"Goo—d morni—ng, Kenshin," a sing-song voice cooed over the bed, stirring Makoto from her sleep. Still half-asleep she rolled over to firmly plant her face in something warm and soft. "Ohohoh, being a little forward today, aren't you?"

"What the...? What do I have my face in?" Makoto thought to herself as she opened her eyes and backed her head up. In front of her was a dark-skinned woman with violet hair pulled into a ponytail and a large smile on her face as she bent over the bed.

She was also completely naked.

"Oh, so that's what those were," Makoto said groggily as she turned back to her side and closed her eyes again. It only took a moment before she shot up out of the bed fully awake. "Hang on a sec! Why the hell are you naked?!"

"Now I see. He's got a pretty girl sleeping in his bed and two on the floor," the woman said slyly, seemingly ignoring Makoto's outburst. A stirring at the other end of the bed had Usagi sticking her head out of the covers. "Two in the bed at the same time? Kenshin you naughty boy. Guess we're gonna have to get him a bigger bed."

"I SAID WHY THE HELL ARE YOU NAKED?!"

"Will you shut up, Mako?" Rei muttered as she sat up, planting her face in the naked woman's buttock and eliciting an excited giggle. "W-w-what the hell?!"

"Why are you two being so damn loud this early in the morning?" Kenshin asked as he slid the door open. When he saw the naked woman leaning over his bed he blinked several times before saying, "Oh, it's just you, Yoruichi. When did you get in?"

"Don't you know how to knock?! And why is she naked in your room expecting you?! And why aren't you even a little bit surprised?!" Makoto fired off as her face turned a deeper shade of crimson.

"Hmm?" Yoruichi looked down before tilting her head and smiling. "I guess I am naked. Sorry, just a habit of mine."

Usagi and Ami were now awake, much to the blonde's disappointment, and were arriving in the middle of quite the scene. As they started to shout their own questions Kenshin just stared at the lot of them, trying to determine whether he wanted to get involved at all. His decision was made when Makoto tossed one of his textbooks at him, hitting him square in the face with the spine.

Fifteen minutes later – when everything was calm once more – the five of them sat around a small table. The girls were still bright red after their encounter with Yoruichi while Kenshin had a large bandage across his nose. "I still don't know why I got hit," he said, taking a sip of his coffee.

"You don't just walk into a girl's room uninvited," Makoto told him as she mixed cream and sugar into hers.

"It's my room."

"But we were in there," Rei pointed out as she and Ami drank their tea.

"Let me restate my point here: Why was I the one getting hit?" he asked again, adding emphasis to try and make his point clear. "I'm not the one who wandered in naked nor the one that put their face into Yoruichi's chest or butt." Rei's response was to whip her now-empty teacup straight into his forehead, knocking him onto his back and sending the still-intact teacup into the air. As it fell Kenshin caught it with his coffee mug and sat back up, no worse for wear.

"That was actually kind of impressive," Usagi admitted as she set her juice down. "Both the catch and that it didn't break."

"Urahara likes to be prepared for anything," Kenshin answered, ignoring the large red mark on his forehead and continuing to sip his coffee.

The girls pondered that for a moment except for Usagi who looked down at her chest and heaved a heavy sigh. When asked what was wrong she replied, "Just feeling insecure, I guess." She turned to Kenshin and without hesitating asked him, "Kenshin, do you think my chest is big enough?"

Makoto started coughing so hard that coffee began leaking from her nostrils and Kenshin's face was bright red. The other two girls just stared at Usagi, not knowing what possessed her to ask such a question. "No offense but I'm not dumb enough to answer that," Kenshin replied as he prepared to take another sip. The next instant a fully-clothed Yoruichi delivered a punch strong enough to knock his head clear through the table and the upper half of his body through the floor.

"Have a little courtesy, jerk," the dark-skinned woman said, a smile on her face despite the vein popping out of her temple. "You're supposed to say, 'You're beautiful just the way you are, Usagi'." She turned to the blonde as she settled down. "You're still growing, Usagi. It's not fair to compare yourself to me at your age." Kenshin made a smartass comment – his face still planted firmly in the floor – and Yoruichi responded by stomping on his head while shouting angrily at him.

"I think I know why the teacup and book didn't really hurt him," Rei muttered, impressed by Yoruichi's strength.

