His Golden Eyes

Standard Disclaimers Apply

A/N: Hi! I apologize for the late update. I had this chapter written quite a long time ago but it underwent lots of revisions. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I will repost this chapter later with responses to the reviews but I thought you guys might enjoy reading this now so I thought I'd post it first. I hope you enjoy this chapter.


Chapter Two

Kagome had been through a lot these past two years and she had thought that nothing could surprise her anymore. She realized how wrong she was as she listed to Kaoru list down everything that had happened before she had found herself in Kagome's bedroom.

Visiting the shrine back in the Meiji era.

Speaking with Kaname-san.

Having tea.

Chasing her ribbon.

Falling into the well…

"I thought Inuyasha and I are the only ones who could use the well…" Kagome murmured thoughtfully. The implications of someone else being able to access the well's magic was something she had never really considered before, thinking it worked exclusively for her and Inuyasha alone. Shippo and Souta had tried but had not been successful, how was it that this girl and her friend was able to cross through?

Kaoru remained silent, deep in thought as she herself considered her situation.

What could she say?

It was hard enough trying to convince her self not to pull out her hair and scream like a banshee. No matter how hard she tried to digest the fact that she had traveled a few hundred years into the future as Kagome had informed her, a part of Kaoru still rejected concept and labeled it ridiculous.

Time traveling via a dried out old well?

It didn't seem likely…

But then again, here she was sitting in this strange futon called a 'bed', surrounded by things she did not recognize and didn't understand.

Even Kagome and Kaname-san's clothing was strange to her…

Everything was strange to her.

"I need to see Kenshin…" Kaoru said, suddenly gripped with the need to see something…someone…familiar. The severity of her situation finally started to sink in and anxiety began to bubble up inside of her.

She was several hundred years into the future away from her family and her friends and everything she's ever known!

Her father's dojo, his legacy!

Who would take care of the dojo…?

Yahiko!

Who was going to take care of Yahiko?

Kaoru's hands fisted at her sides as she fought down the waves of roiling panic battering her composure. Now was not the time to let panic cloud her mind, she knew this, but the utter helplessness she was feeling was making it hard for her to think straight.

Kaname noticed the state of the young woman in front of her and reached out to touch Kaoru's hand. She was a mother and distraught children were her specialty. "Your friend Kenshin is still asleep sweetheart," she said in a gentle voice, "but I promise you he's alright. He needs rest and so do you."

Kaoru glanced up at the older woman. "I need to see him…" she insisted.

Kaname saw the look in the young girl's eyes. "Alright," the older woman relented. "Kagome-chan, why don't you take Kaoru-san to Souta's room while I make some tea?"

Kagome nodded and smiled at Kaoru comfortingly. "I'll take you to your friend."

Kaoru smiled, heaving a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

"So, his name is Kenshin?"

Kaoru nodded, "Yes. I'm sorry for being a bother but I really need to see him." She took a deep breath, trying to center herself. "I…we have to try and see if we can find a way to go home…"

Kagome recognized that look and knew what the other girl must have been feeling. It was most likely the exact same feeling she'd had her self when she first found herself transported five hundred years into the past. How could it be that someone from the Meiji era had managed to come through to her time?

Kagome used the well as a time tunnel into Sengoku Jidai and back, but Kaoru and Kenshin were from Meiji, if that was the case…then than would mean that there was a third rip in the time continuum. Instead of a continuous loop from Sengoku Jidai to the future, there was now another 'pit stop' of some sort in Meiji era.

Was it a one-time thing or something more permanent?

Will the well's function then be hampered?

If Kagome were to leap into the well now, would she find herself in the Feudal Era or in Meiji?

What about Kaoru and Kenshin?

She didn't sense any kind of demonic energy emanating from them so that meant they were normal human beings. How could they have been transported in time? If they jumped into the well, would they be taken back to their own time or Sengoku? Would the well even allow them passage a second time? Kagome remembered the brief glow the well had radiated just before she'd jumped inside.

Did it have something to do with this strange phenomenon?

