The tension starts to build and the feelings start to come out… ooh la la ;)

Chapter Seven

Closer

It had been a day since Sanosuke and Megumi left. Kaoru was in a terrible state, and Misao did nothing but bitch about how stupid Sano was to go and do what he did. When she found out, it was from Yahiko, and she ran to the yard just as Sanosuke left and threw a kunai right past his head. It left a clean cut in his right ear, and she yelled out "BASTARD!!!" as he left.

That morning, Kaoru and Kenshin had gone to the market on a larder-restocking task. Sanosuke was waiting for her, and tried to explain as he followed her through the crowd. Kenshin only placed his hand on Kaoru's back and guided her forward faster. When Sanosuke had given up struggling and just plain grabbed her collar to pull her back, Kenshin clicked his sword a fraction's way out of the sheathe and gave him a warning glance.

When Kenshin took her to the Akabeko in an attempt to cheer her up, Megumi showed up, wanting to explain herself, but she couldn't get past an angry Tae. Kaoru almost cried into her soba. Kenshin quickly paid the bill and pulled her out of there, seeing how miserable she was. He saw Megumi waiting for Kaoru at the entrance.

"Kaoru, I don't have much time left! My train leaves in an hour. This is the last I can say to you before I go, so try to listen!" But Kaoru strode past her without a word. Megumi tried to grab her, but Kaoru's reflexes were so fast, she merely lifted her hand and blocked Megumi's way.

"Kaoru!"

Kenshin gave Megumi a glare and grabbed Kaoru's wrist to pull her forward. He'd become her personal guide- the one to give her directions when she was too sad to see where she was going. He was her shoulder to cry on. She was thankful.

Kaoru had drifted off into a miserable sleep when they got home, but Kenshin didn't leave her side. He instead stayed with her, so that if she woke up sobbing, she wouldn't be alone. The few times he'd seen her sleeping since he arrived, she slept with a content look on her face. She smirked satisfactorily and looked very pleased with something. But today… she looked sad. Her bare neck and jaw were streaked with shining trails where her tears had fallen.

After a while, though, sitting in one place got pretty boring, and Kenshin decided to fix himself a bath before dinner.

///

She was only twelve when she first met Sanosuke.

It was a hot summer's day, and Kaoru had stood up to a group of boys who'd said much more than should be legal to such a young girl. It had started innocently. Kaoru was walking down through the alleyway, holding a bokken in one hand and wearing a white kimono and a navy blue obi that hugged the curves she was already beginning to acquire. Her hair was up in its ponytail, held together by a wide blue ribbon, and she had a joyful smile on her face. One of her old time friends was coming to visit from Kyoto. He had gone there after inheriting the role as an apprentice ninja for the Oniwabanshu. She'd later meet Misao through his work. There was an easy bounce in her steps as she imagined how he'd look after seeing her so grown.

A rude comment stopped her in her tracks.

"Say that to my face!" She demanded, glaring daggers at every single one of the ganged boys leaning against the wall.

One of them laughed. "You're pretty hot. How about it?"

"How about what?" She asked firmly, her every word edged with steel.

He moved closer to her, but Kaoru was both defiant and strong, and she stood her ground.

"Use your imagination," he whispered into her ear.

Realization dawned on her. She growled angrily. Nobody could talk to her like that. Nobody could suggest those things. She was Kaoru Kamiya, heiress to the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu style, and if she were disrespected, she'd have to demand respect! With those words burned clearly into her mind, Kaoru pushed the older boy easily out of her way and continued forward. But her head jerked and she fell backwards to the ground. He had pulled her back by her hair.

"Come on, pretty girl, stay a little longer…" he said to her.

"I'm twelve, you idiot! So I'll be on my way!" She picked herself up and dusted off. She knew that if she didn't get away soon, she'd blow up on him.

"Now, now." He crooned into her ear. "Not so fast…"

Kaoru went rigid when she felt his hand creep upwards, to places it shouldn't be going. She felt her first pang of fear. The others egged him on. Kaoru reached down slowly to the fold of her kimono. The assaulter's hand was on her chest, and the others were so caught up in the groping they didn't notice her rip the strapped bokken from her leg. She struck backwards at his head and bolted from his hold just as he dropped his arms.

"Bitch!" One of them cried.

Kaoru smirked and got into a battle stance. She wouldn't let them beat her. She was Kaoru Kamiya, and no mere boy was a match for her! Not even a group of them! When one of them ran at her, from the persuasion of the others, she swung her weapon at a speed they didn't know she could possibly possess and hit him so hard he stumbled to the wall and crumpled. She stayed on guard, eyeing every one of them with her angry, startling blue eyes. Another one ran forward. She swung at him, got her bokken trapped between his arms, and countered by throwing herself in a random direction so quickly he let it slip from his hold. The next attack was just a quick thrust, aimed at his head, and he stumbled back at her. Everybody gasped. This was a slip of a girl with amazing ability.

"Wait! I know who it is now! I knew I remembered her from somewhere…" one said.

