Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Silver Cross ❯ Breakup ( Chapter 13 )

A/N - A thanks to all the reviewers and readers and all the people that have me on author alert or 'Silver Cross' on their favorites list. I hope this next chapter doesn't disappoint you. A special shout-out to the reviewers:

BelleDayNight, Jade Catseye, JML, De Lazy Lime, Jupiter's Light, paisita, kenshin's-angel, Hitokiri-miao miao, kawaii sakura-chan, chibiBattousai, Regan84, Silver Warrior, Western, Iram, EEevee, crasyducky, marstanuki, genocide ex-sync*in, Sapphire Priestess, stoictimer, MZ.AMbER EYES, rebuttal101, Naiya-chan, Amythyst2Amber, the sacred night, Shadow Kat, pruningshears, Mishorou Mie, Saiya Winters, Blythe, Kenshin's Demon, Witchitta

Disclaimer - I don't own Rurouni Kenshin.

Silver Cross

Chapter 13 - Break-up

Ken?

What?

That movie I went to see kind of got to me.

So?

So if you don't have anything to do tonight, would you mind hanging out with me?

… Yes, I would mind.

I tried to be cool about this! You know how bad new technology used to freak me out, well this has got me freaked out. You aren't going anywhere without me!

… Okay. Come on. We're going out.

Out? Not near any graveyards, right?

Sano…

Coming!

"Excuse me!" a male voice called. Soujiro's voice called. Kaoru felt her face go pale. Soujiro was right behind her. She was too far away from the party to bolt and pretend she hadn't heard him. There was no way she could have done that anyway with Ken there. She felt horrible cheating on Soujiro with Ken, but if she just bolted then that wouldn't be staying true to Ken, making her act of cheating on Sou so much more horrible. She forced herself not to freeze on the spot as his voice came again.

"Excuse me, is that the Hiko party?"

Ken had already let go of her hand and turned around. "Yeah, you're in the right place." He was probably pointing down the beach. Kaoru could hear the neutrality in his voice. He didn't know who he was speaking to. All she wanted to do at that moment was sink down into the ground and pop up somewhere safe, like the apartment. Ken would head back there eventually and find her. If only that really was an option. This was the last place in the world she wanted to be, the absolute last place. Why hadn't Sou recognized her? Why, why, why didn't he just call her out? She would have recognized him if she was in his place.

"Thanks." He was coming closer. She had to stop him while he was still far enough away that she could step in if it came to a fight.

"My uncle and I weren't sure." Shit! His uncle! That was probably the same uncle who was a vampire hunter, the same uncle who was after Ken. How many uncles could Soujiro possibly have?

"No problem," Ken answered, his voice still casual.

Kaoru's panic was rising to the surface. How close were they now? Twenty yards? Ten? For Ken's sake, she had to say something, stop them from drawing any closer.

She took a deep breath and turned around. "Soujiro?" she asked softly.

His eyes widened. "Kaoru!" he said incredulously, blinking hard. Kaoru was here. The girl that had reminded him so much of Kaoru was Kaoru! That meant the man must be - "Then you're Ken! The vampire!" Soujiro accused.

The man's pleasant features had already turned cold long before Sou came to his conclusion. Either he was an extremely quick thinker, or Kaoru had shown the vampire a picture of him or something. However, he wasn't looking at Sou, but at his uncle.

"Makoto Shishio, we meet at last."

"Kenshin Himura, the Battousai," Shishio said thoughtfully. "I've heard the legends. You're a vampire to be reckoned with."

"And you're a hunter."

The man had spat out the words like his uncle was dirt; the vampire, Sou reminded himself. He was a vampire.

"You know, I can't visualize a scenario where all of us walk away from this," Shishio said mildly. What was his uncle saying? There was no way they could risk Kaoru being endangered. At least, Soujiro hoped his uncle felt that way.

"Why are you here, Shishio?" Ken asked, eyes narrowed, stepping slightly in front of Kaoru in case the man tried something. He'd already ruled out the nephew as causing her any harm, he was supposed to be her boyfriend after all.

"By request of my nephew, Battousai. I believe you've got something of his there behind you. I'll take her by force if I have to. You know I will."

The panic flooded away, replaced by anger. So Sou's uncle thought she was nothing but a possession of the family? Nuh uh, that man had better get his facts straight, and quick. Kaoru had no qualms at doing to him what she'd done to Hiko. She stepped out from behind Ken quickly, before she could think too much about what she was doing, and before Ken could get wind of her plan and stop her.

