Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ A Walk in the Sunlight ❯ One Secret Revealed ( Chapter 5 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Disclaimer - Sadly, I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. It is the sole property of Nobuhiro Watsuki and the many companies who have purchased the rights.


Chapter 5 - One Secret Revealed

Kaoru flicked off the light in her bedroom and virtually ran into the foyer. How had she managed to fall asleep? After all the sleep she'd had earlier you'd think she'd be set for at least a whole day, if not more. But then again a three hour workout didn't help matters much, now did it? Didn't matter, what did was the fact that she was now going to be late for work if she didn't get moving.

Grabbing her watch and keys off the table just inside the door, she quickly donned the watch before spinning around to scratch Sampson one last time before heading out. "Alright buddy, watch the house for me.”

Sampson barked his assent as she flung the door open and headed out into the stifling night heat. Unintentionally slamming the door behind her, she cursed her lack of a bike or any type of transportation and started to jog up the road. There was no way she was going to make it to work on time. Not that Tae would really care but still, she hated being late for anything. Casting a quick glance at her watch she scowled and picked up her pace, it really didn't matter how fast she ran, there was no way she'd make it on time.

A quarter of a mile later she was forced to slow to a fast walk, the muscles in her legs starting to throb in protest. Grimacing at the dull ache pulsing up her calves, she stopped and tried to stretch the muscles a little in an effort to loosen them up some. This is what she got for sleeping on the sofa, that plus taking only a shower had done more damage than help. What she should have done was take a bath after her shower to soak her well used muscles, but she'd shrugged that off in favor of laying down to watch some TV. Not one of her more brilliant ideas.

Sighing, she steeled herself against the aches and started down the road again at a steady walk. No use thinking about it now, hind sight was always twenty-twenty, next time she'd know better. Well, at least it wasn't raining, she hadn't had time to check the weather before she'd left so she had no idea what the weather was suppose to be like tonight. And then, as if in answer to her thoughts, a bright flash of lightening lit up the night sky soon followed by a distant rumble of thunder.

Kaoru simply stared at the black sky and busted out laughing, oh this was too much! Tonight was definitely not her night. Picking up her pace as much as she could, she waited for another flash then counted the seconds until she heard the thunder. She sighed at finding the storm only five miles away. Figures. Now she would be late and soaked. Maybe she should just give up and turn around right now. Slowing at the thought, she scowled and shook her head. No, if she wasn't there it would leave Aiko alone and Thursdays were usually quite busy. She wouldn't do that to the poor girl.

Picking up her pace again, she all of a sudden stopped dead in her tracks as another flash of lightening illuminated the road ahead of her and the figure now standing less than ten yards away.

Startled, Kaoru bit back a scream and stumbled back, nearly losing her balance. Doing her level best to keep her feet under her she did scream when a hand all of a sudden wrapped around her arm. Terrified, she tried to wrench her arm from the person's hand and balled her fist, ready to punch whoever it was if they didn't let go. And then another flash of lightening lit up the night sky and she inhaled sharply as her eyes met the piercing violet gaze fixed on her.

"You!"

Kenshin smiled sheepishly and finally released her arm. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

Kaoru nearly growled and fought against the urge to punch him anyway, "Then next time don't be lurking in the middle of the road during a storm." Scowling at the smirk tickling his lips, she did her best to ignore his piercing eyes which now seemed to glow in the inky blackness. Swallowing nervously, she sidestepped around him and started down the road again as the first raindrops began falling from the sky, "I don't have time for this. I'm already late for work."

Picking up her pace in an effort to put as much distance between them as she could, Kaoru nearly sighed when she heard no movement from behind. Good, maybe he finally got the picture this time. And then, much to her surprise, she all of a sudden found herself covered by a wide umbrella, his nearness instantly tingling across her skin.

"I'll walk you so you won't get wet."

At her wits end, Kaoru stopped dead in her tracks again and turned her full attention on him, "What is with you?! Why are you following me?!"