"Now why don't you be a good host and make these lovely girls breakfast," Yoruichi ordered. "Offering them just tea and juice isn't considered good hospitality and you know it." Kenshin caved, replying that he would as soon as he could feel his spine again. Yoruichi grabbed him by the back of his shirt and lifted him to eyelevel with one arm, glaring at him.

"Got it. Having feeling in my spine is optional. I'll get right on it," he replied with a nervous laugh and Yoruichi set him on his feet, leaving him to limp toward the kitchen. She sat next to the hole he'd been in and finished off his coffee for him.

"You're...really strong," Makoto finally said, drawing Yoruichi's attention. "Are you sure that Kenshin's okay?"

"He'll be fine," was the reply. "He might not look it but he's been through a lot worse than that."

"How do you know him?" Ami asked, curious to learn more about their new friend. Rei and Usagi leaned in as Yoruichi started to talk while Makoto followed Kenshin.

She grabbed a spare apron and quickly tied it on as she saw the spread that Kenshin had planned. "Breakfast is probably my least favorite meal to cook," he said, catching the brunette off-guard as he came out of the pantry. In his arms was a large pot of uncooked rice that he put into the kettle, stirred, and then put the lid back on. "There's only so much you can do that's considered acceptable. Hand me that tray of eggs, will you?"

"I guess with everything going on we didn't get a chance to ask," Makoto started but as she looked at him the words caught in her throat.

"Minako's doing well," he replied, knowing what she wanted to ask. "Her breathing's normal and her fever is all but gone. I wouldn't be surprised if she slept through today though. Her body's been through hell and needs to recover." He looked at her curiously. Her face was bright red as she worked on the bacon and sausage. "What's up with you?"

"It's just, uh, you kinda..." She gulped nervously as she moved to the pancakes. "The other girls make fun of me for this but you really do look like my ex-boyfriend." She looked at Kenshin to see surprise evident on his face.

"That's what you were so nervous about?" he asked and Makoto just stared at him in shock. "Phew. For a moment I thought it was because you had a crush on me." He easily caught the chop from a furiously blushing Makoto. "Don't get me wrong; it's not that I really mind. I'm just not interested in dating right now."

"And Minako?" Kenshin's grip faltered as he thought about it.

"I'm responsible for the state she's in right now. I'll tell you now the same thing I'm going to tell her once she's better: You deserve someone better than me as a boyfriend. I like having the five of you as friends but that's all it should ever be...for your sakes"

Makoto stared at him, unsure of what to think of his answer. His eyes had the same hard glint that they'd had yesterday and she could tell that he believed what he was saying. With a sigh she gave him a light chop on the top of his head. "That's for being stupid," she told him when he asked why she had still hit him. "No one's ever gotten their life together by themselves so we depend on each other. That's what couples do for each other."

Kenshin didn't respond, thinking about what she had said while also asking himself why he was wasting time thinking about it. His job was clear: Eliminate Hollows and investigate the strange reiryoku in the Azabu-Juuban prefecture. The Sailor Guardians weren't the cause of it so it was his opinion that he end all contact with them. It was probably the one, and likely only, thing that he and Captain Kurotsuchi agreed on.

"It's not like they'll remember me once the investigation is completed anyway. Why the hell should I care what they think about me?" is what he told himself but another part of him said, "What's the harm in actually being friends with these girls?"

While they finished cooking there was an awkward silence between Kenshin and Makoto which they quickly ended as they carried the food to the table. Everyone was at a normal table to eat and a light dribble of drool escaped Usagi's mouth as she saw what they were bringing. "I think I love you, Kenshin," she said starry-eyed as her gaze followed the food.

"You'd love any man that can cook, Usagi," Ami pointed out as Makoto and Rei nodded fiercely.

"It's not that I don't love Mamoru; it's just he can't cook like Kenshin can," was the blonde's reply.

"Well, my parents work a lot so I kind of had to fend for myself," Kenshin explained as they started serving the food. "My martial arts teachers also taught me the importance of protecting said food by trying to steal my lunch when I wasn't paying attention." He gave a heavy sigh. "The more I think about growing up the more depressed I get." His face immediately brightened before the girls could say anything. "Oh well. Itadakimasu!" The girls gave the same cheer before digging in.

The day progressed fairly normally with the five of them hanging out at the shop when Kenshin wasn't helping run the store or running errands for Urahara. Yoruichi had made herself scarce since breakfast as had Urahara, only popping in occasionally to see how Minako was doing. By the time the sun set the girls had all gone to their respective homes to get changes of clothes and Makoto got some of Minako's for when she woke up. They slept in the same places as the night before though this time the girls did what they could to block off the door to the bedroom so that Yoruichi wouldn't surprise them again.

