Disclaimer: I don't own, so you don't sue!

A/N: Had exams coming up, so I couldn't really find the time to write, sorry about that! Anyway, the flow of this chapter may seem a bit off, since I wrote it in chunks. But I tried my best to put it all together as seamlessly as possible! And also, virtual cookies to all who reviewed! It's really very encouraging.

Onwards!

3. Her Best Friend

A jingling of keys at the front door. A creak of unoiled hinges, followed by the muffled 'thump' of a duffel bag on the floor.

"HONEY, I'M HOME!"

Silence.

"Hello? I'm home! Didn't anyone miss me?"

Footsteps.

"Oh, there you are Kenshin! Where's Jou-chan? I remember her saying she'd be spending her weekend here…"

A voice that trailed off into an awkward hush. More footsteps now; urgent padding of feet around the apartment.

"Kenshin, where's Jou-chan?"

Two words: "She left."

Uneasiness mounted. A smile slightly slipped.

"Already? I thought she said she'd be spending the entire day here!"

"She left, Sano. She left."

Alarm.

"When?"

"Thursday. Yesterday."

"And you just let her?"

"Yes."

Anger bubbled at his cold, expressionless face.

"Why?"

"She was crying."

Anger exploded, hands fisting in the front of his shirt, hauling him up.

"What did you say?!"

A whisper, "She was crying."

"And you didn't chase after her? You know! You know that she-"

Frustration; exasperation.

"Damn you, Kenshin!"

A punch; a stinging cheek. Muffled footsteps once more, this time heading towards the door instead.

A sudden stop.

"I don't know why you let her go, and honestly, I don't particularly care. It seems like a pretty stupid thing to do, considering that she's the one for you."

A creak of unoiled hinges again.

"But you know what, Kenshin? I was never really sure that you would be the one for her anyway."

The front door slammed shut.

---

Sanosuke Sagara remembered the first time he met Kaoru Kamiya.

She was in a sand pit, sporting a spectacular nosebleed, and had just headbutted one of the three boys ganging up on her. Her blue eyes flashed with defiance and determination as she side-stepped another one of the boys.

He liked the look in her eyes and, never one to pass up a good fight, joined in the fray.

Ten minutes later saw the three boys running away from the sand pit, turning back only to yell about a vengeance that they never intended on exacting.

Sano had a black eye that matched Kaoru's additional split lip perfectly.

"You look terrible," he told her bluntly.

She beamed, eyes aglow as she held out her hand, "Kaoru Kamiya."

His grin mirrored hers as he grasped her hand, "Sanosuke Sagara."

He was only twelve then. She was ten.

---

Sano stood outside their co-rented apartment, readying himself to deal with a tremendously depressed girl.

He slid the key into the lock and turned it, steadying himself for the semi-comforting and mostly-awkward conversation that was bound to take place with his best friend.

He took a step into the living room and found himself staring at Kaoru, eating instant ramen.

"You look like shit, Jou-chan," he told her, the same way he did twelve years ago.

"Blunt as always, aren't you, Sano?"

She got up to hug him, smiling weakly. He returned the hug, noticing that her eyes were a tint duller than when he left. He squeezed her a little tighter.

"So…what's up, Jou-chan?"

He missed the way she imperceptibly tightened her hold on his shirt before breaking away from the embrace. Walking back towards the ramen bowl on the coffee table, she replied with a deliberate nonchalance, "Oh…the usual things…"

What he didn't miss was the way her eyes darkened.

"Like…?" He pressed, knowing – and hoping - that it was better out than in.

"Like work, lunch with Misao and Megumi, y'know…"

"Anything particularly interesting?"

"No. Nothing at all."

"Anything that I should know about?"

"No."

His frustration came back with a vengeance. "Then why do you have eye bags the size of Megumi's luggage?"

"I do?" She laughed feebly. "I guess all those late nights out with Misao must have-"

"Dammit Kaoru! I stopped by Kenshin's on the way back!"

Her mouth clamped shut.

"I spoke to him and asked him about you, because you said you'd be there today," he ran a hand through his hair agitatedly, "but you weren't, and I asked him why, and he said that you left – you left – and the look on that bastard's face – you should've seen it – I got so pissed off that I punched him and then I came here and I…"

His voice trailed off uneasily at the look on her face. Then, without warning, she looked down, glared at her ramen, and started shoveling it into her mouth, slurping at the soup noisily.

Sano, at a complete loss of what to do, simply shut his mouth, crumpled into a nearby chair, and watched her eat.

Several minutes passed. It seemed like an eternity.

Sano was about to give up when she abruptly set her chopsticks down and looked up at him. He perked up unconsciously.

"And I guess working on the script has contributed to the eye bags as well," she said smoothly, as if her train of thought was never interrupted.

He gaped at her as his brain processed those words.

"The script?"

"Yes, the script. Misao bribed and tricked me into writing the script for the drama club's summer production."

"Summer production?"

"Yes, Sano, summer production. The summer play that the high school, which I so happen to work in, puts up every year?"

"B-but," he spluttered, "you only write comedies!"

She shot him a pointed look.

"Did I say or do anything to imply that it wasn't a comedy?"

Sano's brain stuttered to a stop for a moment. And then:

This, Sano's brain decided, was perhaps one of the most ironic things that had ever happened to his host.

---

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Next up: His Hair. Kenshin gets a haircut.

All reviews are 100% welcomed and non-refundable!

Reviewer Responses:

kokoronagomu: Yeah, one of the things that I really want to bring across in this fic is the theme of communication. Miscommunications, or the lack thereof, can really make or break relationships (of any kind) in my opinion. That's what so sad about it all, I guess – what could have been as opposed to what really was.

gabyhyatt: Thanks for the review! It's really encouraging!

flaming-amber: Oh no, I think the angst might be continuing for a while more… but thank you so much for the compliments! And yeah, I'm trying to make their relationship as real as possible, glad you got that!

abubi-chan: Haha, so did you guess her best friend correctly? And I really had a hard time deciding on Okita's death – I really liked him too!

Jasmine blossom625: Thanks for the compliment and the review! I'll try to update more frequently, but no promises though, sorry!