Hello again! It's been a while, but I came through with an update for you!

I really hope you enjoy it amid all this insanity.

UODATE: REVIEWED AND REPOSTED. This chapter was lacklustre for obvious reasons, but I decided to post it anyway so it would motivate me to come back and brush it up properly. Polishing all done now, enjoy!

Happy reading darling.

Level 85! Yes! Yes – Ow~

Kaoru's excited hands quickly returned to her sides, her sore torso aching from her training. At the behest of her bounty hunter friends, she had notified all her students that she was recovering from a run-in with the district's serial killer and would be unable to continue teaching for a while. It had been all over the news and her students were very understanding of her current situation. Many had wished her well, telling her to take as long as she needed, but Kaoru was hardly impressed. She was a strict sensei and was well aware that many of her clients were just happy to see her go for a while. Their slacking off in training did mean more time for her own practice, so she wasn't too bothered by it.

She was far from fully recovered, but she figured that advancing her training levels during her convalescent period would do wonders for her endurance in the long run. Reaching eighty-five while still wearing bandages made her ecstatic and full of pride. She checked her torso and sighed in relief at the sight of her bloodless bindings – her recovery was near-total, which meant that she could afford to train instead of rest until her body fully healed.

She set down her bokken and began her stretches, turning this way and that, flexing her back and rolling her joints. After the warm-up, she kicked off her training hakama to free her tight clad limbs. She got her on her hands and her larger than life t-shirt fell low enough to reveal her sport bindings underneath as she painstakingly attempted to achieve a body-bridge stretch. She hissed loudly at the ache accompanying her efforts and chewed her lip to keep from crying out. If she could just get one done she would end training for the day, she promised herself fervently.

The passing of a shadow from the door's bottom – of which she had a perfect view – caught her attention, and her eyes followed its movement to the window. The thought of being watched made her face heat up and when she heard the shuffling of feet by the door, she completed her bridge stretch to get on her feet and give the peeper the beating of a lifetime.

She collapsed on the floor and yelled in pain instead.

'Kaoru!' the shuffling turned to hurried steps and the shoji door slid open was slid open by Kenshin. He rushed to her side and with one look at her tangled heap of flesh and bones recognised what she had been trying to do. He let out a resigned sigh. 'You know you shouldn't be straining your body so hard while you're still re–'

'PEEPER!' before he could finish reprimanding her, Kaoru's fist met Kenshin's chin in a clean punch. The redhead saw stars circle his head and he shook off the stun before staring at her in disbelief. She only scowled at him defiantly, despite hr face growing red from being flustered. 'That will teach you not to spy on me!'

He gaped and sputtered his defence against her accusation

'I only just got back from making ramen f–'

'Don't lie to me Himura! I saw your shadow by the door,' she protested, pointing out the places where she saw shadows. 'And by the window! I heard shuffling too!'

Kenshin rubbed his throbbing jaw as he pondered of over her words, then hung his head with a sigh.

'The shuffling was me coming to get you for lunch, Kaoru-dono.'

'But –'

'I was coming from this direction,' he pointed at the other window at the other side of the shoji door, where no shadows plagued, 'with the intention of knocking, when I heard you shout and got worried.'

'Oh.'

'Yes.' He raised a brow as embarrassment suddenly tinged her cheeks, and he worked his sore jaw again before smirking at her. 'I'll get you for that, Kaoru-dono.' He teased and leaned in closer to her face, before standing to her feet and helping his up. 'Shall I carry you?'

'I can manage – ah!' her polite rejection was never completed, Kenshin promptly declining it as he hoisted her in his arms. She scowled at him again. 'This is you getting back at me, isn't it?'

'You wish,' he scoffed and winked at her, walking out through the door before sliding it shut with his feet. 'I won't let you off that easy.'

'I can take your worst.' Kaoru said dismissively, rolling her eyes and waving him off. He grinned and lowered his face so she could see meet his smouldering gaze. They seemed to shift from to the same tumultuous shade of gold they were during his last encounter with Kaoru's assailant, his smile turning into a predatory smirk. His voice dropped a couple of tones low as he spoke.

'I wouldn't bet on that, Kaoru-dono.' The tone of his voice had her cheeks tinge a darker red. She turned her wide-eyed gaze away to stare out ahead of them. His sudden intensity had her completely flustered and she fought to keep her face from turning into a tomato.

The bounty hunter caught himself and silently swallowed, turning eyes from her before they betrayed them both and ravaged her form. Her outfit didn't help either, with what him fighting to the death the urge to stare at her perfectly toned legs. Kaoru snuck a look at him when he cleared his throat. He was staring straight ahead as they made their way to the household.

'So you do believe someone is watching you, yes?' His voice was deliberately even to hide how tense he felt.

