Author's Notes: I started this chapter. Lady Himura wrote the body, and I went through and revised and then I posted.

Adrenaline Adoration

Chapter 2- Catastrophic Callings

A wind blew by, slowly ruffling Kenshin's hair. He urged his eyes to open, and after a few blinks discovered himself sitting outside of Kaoru's room, her shoji door still open from his departure from it the night before. Kenshin gripped his sword before he leaned forward, craning his neck to get a good look in the room. She hadn't moved from the position she had fallen asleep in that night. Kaoru's breathing came in even time, relieving the worry of anything that could have happened to her in the night.

Kenshin turned and leaned his head against the wall, his eyes blinking to adjust to the low light that filled the dojo as he stared absently toward the ceiling. He glanced over to Kaoru, the morning sun light shining upon her in all the right places. Her soft skin blended with the light, and Kenshin found it hard to resist caressing her beautiful face... beautiful face?Where did that come from? Kenshin mentally kicked himself at his own thoughts. But how could he help it? There she was, the only women who had never judged him for what he had been, but for what he was now. Sure, she's a bad cook, has a small temper and could act a bit childish sometimes, but Kenshin couldn't help but love her. Kenshin frowned, and his gaze faded from Kaoru to the floor.

'She will find someone better, someone who will love her as much as I do.' Kenshin thought to himself, closing the door behind him, and in the process, closing the door to hope, a life, and a second chance at love.

Kenshin walked to the kitchen, ready to prepare breakfast, and upon looking around, he discovered they were out of rice.

"I had better got get some rice before everyone wakes up, that I should." Kenshin stated, nearly inaudibly, as he grabbed his reverse blade sword. He never dared to leave without it. He had just slid the door shut when Sano came running past him and into the kitchen. Even though he new he'd never make it away before Sano said anything, Kenshin made his first step.

"Kenshin!"

"Yes Sano?" Kenshin asked, poking his two forefingers together nervously and waiting for the lecture.

"Where's breakfast?" Sano shouted while looking at the empty table, which he looked over at least ten times in hope that food would magically find its way there.

"But Sano, I have to get rice first." Kenshin said, trying to sneak away from the wrath of his hungry friend.

"You said rice! So I come a running! And now your telling me there is no food?" he bellowed, unable to believe what he was hearing.

He swore that sometimes Kenshin went on sprees as the Battousai and ate all the food before he could get his hands on any. He mentally reminded himself to teach Kenshin a lesson. That was, after he had some food in his belly. Kenshin still needed to be breathing in order for that to occur. But afterward, then he would give his good friend the friendly lesson he deserved.

"Sano, calm down, I'll be back before noon." Kenshin said as he walked the path to the dojo gate.

"Noon? Kenshin I'll starve by then! And what about Yahiko? Think of the children, Kenshin!" Sano yelled, watching helplessly as Kenshin closed the gate.

Kenshin couldn't help but laugh at his friend's sad attempt to get a quick meal. No sooner had Kenshin left, that Kaoru had woken up from Sano's unnecessary screaming. She walked into the kitchen to see Sano flopped over the table, mumbling a strange mantra that sounded a lot like 'food...food...food' as he twitched.

"Good morning Sano?" Kaoru asked as she sat down at the table and Sano sat up right again.

"Good morning Jou-chan..." Sano pouted.

"We're out of rice again, aren't we?" she asked, patting her friends back sympathetically at the traumatized look that spread over his face.

"Yup…"

"Out of rice! How can this be?" Yahiko yelled, running into the room and ransacking the place in hopes it was all a joke.

"You guys act as if you haven't eaten in days!" Kaoru proclaimed her hands on her hips. "I swear, all you two do is eat."

Both Yahiko and Sanosuke stared at her.

"Well if it's your cooking, you can't really consider that eating..." Yahiko mumbled without thinking.

As if by reflex, Yahiko covered his head with his hands, knowing a bokken would be whacking his poor, abused skull before he could say he was sorry. Yahiko opened his eyes, noticing nothing happened. And as suspicious as that was, he let his hands fall from his death grip upon his cranium, oddly relieved to not see Kaoru cowering anywhere.

"Phew..." Yahiko sighed.

Before he knew it, a resounding 'whack' echoed throughout the room, signalling his mission to protect his head was a failure.

"Ouch! Geez busu that hurt! What, do you have a death swing or something?" Yahiko said as he jumped up and down, rubbing his head as Kaoru smiled in triumph.

"When will Kenshin be back?" Kaoru asked sitting back down next to a squirming Yahiko.

