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Parallel Lines	By : Lexie Category: Rurouni Kenshin > General Views: 11995 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-PART I
- 2-PART II
- 1
- 2
Title: Parallel Lines

Author: Lexie

Summary: Kenshin is a modern-day assassin and Kaoru is a homeless girl who accidentally becomes a part of his world.

Rating: NC-17

Pairing(s): Kenshin/Kaoru, Kenshin/Megumi, Sano/Megumi, Aoshi/Misao

Feedback: desired

Characters: Most major characters from Rurouni Kenshin, and some original characters.

Betas: none

Author�s notes:Since one of my chapters in the middle got screwed up, I just decided to go ahead and consolidate the whole story into two parts, instead of re-uploading all the individual chapters--hope you guys don't mind!

*Disclaimer: Didn't create or own any of the characters mentioned above, and am definitely not making any money off this.

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PARALLEL LINES

Chapter 1

The young man stood against the wall of the empty subway car, his body swaying
with the motion of the train. He had his eyes on the connecting door of the
car.

"They're in the next car--four of them sitting together to your right,
close to the door. Are you ready?" asked the voice in his earpiece.

"Yeah, let's go." He pushed himself off the wall and headed for the
door, his hand reaching into his loose black trench coat to draw a gleaming
samurai sword from its hidden sheath.

Sliding open the door, he descended upon the four men with inhuman speed, slashing
with flowing, economical movements. He'd beheaded two of them before they even
had a chance to scream, and a third had barely drawn his gun when he was split
in half from head to waist.

Hot geysers of blood sprayed the walls and floors, and the fourth man slipped
on some of it as he ripped open the far connecting door and managed to run through.
Pulling out two guns from under his coat, he shot as fast he could through the
window, spraying glass and bullets toward the young assailant.

The man suddenly felt something thump against his chest, and looked down to
see that a dart-like projectile had lodged itself in his sternum. Eyes wide
with horror, he clawed at it as he crumpled to the floor. Through eyes hazy
with imminent death, he saw his killer approach and look down at him, quite
surprised to see that he was a very young man, with long red hair and empty
eyes. His lips curling into a defiant grin, the dying man whispered, "The
Phoenix has risen...you will all... die..."

===

The girl pressed herself tight against the bloody floor of the subway car, trying not to cry out from the pain of her wounds. She was a slight girl, much too thin, with short, matted greasy hair and layers of dirty rags serving as clothes. She is homeless, and had bunked down for the night under some subway seats as she usually did, curling into a tight ball to become as inconspicuous as possible. When the four men had entered the car, she was instantly on alert, a hand clasping tight the switchblade she carried around with her as protection. They looked like regular clean-cut business men, but she knew from hard-won experience that you could never let your guard down around anyone.

Then the door opened and all hell broke loose. All she could see from under the seat was a blur of feet, before blood starting falling like rain all around her. Her eyes wide, she saw two severed heads fall to the floor like two overripe melons, spurting blood. Another body fell in quick succession, the hideously split corpse twitching and jetting out yet more blood on the floor.

In all her years of living on the streets, she'd seen more than her share of horrors, but this carnage was beyond anything she could even imagine. What kind of maniac would be chopping up people like this! Making small horrified noises in her throat, she shut her eyes tight, praying she wouldn't get discovered.

She heard footsteps pound past her, then the sound of a connecting door opening and closing. She opened one eye, wondering if the danger had passed, when a hail of bullets rained shards of glass everywhere. She turned and tucked herself even tighter into the wall, trying to keep the glass and bullets away from her body. She was almost successful.

Three bullets ricocheted off the walls and pierced through her right leg and side. She felt shock more than pain at first, and managed not to cry out, but bit her lip til it bled. Whimpering softly, she tried to keep still as the pain started to spread through her body.

The shooting suddenly stopped, and she heard a body fall. The last of the hunted was dead; would the hunter find her? She saw the killer's legs as he walked over to his last victim. She heard what sounded like a sword being sheathed, and then his voice say in a chillingly dispassionate voice, "It's done. Call the cleaner."

Who was he talking to? the girl thought vaguely, brain feeling increasingly fuzzy from the pain and blood loss. Just hold on, she told herself, closing her eyes and gritting her teeth. Hold on... She heard the killer's footsteps recede toward the door and heard it slide open and closed.

Slumping weakly with relief, she warily peeked out from under her hiding place. Finding the car empty, she rolled out from under the seats and crawled toward the other connecting door, panting from the effort. Blood and gore were everywhere, and she had to close her eyes as she crawled past a severed head. She had made it to the door and was trying to slide it open when she heard a calm voice say behind her, "Hold it."

Her head whipped around to see the killer standing at the opposite end of the car. He'd tricked her! He'd known she was there and was just waiting for her to reveal herself. She frantically tried to get away, clawing at the door in front of her. The blood on her hands made the task impossible, and she screamed as she felt him grab the back of her jacket and turn her over.

His eyes widened as he saw her, scanning and assessing her form quickly. "There's another one here, but I don't think she's with them," he muttered. "Dammit, she's collateral, how did you miss this? Yeah, well, looks like she's hurt pretty bad. Bullet in right leg, thigh, and side. She's bleeding like a sieve, I'll try to slow the bleeding... just tell me where the closest Hole is. Shit. "

She was very close to fainting, and she looked up at the killer with dazed eyes, shocked to see that he was so young and slight, not much older than her, probably. Realizing that he wasn't going to kill her outright, she calmed down a bit. She numbly watched as he tore a strip from his black t-shirt and tied one around her upper thigh to act as a tourniquet. Then he tore a larger strip and folded it up to make a pad for her side. Lifting her shirt, he placed the pad against her wound, pressing down tight for a few minutes, making her gasp in pain and finally pass out.

Good, he thought, watching her head loll against the floor. That'll make it a lot easier for me. When satisfied the makeshift bandages would hold, he hefted her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and stood up. He saw that they were approaching a station, where a group of men were waiting on the platform. They looked like a hazmat crew, save one. He was a short and trim man dressed in a charcoal gray business suit, who looked to be in his early 50s, with a dapper little mustache. He was known as The Cleaner.

When the subway doors slid open, the man stepped in, asking with disturbing congeniality, "Taking home a little souvenir?"

The younger man met his face impassively and replied, "Hardly." Brushing past the older gent, he headed for the steps leading out of the station.

With narrowed eyes, The Cleaner watched him walk away from the train. After a moment, he turned to his crew and started barking out orders. He, as his name implied, cleaned up after completed assignments.

The mysterious young man moved swiftly and purposefully through the dark and empty city streets, unhindered by the weight he was carrying. A few blocks from the train station, he heard the voice in his earpiece say, "About another 10 feet and turn right after the brick wall." Sure enough, a narrow gap appeared between two buildings and he turned into the pitch-black darkness.

"Keep going... put out your right hand, there should be a pole there. Slide your hand all the way to the bottom... there should be a button--press it." The young man's fingers found the pole, and pressed the button as instructed. A cool blue beam shot out from the pole to scan his body. A half second later, the wall in front of him silently slid open to reveal a cylindrical chamber, what he'd called a Hole. When he stepped in, the door closed behind him and the floor started dropping down.

She's all skin and bones, he thought, impatiently waiting for the ride to end. A few minutes later, the chamber came to a stop and another door slid open before him. He stepped out into a large white rectangular room, studded on all sides with elevator doors.

An electronic voice boomed out from unseen speakers: "Destination."

"Infirmary," came the young man's reply.

One of the elevator doors slid open and he quickly stepped inside. His hand went to his earpiece and said, "I'm switching you off now, Yahiko, see you later."

"All right. Sorry about the screw-up," replied the voice.

A few seconds later, the door opened to what looked like a very high-tech hospital, with some beds against one wall. A slim, elegant-looking woman with black waist-length hair in a white lab coat was waiting for him, gesturing to one of the beds.

"What happened?" she asked.

Laying the girl's body down on the bed, he replied, "Collateral damage. The Handler missed her and she got caught in the crossfire."

Quickly examining the girl's wounds, the doctor nodded. "She should be all right--they've all passed through clean--I'll take good care of her. Looks like she needs a bath more than anything else, though. Phew!"

Nodding, the young man said, "That's why I brought her back here. I knew she'd die if I just dumped her off at some hospital. As if she wasn't unlucky enough..." He quietly looked down at the girl's pitiful-looking body for a moment, then said, "I need to go see Katsura. I'll be back soon. Thanks, Megumi." He turned on his heel and headed for the door.

"Kenshin," she called to him. "Can I come over later?"

"Not tonight," he replied without turning or slowing down.

The woman looked at his retreating back with a rueful smile. Just what were you expecting, Megumi? she asked herself. In all the years she'd known Kenshin, she'd never seen that laconic exterior crack. Apparently that wasn't going to change just because they started sleeping together a few months ago. Sighing with exasperation, she looked down to take care of the business at hand.

===

Kenshin knocked on Katsura's door, an unaccustomed nervous feeling in his stomach.

"Come," came the low assured voice from other side of the door.

Kogoro Katsura was an exceedingly handsome man in his early forties, with a cultivated, aristocratic air. He was seated behind a large mahogany desk, looking down at some papers when Kenshin entered. Seeing him, Katsura's serious expression softened. "Kenshin, congratulations on another success. I understand you brought a guest with you?"

Seating himself in a chair across from the desk, Kenshin let out a humorless laugh. "The penchant for euphemisms around here never ceases to amaze me. Yes, I brought a "guest" with me. Megumi's taking care of her right now--she says the wounds don't look serious."

"Ah, good," said Katsura, steepling his fingers under his chin.

Looking at him with steely eyes, Kenshin asked, "Yahiko missed her in that car with the men--how could that have happened?"

Giving a small shrug, Katsura answered, "Even the best Handlers can miss one or two sometimes--he must not have turned up the infrared scan frequency enough. The important thing is that the assignment was completed."

"I've never had collateral before," Kenshin said, looking down at his calloused palms.

"It was bound to happen, given the frequency of your assignments. I'm frankly surprised it took this long. A testament to your skills." Katsura paused, trying to read Kenshin's emotions. "Don't worry--we'll take care of her. In a way, she's lucky. Life here will definitely be better than what she's been used to."

"Lucky? I guess that's one way of looking at it." He thought back to the feel of the girl's malnourished and stinking body and knew what Katsura said was right.

"I'm nothing if not a pragmatist. You look beat; get some rest." Katsura rose from his seat, prompting Kenshin to do the same. The meeting was over.

Kenshin, turning to leave, said, "There's one more thing. One of the men said to me, 'The Phoenix has risen, you will all die.' Have you ever heard of this...Phoenix?"

Katsura's mouth went into a tense line and he gave a short nod. "The Scouts have been picking up some chatter about a "phoenix" but as of yet we don't know who or what he is. So these guys were somehow affiliated with it, interesting..." Rising to his feet, he continued. "I'll look into it some more. Maybe The Cleaner will find some more clues. I'm serious about you getting some rest, all right?"

"Yeah. Got it," Kenshin replied with a wry smile. He rose and left the room, leaving a troubled-looking Katsura behind.

===

The girl heard voices, but they seemed like they were coming
from very far away. She tried to open her eyes, but found them to be uncooperative.

"Hey, I think she's coming to," she heard a boy say.

"Hmm, let me see. You're right--looks like she's ready to wake up. Let
me take a look at her pupils..." That voice definitely belonged to a woman.

She felt cool fingertips parting one of her eyelids, and suddenly a bright white
light shined into her eye. She involuntarily flinched, and tried to turn her
head.

"Everything looks normal," the woman said. "Hey, how do you feel?
Can you hear us?"

"Uh..." the girl moaned, her lips parched.

"Yahiko, grab that cup of water over there," came the woman's command.
Soon the girl felt her head being tilted up and a cup being brought to her lips.
She took a small sip, and lay back down. Her eyes were beginning to focus, and
she saw a gangly young teenage boy with spiky black hair and a woman in a white
lab coat, her black hair in a loose chignon at her neck. She must be the doctor,
the girl thought. She had no idea who the guy could be--he certainly didn't
look like a nurse.

"Where...where am I?" she asked, her voice a whisper.

"Well, we could tell you, but then we 'd have to kill you," Yahiko
said, a broad smile beaming from his still-childish face.

Seeing the girl's eyes widen, the woman said, "Yahiko!" and smacked
him in the arm.

"Ow! I was just trying to make a joke..."

"Well, it was in very poor taste, as usual." Turning back to the girl,
she said, "I'm Dr. Megumi Takani, and this clown is Yahiko Myojin. We want
to assure you that you're safe."

"Where is...here?" the girl asked, trying to sit up.

"We'll explain everything in detail later--it's quite complex, and I don't
think you're ready for it just yet. You must rest for now and trust us."
Her kind dark eyes and calm voice reassured the girl, and she leaned back against
the pillows once more.

She felt a dull twinge in her side, and it all came back to her, a cold and
sudden fear snaking down her chest. Had that murderous red-haired man brought
her here? She knew his face--she could positively ID him. If she was a witness
to the clearly illegal murders, why was she still alive? What was in store for
her?

Swallowing, she shakily asked, "Will I...will I ever be able to leave here?"
She already knew the answer, but she had to ask.

Megumi and Yahiko shared a worried look, but before either of them could speak,
a familiar voice came from the doorway.

"No," the man said.

The girl, feeling as though ice water had suddenly entered her veins, locked
eyes with the man responsible for her nightmare.

--------------------------------------

Chapter 2 - (Note:
Just so you know, this is going to be a pretty slow-boil between Kenshin &
Kaoru, so you'll have to be patient. WARNING: Lemon between Megumi & Kenshin
this chapter--if ya can't handle it, don't read it)

Kenshin met
the girl's terrified eyes, noting with surprise how different she looked all
cleaned up. She looked like she could be just another pretty high school girl,
only the split lip and haunted expression marring the picture. "What's
your name?" he asked, keeping his eyes fixed on hers.

The girl
whispered, "Kaoru...Kamiya." She found herself unable to look away
from his eyes, which were a most unusual shade of purple. Everything about him
was unusual--from his coloring and age to his chosen profession.

Kenshin walked
up to the side of her bed, ignoring her flinch of fear. "Kaoru, I'm sorry
you had to see what you did--you weren't meant to be there. Unfortunately, accident
or not, we can't let you go. It's for your own safety. If they find out you've
had contact with us, you're as good as dead." His expression remained cool
as he spoke, and Kaoru wondered what kind of man could remain so detached while
talking about life and death.

"Who
are they?" Kaoru managed to ask, her dark eyes huge.

"As
Megumi said, we'll explain it all to you in a little while, when you're feeling
better. Megumi will keep me apprised of your progress." Without further
elaboration, he turned to leave, and Kaoru noticed a look pass between him and
Megumi. Was there omething going on between them? She shivered, the juxtaposition
of the kind doctor and the cold-blooded killer being utterly unthinkable.

