Tsubame walked slowly towards her room, not wishing to wake anyone. She wasn't tired, but it was already past midnight. Still in her mind was what Ameiko told her. 'Honto ni... Kaoru-san's father, Kamiya Tetsuro-san, doesn't sound like a bad man... there must be more to the story than we know...'

She stopped in front of Kenshin's room, hearing voices. Peering inside, she saw Kenshin fighting against Sanosuke to get up. "A-ano...!"

"Oi! Oi! Get back in bed! You won't get better if you go running off in that condition!!" Sanosuke exclaimed, trying to be forceful, but knowing his friend was still very fragile. He really didn't want to hurt him, but was given little choice, "Megumi won't forgive me if you get yerself hurt again!"

"Ureze!" Kenshin snapped, not giving up for one moment, "Kaoru... I have to go to her now!! Something might happen to her! I don't trust that guy, Ozawa, and like hell I'm going to let him keep her there!!"

"Yeah but...! You know they aren't gonna hurt her, and she's there on her own will!"

"That must be a lie!" Kenshin cried, knocking Sanosuke aside and breaking into a run. He halted at the door to see Tsubame. Panting and sore, he clung to the wall, painfully uttering, "Tsubame-dono... get out of my way de gozaru..."

"Iie," she replied, "Kenshin-san, you mustn't go to her now... not like this. Kaoru-san wouldn't want you to be hurt further for her sake... she would rather you recover and take good care of yourself. Sou desu ka?"

Bandages come undone and yukata loose, Kenshin clenched a fist and stared at the floor. "Demo... demo... I..."

Sanosuke got up off the floor, dusting himself, "Kenshin, daijoube. We'll go tomorrow and talk with her. And you have to take it easy; you don't want to upset Jou-chan, do you? You know how she is better than anyone." He put his hand on Kenshin's shoulder, "For Jou-chan's sake..."

Kenshin relaxed, letting out a sigh, "Aa, I'll stay and recover..." Closing his eyes, he allowed Sanosuke and Tsubame to fix his bandages and help him back into bed. Staring at the ceiling, Kenshin frowned. "I just can't bear being away from her... I need her so much by me... I don't think I will be able to sleep..."

"Kenshin-san..." Tsubame uttered. She then turned to Sanosuke, who wore the same frown. "Ano, Sanosuke-san... why don't you go rest? I'll look after Kenshin-san for the rest of the time."

"Are you sure? It's late. Aren't you tired?" Sanosuke uttered, rubbing his head. She shook her head, a look of determination shining in her face. "Aa, wakkata. It seems you have something to discuss with Kenshin... besides, I am a bit sleepy, and I haven't been near my Fox lady all day... heh, arigatou yo, Tsubame-chan!"

She smiled in exchange for his thankful pat on the head. "Iie, I don't mind. Oyasumi nasai!"

After Sanosuke had left the room, Kenshin turned his head to her, "Nan de gozaru ka, Tsubame-dono?"

"It's about Kaoru-san." she replied, kneeling at his side and crossing her arms, "Do you suppose she's staying out of obligation? I mean, perhaps she feels bad about what her father did."

He nodded slowly. "Kaoru is the type to feel sorry for things she isn't responsible for... demo, if she doesn't realize that it isn't her fault, she might end up staying there for good. She may be strong, but she could just as fragile..."

"Sou ne... Kaoru-san has a great heart." Tsubame said thoughtfully, "It sometimes get the better of her."

Kenshin leaned his head back and closed his eyes, picturing her, wanting her near. "Kaoru... I need to get to her... but you're right about me needing to be patient. This time, I have to fight and protect 'us', but if I'm like this..."

"Furthermore," she noted, "Ozawa-san... he uses Kaze-Sakuseigijutsu... just like that man, Yashiitomo-san, who tried killing Kaoru-san before..."

