Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin. Sigh

Author's notes: Muhahahahahaha!!!! I just got this really cool ' how-to-draw-manga' book from KL, it's freaking cool. And they actually sell RK manga in this bookstore!!!

I screamed when I saw them, and people just gave me glares. ( Hahahaha! sorry people, you cannot imagine how much I love Kenshin!!!!!!) I LOVE KENSHIN!!!

Okies, okies..anyway, The story will now be much more interesting, compared to the chapters before. Sorry people...for baring with me all this while...but I just can't make romance happen all at once! - !!

Venus Butterfly: Thank you for reviewing! Haha! You have fun at the Slipknot concert, I am soo freaking jealous that you get to go!!! Arghhhhh(Jk!!)

Beowulf31486: Thank you for reading and reviewing, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Panda: Hahaha sorry, I'll make sure I check my spelling more carefully next time! Okies, I hope you continue to read my fanfic! Thank you for reviewing!

Bradybunch4529: Thank you again for your wonderful review, and for staying with this fanfic! I am flattered by your (so-nice!) comments! I hope you enjoy this chapter and thank you again for giving me the encouragement I needed!! Thanks!!

MiZaLiBrAChAn: Thank you for saying my story is cool!! Haha! I hope it is! Thanks for your review, and I hope you like this chapter!!!

And for people reading now, Please read and review!! Even if you want to drop a comment or criticism..okay?? I know that I still have a lot of room for improvement!!!


Chapter 7

They arrived at Hiko Seijiro's doorstep, tired and drowsy...it had been a more than 9 hours ride. Yahiko complained why he had to go with them...and opted to go to Kenshin's father's mansion by aeroplane.

"Going by aeroplane would only make them easier to track us down...and if you stay at your hometown, they might capture you again and threaten us..." Kenshin had explained. So they are stuck together...at least for a while...

Before they got off the car, Kenshin called for a short meeting.

"Okay, my father doesn't know about The Aorta or my past profession, so we're just going to pretend that you and I are friends and that I've brought you guys here for vacation, okay?" Kenshin said, his voice very low.

"You mean you didn't tell him???" Sanosuke asked.

"Of course not, last night was the first time I contacted him in fifteen years..." Kenshin replied. "Anyway, you guys have to act casual, get it?"

"What do you mean by casual?" Yahiko asked.

"Like we are good friends and that we've known each other for a long time already."

"How is that suppose to work? I mean we barely know anything of your past!" Yahiko retorted.

Someone knocked at the window...

Kenshin turned around and saw his father. Hiko Seijiro...his face as stern as ever, wearing a stiff black suit and looking at him...angrily? Or is it sadly?

"Okay, can't talk now, that's my father...let's go and be cool." Kenshin warned.

"Right..." they all say together.

They all got down and lined up politely, as if this was what they were suppose to do. Hiko Seijiro's stare and presence made them nervous as he inspected each of them with narrowed eyes.

When his gaze fell upon Kaoru, he looked at her for a longer time than the rest. Finally, he reluctantly looked away and coughed uncomfortably.

"Welcome to my house. Chiaki here will show you where you'll be staying..." Hiko said solemnly. Sanosuke rolled his eyes... his tone of voice hardly sound welcoming...more like wanting all of us to be dead.

All of them nodded quickly and followed Chiaki, a petite young woman, who seemed to be rather intimidated by the group. And Hiko took Kenshin away...

All of them were amazed by magnificent mansion. Kaoru was the most surprised of them all, who could have guessed that Kenshin was once someone who own all of this? She knew that she lived in an equally huge house as well, but this mansion was different... from the moment they drove up to the palatial Mediterranean-style villa with a flag stone driveway and huge iron gates blocking the entry at the street she was mesmerized and a little afraid...she do not understand what she was feeling...all was new to her...and she somehow feel very distant and far from all the people around her...especially Kenshin...she knew so little...she was beginning to feel inferior to him...suddenly her heart was so down and depressed.

They walked through the wide corridors, passing by rooms and walked towards the foyer and climbed a long curving staircase with a wrought-iron railing and thick iron brass handrail. At the top of the staircase, Chiaki turned left and continue walking until they were almost at the end of the hall.

"These will be your rooms," Chiaki said politely, passing Kaoru all the keys to the rooms. "If you need anything at all, just press the intercom button on the telephone, and dinner will be served at seven." Chiaki smiled a courteous smile before she disappeared down the hall.

Kaoru handed each of them a key.

"Ahhh, I really need a good nap..." Sano yawned and disappeared into his room. Kaoru nodded at went into her room...she was exhausted..she slammed herself against the bed carelessly and fell asleep.

Kenshin...


"Kenshin," Hiko said quietly, "Can you explain why you are here? I heard that you have joined the bad after you left...the Aorta or something..."

He knew?! How did he know?

As if reading his thoughts, Hiko chuckled softly, "I have resources you know. No one can hide from me. I like power and information is power..."

