Chapter 6

Just Tell Me

"I…I can't believe she slapped me!"

He was frozen in place staring wide-eyed at the angry young girl in front of him. For a few moments he had been so close to her, he had tasted her lips, and he savored it for every brief second. She was soft and warm under his touch and he already missed her warmth. Her eyes were angry at this point but their brilliance never faded. She pouted at him and he thought she still looked so adorable.

All day he had felt a constant nagging and tugging at his heart whenever he would lock eyes with her. He wanted to tell her before, but didn't have the chance. For the last few days he had followed her secretly with his gaze: in their classes, at lunch, after and before school. She seemed shy and quiet but those were deceptive defenses that she would drop every now and then. He knew while she was shy around him, there was an aura of strength and energy around her. She spoke up during class, voicing her opinion without hesitation or unapologetically questioning a theory that she didn't understand or agree with. Every time she challenged a thought or asked a question, her eyes lit up with a fire that he wanted to burn in. He would secretly bask in her laughter as Sano and Misao would do or say something amusing. Her giggles and chuckles were so cute. The way her entire face would light up when she smiled made him wish he could be the one to make her feel that way. Yet it was her stubbornness and strength that impressed him. She was no push over though. Always ready to speak up, he was amazed at her unabashed attitude towards sticking up for herself, her beliefs, and even those who couldn't do the same for themselves. She never attempted to impress him or put on a front for him. Her honesty, integrity and even stubbornness were refreshing from the constant fickleness of the rest of his female 'friends'.

It wasn't like him to take advantage of any girl like this, but the way she looked sitting there, teary eyed and pouting, he couldn't hold himself back anymore. So he had done what he thought was right, what he thought might calm her, but more of what he thought might finally end his thirst for her. And now he felt like an idiot, and completely rejected.

They were feelings he'd never known before, he was Kenshin Himura; rich, good-looking, personable, and smart. He wasn't exactly conceited, but he knew himself well enough, and if that made him arrogant, so be it! Any girl would love to be around him let alone the object of his attention…affection…desires.

"Wait, she just SLAPPED me! What the hell!" He felt a pang of anger well up inside. The thought that a girl could just come out and slap him like that! No one had ever dared to do that to him!

She looked away from him now, her eyes shining with unshed tears and tainted with anger. She refused to meet his eyes, but his gaze remained frozen on her. Finally she let out a defeated sigh as fresh tears rolled down her face once more.

He was still inert and didn't dare move towards her, but he couldn't tear himself away either. He wanted to bask in her warmth, he wanted to remain this close to her, so close that he could smell the hint of jasmine and vanilla that radiated from her skin. So he remained there, still crouching in front of her, waiting to accept her into his arms once more…hoping for it.

Her gaze softened from that of anger to something different…sadness? There was something in her eyes that had drawn him closer before, and their allure was only getting stronger. For once in his life Kenshin didn't know what to do, how to react or behave around a girl, THIS girl! She was so completely different from every other girl he'd ever known or been with. "So much stronger and stubborn!" he thought.

His gaze began to wander around her delicate features and just then she met his eyes. She stared into his eyes and he felt like she could read his thoughts. As if some how this girl could see into his soul and know everything about him, the things he never wanted anyone to know. Still letting the tears roll freely down her face she looked at him and with a soft voice asked, "wh-why…did you k-k-kiss me? WHY?"

He had no answer for her. Or at least he couldn't possibly tell her how he felt.

"What the hell do I say to that? How do I tell her how I've been feeling towards her? She'll laugh at my idiocy and claim that we've only known each other for what, a week now! How do I tell her that I think about her night and day, the way she smiles and laughs, the way I literally hang on every word that comes past those perfect lips, the way I loved holding her in my arms just now? How? God Kenshin, get a hold of yourself. You're KENSHIN HIMURA, and she's…just another girl… NO! She's different. But I'm no chump, and she won't do this to me!"

"Kaoru…I…I'm…so..." he started to speak, but before he could finish, she let her head fall softly on his shoulder once more. The feeling of drowning in her aroma took hold of him again. His thoughts raced to her and about how desperately he wanted to tell her what he felt.

