Jenny got up as soon as she saw Mr. Himura come into the office. Quickly gathering up the pile of letters and files that he might be asking for, she walked towards him and met him along the corridor leading into his office.

"Good morning Mr. Himura," Jenny greeted Kenshin with a small bow. Straightening up, she handed over the folders and letters to him. "Here are the files you requested, Mr. Himura, and a few letters that came in."
Kenshin gave a small smile as he took the files from Jenny. "I did say that you can simply hand me these at your station, Ms. Sakamoto," he said. Glancing at the files, he sighed. "It's going to be a long day again," he remarked drily, and nodded to her before he went into his office.

Among the files and letters Kenshin took into his office was the small white envelope that the mysterious tall man brought in. Jenny looked wistfully at the door Kenshin disappeared behind. "I hope that man's note is something good," she muttered to herself.

xxxxxxxx

This morning, Kaoru woke up feeling refreshed after a long time. Her steps became lighter, and a smile was never away from her face for too long. The sun seemed to shine brightly, and even the air smelled invigorating.

Kaoru chuckled to herself. Having girls' talk with Tomoe was surprisingly effective in lifting up her mood, which had been dragging lately. If she would be truly honest to herself, she did feel low ever since the press con, not because of the pressure in defending Tomoe and Akira's love, but her feeling of uncertainty in Kenshin's for her, with that doctor Megumi's actions towards him.

Tomoe's words from yesterday's lunch reassured her that Kenshin truly felt, and feel, affection for her. If his friends could see that in him, then who was she to doubt them? Despite the uneasiness that the doctor brought her, the confidence that Tomoe has in Kenshin's affection for Kaoru helped ease her heart.

But if she was going to be fair, Kaoru was herself quite undecided in her actions towards Kenshin. She did admit keeping him at a distance at times because of her own uncertain feelings toward him, born out of the strange series of events that happened between them. She did start out being afraid of him because of his protectiveness over Akira, and because he was her then-fiance's best friend, but when they eventually got to know each other better, she found his steadfast loyalty to his friends and his unfailing kindness behind his stern exterior to be endearing.

It was eventually what made her heart open up again. She thought that deciding to keep a distance from her heartbreak healed her, but she now realized that the three months away helped her understand her feelings towards Kenshin, that they weren't just the fondness of a friend, but rather of the affection of someone who had learned to love him.

Kaoru saw that clearly now. The fact that she was afraid she was going to lose Kenshin's affections because of the doctor only served to solidify her true feelings. Thus, starting today, she was not going to hold back anymore, and to give her heart once more to someone who she hoped would better take care of it.

Sunlight fell on Kaoru's face, warming her skin and the smile that glowed brighter from her beautiful thoughts.

xxxxxxx

"You just want me out of the house so you can have a party here, don't you?" Akira pouted as Tomoe tied his necktie securely.

Tomoe smiled. "Your leg is healing nicely, and your orthopedic boot allows you to stand comfortably on it for some time, so I think you can at least do work behind a desk, at least, can't you?" she said, her smile being extra brilliant now that Akira couldn't help but smile back, despite the obviously dubious intentions behind her sudden wish for him to get back to work.

"Why do you want me in the office, Tomoe? Really," Akira asked seriously, taking Tomoe's hands off his suit and holding them in his hands.

"You'll be helping a fellow out, I promise," Tomoe said, giving a light kiss on Akira's cheek. "It's about time anyway that you're running your company."

"This is about Kenshin again, isn't it?" Akira said, pouting at her.

Tomoe grinned. "How did you know?" she asked sweetly.

Akira gave her a slight push, and crossed his arms. "Why are you thinking about another man when you're here with me?" he said in a childish tone.

Tomoe flicked Akira's forehead playfully. "Silly you," she said as Akira rubbed his sore forehead, "I'm thinking about a lot of things, not just you." She turned serious as she continued, "I want to pay Kaoru back for all her help with us, in whatever way I can."

"And turning matchmaker is the way, is it?" Akira said, eyebrow raised. Tomoe shrugged. "All right," Akira conceded finally. "I don't know what it is you're planning, but I'm here to support you." He put a hand on Tomoe's shoulder. "Lead the way, boss."

xxxxxxxxxxxx

An unruly shock of white hair atop an angular face with eyes behind colored lenses made Kaoru do a double take.

"What are you doing here?" Kaoru blurted out, surprised at Gein's appearance in her neighborhood. Gein blinked, and she immediately felt the rudeness of her question. "I'm sorry, Gein-san," she apologized, "but I'm just surprised to see you here."

"I also didn't expect to see you here, Miss Kaoru," Gein explained. "Is this…?"

Kaoru replied to his incomplete question. "My house is near the end of that alley," she pointed towards the direction of the dojo. "And you?"

