A/N: So I took down the newer version and decided to revamp from the older one. –curls at incoming tomatoes- See, I just figured that the older version would just pose comparison for wonderful readers like you, and I didn't want that. Also, I thought I'd reach my followers more effectively this way. I have thought about deleting the reviews from the old version, but I honestly don't know how. Ehehe..

It was mentioned in the older version that this storyline was intended to be an Original Fiction, and that I just decided for it to be K&K, because, wth, they're so cute together. So I'll warn all those who don't know yet, that there's a lot of OOC-ness in this fic.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading as much as I do writing, and please lemme know if you do by leaving a REVIEW! ^_^

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin

CHAPTER TWO

There was only but the soft howl of the cold air through narrow spaces that filled the silence. The moonlight was faint through paper doors and a single dim candle was lit to compensate. The setting added eeriness to the task of wiping the corpse's body clean but the redhead swallowed the thought and filled his mind instead with feelings of mourn.

His eyes narrowed at the gruesome sight. He had seen death before, but maybe just in its more common forms. Somehow, he had preferred more blood, some lacerations, a mutilation, anything. Anything that screams the cause. With the condition of the dead, he didn't have much to go on about. And this bothered him greatly, bothered him that he had the objective of making the boy presentable before he was delivered to his family but was failing miserably. Unless there was the option of stuffing the carcass, there wasn't more he could do with just the damp cloth. Tired of the horror, and deeming his task accomplished, he covered the corpse with a blanket and sighed. He then placed the towel in the bucket beside him before looking up at the clock, curious of the hour. Half past two. He blew the flame from the candle before exiting the room, leaving the dead to rest.

He stood at the doorway, not at all surprised at the unmoved figure that sat beside it. The woman was hugging her knees, stiff and firm. Her head was tucked between her knees as if she had been drying tears on the fabric of her worn kimono. From the first glance, there was already so much he can tell about her. He caught a glimpse of her vein-marked feet earlier, telling him she's been doing a lot of walking for so long. Her unkempt hair that tangled beneath her low ponytail told him she had no regard for her appearance and that she (and he assumed, her deceased brother) wasn't always, and possibly never, around people. Her dilapidated cloak and under-sized kimono told him she hasn't the resources to replace them. Only her pale skin and bright eyes that glowed so healthily under the moonlight seemed to contradict her overall appearance.

Otherwise, he had every reason to commiserate. This woman, for reasons unknown, didn't share the luxuries of life most people enjoyed. And now, with this tragedy, Kenshin sought what any sympathetic person did, so he motioned to sit next to her.

"Don't come near me.." she said, her voice muffled through the fabric. He stiffened when she spoke, and only thought that she had wanted her space to grieve. He nodded in affirmation, despite knowing that she wouldn't bother to see it, before walking away. He stopped in his tracks, thinking that if he would've waited to say the next words, it would be too late and insensitive, "I'm sorry for your loss.."

"It isn't my loss." Kenshin turned to her again, waiting for an explanation of the false assumption. She lifted her head from between her knees and looked straight, "I just found him.." Kenshin raised his brows, his presumptions made clear.

She continued, voice fighting not to tremble, "..In a small clearing in the woods. He was already suffering, his breathing shallow. I picked him up immediately and I found this place." No doubt this was the boy in Tae's stories. The boy who ran away.

"And did he already look..?" Kenshin paused purposely, hoping she would understand what he meant and he wouldn't have to finish the sentence. She only bent her neck, placing her head between her knees again, before whispering a soft, "Yes.."

"How is your ankle?"

"It's just a sprain.."

He knelt down beside her, enough distance between them that she wouldn't warn him again, "I still think you should have it looked at, Miss.."

She raised her head again, and stared at him in the eyes. They were an immense shade of violet, deep and sincere. And such eyes she couldn't refuse to answer. She blinked once, "Kaoru."

"Kaoru-dono, I'll call on the doctor in the morning, that I.."

"No! Please don't!" Her voice was sharp and raised, causing the redhead to recoil a little. She realized this too and shrunk as well, "I'm sorry, I'm really not used to being around other people, nor am I comfortable.. I assure you, there's really nothing to worry about."

"I see," he said, not anymore questioning her discomfort, or her odd reactions, "There are rooms at the opposite hall, you can stay at any one of them. It's a favorable distance from mine, so if ever you need anything.."

"You.. You're letting me stay here?" She said, rather puzzled, "You don't even know who I am.."

He smiled weakly at her, their eyes connecting, "I know you're tired of wandering, I know that you did everything you could to save that boy, and I know you hurt yourself in the process." She blinked, feeling rather transparent, "Honestly, Miss Kaoru, I wouldn't be able to rest easy knowing I let a good-hearted and injured person sleep out in the cold.."