"No one is taking me anywhere." She forced her voice to be solid and determined. She let her gaze shift back and forth between Soujiro and his uncle, to be sure both of them understood. "It's my decision to make, and I'm staying with Ken. Mr. Shishio, there is not going to be a fight. You know it wouldn't escape the notice of all the people at the party even if you did try and fight Ken. Both human and vampire would come and fight against you. No one likes a hunter."

Soujiro let the hurt flood his voice. "Kaoru, what are you saying? I came to save you and bring you away from LA."

Her gaze softened a little, but she forced her voice to remain sure and determined. "I don't need saving, Sou. You'd be killing me if you brought me away anyway."

"What are you saying? Are you in love with him?"

This was the question Kaoru had feared. How was she supposed to answer that? Ken hadn't told her he loved her. Who was she to decided his feelings for him and announce them to the world?

"I'm saying that the Juppongatana will kill me if I leave LA before Ken completes a certain task for them. I can't leave, Sou. And if you or your uncle kill Ken, then the Juppongatana will hunt me down and kill me."

"Who are the Juppongatana?" Sou asked. Kaoru felt sorry for him. He knew absolutely nothing about the vampire world. Ken was right. She had to get him out of LA and away from his uncle's influence before something bad happened to him.

"Ask your uncle," Ken spoke up. He wasn't pleased that Kaoru was the one doing the defending. He should be able to take care of her, but while he was fighting Shishio, her boyfriend could take off with her and Ken wouldn't be able to do anything to stop him.

Sou looked to his uncle for confirmation.

"She wouldn't lie about that, kid. The Juppongatana would kill for a lie like that," Shishio confirmed.

"At least come and stay with us, Kaoru. Then you'd be safe. You don't know if he'll hurt you," Soujiro insisted stubbornly.

"He won't hurt me, Sou." She sighed. "Look, we need to talk. Mr. Shishio, will you promise to stay where you are and not try to kill Ken if I talk to Soujiro privately?"

"As long as Ken doesn't try to suck my blood, I won't attack him while you're talking to Soujiro."

"Kaoru, I don't like this," Ken said in her ear. "I don't trust them with you."

"Soujiro won't hurt me, Ken," Kaoru answered in a voice just as low. "You promise not to attack Shishio, right?"

"For now," his voice growled in her ear.

"He promises not to attack you," Kaoru called out.

"He has to say it," Shishio insisted, obviously enjoying himself.

Ken snorted in frustration. "I won't attack you tonight, Shishio."

"Walk towards the road and stand by that rock, Sou. I'll be there in a minute," Kaoru instructed.

After a dubious look towards his uncle, who did nothing but shrug, Soujiro did as she'd asked. Kaoru breathed a sigh. The first part was over. Now if only Ken would actually let her walk away from him and talk to Soujiro. Turning her back on Shishio, she faced him.

"Kaoru, Shishio is not a man to be trusted," Ken said gravely, looking past her at him.

"I know, but Sou is. I know I can make this work. Just keep a close eye on him while I'm talking to Sou, will you?" she whispered.

"No. I don't like this. We're leaving," Ken decided, grabbing her wrist.

"Ken you were the one who made me see that I had to tell Sou about - about us. Nothing's going to happen. Please let me go." Kaoru was careful to use her best reassuring tone. Ken wasn't the only manipulator. She'd thrown the 'please' in for good measure.

Kaoru cheered mentally when his grip on her wrist loosened and fell away. "Fine, but the man is not going to let us just walk away. He only promised not to attack me while you're talking to Soujiro. He's going to try something as soon as you two are done."

"Then think of something while I'm talking okay? After this I just want to get our clothes back and leave. I hope they don't follow us back to the apartment."

"They won't, even if I have to knock them both unconscious with a piece of driftwood," Ken replied steadily. "Now go talk to Soujiro before you make one of them suspicious."

Kaoru nodded and walked after her boyfriend. And what a long walk it was. She was dreading reaching him. How could she tell him she didn't love him as much as she loved Ken at a time like this? Kaoru didn't have much practice dumping people, and she'd certainly never been in a relationship that lasted as long as the one with Sou had before. He'd meant a lot to her life in the past couple years. She felt dirty throwing their relationship away, even if the one she had with Ken felt so much more real, and sincere than theirs had. The distance between them had grown to the size of the Pacific Ocean, even if Sou did not realize that yet. She reached him all too soon.

