Opening Notes

Disclaimer: Woe is me that owns neither Sanosuke Sagara nor Hitokiri Battousai . . . woe . . . woe . . . WOE.

(IOW: I dun own Rurouni Kenshin.)

Author's Notes

Midi: Hey everybody! It's me again! Sorry I haven't updated since LITERALLY last year, (heh heh), but things have been going pretty difficultly, so please forgive me. Anyway, I'm so glad to be seeing SUCH a positive response to this story. You have no idea how happy it's making me! 58 reviews for two chapters? Hello! Please notice that this chapter in considerably longer than the last one. XD

I hope ya'll enjoy this chapter just as much.

- Shifting the Blame-

- Story © Midi Tenshi -

Chapter Three

Chapter Warnings: Light cursing.
Music Suggestions: Hmm . . . I listened to U+K by Gackt-sama when writing this, so . . . I dunno if that's any indication that it's a good song for the chapter since this is a rather serious chappie.

"So things are still going bad?" asked Misao on the other line.

Kaoru sighed, rubbing her temples. "You have no idea."

The seizure in the courtyard had just been too much for Kaoru. Without even thinking about what she was doing, she'd wiped any remaining blood from her aching forehead, picked up her bag, and walked home. Upon arrival, her dog Yahiko gave a loud bark and tackled her to the ground, knocking her already sore head against even more concrete. Decidedly tired of the shitty day thus far, Kaoru had made her way into the bathroom, taken a long shower which had thankfully gone without any slip ups, and made her way to bed, making sure she'd grabbed the phone and dialed Misao's cell phone before she collapsed underneath her comforter. This was the one time she was so glad that Misao was home schooled and was therefore available.

"Gosh, Kaoru, I'm sorry. I wish I could do something to help you out with everything, but I really have no idea how I can."

"Nah, Misao, it's not your fault. Don't worry about it, I'll be fine. I just need to get my medicine stabilized."

"You're still not stable on your meds yet? What do they have you on, Lamictal(1)?"

Kaoru fell back onto her pillows. "No, they finally took me off the Lamictal and put me onto Depakote(2). I think the good doctor wants to make sure I'll be fully covered, ya know?"

"Yeah, I remember Depakote. I'm not on it anymore, though. When do you next have to get your blood checked?"

"Actually I've gotta go in to Dr. Takani's office again on Thursday." They both let out a great sigh in unison. Dr. Takani was the leading epileptologist at the Kyoto Neurology Center and the head of the support groups for the teenagers with epilepsy that met at the clinic every other month. Megumi Takani also happened to be rude, pushy, and bossy to the extreme.

"I pity you, my friend," Misao told Kaoru mournfully, holding in a laugh.

"Yeah, yeah, shut up."

"Anyway, I'm sorry I can't stay on longer, Kaoru, but I've gotta go. My mom's sending me the Death Glare of Doom and if I don't get off now she might strange me with the telephone cord."

Kaoru couldn't hold in a chuckle, despite her disappointment. "Yeah, alright. Talk to ya later, Misao."

"Bye, Kao."

After a few seconds the line went dead and Kaoru pressed the Talk button to end the incessant droning. Sighing, she swung her legs back and forth over the side of the bed.

"Now what?"

-

"Himura-sempai?"

Kenshin twisted around curiously in his seat only to find two blushing younger classgirls. He grinned. "Can I help you?"

The blonde-haired one stepped forward and tentatively held out an envelope, face red. Kenshin accepted it. "Please read this," was her whispered explanation before both she and her friend ran out of the classroom.

Laughing at their nervousness, he flipped open the envelope to reveal what he'd expected - a love letter. Before he could react, someone clapped a large hand on his shoulder and he heard a very familiar laugh.

"Another one?"

Kenshin looked up to see Sanosuke Sagara standing above him, grinning cheekily down at him. In one fast swipe, he was suddenly holding the letter open, and glancing atits contents. "Yup, it's another one," he answered himself, tossing it back down on Kenshin's desk top. "What is that - the fifth one today?"

"Sixth, actually," was the red head's reply as he calmly opened up the math book and scanned that night's assignment.

Sano stared down at his friend in disgust. "You bastard, it didn't even faze you!"

Kenshin shrugged. "Even you'd get used to it if it happened every day."

Sanosuke "pshaw"ed. "Like hell I would!"

He shrugged again and then glanced back over his shoulder, a frown marring his otherwise perfect features at the sight. Sano followed his line of vision and grinned. Kenshin was staring at Jou-chan's desk again.

"You, my friend, are obsessed," he informed the other boy, sitting down in the desk next to him.

His best friend's eyes focused back in on him. "What are you talking about?"

Sanosuke jerked his thumb over his shoulder toward the empty desk. "You worried that Jou-chan still isn't here?"

"Of course not," Kenshin snorted indignantly. "Why would I care about what happens to that bitch?"

Sanosuke scowled angrily. "Kenshin you may be my best friend, but I've known Jou-chan since we were kids and I'd appreciate if you'd stop insulting her in front of me because she is a good person. You have no idea what kind of hell she goes through."

He only hmphed, hearing only the first few words in his anger. "Hate to break it to you, Sano, but Kamiya Kaoru is not a good person. I know; I've seen what sort of damage she can do to someone." He held up his low ponytail. Kenshin was extremely proud of his hair and usually kept it long, but where it had once reached his mid-back it now fell barely to his collar. All Kamiya's doing. Who'd have guessed that she'd be so sneaky as to cut his hair when he was taking a nap in the cafeteria during break?