Kenshin simply met her angry gaze and shrugged. "I don't want you to get sick and this umbrella is big enough for both of us. As to following you, I told you I would do my best to keep my distance and this is my best. I'm not going to let you walk in the rain if I don't have to."

Surprised, Kaoru could only stare at him as another flash of lightening danced across the sky. At a loss for what to say, she simply continued to stare at him as the world slowly started to fade, her attention solely taken by the vibrant violet eyes fixed on her. And then an almost deafening crash of thunder snapped her back into the world around her and without thinking she asked, "Has anyone ever told you, you have strange eyes?"

Kenshin chuckled lightly and nodded, "Many times. Now will you let me walk you to work?"

Kaoru blushed. To be honest, for a minute there she'd completely forgotten about work. Glancing to her watch she groaned, she was already ten minutes late. By the time she finally got there she'd be at least a half hour late. Glancing back up at him she sighed, "Do I have a choice?"

Kenshin smiled. "Not really. So shall we go before the storm gets closer?"

Giving in, she bit back another sigh and nodded. Without another word she walked out from underneath the umbrella and headed down the road. Moments later she found herself once again protected from the steady rain now falling from the sky, his pace immediately matching hers.

"Is my presence really that disturbing, Kaoru?"

Kaoru kept her attention fixed on the road ahead of her and shrugged, "It's not that. It's just..." taking a deep breath, she peeked at him out of the corner of her eye, "... I guess I don't understand why you are all of a sudden interested in me."

Kenshin sighed and tried to think of something to say that wouldn't upset her again. But before he even had a chance to answer she added,"...oh, wait. That's right, I'm a curiosity."

Stung by her disheartened tone, Kenshin shot out his hand and grabbed her arm; immediately pulling her to a stop. Turning her to face him, he captured her gaze as a flash of lightening illuminated the area, "I didn't mean it like that, Kaoru. All I meant was that I want to know more about you. That's all. I don't think you're a freak or a lab specimen."

Kaoru dropped her eyes, ashamed, and scuffed her foot as the thunder rumbled overhead. If that was true, then maybe...no, it would be better to leave things as they were. Steeling herself against the crushing loneliness trying to weigh her down, she pulled her arm from his hand and started down the road again. "Then why did you go see Dr. Genzai?"

Kenshin bit back a sarcastic chuckle. She wasn't going to let him off the hook was she? Sighing, he said the only thing he could, the truth. "I went to him in hopes that he would tell me what's wrong with you. I'm sorry."

Kaoru sighed and shook her head. She'd expected that but still...

Tucking her hands into her pockets, she glanced at him as they closed the distance to town; the overhead lights soon winning out over the fading lightening. "It didn't work did it? Instead he came to me with some wild story that you're a vampire. And you know what, I'm almost tempted to believe him. I've never seen anyone with eyes like yours before."

Kenshin simply grinned, well at least she didn't fully believe. Feeling bold he asked, "And what would you say if I was?"

Kaoru snorted, "Impossible. I've seen you in the sun and vampires can't go into the sun."

Kenshin bit back a sigh of relief and laughed, at least his secret was safe. "I guess that does pretty much nullify that possibility, doesn't it."

Casting a quick glance at him, Kaoru simply smiled and tried to ignore the sudden increase in her heartbeat at the sound of his easy laughter. Blushing at herself, she shifted her attention to the road before her and noticed that they were only steps away from the Akabeko. With a relieved sigh, she stepped out from underneath the umbrella and dropped a quick bow, "Thank you for walking me to work. I...it was nice talking to you."

And with that, she spun around and bolted for the door. But no sooner had her hand landed on the handle than a hand wrapped around her wrist stopping her from escaping. Glancing over her shoulder, she was surprised to see the now folded down umbrella hovering in the space between them.

"Take this, in case it's raining when you get done tonight."

Kaoru's eyes widened in surprise. Acutely aware of his hand wrapped around her wrist, she simply stared at him, at a loss for what to say. Wha-? Her train of thought was interrupted though when Kenshin took a step towards her and added, "Unless, you would rather have me come pick you up."

