Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or any of its characters. I am just a fan girl with a wild imagination.

****Kaoru Pov****

The next day, Kaoru decided she would need to make time to go see Megumi. Megumi was the only person that she could think of that would help her with these new developments. Misao was great, but she couldn't talk to Misao about the activities with Kenshin. That would create problems.

Picking up her cell phone, Kaoru dialed Megumi's number. After a few rings she answered.

"What is it now Kaoru? More dying people for me to care for?"

"No! Not at all, I was actually going to ask if you wanted to have dinner together and catch up."

"Oh…really? What did you have in mind?"

"I would love to come over and cook with you tonight if you are free?"

"Tonight? Sure. That should be fine."

"Also, I have a doggy now, he's house trained. Can I bring him with me?"

"You have a dog? Wow, we do have a lot to catch up. Yes, you can bring him."

"Okay how does 7:00pm sound?"

"That works for me, I will see you then."

Kaoru hung up with Megumi and went about the rest of her day. She would need to get a few things from the store to take with her to Megumi's apartment.

Thankfully everything was within walking distance.

***Later that Day****

At the end of her shift, Kaoru slipped into a pair of comfortable jeans, boots, and a comfortable sweater. She packed a bag with a few ingredients and prepared to head out.

Kenzo watched her get ready, following her from room to room as she prepared to go somewhere. He was anxious to go with her.

After about fifteen minutes Kaoru had put a harness on Kenzo and took him outside with her.

He followed her to the side of the house, where she pulled out a bike from the shed. The bike was bright red, with three tires.

The two tires in the back were to support the weight of the large basket. The lone tire in the front was slightly bigger.

It was used to move things around the shrine, as well as go grocery shopping.

Kaoru turned to Kenzo, preparing to lift him into the basket.

"Come on Ken-oh!" He beat her to it and jumped right in.

Kaoru stuck her hand out and ruffled the fur in between his ears.

"ha-ha! Such a good boy. Always ready to go everywhere with me."

Kenzo barked in response. Kaoru got on the back of her bike and headed down the main street of jingunichi.

Megumi lived far enough down the street that it was a pain to walk. Down the street was a market, old buildings, a small college, different kinds of houses.

At the end of the street was another shrine with a large park, but it was not as famous as the Heian Jingju.

As Kaoru was pedaling Kenzo sat behind her enjoying the wind on his face.

Kaoru's long ponytail sometimes whipped him, but he didn't mind because it gave him a good whiff of her scent.

Kenshin realized that Kaoru's strong legs must be partially due to the fact that she rode her bike everywhere.

He stared down at her legs as she moved, he could see her quads of steel moving underneath the fabric. He began to drool again.

NO. Stop it! Focus on something else!

These urges of his were getting stronger. Bearing witness to Kaoru's continued desire for him had made things worse.

He was released from his thoughts as Kaoru pulled up to a nice apartment building and got off her bike.

"Here we are!"

Kaoru locked up her bike on the racks in front the apartment and gathered her things.

She headed up to the main door of the apartment complex and looked at the panel on the wall next to it.

She pushed a few buttons and buzzed Megumi. After a few rings a soft feminine voice answered through the speaker.

"Kaoru is that you?"

"Yes, it's me! Let me in."

"Alright."

With a beep and a click the door unlocked and Kenzo followed Kaoru through the main hall and into the elevator.

They rode up to the third floor. Once they left the elevator, they walked down another hall and stopped in front of a door.

Kaoru knocked and Megumi let her in. Kaoru took off her shoes and Kenzo followed in behind her.

"Is that the dog? He's big! I half-expected you to bring in a puppy!"

"Isn't he a handsome gentleman? His name is Kenzo!" Kaoru exclaimed.

Megumi leaned down to briefly pet him. Kenzo sat there quietly and let her.

"He certainly is well behaved!"

"Right? I was surprised because I found him behind some of the trash cans at the shrine, I thought he was a stray."

"At the shrine? How peculiar, what was he doing wandering around there? Poor thing."

The girls moved into the kitchen and started preparing some food. They chatted as they worked, talking about work, the news, Megumi's recent medical findings, and laughed at Kaoru's stories of strange visitors they'd had in the last few weeks at the shrine.

The end result was some fried karage chicken, rice, sashimi, salad, and some gouza, and a few dipping sauces.