He enveloped her in a hug. Kaoru was surprised that a hug from Sou still felt good. She couldn't let it last for long. That would give Sou the wrong impression and make the break up more painful for both of them. She pushed away after a few moments, out of his arms. Luckily, Sou didn't take it the wrong way. He probably just thought she wanted to start talking. If only he knew.

"Why are you staying with him, Kaoru? You know what he is. He'll hurt you the first chance he gets." Soujiro had decided to be the one to start the conversation. He put the image of the dark couple on the beach out of his mind. He didn't know all the facts yet. He was surprised when Kaoru seemed slightly annoyed. Shouldn't she be grateful that he'd come all this way to save her?

"I already told you he won't hurt me. He's saved my life, Sou."

"Is that what this is about? You feel you have to stay with him because he saved your life?" Sou almost breathed a sigh of relief. She'd kissed him out of gratitude then. "You don't, Kaoru. Come back to the hotel with me. You'll be safer there."

"I can't. I've promised to help him. You won't make me break a promise, will you?" Kaoru felt horrible dredging up the fact that she'd promised to help Ken instead of just flat out telling Sou that she preferred to stay with Ken, but she didn't want to just blurt out the whole thing to him. It was better to work up to it gradually.

Sou deflated in front of her eyes. "Can't you see that one promise doesn't matter compared to the big picture? He's a killer, Kaoru. They all are; all the vampires. I can't rest knowing you're with him."

"Who told you that?" Kaoru asked. "That's wrong. I've met vampires who I could never imagine killing anyone. And if a vampire kills a human, the other vampires kill it. Ken's not going to kill me."

"My uncle told me the truth about vampires. This Ken, the Battousai, he must have lied to you," Soujiro insisted.

"No, your uncle lied to you," Kaoru declared. "Ken's not a killer."

"He's dangerous, Kaoru. You didn't see the look in his eyes when he looked at Oji. I'm asking you to come with me and away from him."

"I have seen that look in his eyes," Kaoru told Soujiro softly. "He looked at me that way, and I'm still standing here. He didn't hurt me then and he won't hurt me in the future. You don't know him. He's more than that, Sou, more than just a vampire."

"Kaoru, you don't know what you're talking about."

"You're the one who doesn't know what they're talking about. They were all human once, all of them. Ken's more human than that uncle of yours." Kaoru couldn't hide the disdain from her voice. "I've lived with Ken for a week now. I won't lie and say it's been easy, but it's been life, and your uncle is not willing to face the fact that vampires are a part of life."

"They're not, Kaoru. They're unnatural. As you're boyfriend, I'm asking you to leave Ken and come with me."

"Do you think that title adds something extra?" Kaoru asked bitterly. She sighed. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about. I hate to say it like this, but I don't know how else to say it. I want to break up with you, Sou."

She winced at the look of shock that flooded across his face. There were all the emotions she'd feared: hurt, betrayal, sadness, and finally anger.

"Is it because of him?" Sou asked, his tone even.

"I won't lie to you," Kaoru began.

That was the second time tonight someone had started a sentence with those five words. Sou was getting sick of it.

"He does have a lot to do with it," she finished.

"I saw you two kissing."

"I'm sorry, Sou. I should have told you before. I know it was cheating on you." Nope, he was definitely not going to take this well.

"I didn't know it was you, though. I remember thinking it was a perfect picture, one that should go on a CD cover or maybe a calendar." He said this in a voice filled with sarcastic wonder, but his eyes were cold and calculating.

"Tell me you understood what I said, Sou, about us not being together anymore. I had to tell you. I didn't want to lead you on."

"I shouldn't have gone to Japan. I had a bad feeling about that. I should have stayed home. Maybe if I had picked you up from the Akabeko that night none of this would have ever happened."

Kaoru felt her voice tremble. "Tell me you understand," she insisted.

"Or maybe I should have listened to Atsuko in the first place and not gone out with you. If I had, I wouldn't be here now, listening to this load of crap."

Now the tears were threatening. "Sou, please tell me."

"Yup, older sister always knows best. Well now I'll know for next time."

"Sou-"

"What, Kaoru? Did you think I would be okay with this?" he asked, finally letting the anger and hurt take control of his speech. "Did you think I would say, 'Okay, well, I'm not too broken up about it, so you can run off with a vampire and be happy playing in all the blood. Don't worry about me. I was never in love with you at all, so it's okay that you've decided I'm second best. But, hey, if he ever gets staked by a hunter or hurts you or something, I'm here for you and we can start going out again.' Did you think I would react like that, Kaoru? Because that is bullshit."

"Sou, I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt you."

