Painted Chord

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to meh reviewehs:

Kira the Mizu Ryu: teehee thanks

Drawkcab: hallelujah! gonna have to write a new fic soon o

Mad-4-Manga: pays you moneh All your questions shalt be answered in this chapter..muahahaha o glad you like it

YAYNESS! you guys are awesome

-infidelmaki-

Disclaimer: ;; sobbing I duhn unf Cansinf... translation: I don't own Cansinf...

I don't own Kenshin and the Kenshingumi either...runs away, sobbing

Summary: An artist meets the guitarist of her dreams, the only problem is he has a split personailty disorder. So who is Kaoru really in love with? Kenshin, or his split personality 'Shinta'? (AU, KK, AMi, SMeg Rated T)

Chapter Eight

The Battle of Evermore

The sound of a gunshot hushed the concert hall. Several screams emerged minutes later. Kenshin had already unplugged his guitar and pushing through the crowds. Sano and Aoshi were following him, trying to prevent a riot. Finally Kenshin spotted a tall man trying to exit the hall in a hurry. Nearby, a circle of people had already formed. Kenshin would bet anything that the victim of the gun was laying in the center of that circle.

Kenshin pushed a bystander away and finally caught a glimpse of the situation. There lay the son of the owner of the hall. He was bleeding through his shirt and clutching his arm. Next to him was a young boy that appeared to be his friend. Next to him was--

"Tsubame-chan?" Kenshin asked confusedly. (A/N: It seems that everyone knows Tsubame teehee) Tsubame looked up and caught Kenshin's eye.

"Co-cousin? Kenshin what are you doing here?"

"Tsubame! Koko ni yoku kuru?"

"iie..." she lied. He had asked her if she comes here often, and she lied. She hated lying to her family.

"Tsubame-chan, what are you doing in America?" Tsubame looked away.

"The orphanage I was living at burned down, so the social workers moved me here til they found me a foster home."

"Tsubame you could have came to live with me. I'm your blood relative." Tsubame clenched her eyes shut to prevent herself from shedding tears. She didn't want to burden her cousin with the custody of a young girl.

"Um, a little help here." He heard a voice interject. Kenshin 'oroed' apoligetically and pulled out his cell phone. He swiftly dialed 9-11 and had Tsubame relate the story to the operator. Within minutes, the blaring sound of sirens was heard in the street, and quickly two EMTs and some police officers entered the building. The patrons were ordered out of the hall, and the police returned to the group for questioning. Tsubame and Yahiko left with Yutaro to the hospital and the band was excused.

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"Another attempt at a record deal lost..." Sanosuke muttered.

"Whatever, I just found out that my cousin has been sneaking out of an orphanage to go clubbing."

"Helloooo? Did anyone check on the condition of that little boy?" Aoshi snapped. The three were loading their instruments into a van when Kenshin heard someone call his name.

"Kenshin! KENNNSHIIINN!" Kaoru cried from the other side of the street. Kenshin let out a relieved sigh. At least Kaoru was here, she would be able to cheer him up. Kenshin waved and motioned for her to cross. Kaoru waited for an SUV to speed away before jaywalking. She greeted her boyfriend with a warm smile and took his hand.

"Kenshin, I heard about the shooting. Are you okay?" Kenshin loved this girl. He was in no danger, and still she was concerned.

"Hai. I'm alright koihii." Kaoru smiled even wider and leaned on his shoulder for support. The van sputtered from behind them. Sano poked his head through the window.

"Hey do you guys need a ride?"

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Megumi slammed her apartment door behind her and flopped onto the couch. She was so busy with preparing for graduation, that she hardly slept. It was a miracle that her relationship with Sano was still intact. She relaxed and sprawled her limbs over the edge of the couch. She dug the remote out from underneath the cushions and flipped on the TV.

Utter chaos this evening as a shooting broke out at the Tsukayama night club and concert hall at South Street Seaport in Brooklyn as a bouncer attempted to murder the owner's son. It seems that the bouncer had owed money to the owner. Motives for shooting the owner's son are unknown...he remains in stable condition at Methodist Hospital. Police ask if you have any information about where to find this man...

A picture of Raijuta flashed onto the screen. Isn't the Tsukayama the place where Sano was playing? Megumi worried as she jumped for the phone. Pulling it off the reciever, she misdialed Sano's number. Damnit. Why am I so jittery? She hung up and redialed his number correctly.

