Hey guys, I know I made you sick by all this delay and not posting good chapters. But I'm having a writer's block and I got my self stuck in the memories parts..I cant seem to get my self out of it. I wish I can just skip the whole memories thing and get back to the present..I promise though that next chapter will be in the present :)

Chapter six

The present:

Kenshin quietly opened the door to Misao's room in the small clinic she and Kaoru were brought to. His heart became overwhelmed with sadness and sympathy when his eyes met her teary ones "Misao"

"Kenshin, I don't want to lose my baby..our baby" she said in a low voice before breaking into tears again.

Kenshin approached her in less than two steps and took her into his arms "we are not going to lose her..do you hear me?" he looked her in the eye "you are strong sweetheart and you are going to survive through this..our baby will too"

A small soft smile found its way to Misao's mouth "you still insist that it's a girl"

"I believe she is and I keep praying that she'll look just like her mother, and that she'll have her spirit and her ability to always fill each place she goes to with joy"

Misao wiped her tears away "right now, I pray to God that I won't lose her..I just can't lose her..she's became a part of me and I can't bear the idea of her gone"

Kenshin patted her hair softly "you wont" he placed his hand on her belly "I bet she likes it there and that she'll stay until it's time for her to meet the world"

"Otherwise those bastards are going to pay for what they did" his mind screamed

"How's Kaoru chan?"

"We are still not sure..the doctor said that if she isn't awake by tomorrow then she probably won't make it..her injuries are so deep and she lost lots of blood"

"Why did this happen to us? Everything was fine and we were so happy. I just want everything to go back to normal"

"I know. I want that too honey, that I do" he kissed her forehead and held her in his arms praying that they'll all get through this as soon as possible.

Aoshi entered Kaoru's room quietly and went to sit beside the bed where she lied motionless. He took her hand in his both hands and he gave it a light squeeze.

"Kaoru, I know that you can hear me" he silently prayed that she really can "please don't give up. You managed to defend your self and protect all of us. This shouldn't be your reward. You should be celebrating right now with us. Hell, you and I should be having a fight right now about how careless and foolish you were to put your self in such danger" he planted a kiss on the back of her hand "please wake up Kaoru..please come back to us..to me" he looked at her peaceful face "well, I'm not sure if asking you to come back to me is going to encourage you to wake up or make you want to stay in coma forever" he leaned and kissed the top of her head "do you remember what you said to me when I was in coma two years ago..you told me that you loved me and I heard you then..and now I know that you too can hear me so I want to say it to you..I love you Kamiya..I love you and I don't intend to let you go..not yet"

With that he put her hand back to her side and left the chair and headed to Misao's room looking for Kenshin.

Kenshin was setting beside Misao on her bed when they heard a gentle knock on the door.

"Come in"

Kenshin knew that Aoshi was up to something the minute he entered the room "Misao chan, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine Aoshi sama, but how's Kaoru chan?"

"She's in the same state. But I know she'll get better..Kamiya never gives up without a fight"he looked at her belly then back at her eyes "and I know that you don't either"

Her hands clutched to her stomach "I'm trying my best"

"We know sweetheart" Kenshin said and kissed her head

"himura, can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure" he headed to the door after Aoshi "I'll be back in no time honey"

Misao nodded watching them leave then she looked down at her belly "please hang in there.dont leave me. I love you so much"

"So, what are you up to Aoshi?"

"I want to chase the bastards down"

"I want that too but I don't think this is the right time to do it"

"There'll never be a right time to do it Himura" Aoshi looked at him with determination "so we might as well start now"

"What about Misao and Kaoru dono? They need us here" Kenshin was worried about the two fading women he most cared for

"They need to be safe and that can't happen as long as these murderers are wandering freely"

"You are right about that"
"I was thinking we can go and scan the area. Let's look for people who are new here and find out what brought them to Kyoto"

Kenshin nodded "ok, but we have to keep this away from Misao. I don't want her to worry about us now. She has enough to deal with already"

"I understand. I think it'll be best if I start alone. You stay with her for now and as soon as I find some information we'll work on our plan"

"But you should have someone to cover your back"

"I'm only looking for information. I don't think I'll need to get into fights. You stay here and take good care of them"

Kenshin nodded again "you too take care and try to stay away from troubles"

"I will" and with that Aoshi took off to Kyoto's streets.