"It's too late for that, Kaoru. You know, I can see why you wanted to have this talk away from my uncle and your undead lover over there. It might have gotten a little awkward." His voice was still even and low. There was no way even Ken could hear what he was saying.

"Sou he's not my lover-"

"Thanks for not embarrassing me in front of them. So now I guess you want me to just fly on back to Japanand happily visit with my relatives again, huh?"

"You know me better than that-"

"I don't think I know you at all, Kaoru. You could have fucked him before you came to the party for all I know. If you did, then you're probably going to head back to wherever you two are camped out and fuck him again."

"Sou, stop it," Kaoru begged weakly, finally unable to stop the tears from dripping down her face.

"What? Stop what, Kaoru? Stop ramming the truth into your head about you and Ken's relationship," he asked mockingly. "Don't worry. I'll stop. You're right. We're over. And while you're fucking him tonight, say hi for me." Soujiro stormed away, back towards his uncle. He didn't let himself care about Kaoru, or think about what he'd just said to her.

"Oji, we're going." He started trudging back down the beach in the direction they'd come from.

Shishio shrugged. "I guess this is sayonara, Battousai. Until another night, sometime soon." He nodded in Ken's direction and walked away after his nephew.

Ken sighed in relief. It didn't look like Shishio and Soujiro would be causing him anymore trouble that night. He felt for Kaoru's heart beat, and his heart sank. He could feel Kaoru's distress even though his senses were distorted by the ocean. He tore his gaze from the diminishing figures of the hunter and his nephew and towards the slowly approaching Kaoru. He could see right away that she had been crying, but the tears were gone from her face and she was trying hard to look nothing but determined. It had taken her a long time to gather herself together and come to him. Silently, she took his hand in hers and pulled him so that he was facing the party. They started walking back.

Hey, you're pretty quick.

I have to be.

You could be a secretary. There's no way I can type that fast.

… Thanks a lot.

"Kenshin Himura?" His voice was filled with wonder, as if he couldn't believe his eyes.

Ken allowed a smile to grace his features. The old doctor looked like he needed it, and Ken was truly happy to see the old man. He reminded him of Sano and better days. "Yes, Dr. Gensai. Do you have a moment?"

The man visibly blinked the surprise from his eyes. He held the door wide open. "Come in, come in. Hurry up, my place is probably being watched, so you'll have to take the long way back to wherever you're going."

Ken complied with the old man's urges to hurry and stepped inside. His eyes scanned the room for intruders and escape routes, a practice he did automatically whenever he entered a new room, an old habit from the days of the war he had fought in when he was human that had not died. Satisfied there was no one around, he turned to the doctor, who was locking the door behind him.

"Why do you think someone's watching your clinic?" he asked, letting his eyes rove over the doctor's face. The last time he had seen the man, he had been much younger. Time did so much to humans; each wrinkle reminded Ken of the fact that he wasn't aging at all. He wondered how he would deal with Kaoru aging before his eyes, probably the same way Sano had dealt with Megumi.

"The hunter of the Kuragosa family, a man named Makoto Shishio, and his nephew were here a few hours ago," Dr. Gensai broke into his thoughts. "Are you familiar with Shishio? I know you know the Kuragosa family."

"Yes."

"Really?" the doctor asked curiously. Then he blanched.

"What is it?" Ken asked, instantly on the alert.

"I'm sorry, Kenshin. They were looking for you! I - I didn't realize it because they called you 'Ken', but they were looking for you and I told them about Hiko's party. Don't tell me you were there."

Well that was one mystery solved. At least Ken now knew how they'd known he was in the area. He'd been a little alarmed that he'd missed them following him or something. His skills weren't dulling after all.

"I was there. It's alright. Nothing happened," Ken assured the man.

"Then the girl's not with you anymore? Oh sorry, do you want to sit?"

"No. I won't be here long. How much did they tell you?"

"Well the nephew said most of it. He told me that his girlfriend had somehow run into you and that she was now trying to help you find the dark one. He just wanted to find her, but his uncle wanted to kill you, and Kuragosa does too of course. So I told them you were probably at Hiko's party with the promise that Shishio would never bother me again. I'm sorry, Kenshin. I never would have told him that if I knew it was you," Dr. Gensai explained.

"Don't worry about it. They're no threat to me. Forget it, doctor."

Dr. Gensai nodded; then a puzzled look came across his features. "If you didn't know it was me that told, then why did you come? You're not one to pay social calls."

