Innermost Secrets

A/N- Sorry about the very long update on this one, trust me though, this helps to explain a lot for the story and gets it right where I need it to be. I was up all night fixing this and man did it take forever!



Just so you know, in this chapter I introduce a lot of characters that are needed throughout the story, so if you get confused, don\'t think twice about asking.



The mood changes in this chapter as well, at least in my opinion it does.



\'Thoughts\'



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Chapter Three: The Truth





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"Princess!" Kaoru\'s face turned stark white as she suppressed the feeling to brake something, \'calm down Kaoru, get a grip\' she urged herself and finally calmed slightly, refusing to let her emotions get the better of her at this moment in time. She had stood up suddenly; causing her to feel slightly light headed as her mind whirled over what her parents had told her.



\'It\'s quite simple Kaoru, I am the King, your mother\'s the Queen, which makes you...\' they had never gotten a chance to finish when Kaoru jumped in like she did. \'So what...Kenshin had told me already...Kenshin...\' feeling her eyes widen, Kaoru suddenly realized that Kenshin knew all along, he knew she was the Vampire princess and had tried to keep it from her, but why?



Kaoru thought over that for a moment when the answer came to her mind, \'he wanted to protect you, besides you wouldn\'t have believed him even if he told you...\' something from deep inside her had told her the blatant truth and she knew it.



Not wishing to believe it Kaoru turned to glare at her \'parent\'s\' as she gripped the pendant at her neck in her hand roughly, "So that\'s what this means doesn\'t it!" Watching as her mother looked at her father, Kaoru wanted more than anything to strangle something, \'probably my father\'s neck...yes that would do quite nicely.\'



To her surprise, Kaoru saw a smile flash momentarily on his lips; \'does he think this is funny or something?\' Kaoru watched as her mother elbowed the man at her side in the ribs roughly. After locking eyes for a moment with Kaoru\'s mother, her father came towards her slowly, letting his arm drift about Kaoru\'s form as he pulled her in for a gentle hug.



"Yes, the pendant you now wear bears our families crest, but we haven\'t just come to meet you Kaoru. We\'ve come to take you home, to where you truly belong..." hearing her father\'s confession Kaoru could barely keep herself from blurting out, \'yeah...big surprise there.\'



Instead Kaoru hugged her father back, trying to be kind and give her parent\'s a chance to make amends, hearing him sigh in relief Kaoru\'s mother walked over and joined the hug as well. Kaoru felt as if she was going to throw up, \'How Dare They!\' Kaoru raised a hand to her left temple to quiet her screaming mind, moving slightly Kaoru felt her parent\'s grip tighten about her in their gentle embrace



\'They must have an ulterior motive for returning to me after such a long time and automatically wishing to take me away from the only home I\'ve ever known...but what could it be?\' she mused inside her thought\'s as she racked her brain to find the answer she needed.



To her great surprise she found her answer, but it was yet another thing Kenshin had talked with her about, \'he gave me every answer I needed without me even realizing it...I have to remember to thank him when and if we ever meet again.\' Letting her mind drift back into the conversation she had held with Kenshin, she heard his sultry voice as he spoke of how the war between her kind and his had come to an end,



\'...I told the Vampire that in order to ensure peace, the heir to the Werewolf throne and the heir to the Vampire throne would have to be kept alive. If either were to be killed the other would take over and command both kinds as their unquestioned leader, I didn’t know how the Vampire would react to such a radical idea, but to my surprise he agreed to my terms of peace...\'



\'So that\'s what this is all about, they want to use me to lure out the Werewolf prince so that they can kill him and have me take over,\' Kaoru pulled herself away from her parents roughly and moved to the window again, unable to stand their touch anymore. "Kaoru...what is wrong..." feeling her mother follow behind her, Kaoru clenched her fist angrily as she turned slightly letting her eyes lock with her mother\'s, "Nothing\'s wrong...I\'m just a little taken aback by all this, my whole life I was a Vampire and a princess."



Letting her gaze soften, Kaoru placed a hand upon her mother\'s shoulder, "I never knew until yesterday...I was almost mugged by three men and it ended up that my Vampire side took over. I killed those men and it actually felt good..." moving away Kaoru headed towards the hallway, leaving her parents behind her to think over what she had just told them.



Moving slowly Kaoru made her way back up the stairs and to her room door, looking inside she let her eyes memorize every little detail, \'after all, I\'m never going to return here again...I\'ll miss this.\' Sighing deeply she walked inside and pulled a duffel bag out of her closet, placing it upon the bed as she walked about her room, picking up everything that she could take with her to her new home.



It felt depressing, to have lived in this home, only to leave it \'...how is this fair to anyone?\' Folding the clothing items in a nice bundle, Kaoru placed them inside her bag, next to it she set her alarm, a family photo, and a blanket that her foster mother had made for her.



The blanket held sentimental value to her, it was the first thing she had ever received from anyone in her whole life and there was no way that she was going to forget it now, packing it securely Kaoru zipped the bag shut before she slung it over her shoulder.



Taking a long final glance about, Kaoru walked out of her bedroom closing the door behind her, stopping only to study the walls of the hallway in which she now stood. She had many fond memories of her childhood in which she ran about the house wildly as her foster parents chased her about, times were so different now, it was like everything that she had ever know and taken comfort in was now changed.



Knowing that her real parents were waiting for her downstairs, Kaoru made her way down the steps and into the main hallway that lead to the door, she started down the hall at a slow pace.



From behind her she felt a familiar presence, stopping Kaoru turned her head to glance at whoever it was behind her, seeing her foster parents and sibling standing there watching her with great sorrow in their eyes. Letting out a deep sigh, Kaoru set her bag down upon the floor at her side and turned about to face them completely, flashing them a weak smile Kaoru made her way over to them.