Sanosuke rolled his eyes. "Do I have to remind you that you started it? You're the one that put gum in her hair during ninth period!"

"She deserved it, she dumped hot food in my lap!" he snarled back.

"Yeah, well if you weren't such an ass, Kenshin, then maybe she'd treat you a little better! You two have been fighting each other like cats and dogs since kindergarten and, frankly, I'm sick of it!"

The shorter boy fell quiet and Sano sighed. "Look, man, I"m just saying - have you ever tried to be nice to her? I mean, like other than false kindness? Kaoru's a forgiving girl, but she can't forgive you if you don't give her the chance."

Kenshin's face was stony with determination. "I don't want her forgiveness and hell will freeze over before I'm ever nice to that selfish, insecure little witch!"

Sano threw up his hands and stoof back up. "That's it, I give up. Be a bastard for the rest of eternity for all I care. I'm out of here!"

Kenshin watched his friend push his chair in. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to go see if Jou-chan is okay. She's going to the hospital tomorrow to get her blood checked and I'm going to have to drive her. I need to make sure she'll be able to meet me at the right time."

Confused, Kenshin cocked his head to the side. "What?"

Sano snorted and walked to the door, throwing the shojo screen opened. "Just forget about it, you don't care what happens to her, remember?" In a fit of rage, Sanosuke stormed out, not even bothering to slide the screen shut after him, leaving a bewildered best friend behind him.

-

Fifteen minutes later, Sanosuke was standing in front of the Kamiya residence having just rung the doorbell. Kaoru appeared a few moments later, looking paler than usual. "Oh - hey Sano."

But Sanosuke was too busy staring at the bandage wrapped around her forehead in alarm to return her greeting. "What the hell happened!"

Kaoru sighed and moved aside so that he could come in. "I . . . I fell, that's all."

Sano gave her a dubious look but walked through the door anyway, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Yeah right, Jou-chan."

Kaoru said nothing, moving past him into the kitchen where it appeared she was making a soup of some sort. Sano immediately shunned away from the stove. She noticed his actions and scowled. "Look, I'm not gonna make you eat it, so just sit down and stop being so immature!"

Sanoobeyed meekly.

"So what are you doing here, anyway? Why aren't you at school?" Kaoru immediately switched into concerned mother mode, brandishing her wooden spoon in her good friend's face. "You know you're failing Algebra 2, Sagara Sanosuke! I'm ashamed of you! You can't afford-"

"-to miss any more lessons," Sano finished for her, grinning sheepishly and rubbing the back of his head. "I know, Jou-chan, but you weren't in class and I got worried."

Kaoru's eyes softened a bit and she lowered the spoon. "I'm not an invalid, Sano," she said quietly, turning back to her soup. "It's not like I can't take care of myself."

"But . . . I was afraid you'd gotten hurt on the way to school or maybe fell when going over the Shoujuushin Bridge or-"

"Look," the girl said pointedly, turning the heat down to low as she helped herself to some soup. "I don't need a babysitter. I'm a big girl and as long asI take my meds, I'll be fine, so stop treating me like a baby!"

Sanosuke leapt to his feet and strode forward to grip her shoulders. "Sometimes you just can't watch after yourself, Kaoru," he told her, face grim and voice serious, even going so far as to call her by her real name. "And you know it. As it is, I can't take the fact that you're living all by yourself in this big house, but that's your decision, so I can't argue. But I will argue that you need to take better care of yourself." He didn't release her but he instead ran his hands up and down her arms in a comforting manner. "You're like my sister and if anything happened to you, I don't know what I'd do."

Kaoru was silent, but looked like she were about to cry. "Oh Jou-chan," Sano sighed, pulling her into a friendly embrace. "I'm just scared for your well-being, that's all. Please don't get angry at me."

"My legs gave out," was the whispered explanation. "In the courtyard. I was skipping class and I had a seizure. I hit my head."

Sano said nothing, just continued to hold her as Kaoru cried.

Midi: THE DOG'S NAME IS YAHIKO! BWAHAHAHAHAHA! XD I'm sorry, the moment arose where I needed a pet name and I just could NOT resist. -snicker- Yahiko . . . mwuahahahaa . . . And please don't think that this is a Sanosuke/Kaoru fic, because it isn't, though I do think that Sanosuke might end up having unrequited feelings for Kaoru. We'll have to see.

Larcenciel: Anywho, what didja think of the chapter? Let us know!

Midi: If we get at LEAST ten reviews for this chapter, I'll - er, LARCENCIEL that is, will put on another show for ya'll. (For reference, see Perhaps in the Past, Larcenciel's one-man performance of Snow White.) Whaddya say to that? I mean - it just doesn't get any better than watching my little fairy friend act out . . . what do you think is a good choice? Oooh . . . how about the Little Mermaid. -cackles maniacally- Ya'll know ya wanna see that. >D

1. Lamictal - a medicine taken by people with seizures to prevent seizure activity.

2/3. Depakote - another medicine taken by people with seizures to prevent seizure activity. Depakote, however, is a much older drug and is known to cause liver problems, which is why Misao mentioned having to get her blood checked.

Midi: Also, the medications mentioned in this chapter, Lamictal and Depakote, are both meds I'm currently on, and the doses Kaoru has are the same as mine. One thing ya'll won't have to worry about is accuracy in this fic - I know my stuff.