Chapter Six

Disclaimer:
I don't own RK.

Author's Note:
I'm sorry it took me a while to update. Hope this is worth the wait. Thanks for all your patience everyone.

--------------------------

Friday evening, a lone young woman walked uncertainly down the street toward Razzles bar. Apart from her straight black hair, it would be hard to recognize her immediately as Kaoru. She had spent two very successful lunch hours at the clothing stores that Yumi suggested and had bought black leggings and an oversize print sweater, among other things. She had splurged on makeup and wore lots of black eyeliner and red, red lipstick.

Kaoru had amazed herself over the past few days. The "Kenshin Thing" had shaken her up.

She'd changed her image. She'd charmed crusty Saitoh into finding a slot for Kenshin's ad, even though he claimed they were ready to go to press.

He'd given in to her pleas and removed the "after years of therapy" ad. "I wouldn't want my daughter to meet a guy like that," he'd said, tapping that ad with his finger. "At least this one sounds like a regular guy."

And now she was about to see if Saitoh was right. Was Kenshin a regular guy? She had firmly believed so all day. But now it was dark, drizzling, and her doubts rose to the surface.

"I've got nothing to fear and everything to gain, and I don't believe all those horrible things about Kenshin," she said, loudly and bravely, making a couple walking ahead turn to stare at her.

The clock on a nearby church tower was chiming eight as she stepped into Razzles. Being Friday night it was packed with people. The same rock band from Wednesday night was playing in the far corner of the bar, and the place seemed to be pulsating like a deep heartbeat. A couple was even trying to dance in three inches of space in the foyer. A long line waited for tables in the restaurant upstairs. Kaoru noted she got some interested looks as she pushed through the crowd toward the bar. She smiled with the confidence in her new image.

As she stepped into the bar, the first thing she noted was that Yahiko was not working. Every night that she didn't want to be seen, he was here, and now that she might really need a friend and ally, there was a strange man with a mustache working the bar. That meant her first safety net was not in operation. She'd have nobody to go to if Kenshin did turn violent with her.

Never mind, she thought, the place is full. There's no room for any sort of weird behavior here. I'm perfectly safe. She let her gaze wander around the room until she gave a little gasp. Kenshin was sitting at the nearby table, staring down at a half empty wineglass in front of him. She took a deep breath before she went up to him.

"Hi," she said.

He looked up, focused on her, then did a double take. "You came. Wow. I don't even know your name ..." He got to his feet awkwardly.

"I'm Kaoru," she said shyly.

"And I'm Kenshin." He held out his hand to her.

"Yes I know." When she took it, it was warm and strong and she was surprised at the tingle that ran all the way up her arm.

They stood there for a moment, their eyes holding each other, their hands still clasped. Then they both seemed to realize at the same moment and dropped hands with embarrassed smiles.

"I saw you come in but I didn't recognize you," Kenshin said to cover his embarrassment. "And now that I see you close up, you don't look like Tomoe at all. It was just that the other night, with all that hair tumbling down your back, and the denim...Tomoe wears a lot of denim. At least she did. You probably know what she looks like now better than I do."

Kaoru shook her head. "That's why I came back to tonight, Kenshin. To tell you the truth. To make you believe that I don't know Tomoe."

The band struck up a lour number, making the glasses on the table vibrate. Kenshin frowned. "Look, I wanted to buy you a drink and sort this whole crazy thing out, but we can't talk here. Let's go somewhere else, okay?"

"Somewhere else?" Instantly Kaoru was jolted out of her pleasant, romantic mood. Warily she took a step back, bumping into a man who was carrying two glasses to a table. She muttered an apology.

Kenshin nodded. "Have you had dinner yet, because I'm starving. I know a great place not too far away. It's quiet and we can talk and they make the best sushi and sashimi. How about it?"

Kaoru was desperately trying to think of a good reason for staying in the noise and safety of Razzles.

He reached into his pants pocket and flung some bills on the table. He then took her elbow. "Come on. Let's get out of here. I like rock music, but not so loud and not right now." And he gave her a smile that melted some of her fears. She could feel his firm grip on her elbow as he steered her out of the bar and through the crowded foyer.

Don't go, a voice kept saying in her head. This is crazy. This is just what you promised you wouldn't do.

At the doorway she hesitated, turning back to him. "Look, I'm not quite sure about this," she said.