Yahiko noticed
her shiver and thoughtfully pulled up her blankets. "Hey," he said,
his expression concerned. "I know what you're thinking, but Kenshin's not
like that. He's our best Slayer, but that doesn't mean he enjoys it. He has
his reasons for doing it, like the rest of us." Kaoru heart stopped at
the word Slayer, but the boy's friendly chestnut brown eyes reassured her. The
boy might be uncouth and prone to outbursts, but she had a good feeling about
him. She gave him a little smile, and was amused to see a blush sweep over his
face.

"Yahiko's
right," Megumi chimed in. "Charm isn't Kenshin's strong suit, but
I've never had any reason to doubt his integrity. Reserve your judgment until
you get to know him better, all right?"

Kaoru looked
at Megumi and thought, You sound like a woman in love. But does he love you?
And how would you know with a man like that? She replied, "All right, Dr.
Takani. Thank you," and settled herself back down into the blankets.

"Not
at all. And please, call me Megumi. See you in the morning, Kaoru." With
that, Megumi left the room, dragging a lovestruck Yahiko with her.

Kaoru closed
her eyes, sleep claiming her almost immediately. She had dreams all night of
violet eyes and bloody rain.

***

Megumi had
just stepped out of the shower and was drying her hair when she heard a soft
knock on her door. "Who
is it?" she asked, heart starting to pound. Could it be...?

"Kenshin,"
came the reply.

Quickly opening
the door, she stared at him in surprise. "I thought you didn't want to
see me tonight," she said.

"I changed
my mind," he said gruffly, walking into the room to take her in his arms
and place a searing kiss on her mouth. He closed the door with his foot, and
backed her up until she felt her bed against the back of her legs.

"Kenshin,"
Megumi sighed, her lips opening under his. Her arms went around his neck as
his hands untied her robe and started to roam over her body. Even though she
was annoyed that things always seemed to be on his terms, she couldn't resist
the draw of his touch. She had absolutely no pride when it came to him.

His mouth
was hot and moist against hers, demanding and seeking at the same time. She
noticed that there was a strange edge to his desire tonight. He wasn't usually
so...needy. Her hands went to the fly of his jeans and stroked him through the
stiff fabric, reveling in his growing excitement. Feeling his breath come faster
against her mouth, she undid his jeans, pushing them down his hips to unleash
his hard heat against her. She pressed her hips against it, her own excitement
growing by leaps and bounds. Shrugging off her robe, she helped Kenshin off
with his t-shirt and knelt without pausing to take his hard cock into her mouth.

"Ah..."
Kenshin moaned, feeling her warm mouth engulf him. She took as much of him into
her mouth as she could, her hands going up the back of his thighs to grip his
ass and bring his hips even closer to her. When she almost felt like gagging
she withdrew, sucking hard on his shaft as she moved her head back. She felt
Kenshin's body tremble, and almost smiled in triumph. He may be emotionally
aloof, but he couldn't deny her his body's reaction to hers.

She continued
to slide her lips back and forth over his cock, gradually increasing her speed
until she felt him tighten up, close to coming. She stopped then, and heard
Kenshin's breath hiss out between his lips. "Not just yet," she said,
rising and turning so that her back was against his heaving chest. Taking his
hands in hers, she placed them over her full breasts, and reached down between
her legs to grab his throbbing cock and guide it into her.

She was sopping
wet, enabling his swollen shaft to glide into her easily. They both gasped at
the sensation, and Kenshin started thrusting in and out of her with abandon,
his hands gripping her breasts. Megumi had never felt him so frantic before,
even during their first time. She jumped when one of his hands moved down from
her breast to her crotch, his knowing fingers finding her swollen clitoris.

"Kenshin!"
Megumi cried out, her arms coming forward onto the bed to support her quaking
body. The changed angle of her body allowed Kenshin to thrust deeper into her,
and his fingers continued to stroke and tease her, driving Megumi out of her
mind. It wasn't long before she came, shuddering and gasping as shockwaves of
exquisite pleasure rocked her body.

Kenshin felt
the walls of her vagina pulse rhythmically around his cock, and let his own
orgasm claim him. Gripping Megumi's hips tightly, he spurted his hot juices
into her, continuing to pump until there was nothing left. Groaning, he withdrew
from her and collapsed on the bed, drawing her down against him. Megumi lay
on his chest, her head tucked under his chin.

"I'm
sorry," he said.

"For
what?" Megumi asked. "You didn't hear me complaining. Actually, it
was quite nice... Intense."

Kenshin was
silent, unable to tell her why he wasn't acting like himself. He hadn't been
able to stop thinking about how that girl Kaoru had looked at him when he approached
her today. She'd looked at him like he was a monster, troubling him far more
than he would ever admit. The need to erase that girl's terrified expression
from his mind had driven him to Megumi's bed. He felt like a heel for it, but
he'd been at a loss as to what else to do.

***

Two pairs
of brown eyes watched Kaoru as she made her way into the commissary. She was
making slow progress on a pair of crutches, with Megumi by her side.

"Hey,
you're right, Yahiko, she is cute." Sanosuke Sagara said, leaning
back in his chair to better appreciate the view.

"Yeah,
I told you...she's beautiful," Yahiko sighed.

Sano glanced
over at his young friend with undisguised amusement. "Don't you think she
might be a little old for you?"

"She's
eighteen--only two years older than me!" came Yahiko's indignant reply.

"Yeah,
but that's two whole girl years--she might as well be ten years older than you.
Girls tend to prefer...maturity, I think." It was clear from Sano's tone
of voice whose more mature charms he thought Kaoru would appreciate.

"Don't
you dare think about horning in on her!" yelled Yahiko, drawing
curious glances from other tables.

"Who's
horning in?" Sano asked innocently, batting his thick black lashes. "I'm
just telling you the facts, that's all. And I'd get rid of that pouty baby look
from your face if I were you--they're coming over here."

"Huh! Wha--" Yahiko turned to see that Megumi and
Kaoru were indeed headed straight for their table.

"Hey Yahiko, Sano," Megumi said cheerfully, waving.
"Kaoru was feeling up to a field trip today so I decided to show her around
a little." Holding out a hand in Sano's direction, she turned to Kaoru
and said, "This is Sanosuke Sagara, one of our finest. Sano, this is Kaoru
Kamiya."

"A pleasure," Sano said, standing chivalrously. She's
even better looking close up, he thought, taking in her glossy black hair and
large dark eyes. His eyes traveled down her slender pajama-clad body and back
up again, stopping to look into her eyes with his best smoldering stare.

Kaoru blushed at his blatant appraisal. Better watch out for
this one, she thought, sensing his abundant predatory charm. "Nice to meet
you too, Mr. Sagara," Kaoru said, demurely lowering her eyes.

"Please call me Sano," he said, an easy grin on his
lips.

Through her lashes she sized him up, surveying his tall, lean
form from head to toe. It was an automatic habit of street survival, and she'd
gotten pretty good at figuring people out in a very short amount of time. He's
a Slayer too, she thought, noticing the way he held himself. His well-toned
body radiated a tension like the other Slayer's had, as if he were made of coiled
springs. But that's where the similarities ended; the other Slayer always seemed
to have a black cloud hanging over his head, whereas this one seemed quite carefree.
The other Slayer...

She hadn't seen him since that first day she got here, and it
was almost going on two weeks. While she was mostly relieved not to see him,
she had to admit that a part of her was curious and intrigued about him. They
still haven't had that explanatory "talk" with her that they promised
in the beginning, and she was getting quite impatient.

Yahiko, feeling left out, said, "Hey Kaoru, you're doing
pretty good on those crutches. You must be feeling better!"

"Oh yes, thanks, Yahiko," she replied, grateful for
some innocuous conversation. "The wounds hardly hurt at all anymore--I'm
just trying to get used to being upright again." Kaoru then smiled at him,
and Yahiko feared that he would melt into a puddle on the floor. The smile caught
Sano's attention too, and he patted the empty seat beside him, encouraging her
to sit down. "Why don't you two lovely ladies join us for a little snack?
We've got some food coming soon."

Kaoru looked at Megumi in askance, who said, "Thanks, Sano.
I think that sounds like a great idea." She gracefully seated herself next
to Yahiko, who was looking more than a little put out. Damn that Sanosuke, he
internally grumbled. Why did he always have to move in on girls he liked? It
was so unfair! His ire was mollified somewhat when the food came, and soon the
foursome were having a fine time, talking animatedly and cracking jokes. Sano
especially poured on the charm for Kaoru, and his irreverent sense of humor
soon had everyone going.

Kenshin, who had been walking by the room, caught sight of them
through the doorway and paused. That girl Kaoru was sitting next to Sanosuke,
smiling at something he'd said. Kenshin saw her hand go up to touch Sano's arm
and felt a weird, unfamiliar pang in his chest.

She certainly didn't look afraid of him, he thought with a trace
of bitterness. She must not know that he's a Slayer too, otherwise she'd be
recoiling from him like she did me. If she only knew some of the things Sano
had done, she wouldn't be laughing and smiling up at him like that... Kenshin
felt a mild horror at his reaction. He realized that he was jealous.

--------------------------------------

Chapter 3

Catching sight of Kenshin standing in the doorway, Sano yelled out, "Hey,
Himura, get over here!"

So that's his last name, thought Kaoru. Kenshin Himura... She warily watched
his unhurried approach, heart thumping with anxiety. As fate would have it,
he ended up standing right next to her.

Looking down at her, he said coolly, "Ms. Kamiya, good to see you're up
and about. Feeling better?"

She stared into his eyes, unable to look away from his hypnotic gaze. "Yes,
thank you," she managed to say.

Kenshin greeted Megumi and Yahiko with a brief nod and said to Sano, "So,
I hear you've been pretty busy."

"Yeah, lots of assignments lately. Makes you wonder if someone's trying
to overthrow the government or something." Sano smiled broadly as he said
this, and Kaoru sincerely hoped that it was a joke.

"All in a day's work, right Sano? We Slayers are nothing if not efficient."
Kenshin looked pointedly into Kaoru's eyes as he spoke, letting her know that
beneath Sano's jovial exterior was a ruthless killer just like him. Sano saw
the look and wondered what the hell he was trying to get at.

Kaoru felt a flash of anger, realizing that he was deliberately baiting her.
She didn't know why he was doing it, but she'd be damned if he thought he could
cow her with a remark. Glaring back into his eyes, she surprised herself by
saying, "I've witnessed your efficiency, Mr. Himura. It was quite impressive."
One of Kenshin's eyebrows rose a fraction at the flash of fire in her eyes.
The girl's got some spirit after all, he thought. "I'm afraid I'm feeling
rather fatigued," Kaoru continued. "Megumi, would you mind if I went
back to my room now?"

"Oh, not at all, Kaoru," Megumi replied, feeling perplexed and left
out by their little exchange. "As a matter of fact, perhaps Sano could
take you back to your room if he doesn't mind? I have an important matter I'd
like to discuss with Kenshin." She shot a meaningful look at Kenshin, giving
him a clue as to the nature of the 'important matter'. Shit, Kenshin thought.
Here it comes.

"I wouldn't mind at all," said Sano, standing. He solicitously put
an arm around Kaoru, helping her up. Kenshin's eyes narrowed at the lingering
way Sano held her, but refrained from saying anything. He was in enough trouble
with Megumi.

Yahiko rose as well, saying, "I guess no one's going to miss me if I get
back to my post. Kaoru, feel free to call me anytime if you need anything, OK?"
Shooting Sano a dirty look, he headed for the door.

"Nice talking with you, Kenshin... I think," Sano said, smirking.

When they were alone, Megumi was the first to speak. "Let's go somewhere
private so we can talk. Follow me." She found an isolated alcove in one
of the main corridors and turned to face Kenshin.

"So, are you going to tell me what the hell that was all about?"

"What do you mean?" Kenshin retorted, his laconic mask back on.

"Cut the crap, Kenshin. Why were you baiting Kaoru like that?"

"I wasn't doing anything of the kind," he replied, annoyed at being
caught doing something he wasn't proud of.

"Fine. If you don't want to cop to that, here's another one for you: Why
have you been avoiding me?"

"Avoiding you?" This time Kenshin's surprise was genuine. He had no
idea what she was talking about.

Megumi rolled her eyes, crossing her arms against her chest defensively. "Considering
that I haven't received a single call, e-mail, text message, or a carrier pigeon
from you in two weeks, I think that qualifies as avoiding." She hoped the
expression on her face didn't look as ugly as it felt, but she couldn't help
it. She hadn't realized until just then how much his emotional unavailability
was hurting her.

"Megumi," Kenshin said wearily. "When you started this thing
between us, I told you how it had to be--no attachments, no regrets. You said
you were OK with that, so why are you so upset?"

"Look, I'm not asking you to marry me," Megumi snapped back."But
is it too much to ask for more than a fuck once in a blue moon, and a 'hi, how
are you?' once in a while? I haven't seen you in two weeks and all you do is
nod at me; how do you think that makes me feel?" Tears welled up in her
eyes, and she turned her face, not wanting to show yet more weakness in front
of him.

"Christ, Megumi," Kenshin said, running a hand through his shaggy
red hair. "This is exactly what I didn't want to happen. Why the hell did
we ruin a perfectly good friendship?"

Lips twisting bitterly, Megumi said, "You're so fucking oblvious sometimes!
I ruined our friendship because I... because I'm in love with you, you bastard!
I've just been too chicken to say it to you. I wanted to give you your space
and have you to come around on your own, but now I know that's just a stupid
fantasy..."

Kenshin, struck dumb by her confession, started toward her, but was halted by
her raised hand. "No, don't! I don't want your pity or whatever it is you're
feeling right now. I know it isn't love, and that's the only thing I want from
you. If I can't have it, then..." She turned and ran away, shoulders shaking
with sobs.

Kenshin stood rooted to the spot, unable to speak or move. He watched Megumi
with a heavy heart, knowing that things could never be the same between them
again. "Dammit," he said softly to himself. He'd just royally screwed
up his first-ever quasi-relationship.

===

"Oh man, Kenshin looks like he's in some deep shit,"
Sano said with glee as he and Kaoru walked down the hall.

Looking at him curiously, Kaoru asked, "What do you mean?"

Sano replied, "Didn't you see that look Megumi gave him? He's gonna get
chewed a new one, I can tell. He probably deserves it, too."

"So...are they really boyfriend and girlfriend or what?" Kaoru had
been curious about the true nature of their relationship from day one and was
hoping Sano could shed some light on it.

"Ah, I don't know if that's what they call it--all I know is that Megumi's
been in love with him since forever and she finally got him to give it up a
few months ago." Smiling wickedly at Kaoru's blushing face, Sano continued,
"Kenshin's always been a loner, though, so I don't think the relationship's
been going to her liking."