Through her sobs he could hear her trying to say something, but her crying drowned it out.

"What's wrong Kaoru? Tell me" he spoke softly as he cautiously held her once more. "She's perfect!" he smirked to himself. He discretely inhaled her scent once more and was instantly gratified like an addict. He was addicted to her?

At first he could barely make out the words, but finally he understood her, "I…I-I'm sorry…I'm sorry!"

"She's sorry? About what though, the slap or the getting belligerently drunk?"

He stroked her hair once more wanting desperately to release it from the ribbon. It was so soft under his hands, like black velvet. He could feel her warmth radiating into his body and warming each fiber of his soul. Every rational thought left his mind and he closed his eyes as he began talking to her, "Kaoru, I…I'm…I really like you Kaoru. I've wanted to tell you but…I don't know what the hell is wrong with me. But I really do like you, and I don't want to see you cry like this."

"Oh damnit to hell Kenshin, why not just take out your heart and serve it up on a silver platter for her? Desperate?" he chastised himself whileregaining some composure.He continued to curse himself for getting so close to someone so fast. Several of his guy friends had allowed some random girl to make into complete puppy-dogs on leashes. The relationships would never work, and his friends would get depressed over nothing it seemed. He'd promised himself that would never happen to him. Never would a girl take his peace of mind or his heart and never would he be some chump on a leash for a chick!

"I…I…. I'm fiiine" she stammered, the words coming out in muffles as she was still buried in his shoulder.

Just then his thoughts came crashing back to reality once more. In those few seconds of clarity he realized how foolish he'd been to admit his feelings to her, especially now!

"I'mm fine? Shit…of course, she's still drunk! She has no clue what she's doing. She probably won't even remember this conversation, the slap or…the kiss. By tomorrow, it'll be one blurry headache".

He felt his heart twist with pain as he realized that the words and feelings literally fell on deaf ears.

At the same time though, a wave of relief washed over him. It was the calm of knowing that tomorrow she wouldn't remember everything he'd said to her. She wouldn't remember him opening up to her and momentarily leaving himself exposed and raw to her.

He held her savoring every last moment he had left with her. As if this would be the last time he would hold her, the last time he would be so near her. The new day would bring back the same defenses and walls for each of them.

What a great amount of control she'd gained over him in such a short period of time, "I'm such an idiot!"

Just as he feared the moment with Kaoru ended abruptly, "Hey Kaoru, how're you feelin'? Misao chirped walking toward them. Sano sauntered behind holding a black plastic bag in his hand.

"Great! They're back", Kenshin sarcastically grimaced to himself. He still held the intoxicated girl close to him, but gently eased her away from his chest. The cold void where her warm body had just been instantly stung at him, and he missed holding her.

"Ah…what's going on here?" Misao inquired as she noticed Kaoru's tear stained cheeks, puffy eyes and awkward glances from Kenshin.

"Nothing. She…doesn't feel well. I think it's her head. I guess she was dizzy." he quickly responded.

A bit too quickly for Sano, who raised an eyebrow in disbelief at Kenshin's statement, but he didn't comment. "I got some bottled water", he indicated holding up the plastic bag. Kenshin shook his head.

"Aw, Kaoru" Misao cooed as she bent down by her friend's side, "are you okay?" She gently stroked some hair from Kaoru's face aside. Kenshin looked on, his hands still holding Kaoru's arms wishing he could be the one touching her so gently.

Kaoru let out a small groan and raised her hands to either temple and began to massage in clockwise motions. "Aaaah…I-I'm…" she started stammering.

"You're FINE, yes we know that Missy!" Sano snapped back, finishing her sentence.

Kenshin looked at up at him from his spot in front of Kaoru, and gave a disapproving look mixed in with a slight bit of irritancy towards Sano. "Relax Sano! She's still not…altogether…we need for her to just sit down and rest for a bit." Kenshin tried to keep the anger towards him out of his voice as best he could. Besides, it was Sano's idea to start the drinking game in the first place!