'Well you weren't actually peeping so I may have been mistaken –'

'Possibly, but I doubt those shadows were hallucinations, and I'm done taking chances with you while the agenda of Hiruma Gohei and his allies is yet to be discovered and stopped.'

'Oh,' Kaoru nodded in understanding as they approached the backyard door to the kitchen. 'But you and Sanosuke are already here, yes?'

'For as long as required, yes.'

Kaoru smiled softly and leaned into him, her eyes closed as she took in the scent of his magenta sweatshirt atop his grey joggers.

'There isn't much to fear then.' She said with a quiet, peppy confidence, getting comfortable against him. 'I trust you both.'

Against his better judgment, he stared at her again. She looked peaceful and young, and he felt his chest thundering beneath her raven head.

'Trust can be a tricky thing.'

…

Kaoru sat alone in the park till the domed sky started to show it first streaks of the twilight hour, playing idly with the seams of her pink and blue parasol.

The tension during her late lunch with the hunters was palpable, one she was adamant was Kenshin's fault. Conversations were enjoyable enough when it was a three-way one, with Kaoru and Sanosuke happily bantering away as they ate and Kenshin content to drop the occasional commentary from time to time. But when the redhead turned his attention to her, he seemed to lock his eyes onto hers in the most soul searching gaze.

Nothing they talked about felt platonic; not the talk about the calm after-rain weather for two, or of the heat that made people want to strip to bare underwear. Even discussing the durability of the dojo's wooden flooring against intensive activities couldn't come off as innocent in her book. She practically bolted at the first chance after the meal, under the guise of going for an evening run as a safe alternative for reconditioning her endurance levels.

Away from the source of her unease, Kaoru's mental gears had started working properly again and soon she fell into the rhythm of her feet hitting the cool but dry concrete. She had enjoyed the fresh air and the wind in her face, so much so that she was almost reluctant to have the exercise come to an end. It was her bandaged sides that eventually begged for mercy and had her rest at the park and watch the day rest.

'Good evening Kamiya-chan.'

Kaoru looked away from the dark blue and lavender sky to see the man before her. Despite his being old and a bit stooped in his stature, it was easy to tell that he had been a tall man in his prime. She smiled as she recognised him as the grocery shop keeper's grand-father. He was her unexpected company, a sweet old man who liked Kaoru for her sense of humour and her pre-disposition to nearly ancient tradition. He had often praised her for her work in preserving swordsmanship in the era of new technology.

'Good evening Ojii-san,' she stood up and gave a polite bow, before stepping aside to make some room for him on the bench. 'Please join me.' He only laughed heartily and shook his head, declining the invitation.

'I've watched enough sunsets to last me a lifetime, Kamiya-chan. But I thank you for the courtesy.' His nearly shut eyes crinkled at the corners as he beamed and he looked up at the sky. 'Ah well, it has already passed – night has come.' He eyed her outfit and raised a judging brow at her. 'And I'll bet you the reason you wear these things instead of your kimono is that you have plans tonight, neh?' he wore a knowing smirk and shook his head. 'I suppose even you can't resist the lure of pleasures – you are young after all.'

Kaoru's face turned bright red face and she covered her mouth to stifle her nervous giggles as she shook her head.

'Ojii-san! Oh no, you have it all wrong! I swear I only came out for a run! I'm training to be a stronger sensei honest!' Her words were rushed in a scatter-brained attempt to correct what she was sure was his perception of her. To her surprise, the old man simply laughed at her and pat her on the shoulder.

'You're alright in my book Kamiya-chan don't you worry.' He gave her a sweet, teasing smile as he pulled away. 'I know your father raised an honourable successor. He must be so proud of having such a strong child.'

The compliment made the young woman's her eyes water and her cheeks blush, so she simply bowed in gratitude to hide her face.

'I appreciate that ojii-san.'

He nodded and rubbed her head affectionately before he turned to go about his way.

'It's only the truth dearie. Now this old man will be off now. Now you stay safe, okay? My granddaughter wants to see more of you around the stand!'

'I will! Thank you very much!'

She stood up and waved the old man off until he was out of sight, then stretched her arms and scanned the area. The street lights were already on despite the sky not being pitch dark yet and a few people were still hanging out and about around, but not much. It was common knowledge that about an hour and a half passed before the calibre of people in the district fully transitioned from respectable to questionable. Tokyo was relatively one of the safest there was, but the little trouble that existed was best left unstirred – it also didn't help about the serial killer that had recently stained the image of the near-zero crime-rate the sector boasted of.