Everything was separated into little bowls and placed on the table.

Megumi opened a few beers and brought them over to the table. Both women opened their bottles and clicked them together.

"Kampai!" They both said in unison. Kenzo rested at the bottom of Kaoru's feet while they ate.

As they were eating Megumi looked up at Kaoru.

"Tell me Kaoru, what else is going on? Do you do anything outside that shrine? Any hot dates?" Megumi teased.

Kaoru gulped. Here goes nothing.

Better start this woman to woman talk.

"I did kinda sort of, have my first sexual experience recently." Kaoru looked down at her plate and blushed.

Unbeknownst to them, Kenzo raised his head from next to Kaoru's feet.

He was paying attention now.

Megumi let the tail end of a shrimp sashimi fall from her mouth.

She looked up at Kaoru in wonder.

"WHAT?! Who is he? Did you have sex? Oh my god Kaoru please tell me you used protection?!"

"You're such a Mom Megumi! I know to use protection! No, we didn't have sex."

"Who is he? How did you meet this guy, I need to know everything!"

"Do you remember that guy your nursed back to health? Kenshin? He and I, well, we kissed, and things happened before he left the shrine." Kaoru stated bashfully.

Kaoru lowered her face and looked down at her food.

She waited for Megumi to make fun of her.

"The dying guy? The ruffian looking one?"

"He's not a ruffian! Yes, it was him. Please don't tell anyone Megumi."

Megumi looked like a fish out of water, her little Kaoru, was finally showing interest in the opposite sex; this was unexpected.

"Fine, I won't tell anyone. How did this happen exactly?" Megumi's voice was more relaxed, but Kaoru knew she was still worried.

"After he recovered, he wanted to leave. The day he left I walked him out and he kissed me."

"Then what happened?"

"That's the part I'm confused about, I was hoping I could ask you some questions about it, woman to woman."

Megumi straightened up her posture and prepared herself.

She was actually glad that Kaoru felt comfortable to talk to her about this subject since Kaoru's Mother was out of the picture.

Megumi felt like a protective older sister.

"I won't judge you Kaoru, you can ask me anything." Megumi used her doctor's voice to soothe Kaoru's anxiety.

"Okay, I will try my best. As Kenshin kissed me, he put his hand between my legs, and began to touch me. After a while, the muscles between my legs started to spasm, and I just lost control of my body."

Megumi hid her smile behind one of her hands, and she snickered.

"Kaoru, it seems that you had an orgasm."

"A what?" Kaoru felt lightheaded.

"When you, or a man, or whatever brings you to completion, your vagina will respond through a series of muscle contractions called an orgasm. It is supposed to be a wonderful relaxing feeling."

"Oh, that must be what happened then."

"Did you enjoy it? It's okay to say that you did."

"It was one of the best feelings I've ever had in my life, I've never felt anything like that before."

"Never? Kaoru have you ever, um. Touched yourself before, or explored that part of your body?"

Kaoru gasped. A new awareness settled over her.

Okay, so women do this thing regularly. She wasn't a freak.

"I never did before that happened, but I have tried it recently…" Kaoru trailed off.

"Okay, there's no need to be shy about that, it's perfectly natural."

Kaoru breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Megumi.

"I am glad that I told you. I thought there was something wrong with me. I know how sex works, but I never knew about any of this other stuff."

Megumi got up, went to the fridge, and got another beer for both of them.

Sitting back down, she opened each beer and set one in front of Kaoru. Kaoru looked up at her in surprise.

"If that's the case, then you're not leaving here until I tell you what else to expect. Drink."

Kaoru started to protest, but the look in Megumi's eye told her that she didn't have a choice. Kaoru gave in.

"Alright, tell me all the things. I'm ready."

Megumi smiled a grin that rivaled a female fox. She spent the next two hours telling Kaoru about foreplay, sexual intercourse, oral sex, anal sex, ass to mouth, basically anything and everything that could be done between two humans intimately.

Underneath the table Kenzo's dog jaw dropped to the ground.

This female doctor is a sexual guru who doesn't hold anything back!

When it was time to leave Kaoru felt like her head might explode. Part of her didn't want to believe everything that Megumi was telling her, but she lived in a country where sex was everywhere.