Kagome's silence and the crease in her forehead did little to alleviate Kaoru's worries. Noticing this, Kaname smiled encouragingly at her, "Don't worry dear, we'll figure something out. Kagome, after you take Kaoru-san to visit with her friend bring her downstairs so we can all have tea and talk there, alright?"

"Hai Okaasan," Kagome replied with a nod as she pondered the dilemma of two strangers from the past who were now in her time.

O

"Souta…?"

"Neechan," Souta looked up from the manga he was reading and smiled as his sister made her way inside his room.

"Where's Ojiisan?" Kagome asked as she led Kaoru inside by the hand.

"He went to get some 'safety measure' whatever that meant." Souta answered, eyeing Kaoru with a smile. "I'm glad you're awake. Are you feeling better?"

"Hai…" Kaoru answered with a smile. The boy Souta, Kagome's younger brother, didn't look much like her at first sight but Kaoru could see several similarities in the tilt of the eyes, the facial expression and the open smile.

"Your friend is okay, he's just sleeping," Souta said as he stood up from the chair so Kaoru could sit down. He glanced questioningly at his sister, wondering if she knew the story behind the two strangers' appearance.

"Kaoru, this is my little brother Souta. Souta, this is Kamiya Kaoru," Kagome introduced.

"Hello Souta, nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, Kaoru," Souta said as he looked her over discreetly. He wondered if she and her friend were connected to the Shikon No Tama that his Neechan was looking for.

That would be so cool, especially if they were demons like Inuyasha.

Souta wondered what their powers would be and occupied his mind imagining all sorts of cool things akin to the abilities of the X-men and other comic book and anime characters.

Kaoru's eyes were trained on Kenshin who was still lying in bed, motionless.

For an instant, she panicked thinking that he might have died and left her alone, but the steady rise and fall of his chest reassured her that he was only sleeping. She sat down by Kenshin's side, her hand automatically reached out to stroke his hair.

I'm sorry Kenshin…you're here in this situation because of me.

I'm always getting you in trouble aren't I?

I can't really blame you for not wanting someone as useless and troublesome as me.

There had been countless times when she would see him laid out with injuries and cry as she watched him sleep. It was nice to sit here now and watch him without having to worry and wonder if he was going to wake up or he was going to die when she wasn't looking.

Her eyes began to water as the familiar coil of pain tightened in her chest at the thought of everything Kenshin had suffered through.

Her poor Rurouni always trying to protect everyone except himself…

Souta didn't like seeing girls cry. Maybe it was the knee-jerk reaction of all males to try and avert the onslaught of female waterworks, but whatever it was, Souta found himself laying a hand on Kaoru's shoulders and smiling at her reassuringly. "Don't worry, Okaasan and Ojiichan looked both of you over carefully before they moved you. Ojiichan says your friend is still sleeping but he's not hurt."

Kaoru glanced at the young boy and smiled gratefully.

Kagome grinned at Souta with appreciation. She was proud of her younger brother whom she knew was nicer than the average kid his age…but when had he gotten so mature?

Her smile dimmed as she was reminded once more of everything she was missing out on every time she traveled through the well. Sure, she had friends in the Feudal Era and she loved them and would do anything to protect them, but her family was here and she had a life to live here too.

Her little brother was growing up and she hadn't even really been aware of it.

Kagome felt the familiar weight settle on her shoulders but shrugged it off, hating to feel gloomy and morose. It was simply not in her character to dwell on such things for long, not when there was so much she could appreciate in her life. Traveling through time had made Kagome value the most mundane amenities like cold medicine, heaters, air-conditioners, a soft bed, the shower, bathtubs, shampoo, soap, toothpaste, toothbrush, the refrigerator, the hamburger, microwave, television, cars and most importantly the toilet.

Bless whoever had invented it.

O

It was really strange to have someone else be able to travel through the Bone Eater's Well.

Did it mean that anyone else would be able to easily pass through and end up in her time?

It might be fun to have her friends in Sengoku Jidai come to the future and see her home but if that were the case, then that meant Naraku and other youkai might be able to pass through as well!