MEMORIES

Kaoru stirred and opened her eyes slowly "what happened to me?" she lifted her self up but the minute she did she shouted in pain "damn it that hurt!" she put her hand on her stomach where it hurt and flashbacks of Aoshi knocking her unconscious came running back to her "oh Aoshi no no Aoshi" she kept her hand on her stomach and She ran to the dojo gates and looked around. Aoshi was no where to be seen and although she knew that it'll be like a dream come true to find out that he changed his mind and didn't go, she still hoped that he did.

"Oh God please let him be safe, please" Kaoru went back inside looking for Kenshin and Yahiko "Kenshin? Kenshin? You baka aren't you home yet?"

She opened yahiko' room "Yahiko? Where the hell are they?"

"Jou chan, why are you making all this noise?"

"Sano" she ran to him "Sano you have to help me"

Sano became concered the minute he saw Kaoru and how scared she looked "what's wrong? What happened? Did anything happen to Kenshin or Yahiko?"

"No no they are fine, it's Aoshi"

"Aoshi?"

Kaoru shook her head "he's in danger and we have to help him" Sano's hands went to her shoulders when her tears started streaming down her face "he told me not to tell you guys but I cant do it. We have to help him. We have to go fight with him"

"Fight? So that's what he came here for. Kenshin was right to doubt that he came for a visit only"

"Sano" she shouted "this isn't the right time for this. We have to go"

"Where? Do you even know where he went?"

Kaoru was shocked. How stupid was she? She never bothered to ask about the location of these people.

"Oh my God. We are going to lose him" Sano took her into his arms and hugged her tightly "don't say that. Aoshi knows how to defend himself better than any of us"

Kaoru cried into his chest "they are dangerous and he's alone. How can he survive that?"

Sano didn't know what was wrong with Kaoru. They all cared for Aoshi but Kaoru was never this upset about someone going to a fight. He was scared to think it but she was never like that even when Kenshin used to go to battles.

"Shhh Jou chan it'll be fine"

Kaoru pulled away from him and wiped her tears away "we don't have time for this. We have to find him"

"Where can we search? He's probably in the middle of the fight right now so I don't think it'll do him any good if we start searching now. Most likely the battle will be over before we can find our first clue"

"You can't know for sure. We have to do something. I don't care if it's the right time or not I WANT TO FIND HIM"

Sano looked at her with narrowed eyes and unable to keep his curiosity to himself he popped the question that was in his mind

"Why do you care that much about stone man?"

"Why do you care that I care that much about him?"

"You and I are having a long talk jou chan after we get through with this mess"

With that he headed to the dojo gate "Where are you going?"

"I'll try to find Kenshin or Aoshi if possible"

"I want to go with you"

He looked at her sternly "no"

"Why do you people keep saying that?"

"Jou chan, what if Aoshi comes back? What if he is injured and needs help? Someone should stay here and I think you should be that someone"

"I'll stay, but don't go get your self hurt too. I can't bear to have you all hurt"

"None of us is going to get hurt jou chan. don't worry"

"I hope so..i really do..please God let everything be ok"

Hours later

"Where are they?"

Kaoru was pacing back and forth in front of the dojo. She kept looking at the dark road ahead of her but there was no sign for any of them.

Suddenly, some figures appeared far away from her "Aoshi" she whispered before running towards their direction. But the minute she arrived to them she stopped dead in her track. In front of her stood her friends, Kenshin, Sano and Yahiko..but there was no sign of Aoshi

"Where is he?"

"Kaoru dono"

"Why isn't he with you?"

"We couldn't find him" Sano told her in a low voice "it's like he's not even in town"

"That can't happen..he's here"

"We know that Kaoru dono, but we couldn't find him or any clue that can lead us to him"

"We had nothing to start with" Sano added

"We're sorry Kaoru" Yahiko said and ran to the dojo

"Come on Jou chan..it's cold out here. Let's get you inside"

"I don't want to go inside. I will wait for him" Kaoru said in a firm tone that left no room for argument

"Kaoru dono.." Sano stopped him by grabbing his arm "leave her Kenshin..she'll come inside eventually"

Two hours later

Kaoru was still sitting outside holding her legs up to her chest and resting her head on them.

"I care so much for you Aoshi. But I don't love you..i know I don't" she tried to reason with her self "I always loved Kenshin and I always will. I know he loves me too. But how come all I think about is you? Why do I always feel a rush of happiness and joy when I see you? Why do I get this feeling around you that I never get around Kenshin?"