Unnerved by his nearness she did the only thing she could think of, she grabbed the umbrella. "No, this will be fine. T..thanks."

A small smirk tickled Kenshin's lips and Kaoru all of a sudden felt her face flush a deep red. Doing her level best to get herself back together, she wiggled her wrist out of his hand and gave him a small smile, "I should get to work. Thank you again for walking me and for the umbrella."

Kenshin simply smiled and took a step back. "I expect that back tonight when you get home." And with that, he spun on his heel and started back down the road the way they'd come.

Startled by his abruptness, Kaoru watched him go until what he'd said fully sank in. Cocking an eyebrow in confusion, she called out, "Wait! You mean you want me to bring this back to you at three in the morning."

Kenshin stopped and glanced over his shoulder. "Yes."

"But-"

"Excuse me?"

Kaoru squeaked in shock as a voice sounded behind her. Immediately spinning around, she blushed profusely at the couple trying to get into the restaurant. "I...I'm sorry," she mumbled back-stepping out of their way. Dropping a bow, she waited for them to enter before she spun back around to catch Kenshin again, "I ca-"

She stopped when she saw no sign of the redhead in the people wandering the street. Scanning every corner she could see, she scowled in irritation and fisted her hand around the umbrella. Figures. Now she had no choice but to return it tonight. What was with this guy anyway? She had never, in her entire life, been stalked like this before. Well except for the times when people wanted to bug her about her illness, but for some reason she believed him when he said his attention wasn't about that. But then, what was it?

Confused by the whole situation, Kaoru shrugged and scanned the area one last time. To be honest, she had to admit that she kinda liked having him around. It was nice to have someone besides her family care what happened to her. Of course, it would help immensely if he'd stop scaring her every time they happened to meet, maybe then she wouldn't feel like disemboweling him all the time.

A small grin tickled her lips at the thought and then slowly it fell away. And yet, none of this mattered because she was still going to do her best to keep him at arms length, further if she could. Although now that would be a little bit more difficult thanks to the umbrella hanging from her fist.

Biting back a sigh, she shoved the thought from her mind and headed into the Akabeko. She groaned when she saw the busy restaurant. As she'd feared the dining room was already packed; the two people who'd just entered waiting patiently to be seated. Must be the new influx of people had arrived.

Spurred by the sight she rushed across the polished floor, giving Aiko a quick smile as she set the umbrella down and threw on her apron, "I'm sorry, I'm late. I fell asleep."

Aiko smiled and shrugged, "Its ok. Tae's here so we've managed to keep up. You have the even tables tonight."

"Are you sure it was sleep that made you late, Kaoru, or maybe it was Himura-san instead?" Tae piped up from behind her.

Kaoru flushed a deep red at what her boss implied. Spinning around she grumbled, "It was sleep! The only reason I was with him was because I forgot my umbrella and he didn't want me to get wet."

Tae smirked. "I'm sure that was his only reason..." Grabbing the umbrella, she headed into the kitchen. "I'll just set Himura-san's umbrella out back so it doesn't get lost, okay?"

Blushing to the roots of her hair, Kaoru scowled at her boss' back and tucked her order book in her pocket. "I swear that was the only reason," she mumbled more to herself than anyone else. Taking a deep breath to get herself back together, she surveyed her tables. Seeing that one table looked to need drinks refilled she set to work and did her best to forget the lingering sight of Himura-san's glowing violet eyes.

Kenshin grinned and watched Kaoru from the shadows until she finally headed into the restaurant. He'd won this round. She didn't have a choice now, she would have to see him again. A smile slowly grew on his lips as he turned to head back home. It seemed Mother Nature was on his side too because that storm had been a god send. It had been the perfect opportunity to catch her off guard again. And if he wasn't mistaken, she was actually starting to warm up to him, maybe their friendship wouldn't be as hard to build as he'd originally believed.

