Short chapter is short. Sorry! There's a few answers in here to hopefully keep some of you happy!

"M-Miss Kaoru!" Kenshin exclaimed. Kaoru ignored the look he gave her as she was more focused on Tomoe's expression. The woman had grown pale and seemed unable to look away from Kaoru. Kaoru refused to look away as she waited for an answer. She could see it in the other woman's eyes when she finally resigned herself to answer.

"Let me ask you something, Kaoru. Do you believe in the supernatural?" Tomoe asked. Kaoru could only blink at the odd question. She had expected a lot of things but that particular question had never crossed her mind.

"Supernatural? Like ghosts and stuff?" Kaoru finally managed to ask. Tomoe raised an eyebrow before shaking her head.

"Oh, no. Stuff far more potent than ghosts." she answered. Kaoru swallowed as her instinct began to tell her she needed to run. She was beginning to feel as though she were being cornered. She didn't like the feeling.

"What are you saying? Vampires?" Kaoru asked as the panic began to not only bubble in her stomach but boil. The fear was going to suffocate her she just knew it.

"No, not vampires. We're very much human, Kaoru. We…well, we're just much older than you or anyone else living today." Tomoe told her with a gentle smile. Kaoru wasn't sure what came over her but she felt as though her panic had just disappeared at the appearance of Tomoe's smile.

"Maybe you should start at the beginning and explain." Kaoru whispered. She watched as Tomoe glanced at Kenshin who had his head turned away. Kaoru felt as though she needed to reach out to comfort him but clasped her hands together. She didn't want to touch him if he didn't want to be touched. For some reason Kenshin was currently giving off the vibe he had no desire to be touched by anyone and she knew it included her.

"It's a long story. One that begins during the winter of 1864." Tomoe started quietly. Kaoru looked up as Kenshin suddenly stood up from the bed. She could almost see the tension rolling off of him. He was unhappy about something.

"I am not going to listen to this. I had to live through it." Kaoru blinked at the rough voice coming from the gentle redhead. She jumped as he walked out allowing the door to slam shut behind him. For some reason Kaoru's heart quivered at the anger she had felt rolling off of him.

"I'm sorry, Kaoru. It was a painful time for him. I doubt there is a day that goes by in which he doesn't relive it." Tomoe murmured. Kaoru furrowed her brow before it hit her like a ton of brick. Some more of the puzzle pieces had finally managed to fall into place.

"He loved your friend, didn't he?" she asked. Tomoe looked at her surprised before nodding. Kaoru swallowed then let out a sigh she had been holding in.

"He did. Her death is where our story began. Are you sure you want to hear this? Once you know the truth, even the part I'm going to tell you, you'll be tied to us for the rest of your life. There's no backing out." Tomoe asked. Kaoru only thought for a moment before nodding. She knew the dangers that could be waiting for but something in Tomoe's eyes told her that she would do everything to help protect Kaoru.

"Very well. I guess I need to ask you one more question. Do you know who Hitokiri Battousai is?" she asked. Kaoru blinked at her in surprise. She realized she had been doing that a lot since she had met the woman.

"Is? What do you mean 'is'? I thought he was just a legend. Someone made up to strike fear into others." Kaoru whispered. She was taken aback by the mischievous smile on Tomoe's face. It really didn't seem to fit her personality.

"Oh? So the man in here was made up? I'll have to let him know." Kaoru was sure if she hadn't already been sitting she would have collapsed. She had not seen that bombshell coming from any direction.

"K-Kenshin…he's…there's no way! He's so…gentle looking." Kaoru whispered. The other woman laughed at the expression on Kaoru's face. She couldn't count how many times people had said that about Kenshin. She also got the feeling Kenshin wouldn't appreciate Kaoru, of all people, saying that about him. He always told Tomoe he had an image to uphold. She'd always told him the ponytail and feminine face didn't help. He'd ignore her.

"I wouldn't tell him that. At any rate, he may look gentle but when it comes to swordsmanship he knows what he's doing. He's also tougher than nails." Tomoe told her. They sat in silence for a few moments before Kaoru let out a breath.

"I think it's time to tell me what's going on. How is it possible for the Hitokiri Battousai, who was active in the 1800s, able to be here now?" Kaoru asked gently. Tomoe smiled before crossing her arms.

