A/N: Hey all! I'm really glad to get so many reviews! Wow! Anyway, as I mentioned in Goal by Heart, I'll be going on a cruise in April so I won't be able to update in two weeks or so.

Forgive me!

Anyway, this is chapter 7!

Chapter 7- A little bit of This

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Kaoru and Kenshin made their way up the sandy beach as the moon and stars set in. Kenshin held his socks and shoes in his hand while Kaoru remained empty handed. The silence was comfortable with the subtle rise and recede of the tide.

They made it back up to the house and smiled a little at each other. Kaoru stood and shifted back and forth from her heels to her toes while folding her lips in then out.

"Well, we better announce that you and Kenji are uh…staying."

Kenshin then nodded in agreement as he placed his hand on the cool doorknob and opened the front door, pausing to allow Kaoru to enter first. Kaoru smiled slightly and bowed her head while heading inside. Kenshin followed soon after she was safely in the house and shut the door.

"Kenji!"

Cupping her hands over her mouth and calling out through the house, there was no answer. Kaoru cocked an eyebrow and called again, this time just slightly louder. Hearing her call that time, or at least deciding not to ignore it, Kenji's head popped out from the living room entrance.

"Yeah?"

Kaoru smiled a little and strode over to him and quickly strung her arm around his shoulder and gave him a noogie.

"You're deaf, kiddo. Anywho, because you joined up late, I wouldn't expect you know this but about three weeks ago we planned on having a sleep over today; er, well, tonight." Kaoru smiled lopsidedly as she informed Kenji of the matter.

Kenji's face brightened up as he smiled up at her.

"Y'mean like…spending the night?.!"

Kaoru smiled slyly and gave him a dark grin.

"With popcorn and scary movies and ghost stories?" Kaoru replied to him while Kenji frantically nodded his head.

"And pillow fights and flashlight tag and Truth of Dare?" Kaoru continued to supply him with all sorts of hopes as Kenji's head continuously bobbed up and down, now whispering excitedly, 'yeah! Yeah!'. Kaoru then put on a thoughtful face as she rested her arm on Kenji's head and rubbed her chin.

She then nodded her head simply and waved her hand about.

"Yeah, pretty much."

Kenji then threw his fist up into the air as he danced in delight. Kenshin and Kaoru exchanged looks while they chuckled and then turned their heads to watch Kenji.

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Kaoru tucked Kenji into the large covers that were spread over the living room floor. She smiled as she gently kissed his forehead, holding in a giggle while he scrunched up his nose and turned over in his sleep. She stood up carefully so not to disturb him and with great stealth, she walked out of the living room, avoiding the other sleeping kids.

She smiled as she made her way over to where Kenshin stood, leaning against the opening from the kitchen to the living room, a content smile on his face.

"They're all sleeping soundly." Kaoru said in a low voice. She glanced at the clock. It read 1:39am.

Kenshin nodded in agreement.

"They've had an action packed night. I would imagine they'll have quite the sleep. I haven't seen Kenji this conked out." Chuckling slightly at his own comment, he glanced over at Kenji who was sleeping absolutely still, soft breathing emitting from his resting body.

Kaoru looked at Kenshin a moment and locked eyes with his. She gave him a small smile and nudged her head over to the entrance of the door. Kenshin smiled and obliged, walking side by side with her over to the door.

They stepped outside once again and the warm, summer night air enveloped them both. Although the night was comfortably humid, there was a small taste of chill. Kaoru tugged the thin fabric of her jacket closer to her as she walked along side Kenshin out to the back of her house.

Making her way up onto her porch, Kaoru stopped at the railing and looked over the ocean. She smiled, leaning both of her arms to rest on the post, hearing the small clashes and singing of the tides. Kenshin came up next to her and did the same, resting his arms on the railing and staring out at the ocean.

The night was calm and comforting. The moon and its ivory rapture shown down on the two of them while the stars mimicked its occupation. Kenshin took a large intake of the crisp air and sighed a comfortable moan. Kaoru stole a glance at him and giggled when Kenshin opened his mouth wide in a prolonged, lethargic yawn, small tears forming in his eyes from it. She nudged him with her elbow and a smile appeared on his face.

"So…Mr. Himura...I've been needing to ask you something."

Kenshin almost wanted to cringe at the name. Even though he knew it was proper to say it that way, he still felt as though there was no need. They were best friends….right?