Kagome fervently hoped not.

"You know Kaoru-chan, you're kind of taking it better than I did when it happened to me…" Kagome commented as she led Kaoru downstairs. Souta was still in his room, waiting for Ojiichan to come back before joining them downstairs.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I know what you're feeling right now, probably more than anyone else because the same thing happened to me too." Kagome smiled at Kaoru, "If you got here through the well, I'm pretty sure you can get back to your time with no problem, so there's no need to worry. I do it all the time. Travel through time, I mean."

A small crease formed between Kaoru's eyebrows. "You ended up in another time? In Meiji?"

"Not exactly. I travel from this time to the Sengoku Jidai using the well. I've been doing it now for two years." Kagome was careful to leave out her worries and the reason why she time traveled in the first place.

Kaoru and Kenshin might feel human and might not give off any negative vibrations but it was best to be cautious and there really was no need for them to known anything more about the well. They were probably baffled enough as it is without having to add the Shikon No Tama and youkai into the mix. "If you were able to come to this time through the well, there's no reason why you can't go back to your time by jumping back in."

The tightness in Kaoru's chest began to ease at those words.

If Kagome could go back and forth through time…then surely she and Kenshin would be able to get back as well!

She could get back home…there was no need to worry.

She and Kenshin could get back home!

Kaoru smiled, the tense set of her shoulder relaxing.

"Neh, Kaoru-chan, I was just wondering though, what do you guys do in Meiji? How old are you anyway?"

"Uhm, nineteen."

"Oh cool! I'm seventeen!" Kagome said, grinning. "How about your friend? I'm guessing he's like, twenty or twenty-three, right?"

Kaoru shook her head, "Kenshin's thirty years old."

"What!" Kagome sputtered in surprise. "He looks so young!"

"I know," Kaoru grinned. Kenshin was often mistaken as younger than he was because of his height and his boyish looks. "He gets that a lot, but he is thirty though."

"You don't mind him being so much older than you?"

"Why should I mind…?" Kaoru asked perplexed, and then she blushed crimson when she realized the implication of Kagome's words. "No, Kenshin and I aren't…we're not…"

"Oh…sorry, I just thought…"

A sad smile crossed Kaoru's lips. "A lot of people seem to think so, but we aren't."

Thinking a quick change of subject was in order, Kagome asked about Kaoru's life in the past. "Do you have siblings?"

"Well, I was born an only child but there's this guy Sano. He always comes by the house, especially during meal times and he calls me Jou-chan." A smile lit Kaoru's features, "He always looks out for and tries to protect me. He's like a big brother."

"I always wanted one," Kagome confessed. "It must be nice…but you know, even though Souta is younger than me, he looks out for me too."

"I also have a sort of little brother. I took in this boy a couple of years ago when he was ten. His name is Yahiko and I'm training him to be a swordsman. You can say he's my little brother." Kaoru smiled fondly at the memory of Yahiko. He still called her a Busu and refused to do chores unless she threatened him with bodily harm, but Kaoru knew he cared for her.

Everyone had told her how beside himself Yahiko was when he thought she had died. How he had fought to help rescue her. Sometimes, whenever she watched him training, she wanted to reach out and envelope him in a hug.

It was very rarely that she acted out the impulse. Yahiko didn't like it when she hugged him. He always told her he was already grown and it was embarrassing to have him hug her like that.

"You're the one who is training him?"

Kaoru blinked, distracted from her reverie by Kagome question. "Yes, I train him. I'm the assistant master of the Kamiya dojo. Our style was developed by my father, Koshijiro Kamiya and is called Kamiya Kashin Ryu, the sword that protects."

"Wow…so, you use real swords and stuff?" Like most everyone else she knew, Kagome had seen the movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and had been fascinated with martial arts, swords and other ancient forms of combat.

Souta, she was sure, was going to be in ecstasy when he found out about their guest.