"Like I said earlier, it started in the winter of 1864. My friend didn't pass away from a natural death. It was an accident and the circumstances surrounding the accident made it impossible to avoid. My friend was killed by Kenshin's blade." Tomoe revealed. Kaoru's eyes went wide as her heart stopped in her chest. It explained the pain she had seen in Kenshin's eyes when he mentioned the girl's passing.

"I found out that day magic existed. I also lost my heart that day." Tomoe whispered softly. Kaoru swallowed before tilting her head curiously.

"I understand. It has to be hard seeing your friend die at the hands of the man who obviously loved her." Kaoru said softly. She watched as Tomoe shook her head with a small smile on her face. She allowed the woman to take her hand before putting it over where her heart was.

"I have no heart, Kaoru." she told her. Kaoru felt her eyes widen in shock.

'There's…no heartbeat!'

"So, she's telling her?" Misao asked as she, Kenshin, Megumi, and Aoshi sat in the living room waiting for Sanosuke to make his appearance. Her eyes slid to Kenshin where he stood in front of the large bay window in the room. The rest of them were sitting on the couch and loveseat but he had refused pleas to join them. Misao could feel irritation rolling off of him.

"Yes." was the only answer she got. She swallowed before turning her attention to Megumi and Aoshi who also had their eyes on the redhead. She met Megumi's eyes and the woman shrugged her shoulders. Misao understood her confusion. The only time she had ever seen Kenshin like this was during the winter and it was the middle of summer. She felt as though she were completely in the dark.

"I wonder what caused her to agree to tell Kaoru. It's certainly not something she advertises about us." Megumi murmured. Misao nodded in agreement as she crossed her arms and ankles.

"Yeah, it's not like we go around telling everyone: 'Hey, I'm over a hundred years old and have not heart. Wanna have lunch?'. We would be in the psychiatric ward quicker than someone can blink." Misao surmised. Megumi and Aoshi nodded in agreement but there was no reaction from the man at the window. Misao wondered if she threw a shoe at him if he would be able to dodge it.

"I wouldn't do that, Misao." she glanced at Aoshi as he finally spoke. She shot one last glare at Kenshin's back before deciding the other man was right.

"Alright, Aoshi-sama. It irritates me that he's ignoring us. He never ignores us even if he's mad." she whispered. She watched as the man sitting next to her looked at Kenshin. She swallowed as she something flash across his dark eyes.

"He's not mad. He's hurt and engrossed in the past. He needs time." Aoshi continued softly. Misao looked at Megumi as the woman sighed. She could almost read what she was going to say before she actually said.

"Goodness knows we have plenty of that." she said. Before Misao could even reply the door burst open and a tall brown haired man strolled in. She shook her head at the bright grin he wore despite the fact he was in ripped jeans and a plain t-shirt. It was hard to believe he was also a shift manager in the restaurant. He looked more like a teenager who had been at the skateboard park.

"We've got all of her stuff moved! I also managed to convince the police that she's fine and recovering from the shock at a friend's house. I told them we would let them know when she felt up to giving a statement. Aoshi and I managed to make it look like a kitchen fire before they showed up to investigate." he said as he flopped down beside Megumi. The doctor narrowed her eyes before scooting as far away from, which wasn't very far considering they were on the loveseat.

"How do you hide an explosion as a kitchen fire?" Misao asked.

"Apparently there wasn't a lot of noise and if there was…well no one heard it except for who was there. At any rate, all of her stuff is in storage downstairs waiting for her when she's ready. Where is she? Still asleep?" he asked. Megumi shook her head in response to the question.

"No, she's awake. Tomoe is talking to her, telling her about us. Apparently she found out the dirty secret we have in common with Shishio." Megumi told him. Misao watched as his eyes went wide before going over to where Kenshin was still standing. She watched as his wide eyes narrowed at the way his friend was holding himself.

"Is he responding to anyone?" he asked. They all shook their heads together and he leaned against the back of the loveseat with his arms crossed. "Well, shit."

"Eloquently put as always, bird-brain." Megumi grumbled. Sanosuke spared her a quick glance before turning his attention back to the statue at the window.

"What do we do now?" Misao finally whispered.

"We wait." Aoshi told her. She scowled at his answer. If there was one thing she was not good at it was waiting. She absolutely abhorred waiting for anything or on anyone. She would rather do a hundred crunches instead of waiting.

She wasn't sure how long they sat in silence, another thing that aggravates her, before Tomoe entered the room. They watched as she closed the door behind her before leaning against it with a soft sigh. They all continued to wait in silence for her to say something. Misao could only hope Kaoru hadn't overreacted at the news.

