Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue!

A/N: OMGs... I almost lost all of my stories! This would have been up a lot sooner if my computer didn't have that near meltdown :grumbles:. But all is well... and here is the next installment in the story.

Kenshin felt the lazy pull of consciousness bring him back to the surface. And he was so enjoying the dreamless darkness that he so rarely got. His head was spinning, what happened to him? Trying his best to recall everything, but all he could remember speaking with Aoshi and drinking his tea... As a matter of fact, Aoshi was very adamant that he did drink all of his tea. He didn't... No, Aoshi wouldn't be that underhanded, but it would tie everything together.

All of this thinking so soon after coming out of a deep sleep was giving the rurouni a headache the only thing calming it was the light strokes of the small hands dabbing the cold cloth on his head.

'Mmm... that feels nice.'

Wait, some one is touching him, he should be worried that he isn't reacting to this or something right? But the calming strokes bade him not to, he just relished in it, letting him descend back in to the darkness that was so welcoming.

"Kenshin"

Such a sweet melodic tone, it cut straight through the darkness and pulled him closer to reality.

"Kenshin"

That voice it's so soft, and so familiar... but whose is it?

"Kenshin..."

'I hear you but I'm just too tired to open my eyes.' He thought as he fought not to drown in the feather like touch that was almost begging him to open his eyes.

"Come on Kenshin wake up." The voice was sounding a little impatient now, and sounding vaguely familiar. The name Kaoru suddenly popped into his mind.

A smile threatened to break out at the thought of the girl being by his side, but that brought the unsettling question of exactly how she came to be beside him now. It was so thought provoking that he snapped his eyes open fully prepared to ask her when all cognitive thought flew out the window as he saw... No it was too weird, it wasn't possible, this had to be a dream. Looming above him was not the beautiful raven haired woman he had anticipated. His eyes blinked again trying to shake the image, but it did not fade away.

Kenshin was staring at himself.

"ORO!" The shock was so much that he shot out of the futon and across the room taking the blanket he was under with him.

"Kenshin you idiot!" Definitely Kaoru's voice, but why was it attached to his hair and his pink... erm magenta gi!

"Miss Kaoru?" He asked uncertainly trying to overcome his initial shock.

"Who else would it be?" She replied irritated.

"Well... This unworthy one does not mean to be rude but has Miss Kaoru looked in a mirror lately?"

"Eh?" Kaoru looked around to the mirror in the other corner of the room, "Oh I forgot I was still wearing this stupid thing." in one quick movement Kaoru had flung the wig off and ripped the little white bandage covering her face. "Blame a conniving idiot with a sick sense of humor." Kaoru tugged at the fringed sleeve of the gi, "Actually I think this is actually your gi... Aoshi slipped something in your tea and stole your clothes for me to use."

Kenshin looked down at himself, well... he was wearing a yukata. "And the sword?" He pointed towards the scabbard at her side. He wondered if it was his too, he had not seen the sakabatou anywhere in the room.

Kaoru snorted and pulled out the bladeless hilt. "It's a 'budget sword.'"

"Budget is defiantly one way to put it that it is."

"Kenshin are you alright?" The rurouni was looking a little pale and his eyes were a murky grey

"I am now." He muttered more to himself than to the girl sitting in front of him.

"Huh?"

"Nothing Miss Kaoru, How long have you been here?"

"It's nearly sunrise now," Kaoru had been awake this whole time watching over the man in the futon before her. She was worried that the tea might have had some adverse effect on Kenshin.

"You have been awake this whole time?" He noticed the circles under her eyes making her look true to her nickname 'raccoon' but he would never say that aloud, he was much to afraid of the kendo instructors anger.

Kaoru smiled sadly at him, "I couldn't sleep."

"That is not healthy that it is not."

"You are one to talk Himura Kenshin! Aoshi said that the tea should have worn off hours ago, but you had probably been overworking yourself and your body was recovering from that rather than the tea."

Can you say hand caught in the cookie jar? "Miss Kaoru are you hungry? This unworthy one could bring you something to eat."

"You are not getting out of this that easily Himura Kenshin!"

"Oro!" Kenshin ducked out of the room before she could really lay into him.

0-0-0

"Good morning Himura!"

"Good morning Miss Misao." Kenshin smiled, but the suspiciously happy look on the weasel girl's face made him faulter. "Is everything alright Miss Misao?"

"Yes yes of course Himura, we... I mean I was wondering if every thing was okay with you and Kaoru?"

Kenshin raised a skeptical eyebrow as he grabbed a bowl of warm miso and some onigiri, "Everything is just fine, but this unworthy one must ask why Miss Misao is so suddenly curious?"

Misao's cheeks suddenly became a light pink color, "No reason! Jeeze Himura can't a girl ask a question without getting the third degree?"

Kenshin suppressed a snort, "Forgive me Miss Misao, yes everything is fine. Now if you excuse this one Miss Kaoru is hungry and she has been waiting long enough."

"Okay Himura, just remember she has to stay in that corridor no matter what."

But she received no response the rurouni had already left, food in hand. Sighing Misao flopped down on the ground in front of the small dining table.

"You know Kenshin is too smart to understand your underlying questions."

"And what would a rooster like you know about what I was asking him?" She asked a little irked that he would comment at all.

"Because I have known those two longer than anyone and they will be the last two to say anything to each other about anything resembling a relationship between them."

"I knew that, I was just wondering if..."

"Don't worry about Jou-chan, Kenshin will take care of everything."

"I know but..."

0-0-0

"Miss Kaoru This unworthy one has brought you some Miso soup... Miss Kaoru?" Kenshin slid the shoji open with his foot and looked in the room. In the middle of the room laying across the futon was Kaoru snoring away. 'Exhausted... You shouldn't have stayed up all night because of this unworthy one.'

Sighing to himself, Kenshin put the tray of food on the ground and moved the sleeping girl into a more comfortable position under the covers. A grin broke out onto his face as he saw the image of Kaoru wearing his gi. Magenta did look better on her, he had to admit. Grabbing his spare gi (this time his navy one), he left to the bath house, today he would start looking for the person responsible for everything. This time he would get to the bottom of things.

To be continued...

A/N: Sorry to cut it so short but I had to, the next section is very important and would flow better if it were a separate chapter. I figure that there are only three or four left in this story. I am going to be writing all of them out before I post again (it shouldn't take that long I have it all outlined).

PLEASE REVIEW! It makes the Authoress happy : )