That is one broken foot.

Kaoru frowned to herself as she gazed scornfully at her injured appendage.

It had taken Megumi prodding the shihondai's foot in a particularly bone jarring manner before Kaoru had finally been forced to admit that 'yes, her foot was broken'. Once that fact had been agreed upon, it was up to the kitsune-inclined doctor to, quite literally, set things straight.

Kaoru had never screamed so much in her life.

In all, she had to endure several hours of Megumi's 'tender care' to get her foot on the road to healing. After the bandaging, needles, and other such unsavory equipment, Kaoru'd found herself bound up in series of starched bandages and a hard foot brace that ran from the back of her calf down to her toes. In all, her foot had been turned from small, flexible, and dainty into big, immobile and chunky.

Not for the first time she cursed the series of events that had gotten her to this point.

Stupid bird. Stupid tree. Stupid gravity.

Stupid foot.

It looked like some kind of absurd offering, propped up on a pillow as it was. The sight of the masses of protective bandaging stirred something akin to loathing in Kaoru's gut. Even now, with all of that junk, her appendage might as well be a block of lead for as well as she could use it; the level of mobility would be about the same.

At least, she was able content herself with the fact that it didn't nearly hurt as much as before.

If anything she'd be healed, up, and at 'em in no time. Kaoru gave a deep sigh. Yep, that's right, no time at all.

Flopping back against the cushions she'd been provided, the shihondai shifted with an inner restlessness. Her fingers flipped through the next few pages of the novel she'd been reading. Her mind only half focused on the content as her eyes strayed wistfully to the square of blue sky visible from her bedroom window.

Another sigh escaped her lips, turning into a soft, annoyed growl as she gave up on reading entirely, tossing the book to the other side of the room. The abused piece of literature landed with a heavy thump atop several other written works, a knotted mess of needlework, and various other pieces of failed 'quiet time' activities.

Who was she kidding anyway? Silent and calm was in no way a part of her nature, she lived much too actively. There was nothing Kaoru hated more than sitting around doing nothing. (Well, she hated cooking just a little bit more but that was neither here nor there.)

Trapped within these four walls, Kaoru was absolutely, completely, and utterly bored to her wits end.

And just why was she currently under house arrest? It didn't take much thought to figure that one out. One word, begins with 'R' and ends with 'urouni'.

After her long session fixing the broken racoon girl, Megumi's list of 'What the Doctor Ordered' was actually very straight forward. The shihondai should keep her foot as relaxed as possible for the next couple weeks. No strenuous activities.

However, in the rurouni's dictionary, it seemed 'relaxed' had been given a whole new meaning.

Thou Shall Not Move.

This was the mandate handed down from Kenshin onto Kaoru, and the rurouni was making darn certain that she stuck to it.

Sure, she'd thought it was kinda sweet the first day. Kenshin had gone about cancelling her usual rigorous schedule and she was able to spend the day in leisure, reading in the comfort of her bedroom. The oroing ex-hitokiri would come to check in on her every once and awhile as he treated her with a gentleness that bordered on the extreme.

Yes, she was a lucky female and; honestly, what kind of red-blooded woman would refuse the 'on bended knee' service the rurouni seemed determined to lavish upon her?

The tanuki blood in her must be acting up.

Now, exactly 39 hours into her solitary confinement Kaoru decided she'd had enough of this so called resting thing. The distant sounds of the outside world lured her like a tempting siren's song. She, and her aching foot, knew that she wasn't so foolish as to go running around or anything, but would it really be a crime to have a change of scenery?

So, having carefully awaited the right moment, Kaoru made a break for it.

Taking care to silently slide open her bedroom shoji, she looked stealthily right and left down the hallway. As her gaze met nothing but emptiness, she hobbled her escape. Her trusty bokken once again acting as a crutch.

Using ninja style stealth, acquired courtesy of Misao, Kaoru carefully made her way over the tatami mats. Her plan was simple. Go through the halls and out the back, avoiding both the kitchen and dinning room areas, from there she would easy move through the wilds of the backyard to her destination - the koi pond. Not perhaps the most elaborate destination, but she would relish whatever small freedoms she could obtain.

She already knew where both Yahiko and Kenshin were. The chibi gaki had opted to do his lessons alone and was currently situated in the training hall. Her heartwarming if a bit smothering rurouni, on the other hand, was in the front doing laundry. Sano remained unaccounted for, as Kaoru was not aware if the lughead was currently on the dojo grounds or not, and as thus he was the wild card. However, by avoiding all of the living areas which pertained to eating, she hoped to avoid him as well.

Her escape route fixed firmly in her mind, the convict Tanuki made her jail break.

Over past the end of the hallway she went. A quick glance was given around the adjoining rooms. Then she crept through the lifeless foyer and out the back door. Onto the short expanse of deck where she was almost-

"Kaoru-dono?"