"Oh," Kaoru said, as if she understood. "Just how long have you
known them? You can't be that much older than me, but you're always talking
like you've been here forever."

Sano got a reflective look on his face and said, "I've only known them
a few years, but they've known each other a lot longer. Megumi's dad was the
chief doctor here before her, so she grew up in this place and followed in his
footsteps. Inherited his cause, if you will. Now Kenshin, on the other hand--"
Suddenly, a shrill beep came from somewhere within Sano's jacket, interrupting
him.

He dug around until he found a tiny silver cell phone. Lifting it to his ear,
he said, "Sagara." His face was suddenly all business, and he listened
intently to whoever was speaking to him. "Got it, give me three minutes."
He put away the phone and looked apologetically down at Kaoru.

"Duty calls--I need to report to the command center right now. I think
we're pretty close to your room, though, so let me do this..." He suddenly
bent at the knees and lifted her up in his arms, crutches and all, and started
racing down the hallway.

"Sano!" Kaoru gasped, shocked at the unexpected proximity of his body
and the speed at which it was moving. About ten seconds later, he deposited
her gently onto her feet in front of her door, bowing with a fluorish.

"Thank you," Kaoru said. "I hope you're not expecting a tip."

"No need, pretty lady," he replied. "You were so light it was
no trouble at all. In fact, you can ride me anytime--see you around." He
gave her another jaunty wink and hurried down the hall, leaving Kaoru to gape
after him. After the initial shock wore off, she couldn't help but smile and
shake her head. Sano was many things, but dull certainly wasn't one of them.

===

Sano rushed into the command center to find Katsura and Kenshin
waiting for him. "What's up? The dispatcher said it was urgent," he
said.

"Yes," Katsura replied. "We got word that Wu Jinsong has come
out of the woodwork, and he'll be in Tokyo very briefly tonight."

"Wu Jinsong?" Sano asked. "The Triad leader? Wow, he's been on
our list for years... Sounds like fun." He smiled and started cracking
his knuckles.

"Don't take this too lightly, Sano." Katsura warned. "He will
be very well guarded, as you can imagine. That's why I'm sending both of you.
He's been hiding out for a long time--God knows who or what he's picked up during
that time that has emboldened him to show his face around here again."

"Noted, Boss. I'm ready when you are, Kensh." Sano said, looking over
at Kenshin.

Nodding, Kenshin replied, "Let's go."

===

Kaoru lay in her bed, unsucessfully trying to take a nap. Her mind kept going
over the events of the afternoon, making sleep impossible. She tried to understand
Kenshin's behavior toward her, but it was no use--who knew what could be going
on behind that enigmatic face of his? It seemed not even his longtime 'friend',
Megumi, knew the answer to that question.

Frustrated, she went over the mini fridge in the corner of the room to get a
snack. Selecting an apple and a wedge of cheese, she sat back on her bed, happily
munching. As traumatic as the events were that led up to her being at this strange
place, she couldn't complain about the free food. She'd already gained a few
much-needed pounds in the past couple of weeks, and her skin and hair were also
showing the benefits of regular meals.

She was almost done with her apple when she heard a soft knock at her door.
"Who is it?" she asked.

"It's Kogoro Katsura, the Head Director. Do you have a moment?"

Mr. Katsura! Kaoru quickly dumped her apple core and headed for the door, straightening
her clothes and smoothing her hair. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door
to see Katsura, who had a polite, pleasant expression on his face.

"Ah, Kaoru, good to see you're looking so well. May I come in?"

"Yes, of course," Kaoru replied, stepping aside to let him through.

Katsura inclined his head and said, "I'm sorry I haven't been able to meet
with you earlier, but things are very busy for us at the moment. So, to the
business at hand--I'm here to fill you in on who we are. To be brief, we're
a secret organization that handles certain...difficult situations for the government.
What you witnessed Agent Himura doing that night was indeed government-sanctioned,
but we're not owned by the government. We have been our own entity for over
100 years, since the beginning of the Meiji Era. I'm sure you're familiar with
the general details of that period?"

Kaoru, caught off guard by the question, stammered, "Er, yes, sir. I know
as much as any seventh grader, anyway... That's when I had to leave school."

"Ah. Well, the Meiji Era was supposed to finally bring equality and peace
to the people. As we all know, that didn't happen--some of the new people who
came to power were as equally corrupt as those they deposed, and that caused
much dissension. One of those dissidents, ironically, was a person who'd actually
helped bring about the Revolution. He became so disillusioned with the government
that he came to found this organization. I'm named after him--he was my great-grandfather,
you see."

"Oh," Kaoru said, fascinated. "So how did an organization that
started out as a dissident group come to work with the government?"

"Our goal was always to better the lives of the people of this country,
not just mindlessly oppose the government. When times and people started to
change, we realized that we could accomplish much more by working with the government.
But we reserve the right to refuse cooperation with them if we feel what they
want to do violates our principals. That is how we preserve our integrity."
He paused and looked at Kaoru with grave eyes.

"I can sense your question," he said. "Why, if to better the
world, do we kill? We definitely believe that certain means justify certain
ends. Suffice to say that the four men Kenshin dispatched that night deserved
it. Even so, we're aware of the toll our actions can take, especially on our
agents. Kenshin's been at it since he was 17... I would prefer it if Kenshin
would tell you his story to you himself, but since I'm pretty sure that won't
happen, I'm afraid I'll have to do the honors."

"Mr. Katsura," Kaoru said, "You don't have to tell me anything,
really. I--"

"No, I think I do. More for Kenshin than you, believe it or not. You see,
I'm very concerned about him. In the seven years he's been an agent, I've seen
him change--and not for the better. He's become so closed in within himself
that I fear for his ability to function as a normal human being anymore."

Eyes wide, Kaoru asked, "What...what do I have anything to do with restoring
his humanity?"

"I'm not sure yet, but he's been different since the night he brought you
back here. I think...he has something he can care about again. Kenshin's been
with us since he was eight years old. His parents were shopkeepers who tried
to resist yakuza tributes and lost their lives in the process. One of our agents
had been sent to dispatch those thugs but got there too late. The agent was
able to save Kenshin, however, and brought him back here. From day one Kenshin
wanted to become an agent--not only to avenge his parents' deaths but to make
sure more innocent people wouldn't get harmed. His personal stake in his job
is what makes him so damn good. However, it's also slowly eating away at him,
as killing people is just not in his nature. A man can't live with a fundamental
conflict like that forever, and an effective but short life is not something
I ever wanted for him. He needs to regain some semblance of normalcy--something
to care and fight about in the here and now. Do you understand?"

Katsura's intense stare unnerved Kaoru, and she replied, "I-I think so,
but I still don't know what part I'm supposed to play in all this..."

Sighing, Katusra said, "I realize it's a lot to handle, and I'm sorry about
that. However, I don't have time for niceties. Let me get straight to the point:
I think Kenshin cares about you. Do you think you could care for him?"

--------------------------------------

Chapter 4

Kaoru looked at him blankly, his question not immediately registering. "S-sir,
I think you got it all wrong," she said at last. "I don't think Mr.
Himura even likes me, much less care for me. Not only that...do you even know
about Megumi?"

Katsura, his mouth curving into a crooked grin, answered, "I've known Kenshin
a lot longer than you, so I know of what I speak. The thing with Megumi is not
fated to last long. They will always be better friends than lovers. I believe
you may already have an inkling of this?"

Kaoru felt a blush coming on, recalling the events of the afternoon. "Even
if what you say is true," she said. "You can't force me to care for
someone I barely know!" She couldn't help but let the frustration creep
into her voice. This man's strange requests and assertions were maddening!

"No, I certainly cannot. However, there is plenty of time and opportunity
for you two to get acquainted, and that is all I want. Just give it a chance
and see where it goes. If you find that it's impossible for you to get along,
that's fine. What I want from you is just an effort, understand?" Katsura's
voice was kind, and it allayed her frazzled nerves somewhat.

"All right, Mr. Katsura. I can certainly try."

"Good. That's all I wanted to say. Do you have any questions for me before
I go?"

"Yes," Kaoru said. "There is something I've been very curious
about...why do you use swords?"

"Hm, yes, it must seem odd to you. Believe it or not, the samurai sword
is still the most effective and discreet weapon for our agents. They are trained
in the use of many different weapons, of course, but sword training is something
we emphasize. Kenshin is the master of an incredibly difficult ancient technique
called the Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu, which makes him almost invincible."

"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryuu..." Kaoru whispered, remembering the sounds
his sword made that terrible night.

"It requires a man of almost superhuman will and focus, which is what Kenshin
is. His life until now has been devoted solely to his swordsmanship training
and his job--two very lonely pursuits. Can't you see why Kenshin might need...something
more?"

Kaoru, held in thrall by Katsura's penetrating gaze, was unable to answer. He
seemed to be satisfied, however, and gave her a comforting smile before turning
to let himself out.

===

Kenshin looked down through the bars of the skylight into the
large room below. The man called Wu Jinsong was sitting at a massive desk, barking
unintelligibly into a phone. The room was lined on all sides with bodyguards,
visibly armed to the teeth.

"There are thirty guys in the room, with four posted outside the door,"
said Yahiko voice in his earpiece. "Sano's going to bust in through the
front, and when some of the attention's diverted, go straight for Wu, OK?"

"All right," Kenshin answered, his usual icy calm in place. He slowly
drew his sword from its sheath and stood at the ready.

All of a sudden, an explosion went off in the front of the building, sending
Wu diving for cover under his desk. There was a great commotion as Wu waved
off some of his guards to see what was going on, while frantically gesturing
the rest to come in closer to cover him.

In that instant, Kenshin sliced through the security bars and crashed through
the skylight in a shower of glass, landing on his feet as lithely as a cat.
Before anyone had a chance to react, he'd slashed through five of the guards,
his body a blur as he moved through them like a phantom. The other guards, finally
figuring out what was going on, whipped out their weapons and proceeded to fire
a rainstorm of bullets toward Kenshin. He dodged the bullets by jumping impossibly
high in the air, and executed a graceful flip to land right beside Wu's desk.
He quickly took out the men in the immediate vicinity with a few sword strokes,
and ducked down to join Wu under the desk.

"Ah, here's where the rat's been hiding," Kenshin said with a smile
that did not reach his eyes. Wu gasped and cowered away from him, seeing the
cold murder in the young man's eyes.

"P-please, I beg of you, don't kill me!" Wu screeched, covering his
head with his arms.

"Get up, you cowardly pig," Kenshin snarled. "Not so tough when
it's right next to you, are you? Call off your men. Now." He then prodded
the gangster with the hilt of his sword, making him emerge from his hiding place.

"S-stop shooting!" Wu shouted as he got up, hands raised and quaking.
"For God's sake, stop!!"

His men complied, and soon the room was silent save for the crunch of glass
as Kenshin forced Wu to move toward the doors. At that moment, Sano came barreling
through, a large pistol in each hand. He plowed through the remaining guards,
a tornado of kicking feet and blazing guns, and soon only three men were left
standing in the room.

His chest heaving, Sano said with a broad smile, "Hey, pretty impressive--even
for us."

"Just one last order of business to take care of," Kenshin replied,
raising his sword high above Wu's head.

All of a sudden, Sano and Kenshin heard Yahiko yell in his ear, "Look out,
someone's at the door!" They heard a whistling sound come toward them,
and moved apart, narrowly missing two shuriken meant for their heads. Their
heads snapped toward the door, where a tall slender man in a long white coat
stood.

"Aoshi!" Wu cried happily, tears forming in his eyes.

"Shut up, old man," the man called Aoshi said, disgust evident in
his voice. "Saving you is the last thing I'd do if I had a choice."
He then ran toward Sano with impossible speed, and crashed into him before Sano
could fire his gun. As Sano reeled from the impact, the man pulled out a kodachi
from inside his coat and slashed a large swath of red on Sano's chest. Only
a last minute twist of his body kept Sano from being completely disemboweled,
but the slash was deep enough to send him writhing to the ground.

"Sano!" Kenshin shouted. That man knew Sano was the weaker one, he
thought, running toward them. Sano rolled away from his attacker and managed
to fire off a round, but the man was way too fast and the bullet went flying
harmlessly through his flapping coat. Aoshi circled and swooped down on Sano
to deliver another blow, but the ground beneath him suddenly buckled and cracked
like a wild horse, sending him and Sano flying in opposite directions. Do Ryu
Sen, was Sano's last thought as he crashed to the ground, the impact rendering
him unconscious.

Aoshi flipped once in the air and landed crouching on his feet, his impassive
face finally registering an expression--surprise. His ice blue eyes flared under
the shock of his black hair, and something like a smile flickered on his lips.
"Not bad, Himura," he said softly. "Truly a worthy opponent."

Kenshin's eyes widened when he heard the man use his name. Just who was this
guy? There was no time to further ponder the question, as Aoshi was already
charging toward him. Kenshin blocked the taller man's kodachi strike with his
sword, but received a nasty surprise as Aoshi pulled another kodachi out from
his coat and slashed at his torso. Kenshin leaped back in time to avoid serious
injury, but the swing did manage to slice into his clothes, leaving a wide gash
which revealed a thin red line beginning to seep blood.

Immediately taking the offensive, Kenshin swung his sword out in a wide arc
from his crouching position, aiming for Aoshi's thighs. The blow was deflected
with a loud clang from one of Aoshi's kodachis, and the second kodachi came
flashing down at Kenshin's sword arm. Kenshin leaped back, and the kodachi slashed
through the flap of his coat.

Knowing he couldn't allow Aoshi any respite from his attacks, he rushed at him
again, this time jumping high in the air and bringing his sword down with both
hands for maximum force. Aoshi blocked the potentially fatal blow by forming
an 'x' with his double kodachis, but the power of Kenshin's blow did cause one
of them to splinter apart. Not missing a beat, Aoshi fell on his back and delivered
a kick with both feet to Kenshin's ribs, sending the smaller man flying across
the room.

Shit, thought Kenshin as he crashed against the wall, feeling a sharp pain assail
his torso. Aoshi's kick had broken several of his ribs, and he struggled to
regain his breath as he pulled himself up with his sword. He looked up to see
that Aoshi hadn't escaped totally unscathed. Fragments from his shattered kodachi
had made numerous cuts on his face, marring the smooth alabaster surface with
little red gashes.

"Kenshin! What's going on, are you OK?" Yahiko's voice yelled in his
earpiece.

"All right, so far," Kenshin said, breathing hard. "Sano needs
a medic and if there's any backup in the area I'd appreciate it."

"OK, I'll see what I can do--just hang on!" Kenshin could hear the
furious tapping of keys on Yahiko's end. Don't let me down, Yahiko, he thought,
looking at Aoshi's frighteningly impassive face.