Kenshin turned to her from his original staring place on the sandy shoreline that was bathed in a navy moonlight.

"Shoot."

Kaoru bit her lip nervously as she shifted where she stood and tried to find a comfortable way to ask the question that had been on her mind for the longest time.

"…What….exactly happened…between…you and…Tomoe." Granted, Kaoru noticed that there was really no easy way to put exactly what she wanted to ask because the same feeling of misplacement and utter stupidity was still placed upon her chest with the look she got from Kenshin. He looked as though she had just told him something barbaric. Something like 'hey, I'm pregnant with your child. How 'bout that?'. Ugh. Stupid.

"Well…"

Kenshin started off, also shifting frequently where he stood. It seemed as though he, too, wanted to become more comfortable on the subject that she had regrettably brought up.

"I guess…things just didn't' work."

Kaoru looked at him for a moment. It didn't seem like he was telling her the whole story. If 'things just didn't work' was the whole kit and caboodle, Kenji most likely wouldn't be the face of the earth. And if that was the whole story, maybe Kenji would be her child instead of Kenshin's and Tomoe's. If Kenji was Tomoe's son.

"Really now."

Kaoru was obviously hinting to Kenshin that she wasn't going to accept that as his only answer. Kenshin sighed as he ran a hand through his disarray locks. He knew that she wouldn't settle for that but didn't she know that it was a tender topic to talk about?

"Kaoru, please. It's late and…I really don't want to talk about this."

Kaoru turned to him sharply.

"Well I do, Mr. Himura. I want to know what happened. I need to know what has happened over the twelve years that we've been apart. I don't know you any more, Kenshin! You're a stranger to me and…ugh…frankly, I don't like it!"

Kaoru scolded herself for using his name in the process. But looking at Kenshin, it didn't seem to lessen the effect. There was still a small look of hurt in his eyes. Turning her head back to the sea, Kaoru wanted to indicate that she wasn't going to back down because he was hurt. Her eyes still shown with a fiery blaze.

"Alright, Kaoru. You win."

Kenshin's voice was soft as he bowed his head slightly. Kaoru simply nodded once and kept silent, letting him start when he needed.

A few seconds of silence passed before Kenshin started speaking.

"The first year we finally got together were actually, great. Things were going nice and smooth and we weren't rushing into things too quickly. We were just…a couple. Nothing more, nothing less. But after about a year…things got….bad."

Kaoru nodded in agreement. She actually knew most of the reason as to why Tomoe would just dump him like that. And she had a feeling things got bad after that year when she had that…inning with Tomoe's realboyfriend. However real he could get.

"I mean, we were still rolling along smooth but then…then she started talking about certain things…things that I didn't even consider thinking about, let alone doing."

Kaoru hung her head just slightly. She knew what he meant, and she smiled just slightly. He was the most gentlemanly man she had ever met so she didn't expect him to be like the other immature stature of the other high school boys.

"I repelled against her…suggestions saying that I didn't want that. So, instead, she spread rumors. Saying 'we did it here! We did it there!' She practically said anything that seemed reasonable enough for gossip and made sure it got around."

Hearing that, Kaoru wasn't that surprised. She had heard half of those rumors but even so, refused to believe them. But then again, one of them had to be true. Where would Kenji come from otherwise?

"I kept on asking her to stop. But she insisted. Finally, I sat her down and talked to her. I asked her exactly why she was doing what she was. Her answer was simple, but deadly. 'I'm sorry, Kenny. I just wanted our relationship to look like it was going to last forever.' And then, to add to a little spice to the story, she sprout the fake tears and made little sniffs here and there and bit her lip. I didn't want to see her cry so I simply told her that it was alright."

Kaoru rolled her eyes slightly. If she were Kenshin, she would have told that snob to suck it up if she'd want to stay together. But then again, if she were Kenshin, she wouldn't have gone out with Tomoe in the first place.

"So, thus we continue. The rumors kept spreading, and the gossip kept broadening. But there was one particular one that seemed to stick out the most. And Tomoe planned to make that one reality."

Kenshin stopped and took a deep breath, the pain returning from those years before. His hands were gripping the wooden railing tightly. Kaoru hesitantly reached over and placed her hand atop his gently and he responded by flipping his hand over and squeezing hers, his gaze not moving from the porch floor.

