Did this one happen to mention she does not own RK? Oh, yeah, only in the first three chapters. This one is due for an update. This one does not own, make profit off of, etc., any of the characters or characteristics of RK. Ok? Ok.

Hmm...this one was hoping to make...perhaps a novella (is that what it's called?) with the six chapters and the, um...long-ness of each chapter...um...yeah....uh....just read -.-


Chapter 4

Early morning

Kaoru couldn't open her eyes. She felt dizzy and her insides ached for sustenance. She felt hollow, empty, as if a large amount of something had been taken from inside of her. She was weak and tired, and her muscles protested even small movements. But she had to be strong. She had to feed her family. With these thoughts, she forced her eyes opened. An immediate headache pursued, and the pain made her want to bang her head against a rock until it went away.

Pushing all thoughts of pain to the side, she pushed herself out of bed, her body feeling both frail and very heavy. She reached for the teacup at the side of her bed and took a sip of the cold tea inside. She almost gagged at the taste, but remembered that it was about the only food she was going to get that day. Taking a few more sips, she realized that already she was full. Confused, she put down her cup and proceeded to stand.

Kaoru still felt weak, but her stomach seemed fine since she drank the little bit of tea, so at least she could start the day without those terrible gurglings her stomach liked to make when it was empty. From her room, Kaoru could hear people talking in the kitchen, though she didn't quite know what they were saying. By the sound of their voices though, it was Kenshin and Sanosuke. Feeling only a little better, Kaoru began to dress for the day ahead...

Kenshin was busy in the kitchen preparing to make breakfast. He and Sano had been talking about the box they had found in the shed containing Kaoru's mother's personal items. Neither was quite sure where the items were going if Kaoru had taken them out, but neither wanted to ask her, for fear that she would become angered at their snooping and throw them out. Both had stopped talking when they heard Kaoru's door open. Kaoru walked into the kitchen and her pale face became even paler when she saw that Kenshin had started preparing a breakfast for four people.

"Kenshin, what are you doing?" she looked at the different food stuffs arranged neatly and ready to be cooked.

"Sessha is making breakfast for us, de gozaru. You were still sleeping, so sessha decided to go ahead and make it for you." He gave her that same rurouni smile that held no emotion whatsoever. Kaoru began to panic and think of an excuse to get Kenshin away from cooking, or to have him make only enough for three. Kaoru heard a noise.

"Kenshin, is someone at the gate? Could you please go check? Why don't you go with him Sano?" She spoke quickly and at the same time pushed them out of the kitchen. Neither really had time to argue, because they were both so utterly confused, but they did hear another noise at the gate and walked to it without really thinking about what had occurred.

Kaoru took this as her chance. She picked up some of the ingredients for breakfast and put them back in their respectable places. Now there was only enough for three. She quickly added everything together to make the breakfast she had hoped Kenshin had in mind.

Kenshin and Sano trekked to the gate, still a bit confused at what had just happened in the kitchen. Kenshin opened the gate and they both saw Tae standing there with a smile. When she turned to look at them, her smile faltered a bit, an action that did not go unnoticed by Kenshin.

"Is Kaoru-chan at home? I have something I need to give...um, talk to her about." Tae smiled brightly at the two men, whom she hoped were oblivious. Kenshin had a stern look in his eyes. He could tell that she was lying too, but he decided to just play along and see what came of it.

"Kaoru-dono is in the kitchen, de gozaru." Kenshin's rurouni façade was still intact, and Tae bowed gratefully and walked passed the two men. Sano looked down at Kenshin.

"How could you tell her where Jou-chan was? What if they're in this whole 'hiding food from the rest of us' thing together?"

"Sano, sessha thinks that something a little more important than that is happening, de gozaru." Sano looked down at his friend and noticed his eyes were narrowed, and the usually light shade of violet was turning an eerie blue color. But with a blink of his eyes, Kenshin returned to normal and looked up at Sanosuke. "Sessha could also be worrying over nothing, de gozaru yo!"

"You're weird, Kenshin..."

"Oro?"

Tae had walked into the kitchen and saw Kaoru sitting on the floor, her face pale and her arms limp at her sides. She looked up at Tae with deep blue eyes that seemed to have lost their shine, and Tae was at her side in an instant.

"Kaoru-chan, are you alright?" Tae started helping Kaoru get to her feet. When Kaoru was finally up, she leaned against the wall for support and looked at Tae, a feeble smile on her face.

"I'm alright, Tae-san. Just a little weak. Why are you here?"

"Did you forget already?" Tae reached into a bag she was carrying and pulled out a small pouch. "I sold that kimono like you asked. I came by to give you the money." Kaoru outstretched her hand and took the bag. It felt heavier than it actually was because of her weakened state.

"Thank you so much, Tae-san. I don't know what I'd do without you." Kaoru gave her a bigger smile, and pushed herself up from the wall. "I feel a little better now. Thank you for everything Tae."