As the other snorted and started to walk towards her, he was pulled back by one of his friends. "Not this one," He advised wisely, recognizing her. "That's Kaoru Kamiya. You'd better back down."

"It… it is?" Another stuttered.

"Yeah, it is, so we'll just leave her alone, right?"

A taller one watched his comrades with a glare. "Don't tell me you're all scared of a girl! A Kamiya descendant or not, we can't let her just walk away with our names up her sleeve!"

"Yes we can!" He cried, and he tried to run away.

Kaoru laughed to herself and turned away. She knew they'd eventually back down and decide to leave her alone, and her time was being wasted. She needed to get home. She heard running behind her and smirked. She lifted her bokken to strike the assaulter, but he distracted her while another ripped it right from her hands. Kaoru was almost powerless without her bokken, but she'd been told she could kick and hit harder than they'd expect from her. She was ready to stand up to them, but they all came running at once, so fast and with such strong motives that she was both overwhelmed and surrounded. Somebody grabbed her.

Kaoru tried to throw herself away, but he grabbed her light form easily and locked an arm around her waist. She struggled liberally, but he was stronger than she'd expected.

"Well?" He suggested, looking towards his comrades as he fiddled with the neckline of her kimono. "What do you think?"

"She's pretty grown." Another said. "Let's just have a little peek."

"The little bitch deserves it." Somebody snarled.

Sanosuke had just turned a corner as he walked casually along when he saw it. He was fourteen, strong, and known as one of the most powerful fighters, plus the one surviving member of the Sekihotai fighting group from the revolution. He had great pride in his fighting nickname, Zanza, so when he walked into theruckus, he knew he'd either take control or shame himself by walking away. He would take control.

A circle of common gangsters surrounded a white clad figure. She was being held down, but her hair was so rough-and-tumbled that he couldn't see her face for eons. But he heard her little growl of anger and saw what the guys were about to do. She struggled, but she was in the arms of too many for it to help.

"Step away from her." He demanded coldly. The boys smirked sarcastically as they turned to look towards the voice, but when they saw his face and recognition dawned on them, the boy holding the victim dropped her. Those cold, tan-colored eyes, that strong jaw, and that ubiquitous Aku sign on his back were all too familiar, and brought more than just weariness to any soon-to-be victims.

"It's… it's Zanza…" he whispered, his voice full of horror.

"It is?" Somebody asked.

"Yes! Let's get our asses outta here!" A shorter boy cried. He stumbled away and was quickly followed by the others.

Sanosuke laughed to himself and turned away, giving the fallen girl one look before deciding to walk on. But it wasn't a close enough look to see her face.

Kaoru was still lying on the ground only because she'd been overcome by thoughts. This guy was so handsome that her heart was pounding hard when she saw his face. Apparently, he was so notorious the boys left her at the sound of his voice. She frowned and picked herself up. She looked towards her savior's retreating form and her eyes hardened.

"Who are you?"

Sanosuke turned around at the sound of a clear, slightly angered voice. Standing by the wall and leaning on it with one hand, clad in white and looking angelic was somebody so beautiful he felt a horrible constriction in his chest and couldn't really speak. She couldn't have been more than twelve, but something about her besides that gorgeous face was striking. Maybe it was the powerful battle aura exuding from her. Maybe it was the impatience in her eyes. Maybe it was the fact that her eyes were a striking deep blue. All he knew is that she was young, but she was probably already fighting off a fan club of her own.

"Well?" She demanded impatiently.

"Oh?" Sanosuke tried to talk. He tried to say something. She was so beautiful he couldn't speak. Damn his weakness for beautiful girls!

The girl frowned, but she was smiling soon enough. "I'm sorry for being so rude. Maybe that's why you won't answer. I'm just in a hurry, and I'm in a pretty bad mood already." She bowed and looked straight at him with those striking eyes. "Thank you for taking the time to scare them off."

Sanosuke was so charmed by her friendly eloquence and soothing smile that he found himself unwilling to let her go without befriending her first. "I'm Sanosuke Sagara. I'm sorry for taking so long to speak… I was just a little shocked."

She frowned. "I'm Kaoru Kamiya…" she said uncertainly. When she was about to ask him what was so shocking, he cut her off, afraid of how to answer.

"It's nice meeting you, little missy," he said, shaking her hand.

Kaoru smiled at his sudden pet name. She was considered little by many, so it was no surprise. "I seem to get into trouble all the time now…" she sighed.

"You're a very attractive girl," he admitted shyly as they began to stroll. "Some buffoons can't control themselves."

Kaoru let out a sunny laugh, one that Sanosuke quickly grew to love, and began conversing with him. They clicked in an instant. Friendship wasn't just a possibility. It was guaranteed. But the possibility of love was a strong potential, and something that was bound to happen later in life. They had both been attracted to one another the moment they'd met eyes in the alleyway, and they'd become the most important figures in each other's lives from the day they'd first met. It could be called destiny, couldn't it?