"He said before noon... I hope he was kidding... Jou-chan! Tell me he was kidding, please!" Sano stated, hunching over. Kaoru shook her head and rubbed her poor friend's back in reassurance.

As if the timing was perfect, there was a loud rapping upon the door.

"Kenshin's back! And with food!" Yahiko and Sano yelled in unison as they ran past Kaoru to the door. They threw open the door and pounced the person on the other side, not even bothering to see who it was.

Kaoru never got a chance to warn them that if it was Kenshin, he wouldn't have knocked. She decided it was fair punishment to let them be embarrassed once in a while. With all the times they had sat there and embarrassed her, why not give them a taste of their own medicine?

"Kenshin what did you bring-- huh? Dr. Gensai? What did you do with Kenshin?" Sano inquired, looking around for the rurouni who was sure to have his breakfast. "I need my food!"

"It's nice to see you too Sanosuke...I think..." Dr. Gensai said as Yahiko and Sano helped him up off of the ground.

Stepping outside to greet the old man, Kaoru instigated conversation with a usual question."Dr. Gensai, what brings you here at this time of the morning?"

Dr. Gensai's face was full of concern and Kaoru began to worry.

"Is something wrong?"

"We need to talk." he responded, Sano and Yahiko right on his tail as he walked toward her.

"Alone..." he added, looking at Sano and Yahiko with an expression that told them that was not going to be questioned or infringed.

"About what?"

"Your parents."


Kenshin walked down the busy streets, hurrying along so his "starving" friend would be happy, and his indefinite punishment for not being prepared lessened. If he could stuff Sanosuke full of delicious food before he attacked, then maybe he could avoid the oncoming scuffle.

"Good morning Himura! What can I get you today?" asked the man at the market, a cheery smile upon his face.

"A bag of rice would be fine. Oh! And a pound of tofu too please." Kenshin responded just as lightheartedly, enjoying the freedom of being treated as a man and not the manslayer he once was.

Kenshin was about to be handed his rice and tofu when he heard someone scream. It was high pitched, echoing throughout the crowded marketplace and making it easy to pinpoint. The person who had shrieked was behind him to the left, and most likely was a young girl in her teens by the sounds of her vocal cords.

"Thief! Stop him!"

Before Kenshin could turn around and stop the thief, he heard a loud crash as a man collided with the cart next to him. Sending his gaze around, he looked around to see if he could find anyone running from the scene. Nothing. As the dust cleared, as tall man stood there holding a purse and another man lay unconscious in the rubble.

"Did you see that? He moved so fast I didn't even catch him grabbing the thief and throwing him into that cart! He's amazing." Said someone to Kenshin's left. Imminent commotion began to invade the small space that was now allotted in the marketplace, and the multitude of voices made it hard for Kenshin to comprehend what was happening around him.

"Here you go miss." the man said, handing a young woman her purse.

He was a tall man, possibly a little taller then Sanosuke. In Kenshin's book, Sano was a monster at six foot two. The mysterious man had deep blue eyes and jet black hair, he was well built and obviously strong. Kenshin couldn't help but feel something strange about the so called "do gooder." Most people were not built for attack... and they definently were not capable of such quick movements.

"Ken-san!"

Kenshin turned to the familiar voice of Megumi running up to him.

"Ken-san did you see that? He sent that thief flying in one blow!" Megumi remarked, excited from all the action. "It was amazing, don't you agree?"

Kenshin didn't say anything to her of the subject, and he payed the man for his groceries before looking over at the man everyone was talking about. As if knowing Kenshin's eyes were upon him, he turned around and walked over to Kenshin, putting out his hand in a gentlemanly manner. The smile upon his lips looked forced, but Kenshin mentioned nothing of his observations, just let up the usual rurouni facade.

"I'm Kiyo. Kiyo Nishawagi." Kiyo said.

"Kenshin Himura. I've never seen you around here before, first time in Tokyo?" Kenshin questioned with a friendly voice, placing the groceries on the ground to shake his hand.

Kenshin felt even more uneasy once he grasped his hand. There was definitely something about this guy and Kenshin didn't like it, but what could it be? He seemed harmless enough, but yet again, looks can be deceiving. Kenshin was once Hitokiri Battousai, killing because he could. But could you tell now if you stared at the fuchsia wearing rurouni that was buying groceries and did laundry?

Kiyo let go of Kenshin's hand and replied, "I wish to forget about where I have been. My past is not important, all that matters is that I am where I am today. And who is this lovely lady?" Kiyo asked, kissing Megumi's hand.

Megumi blushed. "Megumi Takani, but Megumi would be just fine." she said, turning redder.