"Kaoru-chan, you know that if you ever have any problems you can come to me. I'll always be glad to help. I just wish there was someway I could help you through this current-" Tae stopped at the sight of the two men walking up to the kitchen. She bowed to Kaoru. "And now I've told you and I have to go now. Have a good day, Kaoru-chan." She walked to the door. "Have a nice day, Kenshin, Sanosuke," she bowed to them and left.

"Oi, Jou-chan, what was that all about? What'd she need to tell you?" Sano looked at Kaoru and noticed she had a hand behind her back and she was slightly leaning against the wall.

"Oh, it was nothing, she just wanted me to know something that had happened at the Akabeko yesterday, nothing too important, just spreading gossip like girls normally do. Well, I'm going to my room for a while, hope you don't mind that I started breakfast for you, let me know when it's done!" Kaoru disappeared from the door and walked quickly to her room. Sano and Kenshin were left staring at the doorway, still trying to sort out everything she had said, she'd rambled it out so fast.

Kenshin went over to the stove to look at the breakfast she said she'd started for him. It was exactly what he was planning on making, but a closer look told him there was less than he'd had out. His brow furrowed in thought. Why would she make less than he had ready? It just wasn't adding up.

"Something wrong Kenshin?" Kenshin looked up at Sano and smiled.

"No, nothing. Sessha is just thinking, de gozaru." Kenshin went back to preparing breakfast, trying hard not to think about what Kaoru had done...


Late Evening

Kaoru sat on the porch and looked at the stars in the sky. The moon hung in the sky to her left and cast a silvery light onto everything below. Kaoru stared up at it all without ever really taking any of it in. Her mind was numb, and every move she'd make made her feel like she would pass out.

She had managed to avoid breakfast this morning by pretending to be asleep when Kenshin came to tell her it was ready. But by lunch time, he was forcing her to sit with them in the dining room and served her a fair sized portion of the food. He'd made enough for four, and Kaoru suddenly became afraid. If he kept this up, she'd run out of food quicker, and she wouldn't be able to make enough money to keep up.

As the others gobbled down their meals, Kaoru could only take small bites of hers, feeling like she'd be sick if she ate too much. After only a few bites, Kaoru felt like she couldn't eat any more. Sano and Yahiko of course offered to finish it for her, and she handed them her food without a word. They split it amongst themselves. It made Kaoru happy to see them eat without a care in the world. They were lucky to have a warm meal and a place to stay. She silently wondered if they knew that too.

Kaoru sighed and looked down at the ground. Her head protested the movement and sent images swirling. Her eyes closed for a minute before she reopened them and everything was back to normal. Well, except for the empty, hollow feeling she felt inside of herself.

Kaoru knew how terrible she must look because of not eating. Her Kimonos were becoming rather large on her, and hung loosely. Her hair had lost its shine and was falling out more rapidly than normal. Her once fair, pale complexion was now a ghostly white. But she kept reminding herself that it was all for a good cause. Her pain was at least putting food on the table for the three men in her life. Her most important people. Her new family.

Kaoru was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even notice Kenshin sit down on the porch to her right. He looked at her with sad eyes, noticing how she looked empty, like someone had taken her soul. He stared at her for a few more minutes before deciding to say something.

"Kaoru-dono." At the mention of her name, Kaoru snapped out of her thoughts and turned her head quickly to the right. She immediately felt the affects, as a sharp pain shot through her head. Black began to creep into her vision. Kenshin saw her start to faint and was immediately at her side, holding her up so she wouldn't fall and hurt herself. When the black finally started to recede from her eyes, she looked up, this time more slowly.

"Kenshin? What is it? You look worried." Kenshin gave a sad smile and let go of his hold on her shoulders.

"Kaoru-dono, sessha is worried about you." Kaoru immediately became defensive.

"What? Why? You don't have anything to worry about Kenshin. I'm fine!"

"Sessha doesn't think skipping meals can render someone in a healthy state, de gozaru. Kaoru-dono, please tell this one what's going on." Kenshin looked at her with pleading eyes.

"Kenshin..." she felt her gaze drop to the ground again. She didn't want to tell him. She couldn't. It was she that allowed him to stay there, so telling him she was having financial problems trying to feed him was like telling him he was the source of her pain. But the look in his eyes was enough to make anyone sigh and tell him their problems. "Kenshin...I've been...well...All the money I had saved up...it's gone. I had to use it all to buy food for all of us. When I noticed that my supply of money was unusually low, I tried cutting back on my meals, only eating a little bit each day. But that wasn't working very well either, especially when you cooked, because you always made plenty for everyone.

"Well, after a while I decided to take over all of the cooking duties...you remember that, right?" Kenshin nodded his head. "Well, I figured if I did that, I could just make less, and save some extra money, but that plan wasn't working well either. So I had to turn to selling some of my things." Kenshin's eyes widened. Her mother's box, and the belongings inside...she was selling them? He just didn't want to believe what he was hearing. "The only problem," she continued, "was that the money I got from selling things also wasn't enough to feed all of us for more than two days. So I also had to take on odd jobs, which Megumi and Tae offered me. They were also the ones to sell my things." Kenshin was taking this all in, feeling worse and worse about it the more she explained.