//

The world was so alive as Kaoru walked through it, alone, both deaf and dumb, blind and senseless to all the noise. She was supposed to be at the Akabeko, using their outhouse. That's what she'd told the others she'd be doing when she up and left their picnic in an abrupt manner. But she just needed to take a walk. People looked at her as she trudged past and smiled at her, admiring her beauty and her seemingly ever-present poise. But she was blind to it all. The only thing she did see was the crowd of people at one of the roads near the park. A lot of them were crying. A lot of them were shouting, too. When she heard the name Okubo, she broke into a run.

She had to push through the people surrounding the scene to have a look. But when she'd gotten to the front of the crowd, she'd wished she never took that walk. Lord Okubo, the one who had sworn to her father that he would care for her, and the one who had followed through with that promise, was lying in a pool of his own blood, dead, covered loosely by straw, but still recognizable. Her eyes pricked with hot, passionate tears. Kaoru took a step forward, her body trembling, and tried to get closer to him. But she felt so weak, and so tired… like all her strength had been sapped from her, and she was suddenly helpless. She leaned forward, reaching out for a something to grab, and fell heavily to her knees.

"Hey! Get back!" an officer ordered fiercely, but he trailed off when she looked up at him and revealed the grief-stricken tears pouring down her cheeks. "Who are you?" He asked more gently. Her reaction was noticeably different from the other spectators.

"Let her forward," his colleague said persuasively. "Her father was Kamiya Koshijirou."

He moved to let her pass at his friend's words, and she walked steadily towards the body, trying to carry her bearing with as much grace as she could. But her bone-white face betrayed all dignity, and when she kneeled before the body, she was trembling. She moved the straw mat from his face, and her heart sank. It was all that she could do not to collapse when she knew for sure that the corpse before her was really him.

"Okubo…" she whispered, her face set in a devastated grimace. "Not you…"

She walked aimlessly for a long time, trying to put between her and the corpse as much distance as possible. She ended up sitting under the bridge, staring at the water. For hours everything seemed normal, but then came the sounds of a paperboy yelling 'Extra! Extra!' and almost immediately after, the cries of pedestrians as they picked up the fallen flyers and read that their Lord Okubo was dead. Kaoru covered her face in her arms and wept, along with the others above her on the bridge, and on the street, who were voicing their worries to strangers who felt just the same way. When the sun began to set, Kaoru looked up, and through her swollen, red-rimmed eyes she saw the flyers littering the river, sinking or floating, and the people who still crowded the streets, covering their mouths or praying or hoping for the consolation that nothing bad would follow this. Kaoru didn't think of the people who had been waiting for her to come back for hours.

///

"Do you see her anywhere?" Misao asked, staring at everybody with her questioning eyes.

"I don't see her." Yahiko said. "But you know, she always treated Lord Okubo like a second father." He looked down at the flyer that was still in his hands. "Maybe she hid away for a while."

"Who knows what could happen now…" Okon said, her brow set in furrows of concentration. "I agreed with his vision. I respected it and anticipated it and loved it and hoped it would come to pass. It was something achievable, but now that he's dead, there's nothing keeping the government from collapsing."

"We'll have to set off sooner than I thought…" Aoshi said. "We can't leave Shishio alone now. Not now that he's gone this far."

Okon looked towards him. "As much as I hate the thought, I have to get in contact with the bastard roosterhead. He needs to know when we leave." She frowned towards the ground. "By the way, when will we leave?"

"Tomorrow. Cut off the rest of the week. We can't delay any further." Aoshi said. "Leaving Shishio alone after all of this is like running away from a burning house."

Misao felt a sharp pain in her chest, but she took a few deep breaths and recovered. The thoughts of Aoshi leaving were replaced by worry for Kaoru. "Lets… let's talk about this later. For now we'll just find Kaoru."

"I'll go on ahead." Kenshin volunteered. "I'll meet you at the house in an hour. If we don't find her now, she's bound to come back." He said.

They dispersed, and he rushed around, looking for a clue here and there. He lingered at the bridge to wait and wonder on the whole event. Soon enough, he would have to fight. He would just wait for that time. He looked towards the river and caught sight of a woman's reflection in the water. She was sitting at the shore, leaning over the water and studying herself. It was Kaoru. It took Kenshin such a long time to figure it out because her eyes were red-rimmed and puffy and her whole self was torn with grief. He walked slowly towards her, trying to get down the slope without being too loud.

She didn't look up when he reached her side and stared out at the water. He didn't move, but continued to stare. "The river is the color of the sunset. It's beautiful, isn't it?" He said.

Kaoru's response was only a slight nod, and he took it as the right time to sit down next to her.

They stayed silent for a while, just staring out at the water and basking in the silent, heavy cloud of mourning. "I know you and the Lord were close…" he started abruptly.

Kaoru turned her head to look at him.

"I'm sorry…" He said, unaware that he had covered one of her hands with his. "It's hard to believe when a person says they know how you feel. But I do. I really do."

