Bonjour and hello! Finally attempting to learn some new things since being on lockdown. I apologize for my absence. Ironically, when you're stuck at home for long stretches of time, there are so many more distractions than you would think. Anyway, thank you, as always, for all the feedback. You have no idea how much it's appreciated. I won't waste too much of your time; onto the next chapter!

Sounds seeped through slowly. It came to her that she was lying in her bed. She turned her face into her pillow and burrowed further under the comforter. Cautiously she opened one bleary eye and then the other. After several seconds her alarm closk came into focus, showing the time of 9:07. groaning softly she pushed herself into a sitting postiotin and placed a hand to her forehead.

It ached like hell. She swallowed and then grimaced at the taste in her mouth. Tentatively she lowered her feet to the ground. It was then Kaoru realized she was in her room at Kenshin's apartment. She scanned her memory and groaned again when she couldn't recall how she had gotten there. Reluctantly she climbed out of bed and towards the bathroom.

Leaning against the counter she stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were bloodshot, her hair a ratted mess. Her skin held a sickly palor and briefly she had a flash of getting sick. The thought did not sit well.

Finished, her stomach felt a bit steadier, though she knew she needed fluids. She brushed her teeth, feeling better after washing the rancid taste of whiskey from her mouth. Pulling her hair back in a hair clip, she found a sweater and pulled it over her head. She headed out of her room in search of her phone.

Once she reached the end of the hall, Kaoru paused. Again, she couldn't remember how she had gotten here. Her bag sat next to the coffee table. She moved towards it, blinking in the bright morning light coming through the windows. She stubbed her toe and cursed as she fell onto the couch. Today was not shaping out to be a good one.

Her phone vibrated in the front pocket of her bag, and she pulled it out. It had less than a quarter of battery life, but that was enough. Glancing at it she saw the text was from Megumi. She would be over around two to finalize the arrangements for this evening. Swearing again, Kaoru sat back on the couch, remembering she had that cursed dinner party tonight. She wasn't sure she was up for it; between her being severely hungover and the knowledge that Kenshin may or may not be sleeping with someone, she wasn't in the mood for pretend.

Still, she had returned home with the man so they must have made up. She turned her phone back on and searched through the history. The last call from Kenshin had been yesterday afternoon before she had left the restaurant as well as his text. That meant Sanosuke must have called him. The lazy brute had texted her around 3 am asking her if they had made it home safely. Had it been that late? Kaoru rememebred going to the liquor store and showing up at the apartment she had shared with sano. After her third beer and sixth shot things start to get hazy.

From the hall, she heard a door slam. She sat up, surprised when kenshin emerged. He obviously hadn't expected her as he paused at the sight of her on the couch. "I didn't think you to be up so early."

'It's the alcohol." Hse muttered.

"All the more reason to still be in bed."

"No," She shook her head. "Probably will be there shortly. The bi-product of the metabolization of alcohol is caffeine which is why i'm awake. I'm fading already."

Kenshin watched her a moment before moving towards the kitchen. 'Would you like some juice?"

She rose and warily appraoched the kitchen. She stood in the doorway and watched him pour two glasses. Accepting the glass he hadned to her, she took a deep gulp. 'Thanks." Shifting her weight she nibbled on her bottom lip, trying to find the words to say. "I'm sorry." She finally stated.

"For?"

Kaoru rolled her eyes and sighed. "I'm sure I was in quite a state last night and i'm sorry for anything I might have said."

The violet eyes studied her. "You said quite a lot." He leaned back against the counter.

She felt herself blush. "Well, I"m sure that I didn't mean any of it."

He raised an eyebrow. "Not even the part where you called me a dickweed?"

Her flush deepend and she stifled an awkward laugh. "I might have meant that." She looked up at him. "You explained it?" She asked slowly.

"I meant what I said on the balcony."

Kaoru swallowed and looked towards the balcony. For a moment she thought she had the memory but it vanished before she could grasp it. "I'm glad we got it worked out." She murmured.

"Do you agree?"

"Agree?"

He took a step towards her. "With what I said."

Panic flashed through her. They'd apparently had a conversation outside and she had agreed to something. Yet she had no memory of what that might be. She licked her lips in anxiety. Before she could answer, the phone in her hands buzzed and she galnced down at it. She saw it was Beshimi. She sighed in exhaustion and looked back up at the redhead before her.

"Why wouldn't I?" She stated lightly.

The violet eyes shifted, as though attempting to see into her. He opened his mouth before his own phone broke through. "I have to go."

"I'm surprised you're still here." She murmured. Her phone finally fell silent. She frowned. "Why are you still here?"

