Chapter 15: Identities Revealed

By the end of the training session, Kaoru no longer sad but angry.

She headed towards the river with her weapon in her belt, ready to strike the one who had wronged her. Who else could it be but Tenka? She'd made the mistake of yapping out too much information to a spy, and now it was time to fix the problem.

He was sitting there with food cooking over a fire as usual when she arrived.

"Ah, Kaoru-chan!" He greeted cheerfully.

She pulled out her sword. "YOU!" She yelled.

He got to his feet in a second, paling. "Wh-what is this?" He asked, horrified.

"YOU'RE A SPY! You… You're working for the other side, and you fooled me into being your little dog so you wouldn't have to do any of your dirty work!"

"What? No!" He cried, backing up and grabbing his boken. "I'm not out to-"

"You can't honestly say you're not a spy!" Kaoru shouted. "A friend is dead, and I'm under deep suspicion because of you! I've made a terrible error, and I'm going to fix it!"

"No! Kaoru-chan! I'm not---"

"YOU ARE A SPY! Admit it!"

"I'm not working for Shishio!" He screamed, panting. His eyes now held a new emotion, a fiery, angry one. "I would never make that mistake again!"

"Again?" Kaoru asked. "Wait, why should I believe anything you say?"

"I haven't said anything to you that you couldn't believe before, Kaoru…" He choked. "I don't want to hurt you, but if you attack me, you'll give me no choice. Please… believe me… I haven't done anything to hurt you, I could never, I promise!"

She didn't want to believe him. She wanted nothing more in her heart but to find someone to blame it on… but she could see it in his eyes… no liar, however brilliant at his job… would ever have those eyes…

"Kaoru-chan… please… if I have to, I'll leave to prove my innocence… I'll never return…"

She threw her sword down. "I believe you…" She mumbled, hating herself.

He plopped back down onto the ground and let out a sigh of relief.

"You can go ahead and bathe… and I'll explain what part I play during our meal…" He said, still out of breath from fear.

She didn't look him in the eye. She undressed and went into the water, cleaning with her back to him.

He sketched idly in his book a few different faces but mostly hers.

A crunch of the leaves stopped them both.

"Well, well, well…" A voice said.

Kaoru slowly turned around.

"This was highly unexpected…"

She choked, unable to speak or move, her front baring all.

"Saitou…" Tenka whispered, wide-eyed.

"Who would have thought that Kasuhige Kahei was actually little Kamiya Kaoru? When I first heard the name, I thought I was imagining things, but now I can see it's true." He stepped into the open and threw down his cigarette. "I'd had my suspicions about you…" He turned to Tenka, "but you… You're a big surprise, boy."

Tenka stood up, chewing on his lower lip. "Look, it's not what you think, Saitou!"

"Tenka!" Kaoru cried.

"Tenka, huh?" Saitou raised his eyebrows, enjoying every minute. "I see… You combined the name of your swordsman style with your last name. Tenken and Seta. You're Seta Soujirou, aren't you."

"What!" Kaoru exclaimed.

"You're pretty good, Saitou," The newly-discovered Soujirou said. "Yeah, that's who I am, but I meant what I said when I said that this isn't what it looks like."

"Are you still working for your dear Shishio-sama, boy?" Saitou asked, drawing his blade and stepping into the Aku Zoku San stance.

"No matter what I say, you'll listen to your way, so why should I bother explaining?" He asked, sliding his boken into his belt and grabbing at it.

He drew out his boken, yet part of it still lay at his side. There was a blade concealed within it.

Kaoru headed towards the shore as quickly as she could, and she didn't even know why.

"I've discovered a stow-away and a spy," Saitou commented. "I think I've done pretty good for myself, don't you?"

Soujirou smirked. "I suppose you have, but I can tell you this much. I don't give a damn what Shishio's little followers are up to now. I've got nothing to do with them."

"A brat with no emotion can't tell the truth," Saitou returned. "Whether you're right or not, how about a battle for old time's sake?"

"I'd be delighted!" Soujirou yelled, running at him. "I haven't had a good fight in ages!"

Kaoru stumbled onto shore and hid behind a rock. She couldn't believe it, she just discovered and been discovered! Tenka was the boy Kenshin had battled in Kyoto all those years ago, Seta Soujirou, the Tenken. She didn't even know he was still alive, though she was sure Kenshin didn't kill him.