Aoshi rubbed his face with his hand, and looked down at the red smears on his
fingers with what looked like amusement. "Very impressive. Your strength
and speed are truly amazing. But," his eyes flashed up to Kenshin. "You
won't survive me. No one ever has."

Kenshin, in reply, sheathed his sword and bent his knees, turning his body so
that his side was presented to Aoshi. His hand hovering over the hilt of his
sword, he said simply, "Come."

"Gladly," Aoshi replied, tossing aside his destroyed sword. However,
instead of charging at Kenshin as he'd previously done, his body blurred and
seemed to multiply as he began circling him at an astonishing speed. Kenshin's
eyes narrowed as he tried to follow Aoshi's movements, but it was impossible
to tell where he really was. He wouldn't know until Aoshi attacked. He relaxed
his body, readying his reflexes for the strike that could come from anywhere.

His finely attuned senses felt a movement come from behind, and he unsheathed
his sword and whirled in a single move, parrying Aoshi's attack. Without pausing,
he grabbed his sheath and thrust it hard into Aoshi's chest, knocking the wind
out of him. Coughing and gasping, Aoshi fell back, but not before lashing out
with his foot to kick Kenshin hard in one knee.

"Unh!" Kenshin cried, dropping down as his knee buckled. It hurt like
hell, but at least it wasn't broken. He had to press whatever slim advantage
he had... Marshalling every last ounce of energy, he flew at Aoshi, teeth bared
in a grimace. His sword flashed brightly as he delivered a succession of quick
blows. There wasn't as much force behind the blows, but he knew that Aoshi's
defenses were too good to rely on just one strike. His strategy paid off. Without
his other kodachi, Aoshi had a harder time blocking Kenshin's strikes, and Kenshin
was finally able to connect, tearing the remaining kodachi out of Aoshi's hand
and sending it clattering to the floor.

His victory was short-lived however, as Aoshi immediately pulled out a dagger
from his coat and plunged it into Kenshin's shoulder. Kenshin cried out and
tried to fall back, but Aoshi followed him, and the two men fell to the floor
in a tangled heap. Aoshi used the momentum to press the dagger deeper into Kenshin's
shoulder, eliciting another cry. He then immediately put his other hand on Kenshin's
throat, bearing down hard to cut off his air.

"Looks like you're out of luck, Himura," Aoshi hissed, the faintest
of smiles on his lips. "Thanks for the great fight--it was fun."

Kenshin gasped for air, feeling the edges of his vision go black. Gritting his
teeth, he struggled against the larger man's form above him, but to no avail--he
was at a great disadvantage. White lights exploded behind his eyes and he felt
himself sliding into unconsciousness, his body starved for oxygen.

All of a sudden, two shots rang out and the pressure was eased from his throat.
Rolling away from Aoshi's body, Kenshin took in great gulps of breath, struggling
to his hands and knees. He vaguely heard someone call his name, and looked up
to see a slim young woman standing above him, her big green eyes wide with concern.

"Agent Himura! Are you all right? Oh my gosh--looks like I got here just
in time! Wow! I can't believe I got that guy! All the training's finally paying
off! The medics are on their way, so just sit tight, OK?" She reminded
Kenshin of a very excitable bird, chirping and whipping her head about as she
talked.

Kenshin, wincing at all her patter, asked hoarsely, "Just who the hell
are you?"

"Oh, I'm sorry--I neglected introduce myself. First Scout Misao Makimachi
at your service, sir! Your Handler Yahiko called for backup and I was the nearest
one, so...here I am!" She plopped down on her knees beside him, her calves
splayed out like a child's. She certainly could pass for one, Kenshin thought,
looking at her coltish body.

Finally catching his breath, he limped over to where Aoshi lay to inspect the
damage. Aoshi was on his back, a gaping bullet wound in his shoulder and a bloody
gash on the side of his head where the other bullet had grazed him and made
him unconscious.

"Nice shooting, Misao," he said. "Don't forget to put some restraints
on this guy--I imagine we'll have to take him back with us for questioning."
He was one tough son of a bitch, thought Kenshin, gingerly touching his throat.
He then went over to Sano's inert body, and saw to his relief that his injuries
didn't look life-threatening. He sat down next to Sano with a weary sigh, body
aching all over. He was leaning his head back against the wall when he suddenly
remembered...Wu!

Kenshin looked wildly about, trying to see if Wu was cowering anywhere. "Hey,
Misao, did you happen to see--"

"You mean this guy?" Misao emerged from the hallway, dragging a very
scared-looking Wu behind her. "I ran into him on the way in. Good thing
for Handlers--Yahiko told me to hold on to him, so I did."

"Oh please, please don't hurt me!" Wu blubbered, falling to his knees
in front of Misao. "I'll give you anything you want! I'll make you rich!
I'll--" He was suddenly silenced by a hard thump to the head from Misao.

"He's a noisy fella, isn't he?" she asked, a devilish grin on her
face.

"Misao, I like your style," Kenshin said, an unaccustomed smile coming
to his face.

--------------------------------------

Chapter 5

Misao couldn't stop staring at him. All the blood covering his face and body
couldn't hide his extraordinary beauty. As the medic copter rumbled up into
the sky, Misao clutched at her seat, more to keep herself from touching the
supine young man in front of her than out of any fear of heights. That's great,
Misao, she said to herself. Of all the people to get all ga-ga over, it would
have to be someone you just shot!

The medic on the other side of the stretcher was bandaging up his shoulder wound,
pressing down to staunch the flow of blood. Misao caught sight of the prisoner's
long slender hands twitch in their restraints, and her eyes flew up to his face.
His lips were tight with pain, and his ice-blue eyes burned out at her from
under narrowed lids. She suddenly found it difficult to breathe, her heart pounding
a mile a minute.

"Hey, Makimachi," the medic called out. "Can you hold this while
I look at his head?"

Misao, tearing her eyes away from his face, looked down at the reddening bandage
under the medic's hands. "Uh, yeah, sure..." She awkwardly switched
hands with the medic, and found herself pressing down on the prisoner's muscled
shoulder, feeling the warm blood seep through the bandage. She swallowed, feeling
just a little bit faint. It was one thing to fire at dummies and paper targets
during training, quite another to actually feel the results of shooting a live
target. Especially when the live target looked like him...

She glanced down at his face again despite herself, and was relieved to see
that his eyes were closed. She watched as the medic cleaned up his face, wiping
away the blood with a damp cloth. As more of his face was revealed, Misao felt
her heart starting up again. In all of her seventeen years, she'd never felt
like this around anyone. What the hell's wrong with me? she asked herself, quite
annoyed. Why am I being such a...

"Hey, watch your hands!" The medic shouted at her, jolting her out
of her reverie. "Keep the pressure on!"

Misao started, and looked down at her hands, which had indeed slipped off the
bandage. "S-sorry!" she said, replacing her hands and renewing the
pressure. She vowed not to look at his face anymore. Instead, her eyes slid
down his bare chest to his rippled stomach, noticing the fine silky hairs that
started below his navel and disappeared down the waistband of his pants. She
sighed, closing her eyes. It was going to be a long ride back to HQ.

===

"Hold still, will you?" Megumi said to Kenshin as
she wrapped his ribs tightly with bandages.

"I'm trying," he gritted out, hissing as pain knifed through his torso
again.

"Almost done... There." Securing the end of the bandage, she rose,
looking at him sternly. "I don't want you straining this thing for at least
the next week, got it?"

"I guess that rules out...you know what," came Sano's wry voice from
the other bed.

Megumi whipped around, her eyes shooting daggers at her other patient. "Don't
make me re-bandage that wound," she said with heartfelt menace, eyeing
the considerable swath of material on his chest. Seeing that Sano had no witty
rejoinder, she stomped out of the infirmary.

"Hey, what'd I say?" Sano asked. He looked over at Kenshin, and seeing
the grim expression on his face, came to a realization. "Oh, shit...you
guys didn't..."

"Yeah," sighed Kenshin, laying back on the bed gingerly. "Yesterday."

"Oh man, why didn't you tell me? You should have known I was going to say
something stupid!" Sano looked crestfallen. A few seconds later, he asked,
"Hey, can I ask her out?" Seeing the disbelief on Kenshin's face,
he mumbled quickly, "Just a thought."

He then asked, "So what happened with you guys, anyway? Looked like you
were in some kinda trouble, but I didn't think it'd be that serious."

Shrugging, Kenshin replied, "Let's just say I just couldn't be what she
wanted me to be."

"Hn," snorted Sano. "Couldn't or wouldn't?"

Scowling, Kenshin replied, "What difference does it make? The fact is it
didn't work out and now it's over. God, I'm tired--will you just let me sleep?"
He put an arm over his eyes, hoping Sano would get the hint.

"Man, all I know is, if I had a fox like Megumi at my beck and call..."

Kenshin started making exaggerated snoring sounds, and Sano said, "All
right, all right! No more for tonight." He then reached over to turn off
the light, adding, "Good night."

" 'Night, Sano," Kenshin said quietly. His eyes were open in the dark,
his thoughts on the strange young man they fought earlier that night. He had
an uneasy feeling about him--his presence seemed to portend something greater
and more dangerous coming their way.

===

Aoshi lay in his dark cell, head and shoulder throbbing from
the bullet wounds. He shifted on the thin cot, wondering when they would come
for him. They would want information from him, undoubtedly. He was prepared
for the eventuality of torture, but he couldn't die, not yet. He needed to get
back to her desperately..

The sound of the door being unlatched brought him instantly alert, and his body
tensed. The door inched open a crack, and something heavy and metallic-sounding
was placed on the floor. Then the door closed, with no accompanying latching
sound. What the hell? Aoshi asked himself, sitting up in the cot. What kind
of trick was this?

He let a few agonizing seconds pass, wondering what to do. He finally decided
to take the risk and made his way silently over to the door, his body tight
against the wall. He crouched down when he neared the door, and tentatively
put out a hand to feel for the object. When his fingertips touched metal, his
hand shot back, in case it was some kind of trap. When nothing happened, he
put his hand out once more, this time letting it more fully examine the object.
His heart started pounding like mad when he realized that it was a gun.

===

Misao walked down the corridor wearily, having just finished
filing her report. She yawned and blinked blearily, looking down at her watch.
4 a.m.! She'd been up for nearly twenty-two hours, and was predictably exhausted.
It had been a hell of a day. Her first taste of action on the job. She was proud
that she'd been able to come to Agent Himura's rescue, but couldn't help but
feel some regret about the man she had to shoot. She was wondering what was
to become of him when a hand suddenly swooped out from behind her to cover her
mouth.

Her involuntary scream was effectively muffled by the hand, and when she started
to struggle, she felt the press of cold steel against her jaw. A low voice said
in her ear, "Shut up. We're going for a walk." A lean male body pressed
up against her back, prompting her to move forward. She jerkily complied, stunned
at this totally unexpected turn of events. Her eyes rolled around wildly, trying
to get some kind of clue about her captor. She was able to catch a glimpse of
his legs, and saw that he was wearing a guard's uniform. How could this be?

All of a sudden, voices could be heard coming down the hall, and Misao's heart
leapt. Maybe this was her chance! But before she could even think about renewing
her struggles, she was slammed against the wall and roughly turned over, her
captor's much bigger body pressing close. His head was a blur as it swooped
down, and suddenly his hard mouth was against hers, and she could feel him rudely
insert his thigh between her legs. She started making outraged noises in her
throat, and desperately bucked her body against his, but the press of his gun
into her midriff put a quick stop to her struggles.

The two men who walked past them saw only overly ardent lovers, and one of them
sniggered, "Get a room." As their footsteps receded down the hall,
Misao slumped against the wall, tears starting at the corners of her eyes. Her
captor released her mouth, and her outraged green eyes flew up to meet surprised
ice-blue ones.

"You!" she said, almost shouting. His hand instantly came up to cover
her mouth again, and he shook his head admonishingly. He pressed the gun harder
against her and she winced, acknowledging that he meant business.

"Listen to me," he said with silky menace. "You're going to lead
me out of here if you want to live, got it?" She shakily nodded, and they
headed down the corridor once more, this time with no further interruptions.

===

The clinking of cutlery and the unmistakable smell of pancakes
and syrup awoke Kenshin. He opened his eyes woozily to see Sano working on an
enormous stack with great relish. Sano raised his fork to him in greeting, mumbling
something around a mouthful of food. There was a girl sitting by his bed, her
back turned to Kenshin. It was Kaoru.

Sano's gesture made her glance behind her, and she said to Kenshin, "Oh,
you're awake. I'm trying to make myself useful, so I'm on breakfast detail.
Are you hungry?" She sounded cheerful, but he sensed that it was a little
forced.

Before he could respond, Sano said to her slyly, "Hey, please tell me you'll
be on sponge bath detail later." Kaoru gasped with mock outrage and smacked
his arm, and they both laughed. Kenshin couldn't help but feel like a third
wheel in the face of their easy intimacy. It made him very grumpy.

"No thanks," he said gruffly, making a move to get out of bed. He
winced at the pain that shot through his ribs, and was surprised to feel the
touch of Kaoru's hand on his arm.

"Uh-uh," she said, gently pushing him back on the bed. "Dr. Takani
gave me strict orders to keep you in bed." As soon as she said it, she
realized how it sounded and a furious blush came to her face.

"Heh heh," Sano snickered behind her. "I hope Megumi gave you
those orders for me too."

"Oh shut up, Sano," she said crossly, rising to get some food for
Kenshin. She had just started walking without crutches, so her progress was
slow--something she was grateful for at the moment. She wanted the embarrassing
flush on her face to dissipate before she had to face Kenshin again.

Ugh, this is a great start, she thought to herself, thinking of Mr. Katsura's
request. She felt stupid trying to be all cheerful and sunny around Kenshin.
She was pretty sure that he saw right through her, anyway, so that made it even
harder. But I've got to try...

Assembling his breakfast tray distracted her somewhat, and she was relieved
to feel her face returning to a normal temperature. Taking a silent deep breath,
she turned around, a smile pasted on her face. Kenshin was sitting up in bed,
his arms crossed over his chest. He looked a little disgruntled, but seemed
willing to stay put for a bit.

Walking stiffly, she'd almost made it when she tripped over the protruding wheel
of his hospital bed. She watched in horror as the tray went flying, dumping
its contents all over Kenshin. She fell hard onto the floor, her hands smarting
from bearing the brunt of the fall. As she struggled to get up, she felt a strong
pair of hands lift her by the arms and set her on the bed.

"Are you all right?" Kenshin asked, his lavender eyes clouded with
concern. Orange juice was dripping down his face and there was a strawberry
stuck to his bandages, not to mention the pancakes piled in his lap.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry," Kaoru wailed, grabbing a napkin and trying
to undo some of the damage. "I can't believe I did this... Oh no..."