"It was that night that Sano was talking about…the night he was shot. I was taking Tomoe out to a simple dinner. Well, more like she was. I had heard the gun shot and stopped, looking around. But Tomoe wouldn't stop. She continued to drag me to the place where she wanted to eat. It sounds like a corny excuse, but that's what happened."

Kaoru's mind tried to jack up a reason why Tomoe would be se persistent in getting to the restaurant. Could it be that she somehow arranged that night so those guys would attack both herself and Sano? It seemed to fit well, but…why?

"The place where we ended up eating was a bar. One of the rumors to where I supposedly got drunk and…anyway; I told Tomoe that I didn't really want to have dinner at a bar but she wouldn't settle for anything else. I gave in and we sat down. I remember ordering a simple Shirley Temple, and I also remember quoting 'no alcohol.' Tomoe had a martini. I thought 'hey, what could happened. I'm not going to be drunk so all is good.' I kept my cool that way."

Kaoru bit her lip. She had a feeling she knew what happened next but didn't stop him from telling his story. She knew it must feel good to get it off your chest after so long and so she kept silent, continuing to squeeze his hand.

"I don't know what Tomoe did…but she somehow spiked my drink. Seriously spiked it. I didn't even notice. I think I was too busy trying to ignore the many women who were grappling all over me at the time. The next thing I knew, Tomoe was dragging me into some motel for the night. She told me that I shouldn't try even walking, let alone driving which didn't really matter because I had left my car at my Uncle's where I lived at the time."

Kaoru nodded once more. She remembered his Uncle quite clearly now that she thought of it. She smiled slightly. He was always one to be self-conceded and full of himself the way Kenshin put it. Funny that with her around, he always acted chivalrous. Kaoru shook her head ot get out of her thoughts. She was still listening to Kenshin; she needed to focus.

"My mind was such a haze. I remember sitting on the motel bed and just holding my head in agony. It was awful. I felt someone in front of me and looked up to see Tomoe in lace braw and underwear. She asked me something, and I agreed. At the time, I had no idea what I had agreed to exactly, but I found out the hard way later on. All I truly remember clearly, because of the effects from the alcohol, were a couple things. I remember her undressing me for one. I tried to stop her, but I felt too disorientated to. I remember climbing into bed with her, and then I remember her taking my hands and undressing herself."

Kaoru could feel the quivering of his hand in hers and she hung her head, wetting her dried lips with her tongue. She had no idea how against it he was. She had thought that maybe he agreed to it on his own will…but this. She didn't expect this.

Oh, Kenshin…

"I…I-I didn't know what to do. I was in a panic. Here I was under the consumption of alcohol and getting ready to have sex with my girlfriend in a motel, while I knew I didn't want to and I knew that I shouldn't. So I did the only thing I could think to do…I went along with it."

Kaoru gave an exasperated groan as she rolled her eyes along with her head.

"Stupid."

Her eyes widened as she clapped her hand over her mouth immediately after she had said that. Now wasn't the time to berate him on this tender topic. She looked at him nervously but was surprised to find that he was chuckling instead of glaring.

"Yeah, I know it was stupid. I bet if I really tried I could have stopped. But I didn't."

Kaoru sighed. He was always the one to let people's insults just slide. He really needed to change that. She continued to listen to him as he spoke.

"I woke up the next morning with a major hangover, only to find us both nude and in the same bed. I knew right then and there what had happened. I was in denial for the longest time. And that day when I met with you guys, I couldn't bare to talk about Tomoe or to you all. I wouldn't believe anything she told me, saying that it was just a dream. I didn't want to believe that I would do such a thing. But there was proof soon to be found."

His shoulders dropped as he sighed and turned around, leaning his back up against the railing and looking upward. Kaoru continued to study his face, a sad expression on her own.

"Three months. It started to show then. I had officially…gotten Tomoe pregnant."

That was it. That's all she needed. Kaoru didn't need to doubt herself in her mind anymore. Kenji was Tomoe's son and nothing could change that. Kaoru sighed as she regrettably continued to listen.

"Things were awful. She said that it was going to bring us closer but I wasn't ready. I didn't want any kids. I was still a kid myself. I needed to live life and be free…but she didn't care. She had the baby after nine months; a healthy baby boy. But then, she didn't want him. Oh no. Now that she knew how a baby could change your way of life, she didn't want anything to do with him."