Sano merely shrugged and asked, "So what's your plan?"

Misao looked up from Kaoru and looked towards Kenshin as well.

"Oh sure! Now that YOU got her wasted, I have to come up with a plan to keep her and us out of trouble…keh!" Kenshin finally spoke, "I say we go and take in a movie. She'll sleep for a bit…I hope! And afterwards I'll drive her home…considering she's feeling…ahem…acting better!"

There were no arguments, and no further discussions. They nodded at Kenshin's idea in unison, and Kenshin turned his attention to Kaoru once more.

At this point he knew that Misao or Sano, as much as they cared about her, were going to be no help. Or at least that's how he felt. What is this new feeling…possessiveness? He shook it off and spoke to Kaoru again taking care not to hold her hands; he didn't want any more awkward looks from Sano or Misao.

"Hey Kaoru…let me help you up. You up for a movie?" Kenshin asked.

"Oooh…" she groaned, "…movie?" She thought for a moment, and as if a new wave of energy flowed through her, she brightened up. "OKAY! MOVIE! YEAH!"

She quickly stood up and started walking in whatever random direction she faced. Kenshin was in shook for a few seconds, but then quickly caught up to her, as did Sano and Misao. "Argh, to hell with what they think. I need to make sure she doesn't hurt herself" Kenshin made up his mind.

"Uh…movie theater is this way guys", Misao pointed.

Kenshin gently held Kaoru by the shoulders, wrapping one arm around her, and guided her in the right direction. They all walked together for a few blocks, and Kaoru was still stumbling around, and still refused much help from Kenshin or Misao when they would offer. The group got a few more stares and double glances from other pedestrians, mainly because of Kaoru. Kenshin would just look and star right back at them, encouraging them to mind their own business and keep walking. He would let no one upset her again.

Finally they reached the theater and they stood outside studying the marquee. Sano didn't want to see "some stupid chick flick", Misao insisted on "action-adventure" and Kenshin didn't concentrate on much of anything, instead keeping his attention on Kaoru. He stood near the ticket booth and there were no other customers in line. "Thank God, it looks like the movie started and we missed the crowd", Kenshin thought.

Misao and Sano argued over what to see and Kenshin quickly looked over the roster of movies. Kaoru stood only a few feet away and her eyes seemed glazed over. "She's gonna' want to crash soon. I see it in her eyes" Kenshin thought.

Quickly he purchased four tickets for a new horror flick. He didn't care what it was about, all he wanted to do was get Kaoru inside and seated safely. Misao and Sano were surprised as Kenshin handed each of them a ticket. "Come on children, the movie started 5 minutes ago. I assume you'll want popcorn and drinks too?" he mused as he took hold of Kaoru's hand and walked towards the glass doors of the theater.

"Oi Kenshin! That's not right you know! You didn't have to buy my ticket for me, I'm not your bitch" Sano said as he waved the ticket at Kenshin. They stood inside the theater, and handed their tickets to the young theater employee.

"Fine, then you can pay for the food and drinks. I'll go and grab some seats. Oh and Sano, if you were my bitch, I'd make YOU buy the tickets!" Kenshin walked away with Kaoru still in hand and disappeared in the dark room behind large burgundy doors.

Misao and Sano looked at the doors and then at each other, blinking in disbelief. "What's that all about?" Sano asked.

"Hmmm…looks like looooove to me!" Misao quipped. Sano rolled his eyes and moved towards the concession stand as the scent of fresh popcorn filled his nose.

Once inside the theater Kenshin quickly adjusted his eyes to the darkness. The room was rather large and he sighed in relief that it wasn't too crowded for a Saturday night. "I guess everyone's still busy gettin' wasted", he thought aloud.

Still holding Kaoru's hand, he guided her down the aisle making sure she didn't bump into anything or trip and fall. The theater wasn't as filthy as he feared and he noticed the trailers were already playing.

After walking a few feet towards the large screen, he decided on an empty row in the center of the theater. Again, he guided her into the row and instructed her to sit in a seat as they got half way down the narrow path.

