Sanosuke waited until Megumi returned to question her. The good doctor came in with a heavy sigh. Sanosuke could only imagine the worried look marring her pretty face.

"Little Missy alright?" he asked without looking at her, staring off into space.

Megumi brushed her long hair out of her face.

"Nothing but a bruise. It's Kenshin I'm worried about. I think he's losing it."

"I know," Sanosuke saw no point in hiding it from her.

"Then what should we do?" Megumi asked, turning to her lover and looming over him as he sat down.

"Nothing."

"Nothing?" her voice was harder than normal.

Sanosuke looked up at her, pocketing his hands and stood up. The twig rolled around in his mouth as he closed his eyes in contemplation.

"What can we do?"

Now Megumi was going from simply frustrated to furious. Why was Sanosuke acting so calm about this?

"I don't know! Maybe snap him out of it before he starts locking Kaoru in a small cell. He's gone crazy, Sanosuke."

"No, not crazy. Battousai, which is a hell of a lot worse," Sanosuke verified, "And maybe we can talk some sense into Kenshin but how are we going to handle the Manslayer? If we let him know how we feel now, then later he might keep up from seeing Kaoru at all."

"Why would he do that? We're not a threat to her," Megumi pressed her lips in a fine line as she thought what Kenshin might be thinking. The man she once had a crush on was acting like anything could hurt Kaoru at a moment's notice.

Sanosuke shifted his eyes to Megumi, taking notice at how the female doctor was worried about both of them.

"Maybe not but he might think that we'll try to help her gain more independence, which can be seen as a threat to him. He won't risk that while he's in this state of mind."

Megumi hated to admit that Sanosuke might be right, especially after assuring Kaoru that they would be able to help. They might be no help to her at all and the thought made Megumi's heart sink.

Meanwhile, Kaoru was having tea with Kenshin. The purple eyes kept track of her every move until it became unbearable to stay with him. She insisted that she was ready for bed and it took several assurances that she would be fine before Kenshin allowed himself to tear away from her room. It was ironic that Kaoru used to dream about him never wanting to leave her side.

Kaoru laid on her futon with thoughts spiraling out of control in her head. Kenshin still wasn't okay. Surely tomorrow he would be back to normal, right? There was no way that he wouldn't be.

She rolled around several times but sleep came no nearer. She wanted to scream in frustration. She just wanted to sleep so she wouldn't have to think these pestering thoughts so much. On nights like this, the best cure for her had always been a stroll out on the dojo. Kenshin knew this quirk about her and never complained before.

However, she knew at this point he would insist on coming with her, even if it was right outside. And she couldn't handle being with him any longer, not when he was the reason for all her anxieties. But he was no doubt right outside her door, sleeping in a sitting position. The moment she would walk out to go outside, he would demand to know where she was going.

Her frustration reached its peak and tears threatened to spill but she refused to let them drop. Self-pity never solved any of her problems. Her head tilted toward the window. Perhaps if she was quiet enough, she can be in and out without Kenshin knowing anything was amiss. She could have a refreshing time outside and away from him.

It sounded too good to pass up, so she got out of bed and edged closer, making sure her footsteps didn't make the floors creak. Easing herself up, she managed to place one foot over the window and onto the grass. Success! This felt amazing. The cold, prickly feeling was absolute bliss for her, spelling out freedom that she hadn't had since her attack that fateful night.

Without another sound, Kaoru stepped outside.

The crickets chirped to her success in the cold night air. She smiled happily, feeling like a little girl getting away with seeing a boy that he father never approved of. It was an amazing feeling.

She walked around, enjoying how differently the dojo looked at night. She barely had time to register a shoulder on her hand and Kenshin's voice angrily yet softly speaking.

"What are you doing?"