Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin is property of Nobuhiro Watsuki. The characters are only used and cruelly distorted for the sake of this story

Chapter 2: A Birthday Surprise

The three miles she had jogged and then ran had been refreshing like cool water after a long journey in the desert. It had helped Kaoru to clear her mind – literally speaking – and think of nothing else but of how good it felt to spring freely on the ground.

Turning into a corner of a familiar street she hadn't been for what it seemed like ages, Kaoru spotted her favourite coffee shop and entered in with a single thought in her mind: to get her usual chai latte with raspberry syrup and her special oatmeal cookie. After she paid for the bill, she left the place with her coffee in her right hand and a paper bag with her cookie in the other.

Kaoru walked straight for a few blocks when she recognized the park she used to sit at during some sunsets. Following the cemented path between the pure green, she found a bench where she could sit at and suited herself.

She was almost done with her cookie when someone tapped her shoulder and Kaoru turned her head.

She stared for a few seconds before she blinked and a soft smile appeared on her face.

"Megumi!" Kaoru sprang upwards and went to hug her long time friend; her coffee and cookie completely forgotten on the wooden seat.

Megumi hugged her back and grinned brightly as they separated.

"I missed you, too, Kao."

Both of them sat on the bench, excited about finding each other after losing touch when Megumi had moved to a different city a few years back.

"I can't believe it. How have you been?" Kaoru asked as her blue eyes sparkled in the sunlight of the early morning.

"Very good. I have a job that pays well, my boyfriend is really nice despite our random arguments about insignificant things, I live in a lovely apartment… Things are just great. How about you, Kao? What have you been doing? Are you still with that guy you mentioned in one of your early letters?"

For a brief moment, Kaoru's face darkened but she dismissed it with a small grin.

"No…" She shook her head a couple of times before continuing. "We broke up long ago… I'm fine. I just came back from working abroad for a year. But tell me, you having a boyfriend? You mean steady boyfriend, right?" Kaoru asked amused as she recalled the times when she used to tease Megumi about her disposable boys.

Megumi humped and sighed.

"It seems you haven't changed a lot for the last six years."

Kaoru nodded a bit too enthusiastically.

"Anyways, firstly, my ex boyfriends were not exactly disposable. They just couldn't hold my interest long enough for me to stay with them. Secondly, I've been with Sano for the last three years and he's great. He has his defects but he is… how would you put it, the man of my dreams?"

At that, Kaoru burst out laughing and had to tell herself that she needed to stop before Megumi would start getting angry.

"Oh well, who would have thought… That's definitely something. But I'm happy for you, Meg, I really am."

Kaoru took one of Megumi's and patted it tenderly. Megumi returned the gesture but before Kaoru could continue with another question, she stopped her with one of her own.

"You haven't told me anything about you yet, Kao. How come you broke up with this guy? From your letters, it seemed that you were so into him, and how come you went abroad?"

Kaoru fidgeted on her seat and shrugged her shoulders before answering.

"Just things… Things I prefer not to talk about," Kaoru added as she saw that Megumi was going to make more enquiries about the boyfriend topic. "And yes, I still live with Misao. She's a nice girl. As for the job abroad, well, the company I work with thought that I was fit for it so they offered me the opportunity and I accepted."

"Oh, that's fantastic."

"Yes. I was placed in Australia, Sydney to be exact, and it was wonderful. However, Tae is getting married so I couldn't miss her engagement party… and well, I missed home as well."

Suddenly, Megumi blinked in surprise.

"Tae is getting married? Our Tae? With whom and how come I knew nothing about it!"

Kaoru giggled at Megumi's words. Poor Megumi, she had been away for too long.

"Yes, she's getting married although they haven't announced a specific date yet, which is understandable since they still need to make an official announcement about their engagement. As for the lucky guy, well, I only know that his name is Katsura."

Megumi's mouth formed an "o" as she nodded.

A small morning breeze started, and Megumi brushed a few strands of hair away from her face.

"And you didn't know anything because you were not where you supposed to be. Tae told me that she sent you a letter to Okinawa a few months ago but that it had been returned to her. Where were you, woman?"