They both settled into the seats and he looked over to Kaoru on his left. The chairs squeaked as they sat down and Kenshin noticed how uncomfortable they were, wondering if Kaoru was okay. The glare from the large theater screen caused shadows to dance across her features and Kenshin noticed the distant look on her face with each burst of light. He tried to focus on some random movie trailer that was playing, but his thoughts kept coming back to the pretty girl beside him. The distressed look in her eyes, the sadness across her lips where he only wanted to see a smile.

"I wonder if she'll kill me if I put an arm around her" he remembered how in the past he'd never have to think twice about any of this. Every weekend would bring a new "friend" to take out and hang out with. They loved the money he spent on them, the expensive cars he'd pick them up in, and he thought he enjoyed their company, but there was always something missing.

He wondered what was going through her mind at this point, if anything except for the haze the alcohol was causing. Still lost in thought, he was suddenly jolted to reality as Kaoru yelped, turned to him and grabbed hold of his bicep with both hands. She sunk her head down and there was a frenzied tone in her voice as she whined, "oh no, oh no…I HATE horror movies! I'm scared…they're too scary!"

He looked up and noticed that the movie had started and the scene was of a scary, dilapidated looking house. The music and tone of the movie were classically horror in genre. Kenshin had to wonder how such a stubborn and defiant girl could possibly be afraid of make believe stories. "You've GOT to be kidding me! She's scared of some stupid, corny horror flick?"

"I-I hate this…I HATE this Kenshin", she whimpered as she sank closer into his side. Without a second thought he wrapped his left around her shoulders and brought her closer to him. She quickly rested her check in his shoulder, purposely facing away from the screen. She could hear the ominous sounds coming from in front of her and forced herself to turn away shoving her face into his neck and the back of his seat.

"Shhh its okay Kaoru. Just relax and try to sleep. This is all just fancy makeup and props you know that! Nothing will happen to you."

She whimpered again, stiffing her entire body, and then finally settled into place. The armrest between their seats was the only obstruction that kept him from taking her into his arms completely. He had to admit that he felt a twinge of guilt as he thanked the Gods that she was so afraid of horror movies. He didn't like to hear her in pain or see her so scared, but he couldn't deny the smile that crept across his lips at the thought of having her so near again. He stared at the large screen but saw nothing. He looked as if he was concentrating completely on the movie before them, but he heard nothing. There was nothing more important than Kaoru, curled up into his side and breathing onto his neck. Her warmth, her scent, and her allure filled him once more. "I am going straight to hell!"

Misao and Sano had come in just as the movie had started and settled into seats a few rows behind Kenshin and Kaoru. The dark theater had hindered them to identify where their friends were sitting immediately, but Misao eventually picked out Kenshin in the glare of the screen's light. Who could miss that red hair! She decided that he would take care of Kaoru well enough for now and was content on knowing they were just a few rows ahead of her.

As the movie progressed Kaoru went from relative calm to terror again and then settled back down. She would wince at the loud noises of horror coming from the movie and bury her fingers into her ears. She kept her face down and rested on Kenshin's shoulder, and he kept her safely wrapped under one arm.

He felt the urge to bury his fingers in her hair once more. Slowly he brought his other hand and stroked the back of her head, whispering to her softly, "Kaoru, it's okay. I'm right here".

She turned her head, resting her other cheek on his shoulder she looked up him. "Kenshin, I…I'm…" she started to speak.

Without hesitation he lowered his lips down and gently brushed her forehead with the softest of kisses. She sighed in response, and he felt for a moment that she relaxed in his embrace. But just as he began to relax, she pulled away from him, sitting up right, her torso still twisted towards him. "Why did you kiss me?" she asked innocently.

He was a bit dumbstruck from the same question, and felt for a minute that he might soon be feeling another sting on the side of his face if she was angry. But she did nothing; she just sat there and stared at him. The blue of her eyes cutting through the darkness and piercing him. He felt the burning vision and finally answered the question.

