Author's Notes: Ah, Chapter 4… I've had the beginning of this in my head for a while, but never actually put it up on screen. I've made another two fanfics, but haven't actually posted them yet. So many ideas, so little time…

And thank you so to all who review! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I did not create and therefore do not own Rurouni Kenshin. In light of this some of the characters will probably be OOC. But isn't that what fanfics are all about?

N.B: I've changed the rating for this story, it is now a PG. I think it should have been from the start, I guess. If you don't like death, you might want to skip the italic writing.

Fever Days and Sleepless Nights

Chapter 4

Kaoru ran down the long, dark corridor, breath coming in sharp gasps, as fast as if she was being pursued by wolves. She dared not stop for breath, for fear the…thing….would catch up to her. So she ran on.

Eventually she came to a fork in the corridor. The corridor ran on for a short while both ways before stopping short at a door. But which door to take? Kaoru spent only a second wondering, before dashing through the right door.

Except in this case it was obviously the wrong door. As she blinked and her eyes adjusted to the gloom a horrible sight came into being – the bodies of her friends, Yahiko, Sano, Megumi, Misao, Aoshi, Tsubame, Tae…and a lot of other people she knew…scattered across the floor. Kaoru covered her mouth in horror. All of them had been killed in the exact same way – a sword, knife or dagger quickly through the heart.

Feeling sick, Kaoru backed hastily out of the room, a voice in her head crying, "Why? Why?" Fearing what she was to see, Kaoru entered instead the left-hand door, and she gasped at the sight that met her eyes.

An amber-eyed, red-haired man with a high ponytail was standing over the wounded body of her own dear rurouni. Kaoru's stomach did a flip. Kenshin! She looked to the face of the amber-eyed man. The Battousai….

Before her terrified eyes, the Battousai raised his sword, the blade pointing downwards, and brought it down….

"KENSHIN!!!"

"KAORU!!!"

Kaoru awoke with a start and jerked upright on her futon, as the other occupant of the room did exactly the same, yelling out her name. Both suddenly found themselves staring into the others' face.

"YAAAH!" they both yelled simultaneously. Kaoru sat there, panting from the shock of waking up and being face to face with someone from her dream. Kenshin scrambled backwards in fright and slumped against the wall, breathing heavily, sweat beads on his forehead.

"K-Kaoru-dono," Kenshin managed to choke out. She frightened me so! To wake up from that nightmare and come face to face with her…what is she doing in my room? Why was she sleeping in here? Is she all right? She must have had a nightmare too…but I mustn't let her know about mine…mustn't let her worry…

Kaoru began to get her breath back, and looking across the room, she felt sorry for Kenshin. To wake up like that and see me in his room…He's already sick, and after that nightmare – I must have scared him really badly! But when he woke up…did he yell my name? I wonder what he was dreaming about…Well, I won't let him hide it from me this time. I'm going to get him to tell me every little detail…

Kenshin finally regained his breath and sat up against the wall, wiping his sweaty forehead with the sleeve of his yukata. He smiled weakly at her.

"You gave me a fright Kaoru-dono, that you did," he said. He frowned. "Are you all right? Did you have a bad dream, de gozaru?

Kaoru slowed her breathing down, though her heart continued to pound. "Hai…" she admitted, shuddering inwardly at the gruesome pictures of the dream. She looked at Kenshin, who was beginning to shiver, even though it wasn't cold. "Did you have a nightmare too?"

"Hai, but it was nothing," Kenshin dismissed.

"Do you think we could have had the same dream?" asked Kaoru. "We had them on the same night and all."

Kenshin smiled. "I doubt it, de gozaru."

"No, you're right," Kaoru agreed. His was probably about the Revolution… Smiling sympathetically at the shivering rurouni, she got up and put her blanket around him before returning to her own futon.

"Sessha is alright, Kaoru-dono," protested Kenshin. "You need this."

"No, you need it," she said firmly. "I can always get another one."

"Arigatou, Kaoru-dono."

They both sat in silence for a while, each pondering their own dreams. Then Kaoru remembered she was supposed to be finding out what Kenshin's nightmare was about. She looked sideways at him, and then turned her head to look at him properly, frowning worriedly.