Hell, they have a red-light district in three major cities. Remaining oblivious to these things wouldn't help.

Megumi hugged her goodnight, patted Kenzo and told her to call her when she got home.

Kaoru felt warm from drinking the beer, but she knew she wasn't drunk. She only had three bottles. I could be a little buzzed.

At the base of the apartment complex, Kaoru unlocked her bike from the bike rack and Kenzo hopped back into the basket.

As Kaoru pedaled back home, she thought about what Megumi had told her. She couldn't imagine doing any of those things with Kenshin.

At least not in person, but in her dreams may wild things had been happening...

She was pulled out of her thoughts when the steering on her bike became impossible and the front tire suddenly sagged and stopped moving.

She looked down to see that she had pedaled over a large pile of glass. How had she missed that?

"Shit! I have a flat tire."

Kaoru paused and looked at her surroundings. She wasn't too far from the shrine, but without her bike, it would a chore to get home.

She tried to gauge how long it would take to get back on foot.

Fifteen to twenty minutes maybe?

"Kenzo, it looks like we will need to walk the rest of the way."

Against her better judgement, Kaoru decided to walk with Kenzo.

Calling Megumi and asking for a ride home didn't cross her mind. As she walked, she pushed her limp bike to the side of her.

Kenzo jumped out of the basket and walked in front of her surveying the streets.

***Kenshin POV***

This isn't good, It's late at night and there's barely any streetlight.

He was tempted just to transform and take her home quickly, but he knew it would be a bad idea to reveal himself to her that suddenly.

They trudged along for a few blocks, Kaoru pushing her bike, and Kenzo in front of her leading the way home.

There were many sights, noises, and smells around Kenzo, he felt overwhelmed in his canine form.

He was having a hard time focusing on the right ones. He appreciated the strong canine sense of smell, but it could be a blessing and a curse in moments like this.

Kenzo scanned the area around them, his demon senses searching, listening for another demonic aura, or a strong ki.

He wasn't able to pick on anything.

The second his attention lapsed, he heard a scream from behind him and the bike Kaoru had been pushing fell to the side with a loud crash.

Kenzo turned around to see Kaoru being dragged off into an alleyway by the dark figure of a man who had grabbed her from behind.

Kenzo darted into the alleyway after her.

He growled and looked up to find Kaoru being pushed against a wall by a large man.

Other figures surrounded her laughing at her discomfort.

"Now what is a cute girl like you doing out by herself this late?" One of them slurred to her.

"How stupid of her, and lucky for us!"

"I can't wait to play with her." Another one of them joked.

There were three of them. These men didn't appear to be homeless, judging by their appearance, they were regular thugs.

The man who grabbed Kaoru was the largest of them, appearing to be the leader.

The other two men were short and stalky. Kenshin hadn't counted on human men to attack them. He was mentally berating himself now.

The leader who pinned Kaoru against the wall pulled out a knife. He used it to cut down the fabric on the front of Kaoru's sweater, revealing the valley between her breasts.

The other men circled Kaoru reaching out to grope her hips and breasts.

Get your hands off me!" Kaoru screamed.

Kenzo darted in between them, using his jaws to clamp down on the ankle of the leader

He felt rage fill and fuel his little body.

How dare these bastards touch Kaoru!

He bit deep enough to draw blood, he thrashed his head side to side in with the leg in his mouth, tearing flesh and ripping tendons.

The leader the dropped the knife and screamed in pain.

"Ahh this fucking dog, what the fuck!"

The third man moved to capture the dog, but Kenzo jumped just out of his reach, releasing his victim's ankle.

Kenzo turned to face the third man, and snarled.

Kaoru took advantage of the men's distraction with Kenzo.

Her eyes darted around the alleyway, looking for an opportunity.

She grabbed a long plank from an old wooden crate next to her and used it knock the wind of her closest attacker.

The man groaned and fell to the ground staring at her in disbelief for a second before jumping back up.

"You little bitch, you're dead!" He yelled.

As Kaoru swung her plank at him again, holding out like a sword.

The leader pulled out a gun and pointed it towards Kenzo from his place on the ground.

Kenzo froze and looked at the barrel of the gun. He knew in his gut that he was going to have to transform.

The situation was escalating too quickly.

"Drop it bitch."