"Kaoru, I…I really care about you. I really like you. I don't want to see you sad", he whispered back. There, he had said it. He felt guilty again because he knew that she wouldn't remember this. "Will she?"

He felt her intense gaze still piercing him, and he wished she would say or do something instead of just staring at him.

Just then the silence of the theater exploded into shock as the killer in the movie burst from the shadows and claimed a victim. The sudden jolt scared her right back to him, and back into his arms.

She was hunched over the armrest, burying her face into his neck and shoulder, her hands over her ears trying to drown out the characters' screams of agony. He simply threw his arm around her shoulders once more and brought his other arm around her to encircle her completely. Bringing her closer to him, he heard her whisper something into his neck.

Slowly he eased his hold on her so that she could move her head to whisper closer into his ears. Her breath had toyed with the skin on his neck before, but now it was sending shivers down his spine as it penetrated into his ears. "Sorry…Kenshin. I…I… I'm so sorry. My dad is going to kill me."

"Her parents! Ugh, damn after all this though, I guess I can face them. Especially if it means she won't get into major trouble". Kenshin was used to talking to parents of young girls whom he'd fancied at one point or another. But he never wanted to deal with over protective, stubborn, difficult parents. No girl was worth that much trouble for him. Not that he purposely toyed with them, it just seemed that girls had an ulterior motive for wanting to be with him. Either for the expensive gifts and dates or merely for the recognition of being the momentary object of Kenshin Himura's desire, which would no doubt propel them to popularity. No girl was worth this much trouble before. But for her, he would deal with it.

"It's okay Kaoru," he whispered back to her, "I'll talk to your parents if you want. Your dad will understand and hopefully forgive us". He would do anything to calm her for now and prevent another tirade of tears, but he also knew what he was saying was bullshit! What parent wants their teenage daughter hanging out with a boy she barely knows, at night, and while she's completely senseless from being drunk! "If her old man is THAT bad, he's gonna wanna hang me up by the balls!" He was strangely amused by the challenge though. She was worth it.

She apparently didn't buy it either and continued, her voice barely able to hold the soft whisper as she filled with fear, "No K-Kenshin, Kenshin, you…you…don't understand. He'll…he's a…oh God I wish I w-was…was somewhere else!" She broke down again, although this time he managed to muffle some of her crying by gently pushing her head back on his shoulder.

As he continued to stroke her hair and coo her to relax, he felt a sudden burst of anger rise up within him. "I don't know what the hell I'll do if they…they hit her." The way she kept mentioning her father, from earlier, and just now Kenshin sensed a distress in her voice. Even when she spoke of him in the restaurant and kept on vaguely referring to his "illness" Kenshin felt she wasn't being entirely forthcoming.He knew it wasn't his place, but he wouldn't tolerate another person laying a single finger on her to hurt her. "So now you're willing to fight with her old man and you don't even know how she feels about you? Jack ass!"

He continued to do what he could to comfort her either by gently shushing her to sleep or caressing her soft strands of midnight hair with his fingers. Gradually he felt less movement from her and heard her breathing softly as she fell asleep. "Or passed out, but at least she's resting", he thought.

For the rest of the movie he thought about how to handle her parents. He knew that after the movie, depending on her state, he would have to drive her home. "Damn, what time is it now? 9-something already? Must be, the movie started at 8:45 and we were about 5 minutes late for it. So hopefully we'll be out of here by 10:30, 11 o'clock the latest. She'll be a bit late…shit…that's IF she's still not wasted like this. God damnit who am I kidding…I'm toast!"

He thought about it again and again, replaying every possibility and how he would handle it in his mind. "If he tries to hit me, what do I do? Let him hit me? HA! I don't think so! No one is gonna' hit ME! Okay tough guy, so you gonna hit her old man right in front of her? She'll hate you for the rest of her life. Not to mention she'll probably try to rip your head off herself. But I can't let someone just DECK me! Damnit to hell!" He'd jumped out of second story girls' bedroom windows to avoid being caught…ah…with his pants down by some burly fathers. He never thought twice about leaving the girls to deal with some extremely horrified and angry parents, but her…"why am I such a punk when it comes to her?"