"You're right. I came for information. Tell me all you can about what's been going on in LA for the past few years. I'm a little out of the loop," Ken admitted.

"Sure. It's the least I can do to repay you for telling Shishio. I really think we should sit though. This is going to take a while."

Technology is scary. How did they capture the images of those people and put them on that big screen?

It's like getting your picture taken.

But that sucks out your soul! Those poor people. They thought they were going to be actors, and look what happened.

Sano get a hold of yourself! Cameras don't suck out people's souls! The actors are fine.

I didn't know you were so naïve, Ken. Don't believe everything people tell you.

Ken had been gone for two hours. Kaoru hoped he hadn't run into trouble. She was in her night clothes, curled up on the dark blue couch trying to find something on early morning television. She'd settled for an ancient rerun of 'Happy Days.' At least it wasn't in black and white. What a wonder a shower had done for her after they'd gotten back from the beach party. As soon as they'd left the place she'd been reduced to a weak sobbing mess. Ken hadn't liked that at all, she knew, but she hadn't been able to help it. It was fortunate that no one had been around in the apartment building when they'd finally made it back because there was no way Kaoru was capable of putting up a cheerful front. She knew Ken had breathed a sigh of relief when they were safely in their apartment with the door locked. Seeing the place had only made her sob harder. Ken had awkwardly told her he was going out and to get in the shower and clean up. Not knowing what else to do, she'd spent an hour in the shower before she'd been calm enough to deal with the world again. Ken hadn't been there when she'd come out, but she hadn't really expected him to be. He knew she needed time alone. So she'd gone and gotten dressed and was now lying on the couch, flipping channels and thinking.

Kaoru had done a lot of thinking, mostly about Sou and Ken, but about her parents and friends as well. She hoped her parents were having a better summer vacation then she was, and that her friends and family weren't too disturbed that she wasn't around or answering her cell phone. Then her mind had turned back to the confrontation on the beach. Sou had said some pretty hateful things, but it was only fair. She'd come to the conclusion that she deserved them. After all, it wasn't as if she wouldn't have been just as angry as him if their roles had been reversed. What she'd done was rotten, cheating on him with another man. What was even more rotten was that she would do it again even if she had the choice to go back in time. And again. And again. That was the depth of what she felt for Ken.

Why did I let you convince me to drink?

Hey, it's not my fault.

Sano, we are now in the French army! We're lucky they kept us in that dark prison all day or we would be ash right now!

Hey, it'll all work out, Ken. Just trust me.

I am NEVER drinking with you again, Sano.

Food at last, food at last, Ken thought, savoring the slick feel of blood sliding down his throat. He hadn't been nearly as hungry as he'd been at the most difficult times of his life as a vampire, but being around Kaoru night and day must have been putting strain on the darker side of his nature. He loved her, yes, but that didn't cancel out the fact that she was human. There was no way in heaven or hell that he would break his promise to her and drink her blood, but God, sometimes it was hard to resist, especially since she was so vulnerable all the time. He'd watched her from the corner of his eye as they were driving back, first to the car rental agency, and then as they'd hitched a taxi home. That taxi driver must have been unnerved by them. Kaoru was still crying her eyes out and Ken knew he hadn't been very comforting. In retrospect, he was lucky the cabbie hadn't been too nosy, and that the loud radio had covered up most of Kaoru's sobs. Ken wondered if she was regretting her decision, but he'd put that thought out of his mind upon further reflection. She was probably just starting the process of getting over her boyfriend. Ken had realized he didn't even know how long they'd been together. He hadn't heard what the kid had said to her, but Ken had heard the harsh tone of his voice.

The fresh blood was seeping to the corners of his body - his fingertips, his ankles, his heels, his toes. Food hadn't been able to feed this need since he'd been turned. It was hard to remember the time when food had been all he needed. And like the last time he'd fed, he could feel the string between him and Kaoru, like a rope wrapped around his waist, tugging him to her. Its thickness grew and its pull strengthened as more blood flowed into his body. The moment Ken was satiated was the moment he couldn't bear its pressure on him any longer. He drew his fangs back up into his mouth and the pressure was gone, but he could still feel Kaoru's presence, as if she was standing next to him.

Her presence was comforting. Now he knew that even if other vampires or the Juppongatana stole her from him he could always find her. Ken touched a finger to his lips. Blood. Licking his lips absentmindedly, he headed for his car, leaving the animal behind him faint and weak. It would recover in a few nights. Ken popped a piece of gum into his mouth to get rid of the taste.

Nani?! Why are you covered in dust?