At her blue eyed friend's question, Megumi blushed a bit and played with her fingers before answering.

"Well, uhm… Sano decided that it would be nice to tour around Europe before we moved to Tokyo and…"

"Hold it." Kaoru interrupted as soon as the words "moved to Tokyo" registered in her brains. "So you're living over here instead of Okinawa? Now…"

Megumi nodded sheepishly and flashed a silly grin.

"Yeah. Sano was transferred to Tokyo. I came back three weeks ago. Crazy, eh?"

"Surprising, I would say. And here I thought that you were going to stay in Okinawa."

"Well, life is full of surprises, isn't it?"

"Definitely."

Kaoru took a glance of her watch, and when she noticed how long she had been away from her apartment, she stood up slightly alarmed.

"Oh my. I wish I could stay longer but I have to go back now. We still have so much to talk about, Meg. Do you have a number or anything so I can contact you?" Kaoru said as she stretched one arm.

"You know what? Sano's having a birthday party tomorrow night. You should come so you can meet him, and at the same time, this would be a perfect chance for us to finish our catching up. Here," Megumi took out a small notepad from her purse and started writing on it. "This is the address and my cell phone number."

Kaoru took the piece of paper and put it inside of one of her sweatpants' pockets.

"Thank you. I'll see you then. I have to rush now."

With a last hug, Kaoru started towards the park's exit.

oo----------------------------------ooo--------------------------------oo

Kenshin entered into his office and settled himself comfortably on his leathered chair. He turned on his computer and waited for it to start when a loud knock on his door was heard.

"Come in." He said as he looked up to see who it was. "Hi Sano. What's the matter? Anyone messed up in the marketing department?"

A tall man with brown hair closed the door and placed himself on one of the two seats in front of Kenshin's mahogany desk.

"Hi Kenshin. No, no one messed up yet. I'm coming here for other issues. Well, as you may know, tomorrow is my birthday and my girlfriend has planed a party for me, so I was wondering if you wanted to go." Sano said as he started to play with the miniature pendulum that was on Kenshin's desk.

"Sure. What time?"

"Around eight."

Kenshin lifted his head and smiled at his friend and smiled at his partner.

Sano had arrived to the company's branch in Tokyo a few weeks ago; however, it only took him a few hours to gain everyone's sympathy and friendship. He was from Okinawa though his hometown was Kyoto, just like him.

After learning about that similar fact between them both, Kenshin had discovered that there were more things they had in common, their distaste for the head of the marketing department for once. The new man that was in charge – although not their superior – was just as annoying as the bugs that would fly around one during a picnic in the park.

Their friendship became stronger as the days passed and now it seemed as if they had been long time friends since forever.

"Alright. I'll stop by around that time."

"Cool. You can help me to select the kind of drinks I'll be serving during lunch. See you later, buddy." Sano stood up and waved a hand before he closed the door behind him.

oo------------------------------ooo-------------------------------oo

Kaoru opened the door only to discover a concentrated Misao sitting on the couch watching TV.

"Anything interesting in the news?" Kaoru mumbled as she sat next to her friend and took off her heels.

Misao reached to the coffee table for her mug of tea and took a sip before answering. "Uhm, nothing really. Just the same stuff, as usual. Home is assaulted, movie star is getting divorced, taxes are raising…" She shrugged as continued sipping her beverage.

The blue eyed woman cocked her head to the side before groaning tiredly.

"Tiring day?"

Kaoru only nodded as she covered her eyes with her left arm and rested her head against two big cushions.

Misao sighed and stood up and started to the kitchen for some more tea. As she poured the liquid in her mug, she asked in a careful tone.

"Kaoru, you know… Kenshin called."

Kaoru's arm dropped from her face and she lightly raised her head.

"I knew you would tell him." There wasn't resentment in Kaoru's voice but Misao knew too well that her friend was not happy with her.

"Come on, Kaoru. He has tried to talk to you during all this time and you have ignored him regardless of his efforts. What he did was beyond terrible, but at least give him a chance… to become friends again."

Kaoru sat up and stared at her friends with an unreadable expression. When she finally spoke, a frown was adorning her face.