Oi.. He mumbled

"Sanosuke? It's me."

Hey! Vixen! What's up?

"Sano I saw what happened on the news. Are you guys alright?"

Eh. We're okay. A lot of crazy stuff happened. I guess I'll tell you when you come over later tonight. He said with a malevolent tone in his voice.

"Wait? You want me to come over? What's the occasion?"

Megumi, will you marry me? Megumi practically dropped the phone.

Megitsune...are you there?

Megumi? Megumi had tears in her eyes. She couldn't say yes, but she didn't want to say no.

"Sano I heard the Yankees were planning on building a new stadium..." she tried to change the subject. There was silence from the other line. Then she heard a sigh.

Yeah I heard. It's gonna be awesome. He tried to sound excited about it, but she knew he was pretending. They didn't mention it for the rest of the conversation, which seemed to last only two more minutes, and consisted mostly of silence. When Sano had finally said "I love you" and bidded her goodbye, Megumi had at last burst into tears. Why didn't she say "Yes Sanosuke I'd love to be your wife!" or at least "I love you so much!"...she wanted to...but she couldn't express in words to him how much she loved him. Was she embarrassed? She was a grown woman, and had even seen him naked more than once. What was wrong with her?

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Kaoru turned the door knob and the door finally opened.

"Thanks Kenshin! I knew I hid the spare key some where." she said with a beautiful smile. Kenshin was growing impatient. He wanted her to smile at him forever. He wanted to wake up next to her every morning, and to sleep next to her every night. He had never loved anyone so much as he did her. Just looking into her ocean eyes made him imagine of future with her...the house they'd live in...their wedding day...even the short red headed son running around the living room...He loved her so much he wanted to cry.

"Kenshin are you hungry? I have some frozen pizzas if you want." Kenshin smiled and nodded. He was sorta hungry.

That promise I made you is really hard to keep. The voice in the back of his head interrupted.

'Shinta' go away.

C'mon Ken-chan...let me out.

You made a promise to leave us alone. I told you I'd let you out on Saturday nights...

Kenshin you know I was crossing my fingers when I said that. Kenshin's eyes widened.

"Kenshin are you okay? Do you want some Tylenol?" Kaoru opened a cabinet and pulled out the small pill bottle. She shook it persuasively at Kenshin and he sweatdropped.

"Sure I'll take one. I've got a terrible headache." Kaoru gingerly took a pitcher of water out from her fridge and poured him a tall glass. She handed him the pill and cup, and sat next to him on the couch.

"Kaoru, would you like to go out to eat?" Kenshin said, finding new strength with the help of the aspirin. Kaoru's eyes brightened.

"Sure Kenshin! Where do you want to go?" She latched onto his arm.

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The couple finally decided to eat at restaurant in Brooklyn called 'Two Boots'. Kenshin loved that place and wanted Kaoru to finally go there. Upon exiting her apartment, Kenshin fished his sunglasses out from his pockets and put them on.

"Kenshin, it's going to rain. Do you really need your sunglasses?" Kaoru pouted. Kenshin smiled faintly.

"I ran out of my meds yesterday. I'm waiting for a refill. This is just in case..." Kaoru looked at him wide-eyed.

"Kenshin if you feel sick we can just stay here..." Kenshin shook his head 'no'.

"Kaoru it's alright. Besides if 'Shinta' comes out, then you know how to handle him right?" He was right. Kaoru already knew how to control 'Shinta' much better than Kenshin. Afterall, 'Shinta' was the passionate side of Kenshin. He was the one Kaoru would make out with, kiss, and um...yep. Kaoru knew his one weakness, and would apply it as soon as he got out of line.

She nodded to Kenshin and took his hand.

"Let's go then Kenshin." She said with a smile.

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Yutaro scratched his right arm (which was in a sling) and tried to avoid the large bandage.

"Yutaro-kun! Please don't, you might reopen the stiches!" Tsubame cried. Yutaro had been quite lucky. The bullet wound was fine, but when he had gotten shot, he fell and broke his arm. The break penetrated the skin, and the fractured bone had just missed a major artery. They were released from the hospital this morning, and were currently at a local bagel place trying to prevent themselves from starvation. Yahiko returned from the bathroom and took a seat next to Tsubame. She blushed and shifted in the booth.