Would you believe me if I said there was a sandstorm?

No. I was outside all night. There weren't any in this part of Egypt.

Damn.

What was that?

I said…

Nani?

Okay okay! I admit it! I was gambling and I lost the bet and I had to go in a pyramid and I fell into one of those traps the dumb people who built them set up and it was a pit full of sand and - and oh Ken it was so horrible!

The sound of a key in the door reached Kaoru from her perch on the couch. She turned her head towards the door expectantly, a bit apprehensive. She'd realized at some point in her severe self-searching session that he might have taken her weeping the wrong way. He might have thought she was regretting her choice to stay with him. He might have left to give her the opportunity to gather her courage enough to leave him. He might think she wanted to leave him and that the only reason she was staying was because of the Juppongatana's threat to her life. But he might be thinking a lot of things. She only hoped he wouldn't come back and tell her to go join Sou and his uncle.

Ken slipped into the apartment; silence and stealth entering with him as they always did. His emotions weren't readable. He didn't look at her until he had locked the door behind him and put on the chain latch as well. Then he turned his full attention to her, not saying anything, simply searching her eyes with his intense gaze, his face in shadow. Kaoru felt a small smile creep on to her face. No matter how grave he looked, she couldn't help but be happy he was back. She felt the smile on her face widen as he flashed a lazy grin, the relief now apparent on his face. She scrambled up from the couch and threw herself into his arms for a hug, reassuring her soul that he was there with her.

"Are you okay, Kaoru?" Ken asked as he slid his arms around her, hugging her back. He could feel the heat of her body against his, making his skin tingle even through his clothes.

"I am now. I'm sorry I was crying before, but thanks for understanding I needed time alone to sort out my feelings," Kaoru replied, relaxing against him.

Ken breathed in the scent of her shampoo wafting up from her hair. Now was not the time for her to be apologizing for crying. He didn't want her dwelling on her break up the rest of the night anyway. When she wanted to talk to him about it, she would, be she obviously wasn't ready to discuss it, and he didn't want her crying again.

"I like this welcome," he mumbled, surprised. He'd barely had time to sit his keys down on the table before she was in his arms. The whole time he'd been gone, he'd pictured her back at the apartment, probably still crying. He had fully expected her to be crying when he came back. Yet again, Kaoru had surprised him with her resilience.

"Why'd you take so long?" Kaoru admonished, her face buried in his chest, breathing in his smell. "I was starting to worry about you."

Ken chuckled at her unashamed display of emotion. She was the only one that acted so open around him. "There was an accident on the highway, just a fender bender, but everyone had to stop and gawk, so it took me longer than I expected to get back, that's all."

"You could've called," she reminded him.

"I forgot my phone."

"You've got me acting like a fussy housewife, Ken!" she pouted, finally looking up at him.

Ken laughed some more. "Isn't that what you're supposed to be?" he asked, leaning down and effortlessly lifting her body bridal style. "Don't worry, you're my fussy housewife."

"That doesn't make me feel much better." But it did, of course it did.

"I'll make you feel better," Ken offered, trying his best to look wide-eyed and innocent.

God, he was doing a good job of it too, Kaoru thought. She couldn't help but ask, as he expected her to, "How?"

Ken dropped her onto the couch and let his body fall after her so she was pinned down underneath him. She screamed in surprise at the sudden drop.

"Shhh, you don't want to wake the neighbors."

"If I do, it's your fault," she whispered up to him, as if whispering made up for the earlier scream.

"My fault?" Ken asked with raised eyebrows.

Kaoru smiled up at him. "I'm glad you're back."

"Glad to be back, but I think you're avoiding the issue here. Why would it be my fault?" he asked, drawing close to her lips with his own, but kissing under her chin at the last second. Holding himself up with one hand, he used the other to gently reach up under her night shirt and tickle her smooth stomach with his fingers. She giggled and writhed against his touch. "Why?" he asked again.

"You made me do it," she breathed out when his fingers stilled and he withdrew his hand from her under her shirt to rest on the couch again, supporting him above her.

"That's your best answer?"

"Yup," she said cheerfully, smiling up at him. She stared up at him. He stared down at her. From the way he was grinning at her, almost laughing Kaoru thought she probably had the dopiest smile imaginable on her face, but it didn't matter. Ken was there.

"Kenshin?" she asked, trying out his full name on her tongue once again. She liked the taste of it much better than Ken, Kaoru decided. She'd try and call him Kenshin in private until she fell into the habit.