"I-I can't, Misao."

Misao closed her eyes and breathed deeply.

"Why, Kaoru? He has suffered a lot as well. How can't you see that, how can't you understand? He just wants to talk to you, is that so much to ask? You were always so nice, why not now? I'm not saying that you should forget everything and just pretend that nothing has happened. But at least, at least help him to lessen his guilt."

She couldn't take it anymore. During these two years, she had seen how her cousin had tried almost the impossible to just talk to Kaoru in the phone, even for one minute. Any man would have moved on and just start anew, but for Kenshin, Kaoru meant too much and he couldn't rest unless he had redeemed himself to some extent. He needed her forgiveness – something that her friend seemed not be able to give him yet. Misao understood that Kaoru was still hurt and that the pain she felt was still fresh, but she was being too cruel, too cold-hearted to see that Kenshin needed a second chance, a chance that wasn't necessarily getting together, but a chance that meant to lessen his own suffering. The man was simply desperate.

"I just can't, alright? I can't. Why don't you underts…"

"Why don't you understand as well that he's suffering just as much as you are!" This time, Misao's voice was exasperated and her free hand was fisting, her knuckles white from the applied strength.

Kaoru narrowed her eyes and stood abruptly from the couch. Without a second glance, she started moving towards her bedroom.

"Damn it, Kaoru, don't walk away!" Misao demanded, following from behind.

"I'm too tired to argue. I'm going to bed." Kaoru kept walking.

"You're being childish, Kaoru. I thought that after all this time away you would come back with some more sense."

Kaoru turned the knob of her room's door and opened it; however, she didn't step in but just stood in the doorway.

"You're my best friend and I appreciate your support in all the hardships I went through, but Kenshin deserves it so please, don't intervene anymore. I know I'm hurting him but I just can't forgive him that easily. Maybe one day, but not now."

"You're not being reasonable…"

"I'm reasonable," Kaoru interrupted, "I never asked him to continue looking for me. I left him with a clear path. I specifically let him know that we were through and he could do whatever he wanted with his life. That he… that he could stay with that woman. If she wasn't what he expected, then it's not my fault."

Misao grabbed Kaoru's arm and turned her around. "He looks for you because he still has feelings for you, can't you see? It won't cost you anything to see him again." Her aqua eyes pleaded silently as they glistened in the darkened doorway.

"You don't get it."

"What I don't get? Tell me, Kaoru. I can't just stay away and watch how two of the people I love the most live miserably." The grip around Kaoru's arm tightened but she didn't complain.

"I'll break down and I'll hate him and myself even more. I'll hate myself because even now I can't forget him, I can't stop thinking of the 'what it could have been'. And I'll hate him even more for betraying me, for hurting in such a way that nobody has. I'll hate him for not being the man he promised me he was, would be.

"Misao, I'm conscious that what I have been doing has hurt us both, and that it has been affecting you as well, but please, all I ask you is to let me be. I should probably give him another chance since – as you said – he still has some feelings for me and I myself can't stop thinking of him. But sadly, my heart hasn't healed completely. There are pieces that are lost, pieces that I can't recover. I need time to look for them, time to find answers, time to learn how to turn that hatred into something else."

Kaoru placed her free hand on top of Misao's and smiled faintly at her as small teardrops appeared in her eyes.

"I need time, Misao. Don't push me. If he really wants me, he can wait. I'm waiting as well."

Misao stared at Kaoru with moistened eyes and nodded after a long moment of silence. Slowly, she retrieved her hand and embraced her friend.

The minutes ticked and life continued going on, but for the two embraced friends standing in a dim lightened hallway, time stopped to allow them to share their unvoiced pains and concerns. Questions and answers lingered in the air, some spoken, others hidden safely in their own souls. Their friendship made them one but at the same time, it let them be free and independent for there were things that needn't be shared. Each of them simply understood.

oo-----------------------------------ooo----------------------------------oo

"Kao, this is Sanosuke Sagara, my fiancée."

Kaoru smiled pleasantly and offered her hand to the man standing in front of her, not before wishing him Happy Birthday and handing her gift. Sano took it and curtsied exaggeratedly, making Megumi roll her eyes and mutter something about rooster heads that liked to show off.