"Nice to meet you Megumi. I must be off, maybe we'll see each other again some other time." Kiyo said as he turned the other way and began to walk.

Kenshin watched him as he disappeared into the distance. He couldn't shrug off the feeling that there was definitely something not right about Kiyo. His aura was not like that of any other businessman or civilian he had met; he had the aura of a sheltered warrior.

'It will probably be the last time I see him again. Don't worry yourself. You may start getting wrinkles just like Kaoru-dono said,' Kenshin thought to himself as he picked up the groceries.


"My parents?" Kaoru asked as she shut the door behind them.

"Sit down Kaoru; this may take a minute or two." Dr. Gensai whispered.

She sat down, looking intently at Dr. Gensai, wanting to know what the matter was. The grim expression on his face was a far cry from the normally optimistic one he would carry around her. He had been her pedestal in life for so long since her parents passed away, and seeing him like this was strange and unnerving.

"It hadn't occurred to me until you turned eighteen last week... I had been going through my books and letters when I found... I found your father's will." Dr. Gensai said, unfolding a piece of old paper, faded and wrinkled from years of being kept hidden from sight.

Kaoru's eyes grew wide as Dr. Gensai held the paper in front of his eyes and began to read.

"Dr. Gensai, you are like Kaoru-chan's grandfather. If anything were to happen to both of us, we leave it to you to make Kaoru happy. We want her to be protected and taken care of even when we won't be there do so ourselves. On her eighteenth birthday, you are to find her a suitor if she has not found one herself. As our last wish, we ask this of you, our dearest friend."

Kaoru began to cry as Dr. Gensai finished reading the final words of her father and mother. Dr. Gensai couldn't help but cry himself; it had been so long since his last reminscence of the Kamiya family.

"What--!"Yahiko was cut off by Sano's hand being thrown over his mouth.

Apparently they couldn't help their curious little minds so they sat outside the paper thin doors listening in on the conversation. Years of experience told them both that if they wanted to have blackmail and any kind of gossip, eavesdropping was the best way to get it. The method had yet to fail for them.

"Yahiko, do you want to give us away?" Sano whispered angrily as he let go of Yahiko's mouth.

"Did you hear what Dr. Gensai said? Did you? Are you deaf? She can't marry someone else other than Kenshin! She can't!" Yahiko rapidly whispered. "And you know…"

"Slow down Yahiko! Didn't you hear what else he said? If she already found someone, then Dr. Gensai doesn't have to find her one!" Sano responding, knowing Kaoru loved Kenshin and wouldn't love another in a million years.

They hushed up as Dr. Gensai began to talk again. They had to know everything before they stopped talking. If they didn't, then how were they going to find time to warn Kenshin?

"Kaoru, have you found someone?" Dr. Gensai asked, sure she would say Kenshin, and praying she would at the same time.

Kaoru's eyes grew wide. She wanted to scream 'Kenshin! I love Kenshin!' but she stopped herself. She couldn't have him. No matter how much she dreamed, thought, or wished she could, she couldn't. She led herself to believe Kenshin would not want anything to do with a tomboyish little girl like her.

Why would he when he had already had someone as refined as Tomoe? After her, there was no room for Kaoru in his heart. Kenshin's relationship with his deceased wife may have been built over lies and deceit, but the feelings were still strong in his heart, and she couldn't even think of infringing upon that sacred place in his life. He had already sold it to someone else; and knowing Kenshin, it would remain that way. Admitting defeat, Kaoru bowed her head and bit back her tears.

'Kenshin's just my friend… I'm only a friend to him…'

"No..." she replied sadly, not even noticing when Dr. Gensai blinked in surprise and shock.

"What! Jou-chan..." Sano was cut off by Yahiko's hand being thrown over his mouth.

Yahiko looked over at Sano, surprised, sad, and speechless. Sanosuke appeared to be shocked and betrayed all at once. He had a gamblers instinct that wasn't too sharp, but when it came to reading the faces of his friends and knowing their inner desires, he was always on the dot. That's the only reason why he and Megumi got along.

But Kaoru refusing to take a chance to be with Kenshin? In his mind, that was utterly impossible. If he wasn't against hitting girls, he would have burst into the room and smacked her across the head like he constantly did to Kenshin.

"How could she say no? How? Why?" Sano quetioned, contemplating the facts that were all too plain to see.

"Sano... if Kaoru doesn't marry Kenshin, who will she marry?" Yahiko asked.

Both of them looked to the ground in complete shock and despair.