She sighed and rested her head on the wall "where are you Aoshi? Where can you be?"

She looked at the road and all she saw was darkness. But she felt something strange. Something told her that she should look more closely. She stood up and took a few steps forward and focused her eyes on the road. There was a shape moving slowly and she could hardly see it. She started walking slowly towards it and her heart started pounding fast and rapidly when she started to recognize the familiar figure of Aoshi..her Aoshi "Oh my God Aoshi" and she started running towards him.

Tears burst out of her eyes and she felt scared and happy to see him. Happy that he's back to her and scared because he looked awfully injured "Aoshi" she whispered when she became few steps away from him and was able to see him clearly in the moon light "oh my God"

His cloths were soaked in blood and there was a big cut in his cheek. He was hardly holding himself and it looked like he was unable to walk properly "I'm back" he said in a tired voice "I came back to you Kaoru" and he opened his arms for her

"Aoshi" she could not take it anymore and she started crying loudly "I was so scared to lose you" and she ran to his arms and hugged him but not as tight as she wanted to since he wasn't that strong to handle it. He put his arms around her and he rested his head on hers "don't cry Kaoru, I don't want to ever see your tears again"

"I was so scared to lose you"

To her horror, he didn't answer and his head started feeling heavy on hers. Suddenly his arms loosened around her and she couldn't hold herself or him anymore. She fell to her knees hardly supporting both of them "Aoshi what's wrong? Aoshi?" and she fell on her back with him on top of her.She lift her head up a little to find that he passed out while holding her "Oh my God please please wake up..Aoshi answer me"

"HEEEELP" she screamed at the top of her lungs "Kenshin"

Kenshin and the others were at her side within a second "Aoshi"

"Kenshin, help him please" Kaoru was so desperate and scared

"I'll go get Megumi" Sano said and left running without adding another word

"Yahiko, help me lift him and get him inside"

They both held him carefully off of Kaoru and into the dojo with Kaoru at their heels "What should we do now?"

Kenshin lay him on a futon carefully and started giving immediate orders "Yahiko, bring me some warm water and a piece of cloth, we need to clean his wounds from the blood"

Yahiko went running to get what Kenshin asked for while Kaoru sat next to Kenshin "Is he going to be ok?" she asked crying

"Don't worry Kaoru dono, everything will be fine" he wasn't sure of it himself but she was in a condition that didn't allow her to hear the truth.

"Let's just hope for the best"

An hour after midnight
Megumi left the dojo with firm instructions for the Kenshin gumi to keep an eye on Aoshi. His condition was very bad but there was a big chance for him to survive.

Kaory was sitting by his side when Kenshin came into the room "Kaoru dono..go get some rest and I will look after him"

Kaoru shook her head "I want to stay here"

"Kaoru, you went through a lot tonight and you have to rest"

"I'm not leaving this room" she said stubbornly

"It's ok Kenshin, let her do what she pleases" Sano said calmly as he joined them holding two cups of tea "but you have to drink this Jou chan. It will help you relax"

Kenshin didn't like it and it was obvious on his face "she looks tired and she has to rest a little. You should be helping me here Sano"

"She knows what's better for her Kenshin"

Kaoru accepted the tea from him with appreciation "thank you Sano"

"Anytime Jou chan"

And he sat next to her "he should wake up tomorrow morning if we are lucky"

Kenshin wanted to kill them both. Kaoru needed to lie down a little but instead; she was drinking tea with Sano. He decided he'll have to stop this nonsense and force Kaoru into bed if he had to. But before he tried to do anything he was surprised to see Sano quickly reaching for the tea in Kaoru's hand as she fell in his arms unconscious

"What happened to her? Kaoru dono?"

"Shhh..I put something in her tea to help her sleep" Sano said quietly "I knew she's so stubborn to listen to reasoning so I decided to take action instead"

Kenshin shook his head in approval "you did well"

Sano winked "I know..now until her turn comes up to watch him she's going to get some sleep"

Kenshin went to Aoshi's side "I'll watch him first"

Sano carried Kaoru and headed to the door "I'll be next then"

Kaoru sighed and slowly opened her eyes "hmm..what?" she was shocked when she realized that she was in her room "what I'm I doing here?" she sat up and looked around her "Sano! He must've put something in my tea. I'm going to kill him" she thought angrily and got up. She looked at the window and saw that it was almost an hour after sunrise "Aoshi"she whispered and she quickly headed to the room he was in.