Ken didn't miss the satisfied look on her face when she called him Kenshin. It was different, but hey, he'd respond to 'hey you' if Kaoru was the one calling him.

"Why Kenshin?" he asked.

Her response was as wide-eyed and innocent as Kenshin had tried to be a minute ago, in other words, not very. "No reason. Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure," Ken replied, fighting to keep his eyes on her eyes and his hands off her body.

"What were you thinking when you were looking at me before Saitou interrupted us early on in the evening?"

What had he been thinking? Saitou had been trying to catch a cab and failing miserably. Ken had just finished glaring at Saitou for messing with Kaoru when he'd looked at her to see if she had recovered from the lungful of cigarette smoke. And if he hadn't fallen for her before, he'd fallen for her again and hadn't been able to help but stare at her. And then she'd caught him staring.

Kaoru's voice broke into his thoughts. "You said you'd tell me later. It's later."

"I was thinking that it was hard to believe that it had only been one week since I'd known you."

"I know that. You told me that then," Kaoru waved his reply away. "That's not what I wanted to know."

"What do you want to know, then?"

"Ken! Don't be difficult. You said you'd tell me."

"I did say that, didn't I?"

"Why do you have to be so stubborn?" Kaoru frowned.

Did she really want him to tell her that he'd been thinking about her in a string bikini, preferably near a bed? Did she want him to tell her that he'd been thinking about running his hands over her body and kissing her most private … well it was better not to go there, not while she was lying there underneath him with nothing on but a big t-shirt, no bra, and his boxers.

"Kaoru, are those mine?" Ken asked incredulously, although the idea of her literally in his pants was definitely a turn on.

She favored him with a confused look. "Are what yours?" He had better not be trying to change the subject.

"Those boxers."

Kaoru felt her cheeks color. "Oh yeah, I forgot about that. I need to do laundry, so I just borrowed a pair of yours. Is that okay? You weren't around to ask…" she trailed off.

"It's fine. I was just surprised."

"Oh."

A few moments of silence passed.

"So what was behind that look?" Kaoru asked again.

Damn, she's persistent, Ken thought ruefully, but he'd never known Kaoru to be easily sidetracked. It was hard to concentrate with their faces so close. Every breath she exhaled was a soft puff of air on his face.

"I was thinking I would fall apart without you and that if I had to I would die for you," Ken admitted, totally out of character.

Kaoru looked shocked, but a good shocked Ken was pleased to observe. "Then I was thinking about you in a string bikini, minus the strings."

Her reaction to that was even better. First she went pale and then all the color came flooding back to her face until she was as almost as red as that 'Elmo' puppet. She was clearly at a loss for words.

"On a bed," Ken added, just to see her squirm.

And squirm she did, a hot flush had spread across her cheeks, and she was staring up at him like a deer caught in headlights. She kept her body absolutely still.

"But I was thinking a couch would do just fine."

Her eyes grew wider than Ken would've thought imaginable. She was probably just realizing their intimate position, and that yes, they were on a couch. And she was wearing a pair of his boxers. She looked like she was going to bolt any second.

Ken decided to simply wait as Kaoru worked out what he'd just said in her mind. Slowly, slowly the redness was fading from her face. Her breathing was slowing down and her eyes were back down to their normal size. She was staring up at him, and the whole time he waited she kept her eyes focused on his. Ken was rewarded for his patience when she slowly reached a hand up and caressed his face, her smooth fingertips leaving a trail of warmth as they traced across his cheek. She cupped his face in both her hands and looked up into his eyes, searching for something. Apparently she found it, because she drew his head down until his lips were on hers and kissed him, the velvet texture of her lips sending heat throughout his body faster than blood could. He kissed her back, realizing she was fulfilling a different type of hunger, one that would plague him the rest of his days whenever he was apart from her. But she cut off the contact, pushing him away slightly so she could breathe.

"Were you really thinking that?"

"Yes," he answered plainly.

"Really? Even with Saitou there?"

"I wasn't thinking about him. What a way to put a damper on the mood," Ken scolded half-heartedly. Yes, Saitou's face sure did wipe away his thoughts of kissing Kaoru. Now he felt like puking. The words 'Saitou' and 'kissing' shouldn't even be in the same sentence.

"All of it?"

"Yes."

Kaoru smiled, banishing all thoughts of Saitou and bringing the mood back. She'd really wanted to know if the first part was true, he was obviously teasing her when be put in the stuff about bikini strings, or lack thereof. "I'm sure someday your fantasy will come true."