Suddenly, she was trapped. She didn't know who to trust or what to believe. Soujirou seemed to have been telling the truth, but now Kaoru thought that he really might have been that good a liar, and Saitou… She thought she was starting to get along with him, but he might rat her out, and she'd be killed.

She looked around, trying to find a sign from the heavens to tell her what to do, when the clashing of blades distracted her. She peeked up from behind the rocks.

Not since the battle of Saitou and Kenshin had she seen such moves. She could definitely tell how Kenshin had had trouble fighting both of them. It was incredible. They were moving so quickly that she couldn't even follow their movements.

"Why fight if you've nothing to hide?" Saitou asked, smirking his wolf-like smile.

"I will never let anyone hurt Kaoru-chan!" Soujirou replied. "If I have to kill you to keep her secret what it is, I won't hesitate. Unlike Himura, I'll kill if I have to."

"Well, I can already tell you're smarter than Himura," Saitou remarked jumping back and getting into stance again.

Soujirou replaced his weapon and got ready for his own attack.

"I don't think he'll like you trying to steal his woman though," Saitou said.

"I'm not trying to steal anything," Soujirou responded. "I'm just trying to live as an artist, but my past keeps coming back to haunt me."

Kaoru started to stand up, completely forgetting her lack of clothing.

"What will you do if I kill you? No one can stop me from telling on your little girlfriend."

"There's a whole lot of things you don't know about me," Soujirou said calmly, a smirk playing on his lips. "I can let you know right now, that there are people I'm teamed up with that you didn't even know were on any other team but their own."

"Is that so!" Saitou shouted, running at him with Aku Zoku San.

Soujirou drew his weapon.

His eyes widened when suddenly, the blade crumbled. "DAMN WEAK WEAPONS!" He screamed, feeling his death coming upon him.

He jumped and grabbed Kaoru's sword that was still on the ground and blocked Saitou's attack. At this point, Soujirou had his left side on the ground, and he was barely holding up the weapon while Saitou's legs were spread on each side of the boy, his blade pointed towards Soujirou's face, his golden eyes lit with malice.

Kaoru looked over on the ground where Soujirou had been before he jumped. The sheath of his weak weapon lay on the ground, unnoticed and forgotten.

"You're going to die tonight, boy," Saitou said.

"If I die, I die with honor," Soujirou replied, smiling. "I'll know I died in battle with a formidable foe… and I never again went back to hurting the weak."

"Sounds like you're good and ready to die anyway," Saitou smirked. "AGH!" He dropped his guard, using his free hand to grab the back of his head.

Soujirou rolled out of the way of Saitou's blade, slipping into the water and getting wet.

Saitou flung around in anger, and Kaoru stood with the sheath of the weapon held in Kamiya Kasshin-ryu's position.

"Leave him alone, Saitou," She said fiercely.

Saitou seemed surprised and somewhat delighted. "You're a tough girl, Kamiya… but you are a girl, and I can see that right now."

"I'll show you that I can fight like a man!" She countered. "Bring it on, Saitou! I'm not afraid!"

"I can see that too," Saitou said. "All right then, let's FIGHT!"

He attacked her, and she swiftly began dodging, hopping up onto the rocks. After only a few swings, she was tired out, with all the training she'd done and the foe she was up against, and the lack of food in her stomach pulling her down. She did not give up though.

"Are you going to fight or dodge like a girl?" Saitou asked.

She growled and ran at him with her weapon ready, however horrible a weapon it might be.

Saitou swung back his blade and brought it down, and that was when she pulled off her plan.

Kamiya Kasshin-ryu's secret technique, Hawatari.

"This is what you get for underestimating me!" Kaoru yelled, nailing Saitou in the head and catching his weapon in her left hand.

"Wow!" Soujirou exclaimed. "That was incredible!"

Saitou, now weaponless, stood, rubbing his head. "I did underestimate you, Kamiya. Now, finish me off."

She threw his sword down. "I'm finished. I have no reason to kill you Saitou, though I'm sure I'll find one if you rat me out."

He laughed at her as if she was stupid as he picked up his weapon. "I was never going to say a word… boy." He walked away. "That is, unless you gave me a reason to. Now, cover yourself up and get back to camp."

"Now, for you," She turned to Soujirou, only to find… he wasn't there. All that was left was her sword on the shore with a piece of paper left atop it.

She picked up the paper and weapon and went to dress.