Kaoru shook her head and started to explain that in the Meiji era, the carrying of swords has been banned by the government. Kamiya Kashin Ryu utilizes the use of wooden swords or bokken as the primary weapon. The objective of the style is to defend and to defeat the opponent without killing. "It's actually quite efficient you know," Kaoru added. "With the wooden sword, you can actually fine tune the damage you inflict on your opponent. I've only just recently mastered the whole of the principle. You can cause a great deal of pain without really causing permanent damage to your opponent and you can also paralyze them by hitting certain vital points along their bodies…"

"Have you ever tried to use it in a real fight?"

"The whole principle of the style is to avoid confrontation until absolutely necessary. I think the most memorable real fight I had was against Kamatari. He was wielding a scythe and a chain, I forgot what the weapon was called but it was very hard to defeat him." Kaoru did not mention Kamatari's fondness for cross-dressing and his lack qualm about exposing his 'elephant'.

Misao still had nightmares about that one.

Kaoru grinned in amusement at the memory. "Misao and I had to work together to defeat him. Misao is a good friend of mine and a ninja from the Oniwabanshu…"

Kagome halted in her tracks, her eyes wide. "Get out! Oniwabanshu?"

"Get out?" Kaoru asked confused. Did she say something wrong? "Where should I go? Did I say something to offend you?"

Kagome blinked and then grinned. "Sorry, slang term. When I said, get out, what I meant was 'what, I can't believe you personally know the Oniwabanshu!' Not only that, but you actually fought with them!"

"How do you know about the Oniwabanshu?"

"Those guys are like, LEGENDARY! We took up Japanese History a few weeks ago in school and I remember reading something about that. How cool!"

Kaoru smiled a little.

So Misao and her beloved Oniwabanshu had become the stuff of legends.

She wondered vaguely if Kenshin was also remembered and revered. Suddenly, it hit Kaoru that she was walking in a time when she would have long been dead.

She swallowed feeling a bit queasy.

A person's mortality was a fact of life, but it didn't make it easier to deal with. To distract herself, she asked a question about Shishio. She remembered Okina once commenting that the fire in Kyoto and the fight to defend it would be forgotten in the annals of history.

Shishio Makoto, for all his genius and cunning ways would be overshadowed by time, the government would make sure of it so that no other generation would get inspiration to follow in his footsteps. "Uhm…did you…read anything about Shishio Makoto?"

Kagome stared blankly at Kaoru. "Who's that?"

Okina had been right after all.

Kaoru smiled and shook her head. "Just a man I knew once…"

O

Kaoru was seated on the floor, her feet tucked neatly underneath her as she savored the familiar taste of tea. At least in this, Japan had not changed that much. The furnishings in this part of the Higurashi home also seemed familiar and geared towards traditional Japanese style.

Kagome and Souta were seated across from Kaoru on the other side of the low table and they too were quietly sipping their drinks as they studied her while their mother prepared dinner in the kitchen.

"Uhm, I'm really sorry about Ojiisan…" Kagome finally ventured with an embarrassed smile. "He gets carried away sometimes…"

Souta laughed, "That was weird…he did that to Inuyasha too, didn't he?"

"Inuyasha?" Kaoru asked.

Kagome rolled her eyes at the memory, "He's a friend of mine that Ojiichan attacked with an ofuda too."

"He seems…quite fond of doing that…" Kaoru said with a grin. It had been quite a shock when 'Ojiisan' had pasted a paper ofuda in her forehead with a fierce proclamation of 'vanish, youkai!' when they had encountered him on their way downstairs.

Kaoru had been so taken aback all she could do was stare dumbfounded, her mouth hanging open as she digested the fact that there was a paper ofuda stuck to her forehead and that someone had just called her a 'demon'.

Kagome had yelped in embarrassment and berated her grandfather for treating their guest as such.

They fell into the well but sustained no scratches; they are youkai I tell you!

Grandpa, I promise they're NOT Youkai!

Kaoru wondered if it was just her imagination or did Souta look slightly disappointed at his sister's pronouncement that neither she nor Kenshin had any youkai blood?

"Grandpa likes to make things like ofudas and other charms to sell to the tourists that visit the shrine," Kagome said. "I hope you don't take offense at what he did, he's really very nice, just a bit eccentric."