"Aa... daga, it's a stronger and different form... I'm almost sure it's the 'pure' form. This might be the man that Yashiitomo learned the technique from. If that is the case... then..." Kenshin paused, glaring into space. A hint of yellow flashing in his eyes. He closed them for a moment, a calm violent returning, "I have to protect Kaoru, no matter what. I'm not going to lose her..."

"Kenshin-san..." Tsubame uttered, moved by his devotion. 'Someday... I want someone to love me this strongly... itsuka... dareka...' Smiling at the self-declaration, she pulled the covers over him a bit more. "Then rest, Kenshin-san... that way, you will be able to do as you wish."

"Aa," he sighed, closing his eyes, "Oyasumi de gozaru..."

* * *
Sanosuke slowly opened the door, peering in. Megumi was already lying down, asleep. "Heh," he uttered, taking off his shirt and tossing it aside, kneeling down to her, "You're so kawaii... when you're sleepin' and not yakking away..."

"Mm..." she murmured, a grin sliding across her face, "Mmmmmm...ehihihi!"

Sanosuke's eyes widen. 'Masaka?! Is she... dreaming about...?!?' He took another look at her, her yukata loose and limbs spread out on the wide futon. 'Oooooh! You really drive me crazy, Fox-lady! Even in your dreams, you think about me, don'tcha!?'

He climbed in next to her, arms sliding around her waist, pulling her into his chest. "I only want you." he whispered, "Because you're right for me. Don't you forget that, Fox."

"Mmmmm..." she simply replied, her hands sliding up his skin, sending shivers down his spine. "... Want me..." she whispered, "Only me..."

"I do." he breathed in her ear, "Only you... always. Megumi, ya don't have to worry..." He then went to kiss her, her lips needing to be moist. But as he touched her, her dream shattered and she woke, breaking out of his hold. "M-Megumi?!"

"Oh! Sanosuke!" she gasped, sitting up and running a hand through her hair, "W-what are you doing here??"

He sat up as well, looking up and down at her. She seemed to be blushing from her dream, as though she was embarrassed. "To be with you of course. Tsubame-chan's watchin' the patient... are you ok?"

"Un, of course I am. Demo, were you saying something to me just now?" she stammered, still jumpy. Sanosuke nodded, still not knowing what was going on. "Sou ka..." Megumi sighed.

In her dream, it had been Kenshin, and strangely he had forgotten about a certain tanuki and was willing to go with her anywhere. If Sanosuke hadn't woke her, she would go on forever, wondering what it would be like to have him to herself. Now she couldn't help but feel guilty, staring at his concerned face, while all she could think about was another man.

"Are you sure you're really okay, Megumi?" he asked, going to put his hand on her cheek, "You can tell me what it is... maybe I can help."

"Sanosuke..." she uttered, lifting her face to him, purple eyes glassy, "Gomen... the truth is..."

* * *
Kaoru woke the next morning, feeling still tired. She could barely sleep, her thoughts full of worry for Kenshin. 'I wonder if he's okay... I want to see him so badly...' She clutched her yukata as she sat up, her hair falling into her eyes, 'Demo, why don't I? Why am I doing this to him, to the both of us...'

Frustrated at her own questions, she punched at the floor. She felt a little release, but then some servants came rushing into her room. "Is everything all right, Kaoru-sama??" they gasped frantically, "We heard something just now...!"

"I-Iie!" she gasped, waving her hands, "Nani mo nai!!"

"Yokkata," one said, "Please take your time... breakfast shall be waiting for you in the next room." With that, they all left her alone again.

Kaoru let a sigh, 'I am definitely not used to this... I wonder if this is the life my mother enjoyed... this is her room...' She scanned up and down the walls, the elegant tapestry hanging and the various porcelain statues. She then got up and moved to the doors leading to a balcony. Sliding it open, she gazed out at the town, 'She was like a princess...'

Dressing quickly, she paused to look in the mirror. Making a face at what she saw, she wanted to at least give herself a try. She opened the drawer and found some powder, which she used on her face... then she found a red cord and used it to tie her hair back. Going back to the mirror, she saw a bit of improvement.