Kenshin nodded numbly.

"And, your friends, are they from the Aorta too?"

"No, I left the Aorta long time ago. They are friends I made after I left Aorta."

"And that girl? There is something different about her. She does not have any Ki energy at all..."

"Yes..."

"So what are you working as now?"

"I'm not working..."

"So I guess you get paid a lot when working at the Aorta?"

Kenshin kept quiet, his anger rising.

"Go rest now. I can sense that you are not telling me something...but I won't force it out of you yet. You are still as stubborn as before..."

Kenshin nodded his thanks and went out of the room.


The sudden buzz of the alarm made Kaoru jumped, she grope blindly for the clock radio and turned it off. A few minutes later, she reluctantly got up.

She glanced at the clock. It was only 6.15pm, an automatic alarm must have been set to make sure they were all on time for dinner. This Hiko person certainly was very fussy.

Kaoru begun to dig into her suitcase.

What should I wear tonight?

She took out a beautiful white dress and decided that this should be appropriate. She slipped it on easily and gave her hair a toss, she thought that she should just let it down tonight. Just when she was looking at herself in the dressing room's mirror, someone knocked at her door.

"Kamiya-san, are you ready?" Sohjiro called.

"Hai, I'm almost ready. The door is not locked, you can come in..."

Sohjiro was wearing a gray pinstripe suit, white shirt, and a red-and-gray patterned tie. Somehow, without his blue gi, he looked more matured and manly. Kaoru thought that he looked extremely nice.

"You looked very nice in your suit, Seta-san."

Sohjiro was surprised by the comment and looked at himself...

"Actually, Kenshin lent me this suit..."

"It looks nice on you..."

Sohjiro chuckled and looked at Kaoru. She took his breath away...her lean body in the white dress that hugs at all the right places, her shiny hair flowing like water and her deep blue eyes...for a moment he was speechless, his mouth hanging open, but no words could come out. Kaoru noticed this and looked at him, perplexed.

"What's wrong?"

"You look...stunning," Sohjiro said with a smile of pure masculine appreciation.

What am I saying? Where did the words come from? He smiled at her, embarrassed.

Kaoru laughed and gave him a light pat on the shoulder,

"We better get going or else Hiko-sama will get angry..."

Sohjiro nodded and laughed. The rest had left already...he was glad that he waited for Kaoru...she was walking next to him, a light smile on her lips, so innocent and beautiful. Every time she smiles, something tugged at his heart.

A maid showed them to the dinning room and they spotted the others, standing around, chatting and having cocktails. Kaoru spotted Kenshin and felt her knees go weak again. Kenshin was talking to a very beautiful and sophisticated woman with very long black hair. Kaoru find herself walking towards Kenshin , like as if her legs have a mind of their own. But, midway, she was stopped by Hiko Seijiro and a white-haired man.

"Good Evening." Hiko Seijiro greeted, "Things have been in such hurry that I didn't get to know your name, Miss...?"

"Kamiya Kaoru." Kaoru replied, bowing.

"Ahh, Kamiya-san, may I introduce you to Yukishiro Enishi."

Kaoru turned to looked at the white haired man and saw that he was actually a young man. He smiled at her warmly and extended a friendly handshake. Kaoru tooked his hand readily and smiled back.

This man is nice...his eyes so gentle...

The bell sounded and the butler announced, "Dinner is served!"

Enishi hand rested lightly on Kaoru's shoulders and ushered her towards the table. Kaoru looked up at him and he just smiled back reassuringly. He was so tall, and gentle...she begun to relax the first time ever since she entered the dinning room. Sanosuke, Sohjiro and Yahiko followed behind and looked at the pair curiously.

"Who's that man with Kamiya-san?" Sohjiro asked.

"Someone called Yukishiro Enishi, another multibillionaire living around here...apparently all the people living around here are the rich and the famous. See that woman with Kenshin? That's Takani Megumi, another rich man's daughter...Hiko said something like she is Kenshin's childhood friend and that they've been engaged ever since...ha, never imagine Kenshin having a fiancé." Sano answered.

Sohjiro nodded sloemly and looked at Megumi . She somehow reminded him of Kamiya-san...what is it?


Kaoru went back to her room after dinner, the rest had stay to chat or to play a game of poker. But inside she was suffocating. Megumi and Kenshin had sat infront of her at the dinning table. Megumi was staring at her constantly and shooting at her rather rude questions. And oh, was she clever! She had made the questions sound necessary and anything but rude. Only Enishi recognized Megumi's 'attack' and rescued Kaoru by stirring everyone away to another topic. Kaoru didn't understand why Megumi was acting this way, what did she ever do to her anyway, they've just met!

Arrrghhhh!

And Kenshin....

He looked so happy with Megumi...

Kaoru sighed and decided that she'll sleep early that night.