Gein gestured towards the messenger bag slung on his shoulder. "I'm here for work."

"Oh? What kind of work would that be?" Kaoru asked, mystified and a bit wary of the man's presence here.

Gein caught the wariness in Kaoru's expression. "I'm not here after you, Miss Kaoru," he said, divining precisely Kaoru's thoughts. He made a wry face. "My being in your press conference is not exactly a flattering first impression, is it?"

Kaoru chuckled. "I suppose it isn't," she replied. "But if you say you aren't, then I might believe you."

Gein smiled. "Thank you," he said. "In my defense, I was only there to accompany a friend as a favor. He was new to the business of chasing stories. I am actually more interested in feature and investigative stories rather than entertainment or tabloid news." He looked askance at Kaoru. "No offence."

Kaoru sighed. "I suppose I must be accustomed to having strangers treat parts of my life as tabloid now," she said.

"I'm sorry for that, Miss Kaoru," Gein said sympathetically.

Kaoru shrugged her shoulders. "So what brings you here to this ordinary neighborhood?"

Gein smiled. "This neighborhood is hardly ordinary, Miss Kaoru," he replied, "as I am sure you will agree." He glanced down and extended a hand towards her. "May I accompany you?"

Kaoru felt a warm blush on her face at Gein's gentlemanly manners. "I'm actually on my way to work…"

"I see," Gein said, retracting his hand. He smiled politely. "If you're free sometime, I might want to ask you for an interview about the story I'm working on, seeing as you're a resident here," Gein insisted.

"All right," Kaoru conceded, intrigued in part with what he said. "So, I guess I'll see you around?"

Gein smiled. For a fraction of a second, Kaoru thought she saw something… sinister in that smile of his, but the moment passed, and his eyes showed nothing but politeness and friendliness with his simple response. "Of course."

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Kenshin looked up from the file he was reading to see Akira enter the room.

"Hi," Akira said brightly, walking towards Kenshin as fast as he could with the boot on his healing leg. "The cavalry is here… to help as much as this injured leg would allow."

Kenshin abruptly stood and went around the desk to meet Akira. "What are you doing here?" he said, helping Akira walk towards the receiving couch in his office. "You're not supposed to be here for a while."

Akira plopped down the couch. "Tomoe said it would be good for me to take some exercise away from home," he grinned. "I don't know if she's just thinking I'm becoming too much of a bum and she's having second thoughts about marrying me." He chuckled, but when the only reaction he got from Kenshin was a curl of his lips, he coughed self-consciously and continued. "Besides, it was about time I showed up and helped out here. I own the company after all, and it's not good for business to have the CEO away for so long, even if the company had someone as capable as you."

Kenshin sat down opposite him. "I can manage," he said.

"Except for the Shanghai merger, I hear," Akira said. "What happened there? I thought that was a done deal?"

Kenshin sighed. "I'm looking into it," he replied. "Some changes in the company's leadership affected pending deals, and our partnership was one of them. I'll be meeting their new Chief of Finance later this afternoon to see if we can still salvage the deal. If not, we need to look for another company elsewhere."

Akira nodded. "Okay. Leave all other things to me, and I'll sort them out."

Kenshin looked skeptically at him. "You really shouldn't be here yet," he said.

Akira raised an eyebrow. "Are you doubting me?" he asked. "I know I haven't been here for quite some time, but I assure you, I can still do the paperwork."

Kenshin shook his head. "It's not that…"

"Then what is it?" Akira asked. At Kenshin's pause, Akira looked closely at his face, and saw a fleeting look in his eyes. Anyone else can miss it, but not Akira, who had been his longest friend. "Is something wrong?" he asked softly.

There was a slight wavering in Kenshin's eyes, but the look in his eyes hardened as he noticed Akira scrutinizing him. "Nothing's wrong," he said flatly, standing up immediately, preventing Akira to investigate further into his real feelings. "If you're going to insist on working, then by all means, make full use of my office to catch up on some paperworks I've left behind."

Akira raised an eyebrow. "Are you making me as your secretary?"

Kenshin smirked halfheartedly. "Maybe… because I've been yours when you were away." He went over to his desk and picked up some folders, including an opened letter which he tucked into the inner pocket of his suit. "Stay here, all right?"

"Why can't I—" Akira started to ask, but Kenshin cut him off.

"I'm having your office renovated, so you have nowhere else to go but here," Kenshin said, a little bit sharply. He noticed his tone, and sighed. "I'm going to a meeting with the Finance Department now," he said in a calmer tone. "Just… stay here, please."

"All right," Akira said, acceding to Kenshin's odd request. "Enjoy the meeting."

Kenshin gave a small smile at that and nodded slightly, before leaving the room. Akira's smile fell, and he looked at the closed door where Kenshin exited from, a troubled look marring his face.

