I know it's short, but I needed to update. People were starting to think something happened to me, LOL. I've just been busy with my summer rush. Yanoo, three jobs leaves very little free time. There will be more to come soon, though. I promise.

Chapter Twelve

"You've got to be fucking kidding me," a shrill voice on the other end of the phone spoke.

It was then followed by a howling laughter I had grown to abhor. Yet, I couldn't blame her for her reaction. Hell, if I hadn't had that cigarette between my lips that very moment, I would have been completely over the edge. Kamiya Kaoru, put on the edge by a man. Who would have thought? The one man I wanted to have so badly completely turned my life upside down. I was beginning to question my judgment. How could I have allowed this to happen? Did I not make myself clear as to what type of relationship this would be? I didn't want love, I wanted dick. Now, look at the mess that was before us. Sex is simple. Love is not. It only causes problems when mixed with sex. Hell, even without sex, love causes people to do the most asinine things, things they wouldn't do if they were in their right mind. Now, Kenshin was going with that emotional bullshit.

"Well, believe it. This cockmaster went against everything we laid out. No wonder he's been having such a moral dilemma," I spat, taking a drag of my Salem Slim.

I know, I know. Deathsticks are bad for you. I had quit so long ago, but after that incident, I needed a hit of nicotine and tar and whatever other lethal substance they pumped into those things.

"I think it's quite simple. You need to cut him loose. He'll only cause more problems," Megumi stated, no sarcasm in her voice. She was right. He would turn both their lives into a living hell.

"Yeah. We just need to focus on work and leave it at that. If I don't, his dumbass will probably be at his wife's feet begging for forgiveness. This shit has got to stop. I just need to accept that this was a bad call on my part and move on," I proclaimed, extinguishing the burning butt in the sink. I then walked back into my room and sat at the edge of the bed.

"Good for you. Now, I have to go. Sano had his license suspended, so I need to pick him up from his job at the plant," she said, sounding noticeably distracted. For the love of carrot cake, talk about bad calls. What did she see in that hood rat?

"Yes, dear," I replied, biting my tongue the whole time.

"Love ya," she said before hanging up the phone.

I sighed and put my headset on the base. What a fucking disaster this turned out to be. He loved me? I couldn't believe he actually said that. After I collected myself from the shock, I immediately gathered his belongings and told him to leave. He looked at me like I just lost my mind. Well, he's the one who lost his mind. He couldn't even figure out why I was upset, as if he thought I wanted him to fall in love with me. NEVER! I had my bout with love. Never again. If you fall in love with me, that's your misfortune. I'm not going to reciprocate those emotions. He loved me. Well, he could have kept that shit to himself.

I needed another hit so badly, so I ran to my drawer and pulled out another cigarette from the pack and saw I only had a couple left. That meant I had gone through eighteen in only three hours. I tossed the package down and ran to the bathroom to brush my teeth. The taste of tobacco grew on my palate, even after I attacked the flavor with a rush of mint toothpaste and mouthwash. I couldn't seem to get the twinge of nicotine out of my mouth. The soft flesh burned as I took another swig of Listerine and spat it out. I wiped my lip and looked into the mirror at the reflection before me.

Look at me. I am a nervous wreck.

Why? I had no need to be so jumpy. After all, he's the one with the issue, not me. All I had to do was let him know it was over. He's the one that messed it up, not me. Call it a breach of contract. He reneged on his portion of the deal, therefore I had to pull out. So, I picked up my phone and dialed his cell phone number, but I noticed the time and hung up the phone. Dandy, I just had to wait, I supposed. With nothing left for me to do, I crawled under my sheets and placed my head on my pillow. Hopefully Kenshin wouldn't do anything stupid tonight. I had to count on it.

Kenshin sloshed through the living room and plopped down on the black leather couch that occupied the space. Looking up at the ceiling, he sighed and closed his eyes, remembering the look on Kaoru's face when he told her how he truly felt. It took him a long time to admit to himself how much he cared for her. It was the singular reason why he had been so torn. But, in confessing his feelings, he could continue on with their relationship with a clear conscience. He was not fighting himself anymore. After all, it was possible to love two different people at the same time. It's not as if he loved his wife any less, or wanted to ruin the relationship he had created with Kaoru. Yet, she was still as furious as he had ever seen. Who knew she possessed the strength to literally toss him out that chair? Her movements were a blur as she gathered his belongings and threw them in a pile at his feet. Her eyes were glowing with passion, as they always did, but the passion this time was loathing. She hated him for loving her.