Kenshin's head was down, his bangs casting shadows over his eyes, hiding them from view. The side of his face she could see was the side marked by the cross-shaped scar, and as before it stood out more than usual against his pale skin. His shoulders role and fell slowly, shaking with every shuddering breath he took, and he was still shivering slightly. As she noticed this, his arms came up to wrap the blanket more tightly around him, and he looked up at her.

"Daijoubu Kaoru-dono?" he asked anxiously.

"Hai, hai," she assured him. Then she got up and draped a spare blanket over his shoulders.

"Kaoru-dono, really, Sessha is fine," insisted Kenshin.

"Really," said Kaoru, raising her eyebrows. She put a hand out and touched the back of it to Kenshin's burning forehead. Kenshin flinched ever so slightly at the feel of her cold hand against his hot skin.

"Kenshin no baka! I'll give you fine! You've still got a really high fever!" she scolded him. "You should get back to sleep."

"Ano…Kaoru-dono…" began Kenshin, and then fell silent. He didn't want to have that nightmare again, but neither did he want to tell Kaoru that. So he said nothing.

"Is it the nightmare?" asked Kaoru softly, and Kenshin turned his head to stare at her. How did she know…? Well, it was probably obvious. He obviously hadn't done a good enough job of hiding it. Time to act.

First, he put on a rurouni smile, to cover up any feelings that might be showing on his face. Then he put her mind at ease. "Sessha is just fine," he said cheerfully.

Now to change the subject, to divert the course of the conversation. He peered at her face worriedly.

"Kaoru-dono, have you been sleeping enough?" he asked her. "You don't look so good, de gozaru."

It was true; Kaoru had a tired look in her eyes, and bags underneath them. Kaoru fell for it, for the moment anyway.

"Do I?" she asked, frowning. "I have been getting enough sleep, really." She smiled half-heartedly. "I guess it was all that waiting on Sano."

Kenshin smiled too. "You ought to go back to sleep, de gozaru."

Kaoru was about to agree when she suddenly realised how the topic had changed. Kenshin was an absolute master at diverting attention away from himself, and she fell for it time and time again. But not this time.

"It's sweet of you to worry about me Kenshin," she said, "but I'm not the one with a fever." Before he could dismiss this again, she continued, "I worry about you. You never tell us anything about your past, or what's troubling you. We're your friends Kenshin. We're here to help you. You've been there for us so many times, so we're here for you. You're not a burden to us, Kenshin. We're lucky to have a friend like you."

Kenshin just stared at her. "Lucky?" he echoed. Kaoru nodded and smiled at him, but he turned his head away and looked down at the futon, twisting the blanket between his fingers. He mumbled something.

"What was that, Kenshin?"

Kenshin looked up at her, his eyes shinier than usual. "Sessha doesn't deserve friends like you, that he doesn't," he said unhappily. Kaoru wanted to hit him over the head with her bokken. He was so dense! Really, he just didn't get it. But she kept calm and said simply,

"You are just as deserving of us as we are of you. You're not a hitokiri any more, Kenshin. You're not unworthy."

"Oro?" said Kenshin startled. "I'm not?"

"Of course not." He didn't say 'Sessha'! He said 'I'! Maybe he's getting better after all!

Kenshin didn't say anything for a long time, and neither did Kaoru. But it wasn't an awkward or uncomfortable silence. If one of them had spoken, it would have spoilt things really. So they just sat and thought, and Kaoru hoped against hope her words had gotten through.

Eventually Kenshin seemed to come to some sort of conclusion, for he looked up at her again and smiled. "Arigatou Kaoru-dono. We should be getting to sleep now, that we should."

"Hai," Kaoru agreed. She got up and fetched a couple of extra blankets before laying down on her futon. "Good night, Kenshin."

"Good night, Kaoru-dono."

Author's Notes: Awwwww…. So sweet…. I'm drowning in maple sap. Ah well, review peoples please. The next chapter won't be quite so sappy, that it won't. Things start to get funny!