Hello everyone!(salutes) so sorry I havnt been able to write, but these past few weeks in highschool have just drained me... (swirly-eyes ) hoo boy... (shakes head frantically and regains composure) so anyway! I havn't updated in months! Just things kept popping up; I broke my thumb, my computer went into meltdown (literally) My teachers thought it would be funny to have three different tests all on the same day, my Tae Kwon Do competetions kept getting moved around, someone stole our mailbox (I mean of all things, a mailbox!) I had the flu, migraines, and writers block. But I came up with some new story ideas too, so as soon as I finish this one, I'll put them up for all of you! But again I apologize for everything and not being to update... (WHAAAAAAAAAAA...;;)By the way I had quite a few people asking me for translations of japanese words that might come up or have already been mentioned. So I made a list!

Kami- God

Kawaii- Cute

Kuso- Damn it (also Dammit) or s

Tori-atama- either means rooster, or rooster head, im not sure.

Tanuki- raccoon

Yankee- obviously means an american

Nii-san- Older brother

san- used at the end of a name, means miss, mr, or mrs

chan- used at the end of a name, used for kids or younger people

sama- used at the end of a name, means master or misress, or lady

kun- used at the end of a name, Im not completely sure on this, but I think it is used between friends, or people you are close too... (though i have seen it be used for when a gril has a crush on a guy.)

katana- a sword in general used by samurai, there are several different types ranging from a sakabatou (reverse blade sword) kodachi, (a small sword great for defense) and so on.

sake- an alcholic drink made usually from rice wine

neko- cat

ryu- dragon

dojo- a training hall or building for training in

ookami- wolf (in korean its nukdae, or eree. NOOK-DAE, EEL-EE)

baka- idiot, moron, stupid

deshi- student

busu- means ugly

kendo- a type of sword-arts

kenjutsu- sword-arts in general

bokken- a practice sword made from bamboo or wood

kimono- the traditional japanese dress

hakama- samurai pants

gi- the samurai robe for the upper torso

etc,etc,etc...

Okay that's enough hoo hah, lets move on!

oOo

KENSHIN POV (few days after the beach)

I woke up what felt like a minute later to the sound of someone trying to break down my bedroom door (at least that's what it sounded like...) Groaning I slumped off the bed and shuffled across the floor to answer it. I had gotten almost no sleep last night (as well as the past few nights,) waking up constantly, thinking, staring at the ceiling, drifting back asleep before starting the pattern all over again. I yawned loudly, and slowly turned the knobs on the large double doors...

WHAM!

Without warning the doors slammed open and the bokken caught me smack in the head, knocking me flat on my back. As my vision spun madly then slowly began to stop, I saw my uncle lean over, a triumphant smirk playing across his arrogant facwe. "don't ever let your guard down like that again, baka deshi." he retorted, easily hauling me to my feet by the collar of my shirt. I shot him a glare of pure fury and fingered the growing bump on my forehead. "Well, how many normal teens have insane uncles who attack them every Saturday? You could have killed me!" I shot back. "Your hardly a normal teen!" My uncle smirked broadly, but it changed to a frown of concern as he peered at my face. "Baka, you look more horrible."

"Well sensei, if YOU had a big bump on your head, you probably wouldn't look so good either."

"I mean that you look more horrible then usual. Your eyes are all red and your paler then a sheet! Have you been eating at all? Your starting to look like a toothpick!"

I brushed off his comment and shrugged my shoulders but he wasn't far from the truth. I'd been so busy wracking my brain about Kaoru and Tomoe, going over the facts, my life, what had happened, the events that had started this whole mess, and then that ever present question.

Was she telling the truth?

Each time I put it down, it sprang back up and nagged a little more. At which of course I spent my time wracking my brain all over again, trying to seek the answer that wasn't there. I couldn't concentrate on anything; school, Tomoe, even when to eat. If I didn't figure this mess out, I was going to die of malnutrition or something. Suddenly, my dear Uncle decided to launch an attack and swept his bokken wildly at my head. I barely managed to dodge and leap back towards the wall where my collection of weaponry lay on a simple rack. Without looking away from my Uncle, I moved back towards it till I felt the rubber grip of the hilt and drew the wooden weapon before me. "Baka deshi, pay attention when I'm talking to you. Anyway, I think its time we went to practice, sick or no sick. Get your lazy behind down to the training room." He roared sharply, before turning on his way out. Grumbling, I followed reluctantly after, the bokken resting on my shoulder and considered attacking him. Thinking back to previous attempts, I wisely decided not to. As we reached the top of the staircase, he glanced back, smirking. "Aww. Is ickle Ken-nii really gonna fight in his cute little bunny pajamas?" I glanced down and cursed. I was wearing the stupid purple pajamas with little pink bunnies stitched everywhere. I had gotten the ridiculous thing as a present from Tomoe at Christmas and if that wasn't enough, she had a matching pair…