"I'm headed out now." He told her galnceing at his phone. "I wanted to make sure you were okay, especially considering after last night."

Kaoru flashed a smile. "You explained it." She reiterated softly. "Didn't you?"

"It's done." He took a step towards her and brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "It was over a long time ago."

She nodded, knowing he was speaking of the woman from the picture. Even if she didn't konw the details, he hadn't really given her reason to not trust him. "You have to go to work and I have to respond to these calls before I go back to bed."

Kenshin chuckled. "We can still cancel."

Kaoru shook her head. "I don't think we can at this point."

He sighed. "I'll try and be home early, just to make sure you have everything you need. If there's anything else?"

Kaoru shook her head. "I'll see you later."

He hesitated. "There is one thing." He turned back to her. The violet eyes roved over her face. "I ran into an old friend yesterday. I invited her and her brother for dinner. I mentioned it last night." He added after a beat.

"An old friend?" Shock rippled thorugh her. She din't know if she was ready to hold this charade for his friends. "Businiess associates?"

"It would be good for us, yes."

Kaoru swallowed her juice, thinking she had agreed to this. "So fourteen total."

"Hai."

'We'll have plenty of wine. I'm sure Beshimi will freak out."

"I'm sure he will." Kenwshin hesitated. "Are you okay with that?"

She shrugged. "What's two more people?" She swallowed the last of her juice. "Its just business."

He hesitated. "They wanted to meet you."

"Meet me? Why?"

"You are my fiance."

Looking up at him, she wondered what she had already forgotten. Kaoru flashed a smile. "That I am. With the ring to prove it." She added weakly.

He paused by her side. "I'll talk to you later."

Kaoru glanced in his direction. He reached up to touch her face, though his fingers fell on her bare shoulder for a second before falling back to his side. For a second she thought he might kiss her. The redhead held his breath and then smiled at her. "I'll see you in a few hours."

She couldn't help but feel disappoitnment as he moved away from her. "Till then."

Misao studied her manicure as the elevator rose. She wasn't sure why she felt nervous. While she had yet to see the proofs from the shoot, the photographer was raving about them were perfection and already clamoring for exclusive rights to the photos from the wedding. Something about that niggled at the back of her mind. As her cousin had told her the other day, her PI days were over. However, something about the matter didn't quite add up. The bell chimed and she stepped off the elevator. She knocked on the door.

A man she didn't recognize answered the it. "Welcome, Is there something I can help you with?"

Misao pushed passed him and paused as she glanced at the scene before her. Several people rushed about, dressed in all black. Stepping thorugh the foyer and into the living room, she saw the penthouse was spotless. Rich smells filled the air and she could hear muffled curses coming from the direction of the kitchen.

Knowing she was early, she glanced at her watch and saw it was just before six. "I'm a guest, here early to supervise. " She explaind to the man at her side, shrugging out out of her coat finally. "Where is the hostess?" She asked.

She heard glass shatter followed by a shriek. The man by her side winced and offered her an apologetic smile. "Good luck."

"Gee, thanks." Misao followed the noise towards the dining room and stopped inside the doorway.

The table had been dressed, though the plates and glasses hadn't been laid out yet. Kaoru stood at the end of the table, her hair still in a towel, dressed in yoga pants, a wine glass and polishing rag in hand. Her blue eyes were focused on the wine glass in hand as another minion in black brushed up shards from the floor at her feet.

"Kaoru."

The woman looked up at her sharply. "Misao." She blinked. "What time is it?"

"You still have an hour."

She cursed, putting the glass down. "Hurry up and get someone else to get thsee glasses ploshied. And make sure they're polished this time. None of the smeary bullshit you were trying to pass off." She barked at the man at her feet. She strode towards her. Misao thought she was coming to greet her, but she pushed passed Misao and headed towards the kitchen. Misao followed her. "Where are we with the passed course? People will obviously be here soon."

Beshimi lifted his head from the stove top. All the burners were in use and she could see where he had brought several other burners, all with pots boiling on them. A timer went off and one of the cooks dashed towards the oven. Beshimi barked somwthing in French before focusing on Karou. "As I've alredy told you, The passed course is just about ready. The first course will be ready promplty at 7:20, provided your guests all arrive on time."

"Well, knowing this crowd and considering my fiancee isn't even fucking home yet, why don't we say 7:30 at the earliest." She whirled and grabbed one of the servers. "I want everyting ready to taste within the next half hour. Open the Bordeaux first as it will need to be decanted."

