Disclaimer: RK and its characters are not mine, I merely borrowed them for my tale.

A.N. Greetings! Again... ^_^;;

=bows profusely=

I know, almost 4 months for this chapter! It's killing you guys! But that's what happens when you're stuck in school. :P Sorry it took so long.

So here's the next installment, hope you like it!

R&R!

Enjoy!

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Aoshi sat in the restaurant, discretely staring at his wife who sat across from him. He smiled slightly at her face which was deep in thought. Her eyebrows were drawn together as she stared intently at the menu in front of her. She was biting her lower lip which drew his attention immediately.

He had to physically force himself to stay put when her small tongue flicked out and moistened her lower lip as she glanced through the choices.

Watching her tongue only reminded him of the last 24 hours....

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Aoshi sat in the rear of the limo, staring dejectedly out the window at the glimmering lights of the Las Vegas strip as the group of four were chauffeured to their hotel.

'How in the name of God did I allow myself to be talked into this?' he asked himself for the third time that minute. His blue eyes swung away from the lights that were Vegas to the two pairs of legs in the centre of the back seat. Sano and Katsu were enjoying themselves already.

Aoshi silently sighed and turned his gaze from the four legs to the short red-head sitting beside him. Kenshin had also averted his eyes from the two crazies sticking out of the car.

This was going to be a long weekend.

Aoshi looked back at Sano and Katsu, their exclamations of excitement were lost to the outside world, but he distinctly heard a few cat calls coming from the two men. Honestly, it was lucky for the general population of women that both men had been 'tamed' by their significant others.

"Kenshin, are you sure this was a good idea?" Aoshi asked his law partner. Kenshin swung his gaze from the window, to the two loonies, and then to Aoshi.

"I've always had my doubts, Aoshi. But it's Sano's bachelor party." was the reply.

Aoshi blinked. Surely that wasn't the only reasoning Kenshin had?! He was a top ranking lawyer, best in the business! He had to have something other than that to work with.... right?

Aoshi raised an eyebrow, calling into question the sanity of the red-head.

Yep, defiantly going to be a long.... LONG weekend.

It was in no time flat that they were in the main lobby of the hotel. Sano had followed Kenshin to the check-in desk while Aoshi did all in his power to ignore Katsu who was making a fool of himself not 3 feet from the ice cold lawyer.

"Aoshi, ever see something so huge? This is GREAT! I can't wait to hit the booze. Since Kenshin is paying I am raiding my mini bar the second I get in that suite! We're getting canned tonight Shinomori!!!" Katsu exclaimed, slapping his colleague in the back.

Aoshi remained silent, staring at the cheesy artwork that was found in most hotels. Even though the Monte Carlo Hotel/Casino was a top rated spot in Vegas, it didn't take away from the fact that it was still a hotel, and therefore had the ugly hotel carpeting and artwork that was the norm for hotels across the world.

Not one to be ignored, Katsu grabbed Aoshi's ear and tugged hard, hauling the taller man down. Aoshi winced in pain and swatted Katsu's hand away, glaring at the same time.

"What's wrong with you, deaf or something?" Katsu retorted. Aoshi sniffed and straightened, turning his gaze away from the painting and allowing his eyes to roam the foyer.

"No. I'm ignoring you in hopes that no one in the hotel will think I know you."

Katsu laughed at the retort and threw his arm around his friend's shoulder.

"Ignore me all you like, but by the end of this evening, everyone in this whole damn hotel will know you and I are friends." Katsu grinned. Aoshi shrugged the offending arm off and glanced at the front desk where Kenshin and Sano were.

As per usual, the young woman behind the desk was flirting with the handsome red-head.

Aoshi turned away from the desk and from the babbling Katsu only to have his eyes land and lock on a young woman who had just entered the lobby.

She was petite, with long raven black hair pulled back off her young face in a long braid. Even from across the room Aoshi could see her bright green eyes and how they lit up when she smiled.

She was beautiful.

Katsu noticed Aoshi staring and followed the line of sight only to set eyes on the object of interest. Or rather, objects. Katsu wasn't sure which one had caught the attention of the otherwise inattentive man, but the two women he was looking at were stunning in their own beauty.