"We will miss you Kaoru," reaching out, her foster mother wrapped her arms about Kaoru\'s form pulling her close. "I will miss you as well, I promise I\'ll return to visit sometime soon, I have to go..." pulling away Kaoru smiled again as she turned her back to them. She then walked over to where her bag was and picked it up, her path set Kaoru continued down the hallway to where her parents were waiting.



They had come out into the hallway after she had disappeared like she did, seeing her father smile softly at her approach, Kaoru tried her best to keep her face solemn instead of angry and upset like the emotions that ragged around inside her.



"It\'s time to go my daughter," he reached a hand towards Kaoru as he spoke and caused her to shiver angrily, "alright...I would like to though, if I could, I wish to tell my teacher that I\'ll be out of school now. That is, if that is alright with you?"



Her father just smiled at her question as he turned about and made his way to the front door, "of course you can say good bye Kaoru, but still we had best be on our way quickly, there is so much that you have yet to learn. Well, let\'s go then," taking her mother\'s outstretched hand, Kaoru took one last glance back at her foster family and flashed them a weak smile as she slowly exited the house.



Moving down the steps of the porch, Kaoru had to keep herself from tipping clear over, directly in front of her was parked a large limo that was the biggest one that she had ever seen. Kaoru was frozen to the spot as she studied the sleek form of the car, \'man my parents weren\'t kidding when they said king and queen, shit man that’s the biggest thing I\'ve ever seen!\'



She was too lost in her own thoughts when she was shaken slightly by the shoulder, giving her head a swift shake, Kaoru turned to look at her mother\'s smiling face. "Well..." her mother motioned to the limo and Kaoru took a deep breath as she slowly approached it, just as she was going to take the handle a small sized boy appeared and bowed as he opened the door for her.



"Thank you..." mumbling lightly, Kaoru slid inside going to the farthest side of the limo so that she could look outside if she wanted to, she felt the limo shake slightly as her parents piled in behind her.



Kaoru just watched the wind blowing through the trees and the street lamps as they turned on, as she was about to direct her attention to something else she caught something flash by, from what she saw it had blood red hair and amber eyes. \'Kenshin, no it couldn\'t be, could it?\'



Shaking that out of her head Kaoru turned to look at her parents as the door to the limo shut tightly, she could see the blurred figure of the boy who opened the door as he darted to the drivers side of the limo and got in.



The car started to move slightly as Kaoru took a deep breath and directed her gaze out the window again; she had no desire to look at her parents anymore than she had too. She watched in sudden surprise as the familiar houses and trees flashed by, she had recognized where they were headed, \'the University.\'



Turning to glance at her mother and father, Kaoru was surprised by what she saw, she could only watch what was going on. Her mother\'s beautiful face was damp with fresh stay tears as she buried her face into her husbands strong shoulders, Kaoru felt an odd wrenching feeling in her chest as she turned to look away, not wishing to see the broken woman, \'vampire.\'



"K...Kaoru...I am so sorry, I never wanted to leave you, never. Oh I am so sorry!"



Kaoru\'s head whipped back to the woman as she heard the sorrow filled words that her mother had just spoken, she didn\'t know how to react, \'should I be sad, happy, angry, what?\' "M...Mother, please...don\'t cry. I understand why it was necessary to for you to leave me, I just..." Kaoru didn\'t know how to finish as she reached a hand over to the shaking form of her mother that sat huddled in her fathers arms.



"I don\'t know how I should feel right now, I won\'t lie, I am mad as hell at you both. Still, I never think I could hate you, your actions were necessary and I am, I guess, in a way...happy." Kaoru tried to smile reassuringly towards her mother; but found she could only move the edges of her lips upward as the rest of her lips remained completely still in a silent scowl.



Kaoru let out a small sigh of defeat as she looked away unable to really pick a point and focus upon.



Absent mindedly, Kaoru fingered the dagger she had received from Kenshin through the cloth of her back pocket, for some reason it made her feel, \'safer\' feeling the touch of the cool metal against her fingers. Kaoru continued to stare out the window her thoughts drifting towards an awkward and mildly confusing redhead with eyes that made her feel weird underneath it\'s constant stare, Kaoru smiled mentally to her self as she remembered the tumble she had with him in her bedroom only that morning.



\'I wonder, is he all right wherever he is right now, is he thinking about me?...What! I can\'t believe I just thought that, I barely even know him and his is a werewolf, my mind must be turning into mush, or else I\'m crazy. Hmmm, yeah, that is a very good proposition, then again, why can I not stop thinking about Kenshin wherever he is? Yes, that\'s the real question that needs answering, I need to see him again and I don\'t even know why, I can just feel it.\'



Kaoru was too busy tied up in her thoughts that she didn\'t notice at first that the car had stopped and that the driver was struggling to get to the side door, Kaoru was only jeered her out of her thought\'s by the touch of her mother\'s porcelain fingers. Feeling her face turn an ashen white from being caught, Kaoru turned to see her mother staring at her worriedly while her father was outside and leaning against the side of the limo waiting patiently.



Taking a deep breath, Kaoru let a gentle smile drift onto her lips, "Sorry about that mother, I was just lost in thought is all. Are you and father going to come inside with me as well?”



Kaoru watched as her mother sat back and glanced outside at her father, "no, we wanted you to do this on your own." Nodding her head, Kaoru opened the door next to her and stepped out into the night, the wind whipped at her hair playfully as she started around the limo.



"Shinomori!" Kaoru froze as she heard her father yell out that name, \'who is that,\' quickening her pace Kaoru made it around the limo completely and walked up to her father who was still leaning against the limo calmly.