Kenshin was staring at himself in the mirror. His eyes an amber colour. They have been that colour for so long...until recently...after he met Kaoru. Though nothing had happened between them , he felt awkward infront of her with Megumi around. He remembered the conversation earlier at dinner:

"Kaoru, tell us all about yourself." Megumi had said sweetly. But Kenshin knew that sweetness from Megumi means danger.

"There isn't much to tell..." Kaoru had stammered.

"Start with your career, what do you do?"

Kenshin laughed when he remembered Kaoru's face when she told them that she was an interior designer. And how Megumi kept referring to interior designer as interior decorator, making Kaoru feel degraded.

Kenshin sighed, he feel utterly sorry for Kaoru, he didn't understand Megumi's actions as well.

What did Kaoru ever do to her?

But then, he knows Megumi, she likes to intimidate anyone she dislikes, even if they've just met.


Kamiya Kaoru....Kamiya Kaoru...I thought she is dead?There must be some mistake!

Megumi thought furiously as she drove to her house, after she got off her car she stormed upstairs and flung opened a door. An old man was sitting at a study table, reading a book.

"There is a Kamiya Kaoru at dinner today." Megumi said.

The man stopped reading and looked up at her, his face tired and blank.

"I thought you said that Kamiya Kaoru is dead?" Megumi said again.

"Yes, she is dead." The man replied tiredly, annoyed by Megumi's interruption to his reading.

"Then, why is she alive and well? I don't get it!"

"Calm down Megumi. Even if she is alive, there is nothing wrong with that, right?"

"Nothing wrong with that? Don't you dare say that to me. Everything is wrong with that!"

"Just go back to your room, Megumi. It might not be the same Kamiya Kaoru we've talked about."

"You know yourself that only one family has that surname...don't even try to blow me off."

"Megumi, I'm very tired. Please can we talk about this some other time?" the man said, firmly.

Megumi stared at him angrily and walked out swiftly, slamming the door behind her.

Kamiya Kaoru is gonna pay....


Kaoru woke up early the next morning and decided that she'll go for a run along the beach. She just felt that she had to get away from the people inside this luxurious villa. She didn't even feel like talking to Sohjiro. She was confused and her emotions were in pieces, unable to become whole. She need to breathe fresh air, and maybe she'll feel better.

Anxious to get started, she hurried out of bed, pulled her hair into a ponytail, and put on a pair of shorts and a tank top. The house seemed deserted as she walked silently along the hallway and down the stairs, but outside, two men were pruning a hedge along the side of the property. Kaoru waved to them as she jogged across the lawn, her spirits already beginning to lift as she breathed in the salty air and felt the presence of the sea.

On her left, the ocean filled the entire horizon, magestic, beautiful, untamed. On her right, the horizon was obscured by a procession of mansions, a few which were even bigger than Hiko Seijiro's, and there was some sort of activity at all of them. Gardeners were looking after flower beds, servants tidying patios and taking care of swimming pools, and sprinkler systems were spraying water on lawns that sparkled in the morning sun.

There were several other people running on the beach as well. But they were all unfriendly, unlike the people back where she lived. The people here avoided all eye contact and passed each other like robots running errands.

Kaoru was pondering that when she was distracted by an elderly gardener in a long-sleeved shirt who'd been working in a flower bed near the edge of the lawn. He stood up;

Then he clutched his left arm and fell over. Kaoru ran toward him.

"Take it easy," she said gently . "I'll help you. Lean on me." She wrapped her arm around his waist. "Tell me what's wrong."

"My arm," he gasped, his face pale with pain.

"Are you having any chest pains?"

"No. Had surgery...on my....shoulder."

Kaoru smiled, she was relieved that it wasn't a heart attacked, she guided him over to the tree and eased him onto the bench.

"Doesn't your employer knows about this?" Kaoru demanded, angry at how the old man was treated. "Surely someone else here could take over your work while your shoulder heals, and you could do their work."

The old man stared at her as if that had never occurred to him and yet the possibility fascinated him. "What sort of work do you think I could do here?"

"Well, aren't you a gardener?"

The man chuckled and Kaoru looked at him curiously.

"I'll be fine if you just sit here and talk to me for a while. Conversing with a sweet, pretty little thing like you is better than any painkiller I could take."

"Will you get into trouble by sitting out here with me?"

He smiled, thinking it over. "I can't see how, but it is a delightful prospect to comtemplate."

Several things struck Kaoru at once: his hand was smooth, his speech educated, and his attitude was almost flirtatious. Embarrassed, she started to stand up.

"You're not a gardener. I made a foolish mistake. I'm sorry."

"Don't run off and don't be embarrassed. I'm touched by your concern, why don't you just sit here with me for a while?"

"I really should go..."

The old man looked at her pleadingly and Kaoru sat down again

"I've never seen you around here before...who are you?

"My name is Kaoru..."

"Hello Kaoru, I am Okina..."


Author's notes: Okay people!! Please review and tell me what you think!!!!