Kaoru felt the heat rising to her ears at his words. How can one trust so easily? She only stared at him, mouth agape, and mind still digesting the reality. He smiled even more at her, his teeth peaking briefly before he motioned to stand up. She watched him rise before holding a hand out to her, beckoning her to do the same. Her lips finally met, swallowing the actuality of the situation. Her stubbornness didn't reach out to his hand, but her docility allowed her to follow him through the corridors.

"Your.. your.." She whispered, although she made sure it was slightly audible, "Your name?"

He slid a door open for her and she walked in graciously before turning around again, hoping he had heard her the first time, and would then respond. His head bowed slightly before his eyes searched hers, "Kenshin. Himura Kenshin."

She only stared back at him, not knowing how to reply, "Rest plenty, Kaoru-dono." He finally said before slowly walking away.

"Yes.." was all she could mutter, even after he had long left.

She hadn't slept on a futon in the longest time and she fought to be comfortable before going to bed. Just as her body started to relax, Kaoru awoke abruptly to the sound of a shriek along the corridor. The sun's faint gleams seeped through the paper doors and she held the blankets tighter around her fists. She feared another household had discovered her and judged her presence unwelcome. There was the sound of sprinting footsteps on the wooden floors and she gasped a little when her door swung hurriedly open.

"Kaoru-dono!" Kenshin's panicked countenance made her hold her breath for a while before she finally exhaled, "It wasn't me.."

His position relaxed against her doorframe and he sighed heavily, "I'm sorry I woke you, Kaoru-dono.."

"No, I.."

"Ken-san!" An unfamiliar voice, also she had deduced as the source of her awakening, approached and Kaoru held the blankets against her chest, expecting the time she would be exposed and evicted. The source of the voice moved towards Kenshin, muttering words too fast to comprehend. Judging by the terror on the woman's face, Kaoru assumed she had walked in to the room where the lifeless body laid.

"I know.." She watched him calmly say, "Our guest found him last night."

"Guest?"

Kenshin turned to her direction, "Kaoru-dono did." She took the opportunity to hastily shift to a kneeling position and not long after, her forehead was touching the tatami floors, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude.."

"Kaoru-dono will be staying here, that she is. I'd like for you to make her feel as welcome as possible, Tae-dono."

The way he carried himself around others sparked an intrigue in Kaoru's mind. He was suddenly not just a wealthy hermit in the mountains as she had initially thought him to be. She maintained her position, waiting for the conversation to end.

"But right now, there is the matter of identifying the body. I believe you had mentioned a missing boy from your village." Kaoru heard a gasp suddenly stifled by a hand, "Oh dear.. Is it.. Goodness.."

"He has a brother.." Kaoru intervened, finally straightening her back, "they have a small farm at the edge of town.."

"Yes that's right.." The woman named Tae softly said, now eyeing her with intrigue.

"Kaoru-dono you said you had only just found.."

"I did.. I.." She struggled, communication skills unpracticed, "I passed by that village sometime ago. I had spotted him then.. with a brother.."

Kenshin drew the folds of his robe together before placing both hands on his waist, "I will take the boy to his brother, that I will. Tae-dono, I will need you to take me there."

"I will go!" Kaoru stood, distributing her weight to her good ankle.

"Kaoru-dono, you've gone through a lot, you have. I would feel better if you just stayed here and rested."

"Please, I.. I found him. His family deserves to know what exactly happened." Her voice was soft, but full of conviction. Kenshin was caught off-guard at her sudden interest but couldn't deny her words to be true. He nodded an affirmation before placing a hand on Tae's shoulder.

"We will need the carriage. Please harness the horses."

"Yes, of course.." She managed to say, her shock betraying her. And the other woman padded off.

"You are too kind.." Kaoru spoke gently, gathering all the courage to say the right words, "You are too kind, Himura-san. I have no other means of thanking you except.." She paused, wondering if it was her pride or her embarrassment that hindered her. Either way, she had to say it, "Thank you."

He was at a loss for a response. He could've simply explained that he was just doing what any other person would do, except he's never really reached out to the public before. It wasn't that he could care less either, but rather the opportunity never rose. And he was always just stuck in his little world where money was abundant and so was forlorn.

If she felt new to the kindness, so did he.

He cleared his throat lightly, scratching his nape, "I'll go check on the body, that I will. Excuse me, Kaoru-dono."

She felt relieved as she watched him walk away, enough to sink back on the mattress to ease her foot.