"Father..." Kaoru started to speak when she sighted another man standing at his side, the man was tall just like her father but he had shorter, cropped hair and ice blue eyes that were staring directly back at Kaoru. Kaoru felt her body chill under that look as her confusion only grew, the man was just standing there and looking calmly at her but Kaoru felt like she had just been drenched in freezing water.



"Kaoru, this is your personal bodyguard, he will be accompanying you when you are away from your mother and I. Now, I will let you go and say goodbye," Kaoru barely heard her father as he got back into the limo and left her just standing out there.



Kaoru took another deep calming breath as she turned away from that man and started down the path towards the University entrance. Behind her she could hear the powerful steps of her \'bodyguard\' as she glanced absentmindedly at the tree where she had first met Kenshin\'s eyes. \'I should ask his name, he is after all going to be stuck with me, no matter how creepy he is.\'



"Ummm...would you tell me your name, please?" Kaoru didn\'t turn around as she spoke, not wanting to meet those emotionless eyes of his, for several moments an uncomfortable silence fell around Kaoru as she waited for the guy\'s answer. "Aoshi Shinomori, Milady." His answer was short and simple, Kaoru knew this but it unnerved her, "It\'s a pleasure, may I call you Aoshi instead of Shinomori like my father does?"



There was another momentary silence but it was shorter than the first, "If you wish Milady," Kaoru resisted the urge to turn about and check the man if he had circuits like some kind of robot, another question floated into her mind and that thought was soon forgotten. "Are you a vampire like me Aoshi?"



"Yes Milady, I am nearing 400 this very year," Kaoru felt her jaw drop at that, the man \'vampire\' behind her was almost 400 years old, that was just way too damn creepy. Reaching the steps of the University Kaoru\'s thought\'s drifted back to that lavender eyed, red haired angel, \'how old is he, after all he is a werewolf and they are practically immortal like us vampire\'s, I wonder.\'



She was brought out of her thoughts when Aoshi opened the door and waited patiently for her to enter. Smiling, Kaoru walked through uttering her thanks as she passed, taking a glance about the halls Kaoru felt like crying. Taking a deep breath instead, Kaoru started towards her classroom when she noticed the posters that littered the walls, \'those weren\'t here yesterday, I wonder.\'



Walking up to one Kaoru scanned the information written on it, "winter fling, a formal dance for all students, free of charge. One week from this Friday, will be featuring live music, come and enjoy the party." Kaoru chuckled softly when she finished reading that, \'I\'d really love to attend, but will I be able to now that I am a princess? Probably not.\'



"Milady, are you all right?" feeling the cold, but reassuring touch of Aoshi\'s presence behind her, Kaoru turned from the poster and nodded her head affirmatively. She then proceeded down the hall examining and memorizing every inch as she went, the halls were as empty as a tomb, sighting the familiar wooden door of her classroom Kaoru slowed her steps.



Taking steps that could be called \'baby steps\' Kaoru finally reached the door, looking up at the teachers name and class plaque, Kaoru gripped the cool metal of the doorknob preparing for the many questioning glares she was about to receive. Turning the knob, Kaoru held the door until Aoshi placed his hand on it holding it open firmly for her, taking another deep breath Kaoru walked inside. \'When have I ever sighed and breathed this much, oh well, better just get it done and over with.\'



She moved down the steps as all the eyes in the room turned to focus upon her and Aoshi, flinching, Kaoru focused her eyes on her the teacher’s back. He hadn\'t seen Kaoru enter and was busy writing the instructions for what to do after the students finished taking the test.



\'The test, I forgot, we were supposed to take it today. Heh, at least that\'s one good thing about this day; it\'s not any day that I can skip out on a test like this. Then again, I will never be taking one like this ever again, why does that have to be so cool and sad at the same time?\'



Continuing to ignore the glances from her fellow students, Kaoru finished walking down the steps towards the teacher’s desk. "Professor Charles," Kaoru came to a stop next to her teacher as she spoke so that only he could hear what she had to say.



"Hmmm? Oh, Miss. Kamiya, please grab a test and take your seat. Then you can begin the test and see how far you will get, just make sure to never be late again or I shall take it out on your grades. Oh, there\'s one last thing, I finished reviewing your work, it was very well done. Here is the disk, and you can place your homework here." The man held out a disk to Kaoru, after she took it he started to turn again when he noticed that Kaoru had yet to move.



"Professor, I\'m not here to take the test. I wanted to tell you that I will no longer be attending class, I wanted to thank you personally for the great teaching that you have given me. So, good-bye," Kaoru stuffed the disk into her pocket and turned on her heel, she was about to start up the stairs where Aoshi stood waiting when a hand touched her shoulder.



Looking behind her she saw that it was her teacher, "I am glad that you came to say good-bye, you have been one of the best students that I have had a privilege of teaching, I will miss your intellect. None the less, I hope that..." before he could finish Aoshi had appeared suddenly and was now crushing the Professor\'s wrist. "Aoshi, let him go, he was just saying good-bye."



Placing a hand on his arm Kaoru dug her nails into his arm to get his attention, she shivered slightly when the ever-cool pair of ice blue eyes focused upon her. "Please, let go..." Aoshi didn\'t respond, he just simply released the man\'s hand and took a set back, "Thank you." Kaoru helped the man to his chair as Aoshi watched closely, "I am sorry Professor, is your hand alright?"



"Y...yes, he just bruised it is all," nodding her head, Kaoru flashed one more smile at her teacher, turning about again she walked towards the stairs again. "Come on, I\'m ready to go now."



"Understood Milady," Aoshi waited for Kaoru to go first before he followed her, reaching the door Kaoru opened it and went back out into the hallway.