He nodded and scampered back towards the patio. Kaoru rolled her eyes and walked after him. Misao reached out and wrapped her finger around the woman's wrist. She stopped, her blue eyes staring balnkly at the hand before looking back up at mIsao. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see if you needed any help; I obviosuly arrived just in the nick of time."

The woman pulled her arm from her grasp. "I'm good."

She moved to walk by her but Misao stepped in front of her. "You need to calm down."

"I'm fine. Someone has to manage these morons."

Misao raised an eyebrow. "This is your home, not one of your restaurants. No one here is going to complain if you forgot the correct fork."

Kaoru opened her mouth to argue and finally dropped her shoulders. "Okay I'm being a bit psychotic."

"You think?"

"Okay, really psycho, 'Carrie-esqe' crazy." She giggled and pulled the towel from her head. Her dark hair spilled along her shoulders in damp curls. "This dinner is important and the past twenty-four hours have been stupid and I don't even konw what to do."

"What happened?" She shook her head. One crisis at a time. "First and foremost, you need to get ready."

Kaoru threw her hands up in the air. "I have to admit Beshimi has the food under control, but the servers are amateurs. I don't know why Kenshin wouldn't let me just bring in a handful of my own. They can't polish a glass to save their life."

"Kaoru, I'm sure they're fine."

The woman turned to her, fully seeing her for the first time. "Why are you here? Now?"

"You obviously need help."

"Thank you!" Kaoru threw her arms about her. "You'll help me make sure the table gets set properly. Kenshin is randomly bringing some important business assoicates, if there wasn't enough pressure with this dinner."

Misao blinked. "Business associates?"

"Apparently they showed up in town yesterday

"Yesterday?" Misao furrowed her brow. Kenshin wasn't known to offer impromptu invitations.

"The glasses?"

"On it." Misao smiled brightly. "Go to your room and I will meet you there."

"But-"

"Do not 'but' me missy."

"Fine." The woman sighed. She turned and headed down the hallway.

Misao breathed a sigh of relief and headed towards the kitchne. She saw Beshimi and two of his cooks moving around the large kitchen. "Where's the wine?" She asked him. He flashed her a smile. She would have hugged him, but she knew better than to interfere. He pointed towards the dining room. "Get her a drink. She's driving me fucking crazy."

She turned towards the dining room. The mess had been cleaned and one fo the servers was in the process of setting the tbale while the other conitnued to polish glasses. "Do you know where the wine is for the evening?"

He nodded out toward the patio. "The whites are chilling out there. The reds are in the den being opened. Kamiya-sama wanted to taste the wines at 6:45."

"Great. Is there champagne?"

The server paused. "I think she picked out a Cava for the passed course."

"That's sparkling?" He nodded. "Perfect. Flutes?" He nodded to the sideboard where they waited. She picked up two and headed out towards the patio. Another server was out there setting up a table. "Where are the bubbles?"

He pointed to a cooler. "Did you want me to pour two galses.?"

"Nope. I need the whole bottle." She flipped open a cooler and saw six inside. She pulled one out and returned inside. She moved down the hall towards the bedroom. She blinked when she stepped inside. Looking around the room, she paused noting there wasn't a whole lot to indicate Kaoru's presence. Gingerly she pushed open the door to the bathroom and felt a flush of relief when she saw the woman inside.

"Thats for the hour d'ouvres."

"Otherwise known as the pre party." Misao put the two glasses on the counter and opened the bottle with a loud pop. "You need to relax."

Kaoru sighed and crossed her arms. Misao handed her a glass. "Want to talk about it?"

The woman wrinkled her nose slightly as she accepted the flute. "I'm surprised you don't already know." She grimaced before finally taking a sip.

"Know what?"

She swallowed. "Kenshin was spotted kissing his ex yesterday."

Misao struggled not to spew the wine. "Tomoe?"

"You konw her?"

"I'm not exaclty a fan."

"Did you konw she was here?"

"I'd heard a rumor her brother was in town. He runs the marketing and sales division for his father's company, but it's located overseas. He comes to town randomly for various reasons. She left to head up the PR for international market several years ago, primarily why she and Kenshin finally split." She studied the woman. "You saw them?"

Kaoru sipped the wine and shook her head. "I saw a picture."

"Pictures can be manipulated. You don't konw the context of what was gong on."

"He admited it. At least I think he did."

"And what did he say?"

Kaour put down her galss and turned back to the mirror. "I don't know precisely."

"What do you mean you don't know."

"I mean I don't know. I got super drunk last night and blacked out. Apparently during said blackout, Kenshin explained it all away."

Misao digested this news and sipped the wine. "Depsite the picture I don't think he has any intention of returning to her."

"Why do you say that?"