"Don't worry," he said, "I'm not trying to pick you up. I've been trying to find someone I care a lot about and anything that you can tell me, anything at all... Look, I'd really appreciate it if you'd come. I need to talk to someone before I go crazy."

The rain began to fall harder; stinging rain off the lake.

"Oh, great," he said in annoyance, "and I'm wearing my favorite leather jacket, too. I've never yet figured out why leather is ruined if it gets wet. I mean, cows don't get ruined in the rain, do they?"

It was so unexpected that Kaoru had to laugh. "No, they don't."

"I didn't think so," he said. "I never saw a field full of waterlogged cows."

He looked up and down the street. "If only we could find a taxi."

Taxis sped by, all occupied and heading for other destinations. Without warning, Kenshin grabbed her arm again. "Come on. Let's run for it," he said. "It's only just around the corner, and most of the buildings have awnings."

Kaoru didn't really have a chance to say no. With his fingers around her forearm, she was propelled along through the evening crowd. Everything began to feel very unreal. Her feet hardly seemed to be touching the sidewalk. They seemed to be going very fast, the buildings flying past them and the people's faces just blur. At the end of the block they turned into a dark alleyway and Kenshin slowed their pace.

"There. It's not raining so much here," he said, releasing her arm. It was true that the tall buildings on either side protected them from the rain, but they also shut them off from the outside world. One lone street lamp threw an anemic glow that only succeeded in lighting the end of the alleyway. They were suddenly alone in a world of darkness and garbage cans. No sign of a restaurant ahead, no friendly neon light spilling out of a doorway. Kaoru looked around uneasily. "Where are we going?" she demanded.

"This is a shortcut," Kenshin said.

She could imagine Yumi's reaction to that one. "I really don't think----" she began.

"Is something bugging you?" Kenshin asked. "You seem jumpy."

"Yes, something is bugging me," she blurted out, feeling close to tears. "I don't know you from Adam, and the only other time I've seen you, you look like you wanted to kill me and now you're taking me down a dark alley..."

By the light of the lamp at the alley's end she could see his features soften. "I'm sorry. I was acting kind of strange the other night. No wonder you're scared. I wanted to explain." He gently touched her hand. "Look, you really don't have to be afraid of me. I'm your basic nice guy who's been shook up lately. And this really is a shortcut. But if you'd rather we go the long way round, that's okay."

"Well, I guess I believe you," Kaoru said hesitantly. "Everyone has to take some risk sometimes, don't they?"

"I'll walk ahead if you like," he said, grinning now. "That way you can keep an eye on me all the time."

Kaoru laughed nervously as he started to stride out ahead of her. He kept on going until they emerged at the other end to a brightly lit street. Just around the corner a winking neon sign proclaimed Seijuro's. A striped awning covered the sidewalk and there were trees in pots where sidewalk tables stood in better weather.

"Here we are," Kenshin said. "See, I didn't turn into the phantom of the alley." He turned to smile at her. In the bright lights of the street Kaoru wondered how she could have been scared of him. He had the most wonderful smile. "I have to admit, I could really go for some sushi in a big way," he said, pushing the door open for her.

They stopped inside to the warmth of the restaurant. A man came running over to them. "Ah, Kenshin, so good to see you."

"How are you, Hiko?" Kenshin said.

"Not bad, not bad," the man said. "And yourself?"

"A little wet," Kenshin said.

"Must be pretty important occasion to be out on a bad night like this," Hiko said. "You're favorite table?"

Kaoru was impressed. So Kenshin was a person who went to nice restaurants enough to be known there.

"My office is right across the street, so I come here a lot," he explained, as if he was embarrassed by the attention. He put his hand on Kaoru's back to steer her across the room. It was the lightest of the touches, but it felt to Kaoru as if his hand were burning right through the fabric of her coat and into her skin. She wondered if the contact was having any effect on him.

Don't be stupid, she scolded herself severely. He probably wasn't even aware that he was touching her. All his thoughts were still with Tomoe, and the only reason he wanted to be with Kaoru was because he hoped to find Tomoe again.

Kaoru had been so concerned for her safety that she had forgotten the main reason for her mission. Soon she'd have to tell Kenshin the truth. How would he react when he found out? She had seen how he could react when he was angry. Would he be angry when he found out that she had snooped and interfered in his personal ad?

TBC