Kaoru's eye widened and she screamed, "No don't hurt him!"

The man closest to her grabbed the wood plank out of her hand during her lapse of attention.

He lifted her up by her neck and banged her head against the wall of the alley.

"It's time to stop fighting. Don't make this worse for yourself." The man laughed and licked his lips as he held Kaoru up.

The leader holding the gun laughed at Kaoru from his position. He tried to get up, taking his eyes off of Kenzo for a split second.

Kenzo acted fast. He couldn't remain in this form and protect Kaoru.

His eyes bled red and he felt his demon take over. He transformed in the blink of an eye to his human form.

He wouldn't need a sword to deal with these thugs. He felt claws grow at the end of his fingertips.

Kenshin grabbed the gun out of the leader's hand and twisted his wrist harshly at the same time, breaking it. The man screamed at looked back at him in terror.

"What the fuck! Where the fuck did you come from?"

The third man got off the ground and tried to defend his boss. He blindly threw punches at Kenshin's face. Kenshin caught the man's fist in midair in an iron grip and used it to pull the man's torso down towards his knee.

His knee came into contact with the man's ribs knocking the air out of him. The third man crumpled to the ground and stopped moving.

"Filthy humans, you would stoop so low as to touch a woman against her will? Pathetic."

The man holding Kaoru dropped her forcefully onto the ground and lunged at Kenshin.

Kenshin was too quick for him, moving out of the way at the last minute.

The man ran face first into the concert wall of the ally on the opposite side effectively knocking himself out.

The leader tried got up and tried to scamper away, screaming for help as he did so.

He wasn't able to move very fast with his torn ankle and broken wrist.

Kaoru looked up from her place on the ground, a figure with a ponytail of red hair stood in front of her, in a protective stance.

He was wearing white hakama pants and blue gi. The same one that she had seen Kenshin in.

She must be dreaming. It can't be him.

"Kenshin?" Kaoru's timid voice came from behind him.

He promptly turned towards her and met Kaoru with worried violet eyes.

In their depths she saw hints of gold. Kenshin crouched down in front of Kaoru and took her face in his palms. Noticing the tear in the front of her sweater.

"Miss Kaoru, are you alright? Did they hurt you?"

It is him!

Kaoru's blue eyes filled up with tears and she tried to push herself up.

"H-how are you here? Kenshin, is it really you?!"

Kaoru moved to push herself up into a standing position and Kenshin's hands moved down to her shoulders to help assist her.

They stood up together carefully, until Kaoru found her balance.

Kenshin realized that he would need to make this interaction quick and get Kaoru back to safety before something worse came after them.

It was time to tell Kaoru about his true form.

"Miss Kaoru, I need to talk to you, but I don't have much time."

Kaoru however wasn't ready to listen.

"Where have you been? You left without saying goodbye?"

"I am sorry for that Miss Kaoru that I am. I need you to listen to me right now."

"Listen!? I've been so worried about you; everyday I've wondered if you were okay! And then you just show up out of the blue-"

Kenshin swiftly took Kaoru into his arms and silenced her with a kiss. Kaoru quickly wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back.

She felt herself melt into his arms, enjoying the feel of his strong body against hers.

Kenshin held her tightly for a moment before prematurely ending the kiss to get her attention again. Her face showed him her disappointment.

Damn this man! She hadn't seen him for three months, and here he was rescuing her, and kissing her.

"Kaoru please, I can answer all of your questions in time. Right now, I need your help. Please listen to me carefully."

His words cut through Kaoru's haze. She nodded and waited for him to speak. The look in his eyes worried her.

What was he going to say? What has he gotten into now?

"I am more than who you think I am. I have been by your side for weeks now as Kenzo. I am a demon who can take on the form of other creatures to survive."

Kaoru's sympathy quickly turned to outrage.

He couldn't be serious, a demon?!

She broke their embrace by pushing against his chest and took a step back. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him.

What sort of dungeons and dragon shit was this guy into?

He must live in a fantasy world where he could just ghost people and pop back into their lives whenever he felt like it.

"Hold on, what kind of crazy shit is this—"

Suddenly Kaoru found that she couldn't speak. Her ability to use her voice had ceased.

Her throat clenched and contracted. Kaoru brought her hands up to her throat in disbelief.

