Sweet Mistake

Broken

By Seabreeze

A/N: After all the sexual tension there's gotta be some backlash. Ok, this website is being DUMB and I can't figure out how to designate shifts in the chapter! Please forgive me if the point of view shifts randomly- originally there were page breaks! Grrrrr!

Disclaimer: All characters belong to Nobuhiro Watsuki.

Tomoe noticed right away that the usually chipper ballet student was more than subdued. Her friend, Tae, seemed to have noticed it too. The three ordered their usual ice cream cones and sat in their usual booth. Tae and Tomoe watched wordlessly as Kaoru concentrated dully on rolling a straw between her fingers.

"Um…Kaoru-chan?" Tomoe began tentatively. Kaoru took a moment to realize that someone was talking to her, and looked up slowly.

"Hmm?" she asked. Tae and Tomoe exchanged significant glances.

"Kaoru, are you alright?" Tomoe continued as the waiter delivered the three ice cream cones. Taking hers boredly, Kaoru began to look at it stonily.

"I'm fine," she said, voice bright though she didn't look up to meet her friends' eyes. "Just tired, is all."

Neither believed it for a second.

"You're not acting fine," Tae pointed out. Tomoe nodded in agreement.

"Really, Kaoru, is it anything we can help you with?"

Kaoru set her ice cream cone on a napkin and dropped her head on folded arms as her eyes began to look wet.

"Okay," she said very softly, her voice cracking. Tae let out a sound of pity and rubbed her friend's shoulder.

"What is it?" she asked. Kaoru cast a glance at both her friends.

"You can't tell anyone." She whispered softly. Tomoe reached over to take her hand.

"Of course not, Kaoru, you can trust us."

Kaoru took a deep breath.

"It has to do with a guy," she said, picking her ice cream cone (partially melted) back up and taking a tentative lick. With a sigh, she looked up to her friends. "I have to start from the beginning… see… this guy, he… he rescued me, in a way. And then he started doing all these nice things for me… and… I started loving him." She looked at each of them, eager to maintain herself. "I know it sounds dumb," she said, especially to Tomoe, "because I'm only a kid and all- but you have to understand, he's the kindest, sweetest…I can't help it. And I know you probably don't believe me," she said, this time looking at Tae, "but…" she stopped, seeming deflated. Tomoe squeezed her hand as Tae rubbed her shoulder again.

"Sweetie, we believe you. I've never seen such a cheerful girl so down before." Tomoe said reassuringly.

"Yeah, Kaoru, if you say it, we believe it." Tae said firmly. "Go on." Kaoru smiled gratefully at her friends before going on.

"And… he has a… a girlfriend. A beautiful, perfect girlfriend. I always hear about how kind and forgiving she is… and I tried, but I just couldn't stop… caring for him." She said, seemingly uncomfortable with using the word 'love' anymore. "I didn't think he saw me that way at all, he just saw me as a little sister or a niece or something." Something struck Tomoe and she drifted off in thought for a moment as Kaoru kept talking.

'Neice? Wouldn't that mean… that he's older than her?' Shaking her head, she focused her attention back on Kaoru.

"…well, the other day…he was teaching me something."

"Wait," Tomoe interrupted suddenly. "Why do you still see him so often if he rescued you?" Kaoru blinked, and Tomoe noticed a hint of red in her cheeks.

"I… he looks out for me. I don't really have any family, so…" she drifted off, looking at Tomoe to see if it was ok to continue. Tomoe nodded, smiling but looking slightly distant, as if she was half-concentrating. Kaoru felt her stomach drop- but there was no way Tomoe could know anything. She continued. "And somehow… things started heating up, and…" she blushed furiously. "He kissed me."

Despite herself, Tae grinned.

"How was it?" she asked in a voice that made Kaoru grin the tiniest bit.

"It was…" she struggled to find the appropriate word and Tomoe couldn't help but smile. She certainly was in love. "…soft." She said so very gently that both her friends held "awwws" to themselves. Tomoe pushed past the urge to exclaim how cute it was to ask an important question.

"So why are you upset?" she asked gently. Kaoru set her ice cream cone down and clasped her hands together underneath the table, leaning forwards against the table.

"He pulled away looking upset. And then he left without saying much of anything, and… its been nearly a week, but he only talks to me when he absolutely has to." She felt hot tears roll down her cheeks and choked on a sob as Tae wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"Oh, Kaoru," she said understandingly. "He sounds like a jerk! Don't waste your-"

"He's not a jerk!" Kaoru insisted, turning her tear stained face to her friend. "he's just… angry at me, or upset because it was wrong…"

She sniffled for a moment as Tae comforted her.