She reached for her parasol and began to make her way back to the compound, but like the rest of her life lately, something had to be different on her way back. The streets had gotten far too lonely for that early in the evening, and she felt the lurking of a stalker ominously tracking her from just outside her periphery. She was extra sharp on sight and ears alert as she picked up her pace and moved more briskly, bracing herself for anything that was to happen. She reached for her pocket to check for her wallet and sure enough, it was there, like an invitation to bait for the person bold enough to attempt pick-pocketing her.

Most miscreants knew to leave the young headmaster of the Kamiya dojo alone, so her would-be assailant was most likely a novice or a stranger to those parts. The footsteps he made were mouse-like quiet and almost impressive really – but the novice needed to be taught a lesson either way, and Kaoru never backed down from playing sensei.

She took two steps to away from the edge of the road, just in time to avoid the smallish figure that lurched straight for her hip. The hooded person turned and jumped at her again, but she easily raised her arm to block his two kicks and grabbed him by the ankle before throwing him to the ground. Kaoru had trouble guessing whether her assailant was a dwarf or a child, but she didn't hold back when the person unsheathed a dagger and brandished it at her. He charged forward, but her parasol served as a makeshift sword and she used it to disarm and floor him. On closer inspection, he appeared very much a child, too big and well proportioned for a dwarf. Serial killers were way in over her head – street kids though, she could handle. She used her parasol to block him when he leapt to his feet to hit her, tripping him and having him back against the floor again. The end of the parasol was dangerously close to his underdeveloped adam's apple.

'Alright punk you listen here,' she snarled, shoving the thing slowly against his skin. The boy wore a mask, but she still saw his half-scared half determined eyes glaring at her. She hesitated a bit at knowing he wasn't more than eleven or ten, a hesitation the boy immediately sensed and took advantage of. He shoved the parasol away from him enough to slide from underneath and bolt to his feet.

'The Hiruma brothers give their warmest regards, Kamiya Kaoru of the Kamiya Kashin Style!' with that the hooded masked boy took off disappeared into the night.

…

'So... You're being watched by the Hiruma brothers, one of which tried to kill you. Twice.'

'I figured that much genius. Try another one.'

'You definitely can't move around alone anymore. Not till we get to the bottom of this at least.'

Kaoru glared at the calm and relaxed redhead, her temple pulsing with frustration at his response and general demeanour. He handed her the evening dose of her medications, which she immediately gulped down before continuing to glare at him.

'Thanks for stating the obvious.' The snark in her tone amused him and he chuckled.

'Hey, you named me captain,' he shrugged and winked at her. Kaoru threw her hands up in exasperation and turned to an equally relaxed Sanosuke. He opened one lazy eye at her, using the straw in his mouth to pick at his teeth.

'You'll be fine Kaoru. It was just a kid they sent after you, after all. We figured that you'd be under some form of surveillance anyways. We spoke to the space cop in the district office like we said we would – those punks have a crush on you.'

'WHAT?'

'He meant they have a grudge against you,' Kenshin shot his partner an annoyed glare before shooting their female companion an apologetic grin. 'We're not sure why yet though, but that is also part of the reason we opted to stay here whilst you recover.'

'But I don't know these men…' Kaoru's voice trailed off, she suddenly looking and sounding as vulnerable as she felt. Kenshin noticed her tough layers giving way just enough to expose a glimpse of how agitated she was and sighed. He went over to sit by her and gently squeezed her shoulders for comfort.

'It might not be you per se.' He reasoned with a shrug. 'Might be someone connected to you.'

'You mean my father?' she looked up at him and he nodded gently. 'I suppose he had enemies back in his day – but yakuza, Kenshin–'

'I'm sorry Kaoru-dono; I said I wouldn't take any chances with you, yet here we are.' He could have been cooing her as though she was a little girl afraid of thunder. 'We will help you get to the bottom of this. After all, that is why we are still here,' she processed his words of reasoning and slowly nodded her head. The side effects of her medications had kicked in, rendering her fatigued and drowsy but the show of assurance seemed to do wonders for her as she instantly relaxed against him, one hand rubbing her eye and the other stifling a yawn. He looked at her again, his hands still on her shoulder.

'Are you tired, Kaoru-dono?' she nodded tiredly and yawned again. He smiled at how juvenile she seemed in that moment and slung her arm around his neck to give her support. 'Let's go put you to bed then.'

Sanosuke watched them go through his barely-opened eyed and groaned.

'Oh, sure. Forget me and go try to wiggle into those panties.' He scoffed as he settled back and closed his eyes once more. 'Don't bet on getting some tonight, samurai.'

...

Salty Sanosuke is best Sanosuke.

Covid-19 is just a disaster.

I'm sorry about the late update and how short it was, I'll try to make it up to you. :) I even have a little surprise in the next chapter for you! Can anyone call it?

Happy quarantine kids! =UwU=