Author's note: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin. And I wish to say any cliché's in this fic I deeply apologize for because well I've been watching Rurouni Kenshin for sometime now and I have recently taken a liking to reading these fics and I have yet to see a plot anywhere near the same as this one so if it's the same then I guess it's true Great Minds think alike!

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"Aoshi-sama…" Misao whispered gently as she sat under a tree in her 'commoner' clothing, so as to not draw much attention to herself. Not like how Megumi does, Megumi lives for attention.

"Have you been waiting long?" Aoshi whispered in her ear making her jump.

"You know I'd wait until all the stars fell from the sky." She said earning a light kiss from him. "Suitor number four got it in the most sensitive part." She said as a chuckle couldn't help but surface in Aoshi's throat.

"Kaoru is a violent one indeed." He couldn't help but laugh. That is suitor number twenty four?"

"Twenty five…" Misao corrected before becoming silent. "Aoshi-sama… if this keeps up you will become bored with me. Not being able to love me the way you want will drive you to…"

"Don't think like that. I think I might have found a solution to this problem."

"You have?"

"Yes, I have this friend who is a fighter. I was speaking with him over the reason why you and I aren't married yet. He has found your sister intriguing. He figures to see her true worth he'll defeat her."

"Having someone to defeat Kaoru? Would that work?"

"Saitou Hajime seems to have many of the qualities Kaoru herself picked and chose. He refuses to be spoiled as many prince's are and actually works until the day he is to become king comes. He fights to protect those in his kingdom."

"Negatives…?" Misao asked.

"None that I see on the surface, except he is a bit older than Kaoru…."

"Hmm… I'll have to talk to father about that."

"But not now of course." Aoshi pulled the tiny body of Misao close to his own before nuzzling her hair.

"Oh definitely not now…"

"Another one down the drain huh?" The voice of Sanosuke Sagara made Megumi jump when she entered her bathroom intending on bathing alone… but the male was already in the tub, smirking no less.

"Yes…"

"Was it the gut? Or maybe the head… or maybe…"

"The gut then the groin…"

"He touched her…" Sanosuke said simply earning a nod from the girl. "Come in, keep me company." He said. "I'll behave."

"I'm sure…" Megumi said dropping her towel before climbing into the tub. "Did Kaoru let you in again?"

"Hai." He leaned forward to nuzzle his face into her hair. "It'll be so much sweeter when we get to consummate the whole thing…legally..."

"If we get to consummate the whole thing… I'd hate to say it but I'm almost ready to tie Kaoru up and wed her off to the next suitor that comes to the palace." She said feeling Sano rub soap on her backside. "Too bad the stupid tanuki is so picky when it comes to the opposite sex."

"I remember when you were so picky. You were more worried about the physical love that emotional."

"Yeah well she doesn't even want to be physically involved. I'm just waiting for that one suitor to actually accept her challenge and defeat her."

"Well, I know someone who fights well like that…"

"But he has to have royalty standards. Father won't allow her to be with some commoner."

"He does have that too, he's a bit dopey from time to time, but he hasn't been home since the beginning of the Meiji era."

"You mean he was one of the many soldiers who fought for the Meiji era to occur?"

"He has…" Sano said with a nervous chuckle. 'I can't tell her that about him yet.'

"Even better, a man with experience to him…" She said making Sano shake his head knowing it was her 'intelligent' way of saying an older man. "Hopefully not too much more..."

"To Kaoru…? I would say he's got about eight years to her."

"You said he has not been home yet."

"He hasn't but his father keeps a messenger boy by Kenshin's side." Sanosuke said rinsing off the soap he managed to rub on Megumi's back.

"He has a messenger boy to baby-sit him?"

"Well, Kenshin's had it bad during the war. He sees himself as unworthy."

"Unworthy to what, exactly...?"

"Anyone, so when his father caught wind of where he was he sent one of the servant's children to spend time with him trying to get him back in touch with the side that will allow him to love again."

"Post war trauma. He probably looks at his hands and sees them as eternally dirty. Father had felt that way when he returned to us… Kaoru somehow managed to fix that. That was when Misao and I were able to break the news of us being engaged to him. He'd be perfect for her!" Megumi said.

"I'll send a letter to Niitsu Kakunoshin as soon as I get home and try to find Kenshin's location."

"Your highness…" A messenger ran into his king's chambers and had the letter on a small silver try. "Forgive my intrusion but Lord Kamiya has sent a message to you." The messenger held out the letter to the king of his kingdom and he opened the letter and the messenger left the room as a young man with bandages covering his hands and legs entered the room. His face on the other hand was left unscarred.

"Shishio… I was just about to send for you, my dear boy."

"Call me for what, father? Surely you aren't worried about my minor injuries now are you?"

"No, I believe it's time we secure that there will be an heir in the near future." He said watching his son's face turn to one of confusion. "An old friend of mine is ready to wed off his daughter, but she's a bit of a fighter. It seems he needs yet an even stronger fighter to tame her."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Go meet this girl, see if she's to your liking, I am sure you have heard the rumors during your battles of this girl's beauty." His father's voice left him no room for argument and seeing how cannot hold a weapon just yet he didn't dare try to challenge the man's order.