"Uh, it's OK, really... I-I need to go to the bathroom anyway--I'll clean
up in there." Kenshin gently rebuffed her efforts and walked over to the
bathroom, trailing various items from his breakfast tray on the floor in the
process.

Letting out a defeated moan, Kaoru fell back on the bed, hands covering her
face. "Hey, don't worry about it," came Sano's breezy voice. "He's
a fucking assassin, for crying out loud--he can handle a little o.j. to the
face."

Kaoru laughed despite herself. She could always count on Sano to put things
into perspective. "Yeah, I guess you're right," she said, getting
up to pulled the ruined sheets off the bed. "But that doesn't make it any
less embarrassing!"

"So why are you trying so hard to impress him, anyway? Am I not number
one in your heart anymore?" Sano clutched his chest, looking wounded.

"Ugh, I wouldn't even know where to start. Suffice to say that it wasn't
all my idea..." She was debating whether or not to tell Sano about Katsura's
bizarre request when the bathroom door opened and Kenshin stepped out. Biting
her lip, Kaoru continued stripping the bed.

"I'll get my own breakfast," Kenshin said, looking at her. "Thanks
for cleaning up the bed."

"You're welcome," Kaoru mumbled. She was wondering if it would be
considered terribly rude to send herself down the laundry chute with the sheets
when Katsura suddenly stepped in the room, flanked by two security guards.

"Kenshin, Sano," he said, an unusual urgent edge in his voice. "We
have a situation."

--------------------------------------

Chapter 6

"What is it, sir?" asked Kenshin, alarmed. Katsura was very rarely
ruffled, so he knew this was serious.

"Aoshi's escaped," Katsura replied. "With what looks like help
from the inside."

"What?!" Sano bellowed, ready to leap out of bed. "How?"

"The guard watching him was murdered, with no evidence of a struggle. The
guard knew Aoshi's helper, which is disturbing. Not only that, it seems Aoshi
has also kidnapped Scout Makimachi."

"Misao!" Kenshin exclaimed, his eyebrows furrowing.

"Could she be the helper?" asked Sano.

"Unlikely," answered Katsura. "A surveillance camera at one of
the exits caught them, and he had a gun on her."

"It could be an act," insisted Sano, trying to make sense of it all.

"It's a slim possibility," Katsura said. "But it would make more
sense if she wasn't. Think about it--we don't know who the helper is. He has
greater potential to cause damage if he's still here. And with two of our best
agents out of commission..." His eyes flicked over to Kenshin and Sano's
bandages, and his mouth tightened into a grim line.

"It's the perfect opportunity to take out this place," Kenshin finished.

"That's what we're afraid of, and that's why I'm here to order the Evacuation
Procedure on all key personnel. Effective immediately."

"Evacuation?" Kenshin asked. They've all been trained on it, of course,
but this was the first time in the history of the organization that it had been
invoked.

Katsura nodded, looking into his eyes. "You know what you have to do, and
where to go. But Himura, I'm afraid you have an additional responsibility--I'm
asking you to take Kaoru with you."

"What? But sir!" Kenshin protested, bewildered.

"She's the most vulnerable one here, and I need the strongest to take care
of her. No more questions. You need to leave--now. That's an order." Katsura
turned on his heel and swiftly walked out, leaving a shocked silence in his
wake.

Kaoru looked at Kenshin anxiously, not sure what was going on. Surely Katsura
couldn't mean for them to go somewhere together! The troubled expression on
Kenshin's face told her how much he was looking forward to the task. Shaking
her head, she said, "Um, Kenshin, I'm sure what Mr. Katsura said will be
unnecessary... I've survived on my own for a long time--I'll be fine."

"You've never had people hunting you down before," Kenshin said quietly.
"And it's not just about you anymore--others could get hurt if you get
caught. Katsura's right; there's only one way. Get ready to leave."

Kaoru complied in a daze, unable to believe what was happening. Her world, turning
upside-down again in an instant... Kenshin saw the devastation on her face,
and it wrenched at him like nothing had in a long time. He wished he had as
much faith in himself as Katsura did.

"Well, this is damned unfair," grumbled Sano as he got out of bed.
"How come you get to evacuate with the pretty girl?"

===

As soon as they were a good distance away from the compound,
Aoshi realized that he'd better start looking for some less conspicuous clothes.
Misao, like the other agents, wore regular street clothes, but his head-to-toe
olive green fatigues and cap were bound to get noticed, even in the dead of
night. Luckily, he spotted a couple of drunken men staggering up ahead. One
of them looked to be about his size.

Even with Misao in tow, he was able to rush up swiftly behind them, quickly
knocking them out with two thumps of his pistol. He and Misao dragged them into
a nearby alley, where he began to undress. Jerking his head toward the taller
of the two men, he ordered, "Take off his clothes. Hurry."

Misao obeyed with trembling fingers, acutely aware of his piercing gaze. When
at last the man was stripped down to his underwear, she looked up at Aoshi,
who stood in front of her completely naked. She gulped, her eyes frantically
trying to look anywhere but there.

"Oh Jesus," said Aoshi, putting on the drunk's clothes. "Haven't
you ever seen a naked man before?" As soon as he said it, a speculative
gleam came into his eyes. "Hm, maybe you haven't. You do look awfully young
and...untried."

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?! " Misao shouted with outrage,
her eyes flashing murderously. She was ready to fly at him, gun or not.

"Even if you haven't, I know you've been wanting to. I remember the way
you looked at me in that medic copter," He said with a taunting smirk.

"You bastard!" Misao screamed, leaping at him. Her sudden attack caused
Aoshi, who'd been putting on pants, to lose his balance. They went crashing
to the ground, Misao pounding on Aoshi's head with everything she had.

"Enough!" he shouted, grabbing her wrists and rolling over until she
was pinned beneath him. They glared at each other, breathing heavily.

"Look," Misao began. "I think I know why you feel compelled to
humiliate me. I realize it must be a blow to the ego for a guy like to you to
get shot by a rookie like me, but couldn't you--"

"What?!" he interrupted incredulously. "You're the one who shot
me?"

Misao, equally surprised, asked, "You didn't know? I thought that was why
you kidnapped me--as some kind of revenge..."

"No," he said, shaking his head with disbelief. "You just happened
to be there; I would've taken anyone. Well, that explains your ineptitude as
a medic. Unbelievable. I must really be slipping."

Wisely deciding that diplomacy was the most prudent course of action, Misao
took a deep breath asked calmly, "Now what?"

"No change in plans--we get up and we go." He rose, hauling her up
to her feet, and finished dressing.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked as they left the alley,

"To the harbor," he replied curtly, putting an arm around her. He
pressed his gun against her ribs under her jacket, urging her to move.

===

Kaoru waited for Kenshin anxiously by the elevator doors, stomach
churning. Out of the frying pan and into the fire, she thought, staring blankly
at the pristine white walls. She heard footsteps approaching, and saw Kenshin
round the corner. He was wearing his customary long black trench coat over black
jeans and a black hooded sweatshirt. Quite the modern-day grim reaper, Kaoru
thought.

"Ready?" he asked. She nodded in reply, her throat suddenly closing
up. He pressed a button and the elevator doors slid open silently. Their ride
up to the surface was tense, the air between them bristling with repressed energy.
Kenshin wished there was something he could say to reassure her, but had a hard
time finding the right words.

At last the elevator stopped, and the doors opened to a long metal hallway.
At the end they came to a door with a smooth panel where a handle should be.
Kenshin placed his hand on it, and it lit up. After a few seconds, the door
opened to a dark alley.

Kaoru shivered, looking out into the inky darkness. It had been weeks since
she'd been out in the "real" world, and she couldn't believe how much
more ominous it seemed after the clean safety of the compound. Kenshin put the
hood of his sweatshirt over his distinctive red hair and stepped out, looking
back at Kaoru. Seeing her apprehension, he extended his hand. She took it hesitantly,
but once his warm fingers wrapped around her hand, she gripped back tightly,
looking at him with what she hoped was a brave face. Kenshin, his heart twisting
again, led her out into the still night air.

Walking down the street, they looked like tentative young lovers. Their held
hands indicated a certain intimacy, but the way their bodies were separated
said that they were not quite used to each other yet.

===

Pale pink was beginning to peek over the horizon when Aoshi
and Misao at last made it to the harbor. Nearly hallucinating from fatigue,
Misao gasped out, "God, I hope your boat's close... Which one is it?"

Aoshi wordlessly led her to a slip a few yards down, where a small, nondescript
yacht awaited them. Misao's eyes darted about, desperately searching for anything
that might help her escape. All she noticed was the name of the boat stenciled
on the side: "Aiko." As if sensing her intentions, Aoshi's arm tightened
around her waist, hugging her closer to him as he practically threw her over
the side of the boat onto the deck. He swiftly followed with a catlike leap.

He led her down below to the cabin, which held a large bed and a chair. Pointing
to the bed, he said gruffly, "Lie down."

"Hey, wait a minute..." she said, hands raised, backing away from
him.

Rolling his eyes, he replied, "You flatter yourself. I have no designs
on your barely pubescent body. If you'd rather sleep on the floor, be my guest.
Either way, I need to make sure you won't do anything funny." He opened
a cupboard on the wall, producing a length of rope. Not sure whether to be relieved
or insulted, Misao gulped and sat on the bed.

Aoshi tied her hands and ankles together with businesslike efficiency, and then
tied the end of the rope to the bed. She was definitely stuck for a while. Well,
might as well make the best of it, she thought, flopping back onto the bed.
Rolling on her side, she was asleep within seconds.

Looking down at her small form, Aoshi frowned. This little thing had actually
shot him? She was responsible for his capture? Unbelievable. Unacceptable would
be a better word, he told himself, wearily rolling his shoulders to ease the
ache. Now that he was somewhat safe, the throbbing in his wounds seemed to increase
tenfold and the exhaustion he'd been ignoring threatened to overwhelm him. Just
a little bit longer, he thought, heading for the cockpit.

He found the ignition key in a hidden compartment. To his relief, the yacht
started up right away, and soon he was piloting the craft smoothly out of the
harbor and into open sea.

===

"Aoshi has been set loose, my lord," the man's deep
voice rumbled into his cell phone.

"Good. Everything else also going well?"

"Yes, my lord. Detonation should occur on time." Even though his voice
was calm, the finger smoothing his mustache trembled slightly.

"Perfect. They won't know what hit them."

--------------------------------------

Chapter 7

The small blue car came to a stop in the driveway of the house, the tires kicking
up considerable dust. The driveway was unpaved, as was the road that led up
to the house. Kenshin and Kaoru had arrived at their destination: a small country
cottage in a town called Otsu, outside Kyoto.

Kaoru let out a small groan as she exited the car, stretching to get rid of
some of the stiffness. The drive had been long and she was glad for it to be
over. Since she didn't know how to drive, she'd been unable to relieve Kenshin
of some of the driving, and she felt bad about that. She knew it must have been
agonizing for him with his broken ribs. She watched him holding his side as
he opened the trunk of the car, and rushed over to help him. He gave her a grateful
look, and she got the two small suitcases out.

They both stared at the house, which had a shuttered, unlived-in look. "Guess
this is going to be our home for a while," Kenshin said, starting up the
steps. Kaoru followed silently, her eyes taking in the unfamiliar rustic environment.
So many trees, she thought, looking at the dark forest that surrounded the house.

Kenshin unlocked the front doors, which opened with an ominous creak. "Have
you ever been here before?" Kaoru asked, her voice echoing through the
sparsely furnished house.

"Never," he answered. "It's always been my designated place in
the event of an evacuation, so I've been briefed on its location and the surroundings,
but I've never been here. Kind of spooky, isn't it?"

"Yeah," Kaoru said, looking at all the dust and cobwebs. As she wandered
through the house, she couldn't help but shiver, wondering how she was going
to get through the night in such a place. How funny, she thought. It's probably
safer and cleaner than a lot of the places I've slept in while I was homeless.
Not only that, Kenshin will be here, so stop being such a wimp!

She walked back to where she'd left her suitcase, and found what looked to be
the only "bedroom" in the place. The house being so old, it made sense--whole
families used to sleep in a single room in earlier times. She saw that there
was a closet in one wall, and opened it to find a stack of futons and blankets
wrapped in plastic. Thank goodness, she thought, looking at the dust coating
the covers.

As she pulled the blankets out of the closet, she heard the clatter of metal
and what sounded like Kenshin cursing. Heart pounding, she poked her head out
into the hallway, and saw a light coming out from one of the rooms down the
hall. She ran toward the light, and found herself looking into the bathroom,
where Kenshin was in the act of picking up a pair of scissors from the floor.
She could see wisps of red hair by his feet.

"What are you doing?" she asked, trying not to stare. He was shirtless,
and the sight of his naked torso caused her a strange discomfort.

"Cutting my hair," he replied, holding up the scissors. "It's
too conspicuous. I have some hair dye, too."

"Oh," Kaoru said, looking at him as he started snipping away again.
When he raised his arms above his chest, she saw him wince, and realized he
needed help. "Kenshin, if you want...I can cut your hair. It looks like
your ribs are really bothering you." She stepped toward him, holding out
her hand.

"Really?" Kenshin asked. "You wouldn't mind?"

"No, of course not," she replied, taking the scissors from his hand.
"How short do you want it?"

"Uh, pretty short, I guess. It just needs to look really different. Do
whatever." Kenshin turned around, presenting his back to her, and Kaoru
stared at the thick mass of red hair in front of her.

"OK...here goes." She took a skein of his hair between her fingers,
amazed at how soft it was. She put the gleaming blades of the scissors against
it, and snipped. She watched his hair fall to the floor at her feet. What a
shame, she thought, looking at the shining strands.

As Kaoru continued to cut Kenshin's hair, her fingers brushing against his scalp
sent shivers down Kenshin's spine. He tried hard to ignore the pleasurable feel
of those gentle fingers, but it was a losing battle. His hands unconsciously
clenched, the knuckles going white.

When Kaoru was done with the back, she moved to stand in front of him, and blushed
at her proximity to his naked chest. "Um...is there something you can sit
on?" she asked, clearing her throat. "I think it might be easier if
you could be a little lower."

"Oh, ok," Kenshin replied, looking around the spartan bathroom. He
spotted a short bathing stool in the corner, and went to fetch it. As he sat
down, he found himself eye-level with her breasts, which were quite nicely accentuated
by her well-fitting t-shirt. He immediately lowered his eyes, but it was too
late--he started feeling a most unwelcome heat gathering in his groin. Dammit,
he thought.

"Kenshin, you need to move your head up," Kaoru said, unaware of his
discomfort.