As Kenshin watched over Minako he could hear Makoto's words echoing in his head. "That's what couples do for each other? Hah, yeah right. Like anything in life is that cut and dry." He frowned as he thought about his own actions. "No. Stopping whatever the thing that was possessing Kiba was me getting her out of this mess. Then again, I knew her friends would have also found and stopped it. So why did I...?" He had already given himself a light chop on the head before he realized it. "Stupid boy," he muttered with a smirk. "I did it because I got you involved in all this. If I didn't then I'd never be able to live with myself." A blurry image of a blonde woman popped into his head, causing him to shake his head violently. Why he was thinking of her at a time like this was beyond him and he preferred not to complicate things any further.

Kenshin adjusted his position on the floor as he tried to get whatever was on top of him off. A nuzzling in his chest stopped his movements and his eyes slowly opened to see Minako holding onto him.

"...the hell?" he murmured as he quickly came to. "But how did I get here without waking up?" It only took him a moment to realize it and he grit his teeth. "Damn you, Yoruichi."

As he started to try and remove Minako's grip she whispered to him, "Please don't go." Kenshin stopped as her eyes fluttered open and she tightened her grip on him. "Please don't go, Kenshin. I...I feel safe when you're here."

He debated still pulling away, not wanting to get closer to her than necessary, but the vulnerable look in her eyes made him relent and pull her closer. "Okay," he said, mentally kicking himself. "I'll stay by your side." She rested her chin on his shoulder, pressing her cheek against his ear and thanking him as they laid like that. "I'm glad you're better now, Minako," he said after a few moments.

"It's weird. I had this dream where you were the one that saved me," she told him. "I know it's just a dream but even when I felt better I couldn't shake the feeling. So thank you for saving me, Kenshin." He started to protest that he'd had nothing to do with it but chose to keep his mouth shut and pulled her in tighter. After a moment Minako pulled back enough to look at him and before long long their gazes were locked. They began to get closer and closer until their lips were only a hair's breadth apart.

"Goo—d morni—ng, Kenshin." Minako vanished as she was pushed down the futon and Kenshin ended up face-first in Yoruichi's naked chest. "Seems I got the right bed this time. Did I interrupt you two?" Minako's scream answered her question as Kenshin stared down the incoming karate chop.

At breakfast later the girls glared at Kenshin who was covered with multiple bandages and several lumps on his head. "And for the second morning in a row I say that it wasn't my damn fault," he muttered as he drank his coffee. Minako drank her tea in an almost defiant posture, refusing to look at Kenshin.

"How much you wanna bet it was Yoruichi waking him up?" Usagi whispered and the other three nodded. "So he definitely had it coming." Minako turned bright red but maintained her posture as the girls nodded again before turning their gazes on her. "So why were you two in bed together?"

"I, umm, don't actually know," Minako admitted as all eyes turned to Kenshin who only had to speak Yoruichi's name for all the girls, minus Minako, to sigh and accept his answer.

The rest of the morning was fairly normal with the exception of Minako requesting to help Kenshin with breakfast and to have the others girls trying to pull her away from the kitchen. They relented only when Yoruichi pulled them off one-by-one. As they ate what they were shocked that the food that Minako helped with was not only edible but tasted good.

It was as the girls were getting ready to head out that things began to liven up. As they were enjoying the warm Sunday weather Makoto walked into the clearing in front of the shop and turned to Kenshin. "Alright, Ken. Minako told us that you're something of a martial arts expert," she said, pointing straight at him. "I can stand you being a better cook than me but there's no way I'll just take you being tougher than me lying down. I say we have ourselves a little match to prove who's stronger."

"No way." Kenshin's answer was so quick that the girls had to ask him to repeat it. "I only fight when I have to and I don't spar. Period."

"So you won't fight me because I'm a girl?" Makoto snapped at him. "I don't need to put up with that-"

"I could care less that you're a girl. I don't spar. Period." Kenshin narrowed his eyes at her causing Makoto to falter for a second. "Please just leave it at that." Makoto growled out of frustration when she saw Minako motioning for her to take his advice.

"Why don't you use that, Kenshin?" Yoruichi said from inside the store. "This way she gets her match and you don't have to worry about hurting her." The glare was gone from Kenshin's expression as he looked at Yoruichi who tossed a blindfold at him.