"I like your grandfather," Kaoru said with a grin. She'd been called Busu and Tanuki, heck, why not add Youkai into the mix too? She thought about how despite Kagome, Souta and Kaname's insistence that he do otherwise, he still plastered Kenshin with several ofudas 'Just in case'.

Kaoru giggled, wondering how Kenshin would react to waking up covered in paper charms.

He'd probably go all swirly eyed and say "Oro!"

Sano and Yahiko would bust a gut laughing when she told them.

"My family back home is eccentric too…I seem to have a knack for meeting that kind." Kaoru added ruefully remembering Sano, Megumi, Yahiko, Genzai-sensei, Tae-chan, Ayame, Suzume and Tsubame.

I wonder how they are doing? Are they worried about Kenshin and I?

"Anou, Kaoru-chan?"

Kaoru blinked, realizing Souta had been asking her a question. "Gomen nasai Souta-kun, you were saying?"

"Anou…well…I was just wondering…at the many scars your friend has. They are all very faint, but if you look closely, you can sort of make them out…"

Kaoru smiled sadly at the observation. Each scar told a story of a fight Kenshin did not wish to participate in, but had no other choice but do so.

Her poor Kenshin, always forced to do things he didn't want.

Even protect a weak and foolish girl who didn't have enough sense to keep herself safe.

Gomen nasai Kenshin…

I'm so sorry for causing you pain…I'm so sorry for trying to force you to love me…I'm so sorry for everything…

Kagome saw the sadness and pain in Kaoru eyes but didn't say anything.

"I wonder how he got them all? Grandpa says they look like sword marks, you know, when you get cut? But there's so many…is he a fighter or something?" Souta asked.

"His name is Himura Kenshin," Kaoru answered, glancing over at Kagome and wondering if the name would ring a bell like the Oniwabanshu. There was no recognition in the other girl's eyes and Kaoru was surprised.

It was probably for the best.

They may be in the future but Kaoru still wasn't sure about these people and she didn't want them hurting Kenshin feelings by being afraid of him or shunning him just because he happened to be the Hitokiri Battousai.

"Kenshin was a swordsman in the Bakumatsu era, Souta-kun. That was where he got some of his scars."

Most of the others he got after the Bakumatsu, while he was trying to atone for all his so called sins.

"Oh, you mean he's a samurai?"

Kaoru shook her head, "No, not a samurai but a swordsman. Kenshin was never a samurai."

"Uh, is that why his sword is funny? Its blade is on backwards."

Kaoru smiled, "His sword is called a sakabatou which means a reversed-blade or reversed-edge sword. It had nothing to do with him not being a samurai. His sword is made that way so that the sword won't be able to kill but he will still have a weapon to defend himself."

"But then, won't it be useless in a fight?"

"You'll be surprised."

"Eh? What do you mean?" Souta asked, his nose scrunching up in confusion.

Kaoru giggled at Souta's cuteness. "What I mean is, you don't need to kill your opponent to win the battle. That is the guiding principle in the Meiji. The war is over and it is the time of peace." Unfortunately some people just can't seem to accept that and move on…

"Hey, isn't that the principle of your sword style Kaoru-chan?" Kagome piped in. She found Kaoru comments about her life and the Meiji era fascinating.

In a way, Kaoru reminded Kagome of Sango.

The two women were strong and independent warriors who shunned traditional female roles did what needed to be done.

"Hai. It was designed for the Meiji era."

Souta's eyes widened. Having his questions about the sleeping man answered, his mind was now free to digest more information. He turned to look at Kaoru with fascinated eyes. "Wait, you said Bakumatsu and Meiji…you mean to say you're from that time or something? Not Sengoku Jidai?"

Kagome laid a hand on her brother's head. "Hai, Kaoru-san and Kenshin are both from the Meiji era. Kind of like Inuyasha is from Sengoku Jidai."

Souta's eyes widened even more. "Really?"

Kagome nodded. "That's why we found them at the bottom of the well. They got through somehow and ended up here."