'If only Kenshin could see me like this...' she thought, gazing at her image, 'He'd be so proud... he wouldn't notice that I'm getting bigger or that I'm an ugly tanuki... iya, I'll be the woman he deserves... If only... if only...'

She clenched her fists and tearfully looked away. She hated thinking like this. She hated it when Megumi won, making her feel not good enough for Kenshin, when she herself knew the truth. Drying her eyes, she peered back at the mirror, 'Am I really this weak?'

The next room had a tray of food waiting for her. Sitting down, she realized that she barely had anything to eat yesterday and that she was starving. 'The baby too... I've been so irresponsible. Please, let nothing go wrong with the baby.' she thought, going to pick up the chopsticks, 'I wouldn't be able to bear it. Kenshin too, he would...'

"Ohayou gozaimasu." said a friendly voice. She lifted her head to see her grandmother, moving to sit near her. The smile on her face showed that she was feeling better, and happy to share a meal with her granddaughter.

"Ohayou!" Kaoru chimed; glad to see her better and not sickly like the day before. She hesitated, remembering her intentions, "Ano... Obaa-sama..."

"Hai?"

She lowered her head down to her bowl of rice. "About... my husband, Kenshin..." She could sense that Obaasan wanted to speak, but she quickly interrupted, "You must hear me out... otherwise, I'm afraid I cannot stay."

"Kaoru-san..."

"As much as I care for you, I love Kenshin dearly... and even if we've had some conflicts in the past, each of these incidents has only made our feelings stronger. After losing Otou-san, I was so alone... but Kenshin came into my life, to comfort and protect me…"

The old woman looked her in the eye, her hand moving towards her stomach. "Is this really ... his... ?"

"Of course it is. This baby symbolizes how much we love each other." Kaoru replied, taking her hand into hers, "I need him so much... and I can't stand being away from him... please understand."

Just then, the door opened. "Shidou-sama," Ozawa said, "There's some people who insist on seeing you. I told there it’s too early, but they refuse to leave." He moved out of the way to show a group of men from town.

"Shidou-sama," one of them said, "Those outsiders in town... we should make them leave shouldn't we? I mean, they want to take Kaoru-sama away from us. We can't let them, right??"

Obaasan looked from him to Kaoru, who was still holding her hand. After a lasting pause, she uttered, "Hai, we can't let them."

"Yatta, we have Shidou-sama’s permission! Let's drive em out of town!!" another said, "That demon swordsman especially!!"

"He's NOT a demon!!" Kaoru cried, getting up on her feet, glaring at the men. They shuddered and backed a way a bit as she let go of Obaasan's hand and stormed towards them, "Don't you talk about MY Kenshin like that... I'LL...!!!"

“Kaoru-san!” Obaasan was calling her, trying to make her calm down.

Kaoru did halt, her face burning with shame. She hadn’t a bit of restraint in her and to show this vulnerable side off to someone as respectful as her grandmother, Kaoru wanted to curl up in the corner and cry. “Gomen nasai…” she stammered, bowing her head, “I didn’t mean to…”

Ozawa moved the men out the door. “You’ve said what you’ve wanted… so please leave Shidou-sama to finish her breakfast. Have a nice day…”

”Aa! Arigatou, Shidou-sama!” they cried, happy to speak with her as they were being ousted from the house. “Yoshi! That demon and his friends will be out of here soon!”

Kaoru sat back down in front of her tray, hands on her lap, ‘The town thinks of me as a replacement for their princess. Demo… Okaa-san… I wonder what kind of person you really were…’

* * *
Kenshin’s eyes flickered open. At his side, Megumi was taking his pulse, her face solemn and pale. “Nan de gozaru ka? Megumi-dono?” he uttered, startled by her non-cheerfulness, “Is something wrong with Sessha??”

”Iie,” she replied, getting up, “You’re recovering very fast… you can be up and about soon. Demo, not just yet. Ken-san, just stay there for now.”