His thoughts then turned to her safety, "what if he tries to hit her? I mean she is his daughter and shit and I can't really interfere without causing him to go off completely!" He looked down at her as she rested on his chest and he watched her breath softly. "Nope, no one's touching her. I'll have to break his hands is all. No major damage, sure she'll be pissed, but she'll get over it." He smirked at his own thoughts. "Wait, she said that she had a little brother. Wholly crap what if 'tiny' is as big as a whale? Cute girls always have either very strict fathers or insanely overprotective brothers. Damnit Kenshin, you had to pick HER?" Her face was so warm against him and her body leaning into him made his heart race so fast and hard that he was worried it might wake her. "Yep, she's worth it though", he thought looking down at her.

A few more different scenarios ran through his mind and he shrugged them all off. They all basically ended with him either swallowing his pride, "yeah, like that'll happen", or Kaoru ending up hating him for knocking out her father and/or her brother. He was giving himself a headache until he looked down at her again. Her peaceful face brought peace to him even if would be short-lived. He let out a sigh and tried to focus on the movie.

After a few blood-curdling and gruesome scenes of a nearly naked young woman running around before being stabbed to death by the killer, Kenshin lost interest. All he focused on was her breathing, her scent, and her warmth. When would he hold her like this again? Soon the movie's credits began to scroll on the large screen as the house lights illuminated the large space.

Kenshin adjusted his eyes and looked down at Kaoru. He could see her much better in the brighter lights, but he scowled at the thought of having to wake her. She'd awaken and he'd be forced to let her out his arms again. Letting out a final sigh he gently shook her and softly called her name, "Kaoru. Hey, wake up. The movie's over, how're you feelin'?"

She opened her eyes slowly, and he looked into deep blue orbs once more. She blinked several times and slowly sat up in her own seat. She groaned a bit and rubbed her eyes looking at him inquisitively. She still looked tired and his gaze remained fixed on her.

"My head hurts", she groaned.

He smiled at her and took her hand as he helped her up from her seat. "At least I can still hold her hand for a bit", he thought as he searched around for Misao and Sano.

Catching sight of them waiting at the doors, he began to lead Kaoru down the narrow path of their row and then up the incline of the aisle. As they neared the two friends Kenshin and her parted hands. "Argh, I'll miss that", he grimaced.

"Hey sunshine, how're you feelin'?" Misao asked sweetly.

"Like all hell" Kaoru replied, her voice still groggy and horse.

Sano handed her a bottled water, and she took several sips from it.

"Well Missy, I think it's time for you to get home" Sano added.

"Yea…shit…what time is it?" she asked sleepily.

"Kenshin looked down at his watch and mumbled, "ah, 10:50".

Her eyes went wide with shock, and she repeated the time only louder, "WHAT? Oh my god, I'm so late!"

They were outside the theater as they decided the next course of action. Kenshin quickly put his plan to work. "Well I am going to drive you home Kaoru. Misao and Sano will take the bus and I'm sure Sano will make sure Misao gets home okay." He gave the two a glance as they both nodded in agreement.

"But…Kenshin…ah…" Kaoru tried to object, but her mind was still spinning and she could barely stand up. There was an unsettling feeling in her stomach, but she pushed the pain down not wanting to worry her friends further.

She reluctantly agreed and decided it was best to take a faster way home since she was already running late for her curfew. Misao gave her a long hug and asked her several times if she was okay. Kaoru nodded and kept trying to assure her friend that she was fine.

The four parted ways as Misao and Sano walked towards the bus stop and Kenshin and Kaoru slowly started towards the parking lot where his car was.

"Finally, a few more moments alone with her", he thought as they walked down the dark sidewalk together. Bars were still buzzing with activity and there were faint noises of life coming from all around them.