"For the record I'm still against this," he protested as Makoto verified that there were no holes in the blindfold before Kenshin asked her to tie it on him. "But I also get the feeling that you won't let this drop no matter how many times I tell you 'no'."

"So then why are you wearing a blindfold?" the brunette asked as she walked over to her friends and took up a fighting pose. "Are you not taking me seriously?"

"A real fighter doesn't need to talk," Kenshin retorted, staring directly at the wall. Makoto growled and charged him, leading with a quick jab only to have him deflect it behind him. She let loose with a flurry of punches and jabs that, despite the blindfold, Kenshin dodged with seeming ease. As Makoto followed up with a powerful overhead kick the other girls just watched in awe.

"He's making her look like an amateur," Rei said finally. "He's wearing a blindfold and making her look like an amateur." She closed her eyes as she tried to feel out the situation before turning to Yoruichi. "How is he doing that?"

"He's reading the flow of her chi as they fight," the purple-haired woman explained as Kenshin parried another pair of blows. "This technique is only effective if you've been trained to read said flow and you're significantly faster than your opponent. The primary reason I suggested he use this style is that it forces him to fight at Makoto's speed."

"There are people able to do that?" Ami asked, impressed that a normal human would be capable of such a feat.

"I'm more worried about Mako," Minako said as she bit her thumbnail, recalling Kenshin's fight against Kiba's gang but knowing it was too late now. "She picked a really bad day to wear a skirt."

"Not her brightest move of the day," Yoruichi added with a sly smile. "Although Kenshin's missing quite the show. I wonder when she'll realize." She turned to Usagi who was squinting at the fight and trying to keep the sun out of her eyes with her right hand.

"Something is definitely wrong here," she replied when Yoruichi asked. "Makoto told me that she'd returned that pair."

Before the girls could reply Kenshin caught Makoto in a shoulder throw and, with surprising force, tossed her towards them only to have the brunette catch herself with relative ease. "Alright, so you got some moves but you can't win a fight just by going on the defensive the whole time," she said, trying to taunt him only to have him tilt and scratch his head.

"Wait, you've actually been trying?" he asked, knowing full well that she had been. "I thought you were still warming up. Just let me know when you really want to get going so I know not to hold back." The brunette snarled as she went at Kenshin again with a straight punch only to have him parry the blow and slam his palm into her sternum. Trying to stay upright Makoto went for a left roundhouse kick that Kenshin easily grabbed with one arm before head-butting her.

Makoto stumbled back, her ears ringing and her head throbbing uncontrollably. "For crying out loud! What's your head made of?" she asked, glancing at him through one eye.

"Like you're one to talk! Good Lord, it's like banging my head on a brick wall," Kenshin replied as he staggered back. Makoto saw her chance and pushed through the pain. Her plan was to go for a jab at his gut, winding him, and then finish with a throw.

"Kenshin! Stop!" Yoruichi shouted as the blindfold, loosened by the headbutt, slipped from Kenshin's eyes. Unfortunately all Kenshin heard was his name before seeing an incoming Makoto and his instincts kicked in. Her jab was pulled past as a lateral chop to her collarbone sent her upper body reeling. As Kenshin stepped behind her he drew back his elbow and struck just below the base of her neck.

Makoto's mind went blank as pain overwhelmed her senses and she came to a crashing halt on the ground. As Kenshin realized what he had almost done his eyes filled with terror. "Not again," he whispered as he ran to Makoto.

"Damn, that was...a good one," she replied when he called her name, her voice strained as she tried to focus. "You really...don't fool around in a fight...do you?" She closed her eyes and laid her head on the ground as the girls gathered around them. Kenshin pinched one of her fingers and her ankle, both of which twitched when he did and her face scrunched up.

"Oh thank God," he said with a heavy sigh.

"Are you out of your freaking mind?!" Rei screamed at him, wanting to hit him but afraid of his reaction if she tried. "You could have-"

"That's enough, Rei," Yoruichi interrupted sternly, squeezing the miko's shoulder tightly. Rei turned to her and then back to Kenshin, relenting only when she saw the regret in his eyes. "I'll take her home and make sure there's no permanent damage. Okay, Kenshin?" The teen nodded and left Yoruichi and the girls to their own devices, closing the door to the shop behind him.

