A/N: This is my first RK fic, and it's the first multi-chaptered fic that I've started in a while that has gotten me all excited. Some details in this story may be a bit muddled when compared to the canon, please correct me if you find any glaring errors.

This very well could have been just a very long one-shot, but there are some other elements that I'd like to add to the story that would have made this a veeery long one-shot. XD Also, the chapter's short, forgive me! I haven't written in a while and I'm out of practice!

Chapter 1:

The day had started off too smoothly for something to not end up going wrong. Kaoru had decided this after she had awoken to Yahiko greeting her without a derogatory line, waving at her when he stood up from the dining table to head out to the dojo and train.

"'Later, Kaoru," he said.

She twitched. No 'ugly' or 'hag'? She crept over to the window, peering outside in suspicion. It was a gorgeous day, the first sunny day they had had all week. She was in the process of turning around when she saw Kenshin had materialized behind her. She shrieked and backed up against the window, gasping for air.

"Kenshin, don't scare me like that!"

Kenshin was smiling at her in amusement. "Good morning, Kaoru-dono. I was just wondering what you could be gazing at so intently out there," he said, gesturing to the window.

Kaoru couldn't easily tell him that she had gone to the window to make sure the sky hadn't fallen over-night, so she gave a nervous chuckle. "It's a beautiful day, isn't it?" she remarked.

"That it is," he agreed, before looking at her with something unreadable in his smile. "I made your favorite for breakfast this morning."

Her eyes lit up with child-like glee. "Really?!" Omelet rice! Kenshin made it just the way her father used to, putting her favorite vegetables in with the rice.

When she was eating, Kenshin laid his hand on her shoulder when he asked her omu-rice was. She had nearly started choking on the rice and forced a nod and a smile, wondering what forces could have pushed him to be so... touch-y. Surely, they both knew how they felt for one another, but things were progressing between them so slowly that she almost forgot that he really did like her. He had made more physical progress between them right there than they had had in over a month! Once the realization set in, she felt rather pathetic about the situation.

She smiled to herself once she was able to swallow the bite that had been disturbed. The day was turning out perfectly – her favorite breakfast, her favorite Kenshin... To top it off, her created family had just come together again recently.

Sanosuke and Megumi had returned from their respective journeys merely a couple weeks ago, their arrivals separated by a couple days. Kaoru felt that it was suspicious that they would return at the same time, and wondered if they hadn't just been rendezvousing about Japan together the entire time they were gone. Yahiko had been disappointed about relinquishing the apartment that he had been 'taking care of' for Sano, and reluctantly packed up and moved back into the Kamiya residence.

"Kaoru-dono, I think I should go start working on the laundry, that I do," Kenshin told her in a soft voice, letting his hand fall from her shoulder almost reluctantly as he went outside to retrieve the washing basin.

All Kaoru could do was stare after him mutely, wondering if something had changed while she was asleep.

"Kaoru-san!" Megumi's voice suddenly rang through the halls and was soon followed by her enviously elegant figure shuffling into the kitchen, patting the same shoulder that Kenshin had just touched. Kaoru fell into another slight coughing fit, and the older woman fixed the situation by delivering a swift slap to the girl's back.

Contents from her mouth flew out onto the table, and Kaoru quickly hid them from view, her face reddening. "Megumi-san," she greeted weakly, giving a slight bow of the head. "What brings you here?"

"You, actually. I need to borrow you," Megumi replied, tugging the back of Kaoru's collar sharply and kept pulling harder until Kaoru nearly spun to her feet, facing her with a scowl as she brushed herself off.

"What could you possibly need me for?" Kaoru demanded. Things had been going so well before that fox had arrived... She always brought a heady air of all things adult with her whenever she entered a room, though it could have just been her perfume.

"Womanly business," the fox-like woman responded quickly, waving to Kenshin who was now working on laundry outdoors as she dragged Kaoru outside. "Hello, Ken-san!" she said cheerfully.

Kenshin raised a hand in greeting, smiling at the two women.

Kaoru's ears had not deceived her. The older vixen of a woman hadn't put on her usual seductive tone that was reserved just for Kenshin! Even after she had been aware of the feelings between the two of them, she still insisted on wielding that awful weapon of a voice that Kaoru couldn't dream of being able to use. Maybe today still was a good day, she thought to herself, and so she smiled.

Once they were on the street, Megumi whirled around and got in her face, her eyes wild. "You don't trust me about this, do you?"