"Kaoru… what made it wrong?" she asked. Kaoru wiped her nose with a napkin and looked up at her older friend shyly.

"He's… older than me."

"How much older?" Tomoe pressed. Kaoru squirmed.

"He's an adult." She whispered hoarsely. Tomoe felt something click as her suspicions arose, but did not feel it was best to ask right now. Not knowing what to say, she patted the younger girl's hand gently. Suddenly Tae looked at her watch.

"Oh, shoot, I forgot my dentist appointment!" she said, standing abruptly. She gave Kaoru a hug. "Don't worry, Kaoru, he'll come around." With a last sympathetic glance, she was off. Kaoru watched her go.

"I should go too." She said, her voice retaining the dull sound again. "Thank you for listening to me-"

"What is his name, Kaoru?" Tomoe interrupted. Kaoru blinked and looked at her friend.

"Kenshin."

Kenshin had spent the past week busying himself as much as possible. Had it not been for his deep respect and devotion to his position as sensei, he would've dropped Kaoru's lessons altogether. It was agony every time he saw her- he was in complete disbelief that he had broken the student-sensei bond; he was in complete disbelief that he had taken advantage of her, fully aware of himself and what he was doing; he was in complete disbelief that he had violated Tomoe's trust yet again; and he was in total incredulity that kissing her had felt so amazingly right.

And mostly he was confused, and indescribably angry for letting himself be run by his emotions. He washed with unusual vigor, cooked his vegetables harshly, and cleaned with increasing force. Kaoru had noticed- he couldn't bring himself to talk to her, other than what was absolutely necessary. Even then, hearing her name come off his own lips sent a shiver down his spine.

"Kaoru, the rice is burning." A simple sentence like that made him close up for hours in an attempt to purify his thoughts. Not that he thought of her in a way that was unclean, but he felt that his feelings for her… they were wrong. The fact that it had felt so right to kiss her was wrong. Kaoru was just as upset, if not more so than he was. That he could see clearly, and he wanted nothing more than to soothe her hurts. But she was so off limits that he wouldn't look at her anymore. Couldn't. Her mere presence set him on fire.

So he had thrown himself into the easiest thing possible- the upcoming wedding plans. He had called a distant-sounding Tomoe – did she suspect anything? She couldn't – to ask to take care of the majority of the wedding plans. He had been ordering flowers and securing limos and searching for the appropriate wedding setting for the past three days. Sano, who had stopped by, noted that Kenshin was doing "a lot of work for no results". Eventually, with Sano's misguided help, he had set up an appointment for a tuxedo fitting the next day.

The next day, Kenshin poked his head into the dojo to find his student practicing her prescribed 150 swings a day. He heard the gentle puffs of breath she exerted as she worked, and mustered up his courage to speak.

"Kaoru?" he began, cursing himself. His stunning apprentice stopped, surprised that he was talking to her.

"Yes?" she said, lowering her bokken and approaching him tentatively. She hardly dared to let her hopes rise, that maybe they would be back to normal… but no.

"I'm leaving for a few hours to get fitted for my tuxedo. You'll be alright here by yourself?"

It was a stupid question; she had been left in his house alone before. She felt what seemed like tears formulating in her chest.

"Tux… tuxedo?" she asked, voice quavering. Kenshin felt himself quail at the tone of her voice.

"Ah, um… yes. Tuxedo. For the wedding." He was positive now that he saw tears in her eyes.

"Okay," she said, abruptly turning her back to him to begin her swings again. Kenshin stared at her back helplessly.

"So… I'll be home in a few hours."

"Alright."

"And you'll be okay?"

"I'll be fine."

"O-Okay…" Kenshin felt his resolve shake violently at her harsh responses. However, he pulled himself together and summoned the strength to leave her there alone in the dojo.

Pretty baby

Oh the place that you hold in my heart

Would you break it apart

Again?

Sano ran his hand over the material of the long-sleeved, button-up shirt Kenshin had insisted he wear a few days later. He had reluctantly agreed to the red shirt and the light khaki pants, but when Kenshin had held up a small tub of hair gel, that's where Sano drew the line. He refused also to take off his head-tie, which Kenshin assured him was a fatal mistake.

"You already got me dressed like some Tokyo Prep wanna be, I'm not changing my hair!" Sano had snapped back.

Still, now he was wishing he had listened to his smaller and more fashion-conscious friend. Magdaria was the type of girl to expect him to try real hard to impress her… although, getting him in something other than a t-shirt and jeans was a miracle in itself. He nervously fidgeted with his clothes before he got annoyed with himself and rang her doorbell. After a moment of silence, he heard the noise of something running down stairs and the door opened abruptly.