"Kya!" Having been caught completely unaware Kaoru jumped, and, with the failure of her cat-like reflexes, proceeded to lose her balance. It was only thanks to the rurouni's god-like reflexes that she was saved before she could tumble and break her other foot.

Having winced as the prospect of the impending fall, Kaoru slowly reopened her eyes. She found herself staring at the chest of the man whom had ditched his clean basket of laundry to catch her. Slowly her gaze traveled up the exposed v of tanned skin, to met Kenshin's eyes.

His was not a happy face.

"Kaoru-dono." His expression was every inch a reprimand as he looked down at her sternly. "What are you doing out of your room."

That masculine stance. That sexy little growl of disapproval. If it weren't for the fact that he was treating her like she was two she'd be happy to remain in his arms for quite a bit longer.

As it was, she scowled. Levering herself away from him, she tried to shoo his 'helping hands' away. Putting her feet more securely on the ground she attempted to stand once more. Kaoru told the rurouni indignantly, "I was just going to go sit by the koi pond for a bit."

If anything his frown deepened. The hold on her was unrelenting. His reluctance to let her stand fully under her own power again was clear. "Megumi-dono said you weren't to move around for the next two weeks."

"Much, she said I wasn't to move around much," Kaoru corrected. Squirming slightly, she gave him a reproachful look. "I'm just going to go sit, Kenshin. It's not as if I'm going to jump in."

The rurouni looked unconvinced.

Deciding to try a different tactic, Kaoru gave him a small pout. "Please? It's boring to just stare at the wall all day. At least let me go out for a little bit?"

Now the pout she gave wasn't just any pout. It was the pout God gave to women in replacement for muscle power. The coercive expression that gave birth to the phrase 'feminine wiles'. Many a man had fallen to such a pout and it was Kenshin's turn next.

"No." The rurouni told her flatly.

"Kenshin!" Screw pouting, Kaoru moved straight on to what she did best - bodily harm. Whipping out Bokken-san she struck Kenshin over the head. Hopping away as he reflexively oroed, she jumped easily enough down the step and onto the small path leading down to the koi pond. After a couple of unsteady steps she looked back over her shoulder to where the rurouni, after quickly realizing he'd been duped, was hurrying after her. She growled through grit teeth. "Honestly Kenshin, don't forget I went several miles on my broken foot. I'm perfectly capable of going a couple yards down to the pond."

The rurouni looked struck, or rather, since he had in fact been struck just moments ago, he looked taken aback. His feet momentarily stilled in his concerned pursuit of the injured shihondai.

Her temper having reared its frightening head, Kaoru turned her head in a sharp, hair flicking motion. Putting her back to the rurouni once more, she missed the pained expression that crossed Kenshin's face. Her attention refocusing on the rocky, narrow path to the koi pond as she began to maneuver her clunky foot over the unstable footing.

In her haste to prove her own mobility, Kaoru had overlooked one important fact - rocks. That one annoying geological solid that had given her so much trouble on the way back to the dojo was again abundant in her direct path of motion. As her stinking luck would have it, no sooner had she taken a couple steps when her bokken landed smack upon a cluster of no good rocks.

"Ack!" Her crutch slipping on the patch of pebbles, Kaoru lurched forward. Her arms flailed hastily as she attempted to forestall the inevitable face plant.

Again, the rurouni came to her rescue. Jumping hastily forward, his arms shot out, wrapping firmly around her waist as he caught her.

Regaining her balance with the gentle aid of Kenshin's hands, Kaoru gave a sigh. Her posture slumped both with her disappointment in her inability to walk and the embarrassing fact that she'd fallen twice now in front of Kenshin, resulting in him having to catch her each time.

So much for proving her capability.

Still, Kaoru wasn't so stubborn as to not give thanks when it was due. Her hands fisting tentatively she made to face him, an embarrassed thank you forming on her lips.

Kenshin apparently had other plans.

Unlike the previous rescue, the rurouni had chosen his actions more carefully this time. Rather than merely steadying her on her feet, he proceed to swept them out from under her entirely, taking her petite form up in his arms with a quick efficiency. The move not only got her off her injury but effectively hindered her ability to escape by way of bokken.

The thanks forgotten on her tongue, Kaoru scowled. Disproved though her words of confidence may be, it did not warrant being ushered back to her room.

"Kenshin," Kaoru growled her displeasure faintly. Unable to thwack him she geared up for a verbal dispute. "What are you doing? I don't want-"

"I know. You don't want help." Kenshin cut off her rants in a low tone. His eyes not meeting her unhappy stare, but instead remained fixed straight ahead as he carried her slight weight.

"So put me down." Kaoru ordered him, the conclusion obvious in her mind. The ire she felt at being carried like an invalid leading her to overlook the rurouni's slip of tongue.