Kaoru didn't answer, but she stared at his hand as it covered hers. He smiled sheepishly at her, but his eyes were resolute when he turned her hand over and held it in his own. She suddenly let out a soft sob. "I still remember how it felt when Okubo first came to my door and told me that my father was dead. But I also remember how nice he was, and how fiercely he'd strived to keep his promise to my father. He was the last thing on earth that I could really rely on as a parent, you know? Somebody who would have all of the answers and the will to bail me out when I'm in trouble." She let out a sob. "I guess it's pretty stupid… but that's how I saw him. And now he's gone… But I shouldn't feel so sad, right? Because so many other people are less lucky than me. They don't have the parental person, and they have to face the world alone, and not only that, but they don't have the friends that I do to support me when the 'parent' isn't around." She groaned and held her head in her hands. "I'm petty and self pitying and pathetic and– "

Kenshin pulled her into his arms. "You have every right to mourn him." He said firmly. His voice rumbled in his chest and felt comforting against her skin. "You have every right to feel upset and lost and confused when the one who made you feel secure and happy is gone."

Kaoru's body started to shake at first, but then she started crying for real, and he held her in his arms, long after the sun had gone down, and long after the river had turned into a dull, gray stripe under the black sky.

"Did anybody remember to wake up Kaoru?" Misao asked irritably when she sat at the food-laden table. "It's the goodbye dinner for Okon and Aoshi!"

They looked from one to another. "Umm…"

Misao sighed dramatically. "You all forgot??? Geeze!"

"Fine, fine, I'll get her," grumbled Yahiko.

"No," Misao stopped him. "She needs to be handled gently right now. You're about as gentle as a sack of gravel."

"Hey! I know when to be nice to busu too, you know!" He growled.

"You see? You called her a hag! She's not a hag! Anybody here would agree with me!"

"Come on… you know I never actually meant that she was a hag when I called her a hag… right?"

Misao rolled her emerald eyes. "Then why do you say it?"

"I don't know! Don't ask me that question!"

"Ugh…" Misao grumbled. She pushed past him and walked to Kaoru's room. When she opened the door, Kaoru was sitting up, still covered by the blanket, and holding half of her face in her single hand. The tears dripping between her fingers and trailing down her wrist were almost like her soul, slipping through her fingers…

"Kaoru?" Her friend looked up at her. "It's time for dinner…"

Kaoru dropped her hand and got to her feet. The tears were still falling as Misao gave her a once over. The wide belt on the waist of her new Chinese sleeping robe fit the shape of her waist nicely and hugged her womanly curves. Misao was once again reminded of how brainless Sanosuke could be to give up somebody as pretty as her shihondai friend, all for that stupid witch doctor. She couldn't stand seeing the pain and tears she was going through trying to pull herself back together. Okubo's death only made everything a lot worse.

"How does it look?" asked Kaoru. The colors on her Chinese robe complimented her fair complexion.

"It's beautiful on you. It accentuates your tiny waist. I don't see why they can't make waist tight robes for pregnant women…" she grumbled.

Kaoru smiled witheringly. "It's the goodbye meal. We'd better hurry up." Kaoru said flatly. She pushed past Misao, showing no effort to hide her tears, and was halfway through the door when she was called back.

"Kaoru?"

She turned to her best friend. "Yes?"

Misao suddenly pulled her into her arms. Kaoru let the tears fall. When one fell, more fell. And they just kept on coming. "You don't have to hide them," she reassured her.

Kaoru took that as permission to collapse. She fell into wracks of sobs that made her crumple to her knees. When the cry was over, they went to the dining room. The house was full of fake smiles and fake laughter.

It wasn't surprising that Misao cried when she said goodbye to Aoshi. It wasn't surprising at all when Kaoru said goodbye and cried, either. What was surprising was that Aoshi was crying. It wasn't down-on-your-knees sobbing, but there were tearstains on his cheeks when he said goodbye to Misao. Kaoru embraced him briefly and squeezed Misao's hand. Aoshi was like the big brother she'd never had, and their partings weren't known to be easy. They'd purposely come late to the ship, so that Sanosuke was already on board and Kaoru wouldn't have to see him.

But as Kaoru pulled away from Aoshi's embrace, she felt a hand on her shoulder and whipped around. Sanosuke was staring sharply into her eyes. "This is my last chance to explain." He said firmly.

"Lay off of me, Sano!" Kaoru demanded, pulling away. Aoshi and Kenshin were already in action. Kenshin took to blocking Sanosuke from Kaoru's view and shielding her, and Aoshi handled the talk. Misao just stood on the sidelines glaring at Sanosuke alongside Yahiko. His bokken was set firmly in his hold.

"Sanosuke, I think you've done enough damage. Get on the ship." Aoshi commanded softly.

"This could be the last time I see her!" Growled Sano.

"Well you know what? It doesn't matter to her." Misao spat. "You messed up, and even Kaoru's not that merciful. She'd have to be a doormat to forgive and forget your last little screw up." Her fists were clenched.

"Shut up, Misao, and let me speak to Kaoru."

