A/N: And God said, "let mortals know pain and torments." Thus He created exams…. Anyway, I told myself that this thing would be lighthearted, but it still comes out slowpaced and descriptive. Blah. And thanks to all of you who provided feedback (even though I feel some negative vibes towards Tomoe…). Oh, and longer chapters? Well, give me 48 hours days, and I'll write a 20 pages chapter a day.

There was blood, somewhere. Dark pools in the dull lantern light, easily mistaken for water were it not for the ashen reek. The snow fell harder under the veiled moon, clothing the world below in a soft gray and white attire. The wind picked up, whispering through the night now gone silent; dead leaves floated in its wake.

Yet she saw nothing of that. His gaze held hers. Kaoru found that she couldn't breath anymore.

Then it was gone. He broke the contact, moving his eyes to Megumi's still kneeling form. How long did it last? She knew not. It had seemed an eternity to her. She let a breath out. He was, she observed, looking as intensely at her maid as he did with her. Somehow she felt belittled, and almost immediately berated herself for such lowly thoughts. Almost.

He sheathed his blade then, and walked to them, his ponytail floating freely behind him. He offered a hand to Megumi, who took it. His hand, Kaoru noticed as he helped Megumi to her feet, was smooth and graceful, almost feminine, not at all what she would have expected from a seasoned warrior.

"Are you all right, lady?" he asked to her maid.

"I-I am fine, thank you." Megumi's hand rose to her lips, her fingers touching a small cut, wipping out the dried blood. The bleeding had stopped.

"It was careless of you," he said with his monotonous voice. "Two ladies, walking the city's streets so late without any protection."

"Ah, we are mere travelers," Kaoru replied, forcing a smile on her lips. "And we were in a hurry, or else we would not have braved the night's dangers." She bowed, deep enough to mark her gratitude, yet not enough to appear too meek. A chilly gust of wind rushed against her skin. "We are greatly thankful for your help, sir."

The samurai's female companion was approaching them, her steps muted in the thin layer of snow. A single braid fastened her lush hair, and white crystals dusted her pale skin. "Was it necessary to shed so much blood?" she asked, her voice very quiet.

"They were warned," the young man said, turning sideway to her. "Bandits, or ronins who stood so low as to threaten defenseless women. Either way, they didn't deserve to live." He turned back, looking at Kaoru. The wind howled. "Travelers, you said. Where were you going?"

Kaoru opened her mouth, but her maid intervened faster. "Kind sir, we were fleeing from a most vile villain." Megumi had, Kaoru remarked, a beguiling smile on her face. Kaoru knew how devastating that smile could be, had seen how her maid used it on countless males to get what she wanted. Even Kaoru's father wasn't immune to it.

The young man didn't seem affected by it. He only frowned. "Villain?"

"Yes," affirmed Megumi. A small flick of her hand sent her hairs flying. A charming pink adorned her cheeks, despite the cold, or maybe because of it. "I have been unfortunate enough to attract the attention of this city's lord." She sighed outrageously. "When I refused his advances, he took umbrage and flew in a terrible anger. He ordered me captured. We were running from his men when we bumped into those thugs." She glanced around him, as if she feared those very men would creep upon her this very moment.

"I see," he said. He didn't look around. "And you planned to leave the city?"

"Indeed," Megumi answered with a bright smile. "We were on our way to our inn. Our horses are there, you see. We planned to leave this awful town as soon as we got them."

He looked at Kaoru, and there was something in his expression that would have made a brave man afraid. "Were would you be bound?" he asked her.

Lie! Lie, her mind told her. She stared into his lavender eyes, and found that she couldn't. "Kyoto," she whispered.

The ghost of a smile touched his lips. "How curious, it is my destination as well. I will accompany you."

Kaoru's heart skipped a heartbeat. She made to protest, but he silenced her with a raised hand. "No roads is secure nowadays," he explained, as if lecturing her. "Many of the samurai caste have turned into bandits. They plague this country. Two women traveling alone are too much at risk. The bushido commands me to protect the weak."

Kaoru felt panic rising in her chest. She couldn't afford such a burden, not now. Her plan came before anything else, and it required stealth more than anything. "It is very generous of you, but we—" A hand on her shoulder, gripping it, hard. She winced.

"We would be flattered," said Megumi, still wearing her smile. "We would feel much more comfortable under your arm's powerful protection."

What was her maid doing? Kaoru kept her calm appearance, and even forced a grateful grimace on her face.

The samurai simply nodded. "It is settled then." He turned towards his companion who had stayed silent during all this time. "This is where we will part," he said to her.

The woman remained silent, watching him with a faint shimmer of curiosity. At length she took one of his hands in both of hers. "Take care of yourself."

"I always do."

Kaoru was boiling inside. Even as she observed the two of them sharing a long silent look, she couldn't help but feel that her plan stood in more and more perils. She was losing control of the events, and her meticulously thought-out plan was becoming out of hand. She felt like nothing more than a ragged toy in fate's cruel hands.