One girl, the smaller of the two, had a long braid and bright green eyes. The other, taller woman, had her black hair pulled back in a simple ponytail, and her bright blue eyes shone with wonder as she looked around the foyer. Her ponytail was tied back with an indigo blue ribbon.

It was her.

Katsu smiled mischievously and glanced back up at his friend.

"Wow-ie! Look what the cat dragged in! Man that's one hot little number." Katsu exclaimed. He watched blue eyes narrow and pressed ahead. "What do you think Mr. Shinomori?"

Aoshi clenched his jaw. He had been caught staring at a woman, and by KATSU of all people. But.... when in Rome.

"Yes, she is quite..." he couldn't do it! He just couldn't bring himself to say 'hot little number'. "beautiful."

"Think so? I'll go get her room number for you!" Katsu stated proudly and started towards the two women. He hadn't even taken two steps before a strong hand had clamped down on the back of his neck, stilling his movements.

"No. You won't." Aoshi said simply. He gave Katsu a warning squeeze and then released the man. Anything else said by Katsu was ignored as Aoshi continued to watch the green-eyed beauty.

She walked with a bounce in her step, but with an underlying grace that would normally be overlooked by most men. Her smile was open and friendly, and her hair dark and glistening. But her eyes were her most beautiful feature.

That and her figure. She had one sexy body. Definitely curved in the right places. Aoshi could feel his palms start to itch as desire for the green-eyed beauty coursed through him like a bolt of lightening.

He wondered what she would be like in bed....

Aoshi shook his head at that thought. He was channeling Katsu! A sick cold shiver ran up his spine.

Ugh....

"Looks like we're in business! Let's go check out the goods!" Katsu said as he watched the remaining two members of their party walk away from the check-in desk with key cards in hand.

"I already am." Aoshi replied, allowing his eyes to centre on the young woman's nicely curved rear. Katsu followed Aoshi's gaze once again and figured out that it was the shorter woman Aoshi was expressing interest in. Good.

"She has got one fine ass on her." Katsu remarked.

"Yes she does." Aoshi replied. He blinked and shook his head to clear his mind of the rather naughty thoughts he was thinking. He glanced over only to find Katsu smirking up at him. "Oh shut up." Aoshi retorted and started to follow Kenshin and Sano as they made their way to the elevators.

"I didn't say a word." Katsu replied. He fell into step beside Aoshi and remained silent as they piled into the elevator.

Sano had Kenshin in a firm headlock.

It was a few hours later that Aoshi had the opportunity to see the green- eyed woman again. He and Katsu were sitting in a corner of the hotel bar; they had managed to snag one of the more secluded corners with large comfortable leather chairs surrounding a low circular table. Both men had a drink in hand as they waited for Kenshin and Sano to join them.

Katsu was already half cut after raiding his mini-bar, as he had promised to do, so Aoshi had his hands full attempting to keep a buzzed Katsu out of trouble. It was proving to be much more difficult than Aoshi initially thought. Katsu drunk was usually easy to deal with, simply pour the man another drink and he was content.

However, in his partial drunken state, Katsu was a womanizer extraordinaire. He couldn't keep his eyes off the ladies, and it was a full time job to watch the man's hands, he had a tendency to slap some ass whenever a cute waitress would venture near him.

Aoshi took another deep swallow of his double scotch, feeling it necessary to dull the pain that was Katsu with vast amounts of alcohol.

Where in the hell were Sano and Kenshin?!

"Can I get you another drink sir?" a pretty waitress asked as she collected Katsu's empty glass. Katsu smiled in a flirting manner and Aoshi had to polish off his drink to keep from throwing up. He placed the empty glass on her tray.

"Make the next one a triple please." he said quietly. He needed to get drunk and fast, that way he wouldn't be held responsible for any mess Katsu was about to get into.

Then again, Katsu had the fear of God put into him by his woman....

"I will have anything you've got to – "Katsu began, but Aoshi cut him off.

"So how's Tae doing, Katsu?" he asked innocently. He saw the momentary freeze in Katsu's demeanor but the sentence he was uttering didn't skip a beat.

"- drink." He finished. The flirt was cut off at the knees. Aoshi smiled to himself and watched the waitress head for the bar with their orders.

"That was cheap Shinomori." Katsu grumbled. He enjoyed flirting with woman. He loved how they would blush and giggle. But he would never ever even dream of cheating on his girl. He loved her too much to risk that sort of thing.