He looked at her walking beside him, and the frown on her face worried him. She was holding her head with one hand and seemed to be struggling to walk upright. Her other hand was tucked over her stomach as if she were holding it in place. Gently he reached out and took her hand from her head. He held it firmly in his own and soon their fingers interlaced. He felt no hesitance or resistance from her and decided she was either still a bit drunk, or simply too tired to argue. They walked hand in hand in silence and soon the music and lights from the bars faded into the cool night.

"Damn…I don't know what to say to her", he thought, "I wonder if she's still out of it. Maybe."

He glanced slyly to steel a look at her and noticed the she was still walking with her head bowed down. The familiar tugging at his heart was back again, but he pushed down the desire to embrace her. Eventually they reached the car lot and broke hold of each other's hands only so he could pay the fee. He noticed that she was still a bit out of it because she braced herself against another parked car while the attendant retrieved his car. "Damn, I wonder if I should even take her straight home? But then WHERE do I take her? My place?" A smile crept across lips at the thought of having Kaoru over at his place. He knew his father was away on a business trip and they would be alone. "No, no, no! That's an insane idea! She'd never let the happen, and it'd only get her in more trouble with her parents! Just take your time driving her home…and hopefully she'll be fine. And you won't be slaughtered by her old man."

The familiar hum of the Z3 soon filled the air as the attendant drove up carefully to the couple. Kenshin tipped the attendant who then ran around and helped Kaoru get in, opening and closing the door for her. Kenshin thanked him and got in the driver's side. Before he put on his seat belt, he looked over to make sure she was secure in her seat belt. Kaoru's eyes were shut as she sank into the comfortable, cool leather seat. He figured she'd be cold with a skirt on so he quietly turned on the heated leather seat for her.

He pulled out of the parking lot, and soon they were making their way to towards her home. Every now and then he would look over at her to make sure she was okay, but more so that he could savor every sight of her before she would leave. He still desperately wanted to kiss her, and it was difficult for him to keep focused on his driving. After a few minutes, they came to stop at a light, and the jerking of the car shook her awake. She looked up and around to most likely gather her bearings. He looked over at her and asked, "Hey, you don't have to throw up do you? You okay? Don't worry we'll be home soon."

She looked at him and forced a smile across her lips. Kenshin didn't miss the worry and anxiety in her eyes. He glanced at the time on the dash, "11:17, shit the walk to car took so damn long!" He knew that Kaoru's house was still about 15 minutes away and he sped up slightly, but not so much as to alarm her.

"Kaoru, ah, listen, if your folks are gonna get on you or something about being late…um, I'll come in and you know, talk to them", he couldn't help but ask her about her folks out of sheer worry for her safety.

She seemed to reflect at this for a moment, and softly replied, "No…thanks Kenshin, but I'll face the firing squad on my own. I mean…my mom will be fine…it's just my dad. He ah…he's a bit…strict about young girls being out late and all."

Kenshin listened to her words and also to her voice. It was soft, full of anxiety, and he knew she was at the verge of tears again. "But, I mean, if it'll help your case, I'll talk to him." He wanted desperately to protect her, even if it meant facing a very angry, over-protective father.

"No Kenshin. That'll just make it worse. He…he's a bit…umm…against the whole boyfriend thing. And seeing you with me…driving me and all…it'll just give him the wrong idea. He's not exactly the most reasonable person…especially now."

He looked over at her and she was staring out the window as she spoke to him. She had a distant, thoughtful expression on her face, her eyes dripped with sadness, and she clutched her purse in her lap. "She sounds okay now; I guess that nap in the theater helped her". But he knew that something was still bothering her. "Wait! What did she mean by 'especially now'? Damn, I hope everything is okay at home."

"Kaoru", he said her name softly, barely a whisper, "I…is there something wrong? I know it's probably none of my business, but you'll be okay at home right?"

He tried to look at her from the corner of his eyes as well as the road ahead, and noticed that she had turned her face away from him and was looking out the window. She didn't reply to his question. "I…I don't know what to say anymore…" he thought as a consuming silence filled the car.

The Z3 turned down her block once more and silently crept through the dark street. He knew where her house was and slowed the acceleration, perhaps in a last attempt to keep her with him for a moment longer. Eventually, they crept to a halt in front of her house. The engine hummed silently in idle as he put the car in park and turned to her.