In refusing this chance to be with Kenshin, she had betrayed them all. Yahiko may have been young, but he knew that if Kaoru was to get married to someone else, Kenshin wouldn't be able to stay around the dojo, and he'd leave. Yahiko didn't want to lose his little family. Sano didn't think he'd be able to watch Kenshin mope around, or see the pain in Kaoru's eyes as she had to realize the mistake she had just made. It would be enough to send him flying out of Japan. And Kaoru…

She had just betrayed her own heart.


"He's here to what!" Kenshin asked loudly, causing Megumi to take a step back.

"You heard me Ken-san, Kiyo is here looking for a wife, or so I have been told." Megumi stated, pushing her hair back with the usual saucy movement. "I wonder who the lucky bride will be."

'Lucky? How? Something about that man is not right. It's a faint feeling, but it's there,' Kenshin thought to himself.

"Ken-san you had better propose to the tanuki before Kiyo gets there first." Megumi teased.

Kenshin's eyes shot open, big and wide like pools of the violent violet sea. Come to think of it, Kiyo was heading in the direction of the dojo. He couldn't be! Could he? Was he actually going to see Kaoru?

"Ken-san, I was only kidding, don't worry so much." she reassured, immediately noticing the strange look that had crossed Kenshin's face.

He couldn't help it. Why did Kaoru have to be single? Why hadn't he already taken her to be his wife? What the... where did that come from? Why was it that these thoughts only came when it was too late to turn them around?

The point that Kenshin was trying to make within his confused mind was that he wanted to be with Kaoru, he didn't want her to leave him. He wanted her to be his, but she could never be. She just couldn't. Even with the confidence boost she had been giving him with her demand of 'you're not a sessha so stop calling yourself that', he still didn't find himself worthy. But even if he wasn't, he didn't want to see her with anyone one else, even if he did try to tell himself that he had to.

And he definitely would not hand her over to a man like Kiyo.


"I have already lined up a suitor for you, Kaoru." Dr. Gensai said, looking down because he was not willing to look at her face.

"Dr. Gensai, no! Tell me you're kidding! If I'm gonna marry someone, I want it to be because I love them." Kaoru said, a tear running down her face. "Don't tell me this is really happening…"

The feeling that had been plaguing her the night before came back, infesting her gut and causing her to want to hurl. Why did this have to happen?

"Wait till I get my hands on Dr. Gensai! How could he do this to Jou-chan and Kenshin?" Sano screamed while standing up and attempting to rush into the room.Yahiko pounced on his back, biting his hair and throwing both of them off the porch of the dojo.

Kaoru opened the door to find out where that yelling was coming from, and when she saw nothing, she closed the door again. Yahiko let out a breath he had been holding and then spit out the pieces of Sanosuke's hair that had caught in his mouth from the profound amount of chewing he performed.

"Sano! What are you? Crazy? You can't just barge in after what we just heard!" Yahiko whispered frantically, trying to control his own temper.

They crawled back to the door and began to listen again.

"Dr. Gensai, please... don't make me marry someone I don't love." Kaoru pleaded.

Dr. Gensai looked at her face, reminding himself of when she was a child and she would cry when her doll broke, or she fell and scraped her knee, or even worse, when her parents died. Kaoru's tears always fell with a reason, and he hated to be that reason.

"I'm sorry...I can't... I promised them. Please forgive me Kaoru." Dr. Gensai said. Kaoru fell into his arms and began to cry, crying like the small child she once was.

"He'll be here soon." Dr. Gensai managed to say with choked words. Kaoru slowly lifted her head, trying to wipe away the tears that refused to stop.

"I understand." Kaoru said as she got up and began to walk out the door.

Sano and Yahiko didn't even bother to move anymore. They just looked up at Kaoru from where they sat on the ground. They were mad at her and sympathetic for her at the same time. How could she deny that she wanted to be with Kenshin? How?

She walked past them, into her room, and shut the door behind her. No sooner had Kaoru shut the door, thand did Kenshin swing the dojo gates open, running faster then he ever had in his life. He noticed Yahiko and Sanosuke sitting on the porch and rushed up to them. There was no sign of Kaoru anywhere, and both of them looked withdrawn and completely in despair.

"Where's Kaoru-dono? I need to speak with her!" Kenshin stated almost frantically.

Neither Sano nor Yahiko responded, only stared at him, at a loss for words. How could they tell him his life was about to be ruined? How could they tell Kenshin that he was going to lose Kaoru that day to another man that she didn't even love? How did they explain something so profound to a rurouni with no where else to go?

"Kenshin, may I have a word?" Dr. Gensai asked as Kenshin walked past Yahiko and Sano into the dojo.