"No, she was." came the reply, indicating the waitress.

"Granted she was, but still, I'm here to have a little fun, and fun to me is flirting with women!" Katsu replied. Aoshi merely sniffed at the statement.

Katsu regarded his ice cold friend with a calculating eye. He knew Aoshi could hold his drink so there was no way he was going to melt the ice erected around the lawyer with abundant amounts of alcohol. But there had to be some way to get Aoshi to lighten up.

There was, and Katsu watched in delight as she was escorted into the bar by Sano.

"Fine, if I can't flirt with the waitresses, I'll flirt with her." Katsu said inclining his head towards the door. Aoshi allowed his eyes to shift to where Katsu was indicating, only to see his green eyed beauty. A surge of jealousy shot through him when Sano draped his arm around her shoulders and started to steer her towards their table.

He didn't even notice the blue eyed woman and the way Kenshin stared at her, but Katsu certainly did.

"Gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to these fine young women." Sano said as the small group approached the table. "Aoshi, Katsu, this is weasel girl and raccoon girl."

"Sano!" Kenshin snapped. Sano merely grinned.

"Weasel!" the green eyed woman exclaimed.

"Raccoon!"

"Watch it rooster head, or you'll owe us two drinks!" 'Weasel' girl growled. Aoshi smiled. Rooster head suited Sano perfectly.

"Sorry, sorry. This is Misao and Kaoru. Ladies, this is my business partner Katsu, and my lawyer Aoshi." Sano said. It would be his only civil moment for the entire evening.

"Another lawyer? You must be important if you have two lawyers." Misao retorted.

"Babe, you don't know how important I am." Sano leered. Aoshi's eyes narrowed at the rooster head while Misao rolled hers. The waitress returned with the drinks Aoshi and Katsu had ordered and before she finished taking the next round of orders, Aoshi had his triple gone and was requesting a second.

Misao watched Aoshi discretely for most of the evening. She had noticed him the second she had walked into the bar and hoped against all hope that he would be one of the men Sano was meeting. To her utmost joy and delight, Sano introduced them.

He was one gorgeous hunk. Tall, dark and handsome with ice blue eyes that would freeze over anyone who looked at him the wrong way. 'Lawyer' certainly suited him. She couldn't help but wonder what his eyes would look like if they melted.

His hands caught her attention when he took his drink off the waitress' tray and took a sip. Were they soft or rough? Strong or weak? Would he kiss the way he looked; coldly? Or would his lips be hot and feverish as they roamed over her skin?

"Misao, you'll start to drool if you don't stop staring." Kaoru whispered in her friend's ear. Misao slid her eyes away from Aoshi's hands and looked at Kaoru. She was only on her second drink but she was already feeling its effects.

Low alcohol tolerance, thy name is Misao.

"With the fantasies I'm having, I hope I start drooling." Misao whispered back. From the alcohol she was drinking, she was feeling a little more free than usual, and wanted nothing more than to climb into Aoshi's lap and....

Kaoru felt the need to flee the scene. She knew exactly how Misao was feeling at that moment since she too was having some rather naughty fantasies about what she'd like to do with Kenshin. Feeling a need to conference with her friend, Kaoru stood up suddenly.

"I have to pee. Misao, come with me." Kaoru stated. She grabbed her friend's hand and before Misao or anyone else for that matter could stop her, Kaoru was making a beeline for the bathroom.

"Man, if I wasn't getting married, I'd definitely go for Kaoru." Sano remarked, taking another shot of tequila. Kenshin glared at his best friend.

"Well you are getting married, so hands off Sano." Kenshin growled, taking another shot for himself.

"Ooo, do I detect some jealousy in those words Himura?" Sano teased. Kenshin merely glared at the man.

Aoshi watched the scene through half drunken eyes. He wasn't feeling totally plastered, but he was in a good spot. He blocked out the words and allowed himself a moment of silence.

He noticed Misao's lopsided walk towards the bathroom and figured she didn't have much tolerance. And considering the drink Sano had served her, he was surprised that she wasn't passed out on the floor yet.

Of course, the alcohol content in her blood gave her a rather becoming blush across the bridge of her nose and her cheeks. The blush only amplified the brightness of her eyes and made Aoshi's palms itch immensely.

He could only imagine what her mouth tasted like. Probably like water to a thirsty man.