Raising an eyebrow, Kaoru reared back away from Megumi's face and rested a hand on her hip. "I don't know how to trust you after that last incident... My hair was tinted purple for a week," she grumbled.

Megumi smirked. "This time, it's completely different," she replied with a womanly laugh that Kaoru envied. "I could use your help with something at the clinic. Incidentally, the help that I need will also benefit you in the end." She took hold of Kaoru's arm and dragged her to her clinic, leaving Kaoru more confused than before.

–

"I need you to help me use Ken-san as a medical experiment..."

"Absolutely not!" Kaoru shouted, throwing her hands out in front of her and shaking her head vigorously.

"But you like – no, love Ken-san, don't you?" Megumi asked, beginning to circle the room.

Kaoru blinked at Megumi, unsure of what sort her answer could spark. "I...yes, I do," she said softly, lowering her head. She then looked up and narrowed her eyes. "Wait, that's exactly the reason why I don't want to do this!"

"Good! Then give just him this tincture tonight at dinner; you only have to slip it into his tea," the older woman directed, handing Kaoru a thin glass vial filled with a light green fluid.

"What is this?" Kaoru deadpanned, holding up the vial and examining it closely.

"Dr. Gensai is pressuring me to find willing young men to test it on. He says that it's a revolutionary mixture that will change the way that we look at reproducing," Megumi explained with an uninterested sigh, flipping her hair.

"W-What?!" Kaoru cried, clapping one hand over her mouth. "This...! What are you giving me?!"

"The matter is what you'll be giving Ken-san," the female doctor said with a smirk. "It's said to carry many hints of natural aphrodesiacs, as well as other minerals that boost stamina."

"Stamina?" Kaoru blanched.

"Well, you do want to get married to Ken-san someday, don't you? Why not start things off with a bang, like with this tincture?"

"Has this even been tested yet?" The tanuki girl demanded.

"Of course it has. We tried it in a pair of couples, and both reported...explosive results," Megumi watched Kaoru's reaction with a wicked gleam in her eyes.

Dazed, Kaoru handed the vial back to Megumi. "I-I can't..."

"Oh, but you can." Megumi covered Kaoru's hand with her own, pushing it towards the other girl. "It's a hundred percent safe, and it will get the two of you over this awkward little in-between stage that's been going on for months now."

Kaoru opened her palm, looking at the tincture with a mixed expression. It felt wrong to use something artificial to further things between her and Kenshin, but Megumi was right. It had been months and things had remained the same as ever between them.

"Fine. I'll do it," she mumbled. "But only if you promise that nothing bad will happen to him."

"Perfect!" Megumi cried. "Oh, thank you, Kaoru! Thank you!" She latched onto Kaoru's arm and proceeded to lead her to the door.

Kaoru was shuffled out onto the streets with Megumi gushing into her ear about how wonderful it would be for both her and Kenshin, and how the research would really help, and how she better give it to him or else she would find out and give it to him herself and reap the benefits.

She made her way home, pensive. Looking down at the thin glass container in her hands, she inhaled sharply as she weighed the risks.

After all, how much harm could something this small do?

–

"Yahiko, have you seen Kaoru-dono?" Kenshin poked his head into the dojo, glancing at the young man who was busy throwing every part of himself into his practice.

Yahiko stopped, wiping sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. "Nah, I thought she went out into town with that fox lady," he said between breaths.

"That's what I'm concerned about," Kenshin said quietly, leaning against the wall. "It seems that when Megumi-dono is involved, one can't trust things, that they can't."

The teenager turned and smirked at him. "What are you afraid of? That Megumi is playing match-maker between Kaoru and some other random guy?"

Kenshin blanched, and he reached for his sakabatou, gripping the handle. His eyes flickered with something that Yahiko didn't think should be exercised any further, so he cleared his throat and waved a hand in front of the red-haired man.

"Hey, Kenshin. I was just joking, jeez," he said, watching Kenshin's shoulders relax though his hands remained upon the grip of the sword. "They're probably just doing girl stuff."

"Right," Kenshin muttered, mostly to himself as he turned to head into the house. Megumi-dono wouldn't try and do that, would she? She knew how he felt for Kaoru-dono... Unless it was Kaoru-dono who requested such a thing...

The realization struck him that there was no such situation going on except in his imagination, and his grip slackened as a wry smile crossed his lips.

Judging from the amount of light filtering through the window and spilling onto the floor, he wagered that it was a good time for him to start preparation the rest of the day's meals.

#

End of chapter 1!