Aoshi's eyes shot to him. "Watch it," he warned. "Not only is that my fiancé you're talking to, but she's also leader of the Oniwabanshu."

"Oh, come on. I've been wanting to say that to Misao since I first met her!"

Aoshi took a step forward and pulled Misao backwards. "I'll let it slip because you're too stupid to know what you're doing."

"Kaoru, just listen to me for a second!" Sanosuke demanded.

Kaoru, hidden safely behind Kenshin, cast her eyes to the floor. She felt down, and weak, and tired… so tired…

"Shut up, rooster, and leave her alone!" Yahiko growled.

"Kaoru, I know you're more forgiving than this! We've been best friends for five years! We've loved one another for five years!"

Kaoru glared up at him from behind Kenshin's shoulder. "And you threw away that love with your mistake. And the worst part is that the mistake was made on purpose! So it wasn't a mistake! You acted like I didn't exist and threw yourself all over Megumi!" Her voice cracked harshly.

"Kaoru…"

She closed her eyes. He couldn't see the tears that ran down her cheeks, but Kenshin could, and he slipped his hand into hers. He gave her a tight squeeze and she leaned tiredly into his chest. Her body as well as her mind sagged with exhaustion.

"Get on the ship, Sano." Kenshin said. "You lost your chance. It wasn't a mistake. Now leave."

"I'll make sure he does," Aoshi said. He turned towards Kaoru and gave the back of her head a quick, affectionate caress, and then made sure Sanosuke was on his way into the ship. He turned to his fiancé, whispered a loving goodbye, and kissed her. Misao trembled as he held her face to his chest and comforted her silently, and then he left.

Okon turned to Kaoru with a smile, too, and the two women embraced.

"I hope everything comes out all right in the end, Kaoru." She said into the younger girl's hair.

Kaoru smiled. "Me too."

"And take care of Misao, okay?"

Kaoru nodded and pulled away for Okon to approach her pregnant commander.

"I wish I was going with you." She whined, hugging Okon's tall form.

"Yare, yare, be more responsible, baka. You have a kid in your belly. You can't go fighting. Your job right now is to make sure he grows safely and you give birth safely."

They waved to her when she walked up the ramp to the ship and joined Aoshi on the dock. He waved to Misao, and she broke into tears.

In the end, Kaoru had to drag Misao, kicking and sobbing, all the way back to the dojo. And it was easier said than done when people wondered what she was doing with a struggling, skimpily dressed girl in her arms.

"Will Misao be all right?" Kenshin asked, looking at the downcast, usually annoyingly hyper ninja girl.

Kaoru smiled earnestly, but her smile didn't match her eyes. "Misao will… she'll be fine, after given a while to grieve." She said tiredly.

Misao pulled away from her friend and stumbled to her room. Kaoru watched the door slam closed, then turned away from Kenshin to go to her respective room. Her eyes were down on the ground and she looked so down Kenshin felt the sudden need to hold her.

"Kaoru?"

She looked over her shoulder and smiled sadly. "I'm fine."

"You don't look it." He observed.

"I'm fine." She stated firmly. But when she was alone in her room, her knees gave way and she collapsed to the floor in a sobbing, graceless heap.

Yahiko and Kenshin drank tea in the kitchen while the females of the house brooded. Kaoru had wrapped herself into a soft yukata and went to sleep, and Misao had stared long and hard at her slightly protruding belly, debating on whether she should hate it for making her fat or love it because it contained a mix of she and Aoshi in one little person. Then, bored with herself, she went to sleep.

"It's so quiet…" Yahiko grumbled.

"Yeah."

"Misao told me Aoshi will kill me if I try any tricks when she's pregnant or when Kaoru's so miserable. So there's nothing to do!"

"I think I know what to do…" Kenshin said suddenly. The air had gotten much sharper and colder by then. Kenshin knew those hills would be filled with snow. He wanted to take her somewhere where he could see her smile.

"Do you think… Sanosuke hurt her on purpose, Kenshin?" Yahiko asked helplessly.

Kenshin kept his eyes on the floor. "I'm sorry, Yahiko. I can't think of any other explanation. He was sober, awake, and aware of everything he was doing. He knew her fragile heart was the cost for a moment of pleasure, but he took it anyway."

Yahiko trembled. "I… I just don't understand him! Every other person who's set eyes on her would die to be in his place! And you know that!" He cried.

"I know that." He admitted. "But Sanosuke, even when he knew it, took advantage of it."

"He's a bastard." Yahiko declared angrily. "So is that Megumi."

"I agree…" Kenshin murmured thoughtfully. Then he looked towards his small friend. "Do me a favor, all right?"

"What is it?" he asked in a noncommittal tone.

"Just… lets not talk about Sanosuke or Aoshi or Megumi for a while, okay? Not with the two women being so upset."

"Yeah."

"Understand?"

Yahiko nodded. "I get it."

"Aoshi sama," Omasu greeted, bowing deeply. "Where is Misao?" She looked towards Sanosuke and Okon.

