Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. Don't sue me! I'm poor! This story is for entertainment only and is no way meant to be offensive!

Warning: The story is PG-13, but chapter ratings will vary.

Rating: PG-13

Author's Note: THANKS to the people who have reviewed so far! Please keep reviewing! This story is very A/U and will probably contain OOCness.

~~ denotes shifts in time/character perspective, ** denotes character's thoughts

***For Susan...***

Touch Me Deeply

Chapter 4: The Memory of Your Face

Mars Colony 324: New Tokyo

Year: 2502

Kaoru stared at the red haired man before her in shock, slowly ingesting his words. Realizing belatedly that he was still holding his hand out to her, Kaoru clasped it nervously, giving it a quick, but firm, shake.

"A pleasure to meet you, sir," she said politely, pulling her robe shut more tightly. "I am Sergeant Kamiya Kaoru, as you know already."

"Yes," the violet-eyed man replied with a slight nod. "But please call me Kenshin. We will be partners from now on. There is no need for formality between us."

Kaoru paused then nodded hesitantly. "Um…would you like to come in?"

"I don't wish to intrude," Kenshin murmured, backing away a few steps. "My only purpose for coming here was to—"

"It's no problem," Kaoru interrupted, gesturing him inside. "Sit and have a cup of tea."

Once Kenshin was seated at the tiny kitchen table, Kaoru moved to warm some water, uncomfortably aware of his intense eyes observing her every movement.

"Is green tea all right?" she inquired once the water was boiling. "I also have jasmine, if you would prefer…"

"Green is fine."

Nodding quickly, Kaoru finished the tea and placed a small, porcelain mug in front of him.

"Thank you," he murmured, lifting the cup to his lips and taking a slow sip of the pale green liquid.

Kaoru took her place across from him, fingers curled around her own cup. She stared down into the steaming liquid for a moment before lifting her head to find amethyst eyes trained on her intently.

A deep flush rose to her cheeks as Kaoru met his gaze. As her heart began to race almost uncontrollably, she tore her eyes away, biting her lower lip.

He seemed so familiar. Everything about him. His handsome face, his unlikely coloring of deep red hair and intense violet eyes, his pale gold skin. Even the way he sipped his tea stirred something in Kaoru's long- forgotten memories.

"Is something wrong?"

Kaoru glanced up, startled. "What?"

"I asked if there was something wrong," he replied softly. "You seem to be worried about something…"

"Oh, it's nothing," Kaoru said with a wave of her hand.

"Do you live here alone?" the violet-eyes man asked suddenly, setting his empty mug onto the table.

"Um…no," Kaoru answered slowly. "I live with my boy—er, fiancé. He's also been my partner for the last three years until…Well, Maj—I mean, Kenshin…do you know why they separated us all of a sudden?"

"Our partners were switched at my request."

Kaoru stared at him in stunned silence. "Your request?" she repeated dimly after a moment. "Why would you request to be my partner?"

Before Kenshin could open his mouth to answer, the door to the apartment slid open with a soft 'whoosh', revealing Enishi's tall frame in the doorway. He stopped mid-step, piercing chocolate eyes settling on Kenshin with a carefully controlled expression.

"Enishi," Kaoru said with a smile, standing to take the brown paper bag he was holding from his hand. "This is Major Himura, my new partner. He stopped by to introduce himself before we leave in the morning."

Kenshin inclined his head at the dark-haired man in the doorway, acknowledging him with an appraising glance. Kaoru missed the expression that came into the shorter man's eyes, but Enishi caught the full impact. His eyes narrowed slightly as he took in the almost pretty features of the higher-ranking man.

"Kenshin, this is my fiancé, Second Lieutenant Yukishiro Enishi."

"I know," Kenshin stated flatly, getting slowly to his feet. "I have heard much about you, Yukishiro. Your reputation precedes you."

Enishi's nod was cool and abrupt. "As does yours, Major."

"I had best be on my way," Kenshin murmured, bowing slightly to the raven- haired girl leaning close to Enishi's side. "Thank you for the tea, Kaoru."

"You're welcome, Kenshin," Kaoru replied with a smile. "See you in the morning."

Kenshin left without another word, meeting Enishi's eyes with one final challenging stare before the door slid shut behind him.

"Let's eat," Kaoru murmured, noticing the stiffness that had come into Enishi's broad shoulders. "I'm still hungry."

Enishi allowed his hard expression to fade, gazing down at his pretty fiancée with a small grin. "I got your favorite. Beef fried rice, garlic chicken in black bean sauce, and egg rolls."

Kaoru leaned up to press a soft kiss to his mouth. "Let's eat…then let's have a little more fun…up for it?"

"You know it…"

~~~~~~~~

Hours later, Kaoru lay deep under the covers, Enishi's strong arms wrapped tightly around her slim waist. She found herself unable to sleep and was instead staring into the darkness of the apartment as Enishi's chest moved against her back in time with his steady breathing.

Her thoughts kept drifting back to a certain fiery-haired major. She was unable to banish the image of his eyes from her mind. Something told her that she had seen those eyes before, filled with many different expressions. Glazed over with passion, filled with tenderness, crinkled in happiness. She had never met the man before, of that she was sure. But, if that was the case, why was her brain plagued with various pictures of him? Why was it that she couldn't seem to force him from her thoughts?

Kaoru sighed deeply, running the tips of her fingers over the smooth skin covering Enishi's muscled arms. She loved Enishi more than anything. He was the part of her life that had been missing. So, why was it that she was mentally betraying him? She was lying in bed with him, held tightly in the warmth of his embrace, while her thoughts lingered on another man. It wasn't right. She couldn't even explain it to herself. The fact that she was thinking so much about a man that she had barely met was puzzling enough in itself. As much as she inwardly chastised herself, though, she could not prevent her thoughts from turning to the strangely familiar major throughout the rest of the night.

~~~~~~~~

TBC…

Hello, minna! Sorry for the delay! ::wince:: I have been ultra busy with my other fics and reading a 59 chapter angst epic that I could simply NOT tear myself away from. I will try to update more quickly from now on. Sorry for the short chapter! Next one will be longer! Thanks for reading! Please review!

~Midori^_^