I quickly returned to my room and ripped off the thing, throwing it in a corner before I began to hunt through the endless drawers for my training gi and hakama, remembering that it was being washed. Guess I was going to have to find my spare. Finally I went to the very last bottom drawer. It hadn't been opened in a while, so it took a little time to pry open the damn thing, but inside was a deep red gi with matching hakama. I pulled the rumpled clothes from the mess, but as I straightened it out, a small white box fell from the folds of the cloth. Curiously I bent down to pick it up, and as I did so, a small sky-blue paper note slipped out from beneath the cover, drifted lazily to the floor like a leaf. Probably just some junk paper anyway. Sitting with a thump on my bed, I opened the box and was immediately greeted with the sight of a ridiculous amount of wrapping paper stuffed around something. After picking through the wrinkly tissue, something fell into my palm.

It was a tiny, tarnished silver locket, worn from much use. The image that had been engraved had long since been rubbed away, but still one could see the faint etchings of it. The tiny little thing was shaped like a circle; clearly this thing was very old, yet the chain was new, simple and sharp. But where had it come from? I thought again about the discarded blue note lying just a few feet away from me. Maybe it was a note or something…

I was so preoccupied with my thoughts, I never saw my uncle's bokken coming…

oOo

After a particularly violent spar, (In which I got my ass kicked because I wasn't paying attention) and several bruises later, I found myself back up in my room lying on my bed recuperating as I stared blankly off into space. Finally, I reminded myself of the strange locket I had received and the conspicuous note nearby and my curiosity flared instantly. I forced my aching body off the bed and leaned over to pick it up, wincing as I heard my muscles scream, before returning back to my spot. I settled back into the soft pillows, opened the folded paper and began to read.

And froze.

It was a note. From Kaoru.

I looked at the date. Only a few days before that fateful kendo match, before my whole life changed drastically.

My mind screamed at me to crumple it up, to throw it away, but my hands refused to respond, my eyes were glued to page.

Dear Ken-nii

Ach! I'm so sorry I didn't get a chance to speak to you lately, been so busy lately training up for the tournament. I tried to get your attention in the hall yesterday, but I think you didn't hear me. Ya know, you've been looking kinda down, so I decided to get you your birthday gift earlier this year! (It' in the box.) My aunt says it was my mom's favorite necklace before she died. Take good care of it, I hope you like it! It's very special to me. So good luck at the match! (But you know I'm going to win of course!) But…I just wanted to say thanks again for being like another big brother to me.

Love,

Kaoru

P.S After the match, me and my brothers are going to get ice cream, wanna come? You can bring your girlfriend Tomoe if you want.

Now my hands moved. I threw the note and the white box with the locket haphazardly back into the drawer and shoved it close with my foot. I was breathing hard as if I had run miles, an felt the blood rush to my ears, rage filling my senses.. She had wrote this, this when she was plotting all along to destroy me? How dare she, she-

And what if she wasn't?

That single thought shot through my mind, piercing and deflating my rage like a balloon.

And the came the other feelings. Guilt. Why guilt? I hadn't done anything wrong, I was merely defending myself then…

Liar.

Then frustration, as if something was right beneath my nose and that I couldn't see it. What was it? In my heart and soul I could feel how immensely important it was…

Idiot.

Finally there was the last emotion, like that feeling of terror you get when you turn a dark corner and see what's beyond. A feeling of dread. For what reason?

Because you are afraid. Afraid that you might be wrong about this, about everything after all. You're afraid that you were wrong about her…

No! I argued with myself. I saw all the facts; Tomoe showed me what was true! Kaoru is the reason all of this happened, Its Kaoru's fault, It's not mine, not mine…

But what if your wrong, see? That is what you fear the most, that if you are wrong, then, then it all comes back to you… you blame it all on Kaoru; perhaps its you who are the one afraid to look down at your own hands, for the guilt that might be there…?

"SHUT UP!" I roared aloud.

I put my face in my hand, trying to control my breathing. I had to get out of here. Whirling about with sudden energy, I grabbed my coat from the mess that was my room and ran out the door, down the stairs an out into the front yard. Apparently, someone had heard that I was going out (I have no idea how they find out so fast!) for my silver corvette stood in the circle driveway, revved and ready to go. A butler held the door open for me and without a word I leapt in and was gone. To where, I didn't care, but I drove like a fury out and away, to some place only my subconscious knew…