"Jou chan you are awake" Sano said coolly as if he didn't do anything wrong "good, it's your turn to watch our friend here"

"You had no right to do what you did to me" Kaoru said angrily

"You needed rest. You've been acting crazy the whole day and you sure looked like you needed to get your self together" he paused for a moment "of course Kenshin and Yahik think that you care too much for your friend but I know better than that Jou chan"

His eyes dared her to deny what he was implying "I don't know what you are talking about" that was her only answer

"Keep saying that but I know that something is going on between you and stone man and I'm going to know what it is"

Kaoru didn't answer because her eyes were fixed on Aoshi who looked so pale and peaceful "how is he?"

Sano looked at Aoshi "his fever is down now but he's not showing strong signs of waking up soon"

"I'll take your place now"

Sano yawned and got up "wake us if anything happens" and he headed to the door

"Sano" her voice stopped him "I'm still going to make you pay for what you did to me"

"And I'm still going to have a serious talk with you Missy"

With that he left and shut the door behind him.

Kaoru wiped Aoshi's forehead with the wet cloth then she took his hand in hers "you said that you came back for me. If that's why you really did it then why aren't you awake yet? I'm here and I want to hug you and tell you how happy I am to see you and how much I was scared for your life" a tear ran down her cheek "I'm so confused right now. I know that I have a future with Kenshin waiting for me and everybody knows that. It's all I used to think about actually. But now, all I think about is you"

She hesitated for a moment before she knelt and printed a light kiss on his lips "I want you to know that I totally mean what I'm going to say now, but you should never expect me to repeat it to you if you ever wake up" she took a deep breath 'I love you Aoshi" she kissed his hand and hugged it to her chest "if you would just open your eyes"

She sat there for a moment just looking at him then she rested her head on his chest and started crying.

Later that after noon Aoshi opened his eyes for the first time. Megumi was there along with the Kenshin gumi and they all were thrilled to see that his condition got better. Kaoru locked her self in her room and cried tears of happiness and relief. She was overwhelmed by the events of the past two days and knowing that Aoshi was going to be fine helped her to get it all out of her system.

The present:

Kaoru opened her eyes slowly despite the undescripable pain in her head. Her eyes scanned the place around her and she figured that she was lying in a clinic. She wondered what brought her here but then it all came back to her.

she heard the door to her room get opened and it took her a lot of effort to turn her head to the door's direction. She was met with Kenshin's surprised eyes "Kaoru dono, you are up!"

Kite06,bigfan89,ShadowElite,i love athrun,Nakashima-Michiyo,XxSilentxDreamerxX,justagirl8225:
Thank you so much for reviewing and I hope you will like this chapter although I think it'll be fair if you dont :p I' so glad that you are all reading and enjoying.and i'm so sorry for all this delay

Anonymousfanfic: well, Aoshi is fine although he's having a hard time with Kaoru. as for Sano and Yahiko I put them in the memories part and as you'll read Sano already suspects that there's something between Aoshi and Kaoru. I'm glad you like the story so far.

Kura-sama:I always hated the idea of Aoshi treating Kaoru silently, he is the man, he should be the one fighting for her love..hehe..thanks for reading

Alexis Lynette: Kaoru wont admit she loves Aoshi coz she's afraid he'll hurt her like Kenshin did, but our man is going to convince her otherwise but we'll have to wait and see! thanks for reading the story

Raeyn-chan: I'm glad you liked the chapter, me too I always think that we need more Kaoru/ Aoshi stuff.. I love this couple so much.

Yoko-obssessor:well, I normally get annoyed when I read stories with lots of details but english isn't my language so I find it alittle bet hard to write ina normal way..LOL..also you'll notice the great amount of mistakes in the writing..I'm so happy that doesnt stop you from reading

White Rabbit Tale: well hi, how r u? you know I never realized that you made Kaoru use Aoshi's sword in your story, I'm so sorry if I somehow stole your idea but I swear I didn't know..as for my sentences, well, they'll always be full of mistakes so I hope you'll all get used to them :)

I'm so glad you like the story so far and I hope you'll like what's coming too.

Again guys I'm sorry for this delay and I promise next chapter will be about Aoshi and Kaoru and more of him running after her "thumbs up" hehe..thank you all for your reviews you are really great.