"Please. I see how he looks at you. You two are engaged to be married. He Wouldn't have asked you the question if he didn't love you."

Kaoru snorted. "You say that now."

"Stop it." She met the dark blue eyes in the mirror. "If he wanted out, he wouldn't be holding this dinner. He hates these things."

"Really?"

"You can ask Meg." Misao rowned. "Speaking of, I'm surprised she isn't here."

"She was earlier. She left to get ready." Kaoru bit her lower lip. "Misao, I need to tell you something."

The serious tone had Misao tilting her head to the side and studying the woman. "What's up?"
"Where the hell is she?"

"Spoke too soon."' Misao cringed as she heard the woman's voice echo through the apartment. She sipped her bubbles and moved to the side, watching as Karou ran a brush thorugh her dark hair.

After a moment Megumi appeared in the doorway. "At least you finally stopped terrorizing the staff and are attempting to get ready."

"Only because I finally made her." Misao told the taller woman.

"Terrorizing the staff?" Kaoru whirled around. "I can't help it if they're imbeciles."

"They're not imbeciles." Megumi argued. She paused and shrugged. "At least not completely." She blinked as she saw the glass in her hand that Misao had managed to hand her. "What are you wearing? And how are you doing your hair?"

"Wearing that black dress and was going to put my hair up."

Misao shook her head and reached out to lift up the dark curls. "Do you ever wear it down?"

"I need it out of my way."

Megumi rolled her dark brown eyes. "You are not serving tonight."

"Someone has to pour."

"That's kind of why Kenshin hired a catering staff." Misao told her.

"The group of children that are wandering around the penthouse right now?"

"They are professionals."

"Professional morons?"

Megumi opened her mouth to argue and the closed it. "Probably."

The tension broke and Kaoru giggled. "I'm sorry, I just want tonight to go well."

"And it will." Misao came forward and placed a hand on the woman's shoulder. "Even with the newcomers." She stated. She caught Megumi's eye in the mirror.

"What newcomers?"

Kaoru leaned forward as she swept on some mascara. "Some business associates that turned up yesterday."

Megumi nearly choked on her chapmagne. "Kenshin invited her?"

Misao turned towards the woman, confused. "What do you mean?"

Kaoru was also watching her curiosuly. "Yes, who are you referring?"

The woman grew still, somehow realizing she might have said too much. Misao narorwed her green eyes, putting two and two together. "Surely he isn't that suicidal."

The taller woman placed the flute down on the vanity. "I'm going to go check in with the head steward. Make sure that we're all set." She turned and fled the bathroom.

Misao's mind raced. Megumi mentioned a woman and to be that rattled she left would inidcate that Tomoe was not only in town but Kenshin had met with her. Kaoru stated that she had been shown of picture of the redhead kissing another woman. Surely Kenshin wouldn't have done soemthing so idiotic as to invite her. And after what had apparently transpired last night to actually allow the invitaiton to stand? She was bothered when Hiko continually insulted Kenshin. However if he had really invited Tomoe, then the man truly was an idiot.

"I'll be right back. I'm going to check in with Beshimi."

The woman groaned. "I like how I'm not allow to check in, and yet both of you are abandoning me to make sure every last detail is set."

"Its not that. You need to get ready." Misao offered her a smile. "I'll be back in two minutes to help with your hair."

She fled the room before Kaour could protest. She found Megumi in the dining room, talking with one of the waiters. She tugged the woman away, interrupting the conversation. "What the hell?"

"Two more place settings have been added."

"Is Tomoe in town?"

Megumi hesitated. "yes."

"And he invited her?"

"It would appear so."

Misao felt her jaw drop, her mind racing. "Kaoru said associates; you said two place settings." Before Megumi had a chance to answer, she swore. There was only one other person that Tomoe would manage to coerce Kenshin into allowing her to bring. "Where's the liquor?"

"You are not allowed to get drunk." Megumi hissed.

"Kaoru claims she saw a picture of them kissing." Misao told her. The woman muttered a word that Misao wasn't sure the woman had ever used before. "She claims he explained it."

"I knew this whole situation was going to blow up in his face."

"What situation?" Misao demanded softly.

The dark eyes flashed at her. "Where's the liquor?"

"I thought you said no getting drunk."

"No wonder Kenshin hates these kind of events."

Misao shook her head. "At least we know tonight isn't going to be boring."

As much as we always want to just jump into the thick of it, we have to have the build. I promise, all the moments you've been wanting are coming. I know some of you thought Kaoru was too forgiving. I've gone back and forth and i stand by my depiction of her; even in her brief moment of insanity. I think I've been watching too much Hallmark channel movies in the meantime.