"Dr. Gensai, where is Kaoru?" Kenshin demanded.

"Sit down my boy."

"Where is she?"

"Sit down…"

"Where is..."

"Sit down, goddamn it!"

Kenshin was taken aback by Dr. Gensai's sudden outburst. He sat down, arms crossed, ready to hear what ever he has to say. After that, he was going to find out where Kaoru was at. In his mind, whatever Dr. Gensai had to say was not of as much importance as what he needed to talk to Kaoru about.

"What I have to tell you may not be easy for you to hear…" Dr. Gensai explained the will, and what Kaoru had to do.

Kenshin couldn't believe what he was hearing. But he had to know one thing...

"Did she agree to all of this? Does she want to marry this man?" he questioned, trying to believe that Kaoru was not going to be subject to the injustice he had just heard of.

"No, I'm afraid she is heartbroken. But she has to understand, I have to respect her late parents wishes." Dr. Gensai said. "He'll be here any minute."

Kenshin looked straight at Dr. Gensai. "You already found someone for her?" Kenshin asked, in a bit of a rage.

"Yes, He's wealthy, smart, and I know he will take care of Kaoru." Dr. Gensai assured him.

"No…" Kenshin whispered as he walked out of the dojo. "I won't let her leave me. Not yet! She can't! She's what makes me who I am!" Kenshin said. "Without her, there is no us-- this group we've managed to make will end if she leaves."

"Kenshin, you can't let Kaoru get married! You can't!" Yahiko cried.

Kenshin looked over at him. This was one fight he wouldn't be winning. Even if within his soul he knew this wasn't right, he couldn't fight it anymore than he already had. Kaoru respected her father dearly, and therefore, she would do whatever her father wanted, even if it tore at her and drove her over the edge of sanity. But he couldn't blame her or anyone else because this was his fault. He had waited too long tell her what he felt, and now he was paying the consequences, and so was she. There was no guarantee that she would have returned his feelings, but at least she wouldn't have been with some man she didn't even know or love...

It broke his heart to know what she was getting into.


Kaoru listened from her room. Everything was going so well, how could everything go so wrong so fast? She and Kenshin were finally starting to get somewhere, even if it was only slowly. What would happen to everyone after this was all over? What would happen to Kenshin? There were so many excuses flying through her head over why she hadn't just said she wanted to be with Kenshin, but she knew the main excuse. She didn't want to push him into something he didn't want. It wouldn't be fair to make him get married to her just because she was going to be sold off like a piece of meat.

She got dressed and brushed her hair. She stared into her mirror, not liking what she saw. Her face was puffy from crying and her eyes were sad and lost. It wouldn't be a problem facing her husband to be... but she couldn't face Kenshin like this. There would be a rerun of the night they had experienced just the night before, and in turn, it would break her heart more than it already was. At the moment, Kaoru was crushed.


Kenshin looked over to her room. He couldn't take it, he had to see her. Worry was driving him insane, and the small sniffles and sobs he could hear from his perch outside were calling him in; calling him to her. He brought up a shaking hand and knocked on the door. Shaking? Kenshin Himura was shaking? There were too many emotions playing through his head too quickly, and he tried to sum up his courage.

He had to see her before she was given away.


Kaoru walked over to her door and stood in front of it. She knew Kenshin was on the other side; he was always there when she had a crisis with his silent and calm reassurances and warm presence. He could calm the storms that raged within her heart, mind, body and soul… but now she was going to lose that.

She knew the way he knocked. She couldn't bring herself to open the door. She reached out for the handle, but the door flew open in a fury. Her eyes met his violet pools and for a moment, their faces said what they felt. No words could express what their eyes could.

How he wanted to hold her right there and then, tell her he loved her and this nightmare would be over. Kenshin could barely control what he was doing, and he had to grip the doorway to keep himself from barging inside. Kaoru pulled her hands behind her, afraid they might end up wrapping themselves around his neck, connecting them in a loving embrace.

All the things that could have fixed the moment and changed the outcome never occurred. Neither of them realized all Kenshin had to do was say the words...

Kenshin opened his mouth but nothing came out. He couldn't bring himself to tell her. The hurt on her face told him everything he needed to know, and he couldn't force her to carry his words with her through this struggle.

"I-I..." Kaoru attempted but stopped as she heard the dojo gate being open.

Kenshin heard the foot steps and the ki was familiar. Before he turned, he already knew who it was. When he did turn, his fears were proven.

None other then Kiyo Nishawagi stood in front of him.


Author's Notes: There we go, Chapter 2! Written equally by myself and Lady Himura.

3-

Crystal Renee