"Thanks for letting me use your cell phone Yutaro." Yahiko smiled.

"Don't mention it. How'd Sister Yumi take it?"

"Eh. You know her. She yelled and handed the phone to Sister Magdaria. She was much nicer about it. She said she saw the story on the news and told us to come home when we were ready."

Tsubame unwrapped her toasted plain bagel with butter and took a bite. This was the first time she had tried it. It wasn't bad. Twirling her straw in her teeth, she gulped down the last of her Snapple.

"You sure are hungry." Yahiko marveled. Tsubame blushed and pulled the straw out of her mouth. Yutaro sat contently observing the two. They were quite opposite of eachother, but they seemed to get along very well. They were still wearing the same clothes from last night, which made Yahiko look very dirty and made Tsubame look like a dimestore hooker. What made her go to the Tsukayama Yutaro might never understand, but what was even more peculiar was that she was related to Kenshin Himura. He was a member of the band Hiten Mitsurugi, and his personality quite rivaled hers. When Yutaro first met him he seemed very mature and enigmatic. His quiet demeanor was nothing like when he was on stage. He was like a different person. It was ironic when he compared him to Tsubame. They were both mature and shy, and could change behaviors reasonably fast, not to mention often.

"Tsubame, so you're related to Kenshin Himura?" her ears perked up at the question. She nodded.

"Yes Yutaro-kun, on my mother's side. Even though I lived in Japan, we were still close. He visited every summer and spent time with his family. However...a few years ago he stopped coming to visit. It's been hard to keep in touch." They listened intently.

"Why do you think he's been avoiding visiting?" Yahiko asked. Tsubame knew. She lowered her eyes and tried to focus on something else. Yutaro knew that she must have some insight as to why he doesn't visit anymore. He leaned in.

"Tsubame...you don't have to tell us if you don't want to." Yutaro comforted her. She smiled and looked up. It was nice that they understood, but even though she knew why Kenshin couldn't visit, she hardly understood it. Suddenly, ACDC's high way to hell started playing in Yutaro's pair of khaki pants. He blushed and pulled out his cell phone.

"Hello..?" he cracked. After a brief exchange of conversation, Yutaro announced that his adoptive family wanted him home. He stood up from the booth and smoothed out his khaki pants, buttoned the top buttons of his white collared shirt, and parted his hair to the side.

"Why are you dressed like that Yutaro? Whatever happened to all of the ACDC and Pantera shirts I gave you the Christmas before you left?" Yahiko practically yelled. Yutaro chuckeled.

"My new family prefers this type of clothing. Sometimes they let me wear a Beatles shirt every now and then." Tsubame followed his eyes out of the shop window to a sleek, black limo that recently pulled up to the curb.

"That's my ride guys. D'ya want a lift back to the home?" he asked , eyes glistening. Yahiko and Tsubame nodded their heads excitedly.

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Kenshin nearly dozed off on the train ride to the restaurant. The swaying of the car was like a cradle, and the sound of the car screeching to a stop and clicking over the tracks was like a lullaby.

Wake up sleepyhead. Kenshin jerked foward.

"Itoshii are you alright?" Kaoru leaned over from her seat.

"Aa. I almost fell asleep." He chuckeled. She returned the laugh and turned her attention to the other passengers in the car. It was pretty empty for a Saturday night. An old woman with a large paper grocery bag sat near the door, a cop held onto the poll in the center, and a young mother was chatting on her cell phone while cradling an infant.

A loud "ping" noise rang through the train. The conductor's voice resonated through a speaker.

"Now coming to Prospect Expressway, 17th street, 4th avenue." The train gradually came to a stop and the train 'pinged' again. The doors slid open, and a familar figure staggered into the train. She held a tissue up to her eyes, which were red and puffy from crying. Her hair was a mess.

"Megumi!" Kaoru shouted.

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A/N: a sort of cliffie there, sorry bout that , aha so Tsubame and Kenshin are cousins! I thought it would be a cool idea, since I think they have a lot in common. What's wrong with Megumi? So many questions will only be answered if you review! just kidding, but it would be nice till next time minna!

-maki

Next Chapter: How Many More Times

He was right, and she was being horrible about such a little thing.

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