"We'll discuss her later," Aoshi said. "For now, we need to have that meeting with Okina."

"But… wouldn't we need Misao for our meeting? She is, after all, our commander…"

"As I said before, Omasu, we'll discuss that later."

He walked past her with a small bow. He was a little irritated after spending such a long time travelling with Sanosuke, and at the moment he didn't want to be questioned, but he was fond of Omasu, and she usually took harsh tones a little personally.

Everybody was already seated and waiting in the Oniwabanshu's meeting room by the time he'd reached the end of the inner hallway.

"Aoshi sama," they all acknowledged and bowed deeply. But Okina stayed sitting up and only nodded slightly, and Aoshi nodded back.

"It's good to see you back, Aoshi." Okina said. "And hello, Sagara-san."

"Sanosuke's fine," Sano said.

He shook it off. "I trust Okon came to you with the message as efficiently as possible." He said, smiling towards Okon.

She stared right at Sanosuke then and gave him a quick shake of her head. Don't tell him I was drunk, she seemed to say.

"She came on time and delivered us the message as quickly as she was capable of doing, and made everything we need to do as clear as she could."

"All right, then. Okon, Aoshi and Sanosuke, please take a seat."

They sat down together and waited for the discussion to begin.

"First of all, where is Misao? I thought we agreed that she would come. She is, after all, our leader."

"Well, you see…" Okon started. "Misao is…"

"I found it agreeable that Misao stayed in the Kamiya dojo with Kaoru. Shishio would easily target her if she came here. She is the Oniwabanshu leader. He would use her against us in the heat of war, and then where would we be? It is much more practical to keep her safe and out of the way." Aoshi gave Okon a warning glance.

"How did Misao feel about this?" Okina asked.

"She was against it, of course, but she came to understand that it was for the good of the Oniwabanshu."

"All right. But next time you do this, consult with me, first." Okina said firmly.

"Now onto other things," Okon said.

"Did you find out when the grand inferno begins?" Sanosuke asked.

"We used the Owls to get through to the information. Our spies have assured us that what they found out is the full truth." Omasu said.

Okina eyed everyone gravely. "It happens in a week."

///

"Miss Kaoru, it's not healthy to eat so little," Kenshin chided gently. He tried baiting her with a delicious plate of beef teriyaki from Tae's restaurant, but Kaoru only glared down at the food and bit her lip.

It had been three days, and Kaoru had skipped almost all of her meals. So much could not be said for Misao. She was pregnant, and currently eating down the house. She missed Aoshi terribly and worried for him all the time, but the baby and the hormones made her so hungry she just had to eat. And when a pregnant woman ate, she ate a lot.

Kaoru was a different story, though. Lord Okubo's sudden assassination had caused her to fall silent for a long time, but when she finally talked, it was about Sanosuke. She was so badly affected by him and she'd valued his opinion for as long as they'd known each other, and this was the reason she was so miserable. "Maybe he left me for Megumi because she looks like a pillar and I look like… a squash." She sighed weakly. "Everybody knows having a waist the same size as your hips is beautiful. But look at me! Megumi's perfect, and I look fat!"

Kenshin wanted to laugh. "You don't, miss Kaoru… never think that. I didn't think having a small waist would be attractive until I saw you…" He trailed off. Kaoru stared at him.

"You must be crazy, then." She said, and her eyes filled with tears again. "Sanosuke has good taste! He always had, ever since we were younger! That's why he picked Megumi!"

"Then why did he pick you?"

"Because he was going through a fit of insanity!" She cried angrily.

Kenshin laughed out loud this time. "Listen to yourself. He may just like Megumi because she's twenty-two. But it has nothing to do with you. He's a stupid bastard. You're beautiful, miss Kaoru, and you know it. Those men wouldn't have bought you those silk kimono if you hadn't gotten them smitten when they saw you."

Kaoru's lips upturned into a smile, like a raging fever breaking. But then her face fell again, when she remembered walking to the kitchen, and seeing Sanosuke with his arms wrapped around Megumi, his fingers crumpling her haori jacket, his lips all over hers, their bodies pressed together, his eyes open and staring at her with so many emotions she couldn't count them … and she broke into tears.

"Miss Kaoru!"

Kaoru couldn't help it. She cried harder.

"Kaoru, look at me…" he pleaded gently. She raised her face to look up at him. Her hair was down, spilling over her shoulders. Her blue eyes were still glistening with tears, and some of them ran down her cheeks. Her bottom lip was between pearly white teeth. Her cheeks were touched with red from her tears. She looked so weak… so pleading… so vulnerable. His eyes widened. She looked exactly the same as she did when his eyes first fell upon her beautiful face, on the night when he had to watch her go through the torture and act like he enjoyed it. He'd seen the trust and the pain in her stare then, and he saw it all there now.

"Kenshin…" she whispered in a half sob.

He could suddenly see the memory in her eyes, the one that had set her off into tears. "Kaoru…"

She didn't have to ask, and he didn't have to agree. She just fell into his arms.