No, it was not in the plan, but it wasn't as if he were asking her to feel the same way. Let him have his emotions. She should be glad he loved her. If he didn't, there's no way he could have given himself to her so completely. Kenshin then sat back and wondered, wondered how Kaoru could give so much of herself without gaining a deep emotional attachment. Then he remembered he did much the same when he was single, before he met his wife, Tomoe.

"Tomoe," he whispered to himself as he forced himself to open his eyes.

Yes, she should be home, he thought. He figured she had to be sleep. He looked over at the clock and it revealed the time. Two-Thirty in the morning, it was. Good thing for him it was a Friday night…well, Saturday morning. She would not give much question as to where he was. But, even if she had, he had his stuff together. No more mistakes, no more missteps, no more Aoshi covering his trail. He knew he still had the player in him. He didn't think he would ever use the skills again, but he also never expected to cheat on his wife. Kenshin shrugged silently at his thoughts. Shit happened. Kaoru happened. Why shouldn't he have his cake and eat it, too…so long as no one got hurt?

And Kaoru…what was he going to do about Kaoru, he thought. She was extremely disenchanted with him at the moment. He wasn't sure exactly what he was going to do to calm the anger brewing inside of her. He was sure she thought his deep feelings meant the end of their affair. He had to convince her it just wasn't true.

Kenshin rose from the couch and was startled by a figure moving in the darkness. Without as much as a sound, he moved towards the katana that sat on the mantle, the hilt pointing to the left. In a swift movement, he dismounted the sword and brought it in front of him, just millimeters before the dark figure. A sliver of moonlight escaping from the blinds fell upon midnight blue orbs that shone like precious gems. Kenshin's muscled relaxed as he lowered the weapon.

"Why didn't you say anything? I could have hurt you," Kenshin whispered, pulling his wife to him. Tomoe could not bring herself to move on her own accord, she simply fell into his movements, her eyes still calm.

"I have not seen you touch that sword since you mounted it. I guess I was caught off-guard," she slowly replied.

"I was the surprised one. Your eyes were tranquil, as they always are," he whispered into her ear, smelling her silken strands that always held the provocative scent of Plum Blossoms.

"Did you have fun tonight?" she questioned, seemingly ignoring his previous statements.

"Yeah, but let's get in the bed. I'm quite tired and I have been looking forward to holding you in my arms," he said, placing light kisses on her cheek. As her husband replaced his sword, Tomoe forced herself to smile. Something was different about him. He was not the same Kenshin, but why was he different? Exactly what changed about him? Even with Aoshi's and Kaoru's statements trying to calm her curiosity, a voice within her still beaconed.

Something isn't right.

The vibration of Kenshin's cell phone only quelled the voice inside her more. Kenshin removed the device from his pocked and looked down at the screen. It was Aoshi. He really didn't feel like being bothered, but if he didn't answer, he knew it would make him seem suspect.

"Yes, Aoshi," Kenshin said, hiding his discontent.

"So, you answer your phone," Aoshi replied in an icy tone.

"Yes, I do. I'm with Tomoe right now, can you be quick?" Kenshin said, annoyed.

"Well, there's a change," Aoshi said before hanging up.

"Ok, talk to you later," Kenshin said to the dial tone on the other end.

He then put his phone in his pocket and motioned for his wife to lead the way to their bedroom, a smile running across his beautiful face. Tomoe couldn't help but to melt at the sight, his fiery red hair illuminated by the sparse moonlight. She kissed her husband and took his hand, guiding him to the room.

Kenshin's mind immediately went into deep thought, wondering why Aoshi was behaving so oddly. The ten-second phone calls particularly annoyed him, seeing they had no other purpose than to question his intent or locale. Was Aoshi his best friend or his keeper? He knew of Aoshi's and Tomoe's close relationship. He protected her like an older brother would a sister, but his recent behavior was bordering on obsession. After all, wasn't he now chasing Kaoru's kid sister? What was her name, he thought to himself. Misao. She was a cute kid. Aoshi needed to concentrate on his own affairs, Kenshin decided as his wife pulled him into the bed and kissed him softly.