Chapter 7: Suspicious Glances

Megumi made her run for the door, but Kaoru attacked her and shoved her to the floor. "No, Megumi!" She whispered fiercely. "Don't tell on me!"

Megumi shoved her off. "Why shouldn't I!"

"-because it's me…" She responded. "It's… It's Kaoru…"

Megumi was silenced by her reply.

"Please… I had to…"

"Are you crazy?" Megumi cried. "Do you know what will happen if they find out about you!"

Kaoru shook her head.

"You'll be KILLED," Megumi said.

Kaoru trembled slightly as the words rang in her ears. "-but I…"

"What was possibly running through your head when you decided that you would cross dress and come here like this! Are you that stubborn, or are you just stupid!"

"Stop…" Kaoru whispered.

"You just had to go and do something to get attention like this, you little brat! I can't believe you'd put your own life in danger-"

"Stop!" Kaoru sobbed, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I have my reasons!"

Megumi looked down upon her in surprise.

"It's not…" She sniffled. "It's not as if you have any right to talk… I mean… You were the one… who told me… told me when Kenshin left the first time… that I shouldn't sit around crying… that I should get up and do something about it… a-and bring him back to me…!" She covered her face with her hands. How childish she felt…

"You're right," Megumi said softly, laying a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry… You just shocked me, that's all… I was too cruel…"

"I'm sorry…" Kaoru said in a little girl's voice. "I just couldn't let my whole family leave me… I had to find some way to watch over and protect them… and this is all I could do…"

Megumi hugged her softly and sighed. "Little girls and their imaginations…"

"Please… don't tell on me… I don't want to-"

"Die? Well, you've been asking for it since you started this-"

"I don't want to… fail on keeping my family safe… if I have to die in the process… I don't care what happens to me! Just as long as they're okay!… Just as long as… they'll come back… home…"

"Now, that's illogical…" Megumi said, smiling. "If you died, there wouldn't be anything to go back to."

"I know… but I don't want them to kill, Megumi… Please don't rat me out…"

"I'm not going to rat you out," Megumi said, reapplying her bondage rather tightly. "-but you'll want to keep yourself convincing."

"Thank you… Megumi…"

"I could never have you killed, Kaoru," Megumi said, her kitsune ears popping out. "Ken-san would so definitely not like that!"

Kaoru just smiled slightly, brushing away her tears with her hand. "Jeez… I sure have cried a lot today… I need to stop that if I'm going to pull off my act."

"You're either very foolish, or very noble, but I can't figure out which."

"Probably a little of both," Kaoru said, grinning bigger. "-but… love makes people do the craziest, stupidest things, you know?"

-

Kaoru left the room with a relieved sigh and shut the door.

"WOOO!" Sano cat-called. "You must be HUGE, making Megumi scream like that!"

"Ah!" Kaoru turned completely red and pouted. "Don't talk about stuff like that. It's gross."

"Boys are so innocent at fifteen," Sano replied. "A bit too much if you ask me. It was just a joke. What was she really screaming about, hm?"

"Oh…" Kaoru said, blushing even deeper. She saw my boobs and stuff below the waist. "Nothing."

"I knew it," Sano said, laying back on his futon.

"Humph," Kaoru moped, walking to get her own bedding. "Stupid, rooster-headed, fish bone chewing, mooching, gambling moron…"

The man shoved her supplies into her arms and didn't even say a word to her. She glared at him and took her futon to the spot right next to the stairs. This is perfect. I'll know exactly when to get up because I'll hear people that Shoji guy come down the stairs! She laid it down and smoothed it out, then neatly made it.

"Hey," Yahiko said, laying his mat down next to hers. "What's up?"

"Yahiko," Kaoru said, smiling.

"Man," Yahiko said, laying down on his futon. "This is different than I thought it would be… I'm not sure whether it's better or worse than I imagined."

"Knowing you guys are here makes me feel a bit better about it," Kaoru said. "You and Kenshin and Sano have been so nice to me."

"Yeah… We kinda have the tendency to look that way, but if we have to fight each other in training, don't think I'm gonna hold back just because you're my friend."

"If you did, I'd be sincerely pissed at you," Kaoru replied.

Yahiko chuckled, staring up at the ceiling. "I'm… kinda scared…"

"Hum?" Kaoru asked, staring in surprise at him.

"I mean… probably lots of people are… I mean… we could… we could be killed, you know?"

"I'm not afraid," She said strongly. "I believe that if the will to live is strong enough, you will survive, but if it is your time to go, you can face death like the person you truly are and go peacefully without fighting fate."