A hand on her arm.

"This is not all for the worst, my lady," Megumi whispered into her ear. "We will be more in security with him around. Besides, your father's men will surely be searching for two women traveling alone. It might be easier to elude them this way."

Kaoru thought about it, and nodded slightly. The idea had merit. She threw a sharp glance at her maid. Megumi was become more daring, taking away the initiative from her. Her maid blushed apologetically, as if she could hear her mind. Kaoru sighed. She raised her head, looking for the orange-haired swordsman.

They were still gazing at each other, Kaoru noticed. They seemed to be able to communicate without words, and emotions passed between them that Kaoru couldn't start to understand.

He removed his hand from hers. "Farewell…, mother."

With a last glance, the woman turned, and walked back from where she came from. There were warriors waiting for her, Kaoru realized suddenly. Waiting at a respectful distance, discreet yet watchful. Kaoru hadn't noticed them at all.

The samurai eyes skimmed over Kaoru. "Let's go," he said, his tone stark.

She glared at him, even if he didn't seem to notice at all. Men courted her. Men offered her rich gifts, and composed glamorous poems for her. They sang about her sparkling and her sensual demeanor. They leeched at her, dreamed of her. She wasn't one to be ignored. Never before had she met a man so insensitive to her. Never before had she been so casually dismissed.

She caught a sweet smell when he walked past. It was, she recognized, the scent of white plum blossoms.

She was trouble. A single glance had sufficed to tell him that. And more, she troubled him, for reasons he was at a loss to explain. As they waited in front of the plain-looking townhouse, he took a discreet look sideways, one he was sure she wouldn't catch. Her clothes were certainly unconventional. Women wearing hakamas were very few and far between, yet no one would have mistaken her for a man. She wasn't unpleasant to watch. And she was cute when she was lying; her face was pretty enough, and her skin appeared smooth as a baby's.

Deliberately he strayed his thoughts from his father's newest wife. He raised his head, baring his face to the sky, and closed his eyes. The chill night caressed him, and snow came to rest lightly on his visage. The whimsy wind twirled through his hairs, ruffling them. He took a breath, felt the cool clean air pass through his nose, fill his lungs.

The scent of white plum blossom wouldn't leave him.

The sound of hooves snapping on the ground. He opened his lids again. The other woman—her name was Megumi, or so it seemed—was leading out two horses. As expected. He allowed himself a soundless chuckle. He could very well have asked one of his men to bring him a horse, but why shouldn't he be allowed to enjoy himself a little? He stepped forwards.

The two horses were adequate enough, even if they were no war mounts. Two mares, one, gray-coated, stamping with impatience, and the other nickering softly, its flanks heaving slowly. He laid a hand on the gray-coated one. It calmed down. A good sensitive horse, he thought, belying its plain appearance. An inexperienced rider might have some trouble with it, but it promised to be an even mount, provided the hand guiding it was firm but gentle. He leapt into its saddle. The mare received his weight without protest. He led it beside the lady Kaoru, who was already preparing herself to mount the other horse. He extended a hand towards her.

She glared at it, and then up, at him. It was only logical to assume that she would take command of the other mare. He wasn't really supposed to know that, but she would be a more accomplished rider than her companion, he had few doubts about that. His gesture was meant to be seen as deliberate provocation. It was a challenge of sorts, of course.

For the second time that night, their gaze locked firmly into each other. A moment passed, with neither of them saying a word, neither of them flinching. She stood proud, calm and composed despite the earlier fright. She would refuse, obviously, and he wanted to see her do so. Her eyes, he saw, was a deep ocean, and against his will, a memory surfaced into his mind. Another pair of eyes, dark brown, tender, entangled into his, even as soft lips brushed over his cheeks. "I'm sorry," she had said then.

He felt a hand in his own. He stared at it for a fraction of a second, surprised. The he clasped it, his emotions reined in, and lifted her with ease into the saddle in front of him. She was light as a snowflake. And her skin as cold. He pulled her closer to him still, till he could feel her soft and lithe body lying against his chest. She tensed, but didn't protest. The fragrance of jasmine reached him, subduing the memory of white plum blossom.

She turned her face to his. "I don't even know your name, kind sir," she said.

He could feel the first genuine smile in days break on his lips. "Shinta. I am named Shinta." He glanced beside him. The Megumi woman was already in her saddle. He clutched the lead. "To Kyoto, then." He dug lightly his heels into his mare's flanks.

The snow came, and went. The first rays of dawn found a bed of blinding white, and three travelers well ahead on the road to the imperial capital.

Notes: Before anyone reports me for incest or whatnot, note that Tomoe obviously isn't Kenshin natural mother. I quote myself: "his father's newest wife."

Hakamas are those pleated skirt-like pants. Bushido is samurais' honor code.

Edit: Oops, I meant jasmine.