Kaoru felt slightly better now that she had said all of her good-bye\'s, she smiled softly as she looked at her feet, one hand touching the pendant about her neck. Reaching the doors that lead back outside, Aoshi opened one of the doors holding open for her again; Kaoru was about to step through when she heard labored breathing from behind her.



Sighing Kaoru stopped, she turned around to glance at the approaching form of Shinji, he was breathing heavily as he came to a stop at her side and rested a hand against her shoulder. A split second later that same hand was pinned behind his back by none other than Aoshi, Kaoru shook her head as she leaned against the wall, glaring at Shinji and waiting for his explanation.



Shinji was struggling in Aoshi\'s grip and failed to talk, so cursing under her breath, Kaoru motioned for Aoshi to let go. He obeyed and came to a stop close at her side, \'I think I could get used to having my own personal bodyguard.\' Smiling silently to herself, Kaoru turned her attention back to Shinji, "what do you want Shinji, I am sort of in a hurry here."



Shinji took a deep breath as he stared at her, the hurt shining in his eyes. "Kaoru, where are you going?" Kaoru rolled her eyes as she snickered loudly, earning a confused look from Shinji. "I have something that I have to take care of, so I\'m leaving, that\'s it. So if you wouldn\'t mind, I have to get going, let\'s go Aoshi."



Kaoru started towards the doors again as Aoshi opened one again, stepping through; Kaoru wanted to strangle Shinji when she felt his presence following her. \'Doesn\'t that guy ever give up?\' Kaoru walked a little bit until she was a few feet away from the steps before she turned around to face Shinji again, "Alright, what do you want now and you better make it quick, I\'m starting to loose my patience here."



Folding her arms over her chest, Kaoru let her eyes glare coldly at Shinji, he viably gulped at her stare and started to fidget uncontrollably. "I s...saw, you...you killed them. All three," Kaoru felt her heart sink at his words, \'he saw me do that, oh crap, please tell me he doesn\'t know the truth, please!\'



"You’re a Vampire, aren’t you?" Kaoru felt her lips twitch at his words, as she silently cursed herself. "What are you talking about Shinji, that...that\'s impossible and you know it." Kaoru started to walk away again, this time for a whole other reason, she only got a couple steps before Shinji had grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face him.



He had a hard look in his eyes and Kaoru knew at that moment that there was no point in lying to him, Kaoru sent Aoshi a look and he backed off, "alright, you caught me, I\'m a Vampire. Are you happy now?" Kaoru clenched her fists, as she smelled the blood coming from a paper cut on Shinji\'s left index finger, she could feel herself drawn towards that smell as her fangs grew and her nails lengthened.



"Kaoru," "Let go of me Shinji. Now." Shinji must have caught the hidden meaning behind her words as he quickly let go and took a step back. Seeing his slightly frightened expression made Kaoru want to attack him, but she held her ground as she held her desires in check as best she could. \'Is this happening because my blood has now awakened, damn I want to rip his throat out, stop it, the hot sticky blood running down my throat, no I\'m not going to attack him.\'



Aoshi must have sensed her inner turmoil because he came over to her side and set a reassuring hand on her shoulder, trying to help her calm down. Kaoru felt her blood starting to calm slightly at his touch, she was about to turn away and hurry to the limo before she ripped Shinji apart, when a crewel idea seeped into her mind. That thought made her blood sing with the chance to be crewel to another, wondering when she had become so evil, Kaoru turned her eyes to focus upon Shinji.



A crewel smile flicked onto her face as she walked up to him, stopping just before their faces touched, "Shinji, I\'m warning you, my intended wouldn\'t like other men touching me. So unless you wish either him or me to rip you to pieces, leave me the hell alone and keep your little nose out of my business." To add emphasis to her threat, Kaoru ran one of her nails against Shinji\'s cheek, drawing a thin line of blood.



Leaning in, Kaoru ran her tongue over the wound, collecting the blood and then pulling back. Shinji started to shake in terror for a few seconds, before he turned around and ran back into the University, slamming the doors shut in his wake.



Kaoru started to chuckle lightly as she turned around and started walking towards the limo, when she was about half-way there, she felt a familiar set of eyes scan her form. Smiling brilliantly, Kaoru whipped about automatically and let her eyes focus upon the owner of those eyes, \'Kenshin.\'



He was sitting in the same tree where she had seen him the first time, he smiled back at her when their eyes locked, Kaoru felt all her worry and doubts about everything wash away under his gentle stare.



He was wearing a pair of black jeans, a dark blue shirt and a black zip-up jacket, to Kaoru he looked damn sexy. Kaoru felt her feet moving on their own, leading her directly towards Kenshin, Kenshin had leapt out of the tree and was starting towards her as well when he stopped suddenly and pulled his lips back into a snarl. Frowning Kaoru saw him go completely rigid, as she tried to take another step, a hand appeared before her completely preventing Kaoru from getting any closer to Kenshin.



Then it hit her, \'Aoshi is here, he must have spotted Kenshin, please no, I have to stop Aoshi. I can\'t believe I forgot, Kenshin could be killed, please run Kenshin!\' Kaoru shot Kenshin a scared glance, trying to convey her warning through her eyes, just as Kenshin\'s eyes locked with her\'s again.



Kaoru could swear that his eyes told her that he would come and see her soon, Kaoru watched as Kenshin flashed her another smile, this one more playful than before then he suddenly disappeared from sight. Kaoru blinked several times not believing what she had just seen; she was brought out of her reverie when the hand in front of her steered her towards the direction of the limo.



Kaoru let the hand lead her away as she thought of Kenshin\'s reaction, \'so that was him back at my house.\' Feeling the hand tighten, Kaoru glanced at her side to see Aoshi staring directly at her, "Milady, I would not relate with that man, he is very dangerous."