"How are you not furious at him?" Rei asked, turning on Yoruichi just as the dark-skinned woman was lifting Makoto onto her back. "He could've killed her with that last hit!"

"Don't you think it's odd that someone as talented as Kenshin doesn't participate in martial arts anymore?" Yoruichi asked as she stared down Rei. "Did you ever consider why he didn't want to fight in the first place?"

The girls were silent until Usagi spoke up. "I think we all just assumed he doesn't like to fight. Did something happen?"

"Just before he entered high school Kenshin was considered to be one of the premier martial artists in Japan," Yoruichi explained, recalling his cover story. "During a summer tournament his opponent was an equally skilled girl and she was pushing him to his absolute limit. Since it was the finals they weren't limiting styles so Kenshin was using the one that he developed and she was matching him blow-for-blow." Her head fell for dramatic effect. "Kenshin went to finish the match using his signature combo, what you saw him use on Makoto, but the girl tried to duck and instead of hitting below her neck he hit at the base of her skull." The girls' hands all came to their mouths. "The blow killed her instantly."

"Why would he fight like that?" Minako asked as she remembered his fight with Kiba's gang.

"Kenshin has trouble consciously holding back, it's just the way he was taught. So instead he tweaked the moves so that the normally-lethal ones hit wrong and just cause intense pain instead of death."

"I think I remember hearing about that fight," Ami said, trying to recall the details. "The martial arts commission didn't find any wrongdoing so no criminal charges were filed but I think they banned him for life."

Yoruichi nodded. "That's why he started taking kendo," she added. "It's also part of the reason his parents wanted to move here. It gives Kenshin a chance to compete again without people judging him because of his past." She turned to ask Minako a question only to see the blonde closing the shop door as she followed Kenshin. Yoruichi couldn't help but smile. "C'mon, you girls should get home. Can Makoto stay with one of you tonight?"

Minako went to Kenshin's room where he had left the door open while he changed his shirt. She immediately latched onto him, hugging his back, and his body stiffened for a brief moment. "I'm guessing Yoruichi told you what happened," he said, already knowing the answer and Minako's nodding head confirming it. "So do you pity me, knowing what happened? Can you feel sorry for a killer?"

"Stop that." Her words surprised him. She had struck him as being the kind of person that would immediately feel sorry for someone upon hearing a sob story, fake or not. "I don't feel sorry for you because of what happened. I feel sorry for you because you've had to shoulder that all by yourself." Her grip on his midsection tightened. "That's what friends are for, Kenshin: To help you bear the weight of life."

"You too, huh?" he thought, thinking back on Makoto's words. Minako let go and quickly gave him a light chop on the head.

"That's-"

"-for being stupid," Kenshin finished as he turned to her.

Minako's surprise was evident but it was quickly replaced by a smile. "If you know that then Mako already got you," she said and Kenshin nodded.

"About Makoto..."

"I'm sure she'll be sore come Monday but she's fine for now," the blonde told him, knowing what he was going to say. "I know you didn't mean to hurt her and the other girls do too so stop beating yourself up." She chopped him on the head again and he couldn't help but smile. "And so you know, Makoto's friends all call her Mako and she only does that chop to her friends." Her smile brightened. "And if you're friends with her you can count the rest of the girls in too." He raised an eyebrow at her in curiosity. "The way I see it we're already friends," she explained. She stared at Kenshin's feet sheepishly as she blushed. "What I'd really like is if we could be more."

Kenshin hesitated, recalling what he'd told Makoto about his decision but seeing Minako like this was tearing him apart inside. "Can I get a mulligan on our first date?" he asked, finally relenting as she beamed him a smile. "You getting sick and me beating up Makoto probably isn't the best way to start things off." She hugged him again, still not entirely aware that he was shirtless. "We've got Friday off from school so I'll talk with Urahara about getting the weekend off."

Minako nodded, gave him a peck on the cheek, and headed out. Kenshin's smile quickly faded as he swore at himself. "What the hell is wrong with me?" he muttered, putting his shirt on and walking into the main room and throwing open the door to Urahara's room. "I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that you were listening the whole time."

"I actually just got back," Urahara admitted as the Senkaimon closed behind him. "There was some business back in Seireitei I had to see to. Why, did I miss something interesting?" Kenshin shook his head as he told the shop owner about his plans for next weekend. "I already figured as much," Urahara replied, "so Yoruichi and I will keep an eye out for anything suspicious while you enjoy yourself."