Ah, but really the most important information he'd been able to glean tonight was the fact that his secret was safe... and so was hers. He'd made too much progress tonight to run the risk of alienating her again. He would keep his knowledge of her illness to himself until she finally told him herself. It would be best that way, for both of them.

Kaoru shook her head and glanced at the clock again. It was nearly three am already and there was still no sign of the customers letting up. They still had over half of the dining room full and more people coming through the door. She had no idea where they could have all come from. Normally, they would have closed an hour ago but there was no way they could with this many people still coming. Not that she was complaining, to be honest she was having fun. It was nice to be this busy.

"Kaoru, maybe you should go home. It's getting late."

Kaoru cast a glance at Tae and shook her head, "No it's okay. Sunrise isn't until 5:18am. As long as I leave here by a quarter to five I'll be okay. Besides, Aiko went home, I'm not leaving you here by yourself."

Tae gave her a weary smile. "Thanks. We'll close up by four, that should give you plenty of time."

Smiling, Kaoru checked over the dining room to see if anyone was in need of anything. "Do you have any idea why there are so many tonight?"

Tae sighed. "It's the last weekend before classes start and a lot of them are students. It's their last outing before school takes over their lives again." Leaning heavily against the counter Tae propped her chin in her hand. "It happens every year. Most of them are from Naha but some come from the mainland.

"Ah, I see." Kaoru whispered, "I've never really followed the school patterns before. My parents home schooled me."

Tae gave her a surprised look. “They did?"

With a sardonic smile, Kaoru nodded. "Yeah, I tried school once but everyone picked on me because of the UV suit I have to wear. As soon as my parents heard about that they took me back out. I haven't been in school since, although I did graduate this past year."

"Really! Congratulations. We'll have to have a graduation party for you."

Kaoru blushed. Maybe she shouldn't have said anything. "No. That's okay. I don't need one." And without another word she took off for the door where another set of people now waited to be seated. She didn't need a party, all she needed was this. She was content with simply feeling normal.

Kenshin paced his front porch for what felt like the hundredth time as a small twinge of worry blossomed in his chest. She wasn't home yet. It was four thirty in the morning and she still wasn't home. Spinning on his heel he absently did another circuit as the consequences of her exposure to sunlight continued to play through his mind. He wouldn't let that happen to her. If she wasn't home by five he'd go looking for her. According to the weather station, sunrise was at 5:18am and he knew that for humans it would take at least a half an hour to walk from the Akabeko to here. Actually, maybe five was cutting it too short, maybe he should go now.

Scowling at himself, he stopped and settled heavily against the wall. More than likely he was worrying for nothing. Kaoru knew her limits; she probably had a good reason for cutting it short tonight. At least she better have a good reason. He was exceedingly tempted to show up at the Akabeko anyway and see what was going on, and yet he knew his extremely stubborn neighbor wasn't likely to take kindly to his sudden appearance. Not to mention his interest in her whereabouts would pretty much give away the fact that he knew about her illness.

Biting back a growl, he rubbed his forehead in frustration. Why did she have to be so stubborn!

Feeling a heavy weight settle on his shoulders, he slid down the wall and settled in to watch the road. She may be stubborn, but if he had to he would break his silence in order to keep her safe. Of that there was no question.

Kaoru wiped down the table one last time and headed into the kitchen to get a clean cloth. It was finally over, the last two customers had just left so soon they'd be able to call it a night. And what a night it had been. Actually, it was more like the last hour had been worse than the whole night. A huge group of students had come in after the local nightclub had closed and things had gone crazy.

"Kaoru! What are you still doing here?!"

Startled, Kaoru spun around, "My alarm hasn't gone off yet. I set it for four thirty."

Tae's face paled and she pointed to the wall clock. "It's ten minutes after five, Kaoru!"

Stunned, Kaoru cast widened eyes to the clock and paled at the truth. No, it couldn't be. She'd reset her clock! It couldn't be! Snapping her eyes to her watch she immediately saw her mistake. She hadn't pushed the button to set the time; it still read 4:30am. Paling even more, Kaoru shot to the door and stumbled out into the murky half light of pre-dawn and simply stared at the horizon, the first rays of sunlight starting to cast it's fingers slowly over the lightening sky.