Kaoru frowned at his words, \'Kenshin, dangerous? That is complete bullshit, oh...I forgot, my kind and his are enemies. No wonder Aoshi acted that way, he was only trying to protect me, since I am after all the princess.\' "I understand Aoshi, but still why is he so dangerous, he looked friendly to me," Kaoru let her voice turn girlie as she forced her face into a fake expression, hiding her true feelings.



"He is your sworn enemy, just forget that he ever existed," Kaoru could have sworn that for a second there, something that looked like hate or anger flashed through Aoshi\'s eyes. \'So this guy does feel, I think I have to work on that,\' "Alight," Kaoru turned from him and hurried towards the limo, anxious to get away from Aoshi before he asked her any more questions about Kenshin.



Reaching the limo, Kaoru smiled gently as that same little boy was holding the door open for her, Kaoru whispered her thanks as she slid into the limo. She glanced to her side to see that the door was still open, Aoshi had his hand on the door, preventing the boy from closing it.



His eyes were focused upon Kaoru, "Shinomori, what is it?" Kaoru glanced to her side to look at her parents before returning her gaze to Aoshi\'s. "I apologize Milady, but before, you spoke of having an intended. I believed this to be something that their highnesses would like to know about." Kaoru felt her face turn pale at those words, she took a deep breath as she felt her parents eyes focus upon her.



"What is he talking about Kaoru?" Kaoru immediately let her hand reach for Kenshin\'s dagger, feeling it\'s cool metal touch her finger\'s, Kaoru turned towards her parents with renewed confidence.



"It is rather simple to explain. I met this guy the other day and I really like him allot, I was just using him as a weapon. It was the only way to get Shinji off of my back before my instincts took over and I killed him, I don\'t really have an intended, just a crush." Smiling childishly, Kaoru watched with great satisfaction and relief, as Aoshi and her parents believed her lie.



It was true that she did have a crush, but it was on Kenshin and there was no way in the seven hells that she would let them know that, she had already put Kenshin at risk tonight and she planed to never do it again. \'I wouldn\'t mind having him as my intended though, besides, no matter what Aoshi or they say, I could never hate Kenshin.\'



"I see, I apologize for my intrusion." Aoshi then turned and disappeared like Kenshin had just moments before, \'I really have to ask them how they do that.\' Kaoru watched as the boy shut the door and moved around the side of the car again, across from her she could feel her parents looking at her and it was starting to get on her nerves.



Kaoru glanced over and was surprised to see that her mother was smiling openly while her father looked as if he were going to break out laughing any moment now. "What?" Her curiosity getting the better of her, Kaoru turned to face her parents fully as the boy started the limo and switched the gears.



"Nothing..." Kaoru\'s mother averted her eyes trying not to admit to the truth, Kaoru\'s father on the other hand started to laugh. "Just so you know, we want to meet this \'crush\' of yours, but that\'s not important right now. So instead, you have my permission to flirt with this guy as much as you want, as long as it\'s within reason."



Kaoru felt her face turn slightly red as she glanced away to look out the window, "thanks dad," she watched as they pulled away from the University and began the trip to her new home.





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Meanwhile, Kenshin watched as the limo pulled away, taking Kaoru with it.



Leaping down from the tree he was just in, Kenshin strolled towards the path that Kaoru had just been standing on moments before. Stopping, Kenshin inhaled deeply, taking in all the last traces of Kaoru\'s lovely sent. A low rumbling purr rose in his throat as her sent filled his nostrils, \'damn, she smells good.\'



Letting out a sigh, Kenshin turned around to face the person that he knew would show up sooner or latter. "Hello Shinomori," Kenshin tensed his claws instinctively as his eyes rested upon the form of Aoshi Shinomori, he was leaning against a nearby tree his features hidden as usual. He locked eyes with Kenshin as he pulled away from the tree and approached, coming to a stop a couple feet away from Kenshin\'s form, his eyes never once leaving Kenshin\'s.



"Your Highness," Aoshi let one of his hands drift behind his back to touch one of the blades resting there, Kenshin watched this and grunted in annoyance. "There will be no need for that Shinomori, I am not here to fight and you know it." A glint of emotion rushed through Aoshi\'s eyes as he moved his hand back into place at his side, "then why are you here, I highly doubt it is just to enjoy the view."



"Very funny, I didn\'t know an undead bastard like you had a sense of humor, what a nice turn of events." Kenshin smirked as Aoshi\'s bottom lip twitched slightly at his words, "enough with the pleasantries, tell me why you are here."



Kenshin\'s expression immediately changed to a gentle expression that made Kenshin seem as if he was dreaming, "I wished to see Kaoru," a split second latter a blade was resting directly next to Kenshin\'s face, touching his ear. "That\'s Princess to you, Prince."



Pushing the blade away like it was a child’s toy, Kenshin rubbed his neck lightly as he looked towards the trees, his eyes cold and unfeeling. "Whatever, my father sends a message, tell your King that he should enjoy his \'little vacation\' with that daughter of his. For soon, she will be out of his reach and he will be made into my father\'s personal foot massager, while his wife becomes his sex toy. There, I believe those were his exact words."



Kenshin turned back to Aoshi, his expression suddenly serious, "I\'ll promise you this though, no matter what your King or my father attempt to do, neither her highness or I shall come to any harm. That I swear."



With that said Kenshin disappeared, leaving Aoshi to ponder his last words. Kenshin used his god-like speed to return to his home to report that he had completed the mission his father had sent him on, reaching the courtyard of the castle, Kenshin slew to a walk his hand touching his side.