A bitter smile appeared on his face as he lifted his hand to trace the scar on his left cheek.

"She even tried to put an end to it all. Once by herself…"

He traced the vertical part of his scar.

"And once with some help…"

He traced the second part of his scar that lay horizontally across the vertical one. Kaoru sighed as a pain struck her heart.

"She…tried to kill you?"

Kenshin looked down once again with the same tart smile on his face.

"Both…she tried to kill both Kenji and myself, yes…."

Kaoru chocked on her next words. Tomoe tried to not only kill Kenshin, but Kenji as well? Her own son? Unbelievable…She was….she was insane!

"She got the real one she loved and used my getting her pregnant against me to anger him. He tried to kill us one night when he broke into the house using the house key that I gave Tomoe, but he wasn't able to. He only grazed my left cheek with the kitchen knife before my Uncle got him. And almost ironically, Tomoe did almost the same thing. But instead, she waited until I was asleep. Once again, she didn't succeed."

"Wouldn't…wouldn't she go for Kenji first because he was, well…defenseless?"

The question that was buzzing in Kaoru's head finally made it's way out of her lips once she found her voice. Kenshin smiled lopsidedly at her as he nodded.

"The first time, during the first break in, he did go for Kenji. But I made it in time and defending Kenji was how I received the first scar. The second time, I didn't want to risk loosing him incase I didn't make it or my Uncle didn't wake up, so I had Kenji sleep with me from then on."

Kaoru bit her lip. She knew Tomoe and Akira were rotten down to the core…even evil. But insane? Trying to kill her own son…after she wanted that from Kenshin. Kaoru shook her head, unable to comprehend what exactly Tomoe planned to gain out of the mixed up relationship.

Kenshin turned back to face Kaoru with sad eyes as he hung his head just slightly and murmured to her painfully;

"Well Kaoru…now you know…and I'm sorry."

Kaoru shook her head vigorously. He had nothing to apologize about! It wasn't his fault that all that happened…not mainly. Kaoru hung her head just slightly, a frown marring her face. She had no idea such a past like that could have actually happened to Kenshin.

"Mr. Himura…you've nothing to be sorry for…it wasn't your fault…"

Kenshin simply shook his head.

"I didn't mean that, Kaoru…"

Kaoru lifted her head slightly and looked at Kenshin with a look of confusion written on her face. Kenshin walked toward until Kaoru had to tilt her head upward just slightly to look at him in the eyes.

His smile was sad as he raised a hand and picked up the locket around her neck and held the heart shape gently in his palm.

"Remember when I gave this to you…?"

Kaoru looked down slightly at the small item and smiled and nodded a few times. Kenshin smiled at her and continued to hold the locket in his hand.

"When Tomoe and I got together…and all of us just…split apart, one of my biggest worries…was that I would never be able to talk to you again."

Kaoru's eyes widened just slightly. Why would he worry about that when he made it seem so obvious that he didn't care about Sanosuke, Soujiro, Aoshi, or herself?

"Yeah, I know. Sounds fishy. But it's true. Tomoe and I fought about it constantly. She's always proclaim that I cared more about you guys then her and I'd always become angry about her bringing you guys up in that fashion, and then we'd end up fighting about you. She'd always ask me why I'd given the locket to you and not her. That's when I just dropped it. I couldn't handle another word from her so I didn't give her any ammunition."

Kaoru hung her head just slightly and shook it. So she was one of the reasons why Tomoe and him fought. Now she felt even worse…

"Mr. Himura I-"

Before she could finish her sentence, she felt one slender digit placed on her lips to silence her. She looked up at Kenshin with eyes slight wide. He simple closed his eyes and shook his head slowly. He then stopped and smiled at her.

"Don't apologize, Kaoru. You're not at fault."

Kaoru just watched, mesmerized with his violet depths. She didn't even notice when he stepped closer to her. And she didn't even notice when his palm met the back of her head gently.

"M-Mr. Himura, -"

Kenshin shook his head once more.

"Call me Kenshin…"

And without any note of hesitation, he slowly dipped downward and hovered over her lips a moment before finally pushing forward and met her lips with his in a delectable, chastising lip-lock.

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A/N: that's it for now! I'm so evil! Please review!