"Are you really going to go?" A gentle voice entered his ears.

"You know my father, Yumi. If I dare to challenge his actions I have to fight him for it."

"I see…" She glanced at the burns on his hands.

"Do not worry about it. I will go reject the girl and come back." He touched a bandaged hand to her face.

"You can't keep driving away every suitor that arrives."

"I know father it's just that… None of them seem right for me."

"It's because you never give them a chance."

"I do! They all prove to be no thing more than lechers…"

"Not all of them…"

"Either lechers or men who want a woman who will spend all day trying to pretty herself for him so he falls into being a lecher when he returns…" Kaoru couldn't help but sigh. "I'm sorry I'm nothing Misao who found her true love when they first laid eyes on each other and I'm sorry for not finding myself in the bed of many men before finding one who I connect with physically and emotionally." She said.

"Kaoru, I don't just want you married because it's an obligation... it's just that I'm not getting younger and it would be nice to know my daughters are well off and there are grandchildren on the way."

"Well just let Misao and Megumi have their weddings then! You can be sure they're well off."

"It's not just that Kaoru. Megumi does not wish to wed for my titles. She has passed all that her and that Sagara boy should receive to you."  He said making Kaoru jerk her head up to look at him.

"She did what?!?!" She was almost ready to cry at the news. "Why would she do such a thing?"

"I do not know myself…"

"I'm going to the city father… for a walk." She said monotone. She then stalked off without listening to her father telling her to make sure she takes at least one of the guards with her. She neared the entrance of the palace and jumped as a hand was placed on her shoulder. "Tsubame, don't do that!"

"I am sorry, but your father had requested that my father go with you to the city…"

"He is still ill I see." She noticed the frail girl with a lance in her hands. "Have you been practicing like I taught you." Kaoru asked as both females exited the palace.

"Hai I have!" Tsubame chimed loosening up a bit.

"That's good." Kaoru smiled at the girl as they both walked around the city.  Tsubame looked around their surroundings unsure if she was just paranoid or were they being followed.

Many moments went by and Kaoru hadn't said a word. Tsubame knew better than to interrupt because Kaoru was in though over everything going on in her life. Although Kaoru being the strong female she was she never really let on that it all was disturbing her in every sense. She was the kind of female Tsubame wanted to grow up to be like. Strong yet fragile at the same time… Kaoru made her own set of rules and many times the rest of the world disagreed with them but she still had her own rules to live by and she refused to change for anyone. Their journey took them to just outside of the town to a small lake.

"Just the place I needed to be…" Kaoru said sitting next to the water.

"Hello…" Tsubame's voice rang out and Kaoru looked at the girl and saw her attention was elsewhere… on a red haired male and a kid with black spiky hair. The boy looked like nothing more than a little brat but the red haired guy… she could only see part of his face seeing how the wind blew his red mess off hair covering one side of his face.

"Hello there!" The red head smiled brightly at Tsubame before glancing at Kaoru. For a moment she almost felt her heart stop but then she noticed the sword at his side… It gave her something to say... anything!

"You know swords are outlawed here…" She said turning her head in a way that would make her seem stuck up.

"I know that, that I do miss…" He hoped for a name. Its rare people even stumble upon his and Yahiko's little camp site and when people do he'd rather have a name to remember so he'd have something to think about to cheer him up after he listed every single last flaw on the inside and out.

"You do not need to know my name." she said.

"It doesn't matter who needs to know the name of an ugly girl like you!" The boy said earning a knot on his head from Tsubame.

"Thank you Tsubame…" Kaoru said. "But I suppose it doesn't matter if they're here… we'll just go back home."

"But…"

"It's okay really Tsubame… I guess I'll just stay in my room this evening so I could think." She hurried off afraid that her bravery would waiver and she would become one of those girls who throw themselves at the men they meet… a girl like Megumi. You know, instantly wanting to know their name and what do you have in common with each other… but that wasn't her style and she wasn't going to start now.

"Sorry about her… she just has some things on her mind." Tsubame smiled at the boy.

"It's okay, not everyone is friendly and I guess the Meiji era does that to people since it tends to be a bit difficult to live in, that it is."  The red head smiled as the wind blew his hair the other way revealing a scar on his cheek making Tsubame gasp.

"I-I should go now." She uttered out quickly and ran to catch up with Kaoru.

"At least they were a bit more polite than the last group that was here." Yahiko said.

"I think you mean cuter than the last group, right?"

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Yahiko said but as soon as the words left his lips a shriek was heard form the direction the girls went.

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'Kay… I suppose this should've been out sooner but I was off having fun in SIN CITY baby!!! WHOO!!! This is probably why the chapter didn't go the way I planned… but I guess no complaints here. Anyway review for me okay? Bye! And Thx for all for the reviews!! They make me so happy!