The Great Pretender

Disclaimer: Samurai X is not mine.

A/N: This would be probably a one shot. Probably. Depends. Oh yeah if you are interested answer this: why do we cheat?

Chapter 1

Why do we cheat?

Carrie, the girl in Sex in the City had asked. Last night's episode discussed about cheating of men and also women. And like any other independent woman, I immediately sided with one of Carrie's friends.

Men simply can't handle one human being. They are testerone driven people who thinks not only with their brain but also with the lower part of their body when they face a beautiful woman.

But now as I sit here in this dull event together with my husband, the memory of last night show got me thinking. And it occurred to me that as highly as I praised being a woman but even we can't stop ourselves from cheating to our significant others. We call it different names. Falling in love, stupidity, lust induced haze, hormones but not cheating because society could not condone women cheating. It is simply not done.

And this harmless question immediately popped into my brain, why? Why do we cheat?

Is falling out of love the reason? Or the lack of intimacies at night? And as I ponder this question in my head I noticed my husband going off somewhere unseen. I tried to keep my smile in place for decorum sake but my gut is twisting horribly in my stomach. The question of cheating remains unsolved inside my head.

I excuse myself from all the chattering ladies and looked for the man I married and thought to have loved only to find him chatting with a woman older than me by a few years. I forced myself to stop and observe him from a distance. His eyes shone brightly as he spoke to her, his hands excitedly gestures, and when she speaks his cold demeanour changes to something akin to gentleness and warm. The same way I wanted him to look at me but never did voice out for I was afraid of his mocking laughter and his feigned ignorance.

"Kaoru! How are you enjoying the party so far?" Sai asked pulling me out of my trance. I looked at her bemused face and smiled.

"It's fun." I said. She frowned but said nothing as her gaze went to where I was looking awhile ago. She looked at me again and touched my arm, her face worried.

"Isn't that?" She asked but did not voice out the name of the person in fear of me getting hurt, "I'm really sorry Kaoru. I did not think my husband would invite Lady Yukishino in the party."

"It's alright. It was in the past." I said to her referring to my husband's rumoured torrid affair to the said duchess. She looked at me with distress but I waved it off smiling before changing the subject to something lighter, "I heard that your daughter would graduate next fall?"

"Oh yes…" Sai replied happily. And as the woman before me chatted about the grand qualities of her daughter, I helped myself on watching my husband talked with the beautiful duchess. And as he held her hand and caressed it gently, something grips my heart tightly and I forgot to breath.

What drives us to cheat?

The question immediately sprung to mind. And as I looked at my husband's happy countenance, I cannot help but feel that I'm losing my heart from this agonizing pain. And finally, losing all hope I stored deep inside my heart I asked myself, is he going to have an affair with her?

"Excuse me." I said and left off with a smile. I approached them, a soft smile playing on my lips and my eyes shone in remembrance. But I stopped a few inches before them as I took a deep breath to prepare myself for my act.

"Lady Tomoe." I shrieked in happiness as I hug her dainty figure. I could feel my husband's dissatisfaction and I felt myself grinning.

After all I am human and humans tend to be selfish.

"Kaoru!" she said and I immediately hated the honey syrup voice. But I retain the smile for the show's sake and the pretentious thought that she is one of my best pal.

"How's England?" I asked as I let myself be pulled by my charming husband. I smiled at him and he looked at me coldly making my heart lunged in the pit of my stomach. I almost jump when I felt his hand in my waist and I could feel myself blushing as he pulled me nearer towards him. How could he illicit such sensation in me when I swore to myself that loving him would not do any merit to either of us?

"What are you doing?" He hissed in my ear, his smile still on his face.

I briefly glance at him my smile not wavering as I whispered, "Greeting an old friend. Is that a problem?" And making your life miserable as you did to mine.

"You two look happy." Tomoe said. I looked at her and I almost praised her. She cleverly hid the pain in her eyes and the guilt in her voice but not clever enough for I sense Kenshin wincing and his hold on me became unbearable.

"As happy as one can be." Kenshin said his meaning not lost on me. We are not happy and we both know it.

"It's been years haven't it?" I asked and I ignored the tension between us, "You should come by in the house sometime. We have lots of things to catch up. You've been away for ages and I'm sure my husband misses talking to you. In our group you two have always been close."

Tomoe had the grace to blush and I secretly smile. The torrid romance everyone knew was but a rumour created by someone who hated me. The romance of a married man and a single woman who fell so much in love with each other that they ignored society's protocol and had a secret rendezvous in someplace paradise. It was something false because I know with great jealousy that Tomoe would never do that due to her upbringing. But the blush in her face before indicated the romance between her and my husband in high school throughout college. A romance that they both believe a secret and it was, except I knew about it and I helped them along without their knowledge.

"If I have time." Tomoe said hesitantly.

"Do bring Enishi along. I'll inform the others too." I said warmly, "And please let's disperse this awkwardness between us. I know you wouldn't have a rendezvous with my husband in an unknown paradise. We've been friends since middle school and you knew since then that I would marry Kenshin. I doubt that you are gonna steal him. You are a great friend, kind too. I really doubt you would do that!"

She smiled at me awkwardly and my husband stiffens beside me. I almost laugh but my head felt heady and my sight blackens. And I collapsed, remembering only the hard tone arms that caught me from falling and the worried face of Tomoe Yukishiro.

And I thought to myself, what a great way to end the evening.