"There's no time like the present," Ken reminded her, lowering his mouth to hers.

"I think that would just complicate things," Kaoru protested before Ken cut off any further comments she might have made. She was so involved in responding to his kisses that it took her a moment to realize that his hips were pressed against hers.

"Ken-"she managed to get out when he pulled back a little to breathe. But she forgot whatever it was she was going to say when she realized she'd much rather have his lips on hers, than hovering above, waiting for her to speak.

"What?" he asked. Then the mood was rained out when his cell phone vibrated insistently from where it sat on the end-table by the door. He gave her his best apologetic look. She smiled up at him and shook off his apology.

"Answer the phone," she ordered, careful to keep her voice gentle to soften the power of the order. He lifted her body up to a sitting position on the couch first, before easing off her and walking quickly over to pick up the phone.

"It's Ken…"

Kaoru pushed his conversation out of her mind as she reflected on what had just happened. Besides the scintillating make-out session, Ken had basically told her he was in love with her. He'd almost told her anyway. She could see he was too embarrassed to actually come out and tell her, but all guys were like that. She grabbed one of the sofa pillows and hugged it to herself. She could still half-feel the contact of his body on hers.

"You didn't need to remind me of the meeting time."

Ken's voice drifted into her thoughts. He sounded angry and annoyed. It was probably one of the Juppongatana. It couldn't be Ayame since Ken had been pleased to see her. Kaoru tuned out his voice once more and let her eyes drift over to the television, not really seeing it.

Ken was pissed that the leader of the Juppongatana had had the nerve to call him up and remind him of his meeting with Saitou. Myojin had probably done it just to get on his nerves. There had been a time when the two respected each other, but that had ended a decade ago. Now Ken pretty much tried to have nothing to do with the vampire. He was confident that he could best Myojin if it came down to that, but he wasn't going to delude himself with the notion that he could defeat the whole Juppongatana, which would surely come after him if he so much as laid a finger on their precious leader. And he didn't want to deal with a Juppongatana led by Tsubame, which would probably be more deadly than the present one.

One of my contacts is taking a college course in math. She said she's having trouble with this problem. I know there's something good in this for me if I figure it out.

I guess I have a little time. What's the problem?

Prove that for each positive integer N there exists a circle in the XY-plane which contains exactly N lattice points. What the Hell is a lattice point?

Um… You're on your own with this one.

I thought so.

Yeah.

"Kid, I'd like to know what you had in mind by letting them go like that. We could have at least tailed them back to wherever they're staying."

"That vampire would have known. I knew you'd attack him. I didn't want Kaoru hurt." Sou looked out the car window at the dawn of the new day. The vampires were all asleep by now.

"She dumped you, kid."

Sou turned to stare at his uncle, unbelieving that he could be so blunt. "But I still care about her! I don't want her dead!"

"I never said you did."

"It wouldn't matter if she was a girl I didn't know. I couldn't risk an innocent getting stuck in the middle. I would have thought you'd understand that, Oji."

"I understand your reasoning, Soujiro, but now we don't have a lead on them unless Jineh or Enishi come through, and right now, they're both in the hotel room sleeping to get ready for tonight."

"I'll do some spying tonight to make up for it."

"No. I can spy well enough on my own. I want you to work in the day and sleep tonight. You need to establish yourself as a hunter with the human part of the city. Here's a list of addresses and the people to talk to at each, all human. All you have to do is tell them you're with me and you should be let in. Just spread the word that we're looking for the Battousai. We my as well leave the girl out of it. She's dead if we take her out of LA anyway."

"You mean the Juppongatana will kill her?"

"Yes."

"Can't I come with you and search for them tomorrow?"

"You're cramping my style, kid. I'm driving back to the hotel go get some rest. You need anything, call me, but get to every one of those addresses before nightfall and back to the hotel or you'll lead the vampires to us and then we're all dead. You got that, kid?"

"Yes, Oji."

A/N - Woop! There it is! Last chapter there were a lot of new reviewers. Hopefully there will be this time too. And another shout-out to all the reviewers that have been there from chapter one:

JML

Hitokiri-miaomiao

Videl621

kouri

bitchybrunette

The Girl Who Cried Oro

SaiyaWinters

Silver Warrior

HiEiFoR sALe

Black Chiney

Kenshin's Demon

Pruningshears

Fiery Shadow

NekoOni-chan

Hope I didn't miss anyone! Thanks a bunch. And remember, I love ALL reviews and reviewers. *wink* Drop a review if you have time. See you at chapter 14.