"Good evening, Sagara-san," Magdaria smiled distantly, still looking unconvinced that agreeing to this date was a good idea.

"Sano," he corrected casually. "You ready to go?" Magdaria shook her head.

"Not quite. Would you like to come in?" she invited, backing away from the door invitingly. Sano grinned.

"Sure," he said, following her inside. He was surprised when the first thing he saw was a crucifix placed on the wall parallel to the door. He let out a low whistle, sticking his hands in his pockets. Magdaria, who had been closing and locking the door, heard the whistle but did not see what brought it.

"What?" she asked, clearly looking for something.

"Nice decorations you got here." Sano commented, now turning to watch her scurry around. "So you're one of them." Magdaria stopped at this, turned to face him, and saw that he was again looking at the crucifix.

"You mean a Christian?" she asked coolly, turning away to resume her search again. Sano snorted quietly in his throat; he had clearly pissed her off already. He decided to breach a more neutral topic.

"What're you lookin' for?" he asked in his lazy drawl. Magdaria, who had disappeared into another room, poked her head back in answer.

"Shoes," she said, a little sheepishly.

"Mind if I help?" Sano asked, smiling slightly. It was odd to see the sophisticated dancer seem so… scatterbrained.

"That won't be necessary," she called from the other room. Then, "Ah! Here they are!" He heard the sounds of a door opening and closing, and then the sound of her walking barefoot back to him. She held nice, natural-colored flipflops in one hand. She was flushed a little in embarrassment.

"My brother… he sometimes rearranges things when he visits, and I get a little mixed up." She said by way of explanation.

"Why's he do that?" Sano asked conversationally, noting her jacket and grabbing it to hold out to her. She blushed a little as he helped her pull it on, and laughed.

"Amakusa-san… he likes to know that everything is in its right place for me." She answered. "I don't really mind, and it puts him in a better frame of mind, so I don't see why not."

Sano pulled open the door to hold it for Magdaria.

"He sounds like an interesting guy. I'll have to meet him sometime." 'If only Katsu could see me now- holding doors for a lady and actually asking to meet her family.' He berated himself, but he certainly didn't mind the change in himself.

"Hmm," was Magdaria's noncommittal reply. 'For more reasons than one, I don't think so,' she thought skeptically, though it was admittedly sweet that this great thug of a man was trying to show such sincere interest in her. There were a few moments of silence as they reached Sano's…

"Motorcycle?" Magdaria asked, looking up at Sano. "I thought you had a truck." It was a question, and Sano could tell that the idea of a motorcycle scared her a little.

"Yeah, but its in the shop, plus I thought the ol' shadow saber would be fun." He grinned at her, not unkindly. "Why, are you scared?"

"No!" Magdaria snapped. "Its just not what I had in mind."

"Tell you what," Sano said, walking to the other side of the motorcycle and strapping on his helmet. "We'll drop by Kenshin's and see if he'll let us borrow his car." He swung his long leg over the motorcycle and turned to grab the spare helmet, holding it out for her. Gingerly, Magdaria took it, wishing she had worn jeans instead of the soft skirt that went past her knees.

"No, lets not inconvenience him," she said, sounding resigned. "Amakusa would not approve." She groaned quietly, trying to find a way to mount the bike while retaining female dignity. Finding that impossible, she defeatedly plopped down behind Sano. He laughed.

"But doesn't that make it more fun?" he goaded, gunning the engine. "Hang on."

A/N: Several things: A. this chapter was supposed to go on more, but I'm already at six pages! Don't ask me why, but its always easier to start a chapter than to end it, so I'm finishing Sano and Magdaria's date in the next chapter. sigh If I keep doing this, we're gonna have to add another chapter… ok. B. I'm not sure how Magdaria would address her elder brother, speaking about him to a man she hardly knows, so I used Amakusa-san. It might be a little odd, but it can't hurt, right? C. a shadow saber is a Honda motorcycle.

Thank You's:

SparklingEmeralds- you reviewed chapter one, but your thank you is here. So thank you for picking up my story! I really hope you enjoy what you read.

GreenEyedFloozy- yeah, that was definitely an "Ohhhhh crap" moment. I mean for him, for us it was like… fun. Lol. Thanks for reviewing (not only this chapter but several other chapters as well, if I recall correctly ;)

Shikaku zetsumei- yeah Kaoru's not in a cool position right now. And I actually kinda like Tomoe, at least in my story… lol. Not in the ova, goodness no. I'm so mean :P thanks for reviewing.

Royal blueKitsune- yeah I'd say they're both in an awkward position (pun not intended! That was terrible!) with each other, and the fact that they live in the same house does not help at all, as you can see. Oi vey. Thanks for reviewing!