"Well, I found that the money I earned with these jobs along with the money I got from selling my things was enough to maybe feed all four of us for four days or so. In a last ditch effort to save money...I had to skip meals. I made just enough for the three of you, and maybe had a little bit myself, but that was it." Kaoru looked over at Kenshin. His mind was reeling. How could he have been so blind? And stupid? All this time he had stayed with her, he had repaid her kindness by doing various chores. And even then, he was usually done quickly. While he and the other two stayed at Kaoru's house and did nothing but eat and use her facilities, she had been desperately trying to find a way to afford it all.

Now it was his turn to feel hollow and empty. Kaoru had been working so hard to help them all, and they didn't even notice. They never thanked her properly. They hardly even gave her a second thought. He looked over at Kaoru, her pale face looking even more fragile in the moonlight.

"Why didn't you tell us?" He asked her, his voice barely audible.

"I didn't want you to feel bad or worry. I was the one that let you stay here, so I should be the one to take care of you all." Kaoru looked Kenshin straight in the eye. "Don't you dare say anything to Sano or Yahiko. I don't want them to worry, do you understand?" Kenshin looked at her. Even though her eyes had lost their normal spark, they still held her emotions. He nodded, and she gave a weak smile. "Tae-san came by today to give me the money for one of the things I asked her to sell. I'll need to go into town tomorrow and buy more food."

"Buy enough for all of us this time." Kenshin looked at her sternly.

"I can't do that. If I buy enough for all of us, I'll run out of money too quickly, and then I won't be able to feed you at all." She looked at him just as sternly. Kenshin couldn't think of what to say. 'Just buy enough for yourself'? No, she'd never do that. 'Buy enough for all of us and we'll work something out after that'? That one might work, but it would take some persuasion on his part, since she was so set against not telling Sano or Yahiko, but it was his only chance.

"If you buy enough for all of us, sessha promises to find a solution to this very quickly. We don't even have to tell Sano or Yahiko, de gozaru." He looked at her pleadingly again, since it had worked last time. She felt her resolve break at his gaze and sighed.

"Fine, but if we don't think of something, I'm going to go broke faster than I wanted to."

"Of course." Kenshin stood up and offered his hand to Kaoru, which she took with her small -now-bony- pale one. He helped her to her feet and she smiled at him.

"Not a word of this to Sano or Yahiko, you got that?" She scolded him playfully.

"Hai, hai." Kenshin held up his hands in mock defeat. Kaoru started to walk towards her room, when she stopped and turned back around.

"Kenshin..." He looked at her. "I'm sorry for lying to you, about where I was going and why I wasn't eating. I just...didn't want you to worry." Kenshin saw that she had tears brimming in her eyes.

"All is forgiven, Kaoru-dono. You have your reasons for lying, and sessha will not question you, de gozaru." She smiled.

"Thank you. Oyasumi nasai, Kenshin." She turned back inside and walked to her room. Kenshin continued smiling until she was out of sight, and then he let out a sad sigh and sat down again. He knew he had promised not to tell Sano or Yahiko, but he didn't have a choice. He needed their cooperation if he was going to make this work out for Kaoru. They all needed to help her, because in a way, they had all taken advantage of her kindness...


This one will stop here. Don't care if you like it or hate it, this one has written it, and that's the way it is, de gozaru. (sleepy) Well, this one supposes answers to reviews should come next.

Iryl: Oro? Three reviews? Ah! One for each chapter, ne? This one is glad that you are impressed with her work. This one is not sure the three guys are gonna be mad at Kaoru-chan...maybe at themselves. This one is only hard on her own story because it prevents disappointment when it doesn't work the way it was supposed to. Reverse psychology on the self! Please continue to read!

rkfan246: At some point in time, don't we all give up something important to us to help others? ... or not, this one doesn't know .... Anyway, this one is glad you like her story!

Gena: This one is glad you like her story, but is now afraid to write more since you've said that... (upset) but, you did say you'd be alright, so this one will try not to be too upset about it. Hope things get better for you!

Kat-san: This one will try to keep writing and updating this story, unlike the last one this one tried to write...um...glad you like it! Hope you like it to the end!

Leah T: So glad you like it. This one will try and stick with it to the end!

Sakura Mori: Ah, is that what that means? Ok, cool. This one has updated...where's this one's cookie? (looking around for cookie)

Kawaiidustbunny: This one is glad you think it is finely written. This one thinks that perhaps Kaoru-chan is not so faint because she is a strong girl...or maybe it's the tea...or her stubbornness...or perhaps it is kimi-chan being silly and forgetting how many days Kaoru-chan has gone without food...oh well. This one is glad you like it!