oOo

KAORU POV

It was a fairly calm morning (which is highly unusual if you live in my house,) and I found myself seated on the couch in the living room, watching some silly American movie about these two guys who go through all kinds of crazy situations for hamburgers. (Author: for those of you who guessed it, I'm talking about Harold and Kumar go to Whitecastle! Eh, I watched it today at school…) suddenly I heard the door slam, and a fluster looking Myra walked in, arms full of groceries. "Ohayo, Myra!" I called. "Urgh…Ohayo, Kao. I just stepped out to get some chicken for dinner. How does butter garlic chicken sound?" she replied. As if on cue, Sano and Soujiro materialized out of nowhere and fluttered around Myra like a pair of buzzards. "Here, let me help you with those, Myra-sama!" Sano crowed, attempting to snatch one of the bags, a greedy (and dare I say, hungry) look on his face. "No let me do it!" In an unusual amount of aggression, he countered the attack (well, at least that's the way it looked like, on Sano's part) and took one of the brown paper bags delicately from her. Not to be out done, Sano grabbed the remaining two and the pair (arguing of course,) made their way to the kitchen. With a huff of contentment, Myra settled next to me, flexing her shoulders and arms. "So first I walked to the grocer's only to find this huge line, and then on my way back, this (Word not fit for little kids) in a corvette nearly ran me over!" she groaned. "Finally I go to the door, only to nearly drop everything trying to open the damn thing and… say, today is Saturday right? Man, school starts in two days…" I suddenly froze, my entire body going rigid.

School?

In two DAYS?!?

AWWW, CRAP!!!

"Oh shit, I forgot! SANO! SOU! Get your butts in here, we have an emergency! And where's Aoshi? He's not off the hook even though he works… Aoshi? AOSHI!" I fairly exploded out of my position and zoomed upstairs, pounding on all the doors getting no reply. Downstairs I rushed again, ignoring Sano shouting, "Look out! It's hurricane Kaoru!" as I headed for the one place that I knew he would be. I nearly kicked down the dojo doors till finally, it opened and a very annoyed looking Aoshi glared at me. "What is it Kao-owowow! Let go of my ear!" he roared as I dragged him into the living room. Ignoring his protests as I pushed him into a chair, I took the center of the room.

"Okay everyone, listen up! School starts in two days, (a groan from Sano,) and we are not even slightly prepared! This afternoon everyone, yes everyone, Sanosuke will go shopping for school stuff. Aoshi your in charge of buying everything." Aoshi groaned loudly, showing his obvious disapproval. I turned my attention back to the others who stood at attention like a military unit. "Okay, you have five minutes exactly to get read. Move it!" Immediately, everyone disbanded to their rooms. I quickly flew up the stairs and burst into my room, grabbing my purse and changing into a clean pair of jeans and t-shirt tied back before soaring back down. I didn't know why but I felt so happy today, as if my heart were flying. Maybe it was the weather, or the nap I had, I didn't know. As I dashed into the living room and found that no one had reported back yet, though I could tell they were almost ready, judging by the muffled sound of Sano and Sou arguing something about stealing t-shirts. Well, there was no reason for me to just be standing around here! I went down the hall right of the front door, at the very end was the small wooden door that led into the garage where are two vehicles were stored. As I entered the cool dark air of the garage and turned on the light, a sudden thought crossed my mind. Heck, the weather was beautiful today; why take the van, when we could take "her"? A grin crossed my face as I gazed over my brothers' "baby". Even in the dim light, the deep blue convertible glittered like water. The three of them had worked so hard on it. When we first bought it, it was just a plain, broken down car. But after weeks and weeks of fixing, cleaning, and customizing it, before they finally painted it's final coat, a beautiful sapphire emerged. A happy smile came to my eye as the color washed over it. I still remembered how we had all voted for it, how happy I was that day… I ran my finger gently along the side before hopping in, not bothering to open the door and turned the key. Instantly, the engine revved to life, purring like some jungle cat. For a moment I just sat there, my eyes closed as I patted the dashboard affectionately, before I finally decided I better get out in the driveway. I pressed the garage door opener button thingie (Hey, I don't know what they're called!) and sunlight poured in. Slowly, I backed out into the driveway, making sure to clear ay obstacles…

…

CRUNCH!

oOo

Ah hee hee! Sorry I haven't been able to update! I really am! I've been writing for so long in my notebooks, my hands are getting writer's calluses! (no joke!) My school is cruel as cruel too, so that doesn't help. I know I've probably lost the interest of a few readers… Everyone keeps asking me "When will Kenshin find out?" and so yes, I know its taking a while and yes I know that I'm taking to long but try to look at from my point of view too, 'kay? (wheezes) Oi Ve, talk about a hand full. Yesterday my sister asked asked "Hey sister? What's a f b?" Lord, my mom nearly had a heart attack. (I nearly died) She said she heard her older classmate call someone that, so my mom is seriously ticked. I myself am not a cursing type (someone shoves this story in her face and circles all the cursewords) Ah yeah I know, but that's just the nature of the character! I mean you wouldn't have a hardened criminal with a cigar nowadays saying "Vile impertinent wretch! I shirk myself from you!" right? At least, I don't know any…

Okay I've blabbed on long enough, I'm sure you all have better things to do, so till next time, Sayonara!