Author's Note: I'm sorry to those who have been reading this story. I've been trying to catch up, and I'm almost there! This chapter and Day 11, out today, hopefully, and I'll be caught up! Go me! Well, on with Day 10, and just to warn you, I made this up as I wrote it! Oh, and for those Maru's who are reading this... 10 million points for team pop! Day 11 is almost done and will be finished posted tonight after I get home from work at 9:30.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kenshin, Christmas, or the song 12 Days of Christmas. I do own the idea to this story, 12 Days of Christmas though, and I do hope you enjoy reading it as much as I've liked writing it.

On the tenth day of Christmas my true love sent to me: Ten lords a leaping

December 20

"Hello?" Karou said, picking up the phone next to her bed. She glanced at the clock, it was 9 o'clock in the morning, and she was not ready to get up.

"Karou, are you still in bed?" She heard Kenshin ask.

"Yes, and I was planning to stay here for at least another hour." She replied, rolling over on her futon.

"Nope, time to get up! We're going sledding!" Kenshin said. "Sano and Aoshi are already over here, Get Misao up, Megumi's up now too, Sano called her. We'll be over in about a half hour to pick you up."

:- - -:

"Hey Rooster head!" Megumi yelled to Sano, who was a little bit ahead of her. "TAKE THIS!" Megumi yelled, and threw a snowball that landed right in the middle of his chest.

"Nice shot, Fox. You'll pay though." Sano said dusting the snow off of his coat.

"Only if you catch me!" Megumi yelled, taking off in the opposite direction.

They had been outside for about an hour in half so far, Yahiko and Tsubame meeting them at the park with the biggest hill. The park was next to one of the older temples. It had an excellent hill for sledding, and a wide open field that was excellent use for snowball fights, snow angels and snow men and women.

Aoshi and Kenshin where standing watching Misao and Karou make a snowman, dodging Sano and Megumi's snowballs, and watching Yahiko and Tsubame make their own snowball. "Himura, when are they getting here?"

"Who?" Kenshin asked. He knew perfectly well what Aoshi was talking about, but he continued to play dumb like he had throughout the entire month.

"Don't play dumb. What do you have planned?" Aoshi asked.

"Just some lunchtime entertainment." Kenshin answered.

"Hm. This should be interesting." Aoshi muttered, getting a snowball from Sano in his right shoulder. "Sano, your gonna get it!"

"Ken-san, please! Help me!" Megumi said, ducking behind him.

"Don't go running to him for help! This is between you and me!" Sano said.

"I'm not on either side! Orrrooo." Kenshin said, as Aoshi hit him in the side of the head with a snowball meant for Megumi.

:- - -:

"Hey Himura, do we have lunch?" Misao asked.

"Yes, we made lunch this morning. I'll go get them." Kenshin said, running off the cars that were at the road.

"Yummy! I'm starved!" Karou said. She, as well as everyone else, was soaked from head to foot from the snowball fight that had ensued from Megumi and Sano's fight. It hadn't taken too long for each of them to get involved. Kenshin had tried to hide behind Karou and Misao's snowman, and Aoshi got Misao, instead of Kenshin. Yahiko had called Karou ugly, and Tsubame had tried to stop Yahiko, and in the process had gotten hit by Karou.

"Here we go!" Kenshin said, as he walked to the pavilion, on the opposite side of the clearing than the temple was.

Everyone set out to set the plates, silverware, glasses and food out, chatting about the sunny weather, and what they could do next. They had been sitting down for a few minutes when Yahiko said, "Hey look guys! Wonder who they are."

"Look like the old Samurai's." Sano said, taking a swallow of pop.

"They are definitely in costume." Misao said.

"They look really cold." Tsubame said. "Maybe we should offer them some hot coco!" She said standing up. "Hey! Hey you guys! Do you want something hot to drink!" She asked when they looked over.

"Yeah that would be great." The first samurai said.

"Yeah, we're looking for someone out here." the second one said.

"Not showing up?" Sano asked.

"Supposed to be here already." the fifth one said.

"Who are you looking for?" Kenshin asked.

"A Kamiya Kaoru." the last one said.

"Well that's me. I'm Kamiya Karou."

"Really? I'm glad, because I'm freezing in this costume. Not very warm, if you know what I mean."

"Ready guys?"

"Yes." As they got in formation.

"What in the world?" Karou asked. Her question was answered just a few moments later, there, where ten guys, dressed as Samurai lords, standing in a perfectly straight line, leaping, in front of their table, and around the field that was before them.

Karou looked across the table to Kenshin, who was watching the performance, and just shook her head. They were all standing in a straight line in front of the pavilion, one said, "Miss. Kamiya, would you please come here?"

Karou got up and joined them, in front of all her friends. "We each have something for you. Hand picked by Kenshin Himura," the leaping samurai glanced at Kenshin, "with love and a Merry Christmas." He said, handing her a little wrapped gift. Karou opened it and saw a little figurine of a lord and lady dancing, a small smile starting on her face.

The next gift samurai gave her a samurai in fighting position, sword drawn ready to attack at any moment. The smile grew and Karou let out a little laugh, the technique in use was Hiten Mitsurugi style.

The third samurai gave her a little pirate, a lord standing watch over the sea from his spot a the helm of his ship.

The fourth was a bowl with imposing figures of samurai painting around the outside of the bowl. When she turned it over she saw Hiko's name, and laughed.

The fifth samurai gave her a matching pitcher to the bowl.

The sixth leaping lord gave her a sketch of Kenshin and her, in Meiji Era dress, a sword at Kenshin's waist, a smile on each of their faces, a charcoal by Hiko.

When Kaoru opened the seventh samurai's gift, she knew who had done this, this one was by Kenshin. It was her, practicing by the river they often practiced by in the park that they were in now. At the bottom it said, 'Lady of my heart, Lady of the park.' Karou smiled, a tear slipping down over her cheek.

The eighth samurai gave her the heaviest gift, he held it while she unwrapped it. It was ten little lords leaping in a circle, a Christmas tree in the middle of them.

The ninth lord, the second to last gave her the smallest gift. In side was a necklace, a replica of Kenshin's Sakubatou laying horizontal between the chain, and a replica of her own bokken, her practice sword, above, also between the chains. She gently placed it around her neck, and lifted it for further observation. After a few moments, she laid it gently against her shirt, inside of her coat, and moved on to the last gift.

The tenth samurai held a gift that wasn't heavier, smaller, or larger than any of the other gifts, it didn't stand out in anyway, but Karou's heart sped up as she opened the gift. Inside was picture, drawn by Kenshin. In the picture, Kenshin and she where dancing in a mirrored room, there, dancing with ten reflections of them, was a Samurai with his lady. They were in a dojo, one much like Hiko's, decorated for a Christmas Party, candles making the scene glow.

Karou turned around slowly, looking at Kenshin, who had walked to a place a few feet behind her. She gently put the picture back in it's box, and ran to Kenshin. They stood for several minutes like that, while the samurai put the gifts in the pavilion, and drank their hot coco that Tsubame had promised them.