Kenshin complied, closing his eyes as he raised his head. He put his arms between
his legs, hoping she wouldn't notice the growing bulge. Mortified by his body's
betrayal, he kept his eyes closed, hoping and not hoping that the sweet agony
would be over soon.

Kaoru was glad that his eyes were closed. She could be free to examine his face,
now so close to hers. She hadn't realized before how handsome he was. Without
his perpetually serious expression, he looked much younger and softer. She took
in the long dark eyelashes resting against his pale skin, and the finely shaped
mouth. She felt a sudden crazy urge to kiss that mouth, and almost laughed at
her lunacy. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, and she found herself staring directly
into deep violet pools.

"Are you done?" Kenshin asked, his voice coming out a little hoarse.
Clearing his throat, he continued, "Your fingers stopped moving, so I thought..."

"Huh?" Kaoru blinked, embarrassed at having been caught staring at
him so closely. "Oh, no--there's still a little bit more left to go. Sorry,
I guess I was wool-gathering. It'll be just another minute!" She hurried
through the rest of the haircut, concentrating fiercely. The tip of her pink
tongue poked out from between her lips, and Kenshin stared at it, mesmerized.
Am I crazy for wondering what that might feel like on my skin? he asked himself,
feeling like a complete pervert.

"There! All done!" Kaoru said triumphantly, standing back to look
at her handiwork. Kenshin's hands automatically went to his head, feeling the
unfamiliar short strands. "Do you want to look at it? There's a mirror
on the wall over there." Kaoru pointed to a small square mirror hung above
the sink, and Kenshin made his way over to see the results.

He felt as though he was looking at a long-lost brother. The man with the short
spiky red hair in the mirror definitely didn't look like the "real"
him. He'd had long hair for as long as he could remember, and this was quite
a shock. He ran his hands through it again, turning his head this and way and
that to examine as much of it as possible.

Kaoru began to feel a little apprehensive at his silence, and asked, "Uh,
is it OK? Do you like it?"

"It's fine," he answered, looking at her reflection in the mirror.
"It'll just take some getting used to, that's all." He tried to give
her a reassuring smile, but he knew it came out stiff. Averting his eyes, he
saw the small bottle on the sink. "We still have to dye it, too--remember?"

"Right," Kaoru said, reaching for the bottle. "Uh, maybe you
should get near the tub?"

Kenshin nodded in agreement and ambled over to the tub, grabbing a towel on
the way. He knelt, sticking his head over the side wall of the tub. "Ready
when you are," he said.

Kaoru bent close to his head and carefully squeezed the contents of the bottle
over his hair. She then worked the dye through the strands, acting as though
she was giving him a shampoo. She had to admit that she enjoyed touching him,
the feel and warmth of his body was somehow very reassuring to her.

If Kaoru thought touching him was pleasurable, she had no idea what the drag
of her fingers over his head was doing to Kenshin. He felt as though he was
receiving a mild electrical shock every time she made contact with his scalp.
That coupled with the closeness of her body was starting to drive him a little
mad. The erection that had subsided earlier was now back with a vengeance, and
he was grateful as hell for the towel he'd grabbed at the last minute.

"Okay," Kaoru said, reaching over his body to turn on the faucet.
"I guess you're supposed to leave it in for about 20 minutes or so..."
Kenshin sighed with relief and rose a little too abruptly, bumping into Kaoru.
Suddenly their faces were very close, and they both paused in surprise.

"Sorry," Kenshin mumbled, turning away. He sat at the edge of the
tub, bunching the towel in his lap. You idiot! He reprimanded himself.

Kaoru finished washing her hands and turned off the tap. She sat next to Kenshin
with a groan, the day's exertions finally catching up with her still-healing
leg. "May I?" she asked, pointing with a dripping finger to the towel
in his lap.

Kenshin's face went bright red, much to his consternation, and he stammered,
"Uh, um, why don't I get you your own?" He hurried across the room,
keeping his back to her, and went to get another towel. He practically threw
the towel at a perplexed Kaoru and rushed out of the room, mumbling something
about looking for firewood.

===

In a small apartment somewhere in Tokyo, Sanosuke lay stretched
out on a futon, his arms crossed behind his head. He looked out the window at
the twinkling lights of the city, wondering if everyone was all right. HQ hadn't
contacted him yet with any further information or instructions and he was beginning
to feel antsy.

Just as well, he thought. I'm in no shape to do much of anything right now anyway.
He shifted to his side, taking care not to aggravate the wound on his chest.
He thought of the man who'd given him that wound, and his hand clenched. We'll
find you, you bastard, he vowed.

A soft knock sounded at his door, bringing him to immediate attention. Wondering
who it could be, he rose as silent as a cat and stealthily made his way to the
door. He looked through the peephole, his eye widening when he saw that it was
Megumi.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" asked Sano, opening the door. He quickly
glanced up and down the corridor, making sure there wasn't anything amiss.

"Just a doctor making a house call," Megumi answered, pointing to
the bandages visible through his unbuttoned shirt.

"Ah, just in time--I was starting to get lonely." Sano gave her his
best devilish smile, stepping aside to let her in.

"Sorry, this isn't a social visit," the doctor replied sternly, setting
her case on the sofa. She turned to face him, arms crossed. "I need to
look at your wound--can you take off your shirt?" She rolled her eyes as
she said this, knowing what his reaction was going to be.

"Man, I thought you'd never ask!" Sano said with glee, doing a little
bump and grind as he eased his shirt over his shoulders. He then flung it toward
Megumi with a finesse that would have done a professional stripper proud.

"Are you quite through?" she asked with exasperation, opening her
case to get the appropriate supplies.

Slumping down on the sofa, Sano said with a pout, "You are no fun, Megumi
Takani. What happened to that wild and crazy girl I used to know?"

"What the hell are you talking about? I was never wild and crazy."

"Who's the person who put a whoopie cushion on Katsura's chair?"

"Uh, that was you, you idiot."

"Oh yeah...well, he thought it was you, anyway. OK then, what about the
time you, me and Kenshin decided to play strip poker?"

"That never happened! Sano, will you just shut up for a sec?" Megumi,
letting out a frustrated groan, practically ripped the bandages off his chest,
poking and prodding a little more harshly than she needed to.

"Ow! That hurts!" Sano yelped, shrinking away from her touch. "What
happened to your Hippocratic oath, for God's sake?"

"I think I left it somewhere near your maturity!" She hissed, whacking
him on the side of the head.

"I supposed that was mature behavior?" Sano rubbed his head, trying
to look hurt.

The bastard is enjoying this, Megumi thought with wonder, shaking her head.
"Sano, we can dork around as much as you want after I'm done. But until
then, can you just please zip it?"

"Really? OK, just so you know, I like it when the woman dorks around on
top." He wasn't quite fast enough to avoid the blow.

===

Kaoru stared into the velvet black darkness of the room, unable
to sleep. She was unused to how absolutely dark it could get in the country,
away from all the city lights. Not even a bright moon to relieve the oppressive
darkness. She could hear Kenshin tossing and turning in his corner of the room,
and knew he was having trouble as well.

She couldn't stop thinking about how he'd looked as he stood in front of her,
the dye rinsed from his hair. He'd seemed like a completely different man, and
she'd liked that. She could pretend that they were just another ordinary young
couple, staying for a while in the country, not a fearsome assassin and his
charge. Is that what you want him to think, too? Kaoru asked herself.

"Having a hard time sleeping?" came Kenshin's voice, startling her.

Afraid he could hear the fierce pounding of her heart, Kaoru managed, "Y-yes.
You too?"

"Yeah. Always had a hard time sleeping in strange places. I imagine that
couldn't be a problem for you, though." As soon as he said it, he felt
like biting his tongue. "Sorry," he said, wincing at his stupidity.
"Didn't mean to bring up bad memories."

"That's OK," she said. "You're right; I've had to sleep in some
pretty strange places. If you can call it sleep, that is. I don't think I've
had a full night's sleep until I came to the compound."

After a moment of silence, Kenshin asked, "Do you mind if I ask how you
came to be in your...situation?" He would never admit it, but he'd been
dying to know since they first met.

"No, I don't mind. I ran away from home in the seventh grade. It's a pretty
typical story--I was escaping an unbearable situation at home. I tried getting
help from government organizations for runaways and stuff, but all they ever
wanted to do was send me back. They wouldn't believe me about my stepdad. The
model citizen." The last part was said with a palpable sneer, and Kenshin's
heart went cold.

"Was he...abusive to you?" He couldn't believe how much the mere thought
of it disturbed him.

"It didn't quite get there, but I knew it was only a matter of time. You
see, after my real dad died, my mom remarried, and at first everything seemed
fine. My stepdad seemed like the perfect husband and father--caring and loving,
the whole package. I was only nine, so I didn't really know at the time what
his loving looks and touches were. As I got older, though, I knew what he was
doing was wrong. One thing we both seemed to agree on was that mother should
never know. And she never did--she died believing that her husband was a good
person, and I'm glad."

"What happened to her? And why did you feel like you had to keep the truth
from her?" Kenshin asked.

"After my real dad died, she was a wreck. She didn't pull out of it for
a long time. She was so fragile--finding out the truth about my stepdad would've
been a blow I didn't want to inflict on her. I was used to being her protector.
As much as I loved her, I knew it was up to me to take care of myself. She died
of cancer when I was twelve. That's when I left."

"Kaoru," he couldn't help saying, wishing he could reach out and hold
her hand. "God, what a terrible burden it must have been for you. I'm so
sorry." His words felt stupid and inadequate, but they were all he could
offer. She didn't seem to mind, however, and answered, "Thanks, Kenshin.
I haven't talked to anyone about this in a long time, and it felt good to get
it out. Now you know a little more about me."

Yes, he thought. I know that you're a brave and caring person, one who would
rather suffer than hurt the one she loves. "You're an amazing girl, "
he said simply, staring out into the darkness in her direction. His words seemed
to send a warm glow throughout her body, and she relaxed, no longer feeling
that the darkness was oppressive. Instead, it felt like the dark of a safe cocoon
that she and Kenshin now shared. Smiling, she closed her eyes.

===

Aoshi woke with a start, his hand tightening on the gun. After
they were a good distance from shore, he'd set the autopilot and went to get
some much-needed sleep. God, what time is it? he wondered, rubbing his face.
It was pitch black in the cabin, and his back was sore from sleeping sitting
up in the chair. He got up from the chair and stretched, hearing a series of
pops crackle in his spine. Damn, you're getting old, he said to himself, feeling
his way to the wall to turn on the light. As light flooded the room, he blinked,
his eyes adjusting. He looked at the bed, and felt his stomach drop. The girl
was gone.

--------------------------------------

Chapter 8

Loose rope
littered the bed, and Aoshi lifted one of them in disbelief. Examining the frayed
end, he realized that she must have had a small blade of some kind and was able
to saw her way through. Throwing down the rope, he rushed up to the deck, and
saw that the small inflatable lifeboat was missing.

"Dammit!"
he shouted, looking out into the tar-black sea. He glanced down at his watch,
and saw that it was almost 8 o'clock. He'd been asleep for over seven hours.
It would be almost impossible to find her tonight. He'd have to make the planned
rendezvous and see about searching from the air in the morning. He raked his
fingers through his hair, blowing out a big frustrated breath. It seemed she'd
gotten the better of him again.

===

The inside of the small tavern was thick with the haze
of cigarette smoke, obscuring the lone couple at the bar. Sano and Megumi were
silently sipping their drinks, lost in their own thoughts. Looking morosely
down into her sixth straight whiskey, she swore she could see Kenshin's face
wobbling in the amber depths. Thinking of the last time she saw him, she felt
tears welling up in her eyes. Damn you, Kenshin, she thought. Couldn't you at
least have the decency to leave my drink alone?

Sano shot a sidelong glance at Megumi, and could tell
by her watery eyes and trembling lips that she was thinking about Kenshin again.
Rolling his eyes, he inwardly sighed. It seemed that the lovely doctor was having
a hard time getting over his little red-haired friend. He had to admit that
it was understandable; she'd been crazy about the guy for years. One doesn't
get over a first love like that in a matter of weeks, Sano thought sagely to
himself, and took another pull on his whiskey. He kept his mouth shut, knowing
that whatever he said would likely set her off. He was still recovering from
her surprisingly mean right hook.

He heard a small thump and looked over to see Megumi's
head on the bar. Guess the funeral's over, he thought, rising with a pained
sigh. He signaled to the bartender that they were through and leaned down to
pick up Megumi off her barstool.

"C'mon, Megumi--time to go," Sano said, hefting
her up by her underarms. Inarticulate mumbles came out of her throat, and she
tried ineffectually to brush him off. Ignoring her feeble protests, he dragged
her out of the bar, heading back toward his apartment. By the time he got them
through the front door, his wound was aching terribly, and he heaved Megumi
onto the futon with a loud sigh of relief. He flopped down next to her to rest
a moment, and looked over at her inert form. He grinned ruefully. In all the
times he'd fantasized about Megumi in his bed, this particular scenario had
never crossed his mind.

He reached over to take off her shoes, and paused to
appreciate the sight of her long slender legs and shapely feet. I bet I could
make you forget about him, if only you'd let me. He knew it was a futile thought--Megumi
had never thought about him in that way. And she probably never will,
Sano told himself. Letting out another long-suffering sigh, he made a move to
rise off the futon. It looked like the couch for him tonight.

The sudden feel of her hand on his wrist stopped him
cold, and he heard her mumble, "Don't leave." His heart suddenly in
his throat, he looked over at her, wondering if she was delirious. Her eyes
were closed, but her hand tightened around his wrist, pulling him down. Sano
slowly lay back next to her, his arms going around her so that she lay with
her head on his chest. He wondered if she could feel how fast his heart was
suddenly beating.

"Uh...you know this is Sano, right?" he ventured,
not wanting to get thumped on the head later for pretending to be Kenshin or
something.

"Yeah, I know..." she sighed wearily. "I
don't care, just stay with me. Please?" She'd never asked him for anything
before. Feeling a strange clenching in his chest, he tightened his arms around
her as her body shook with silent sobs.

===

The rising sun shone on the small orange lifeboat bobbing
gently on the waves. Inside, Misao lay shivering in a fetal position, soaked
to the bone. She'd been trying to sleep unsuccessfully for hours. There was
a long tear in one of her pant legs, darkly rimmed in blood. As she'd jumped
off the yacht after the lifeboat, the fabric had caught on a piece of protruding
metal, opening a gash in the fabric and her flesh. She'd hardly felt the wound
at the time, but once the adrenaline wore off, she could tell it was pretty
serious. Getting salt water all over it certainly hadn't helped, and she wondered
if escaping when she did was such a good idea.