"I heard that." Sano said indignantly as he pinched his fiancée's nose.

Megumi only sighed and scrunched her affected nose. All the meanwhile, Kaoru giggled with amusement at the couple.

"So Sanosuke, how do you like Tokyo so far?" Kaoru asked a few minutes later when the three of them were sitting comfortably in the living room and having some drinks.

Before answering, Sano took a sip of his Margarita and adjusted his hold on Megumi, who was cuddling next to him. "It's alright. My colleagues are mostly really good people so I can't complain. And by the way, Sano sounds better. Just call me that, ok?" He smiled cheekily and continued drinking.

"Don't drink that much, Sano. The night is still young." Megumi elbowed him slightly on his ribs, and although Sano grunted, he complied quite obediently by leaving his glass on the coffee table.

Kaoru watched them with something akin to longing. It had been so long since she had been and had showed that kind of affection to anyone. She missed to be embraced lovingly, to be cherished reverently, to have someone to love with blind passion and be love in the same way. She was lost in her thoughts and it was only when she saw Sano stood up, that she realized she had been spacing out. Apparently, she had missed part of what he was saying as well.

"… so if you excuse me, I'll be back in a sec." Sano finished as he gave Megumi a light kiss on her cheek and nodded to Kaoru.

Once he was away, Megumi turned to Kaoru and made a gesture with her eyes, one that Kaoru knew too well to miss. The blue eyed woman smirked.

"He seems nice and he's not bad at all, though I have to agree with you, that hair of his is really wild."

Megumi's face brightened as if she had been told that she won the lottery.

"I told you, he's the man of my dreams."

Kaoru was about to answer when Megumi noticed Sano calling her. She excused herself and Kaoru was left on her own.

Noticing that she had nothing to do on that couch, unless she wanted to watch how the couple in the seat next to hers was starting to make out in a way that was not polite in public, Kaoru took her drink and walked towards the French doors that led to the apartment's balcony.

She was tapping her foot as it followed the rhythm of a song and turned around after hearing Megumi's faint voice calling her name. She looked at her direction and laughed as she saw her doctor friend signalling for her to be part of a board game that was taking place in the middle of the living room.

However, as soon as her laughter had started, it died almost immediately as she recognized a too familiar man sitting next to Sano and about to throw the dices. He had his head bowed so he couldn't see her. Good.

Kaoru smiled apologetically at Megumi and shook her head, and in a blink of an eye, Kaoru quickly moved to the kitchen.

She breathed in deeply as she leaned heavily against the preparation island in the middle of the kitchen.

Of all things to expect, this was not definitely one of them. A troubled expression marred her face as she went to the refrigerator for a drink. After adding some ice from her glass, she kept still in the centre of the kitchen, weighing her decision of leaving or staying at the party.

"If I leave, Megumi will be hurt. After all, we haven't even talked properly. But if I stay, he'll notice me one way or the other, and that's the least of things I want."

Kaoru bit her lip and played with her glass of soda, ignoring the people who were coming in and out of the room. She stayed for a bit longer until a decision was made. Puffing heavily, she started to the sink and left her glass there. Kaoru turned to the door when it opened and startled blue met surprised amethyst.

oo----------------------------------ooo----------------------------------oo

Kenshin was enjoying the evening and it seemed that it couldn't get better.

Earlier in the night, twenty minutes ago, to be exact, he had arrived to Sano's and was surprised to find that almost everyone who worked in their department was there, besides some other colleagues from the other floors and strangers he assumed were either Sano's friends from outside the office, or Megumi's. Nevertheless, it was a nice party. The music was good – not too loud or too low, just perfect – and the food and the drinks were more than satisfying.

When Sano found him, he had declared that it was time for board games since 1. He knew Kenshin was very good at them for his luck was always great when it came to these games, and 2. He could bet on him – much to Megumi's annoyance – and probably end up wining in more than one way.

And wining he had been.