"He… He… he didn't have to choose me in the first place…" she sobbed. "Not if he knew he needed more…"

"Nobody can be more than you."

"Apparently, Megumi is nobody."

"Megumi is Megumi. Sanosuke is a bastard. But both of them are out of your life, Kaoru. Don't worry."

Kaoru pulled out of his arms, but she remained perched in his lap. When he watched her, he only just realized how fragile she really was. She could care for so many people and she could support herself. She could run a dojo without her parents and live on even through the toughest times. But when it came to her heart, it was so heavily guarded because it could break so badly. It didn't break all that often, but when it broke, it fell into a thousand pieces.

"I just wish…" she stared out the window and sighed wistfully. "Sanosuke and I have been so close, for such a long time… I'd always hoped it'd stay that way." She wiped her tears away with her sleeve. "I never wanted to have to throw him out."

"I know you didn't. But don't worry, miss Kaoru. It was his fault, and one day you'll forget all about him."

They held each other and stared out into the yard. "Do you really think I will?" She asked him.

"You're a strong girl, miss Kaoru. One day you will."

///

"Hurry up, Misao!" Kaoru called, looking over her shoulder to smile at her struggling friend.

"Do you really think I can run right now?" She called back angrily.

"You used to be so damned fast…" Yahiko grumbled. "Now look at you!"

"Well I'm sorry if I happen to be pregnant!" She growled to Yahiko. Then she looked ahead at Kaoru. "Can't we stop? We've been running for ages in this stupid rain! Why don't we just hide under a tree? We're in a park, after all!" It was a huge park. There was nowhere to shelter except the trees.

"Miss Kaoru, let's stop. We'll give her a chance to catch up." Kenshin said, stopping her.

"I think that's a good idea."

When Misao caught up with them, she rested her hands on her knees. "I'm going under a tree…" she declared.

Kaoru drew her back by her braid. "Don't do that, Misao! It's a thunderstorm!"

"So?"

"We'll get electrocuted if we go under these trees. It happened in last week's storm, when that guy tried to take shelter. The lightning struck the tree, and he died."

Misao paled. "Never mind!"

They all huddled together. The rain only poured harder. Kaoru was wearing a white cotton kimono, so she had to cross her arms over her chest to stop the see through fabric from revealing too much. She was too worried about somebody seeing her body right through the kimono to risk unfolding her arms and putting on her haori. "This sucks." She said.

"I agree," said Kenshin.

"Which way would be faster?" Misao asked. "To continue on till we reach the exit, or to go back from where we came?"

"We need to continue to the exit. But it goes on through the trees." Then she gave Kenshin a smug smile. "Nice job, genius. Deciding to take us on a walk when NONE of us wanted to go." She smiled sarcastically. "Now we're all wet."

"Well forgive me!" He shot back. "All of you were stumbling around the house looking dead! You needed the fresh air!"

"There's fresh air in the yard, Kenshin." Misao grumbled.

"Not as fresh as this." He said, opening his arms to the trees.

"So which way are we going?" Asked Yahiko. "The trees? The faster we get out, the better."

"NO WAY!" Misao yelled. "I am NOT going to a place full of trees! We'll get electrocuted!"

Kaoru slapped her forehead. "Damnit…"

"Do you really think Kaoru knew what she was talking about when she said the trees were deadly, weasel?!?" Yahiko growled.

"Yes, I do! And I'm NOT going to walk into a place full of trees and die! Not while I'm so close to living a married life!"

"Aw, you and your stupid 'Aoshi Sama,'" Yahiko grumbled.

"Stupid? STUPID?" Misao screeched.

"Yeah!"

"Aoshi is NOT stupid!!!"

"Just shut up and accept it, hag!"

Misao and Yahiko began a heated debate that Kaoru didn't really care to take part in. She looked around the forest, admiring the dark, bewitching green of the pine trees and the smell of nature. Her sudden rush of tranquility blocked out the sounds of her friends' bickering. She was oblivious to Kenshin's content staring. A butterfly sailed past her line of sight and caught her eye as it landed on the leaf of a peculiar bush. It was a beautiful mix of violets, blues, and whites. Megumi would have called it a stupid insect, but Kaoru was in love. All thoughts of her see through kimono forgotten, she unfolded her arms and reached out towards it, and the butterfly inched closer to the edge of the leaf. It seemed to be watching her. She was about to rest her finger on the tip of the leaf and have the butterfly use it as a perch, but Kenshin closed his hand over her smaller one, and it fluttered swiftly from the bush.

"Don't do that," he said softly. "The bush is poison ivy."

Kaoru's eyes followed the butterfly as it fluttered off deeper into the trees. Then she looked at Kenshin. His hand was still holding hers, and he was watching her contently.

They stared at one another, near the edge of the road, far away from Yahiko and Misao, the rain pouring over them. Beyond them lay the rest of the world as it buzzed about, but between them was the most eloquent silence ever known to man. The wind flapped at their clothes. Her black hair and his red hair danced with the breeze. But their bodies were frozen in place, and their eyes were locked firmly on each other. He watching her, she watching him, Kenshin entwined his fingers with hers, his thumb caressed the smooth back of her hand, and time froze.