His arms tightened slightly around her in an unspoken negative. The sound of his unrelenting footsteps and the crunch of gravel filled the silence in lieu of a response.

Hold on, gravel? It was with a start that Kaoru realized she was not being returned to the confines of her cushioned bedroom. Instead it seemed that Kenshin was actually taking her out to the pond.

Did she miss something? This was the same man who had demanded just moments ago that she remain immobilized in her room for the safety of her broken foot.

"You have already proven that you can take care of your own needs when necessary. However," his voice lightened noticeably. Violet eyes met her surprised stare with a small smile. "Just because you can walk if need be, doesn't mean that you should. It would be terrible if you injured your foot further. Sessha wants to help."

"Oh." Having been rendered nearly speechless, that one lame, little word was just about all Kaoru could manage. Her sapphire eyes remained wide as she gazed up at the rurouni.

Kenshin rewarded her stare with the innocently, pleasant rurouni grin that he'd taken ten years in perfecting. His strong arms carrying her effortlessly past the dirt path to the small grassy patch of vegetation overlooking the dojo's meager koi pond. Finding the plushest patch of grass, he set her down gently amidst the greenery being careful to not jostle her injured foot.

Seated in the grass, Kaoru blushed slightly. A belated thank you upon her lips as Kenshin stood back up to leave.

But, no thanks were necessary. The rurouni brushed stray grass from his hakama simply telling her. "Just give a call when you wish to come back in. Sessha will simply be finishing up the laundry."

Kaoru watched his retreating back feeling a bit better than she had before.

It occurred to her now that she had perhaps she'd been a bit unfair to the rurouni. After all, she knew Kenshin had a tendency to fret over the littlest things. He was bound to worry like crazy over her broken foot. It was simply a part of his nature. This was just another case of him being a little bit more of a worrywart than the average person.

She'd just needed to accept that he'd worry so long as she was broken. Kaoru realized sagely. And Kenshin, he'd just needed to accept the fact that she didn't need to be coddled every step of the way.

Kaoru blinked, stopped, and blinked again.

Realization struck like lightening among dry timber.

Kenshin had just taken her bokken!

"Kenshin no baka..." The grated out words were a death threat in the making.

He'd deliberately distracted her and removed the bokken from her possession. Unwilling to leave her the opprotunity to move around on her own, Kenshin had taken her makeshift crutch. He knew, just as well as she did, that she would be unable to return to the house without it. Now, she would be have no choice but to call for assistance when she wanted to go back inside.

That sneeky little- Kaoru gave a frustrated 'mou', glaring in the direction he'd escaped. She should have known it was too much to believe that the rurouni had suddenly given up on returning her to the safety of her room.

Kenshin hadn't accepted squat. The rurouni had simply changed tactics as he overlooked her 'safety', giving her the illusion of independent choice while deciding what he thought was best on his own.

This was not going to be acceptable. She growled darkly. If Kenshin thought that just because her foot was broken that she was going to put up with his rurouni style hovering, well then, he had another thing coming.

She straightened with righteous indignation. Kenshin may have been successful this round but she was going to win the-

Ow. Oh- Tweaked. Pain. Paaain.

Kaoru folded over into a hunched position as her mental soliloquy was interrupted by a sharp twinge from the culprit of all her sorrows. Her broken foot throbbed fiercely from within its nest of wrappings. Diabolical plans and scheming was put off for a later point in time as Kaoru focused on riding out the inopportune wave of pain.

The tanuki groaned turning to the heavens for support.

How long was it until her foot would be better?!

Disclaimer: After claiming to own Rurouni Kenshin the authoress can be seen dodging lawyers and traveling speedily down I-5. Her destination is assumed to be the safety of the Canadian border.

Authoress Notes: Whoo! Another chapter in the bin! For those of you who didn't understand the mathmatical notation it's - enery equals mass times the speed of light squared aka Einstein's things go boom equation (it wouldn't let me post it in proper notation -.-). This chapter was kinda short but I think it was important in setting up the situation. I listened to Peter Gunn, Mission Impossible, and the James Bond themes while writing in stealth mode. Big thankies to everyone who's reviewed so far. Expect a longer wait for chapter four as an attempt to work on the next chapter for 'TWL' is underway! (Dodges sharp objects) But, let me leave you with the coming chapter title and some food for thought.

Chapter Four: The Butterfly Effect a.k.a. - Chaos always wins, because it's better organized.
So he thought he could just set Yahiko on her, hm? Well two could play at that game, and she planned to win.
"Yahiko." Kaoru turned to her student with a thoughtful look. Her tone reasonable. "Maybe we can make a deal..."

Alea Seikou

"Lifeline secured. Wind conditions favorable. I have the guts." - Trigun