So far, Sano had made one their co-workers – John – drink three shots of tequila in a row after losing to a bet with Sano that Kenshin wasn't going to land on the option "Chance" (they were playing Monopoly) but instead, he was going to land on "Collect $100." After that, Sano had won fifty dollars after declaring that one of the players was going to declare bankruptcy although he seemed far from it. Definitely, Sano was having one hell of a night.

Noticing that his glass of vodka and orange juice was almost empty, Kenshin called for a stop and went to the kitchen for a refill. However, as soon as he opened the door, he almost dropped the glass and just stared at the shocked woman standing in front of him.

"Kaoru." He managed to say her name after recovering from his surprise.

Kenshin walked closer to her and raised a hand to touch her face in the attempt to make sure that he wasn't hallucinating. He was a good drinker but he hadn't drunk much for a very long time, so this could be just a game of his mind.

When his hand was too close to touch skin, Kaoru stepped back and dropped her gaze. Kenshin was about to say something when Sano entered the kitchen, a huge smile plastered on his face.

"Oi Kenshin, I was wondering where you went. We're waiting for you out there… Oh, hey Kaoru. Looking for a drink?" Sano casually asked as he opened the refrigerator and took two beers out of it.

Noticing the weird way in which Kenshin was looking at Kaoru, and how she was glued to her spot, Sano frowned and then smirked mischievously as if he had discovered something he could take advantage of.

"Oh yeah, Kenshin, buddy, this is Megumi's long time friend, Kaoru Kamiya. Kaoru, this is my partner in the office and best friend here in Tokyo, Kenshin Himura. Oh well, have to hand these," Sano showed the beers he had in his hands. "So I'll see you back out there."

The kitchen door opened again only that this time, someone was going out.

Kaoru continued immobile but Kenshin started to the counter and left his glass over there. Turning around, he stared at the woman he had been thinking of for the last two years and ran a hand through his hair.

Letting a breath come out from his mouth, his eyes sparkled and he allow a small smile play on his lips.

"What a surprise, Kaoru. How-how are you?" He stuttered – not even noticing that he was doing it – and kept eyeing her, waiting for her next reaction.

Kaoru blinked twice before realizing that she hadn't been moving at all for quite a while, and felt somehow stupid and angry at herself for reacting in such a way. She breathed in deeply as well, just like Kenshin had done previously, and spoke in a small voice.

"Good. You?" She asked more out of politeness than having the desire to start a conversation. In fact, she wanted to go back to the living room and let the hosts know that she needed to go home.

The red haired man shifted on his spot but never broke eye contact with the woman before him. His hands suddenly itched to touch her, to caress her cheek, but he held back and put them inside the pockets of his pants.

He murmured a "good" for a reply and Kaoru nodded her head, but well too soon she was starting towards the door and he knew exactly what her intentions were: to escape, to get away from him, to avoid him.

"Wait." His voice came out too pleading. Kaoru stopped in her tracks and muttered a "hum" before turning to look at him.

"I-I want to talk to you."

Kaoru pondered for a moment, oblivious to the hopeful look on Kenshin's face or his sudden hold of breath.

"I suppose… well… I'm not sure… but, I suppose we can have a small talk."

"Alright," Kaoru answered and Kenshin let the out the breath he was holding. "But… not now. I don't think this is the right time." Kaoru continued. After a brief silence, Kenshin nodded in agreement and his demeanour changed completely. His face brightened and the smile it showed was sincere. He took grabbed one of Kaoru's hands and squeezed it softly to let her know his gratefulness.

Kaoru let him have his way but retrieved her hand after sensing his reluctance to let go of her.

"Thank you."

Kaoru offered him a small smile and left for the living room. Kenshin saw her disappear behind the wooden door and couldn't help but widen his smile after he realized what had just happened.

"Finally… Oh Kaoru, finally I'll have my chance."

He went back to the living room to continue his game and gladly noticed that Kaoru was still in the party. Of course, during the rest of the night, she kept her distance and only joined him for some non-substantial chitchat after being "dragged" by Megumi, Sano, or other people.

But he didn't care. She was there and she had accepted to meet him at some point. That's all he needed. That, and the possibility of surreptitiously steal some glances at her when nobody was attentive enough to notice.

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