Suddenly sick to her stomach, she swallowed back the bile rising in her throat and stumbled back inside. It was too late; there was no way she could make it home. None.

"Kaoru?"

Starting to shake, Kaoru shook her head, "I can't make it. I can't make it home."

Tae quickly made her way across the empty room and wrapped her arm around Kaoru's shoulder. "What can I do? Is there anything I can do?"

Fighting back the tears burning her eyes, Kaoru mumbled, "I...I don't know what to do. This has never happened before."

Tae gripped her shoulder tightly. "What you need is darkness, right?" When Kaoru nodded, she hugged her even tighter and guided her towards the kitchen. "The storeroom. I know it won't be the most comfortable but I can cover the one small window in there and you should be safe."

Losing the fight against the tears, Kaoru felt one slide silently down her cheek. How could she be so stupid? She should have left when Tae had told her to and now it was too late. Doing her level best to stop trembling, she sagged against the wall as Tae let her go and called out to Sai to lock the door before vanishing into the storeroom.

Seconds later Kaoru heard the lock click into place before Sai came rushing back in, "Is everything okay, Kamiya-san?"

Touched by his worry, the floodgates she'd tried to keep closed burst open and she started to silently cry, the weight of her mistake nearly driving her to her knees.

"K...Kamiya-san!"

"It's okay Sai." Tae said from the darkened doorway of the storeroom. "She just has to stay here for a little while. Go ahead and finish getting things cleaned up."

Sai cast one last glance at Kaoru before he muttered okay and headed off to finish his chores. Embarrassed by her weakness, Kaoru angrily wiped the tears from her cheeks. "I...I'm sorry Tae."

Tae came to stand before her and smiled. "It's not your fault Kaoru, it's mine for keeping you here. I'm the one who's sorry." Gripping her arm loosely, Tae guided her into the now darkened room. "It's not much but it will keep you away from the sun. Is there anyone you want me to get for you? Your doctor maybe?"

Kaoru shook her head. "There's nothing he can do. I left my UV suit in storage so there is no way for me to go into the sunlight." Settling down on the makeshift pallet on the floor Kaoru tucked her knees up to her chest. "This will be okay. I can go home when the sun goes down. I only hope Sampson will be okay until then."

"Do you want me to go check on him for you?" Tae asked, squatting down in front of her.

Kaoru brightened at the suggestion, "Would you?"

Tae smiled and stood. "Of course. Give me your key and I'll go as soon as we finish up here."

Quickly digging into her pocket, Kaoru dug out her key and handed it to her, "Thanks...." fighting off a new bout of tears she added, "... a..and would you please give him a hug for me. We've never been apart this long before. I know he's not going to like it very much."

Kaoru was surprised when Tae all of a sudden wrapped her in a tight hug. "It's going to be okay, Kaoru. I promise." And with that she stood and headed out of the storeroom, quietly closing the door behind her.

Succumbing to the tears burning her eyes Kaoru curled even further into a ball. How could she be such an idiot. This was why her parents hadn't wanted her to leave. For this very reason and she'd assured them that there was no way she would let something like this happen and yet here she sat, trapped in a musty storeroom until the sun set again.

Wilting even more at the thought, Kaoru tried to ignore the crushing weight settling on her shoulders and did her best to get herself back together. Tears were not going to help; right now all she could do was wait. And what a long wait it was going to be.

Settling heavily against the wall, she tried to make herself as comfortable as possible. Unable to find a comfortable spot sitting up she shifted enough to lie down. She was just about settled when an almost deafening pounding suddenly exploded through the empty restaurant. Startled, Kaoru immediately sat back up and did her best to figure out where the pounding was coming from, then she heard Tae call out. "We're not open!"