She felt light. Light yet warm. The kimono one of the keepers gave her needed getting used to. She looked at herself through the small hand mirror and barely recognized her reflection. Her hair was still rough and she only used her fingers to comb out the obvious tangles but the white cloth that decorated her neck and shoulders made all the difference between her worn gray one. She felt rather shy at the change, although there was no one around to notice. It's almost as if she felt pretty.

Kaoru placed a hand on her cheek and stiffened at her own touch. So cold, so familiar, so sinful. She eyed herself angrily at her own reflection, as if to reprimand. This is not the moment to be flattered, she thought, not with your failure.

She placed the mirror back on the low table and hurriedly tied her hair into its usual low ponytail. The sound of approaching footsteps urged her to tie it a little more haphazardly and tuck her hands in her sleeves in time for when the person walked in.

"Kaoru-dono, are you ready?" Kenshin peeked from the open door. He tugged his haori closer to his neck to warm them from the soft snowfall. Kaoru stood up slowly, her injury thwarted normalcy in her movements, "Yes.. I think."

His brows rose at the more refreshing look that she wore. White brought out the darkness of her hair. He noticed her hands tucked carefully inside her sleeves, the cold affecting her too, "We should go."

Gentle snowfall had covered the dirt road and two horses plodded efficiently, paving the way behind them. She sat at the lateral border of the seat maintaining a good distance from the driving redhead. She clutched at the elbow rest before turning her neck slowly to eye on the covered corpse that lay still in the backseat. She closed her eyes and remembered the boy's pleading orbs, and how conflicted that made her feel.

To risk her life to save him, or to risk his life to save him? On both ends, she lost.

"I couldn't save him," she said, her voice fluid and sad. Kenshin momentarily strayed his view from the road to look at her, head turned towards the body and thoughts wandering elsewhere. He knew the feeling very well, and so couldn't bring himself to utter words of comfort. Instead, he maneuvered the carriage to turn at a fork in the road. Kaoru straightened at the motion, familiarizing herself with the landscape.

Soon enough, despite the colorless panorama, she recognized a small hut in the distance she was sure was the deceased's residence, "There," she pointed.

"You are certain, Kaoru-dono?" He asked, despite parking the carriage in front of the house. It was a little run-down, with the small vegetable garden dead with the season. Kaoru closed her eyes and searched her memory briefly before affirming, "I am."

The carriage shook lightly at the loss of Kenshin's weight and he walked around the horses, stroking their noses when he passed. He adjusted the angle of the katana on his belt with one hand, and the other was held out to Kaoru who was eyeing his hand with an odd expression. He watched her bite her lip before struggling off the carriage, ignoring his offer completely.

"Excuse me? Who are you?" A man's voice came from behind them, a little apprehensive, "Whatever it is, I'm not interested." Kenshin's brows rose, judging Tae's comment on his social issues to be true. The man walked past them, a couple of firewood occupied his arms.

"We're very sorry to intrude but.." Kenshin spoke, struggling for words to break the news easily, "We've found your brother."

The man stopped on his tracks, turned very slowly revealing eyes on the verge of tears, "Eiji?"

He dropped the firewood to free his arms and walked slowly toward them. He watched as the dark-haired woman shielded her eyes with her bangs and the short man averted his gaze by turning his head to the side. The idea struck him then, "Where.. Where is he?"

Kenshin walked slowly toward the carriage to lead him but the panicked man ran past him, pushing him aside in the process. He had deduced the covered figure in the backseat would be his brother, and the redhead made no other advancements as he watched the man pull back the white sheet.

His soft whimpers turned in to wails, and there was nothing more the two could do but watch him mourn. The man cradled his brother's corpse, tracing the hollows of his face and sliding his fingers through whatever hair was left. His tears dampened the body, and his seemingly tight hold around the corpse threatened to break its bones. Kaoru placed a hand over her chest, her heart attempting to burst through her ribs. She stepped toward the grieving man, ready to offer her side of the story.

The man withdrew his head from the angle of child's neck and stared sharply at the approaching woman. His expression was painted with anger, grief, regret and strong emotions that, at the sight, Kaoru stopped mid-step, as if an arrow had pierced her bosom. Kenshin stepped between them, sensing a sort of hostility from the stranger. His eyes narrowed and his grip on his sword tightened, but the man paid no heed, still glaring daggers at Kaoru.