She was motionless, looking out her window and towards her house. He looked out and saw that all was dark in her house, not a single light was on, and this worried him. "Hm, either they're all asleep or no one's home? Nah, someone must be home."

He looked at Kaoru once more, who slowly unbuckled her belt and then looked up at him. "Thanks Kenshin. Don't worry about me, I'll be okay!" Her voice was broken, raw, and he thought for a moment she might still be feeling the effects of the alcohol, though not at as strong anymore. He was silent, and didn't respond to her immediately. Turning towards her in the seat, he looked into her eyes and found only a wall of tears ready to spill out. She was doing everything in her power not to cry. The thought that she was worried about something, that she might be in serious trouble, or worse, danger, was stabbing at his heart. Something inside screamed at him to not let her go until she explained what was troubling her so much. Finally, his composure broke just as she reached for the door handle to leave.

"Kaoru," he grasped her wrist and held her in the seat. "Tell me! What's wrong? I don't want you in trouble even after everything's that happened tonight. Please, just tell me!" His voice was stern, but not threatening. His mind raced, "I will not let you go like this. I'm not some punk ass kid that'll let a girl get beat while he runs away and hides. If her old man wants to act up, fuck it, I've been through worse!" His mind was a flood of emotions: anger, concern, sympathy, confusion, and of course his undeniable attraction towards her. All he could think of was her. She was his only concern, her happiness and her safety.

"K-Kenshin" she stammered, "You…you don't understand." She finally broke down and slumped forward although her torso was still twisted in his direction, his hand still firmly around her wrist. He couldn't help it, her tears, her sobs, and the pain in her voice and pulled her towards him, over the center console of his car. Holding her in his arms again, she pressed her head into his chest.

This time instead of pulling away or staying limp in his arms, Kaoru clutched his olive green shirt tightly in her fists and kept herself near him. Kenshin held her tightly in his arms and rested his chin on her head once more. She continued to cry into him, and he could only wait for her to regain her thoughts and composure.

"Kenshin, you don't…my dad…he's…oh God, I don't know how to tell you", she cried.

It seemed to him she came to the very edge of breaking down and finally telling him everything, but then caught herself and put up her walls again. He knew this happened before when she was sitting on the window ledge and had first cried.

His heart swelled as she cried and he couldn't figure out how she could affect him so much. Her tears stung at him and knew that she was in pain. He could do anything to help her, anything to make her tears go away and make her pain end, but without knowing what was hurting her, he was helpless.

"Just tell me Kaoru" he assured her.

End Chapter 6

LOL ENAJ! Well let's just say I'm an angry drunk with a slapping problem! Yeah, that's what I thought of Kenshin too! He's really sweet and caring, but at the same time…he's a guy! I couldn't make him a punk or whatever! I guess I like 'em a bit rough around the edges, with a soft center! LMAO

I'm glad you like the fic so far, and shame on the rest of you who are reading but not reviewing! Sigh! That just makes me so sad (

This chappy was a bit of a filler I guess…not sure though. What do you think? I dunno…I'm NOT loving it! Maybe the next one I'll make really disturbing or sad. Not sure yet.

Like I said before, I want to keep a fast pace and keep things dynamic. I usually leave the extremely detailed writing to my much shorter pieces. But I also want to stay true to my story and the original ideas I had about this fic. Like I told you guys, this stuff comes generally from personal experiences and the rest of it is pure fiction. Which is which is for you to guess! Evil grin! So I want to stay the course and have things play out in a certain sequence; the theater scene, the ride home…all seemed pretty relevant to me. What do you think?

Although sometimes I find myself thinking about just how true-to-life I should keep it.

Anyhow, so here's another cliffy…lol. Next chappy's agenda: Will Kaoru tell Kenshin about her family problems? Will Kenshin get beat up by her pops? Will Kenshin end up loosing his control and beating up Kaoru's pops? Will they ever realize how much they like each other? Bwahahahaaha! You'll just have to find out…till next time!