At the moment, Aoshi was a VERY thirsty man.

A hand on his shoulder which gently shook him snapped him out of his fantasy of kissing Misao. He opened his mouth to tell off one of his friends only to be met with a pair of green eyes.

His threat died in his throat.

"Are you alright?" she asked. A quick glance told Aoshi that they were alone in the little dark corner that they had been occupying with the rest of their group. Kenshin was on the dance floor with Kaoru, while Sano and Katsu were no where to be seen.

Wait.... Kenshin was on the dance floor?!?

Aoshi tore his gaze from Kenshin DANCING and looked up at Misao who stood over him. Her hand was still on his shoulder and she had a concerned look on her beautiful face. He looked down at her hand touching him.

Misao saw the startled look on his face and immediately pulled her offending hand away.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. I thought you had passed out. I didn't mean to touch you, I'm sure your girlfriend wouldn't appreciate it if her man was touched by another woman I mean I wouldn't want it to happen if I had a boyfriend, which I don't, but that's another story, and anyways I was just checking to see if you were alright I wasn't trying to put the moves on you or anything.." Misao was babbling. She was nervous because Aoshi was still staring at her and she felt like a total fool for thinking she had a snowballs chance in hell of getting a man like Aoshi to look her way.

Misao's babbling was very endearing to Aoshi. The blush on her cheeks spread and soon she was a bright red. She wasn't looking at him anymore, she was merely babbling on staring at her feet and wringing her hands nervously.

Without thinking Aoshi's hand shot out, grabbed Misao's wrist and he pulled her into his lap. With his free hand he put a finger to her lips to quiet her.

Misao froze. One second she was standing before him, making a total fool of herself, the next she was in his lap and his finger was gently pressing against her lips.

Not a word was spoken. Aoshi simply stared at Misao, studying ever curve of her face with his eyes. He brushed his finger against her lower lip and looked up into her eyes. Cupping her face in his hands he pulled her face towards his.

"You are so beautiful." he whispered as he covered her mouth with his own.

He had been right in his fantasies; she did taste like water to a thirsty man. Her mouth was hot and sweet with just the right amount of flavour from alcohol to drive Aoshi wild. He never thought it was possible to be so intensely turned on by a simple kiss, but at that very moment he wanted to drown in her.

Misao melted in his arms when his lips touched hers. She willingly opened her mouth to allow his tongue passage and he took the opportunity like a dying man in need of a drink.

Misao's thoughts on what Aoshi's kiss was like were confirmed. Although he had a cool demeanor and ice cold eyes, his kiss was unbelievably hot and luscious.

Aoshi's tongue gently probed Misao's mouth, tasting her fully and stretching their kiss to something long and torturous.

Something he could enjoy for the rest of his life....

With that thought, Aoshi broke their kiss. He watched as her eyes slowly fluttered open and her tongue flicked out to catch the last bit of taste Aoshi's mouth had left behind on her lips.

Aoshi swallowed hard at that action.

"I'm in trouble." he said to her in wonder.

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A.N. Well then, it was high time I got to Misao and Aoshi! Plus that and I figured I'd leave K&K alone for a bit, get the details on Misao and Aoshi since they are part of the story!

Yes, I know, leaving Kenshin and Kaoru at such a critical point in their story was a bit horrid of me, but that's the whole point! Cliffhangers!!! :D

Anyways, thank you readers so much for your reviews and emails! They mean so much to me! I know it's been ages since I updated and I apologize to you all. I had a few concerned emails sent to me and it makes me all warm and fuzzy to know you guys care. (. To alleviate and concerns, I was not hurt/injured nor was there anything bad happening in my life, unless you call university bad. Cuz if you do then lots of bad things were happening. I just completed my 3rd year of a science degree (one to go yay!!) and I'm doing an honours degree so that's just extra work for me. Finding time to think up ideas, let alone write them, is next to impossible. But now I'm finished the semester and able to get my head on straight again.

Now, even though the semester is over, that doesn't mean I'll be writing lots and lots again. I have a life and stuff, plus a job that takes up a lot of my time. So while there won't be another 4 month waiting period for the next chapter, I can't say I'll get the next one out next week. So please be patient!

I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your patience and wonderful reviews. You guys are the reason I continue to sit before my PC and write. (