"You.." he said through gritted teeth, "Get out of here! Leave me! Leave!" He was waving his free hand hysterically, while the other supported the corpse. Kenshin immediately responded, grabbing Kaoru by the shoulder and pushing her up the carriage by the sleeves of her elbow. She resisted a little, but eventually complied, and then he walked toward the head of the vehicle and boarded it. He voiced something aloud that the horses perceived as 'run', and quickly, the distance from the manic increased. Kaoru's head was turned, watching him disappear into the snowy horizon while the echoes of his cries gradually muted. Her hair whipped around one side of her face and the tears that adhered to the strands made sure they stayed that way. She didn't even get to explain..

"You did everything you could," Kenshin's voice rose above the sound of hooves and she turned to his direction, his back facing her. His head turned a little so that their eyes connected and his red hair whipped about his face too. His eyes spoke comfort, and despite the rocking of the carriage, were steady on hers, "It isn't your fault."

But it was.

She had no intention of staying. No intention of endangering anyone else, especially not the people who had openly welcomed her despite her vague background. No intention of history repeating itself. She was getting too close for comfort and it wasn't fair because they didn't know – know exactly who and what she was. Kaoru watched from a distance as the Sekihara's mouthed instructions for the redhead, assumingly about dinner. They all turned to her direction and unknowingly, she had slightly raised her hand farewell. The housekeepers smiled identically, and bowed slightly at her. They had done the same for their master before exiting the manor.

Kenshin secured the gates and turned only to see that the Kaoru had disappeared from where she stood moments ago. He sighed at the thought of spending nights alone with a mysterious woman and how much trouble it would cause Hiko if news reached him. He was his apprentice and heir after all, and Kenshin had already burdened his master with a previous scandal. But this was for humanity's sake, and Kenshin was sure, that much Hiko would understand.

Kenshin roamed the mansion and checked for the housekeeper's instructions. There were food trays in the kitchen - still steaming hot, the bathhouse was humid - where a fresh pool was drawn, and then he stopped by his room - for small trinkets to pick up. Then there was Kaoru's room, where he knocked lightly before announcing his presence.

"Kaoru-dono, may I invite you to dinner?" The door opened slowly and from what he saw, his heart broke a little. Kaoru was donned in her old gray kimono and both her arms clutched the small bag of belongings around her chest. She looked at him carefully, silver colored the edges of her blue orbs.

"I'm sorry Himura-san.. I can't stay." The plea in her eyes said something else. Kenshin's shoulders relaxed, reading her emotions painstakingly before commenting, "Kaoru-dono, if this is about Eiji.."

"It isn't."

"Something tells me it is." And he was right. Eiji was proof of how much of a danger she posed. Her brows furrowed and her eyes wandered. Was she really that transparent to him?

"You can't possibly know how I feel." She retorted, eyes fixed elsewhere.

"You may be right," he said, "but in any case, you mustn't punish yourself when you've done your best."

Her eyes finally looked up at him, and there it was again - that warmth, sincerity, and resolution of persuading her to stay. But she turned cold again, because they were only looking at her that way for the truth about her was still so desperately concealed, "I can't stay."

Kenshin surrendered, running out of convincing power. The kindness in him that he had just started to explore suddenly lost its opportunity. His view fell to Kaoru who was now bowing her farewells.

"A week," he said, and she rose in confusion, "Stay another week, Kaoru-dono. Your ankle will need that much time to heal, I gather. It may just be a minor injury, but I can imagine the pain when you step. Even more the difficulties of wandering in this season." His voice was kind and soft and almost too sure that she would approve. Kaoru's eyebrows raised as her eyes met his; her injured foot suddenly throbbed as if it had its own mind to agree at the proposal.

He took her silence for a yes and smiled a little at her. Her hands that clutched her bag to her chest suddenly weakened and lowered, feeling rather overpowered. Her ankle made manifest as well and she tipped to her stronger side a little. He noticed this and smiled victoriously. She was suddenly furious at her body parts, but could do nothing as she let him take hold of her belongings before walking in to her room and setting it on the low table.

"For you, Kaoru-dono." He said, and she had just noticed the pair of white leather gloves and an indigo hair ribbon that he held out to her, "I noticed your hands chill easy." Her hands clenched against each other, unable to reach out to accept the gifts. She stood there, and he watched her expression change from confusion to gratitude. His cheeks rose again, taking her bashfulness as an awkward defense mechanism, and set the objects beside her belongings.

He exited the room as quickly as he entered and turned lightly at his guest who was still a little dazed, "Kaoru-dono.." he said, looking forward to the week ahead, "may I invite you to dinner?" She propped one hand on the wall for support and she limped slowly toward him, despite silently being at war with herself.

"Yes."

A/N: So like, Florence + The Machine provided the background music while I was writing this. Unnecessary details I just thought I'd share. ^_^