”Aa,” he stammered, still confused, ‘Something has happened… masaka!? Is Kaoru…?!’ Before he ask, she had already left the room. Kenshin leaned his head back down, worry in his mind. But then he told himself, ‘Of course she could just be doing this to play with your mind. You know that’s how it is… she’s been like this since you met her. Megumi-dono has always been trying to snag you, when all you’ve wanted was Kaoru. Demo… you aren’t married to Kaoru right now… this is the perfect opportunity for her…’

Now in panic, Kenshin wanted to barricade the doors so that Megumi couldn’t return. But he was still a bit too weak to get up, the painkillers kicking in. He then saw a shadow behind the screens, the door sliding open. Scared out of his mind, he let out a yelp, “ORO!!!”

”Doushita, Kenshin?” Sanosuke muttered. He looked depressed and like he had barely any sleep. Swatting in front of his friend, he gazed at the floor, his lip trembling, “Can I… talk with you?”

”Sano…” Kenshin gasped, sensing something was definitely wrong, “What happened? Tell me…”

”Megumi…” he uttered, biting down on the toothpick in his mouth, his eyes lowering, “She… she called off the engagement.”

”NANI?!”

”Aa… I didn’t see it coming either… she said she wasn’t feeling the same way anymore. That right now, she feels too stressed to think about marrying ‘someone like me’. Before I thought it was because I wasn’t employed, so I got a job remember? But still that didn’t do any good… Megumi’s been drifting away from me. Kenshin… nan de?”

Kenshin blinked, knowing the true answer. But he couldn’t say it. Not to his friend’s face. “Sano…” he uttered, putting his hand on his shoulder, “Suman…”

Sanosuke just clenched his fists, his strong shoulders caving in as his eyes filled with tears, “Nan de…?”

All of a sudden, Yutaro burst into the room. “Hora, Kimi-tachi!! There’s a group of men outside!! And they don’t look friendly at all!!”

”Eh? What do they want?” Sanosuke asked, lifting his head and staring at the frantic boy, "Shit, I'm in a bad mood..."

“They want to see Kenshin…” Yutaro gasped, “They’ve got weapons… and guns…”

"NANI?!" Sanosuke exclaimed, rushing out the room. He made it to the entrance of the inn, the women looking very cautious at the crowd that had gathered, "Oi! All of you bastards - git the hell out of here and leave us alone!!"

"Hmp! Don't tell us what to do, Outsider! You take your swordsman and leave at once or we'll make ya!!"

"TEME!!!" Sanosuke hissed, ready to pounce on them.

Megumi stepped out in front of them, "As Ken-san's doctor, I advise you leave him alone. Because of what your Ozawa-san had done to him, he could barely move. We'll leave as soon as he's well. I asure you - we do not wish to stay in a place where we're not welcome."

"Damn right you ain't welcome!!" one person snapped, "You better get out of here as soon as that swordsman gets better! This is our final warning!"

With that, they all turned and walked away. Ameiko bowed towards her guests, locking the doors, "Gomen nasai... for this rudeness everyone is showing you."

"Iie, it's okay." Tsubame replied, "This is all because of Kaoru-san's father. Demo..."

"Maa, things in the past can't be helped." Ameiko said, taking her hand and bringing her inside, "Let's go have some tea by the balcony..."

Sanosuke turned to the now-silent Megumi. She still had a strained look in her face. "Hey..." he said softly, touching her shoulder, "Thanks for standing up for Kenshin... you did great."

She nodded, not looking at him. Now that the engagement was off, there was nothing but awkwardness between them. Sanosuke dropped his head and slowly went inside, leaving her on her own, gazing out at the street.

'Gomen... Sano...I have to do this...I can't lie to myself anymore...'

* * *
Inside the room, Kenshin just sat still, his fists clenched and brow darkening. ‘This town… is entirely against us. Kaoru, what are we going to do? Somehow… I have to get to you.’ he declared inwardly, ‘Please wait for me…’