The wound his father had given him that day had yet to heal completely, \'damn bastard,’ he cursed under his breath as he made his way across the courtyard. He was glad that he had been able to see Kaoru before she left to become the princess, \'she was utterly beautiful tonight, I have got to find some way into that castle to see her, at least before we become official enemies. I don\'t want her to hate me, I have to tell her who I am before we meet, no matter how much I don\'t want to.\'



Kenshin stopped walking as he let out a sigh, \'five, four, three, two, one.\'



"Kenshin!" readying himself, Kenshin smiled as he turned around only to be tackled to the ground roughly. "Kenshin, I am so glad your back, what did father send you to do this time? Did you get to see the Vampire Princess? Is she pretty? What about her bodyguard? Come on Kenshin, answer me!"



Kenshin laughed as he pulled himself into a sitting position, balancing his weight with that of his, second to the youngest, sister Misao. "Calm down Misao, I can\'t answer all those questions at once." Kenshin smiled as he pulled himself to his feet, shifting his sister around so that she was hanging off his back.



Sure that he had her well supported, Kenshin started towards the gardens that were along the left side of the castle, \'father is just going to have to wait.\'



"Kenshin...answer me...come on..." chuckling at his sisters plea, Kenshin let go of her and let her land on her feet on the ground. "Alright, as long as you show me how much you have improved on your kunai throwing, deal?" Misao\'s face lit up at his words; she nodded her head violently as she began jumping in circles around Kenshin, "Deal!"



"Well, for the first question, father wanted me to give a message to the Vampire in charge of guarding Kao...I mean, the Princess." "Stop the formalities, I know you too well for that, I promise I won\'t tell if you call the Princess Kaoru." Misao turned serious as she placed a hand on Kenshin\'s shoulder comfortingly, Kenshin smiled as they entered the gardens, picking an off-white rose he handed it to Misao.



"Okay, just as long as it\'s our secret." Misao nodded her head as she took the rose and smelled it. "Where was I?" Kenshin tilted his head as he sat down on a stone bench; Misao danced around in front of him as he watched, "Is she pretty?"



Kenshin\'s smile widened dramatically as his eyes got a faraway look to them, "Kaoru is the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, I am afraid to even touch her for fear that she will shatter. Then there\'s her sent, oh god, I could die happy if that sent was filling the air about me. She is perfec...mrph!" Kenshin felt Misao\'s hands covering his mouth as he came out of his little dream state, her face was bright red and her eyes were flashing in annoyance.



"Alright, I get it, she\'s perfect in every way. Now on with the answers." Kenshin felt his face turn bright red, \'I can\'t believe I was ranting like that, I barely know Kaoru and I am completely infatuated with her.\' "Sorry, if I do that again, you have my permission to slap me."



"You can count on that mister, now answer the rest of my questions already!" A flash of anger rose in her emerald orbs, Kenshin simply nodded his head, "Okay, her bodyguard...well, his name is Aoshi Shinomori, he is as cold as they come and has no emotions what so ever. Now, it\'s your turn, show me what you got."



Misao shot him an annoyed look as she placed the rose on the bench next to Kenshin, walking over to the side of the castle walls; she pressed one of the bricks. The wall rumbled slightly as the bricks moved to reveal a target, there were several nicks here and there on it, Misao then pulled a cord on the dress that she was wearing. With that pull the entire dress fell off, revealing underneath a black vest with sleeves and a pair of skin tight shorts, on the sides were several pouches.



She pulled five knife-like objects called kunai from the pouches and came to sit next to Kenshin, "Watch this." Misao closed her eyes and threw one of the kunai\'s; it hit the target perfectly. Turning to where her back was to the target, she threw another over her shoulder, it landed right next to the first one.



She then took the last three and went all out, leaping up suddenly she threw one, then she rolled throwing another. Landing from the roll, she went into a cartwheel and tossed the last one.



Looking at the target Misao had formed a perfect plus sign, Kenshin clapped at her performance as she bowed, she then went over to collect her kunai and dress. "That was very good Misao, but now I have to go and see father, so I will see you latter okay?"



Misao frowned and rushed over leaping into a hug, "alright, I\'ll tell Megumi to come and fix your dressing, I can smell your blood from here." Kenshin flinched, \'my wounds have opened again, damn it, Megumi\'s going to tell me to stay in bed, I can just see it.\' Gritting his teeth, Kenshin pulled out of the hug, "fine, why I have sister\'s like you still puzzles me."



Misao smacked Kenshin\'s arm as she stuck her tongue out and ran off, \'she must be taking the rear entrance again.\' Taking a deep breath, Kenshin made his way back to the courtyard and up the steps, entering the castle he found his father and brother pacing about apparently waiting for him.



"Father, brother, I have delivered the message just as you ordered me to." They stopped at his words and turned to look at him, "good, just don\'t take so long next time. So, who have they picked to be her bodyguards?" Kenshin steeled himself for what he knew was sure to come, approaching he knelt before his father as he spoke.



"She has one thus far, Aoshi Shinomori, for the second I shall find out soon enough." "WHAT!" Kenshin gritted his teeth as his father buried his foot in Kenshin\'s side, right above the wound. "Damn it Kenshin, I sent you to get both names not one, can\'t you even get that right?"



Kenshin winced as his father kicked him again, this time right on the wound, choking, Kenshin hacked up blood as it streamed out of his mouth and onto the floor. "I...hack...apologize, but...hack...I was seen..."



"Shut up, I don\'t want your pathetic excuses, clean up this mess and attempt again. Is that understood?" Kenshin pulled himself onto his knees as he removed his jacket and sopped up his blood, "Understood."