As if in answer the pounding became more insistent and then it all of a sudden stopped. Curious, Kaoru pushed off the pallet and headed for the door but before she'd even made a half a dozen steps the door suddenly swung open and she found herself staring into a pair of blazing violet eyes. Stunned speechless, Kaoru stared open mouthed at the fiery haired man filling the doorway. Trapped in his gaze all she could do was watch as the blatant concern in his eyes slowly changed to unabashed relief. And then he lifted his arm and offered her what looked like a black cloak and boots. "Would you like to go home?"

Confused, Kaoru simply stared at the items and then it finally dawned on her. He knew... but... "How..?"

Kenshin gave her a hesitant smile and closed the distance between them. "Does it really matter how I know?" Holding the cloak and boots out to her he gave her a small smile, "What matters is you need to get home."

At a loss, Kaoru shifted her attention to the items held out to her and shook her head, "These won't work. I have to have my UV suit to go out into the sun."

Kenshin smirked. "These will work, I promise. They aren't like most cloaks and boots, they're special."

Kaoru quirked an eyebrow not quite believing him, but before she had a chance to continue her questions he said. "I promise these will keep you safe, but we should go before the sun gets too high."

Seeing the truth of his words, Kaoru hesitantly reached out and took the items. Donning the boots, she tossed the cloak over her shoulders and wrapped it around her tight. She chuckled at the image that sprang to mind of what she must look like. "From waitress to Grim Reaper in the blink of an eye," she whispered to herself with a smile. So intent on her booted feet, she didn't see the small smile that tickled Kenshin's lips.

"Well, it looks like you can go home after all."

Glancing up, Kaoru met Tae's smile with one of her own and reached out for the key her boss held out to her. Taking the key she leaned over to wrap Tae in a tight hug, "Thanks for everything. I guess I'll see you tonight then."

Tae gave her a quick squeeze before she released her and shook her head. "No, you won't. After last night you deserve the night off. Aiko and I can handle it tonight."

"But-"

"Kaoru, we need to go."

Glancing to Kenshin she was surprised to see worry tightening his features. Still confused by his sudden appearance she decided to give in and nodded, "Ok, then I'll see you Saturday night."

Tae gave her a small nod and stepped out from in front of the door. With a sigh, Kaoru headed out of the storeroom and towards the front door and the biggest trial of her life. This was the first time she'd ever been outside without her UV suit. The very first time. Would it really be alright?

"Kamiya-san?"

Startled from her thoughts, Kaoru cast a glance over her shoulder at Sai. She was surprised to see him holding out a pair of sunglasses to her. "T..this is all I have but please use them."

Touched by his offer, she smiled and took the sunglasses. "Thanks, Sai. I'll bring them back to you Saturday."

Sai's face immediately reddened and Kaoru had to bite her bottom lip to keep from laughing as he spun around and nearly ran back into the kitchen. Maybe his affection would lessen now that he knew about her sickness. Smiling ruefully, she waved to Tae one last time and headed for the door where Kenshin stood patiently waiting.

"Are you ready?"

Kaoru gave him a quick nod and donned the sunglasses before pulling the hood over her face, "As ready as I'm ever going to be." Now all she could hope for was that she would make it home without any exposure. As if he'd read her thoughts, Kenshin whispered. "It'll be okay, Kaoru. I promise I won't let the sun touch you."

Warmed by his words, Kaoru checked herself one last time to make sure no skin was exposed and took a deep breath before she pushed the door open and stepped into the early morning sunshine. Immediately turning her back on the sun, she fixed her attention on the ground at her feet and started down the road. Moments later, Kenshin surprised her again when she all of a sudden saw the outline of an umbrella fall into her line of sight.

"I guess it was a good idea to lend this to you."

A small smile tickled her lips and she hazarded a hooded glance at him, "Yes, I guess it was. T..thanks... for coming. I wouldn't have been able to make it home otherwise."

Kenshin smiled and for the first time she felt her heart flutter at the sight.

"You're welcome."