Outside the door, Kenshin took out his cellphone and quickly dialled an old friend. "Are they secure?" he said, and listened for the other's response. He breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. Please keep them safe." He ended the call and walked towards the conference rooms, that moment being the only odd piece from the picture he was trying to create that today would be a normal day.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

"He seems… strange," Akira told Tomoe when she called to check in on him by lunchtime. She was in his favorite restaurant, ordering a takeout for both of them to eat in the office. Of course, to avoid paparazzi, she was in her usual anti-paparazzi garb, casual clothes which was totally opposite from her image as an elegant, demure actress. So far, no one recognized her yet as she waited for her order to be completed.

"How so?" Tomoe asked.

"I… don't know," Akira admitted. "When I talked to him a while ago, he seemed normal enough, but there were times when I think he's hiding something."

"Hiding something?" Tomoe was puzzled. "What could he possibly—" The opening door of the restaurant suddenly caught her attention, and she turned towards the two people who entered the restaurant. Her sudden intake of breath caught Akira's attention in turn, and he chimed in from the phone, "What's wrong? Tomoe?"

The lady's slim figure and long dark hair could be mistaken for anybody else, but the flaming red hair on the man's head was not. "I'll… talk to you later," Tomoe said. "You might have to eat lunch without me."

"Tomoe, what—" Tomoe cut Akira off abruptly and slid her phone in her jacket pocket.

The two people had their backs turned to Tomoe, so they haven't seen her yet. They were ordering their lunch, then proceeded to walk towards an empty table quite near her. Tomoe had to raise her hand to hide her face.

When the two had settled in their seat, Tomoe strained to hear their conversation. The bit she could hear she filled in with her own imagination.

Kenshin: "This is …(a surprise). You …(don't usually call me out for) lunch."

Megumi: "I wanted to …(change things up)."

Kenshin: "This is quite risky."

Megumi: (She scoffed.) "Not like …(what we've been doing so far)."

Kenshin: "We shouldn't make this a habit."

Megumi: "It's an emergency."

With every exchange, Tomoe's indignation rose until in her anger, she couldn't hear them properly anymore.

"Miss Sakura!" the server called out Tomoe's order, breaking into Tomoe's heated thoughts. "Miss Sakura, your order's up!"

"I'm here!" Tomoe said, standing abruptly and totally exposing herself to Megumi and Kenshin, who looked up at her, startled. She looked daggers at Kenshin, completely ignored Megumi, and with heavy steps walked past them and angrily took her lunch order from the stunned server. She turned back to the couple. "Kenshin Himura, if you're not going to follow me out, I swear—" She blew out an angry breath and walked out of the restaurant in a huff.

Tomoe had walked a block away from the restaurant when she heard Kenshin's voice calling her. "Tomoe." She whirled around to see Kenshin looking calmly at her, hands in his pockets. "How could you, Kenshin Himura?" she asked shrilly.

"How could I what?"

Tomoe balled her fists. "You love Kaoru, don't you? Why are you doing this?"

Kenshin laughed tonelessly. "I love Kaoru? Who said that?" He glared at Tomoe. "I'm afraid your imagination is getting wild, Tomoe."

Tomoe barked a laugh. "You're deluding yourself Kenshin, if you ever thought you didn't let it show." She pointed hard at the direction of the restaurant. "But what were you doing there with her? Don't you know Kaoru was feeling sad because of her and her growing closeness to you? How will you explain this now?"

Kenshin clenched his jaw. "I—"

A wailing firetruck, followed by several ambulances, prevented them from speaking further. Kenshin followed the direction that the firetruck was taking, and frowned as he saw it turn the corner towards…

"Isn't that the way to the company?" Tomoe asked, following Kenshin's gaze. The ambulances followed the firetruck. She turned, horror-struck, to Kenshin.

Kenshin raised his eyes. A column of smoke could be seen in the sky, at the very direction the company was. "Let's go," he said grimly, turning towards the parking lot of the restaurant, Tomoe following closely.

The letter in Kenshin's inner suit pocket seemed to burn a hole through his clothes and into his skin.

Jinchuu.

xxxxxxxxxxx

"You look happier today," Tae remarked, scrutinizing Kaoru as she donned her apron.

Kaoru rolled her eyes. "I'm just the same as I was yesterday," she replied.

"No you're not," Tae retorted, then shrugged. "But, whatever happened to you, it worked." Kaoru chuckled at that, and started with the preparations for the day, which passed by quietly enough.

Until a terrifying explosion rocked the Akabeko Restaurant, shattering it to pieces.

A/N: Hey there! I'm back! I didn't realize one year had already passed from my last chapter! I'm sooo sorry. I promise I'll do my best to finish this. (It's also been 10 years since I first posted, so I also promise to finish this before it becomes 11 years! XD )

Read and review please! =)