It seemed like the ideal opportunity at the time--her
captor had fallen asleep like a rock and her small concealed blade had worked
like a charm against the ropes. She knew she wouldn't get another such opportunity.
As she'd tiptoed out of the cabin, she waited for his hand to grab her, but
it never happened. She'd stolen one last glance at him over her shoulder, wondering
how such a remorseless killer could look so angelic in sleep. Racing across
the deck, she realized that she'd never even learned his name.

All that seemed like a million years ago as she lay cold
and in pain in the lifeboat. Now what, Misao? she asked herself, her teeth chattering.
Good job, you've escaped, but how the hell are you going to get back to shore?
She tried not to panic, but knew she was in pretty dire straits. There was very
little she could do, except be found. The question was, who would find her?
As the sun climbed higher into the sky, Misao felt consciousness mercifully
slipping away. Her body had finally had enough.

She never heard the helicopter fly overhead or saw the
pitying ice-blue gaze of the man who picked her up.

===

Kaoru's eyelids fluttered, detecting the gray morning
light filtering through the windows. For a brief moment she thought she was
thirteen again, safe in her bed. She wondered what her mother was making for
breakfast. She opened her eyes and crashed back down to reality. She saw a worn
and dusty wall, not the wallpaper with pink roses. And a musty old blanket covered
her, not her favorite down comforter. Sighing, she sat up.

She suddenly remembered Kenshin, and looked over to his
corner of the room. His futon and blankets were neatly folded and stacked against
the wall--he was already up and about, it seemed. Her stomach growled, and she
realized she was ravenous. What was for breakfast, anyway? Throwing her
blankets aside, she rose, rubbing her arms at the morning chill.

Wandering into the kitchen, she found Kenshin boiling
some water in an ancient kettle. "Good morning," she said, feeling
suddenly shy as he glanced at her. Straightening, Kenshin replied, "Good
morning. I found some tea in the pantry--it should help you warm up. You look
cold." His eyes took in the goose bumps on her arms, then skittered away
when he saw the points of her nipples protruding through the thin fabric of
her t-shirt. Oh God, he thought, willing his body not to react.

Kaoru looked down at herself, and realizing what Kenshin
had seen, hurriedly crossed her arms over her chest. She muttered, "Uh,
I think I'll go grab a sweatshirt" and almost ran out of the room. When
she was out of sight, Kenshin let out a shaky breath and leaned back against
the nearest wall. His reaction to her was surprising and most unwelcome. He
didn't need complications like this--what the hell had Katsura been thinking?
His mouth in a grim line, he started rooting around the cupboards, taking inventory
of what they would need at the market.

Back in their room, Kaoru put on her sweatshirt and stood
for a moment, trying to calm her blush before returning to the kitchen. She
was sure that she'd blushed more often in the past month than she had in her
whole life. Kenshin sure was hell on her equanimity--at first because of her
fear of him, but now because of her growing attraction to him. Mr. Katsura,
what were you thinking? Taking a deep breath, she headed back toward the kitchen.

"The tea's ready," Kenshin said, when she appeared
at the door. "Thank you," she replied, accepting a cup. The warmth
of the tea was heavenly, and she sighed in pleasure. "Ah, this is wonderful.
Are you always so handy in the kitchen?"

"Actually, no," he replied, his calm tone belying
the secret thrill he felt at her praise. "You're looking at the extent
of my abilities. How about you?"

"I'm afraid I'm pretty limited too. I haven't exactly
had much of a kitchen to work in the past few years...I'm great at dumpster-diving,
though!" She said with a hopeful smile, wondering if her attempt at humor
was too much. She was relieved to see Kenshin's mouth turn up at the corner
as he said, "Depending on what kind of havoc we wreak in the kitchen, we
might need those skills. Are you ready to venture out to the town market today?"
Kaoru nodded, enjoying the lighter mood between them.

===

"Ugh..." Megumi moaned, shielding her throbbing
eyes from the sun. Her mouth felt dry as sawdust and her head felt like it had
been run over by a truck. Repeatedly. Attempting to rise, she froze when her
hand came in contact with warm flesh. Gasping, she saw that a shirtless Sano
was lying next to her, still dead to the world. "Oh no," she moaned,
frantically trying to recall what had happened the night before. Since she was
still fully clothed, she figured that nothing too serious could have happened,
but still...

Her scrambling out of bed woke Sano, and he opened one
eye to see what was going on. "Hey, you're awake," he said, a smile
curving his mouth. "How are you feeling?"

"Uh...like shit, actually," Megumi replied,
putting a hand on her pounding head. Shooting him a sidelong glance, she mumbled,
"I guess you got me home from that bar...thanks." She turned to go
to the bathroom, but a sudden wave of nausea made her lean weakly against the
wall instead. "Oh God, I think I'm going to--" Before she could finish
the sentence, she felt Sano's brawny arms pick her up and rush her to the bathroom.
She fell to her knees in front of the toilet, and barfed up what felt like most
of her internal organs.

Sano held her hair away from her face, concerned but
also kind of amused to see the always-proper Megumi fucked up like a crazy college
kid. When she was reduced to dry heaves, Sano put a towel to her face and flushed
the toilet. She leaned back weakly into his arms, groaning miserably. "Uh
God, just let me die," she moaned, her eyes closed. Sano, laughing inwardly,
carried her back to the bed. "Let me get you some water," he said,
bringing the covers up to her neck and tucking her in. Megumi nodded, feeling
like an idiot. Of all the people to be this helpless in front of...

When Sano placed the glass of water at her lips, she
eagerly drank, her parched body soaking up the liquid like a sponge. When she'd
had her fill, she sank back down to the pillow with a grateful sigh. Sano hadn't
said a word the whole time--what was wrong with him? She should have heard at
least five off-colored jokes by now. Her eyes snapped up to his, and she asked,
"What's wrong with you?"

"Huh?" Sano blinked, surprised. "What
do you mean?"

"You haven't made any of your stupid jokes or comments.
Are you just saving it up or something?" She'd always believed that offense
made the best defense.

"Guess I just thought you wouldn't be in the mood,"
he replied, scratching his head. "I'd be happy to oblige, though, if you
want.

"Never mind," Megumi said, still looking suspicious.
After a moment of uncomfortable silence, she cleared her throat and asked, "Just...what
exactly happened last night, anyway?"

"Well, you drank way more than you should have,
and I had to carry you home. And then..." Sano trailed off, rolling his
eyes.

"Then what?" Megumi demanded, all of sudden
fearful of what she might hear.

"Then you ripped off all my clothes and had your
way with me. I'm still in shock."

"Oh you!" Megumi threw a pillow at him, which
he caught easily with one hand.

Trying not to laugh, Sano turned to leave the room, saying
over his shoulder, "And I must say, you like to play rough--could you be
a little more gentle next time?" The shrill beep of his cell phone cut
through her outraged scream, and Sano rushed over to pick it up.

"Sagara," he said, his face serious. Megumi
instantly shut up, looking worriedly at him. After what seemed like an eternity,
Sano said, "Yes sir. Understood." He shut off the phone, and slowly
looked over at Megumi.

"What? What's happened?" She didn't realize
her fingers had the blankets in a stranglehold.

"It was Katsura," Sano said, his voice low
and disbelieving. "HQ's been bombed."

--------------------------------------

Chapter 9

"No,"
Megumi whispered, the blanket falling away from her numb hands.

"Looks like Katsura's instincts were right on--the
bomb went off just hours after we were evacuated." Sano felt a rage like
he'd never known start to roil within him.

"Just hours? Then why did it take so long
for him to contact us?"

"It seems he knows us too well--he didn't want us
rushing back trying to help. He wanted to make sure we were well out of harm's
way." Sano looked down at his hands, his face spasming with pain. "He
said there were casualties...he didn't go into details, but...Damn!" He
pounded the wall with a clenched fist, making Megumi jump. She'd never seen
him so upset before.

"Where did he call from?" she asked, her voice
quavering.

"I don't know--he could've been anywhere. He sounded
damn calm, though, like hardly anything happened. That son of a bitch must have
ice water in his veins..."

They were silent for a while, trying to absorb the enormity
of what had happened. "God, now what?" Megumi murmured, more to herself
than to Sano.

Running a hand distractedly over his mouth, he said,
"He said to wait for further instructions, so I guess it's more sitting
around on our asses for us." Pushing himself away from the wall, he went
over to the couch to grab a shirt and jacket out of a duffel bag. Jamming his
arms into the sleeves, he went to the door. Megumi, alarmed, asked, "Where
are you going?"

His face serious, he replied, "I can't just sit
here right now. Unless you had some other activity in mind." At her incredulous
expression, he smirked. "Thought so." Then he disappeared out the
door, leaving Megumi with her mouth agape. That man is an utter beast, she thought,
flopping back down on the bed.

===

In the small white room, Aoshi once again found himself
sitting in a chair across from a bed where Misao lay. Verdant hills shrouded
in mist could be seen through the lone window--they were no longer at sea. He
gazed broodingly at her small pale face, the only part of her visible above
the pristine white sheets. It had been several hours since she'd been picked
up from the lifeboat, and she hadn't woken up yet. He thought of how small and
light she'd been in his arms. Like a broken doll, he thought.

The broken doll had needed some stitches on her leg and
was suffering from exposure and mild hypothermia, but was otherwise all right.
He couldn't believe how foolish she'd been, escaping like that. Foolish and
incredibly brave, he had to concede. He'd taken extra precautions with her security
this time. Guards were posted outside the room at all times, and no one was
to be allowed in except him. He wouldn't underestimate her again.

He saw her stir, turning on her side. Her arm came out
to rest on top of the covers, drawing his attention to its slender length. He
remembered taking her out of her clothes. She'd been cold and water-logged,
but he couldn't fail to notice how unbearably soft her skin was. He'd been brusque
and businesslike in his touch, but he could feel his breath coming ever more
shallowly as her clothes disappeared. His hands had faltered a bit when he'd
cut away her shirt, revealing small, perfect breasts, the dark pink tips puckered
tight from the cold. He'd immediately swaddled her with blankets, taking off
her underwear under their safe cover. He'd felt like an idiot doing it, but
it had seemed wrong somehow to see her naked without her knowing. It made him
feel better, anyway.

She was good at making him to do strange things. Like
sitting in this room, just watching her sleep, when he knew he should be getting
rest in his own bed. She was also making him care about her, which troubled
him deeply. He had enough to worry about without adding her into the mix. And
yet...he didn't want her out of his sight. So he continued to stare at the rise
and fall of her body as she breathed, seemingly mesmerized.

The sudden knock at the door shook him out of his reverie.
"Come in," he said, his voice sounding hoarse to his ears. The door
opened, and a guard came in, phone in outstretched hand. "For you, sir."
Aoshi wordlessly took it, and sent the guard back out with a dismissive gesture.

"Where is she?" he asked into the receiver,
his voice terse.

"What, no pleasantries, no thank-you's for helping
you escape?" came the silky amused baritone on the other line.

"Cut the crap; I did what you told me to do. Now
it's your turn to pay up." Although Aoshi's face remained impassive, his
mouth tightened ever so slightly.

"Hm, I wouldn't say you did entirely what
I asked of you. After all, you did allow yourself and Wu to get caught."

"You told me to keep him alive, and I believe I
did that. Now where is she?"

"Patience, patience..." the smooth voice said.
"When I can verify that Wu is indeed still alive, I'll let you know where
you can find her--your precious Aiko... However, since their compound's been
blown to smithereens, and Wu probably along with it, you may be seeing Aiko
only in the afterlife."

"You bastard!" Aoshi hissed, his face now registering
unbridled anger. "We had a deal! If you think you can fuck with me you're
a dead man!"

"Glad to hear you have a pulse. See you around,
Aoshi," the amused voice replied calmly, and the line went dead. Hearing
the click, Aoshi's stomach plummeted. His fingers went slack, and the phone
landed with a muffled thump on the rug. He cursed himself for a fool. He should've
known better than to think that a deal with the devil would work. But he'd had
no choice...what else could he have done?

"Aiko...Aiko..." he murmured despairingly,
dropping his head into his hands. He was unaware that Misao had awakened and
was staring at him, her green eyes wide.

===

Their trip to the market had been a success, but their
effort in the kitchen was not. It looked as though a tornado had blown through:
pots and pans were everywhere, as
well as a fair amount of flour and other ingredients. Kenshin and Kaoru had
attempted to make tempura vegetables, and the fruit of their labor lay in a
sodden oily mess on a plate.

"This...doesn't look too appetizing," Kaoru
finally said, poking at a limp squash slice with some chopsticks. "Why
isn't it crispy?"

"Hell if I know," Kenshin muttered, running
a disgruntled hand through his spiky hair. Kaoru saw the white stripe of flour
that resulted and couldn't help but laugh out loud. "What?" Kenshin
asked, annoyed.

"You...you look like a skunk!" she said, doubling
over with laughter. "What? Oh..." Kenshin saw that the hand he ran
through his hair had been covered with flour, and imagined what a sight he must
make. "Well, at least I don't smell like one," he said with a grin,
going to the sink to rinse his hands.

"How did the rice turn out?" he asked over
his shoulder.

"The rice? Oh, the rice!" Kaoru ran to the
rice maker, and found to her relief that it had shut off all by itself. Thank
God for technology! She announced happily, "The rice is perfect!"

"Well, that's the best news I've heard all day,"
Kenshin said, walking over with a couple of bowls. "At least we'll have
something to eat." They settled down at the small table in the kitchen
and dug in with gusto. As Kaoru scraped the last of the rice out of her bowl,
the small silver cell phone Kenshin always kept close gave a shrill beep. Uh
oh, she thought. it can only be HQ. She watched apprehensively as he answered
the phone. She could tell by the sobering of his face that the news wasn't good.
She heard him give a few terse affirmatives, and the call was over.

"What is it?" she asked, her stomach clenching.
"Was that--"

"Yes," Kenshin said. "It was Katsura.
The compound was bombed, shortly after we left."

"Oh no," Kaoru said in a small shocked voice.
Even though they were aware of a possible attack, it didn't make it that much
easier to handle. "I hope not too many were hurt?"

"He said there were casualties, but he didn't say
how bad. Our orders are to sit tight and stay low until he calls again."
The pleasant evening they'd been sharing had evaporated in an instant, and now
they sat silent and grim-faced, unable to look at each other.

"I'll start the dishes," Kaoru finally said,
getting up from the table. Kenshin stayed rooted to his chair, unable to grasp
the enormity of what had happened. The place he'd been calling home for the
past sixteen years was no more.

===

Sano's hand paused on the door knob to his apartment.
Unfamiliar smells were emanating from the other side of the door. It smelled
like delicious home-cooked food! He let himself in to find the apartment spotlessly
clean. Not only that, he saw Megumi in the kitchen, cooking up what looked like
enough food for an army. He actually felt tears come to his eyes.

"What are you doing?" he asked, his voice choked
with emotion. Megumi, looking over her shoulder at him, said dispassionately,
"Oh, hi. It's about time you came home. What does it look like I'm doing?"