"That well is sooo cool!" Souta glanced at the redhead on his bed. "Maybe if Kaoru-san and Kenshin-san can pass through it, then that means I can pass through too, do you think?"

"Maybe," Kagome shrugged. Personally, she hoped Souta wouldn't be able to go to Sengoku Jidai. She didn't want him to witness first hand the violence of the youkai and the hardship of life. Let him believe that every time she jumped into the well, she was just having a little adventure and not having to fight for her life.

"A real live swordsman…neh, do you think Kenshin-san would teach me some sword moves?" Souta asked Kaoru.

Kaoru bit her lip and shook her head. The hope and excitement in Souta's eyes reminded her of Yahiko. She was loathe to disappoint the little boy but…

"Kenshin's style is…he doesn't want it passed on to the next generation."

"How come?"

"Because he thinks it's not appropriate for the future." Kaoru answered. Souta's look of disappointment tore at her heart and so she offered to teach him her sword style instead. Much to Kaoru's surprise and delight, Souta didn't scoff her offer because she was 'a girl'.

The fire of excited delight rekindled in Souta's eyes and he smiled, "You're a swordsman too?"

"Hai, I have a dojo back in Tokyo where I teach the Kamiya Kashin Ryu. My father is the one who developed the technique."

"You don't mind teaching it to me?"

"Not at all…that is, if your mother and sister won't mind."

Kagome grinned at Souta's excitement, "Quiet down Souta. Go ask mom if it's okay."

Souta nodded and hurried to the kitchen to talk with his mother.

"You have a very nice brother Kagome-chan."

"I know…" Kagome said with a fond smile. "He's been looking out for me a lot. I wouldn't have been able to balance everything without him…" her smile saddened as she thought about how Souta wouldn't be able to say the same thing about her.

O

Moonlight flooded the room in silver as it passed through the windowpane in Souta's room. It made Kenshin's skin appear paler than it was and Kaoru's eyes watched the play of shadow across the swordsman's features. Covered in ofuda, he looked like some enchanted creature cursed to sleep for eternity.

Sometimes I think you would like that…to sleep forever so you can forget your pain. Even when you smile, I can always see the sadness in your eyes.

She had always wondered what pained him so. What was it that had turned him from the Hitokiri Battousai to the Rurouni with a cheerful smile and sad violet eyes?

Now, she knew.

And Kaoru realized exactly why people said some truths were better left unknown.

Tomoe.

It hurt.

It hurt so much to know that Kenshin had loved someone else in the way Kaoru so desperately wanted him to love her. Kenshin had held someone else, had kissed someone else and touched someone else in the way only a lover, a husband could…Kaoru bit her lip and closed her eyes.

She berated herself for letting her mind drift into dangerous territory.

She didn't need to torture herself with such thoughts. It was clear Kenshin only saw her as his friend, his sister…his Kaoru-dono.

Nothing else.

After getting rescued from Enishi, Kaoru had been bombarded with tales of how Kenshin had gone mad and tried to punish himself and willed him self to death. Kaoru had thought it was because he loved her and couldn't stand to live life without her. Scenes from the past had flashed through her mind. Kenshin smiling at her, Kenshin looking at her quietly with burning amber eyes, Kenshin reverting back to his Battousai self with his need to protect her, Kenshin saying that her dojo was now his home, Kenshin holding her as he said good-bye, Kenshin coming back to her again and again after every fight…

Kaoru thought that Kenshin…

Kenshin loved her…

She had been mistaken.

He'd made that quite clear.

"I love you Kenshin…you past doesn't matter to me…" Kaoru said, reaching out to him.

"Kaoru-dono…" Kenshin's eyes were hooded as he drew away from her touch.

Kaoru's hand fell to the space between them.

"Don't even love me, just a little bit?"

"Gomen-nasai Kaoru-dono…"

I'm sorry Kaoru-dono…the words left unspoken were the ones that rang in Kaoru's ears even months after that horrible night when Kenshin rejected her love.