"Your wise jibber-jabber is making me dizzy," Yahiko replied. "-but you have a point, I guess… It's just… I'm only fifteen… and I've got a girlfriend and my teacher to go back to… I would never be able to face death without a fight if it meant having to see them cry because I couldn't be there… because I wasn't strong enough…" He let the fringe of his hair hide his eyes.

"As of right now, I have no one to go back to," Kaoru said solemnly, laying down on her bed and throwing her hand up onto her forehead. "One cannot fear the feelings they'll never have…" She couldn't help but be impressed with herself for all the knowledge she was putting out. It made her feel almost like she did when Kenshin said all of his pretty speeches when he arrived to battle just on time. Maybe this feeling was what made him say that stuff all the time.

Yahiko just sighed. "You remind me of Kenshin…" Apparently, she hadn't been the only one who felt that way.

"Don't be stupid. Ken--- I mean, Himura-san is way smarter than I am," Kaoru said, laughing. More handsome too, She said to herself and let out a small giggle.

"Yo," Sano said, walking up with his hands in his pockets. "What're you guys talking about."

"Just jibber-jabber," Kaoru said, shrugging. "Resting and stuff."

Kenshin passed the group, his hands in their usual spots hidden in his sleeves.

"Hey, Kenshin," Sano said.

Kenshin nodded a hello and glanced at Kaoru.

Oh, no… Megumi didn't tell him, did she! Kaoru thought in a panic. I didn't tell her not to tell him! Oh, god… HELP ME!

"You seem nervous. Don't worry. Sessha told you that you'd be all right, and he'll do his best to help you and make sure of that."

"Eh-heh-heh-heh… Thank you…" She muttered. Maybe she didn't…I was scared there for a second…

"Watch after him, Sanosuke," Kenshin mumbled to Sano. "He has no swordsmanship style, and the others might treat him badly. I have my own team to teach, and I won't even be out there for awhile, so I'm entrusting his safety in you, all right?"

"Why do you… worry about him so much, Kenshin? There's a bunch of little guys here."

"Something… about him…" Kenshin said. "I don't know why… Just do it, okay?"

"Um… okay…" Sano muttered, and Kenshin walked away.

Saitou watched Kenshin pass with half-interest. Himura senses something from that boy that's different… He just doesn't know what it is…I have my suspicions myself…Maybe I should keep my eye on him…

"Shoji-sama," Saitou turned towards him.

"Yes?" He asked, smiling innocently.

"Do you mind if I smoke?"

"Well, kind of-"

"Thanks," Saitou said, lighting up a cigarette. "Looking forward to an eventful training session tomorrow." Shoji nodded with an aggravated smile on his face.

Saitou passed the group of Sano, Yahiko, and Kaoru who were now discussing fights they'd been in. Kaoru nodded, smiling nervously.

I'll definitely keep my eye on that boy…Something tells me…

Why's Saitou looking at me like that? It makes me all nervous… Kaoru thought, sweating. He's so creepy… Just like a wolf…

"-and then Kenshin did this spinney thing in the sky and came down on me like- are you listening?" Sano asked.

"Wh-what, now? Oh, y-yeah," Kaoru said, waving her hand at him.

"I don't like Saitou," Sano then said, out of the blue.

"I know. You made it clear when we saw him earlier…" Kaoru said flatly. "I don't like him either, but we can't do anything about it. We're gonna be stuck with him bossing us around for God knows how long."

"I wish we were on Kenshin's team," Yahiko said, sighing. "He's our friend. He won't torture us for pleasure like Saitou does. I swear, he has to be a masochist."

"A masochist likes having pain inflicted on themselves, Yahiko," Sano said flatly.

"Oh…" Yahiko muttered.

Sano started laughing, and Yahiko glared at him.

Oi… Kaoru thought, flopping down on her futon and staring up at the ceiling. It's a good thing I'm here or they'd be dead before I knew it…I think I'd better… get some rest… It's been a long day…a long, long day… Her eyelids slowly grew heavy and dipped down over her eyes, and Yahiko and Sanosuke's arguing faded away from her ears.

She slipped into a beautiful dream of her and Kenshin, huddled together in the doorway of the dojo, watching snow fall, keeping each other warm by the closeness of each other. Slowly he slid the door closed and looked into her eyes, smiling, and before she could say his name, he leaned over and placed his lips against hers. She stumbled back and wrapped her arms around his neck and things… escalated from there.

"I wonder why he smiles and drools like that in his sleep?" Yahiko asked.

"I wonder why he thinks our arguing is so boring that he's gonna nap through the whole thing," Sano said, scratching his head. "Hum…"

"Maybe he's got it rougher than us," Yahiko suggested.

Oh, how right he was.