Hmmm...well I've just redid my first chapter to this and made it flow just a bit more though it does still seem to go pretty fast. But hey I tried, maybe not hard enough but I tried damnit!! But, I am now doing what, my 9th chapter? No it's my 8th; one of the chapters was an AN. SO now I give you my eighth!! I'm sorry for taking so long but comps been so messed up I couldn't even turn it on!! And also school and social life got in the way. Damn, way too much homework!!

Pasts Person- Their love hurts me so

'' witch talking

""people talking

italics events being remembered

Kaoru hid behind the corner as she listened to Kenshin's and Tomoe's conversation. The other night, she had convinced Tomoe to give Kenshin a chance at love with her. After tossing and turning for what seemed like all night, she had finally given up hope of sleeping and gone to Kenshin's room to talk to him.

"Kenshin, can I talk to you?" She heard some movement from inside the room, indicating that she had probably woken the man up. A few seconds later, a disheveled Kenshin opened the door and let her in. Slowly, she sat on the floor while he lit a lamp, then he sat in front of her, waiting for her to talk.

"We haven't talked lately, and I just wanted to ask you a personal question, if that is ok with you." She saw him shift uncomfortably, and then sigh.

"It depends on how personal it is."

She shifted to look to the side, scratching her chin innocently. "I was wondering, if you liked Tomoe." Still facing sideways, she looked in his direction and paused scratching her chin. She noticed that his form was rigid.

"Why would you want to know that? If I didn't like her, I most likely would have tried to kill her, or threaten her." HE looked to the side, indifferent. Kaoru huffed.

"That's not what I mean! Do you like her; have any interment feelings for the woman?! God, why do you have to make your self seem so dense!!?" Kenshin put a thoughtful finger to his lips, looking up like he was in deep thought.

"I wonder, do I like her?" He Smiled slightly, but barely. "I do posses some feelings for her, but I do not need another woman making me soft." He looked back at her and offered a sympathetic look. "However I may feel for her, do you think she may be able to love a man covered in blood such as I am?"

Kaoru smiled happily. "Feelings do not make you weak; they make you stronger, and they give you a meaning to life. And also, not that you heard it from me, but she does harbor a liking to you though she is still quit shy of confessing any thing; well other than to me that is."

Kenshin stood, then offered her a hand to stand as well, which she took. "Then I will think over the advice that I have not heard from you. I shall walk you back to your room. You do not need to sleep in here when you got a room of your own." Kaoru giggled slightly, then left the room, followed silently by Kenshin. As she reached her door, she turned to him, giving him a small hug.

"I hope you're happy."

"Thank you Kaoru. Good night."

"Good night Kenshin."

As she replayed the night before in her mind, she felt tears well up in her eyes, which she hurriedly wiped away. She returned her attention to the two in front of her. Tomoe had her head down, blushing furiously, while it looked like Kenshin was about to do the same; looking in the entire world like he'd rather be somewhere else.

Kaoru couldn't hear what they were saying, but she got the idea as Kenshin bent his head and gave her a small kiss on the cheek, the turned and left, going to do some thing, she didn't know what.

She rushed to Tomoe's side, and she asked her anxiously what had happened.

"You were listening?" Tomoe blushed more.

"No, I couldn't hear a thing, just saw. So what happened; what did he say?"

Tomoe started walking, and Kaoru followed close by her side. "Well, he just professed his feelings for me. He knew about my fiancé and told me that he wouldn't come on to hard. I don't think I've ever been this excited. You were right," she turned to Kaoru, "he does have a kinder side. He isn't just battousai, he's just Kenshin Himura."

Tomoe hugged her, and looked at her, smiling with the whole glistening eyes bit. Kaoru felt her heart sink, but at the same time, felt happy for the woman. Loosing her love, but finding some one just as good to make her happy again.

"Let's go now; we need to celebrate your good fortune." She took Tomoe's hand and left the Inn to go find a nice tea shop.

It was horrible; the pain cut her gut and tore her heart out. Kenshin, her dear friend and the man she just recently learned she loved; at least she thinks she loved, was so happy now with her best friend. The irony was too great to think about. Kenshin didn't even talk to her ever. When ever they ate, he would talk lightly to Tomoe, his eyes light blue like that one night with her, and when he would talk to her, they would either be gold or dark blue, swirling gold. Never had she felt so alone.

Kaoru spent most of her time now talking to Tomoe about Kenshin, or playing cards with Konoha and Natsu. She spent more time with the two assassins then she even talked to the two love birds. They were more of her friends now then even Kenshin used to be. She told them every thing, save the part about her loving Kenshin, and they felt for her, offering her comfort when ever she needed it.

When there was never any one there, she left the inn to seek solitude by the crystal pond on the Inn's property. That's were she was now, crying tears and filling the pond with sorrow.

'I told you that this would be hard. Are you happy with your decision?'

Kaoru stopped crying for a bit to think. Was she happy? Could she be happy with both her friends sad or trying to kill each other? She didn't think she could. As long as they were happy, she too was happy for them. "I feel like I'm all alone now. But they are happy, and that makes me happy. I would be greedy to break them up for myself. Then they'd be sad, and I'd be in the same boat as I am now."

'That is true. But I never said that there was an easy way to either pick.' The witch appeared and sat by her side, draping a loose arm around her shoulder in comfort. 'I must warn you though, to be strong. What is to come in the future is most likely to break any happiness you might have; no matter what you have decided between your friend's relationships.'

Kaoru dried her eyes and looked at the woman suspiciously. "What do you mean by that? What could happen to my friends?" The witch looked her in the eyes.

'A large battle will break out, and you will be separated from your friends. I will be with you, but it might be a while till you find either of them again; and when you do, what you'll find might break your heart.' The witch stood and turned to leave. 'I advise you to keep yourself strong for now. You will need all your strength to fight the near future.' Her figure began to disappear.

"I don't want any thing to happen to them. Please tell me what I can do to protect them!"

'Just be strong for now. That is all they need.' Her figure was completely gone with just a whisper of her voice in the air. Kaoru nodded to nothing.

"I promise."

Ok now that's all I have for now. If I would have gone any longer I would have had to put in the next chapter with it, but I haven't been able to finish writing it out yet. . Any who, I know its short but it is kinda vital. It's like only 4 pages long but I'm tired and it's late. So I'm going to bed now. R&R for me K? Night!!

Ymir-chan