Kenshin then watched as his father placed an arm about Shishio\'s shoulder\'s and walked off in the direction of his study, Kenshin finished cleaning up the blood and wiped his mouth off as he struggled to his feet. Clutching his side, Kenshin reached the stairs, he gripped the railing as he started up the stairs only to loose his balance and fall backwards.



Kenshin braced himself for the impact but it never came, feeling an arm wrap about his back, Kenshin glanced at his side and felt relieved to see the determined face of Megumi, the eldest of his sisters. "Looks like he beat you pretty badly this time Kenshin," Kenshin tried to smile but it only came out a grimace as she helped him up the stairs and led him to his room.



Setting him down on his bed, Megumi pulled out a bag of antibiotics, "alright, strip!" Kenshin was able to growl weakly as he pulled his blood stained shirt off and tossed it to the floor, "pants too," Kenshin just sat there his scowl deepening, this was the part he hated about having Megumi treat his wounds.



"Either you remove them or I will and we both know what happened when I tried that one." Megumi placed a hand on her hip as she waited, grumbling under his breath, Kenshin did as she said and unzipped his pants, dropping them to the floor he adjusted his boxers before he laid down on the bed facing the wall.



"That\'s better, now let\'s see," Kenshin winced as he felt Megumi touch his side, running her cool fingers over his wounds.



"Well, you have managed to rip three of the five wounds open again, all I can do for you right now is clean them. Other than that, you are to remain in bed until tomorrow evening, your wounds should be healed in time to head over to the Vampire Kings castle." Kenshin only grunted, \'I knew it, too bad Megumi, I have a date with the Princess and there is no way in hell I\'m going to back out.\'



Megumi slapped a swore spot on his side causing Kenshin to yelp out at the sudden addition of searing pain. "Quit being such a baby, now I\'ll bring up your dinner, remain in bed." Megumi placed patches on the wounds and turned to leave, Kenshin could hear her stop in midstride, \'she must have forgotten something.\'



"I forgot, Misao and Tsubame wanted to know if they could come up and eat with you, I might too. After all, you have been gone a long time lately and we all have missed you...scratch that, Misao, Tsubame, mother, and I are the only one\'s who have missed you. Anyway, what\'s your verdict?"



Kenshin chuckled, \'I was right,\' "let me get dressed first, unless you three want to eat with a half-naked man." Megumi started to laugh, "why not and while we\'re at it, us girls could come parading about in our underwear. Of course you need to be dressed, oh...did you want me to ask mother to join us?" Kenshin rolled onto his back wincing slightly as he adjusted, "I\'d like that, I wanted to talk to her anyway."



"Let me guess, you wanted to ask her about what you are going to wear when we go to the Vampire castle," Kenshin turned his head to look at her and got a change of clothes in the face. \'She must have grabbed some for me,\' "Yes and no, it mostly has to deal with the...Kaoru." Megumi\'s eyes widened, "I see, okay. Get those on lover boy and I\'ll be back before you know it."



Watching as Megumi disappeared, Kenshin pulled himself up into a sitting position, "well, my secret is out, at least I can trust them." Sighing, Kenshin pulled on the shirt and then messed with the pants, finishing, he closed his eyes for a moment.



Before him appeared an image of Kaoru, she was wearing a training outfit and sweating. In her hands she held a katana and he watched as she went through all of the practice swings, her hair was slightly ratted and wind beaten, while her eyes held a soft fire of determination. She looked utterly breathtaking, but then one detail caught his attention, she had protruding belly.



Kenshin smiled at that, he could see himself walking over to her and hugging her close, running his hands over her stomach. Her smiling back at him and melting into the embrace, Kenshin sighed at that thought, \'she looked utterly beautiful before, but it\'s strange, she looks even more beautiful pregnant. That would be complete bliss...\' hearing the door open, Kenshin opened his eyes reluctantly, a gentle smile appeared on his lips as he watched his mother and sisters enter the room carrying their dinner with them.



\'There\'s only one thing missing, Kaoru, I wonder what she is doing right now?\'





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At that moment, Kaoru was staring out the windows of the limo thinking the exact same thing; the limo shook as they pulled in to their destination. Kaoru\'s face went pale as she stared up at the massive figure of her parent\'s home, \'I know we are royalty, but a castle was the last thing I expected.\'



"Kaoru, before we enter and introduce you to the household staff, your mother and I have something to tell you." Kaoru forced herself to look at her father as he spoke; she was surprised to see that both of her parents suddenly looked uncomfortable. Kaoru waited for him to continue but he remained silent, "please continue," her father sighed as he leaned forward to look Kaoru in the eye.



"Tomorrow night, the entire royal Werewolf family is going to arrive, they will be spending the better part of a month here. Possibly more depending on how things go," Kaoru wanted to burst out laughing at that, \'no duh, I\'m coming back into the picture, of course they want to be here. It gives them a better chance at killing me, what else is new.\'



"So, for the sake of your protection, we have assigned another bodyguard for you." Kaoru nodded her head, looking back outside, Kaoru could see that there was a tall man walking towards them. "Is that him?" Kaoru pointed, "yes, well, let\'s get out and get this show on the road then."



Kaoru watched as her parents got out of the limo and soon followed, the little boy was holding the door for her again as she stretched her limbs, Kaoru then turned to grab her bag from inside when the little boy stopped her. "Please Milady, I will get it for you," Kaoru smiled and nodded her head as she watched, getting the first good look of the boy all night.



He was small and had spiky black hair that had been smoothed down except for a tuft in couple places, his eyes were a chocolate brown color and he seemed really nimble on his feet. When the boy pulled back out of the limo holding her bag, Kaoru smiled and bent down taking the bag from him, "but Milady..."