///

The forest path was full of faces. Kaoru and Kenshin were holding their stomachs in their laughter. Misao was about to blow up from anger. Yahiko was smiling smugly from his played prank.

Misao hadn't shut up since they decided to walk through the forest. Kaoru's words about lightning striking trees and electrifying them had permanently scarred her. She was terrified of every tree and clung to Kenshin's arm like he was the magical force that would keep her safe. "Why not cling to Kaoru or Yahiko?" Kenshin had asked. "You've known them for longer."

"You remind me of Aoshi," had been her answer. But Kenshin didn't know how Misao could see her icy, serious fiancé in him.

At every sound of thunder, she screamed or cowered or both, and Yahiko was getting sick of it.

"Look, weasel." Yahiko had said. "Watch my hand and the tree very closely."

"Uh huh…" she nodded, following through.

"I'm gonna keep it here, on this tree." He said, resting it on the trunk. "Even when lightning strikes or there's a sound of thunder, I'll keep it here."

"Don't, Yahiko!" Misao pleaded.

"Shut up, weasel. I won't die."

"Yes you will!"

Everybody stopped to watch him. He kept his hand there, crossed his ankles, and yawned. "How boring." He said.

"Good! It's boring, so you can stop!" Misao said, her face lifting with hope.

"No."

Her face fell.

There was only rain. Misao shuddered. Kaoru was a little worried, too, but she knew the odds were slim of lightning hitting that particular tree. Kenshin was in that same optimistic state of mind.

"Yahiko…" Misao said warningly. There was only rain. Nothing happened.

But white noise filled her terrified ears when thunder cracked through the sky, the world flashed, and Yahiko screamed. He screamed loud and long, and he trembled violently against the tree. Misao screamed, too. Yahiko was going to die! Yahiko was probably already dead!

He flopped to the ground. Kaoru saw the crinkle of mischief in the corners of his eyes, but Misao didn't. She stumbled forward, terrified. Was her small friend dead? She knelt by his head. "Yahiko! Yahiko!" She was about to burst into tears, but Yahiko opened his eyes.

"SURPRISE!!!" He cried, leaping to his feet.

Kaoru and Kenshin burst into laughter when Misao screamed and fell backwards. Yahiko was smirking as she got shakily to her feet and glared at him. And that was how they came to be where they were, filling the forest with laughter.

"I really thought you were dead, you little brat!" She cried. "And you pull a TRICK on me!"

Yahiko just stood there laughing.

"You won't be laughing when I get you!" She declared, and she ran at him. But due to her pregnancy, she was slower than usual, and Yahiko was just as fast as always. So he danced around, laughing cruelly and taunting her on comments of her newly swollen belly and her inability to run fast, and anybody could swear they saw steam blow from Misao's ears.

"DAMN YOU!!!" She cried.

Kaoru and Kenshin were falling over each other in their laughter. When the two stopped bickering, it was close to noon.

"All right, you two." Kaoru said soothingly. "You should stop, now. The rain is over and we should hurry."

They walked back at a reasonable pace, to keep Misao comfortable. Yahiko refrained from making any snide comments, because Misao had threatened to tell Aoshi when he returned. Yahiko remembered Aoshi giving him a warning about upsetting his pregnant fiancé while he was gone. Misao was up ahead, and Kaoru and Kenshin fell back a little.

They walked side by side, their hands to themselves but their senses completely aware of one another. Kenshin kept stealing glances at Kaoru, and she was doing the same.

"Daijabou, Kaoru?" He asked.

"I'm fine. I guess I should've eaten more, though."

"Tell me when you don't feel well."

Kaoru nodded, but made a silent promise not to. She wasn't going to come across as weak. Occasionally, Kenshin would give her a look to remind her of Yahiko's prank, and they would end up laughing so hard their eyes watered and receive dirty looks from Misao. Then Kaoru would whisper something into his ear and they'd be in fits of laughter again. By the time they'd gotten to the exit, all thoughts of Sanosuke were out of Kaoru's mind. They stopped at a small inn to have lunch, and then they returned to the dojo. Even though Misao had hogged the sushi platter and ate so much she wanted to be sick, she was hungry after the half hour walk back and stuffed half of the larder into her mouth.

They spent the rest of the day lying on the ground in the living room, staring at the ceiling and chatting about random things. The same laughter that had filled the forest filled the living room when Yahiko angered Misao yet again. That night, Kenshin gave Kaoru a cooking lesson, but they were both too caught up in chatting and nudging one another and laughing at random things to remember Kaoru was supposed to be learning something.

That night, they fell asleep together in the living room when their conversation had drizzled away. Kenshin woke up in the middle of the night and stared at her. She was beautiful in sleep, with her eyes lightly closed, her ki unguarded, and her hair falling all over her shoulders. But the best part:

She was smiling again.