Gomen-nasai Kaoru-dono…

I DO NOT LOVE YOU…

Months after that night, Kaoru had come to the conclusion that perhaps the reason Kenshin had punished himself when he thought he had caused her death…was guilt. It was the most plausible explanation. Everything the man did stemmed from guilt and a need for atonement.

His reaction to her death was most likely brought on by his guilt at failing to protect her.

That and nothing more…

Kaoru sighed and reached out to touch Kenshin's hair. It felt smooth against her fingers. "Mou Kenshin, its so unfair. You don't even take care of your hair but it's still prettier than mine…" she whispered to him with a soft smile. He was her foolish Rurouni, her Kenshin…someday Kaoru wondered if she would be able to see him only as her friend.

It was clear that it was the way Kenshin wanted things to be.

O

"I want to hate you sometimes you know…because you hurt me every time you smile my way." Kaoru confessed to the sleeping redhead. "It would be easier if I hated you. I wouldn't love you then, would I? I wouldn't feel this ache inside of me whenever I see you playing with Ayame or Suzume…I wouldn't imagine you playing with our child." Kaoru let out a shuddering breath as she tried to hold back tears. "I need to forget you Kenshin, because I want a life too. I want a family of my own, a husband who will love me…I want to forget you, but how can I when the only husband I want is you?"

Kenshin shifted in bed, his left hand moving until it bumped into dainty fingers gripping the bed sheets tightly. Upon contact, the redhead sighed and settled back into a deep sleep as his fingers covered Kaoru's smaller ones.

Kaoru choked back a sob but didn't remove her hand.

"I can't blame you for not wanting me…after Tomoe, I must seem like a servant girl…but…sometimes I really can't help but pretend you love me too…"

It was foolish, Kaoru knew this, but she could not help herself. She had tried to distance herself from him, but his solicitous nature always placed him in her path and Kaoru couldn't bring herself to be rude to Kenshin, especially when all he wanted was to offer her food, heat her bath or simply ask if she was doing alright.

"You're the first man who was ever as nice to me as that, did you know Kenshin? Everyone else treated me like a tomboy, but you treated me like a girl and not in an annoying way either. You were nice and you were solicitous but you let me be myself as well. Maybe that's why I fell in love with you, huh?"

The redhead didn't stir, still deep in slumber.

Kaoru smiled sadly. "Poor Kenshin. You were probably horrified when you realized a tomboy like me found herself in love with you huh? I'm sorry too…making you worry about my feelings on top of everything else…" Kaoru continued to run the fingers of her free hand through Kenshin's hair while her other hand was enveloped in his. "I'm sorry that I chased my stupid ribbon and we ended up here. I'm sorry you always have to look after me…I'm sorry I'm immature…I'm sorry I was selfish and unfair to you…" Kaoru pushed her hair away from her face, her blue eyes determined. "But you don't have to worry about me anymore…I promise…"

O

The dawn was barely breaking through the horizon when Kenshin finally started to come to. He battled the lethargy and the last vestiges of sleep that seemed keen on dragging him back to unconsciousness. There was something at his side and each inhalation brought him that scent he would recognize anywhere.

Jasmine.

Kaoru.

He turned his gaze towards his left side where his hand was touching her fingers. Awake, Kenshin would have been appalled at his forwardness, but his mind was still too foggy from his deep sleep to register any other emotion except wonder at how her soft skin felt against his sword calloused palm.

Kaoru was sleeping, her upper half braced against the bed as she rested her head against her one hand, black hair slipping past her shoulders to pool on the cover of the bed and mix with Kenshin's own red locks.

He lifted his other hand to touch her hair and smiled at the silken feel of it against his skin.

Violet eyes flashed to gold before Kenshin was once more dragged down into slumber.

O

A/N: So, did you like it? It's more of a transition chapter than anything else. More Kenshin/Kaoru interaction next chapter as they get used to the modern world. Thank you to all the people who reviewed the first chapter, I wouldn't have updated if it weren't for you guys. Please review again and tell me if you still like the story or if its boring you to bits!

Please Review!

Thanks!