Much to her horror, her heart started beating even faster when he stepped closer and reached out to fix her hood, "But next time, don't hide the truth. If I hadn't figured it out myself you would still be stuck there and that would upset me even more because I wouldn't know where you were."

Stunned by his openness, Kaoru blushed and dropped her eyes. "Why are you so concerned about me?"

Kenshin smiled at the blush coloring her cheeks. Taking a deep breath he whispered, "I guess you could say I have found a kindred spirit in you. I see my loneliness reflected in your eyes." Loosely gripping her arm, he guided her onto their road and waited for some kind of reaction. When none came he finally asked the one question that had been nagging him since he'd figured it out. "Why did you hide the truth? Did you think I wouldn't want anything to do with you because of it?"

Stung by the ease with which he'd spoken the truth, Kaoru hung her head even more and hugged the cloak a little bit tighter. For the first time in her life she felt childish for hiding the truth. But he didn't understand, how could he? He'd never walked in her shoes. Scowling, she steeled herself against the feeling and simply nodded, "All my life people have left me when they found out about my illness, afraid they might contract it somehow by simply being near me. I'm tired of being hurt, all I want peace."

Nothing but silence met her statement and Kaoru burrowed deeper into the cloak in an effort to save herself from the sting of the rejection she knew was coming. Maybe now he would leave her alone and let her live what time she had left quietly, and yet... for some reason she would much rather have his company than solitude.

But as the minutes continued to tick by with no word from him she felt the door slowly start to close between them as it had done so many times over the years. He was just like the rest, now that he knew he probably didn't want to be around her either. Wilting slightly at the undeniable truth, she was startled when Kenshin pulled her to a stop. "We're here."

Before she had a chance to answer or even look up Kenshin gripped her arm loosely and started guiding her around something. Hazarding a quick glance to the right, she was surprised to see him leading her around to the shadowed back of her house. She was home already?! Lightened by the thought, Kaoru finally lifted her head as the warmth of the sun faded to be replaced by the coolness of the shade. Heaving a sigh of relief, she flung the hood off her head and smiled as she turned to face Kenshin, "Thank y-"

She stopped dead when her eyes clashed with the flinty stare Kenshin had fixed on her. Swallowing nervously, she was just about to ask him what was wrong when he held a finger against her lips to silence her. "There's one thing you need to know about me, Kaoru. I don't judge people; I have no right to judge others with my sins weighing so heavily on my shoulders. I am truly sorry so many have hurt you in the past, but I would ask you to at least give me a chance. Do you think you can do that?"

Kaoru involuntarily shivered at the loss of his touch when he dropped his finger so she could answer. Staring right back at him, she felt a kind of peace flow through her veins for the first time in her life; the hope reflecting deep in his vibrant violet eyes showing her the truth. He meant what he said. He sincerely wanted this chance.

Tamping down the tinge of hope blossoming in her chest, she gave him the only answer she could, "I'll try, but I can't guarantee anything."

A small smile slowly grew on Kenshin's lips and Kaoru had to fight down the sudden heat flooding her veins.

"I'll take that. And I will do my best to be someone you can trust."

Kaoru couldn't help but smile as he spun on his heel and headed for his own house. Maybe having him for a neighbor wasn't as bad as she'd originally thought. And maybe, for once, she would finally have a real friend; that one treasure she'd always dreamed of having before Kami-sama saw fit to take her from this world.

Lightened by the thought she headed into the house. At least she hoped for that one treasure, but nothing was a sure thing. That she already knew.

Kenshin smiled and glanced to the house beside his one last time before he headed inside to wait out the long day. All his anxiety had been worth it, she was finally willing to give him a chance. And that's all he wanted really, a chance to be with her for whatever time she gave him.

Now all he had to do was keep his own secret hidden and keep those who hunted him from ruining what he hoped would turn into something more than mere friendship. Because the truth was, this morning had shown him just how much he wanted her beside him. And this time he wouldn't do what he'd done all those years ago, this time Kaoru would live where Tomoe had died.

And that was a promise he would keep... no matter what.

Please review and let me know what you think.