"Well…she's in shock. She's asked for all of us to give her time and space to absorb what I told her." Tomoe finally said. Sanosuke looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"What, exactly, did you tell her? I'm sure she wouldn't be so nice in asking for space if you told her everything." he said. She glanced at him before nodding.

"You're right. I explained something magical had occurred with each of us staring with me and the death of my…friend. I also told her none of us have hearts and allowed her to feel that I didn't have a heartbeat. I did not explain the details nor did she ask for them. The only thing response she gave was to ask for time." Tomoe explained. Sanosuke chuckled before holding his hands up in a shrug.

"Good thinking. I'm sure explaining how you carved out each of our hearts to bring us back to life after dying would have gone over smashingly. It's not weird at all." Sanosuke said. Tomoe was about to answer before another person entered the room through the door that connected to the library next door.

"At least you aren't stuck as a fifteen year old for eternity!" the new boy snapped as he crossed his arms. Misao sighed at Yahiko's sudden entrance. He was good at making appearances at random. She sometimes wished he had chosen the path of Oniwanban instead of swordsmanship.

"It doesn't really matter. The fact remains, Yahiko, that Tomoe saved each of us by taking our hearts." Sanosuke replied. Tomoe let out a soft sigh before pushing away from the door. She looked at Misao with a gentle smile causing the younger girl to blink. She knew Tomoe was going to ask her to do something.

"Would you stay close to her room in case she needs something? I think of all of us you would be the best option to talk to. I also had to tell her of Kenshin's identity as Battousai but she seemed more concerned with our ages than who he is." Tomoe said. Misao nodded in understanding before they all froze as Kenshin shifted his weight. They waited for him to say something but he was silent.

"Yeah, no problem. Yahiko, think you could help? You know a lot about technology and that's kind of her thing. Think you can make nice?" Misao asked. She watched as the boy scowled at her before nodding in agreement.

"Sure. Just let me know when you need me." he responded. She shrugged her shoulders before her attention returned to Kenshin again. She was getting worried. He hadn't remained that silent for a long time. She could almost imagine his eyes were golden indicating his mood was chilly at best.

"Wait, you said you told her about Kenshin. Does that mean she knows who died to start this?" Megumi suddenly asked. Misao was surprised at the way Kenshin suddenly turned to focus burning golden eyes on Tomoe. The woman met the glare head on without even flinching. She was the only person Misao knew of who could stare Kenshin down when he was in this type of mood.

"She doesn't know anything other than the fact the person was a good friend of mine and the accident that ended her life." Tomoe whispered. It seemed to be the catalyst to set Kenshin off.

"Did you now? You've brought her into a world she can never leave now that she knows the truth! She'll be in danger every day of her life from her on out! How…how are we supposed to protect her from this?!" he growled. She didn't even blink in the face of his anger. Misao found it was one of the many things she admired about the woman.

"She has already been targeted by Shishio, Kenshin. We would have to protect her anyway. If she didn't know the truth it would only put her in more danger because she would have no idea what she's up against. To be honest she still doesn't really know because I was unable to explain fully before she asked me to give her time. I would appreciate it if she asks any of you for more answers to tell her to the best of your ability. If you cannot answer it tell her she needs to ask me, understood?" Tomoe said. Everyone, including Kenshin, nodded in both understanding and agreement.

"Good. All of you can return to your normal activities. Aoshi, Sanosuke, I want a copy of the police report on my desk as soon as possible." she said. The two men nodded before standing up and leaving. Everyone else followed their lead until it was just Kenshin and Tomoe in the room. She sighed before shaking her head at the man.

"I don't want her learning the entire story any more than you do, Kenshin, but which would you prefer? A second chance or her dying again because she's getting too close to what Shishio is hiding?" she asked. She watched his eyes widen at the question. She could tell he certainly hadn't been expecting it. She didn't blame him. She had only thought of it as she explained to Kaoru the smaller details behind their secret.

"A second chance?! You call this a second chance?! I call it torment! Having to look at her and know…know my own…failures!" he growled. Tomoe looked at him with pained eyes before shaking her head.

"Don't you think, perhaps, I feel the same way? The only difference being…I look at this as a second chance. You should as well, Kenshin. I've learned that with the curse we live with…life is far too short."

So, what do you think? There's a slight hint of canon here but only a hint! Please review! I welcome them and speculations! Until the next chapter!