"You're-you're doing all this for me?"

"Oh please," she said, drying her hands on
a towel. "Unlike you, I decided to something productive with all my negative
energy. The fact that I happened to do it in your apartment is merely incidental."
She had a scowl on her face, and her arms were crossed over her chest. Definitely
back in defensive mode, Sano determined. His face cracking into a broad smile,
he said, "Well, whatever the motive, I won't look a gift horse in the mouth.
And yes, I'm hungry. Let's eat!"

Megumi brought a mountain of food to the table, and Sano
began his assault upon it with unbridled enthusiasm. "Mmm," he said
around a mouthful of food. "Megumi, I had no idea you were such a fantastic
cook! Man, this is the best meal I've ever had! Thanks!" Megumi took a
drink from her glass to hide her pleased smile. At least the dolt can appreciate
good food, she thought smugly.

The knock at the door surprised them both, and they looked
at each other with wide eyes. Were you expecting someone? She mouthed at him.
Shaking his head, Sano got up, motioning for Megumi to remain where she was.
He looked through the peephole and breathed a sigh of relief. It was Yahiko.

Sano let him
in, and said, "Man, you nearly gave us a heart attack! Couldn't you have
called ahead or something?"

"Sorry, but it was kind of a spur-of-the-moment
thing. Hey Megumi, I didn't know you'd be here." Looking at the table,
Yahiko raised an eyebrow. "Am I...interrupting anything?"

"Good God, no!" Megumi yelled, rising so fast
that her chair fell backwards with a clatter on the wooden floor. "I was
just visiting and needed something to do. So I made dinner--are you hungry?"

Yahiko, his mouth turning up in a knowing smile, said,
"Yeah, I could use some food, but are you guys sure you don't mind?"

"Nah, of course not," Sano said, patting the
younger man on the back. "Meg and I have plenty of time to do our thing
once you leave, right honey?"

Her body stiffening visibly, Megumi replied through tight
lips, "If our thing means me killing you slowly with a dull butter knife,
then yes, we'll have plenty of time. Honey." She flashed them a
tight smile, and turned to go into the kitchen.

"Ah, domestic bliss," Yahiko said, plucking
a dumpling off a plate. "Seriously, though, I suppose you got that call
from HQ?" Sano replied, "Yeah. Were you there?"

Yahiko shook his head. "No, I got out right after
you guys. I found out about it today, like you. Not a big surprise, though,
with what was going on."

"Yeah but...I still can't believe HQ's gone--how's
Katsura gonna handle the logistics now?"

"Not to worry," said Yahiko, licking his fingers.
"What most people don't know is that there's a second emergency HQ. That's
where he's at now--they'll be online soon, if not already."

Sano, his eyes widening, whistled. "A second one?
I certainly never knew about it. Clever bastards. Well, that's a relief
to hear. Hey, how come you knew about it? And how the hell did you find
me, anyway? I thought we weren't supposed to know where the other agents were!"

"We handlers have our sources," Yahiko replied,
his eyebrows waggling devilishly.

"Yeah, whatever," Sano huffed, feeling put
out.

"Oh don't pout, Sano, it makes you look like a bigger
idiot that you are," said Megumi walking toward them. "So what's your
cover, young man?"

"You're not gonna believe this," Yahiko said,
leaning in toward them. "I'm a high school student. Can you believe it?
Me, in high school--ha!"

"Well, you are the right age, you know," Megumi
said dryly, shooting Sano an amused glance.

"Yeah, but I got my Ph.d. equivalent when I was
twelve! You know what these guys are studying right now? Pre-calculus! God,
I don't know how the world can go on working sometimes."

"Yeah, it's a mystery," Sano replied, shrugging
his shoulders at Megumi. He wasn't even sure what calculus was, pre or otherwise.

Clearing his throat, Yahiko continued, "However,
there are some...uh benefits." It was clear from the blush rising to his
cheeks what those benefits might be. Sano, cocking his head, said, "Don't
tell me. Schoolgirls. Lots and lots of schoolgirls." His eyes misted over
as he imagined the legion of short plaid skirts.

"Yeah..." Yahiko said, equally dreamy. "There
are so many of them. And they're all my age! It's great..."

Megumi looked at them with pity, shaking her head. Men
were so pathetic sometimes. "Uh, sorry to interrupt the drool-fest,
guys, but the food's getting cold." They both snapped to attention at that,
and looked at the food-laden table as if waking from a dream. "Oh yeah,"
said Yahiko. "Food!" He decimated what was on his plate in short order,
and reached for more.

"Speaking of food," he said. "It's really
strange, but my safe house is a restaurant. I live in the apartment above it.
The lady owner's really nice, but there's this annoying little girl who follows
me around everywhere!"

"Oh?" said Megumi, amused at the thought of
a little girl with a crush on Yahiko. "What's the place called?"

"The Akabeko," replied Yahiko.

"Hm, what a strange name," said Sano.

--------------------------------------

Chapter 10

Misao stared
at Aoshi's bent head, wondering how she could possibly be feeling sorry for
a man who'd kidnapped her at gunpoint. She couldn't deny her feelings, however.
Whoever Aiko was, she clearly meant a lot to him. And, truth be told, her kidnapper
had most likely been her rescuer. Even though she was back in enemy hands, a
part of her was glad to be in a warm, safe environment. She'd deal with the
consequences later. She shifted to her back, and gasped at the pain that shot
through her leg.

Hearing her
gasp, Aoshi lifted his head. Misao's heart stopped at the naked pain in his
eyes. He must have sensed what he was revealing, and his eyes went blank, all
emotion banished. You're used to doing that, aren't you, thought Misao. Rising
to his feet, he said, "You won't find escaping from here so easy. I would
advise against it. I don't intend to make a habit of rescuing you." He
turned on his heel, and went to the door.

"Wait!"
Misao said, halting him. "Are you gonna at least tell me your name? I'm
getting tired of calling you Mr. Kidnapping Asshole in my head." His eyes
widened at her insolence, but replied calmly, "If you must know, it's Aoshi.
Aoshi Shinomori. Are you planning on extending me the same courtesy?"

"Why,
of course," she said grandly. "It's Ms. Misao Makimachi to you."

"Great. Now that the niceties are over with, can
I go now?"

"Not yet," said Misao. "Who's Aiko?"

Aoshi's face paled, and he said in a harsh voice, "She
is someone who doesn't concern you. Never say her name again." He then
left the room abruptly, closing the door behind him with an emphatic slam. Touchy,
touchy, thought Misao, her eyes narrowing. Whoever Aiko was, she seemed to be
his one sore spot.

Speaking of sore spots, she thought, getting out of bed.
Her body, especially her leg, hurt like hell. She looked down at herself and
saw that she was in a standard-issue hospital gown, under which she was naked.
She wondered if Aoshi had done any of the undressing, and felt her cheeks get
hot. Well, I hope you got an eyeful of my pre-pubescent body, she thought
angrily. She'd had a pretty good body-image until he made that horrible remark!

She went to the window and looked out. Everything was
very green and misty. Pretty, but totally unfamiliar. She tried to open the
window, but couldn't even budge them. She looked up at the ceiling and saw vent
holes, but they were much too small, even for her. It seemed she was locked
up well and tight for now. Blowing out a frustrated breath, she got back into
bed. It's your move, Aoshi, she thought.

===

Diagonals of late afternoon sun slanted through the window
blinds, creating dazzling yellow-orange stripes on the floor of the room. Kaoru
lay on her stomach on a futon, a book propped in front her. She'd been unsuccessfully
trying to read the same page for the last fifteen minutes, and she was ready
to give up. She'd been so excited when she'd bought the novel at the market
earlier. Aside from occasional visits to the library, she hadn't had much opportunity
to read for pleasure, and she'd been really looking forward to it. That is,
until they received the news. Sighing, she flopped on to her back, tossing the
book aside.

After they got that call from Katsura, Kenshin had gone
very quiet and kept to himself, shutting her out. This wasn't the first time
he'd experienced a cataclysmic change in his life, she knew, and her heart ached
for him. However, she'd sensed that he needed to be alone, and gave him a wide
berth. She'd occupied herself all day by puttering around the house, cleaning
and tidying. Once she felt that enough was done for the day, she'd curled up
with her book, hoping for a pleasant diversion. That hadn't quite happened,
and now she felt antsy, overwhelmed by the oppressive silence that hung like
a heavy cloud in the house. There was no radio, tv, or even traffic noise to
dissipate the silence, and it was beginning to really get to her. Have I given
him enough time to be alone? she wondered, listening for his movements.

She thought back to their trip to the market, which had
been so pleasant. The villagers seemed to buy the story that he was a distant
relation to the owner of the cottage, spending some time in the country while
recuperating from an accident. She was his devoted girlfriend, of course, by
his side in his time of need. She had to admit that she'd liked being a part
of a couple with him, even if it was only pretend. It gave her an excuse to
touch him, to be near him. He certainly hadn't seemed to mind, and played the
part of the protective boyfriend very well. She recalled how he'd held his arm
out in front of her as a truck went roaring by, shielding her from possible
harm. She conceded that it was most likely the years of training kicking in
rather than any great affection for her, but she'd felt a little thrill at the
gesture, nonetheless. Kenshin, what are you doing to me? she asked silently,
putting an arm over her eyes with a groan.

"Are you all right?"

Kaoru jumped, her arm jerking away from her face. Kenshin
stood in the doorway, looking at her with quizzically. "Yes!" she
replied a little too heartily, scrambling up to a sitting position. "H-how
are you?" she asked.

"Oh, all right," he said, sitting on the floor
with his knees drawn up. "Sorry I was so out of it today, it's just that--"

"I know," Kaoru quietly said. "You don't
have to explain."

Kenshin's eyes met hers, and he could see the truth of
her words there. He said with a self-deprecating laugh, "I had a feeling
you'd understand. Katsura told you, didn't he? About me."

Trying to hide her surprise, Kaoru said, "Yes. he
told me about your parents, and how you came to be...a Slayer." The word
didn't frighten her anymore, but she still didn't like it. "I know this
attack must have brought up some terrible memories for you."

"Yes," he murmured. "Hard to believe how
much I'm affected, actually, even after all these years... I didn't think it
was possible for me, to feel this kind of pain again. I thought I'd rid myself
of that capacity, but obviously I've failed." That emotional distance had
been what kept him going through all these years, Kaoru realized. But a person
with humanity still within him couldn't keep that up forever! Now she saw why
Katsura felt the need to act.

"But Kenshin," she said aloud. "Aren't
you relieved that you can still feel that pain? Do you realize what it would
mean if you hadn't felt anything? You'd be just another..." she trailed
off, the word getting stuck in her throat.

"Monster?" he asked, his eyes seemingly piercing
into the very core of her. "Isn't that what you thought of me when we first
met?"

"No, I never--"

"Liar."

His blunt reply prevented any further denials, and Kaoru
looked down at her lap, her brows knitted in consternation. "You're right,"
she finally said. "That is what I thought of you. Thought
being the operative word. I certainly don't think so anymore." Raising
her head, she asked, "Do you believe me?"

Looking into her earnest eyes, Kenshin said, "Yes,
I do. I trust your eyes--you have the most honest eyes of anyone I've ever met."

"Do I really?" Kaoru said wonderingly. She
couldn't remember receiving a more welcome compliment.

"Don't you believe me?" There was a
slight teasing note to his question that sent her heart racing.

"Yes," she replied. His magnificent violet
eyes had never lied to her before either.

The moment stretched out between them, and time seemed
to stop as their eyes held their gaze. Each wanted to say something to break
the sudden tension, but couldn't find the words. What can one say when the world
tips on its axis, making everything feel off-kilter? Kenshin finally cleared
his throat, breaking the spell.

"Um, perhaps we should get started on dinner?"
he asked, rising to his feet.

"Yeah," Kaoru nodded, her eyes still a bit
dazed. What the hell had just happened? "What can we mess up tonight?"

"Well, there's a nice chunk of tofu just waiting
to be massacred," Kenshin replied, a lopsided smile coming to his lips.
He held out his hand to Kaoru, who took it with an answering smile.

===

The young woman's head lifted as she heard the door unlock.
Oh please oh please let it be Aoshi, please... When she saw who it was, however,
she let out a sob, pressing her body back against the cold wall.

"I'm hurt, Aiko," the man said, his voice low
and silky. "Here I thought we were starting to become friends..."
He sat down on the bed, making the woman whimper and scoot away as far as her
bonds would allow.

"Well, my dear, I have some bad news for you. Your
beloved Aoshi screwed up. That means he won't be coming as scheduled."
He paused, smiling at the anguished cry that escaped her. "But," he
continued, reaching out a gloved hand to caress her ankle. Her foot twitched,
but she kept it still. She'd learned a few valuable lessons in her six months
of captivity. "There may still be a chance for you. So you'd better be...nice.
Isn't that right?" His hand trailed up her calf to her thigh, stopping
to draw lazy patterns there with a forefinger. Trying not to sob, the woman
nodded, her long dark hair becoming tangled in front of her face.

"Good. I'm so glad we understand each other. I've
become quite fond of you, my dear. I must confess that I don't want our time
together to end. We've been having so much fun." He gave her thigh a little
squeeze, and moved his hand up to grab her breast through her thin white nightgown.
"You are quite the sweet little thing," he said, leaning in close
so that his face was almost touching hers. Aiko flinched, her eyes shutting
tightly, causing tears to leak out from under the lids.

"Ah, the nectar of misery," the man said with
satisfaction, his tongue reaching out to catch some of the drops. "Alas,
I'm afraid I'm short on time this evening, so we'll have to save this for later.
I know you'll be as anxious as I. Sweet dreams, my dear Aiko." The man
rose to his feet, and with a jaunty tip of an imaginary hat, he swept out, leaving
the woman sagging weakly back on the bed.

Monster, she thought. If only I could see your face,
so that I may spit in it! The astonishing fact was, in the six months she'd
been his captive, she'd never seen his face. Or any other part of him, in fact.
He was always not only fully clothed, even his hands and face were always covered
by black leather gloves and mask. It was his mask that had first struck cold
terror into her heart, but now it was his voice that she dreaded the most--that
perpetually amused silky baritone. How she longed to rip his throat out! If
only I had the courage to kill myself somehow, she thought miserably. Then Aoshi
can be free...

She knew that in a confrontation between the two, Aoshi
might not make it. She knew what a skilled fighter he was, but he didn't have
the depth of depravity and utter amorality of her captor. In such a scenario,
it was the most ruthless who always won. Oh, Aoshi, if only I could see your
beloved face one last time before I die... She started weeping uncontrollably
then, the whole bed shaking with the force of her sobs.

--------------------------------------

TO BE CONTINUED...
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- 2
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