Once she had finished putting her clothes back on and sheathing her sword, she unfolded the paper to find a lovely picture of a woman dressed as a samurai, charging into a battle with a sword in hand. The kanji on her sleeve said "for love".

At the bottom of the picture was a simply written "Sayonara, from Tenka". He hadn't expected her to learn anything about him on this night, quite obviously, though he would be retreating afterwards. She wondered if she'd ever see him again.

Soujirou had taken off into the countryside, back towards the town he came from every day when the voice stopped him again.

"YOU SAID YOU WOULDN'T SLIP UP!"

"Well," He chuckled. "I suppose I did, but now I'm staying around so I can figure out who this spy is that's ratting out our boys."

"Humph."

"Don't be so stubborn!" He laughed.

-

That night, it rained.

Kaoru lay on her futon, listening as it pelted down upon the roof. She felt as if it was Tomi crying for the life he didn't get to live, but she knew that he couldn't have felt too bad now that he was no longer in pain.

She pulled her blanket over her more and shut her eyes, trying to sleep, but it just wouldn't come. So much had happened. She'd lost a friend, discovered the truth about Tenka ---or Soujirou, and actually fought -and WON- against Saitou. Sure, he was going easy on her, but it was still a major feat.

She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling, feeling too warm. Lots of things had been laid on the table, and she wasn't sure if she had the winning hand.

Kaoru sighed dejectedly, wiping her forehead with her palm. She couldn't figure out if she was worried, relieved, depressed, or what. It was the first time she'd been so indecisive about her own heart, and it was driving her insane.

"Sessha didn't figure you would be able to sleep," A soft voice came from the stairs, drawing her attention.

She rose to a sitting position, gasping.

Kenshin's silhouette was sitting on the stairs, his hair down, and dressed down in his night kimono. He chuckled slightly.

"Kenshin…" She whispered, crawling to the stairway and staring at him through the railing. "What are you doing here?"

"Sessha was concerned about you…" He said, leaning his head against the railing. He looked gorgeous in the dark too, especially with those strands of red hair tumbling around his shoulders and that large amount of chest he showed. "He saw how you reacted to Tomi's untimely death."

"It's okay…" Kaoru sighed. "Deep in my heart I knew it was going to happen… I'm okay now… I guess…"

Kenshin put his hand on her head. "It still hurt me to see you that way…"

"Why?" Kaoru giggled slightly, trying to keep her cool. "I'm just a kid. You don't know me too well. I've survived through death." I wish you could know me better…

"Yes… so has sessha…" He sounded remorseful when he said this.

Kaoru walked around and sat next to him on the steps. "I'm sad about Tomi, but I'm not sure if that's why I feel bad… I'm kind of… I don't know… lost…"

Kenshin sighed. "Sessha knows how you feel… Do you sleep in your clothes?"

"Yeah," Kaoru replied. "It's easier if I don't have to change in the mornings. Most of us do it."

"Sessha don't like sleeping in my clothing anymore… It makes me feel the way I did back in the Bakumatsu. All the samurai slept against the wall, fully dressed and ready to fight. Sessha just wants to put it behind him…"

Kaoru sighed, blinking back sleep. "Kenshin… you make me feel so… comfortable." If only you knew.

"Kaoru-dono told me once that I was easy to talk to."

Yeah… I did, didn't I?

She felt her eyes slowly getting heavier, her body too numb to move.

"I wish… we could live in peace like this…forever…" She mumbled.

"Yes… so do I…" His voice said, as she felt herself fall into sleep.

Kenshin raised his eyebrows and chuckled slightly as she snoozed on his shoulder. He picked her up and carried her back to her futon, laid her down, and covered her up.

"Sessha must be going crazy," Kenshin remarked, staring at her deeply. "Every time he looks at you, he thinks of Kaoru-dono… Maybe… sessha just hasn't stopped thinking about her in the first place."

He headed back to his room, feeling his heart pounding. "Why can't sessha get you out of his mind, Kaoru-dono?… He hopes you're doing all right… on your own…"

Kaoru snuggled down on her bed. "Kenshin…" She whispered.

(A/N: -and when you saw the chapter title, you thought Kenshin would find out, didn't you? ;) Anywho, WE HIT THE 100 MARK! Lotsa love everyone. Oh, and Sir Gawain of Camelot, I bet you're spazzing out because you were right about Soujirou, eh? I wanted to thank you most of all. Your reviews really inspire me. :P I hope you guys liked this chapter. It's my Christmas present to you. Happy Holidays, everyone.)