She looked in alarm at Kenshin, the whites of his eyes were glowing red with a power she didn't understand.

He held his hand out, as if he was controlling some unseen force.

She froze with fright. He is a demon. He isn't making this up.

Kaoru felt like her reality was being ripped away from her. Everything she had known or thought to be real was a lie? How could this be?

"Miss Kaoru, I will return your voice back to you in a moment. I need your help.

The man who tried to end my life, and his conspirers know that I am alive.

I can't defend myself against these men without my demon sword.

I need the help of a human in order to retrieve a new sword. Will you help me?"

Kaoru carefully nodded. The last part of his sentence was all that registered to her.

Despite her newfound fear of Kenshin, she couldn't deny that she still wanted him with all of her being.

How could she say no to him? She didn't want to grieve the loss of his presence again.

"Y-yes, I will."

"I have to return to being a dog now. If demons are nearby, they will sense me. I can't protect you like this for long. I promise when I have the sword, I will answer all of your questions. I am sorry to ask this of you."

Kaoru nodded again and squeezed one of Kenshin's hands to show her acceptance of his words.

I must be insane. Agreeing to help him like this. This is what gramps was warning me about.

Kaoru's thoughts ended abruptly as Kenshin embraced her again. He pulled Kaoru in for another quick passionate kiss.

Kaoru moaned into the kiss and held onto him. She had missed him so much. Having him back was like taking a hit of a drug.

Having him in person in front of her, brought her a harsh truth.

I'm falling for him. I don't care what happens. I just want to be with him.

After a moment, Kenshin released her and began to get undressed. Kaoru watched him with wide eyes.

Kenshin sensed her unease and looked at her startled face a gentle laugh.

He handed her his gi with an outstretched arm, and it was then that Kaoru realized how large the hole was in the front of her sweater.

"Here Miss Kaoru, I don't want you to be exposed. Now about that bike..."

He walked over to her bike, he lifted a hand to the front tire and Kaoru watched a light come from his palm.

The tire inflated once again, coming back to life. Then Kenshin quickly transformed back into Kenzo.

Kaoru's eyes widened as she watched him. Kenzo padded back over to her and wagged his tail. Kaoru went into shock.

She had just witnessed the laws of physics, science, and biology be disproven before her eyes. Kenzo tried to encourage her by using his head to-headbutt her legs softly.

When this didn't work, he whined trying to get her to come back to reality and engage with him.

Kenzo is Kenshin. Kenshin is Kenzo. Kenshin never left me.

He had been there with her the whole time. Sharing each moment with her.

With a sob Kaoru dipped down and wrapped her arms around Kenzo's neck and pulled him into her chest. She hugged him to her bosom as she cried into his fur.

Kenshin let her hold him like that even though it was uncomfortable for him. He couldn't imagine how harsh this new knowledge must be for her.

After a few long minutes Kaoru relaxed her posture, he licked her face trying to soothe her.

"Oh Kensh-Kenzo, I don't know what to say. I can't believe this is real. I'll do whatever I can to help you."

Kenzo growled in acknowledgement and wiggled out of Kaoru's embrace. He posed in front of Kaoru on all fours.

It was an attempt to signal to Kaoru to take them home. Kaoru got back to her feet and watched Kenzo hop into the back of her bicycle basket.

Dumbly, she mounted her bike and began to peddle back towards the shrine.

Kaoru made sure to pass under as many streetlights as possible on her way back.

Her legs started to burn because she was peddling so fast, but she ignored the feeling.

She felt desperate to get back to the shrine as quickly as possible.

***Soujiro POV******

A pair of icy blue eyes watched Kaoru and Kenzo from afar as they peddled away. Soujiro couldn't believe his luck tonight.

"So, this is where you've been hiding battousai? Have you fallen for a human? How pitiful."

He had been on a break from searching when he detected a powerful Ki coming from a random place in Kyoto.

Upon closer inspection, he found it to be the battousai, with a human woman in tow.

After witnessing their fight from a safe distance, he watched Kenshin transform into a dog and head off into the night on the back of the girl's bike.

He would track them until he was sure of their destination, and then report back to Shishio.

****************Author's Note****
Phew that fight scene was tough to revise.

I went through it several times, trying to figure out what role to give each of the three men.

I still don't know how much I like it.

I might make further revisions.