." He said smiling wider if possible.

"Well if you really like me, you'll go over there and trip Kaoru." She said pushing him a little towards Kaorus direction then giggling a bit. In the haze of excitement that his crush liked him too he walked over to where Kaoru and Misao were playing tag.

He nonchalantly stuck his foot out infront of Kaoru only meaning for her to stumble a bit. Kaoru felt her left foot snag on something but she had been running so fast that she couldn't be sure what. Before she even realized what was happening she had her hands out infront of her bracing for the contact.

She could feel the sticky black mud squish under her weight and the thick dirt stick to her face and limbs. She was covered in wet black mud as she slowly got to her knees. She stared down at her favorite shirt covered in dark mud. Tears began to pour form her eyes clearing a path out of the brownish colored mud. She looked up her dark indigo eyes filling with wisps of turmoil and sadness.

She sniffed as she saw Kenshins retreating form running to catch up with a laughing blonde girl. Misao quickly rushed to her side and helped her up and into the nurse's office. Kaoru didn't go to school the next day.

----------End Flash Back----------

Kaorus eyes started to tear up at the thought of that rather sad memory. She was made fun of for years. However, she got over it, she got over everything. For some reason Kenshin seemed to always be her source of humiliation. He would leave her alone for a few months or a few years, and as soon as she got over one tragedy, he would embarrass her again. He personally made sure her life was hell.

But he was such a good kisser…

"Keep focus Kaoru…" She told herself shaking her head. That last comment stayed with her for some time as she remembered just how he tasted. She remember the times he would embarrass her, which always seemed to be because of peer pressure. He always seemed to be doing it to impress a girl or get a good laugh with his buddies, not because he was mean. Some times she could tell when it was coming. He would walk towards her with this look in his eyes that almost said 'I don't want to, but my friends want me to be a jerk.'

Some times she could avoid it for a few weeks just by staying as far away form him as humanly possible. However you cant stop the inevitable. But she also remembered the good times. The times when they would be alone in a random hallway and she might drop her books and he would help her pick them up. Or she would only get one valentines card and it was from him, always reading 'Have a happy valentines day, Kenshin…P.S. Don't tell any one about this.' She never told, she never questioned, normally she just ripped it up.

She knew it must have been out of sympathy but she needed none of that. He was making her life hell at school and her mom was finishing his job at home. She would come home exhausted form the touchier then have to go through a mental and physical beating from momma. Kenshin was rude to her as a kid but every year it seemed he got better. More craftier, yes, but also the touchier was less often.

Soon after her mom was checked into the nut house her dad vowed to stop drinking and she was enrolled in high school. Kaoru snapped out of her memories and had made up her mind; she was going to tell him how she felt. She was going to tell him that she loved him and even though he was stupid and out of his mind she didn't want to lose him.

She was going to sleep on it, make sure she was making the right choice. But before she slept she went digging through her bag and pulled out the old picture she had started of Kenshin. She had tried to draw him how he really looked on the inside and had failed. But she knew just how to draw him now.

She drew and colored deep into the night working hard on her new project, bound and determined to finish it. She wasn't sure if she was going to show it to Kenshin or not but she had to finish it. She soon fell into sleep and before she knew it, it was morning. The suns rays woke her up and for once she awoke before her alarm went off. She wasn't going to be late.

She got dressed slowly in a dark purple top with a lighter one underneath and light blue pants. Her hair was up in a messy ponytail tied with a matching purple ribbon. She threw her bag over her shoulder and ran down stairs feeling good today. She found her father was making eggs and toast. She smiled grateful that she didn't have to eat a bagel like she had been having lately.

She happily ate it smiling. "I take it you made a decision." He said slowly in between bites. She smiled and nodded her head. He smiled as well happy for her and just as soon as she had sat down she had fled from the table. She jumped into her car and put the keys in the ignition.

She pulled into the parking lot of the school and found a nice close spot. She sat in her car staring blankly at the wall of the reddish brown school. Large butterflies were flapping their wings in her belly and she couldn't settle them. She was not only worried about the task ahead, but she didn't want to see him kissing another girl again.

She couldn't stand feeling the hurt of betrayal again. She had practically dumped him, even though they were never going out. So there was a chance she may be to late, but she had hope.

Carefully as if she had something glass on her head and didn't want it to break she walked form her car into the school.

A/N: I know this is a short chapter but I think the next might be the end and I've kept you waiting so long I didn't want you to be like…I waited three months for this!? I don't have a very good excuse for the long wait, only that school is rough and my computer was broken for a while and I had already wrote the beginning of this chapter and because it was broken I lost the beginning. But its better and I got it back. Thanks so much for putting up with me! So I am so sorry for the long wait…flog me as you will…oh and by the way…happy christmahaniquanzica!