It\'s alright, so, what\'s your name kid?" Kaoru tilted her head as she waited for his answer. "Ya...Yahiko Myojin, Milady," Kaoru snickered as she stood up, "stop with all that \'Milady\' stuff, it\'s just Kaoru, it\'s a pleasure Yahiko."



he took his hand and shook it lightly as she shut the door to the limo herself, "let\'s go Yahiko," Kaoru motioned towards the direction her parents had taken and Yahiko looked at her like she was a madman.



"You heard her shrimp, move it!" Kaoru snapped her head around to find the source of the voice and nearly fell over when she came face to face with the man she had seen walking over earlier.



Kaoru was about to hit the ground when a strong arm caught her, looking at her sides, she saw that it was neither Yahiko or the new guy. "Milady, you can let go now," recognizing the voice, Kaoru let go immediately. "Hey Aoshi, no groping the Princess, you know that."



Kaoru snapped her head again towards the new guy her jaw dropped, \'what did he just say, with that Ice-block, hell no!\' "Sagara, don\'t push the line," Aoshi walked on past and stopped a few feet away his eyes scanning everything around him while he waited.



"I see Ice-man hasn\'t changed, even after 150 years," glancing at her side, Kaoru got a good look at the new comer. He was tall, just like Aoshi, but he was different. He had spiky dark brown hair, a carefree grin on his face, and his eyes were a deep caramel color.



Kaoru smiled as she watched the new guy rough up Yahiko\'s hair, "Sir, may I ask your name?" Kaoru raised an eyebrow at the guy as she waited for a response, "oh, sorry \'bout that, the names Sanosuke Sagara pleasure to meet yah Princess!"



He reached out a hand to her while flashing a huge smile, Kaoru smiled back as she took his hand, "just Kaoru, Sanosuke." "If it\'s going to be first name basis for us then make it Sano, alright missy?" Kaoru\'s eyes widened at that, \'missy?\' Before she had a chance to respond, Sano snatched the bag off her shoulder and shoved her and Yahiko forward towards the castle.



Kaoru was surprised by his friendly nature, he was the exact opposite of Aoshi, Kaoru shook her head once and then continued forward without Sano\'s help. Her parents were waiting at the top of the stairs for her to arrive, reaching them, she found then smiling. "I see that you have already made a couple friends. Are you ready to go inside now Kaoru?"



Kaoru smiled and nodded her head as she followed closely after them, behind her she could hear Sano and Yahiko arguing while Aoshi remained as silent as the grave. There were people lined on both sides of her as she walked behind her parents, every step she took though two of the people bowed, this continued until Kaoru was standing in the center of the castle\'s main lobby.



Kaoru was overwhelmed to say the least, the place was a lot bigger on the inside than it looked on the outside, she began scanning the walls and studying the stairs committing everything to memory.



Kaoru was so involved in this that her father had to shake her lightly to get her attention, "Kaoru, your mother and I are going to retire for the night. We\'d like to know if you wanted to have something to drink before we have Sagara lead you to your room." Kaoru nodded her head unable to find her voice because of the magnitude of her new home; her mother caught her drift though and sent Yahiko to get her meal.



"Well, good-night then Kaoru, tomorrow is going to be a very stressful day so I hope you get enough rest," Kaoru smiled as she hugged her parents, \'this might not be as bad as I thought.\' "Your mother is right, we already had some clothes made for you, so you should find your night clothes waiting on your bed for you. Good-night."



Kissing Kaoru once on the forehead, her father took his wife\'s hand and they walked off towards their bedroom, leaving Kaoru alone with Aoshi and Sano. "Come on missy, your room is upstairs," Kaoru nodded her head and followed as Sano started up the stairs.



They walked for a few minutes as Kaoru studied the brilliant hallway they were in, the castle had that old Victorian style about it and it only made Kaoru seem more at home here. Suddenly Sano stopped, causing Kaoru to run into him, he only chuckled as he opened the door at his side, "this is your room little missy."



"Thank you Sano," moving past Sano, Kaoru walked into her new room and was automatically awestruck. The room was large, it had a walk in dressing room on her left and a bathroom on her right, further into the room was the bed, it was definitely king size. The main headboard of the bed was rested against the left wall, straight across from the bed was a desk that had a beautifully designed chair, the desk itself had two drawers and was made from the most beautiful red wood that Kaoru had ever seen.



Then there was the back wall, except it wasn\'t a back wall; there were large glass sliding doors and a balcony beyond it. On both sides of the doors there were hanging drapes made out of a deep midnight blue color.



Moving into the room, Kaoru made her way over to the bed and ran her hand along the material of the coverlet, it felt like silk or a creamy type of butter in a way.



Kaoru sat down on the edge of the bed and let out a deep sigh, glancing over at the door she saw that Sano was still standing there, leaning on the door frame, while Aoshi was leaning against the wall in the hallway.



"Go ahead and come in you two," Kaoru then got to her feet and moved towards the bathroom her curiosity overflowing, the door was only slightly open as she reached it. Grabbing the knob she pulled it open all the way, she let out a gasp as her eyes doubled to twice their size.



The bathroom was elegantly furnished, it had a large sink to her left and a linen closet to her right, in front of her was not only a shower, complete with sliding glass doors, but a bathtub large enough to fit three people in it. Next to the linen closet was a full sized mirror, the floor was carpeted with a moisture absorbent material, and lastly next to the sink was the toilet and a mini dresser like thing.



It was see through, but had four drawers in it, and all the drawers were already filled. As Kaoru turned to leave she noticed the dirty clothes basket and even it was beautiful.



Kaoru moved back into her room and smiled when she found Sano sitting on the chair and Aoshi by the sliding glass doors, moving forward, Kaoru noticed the clothes that sat on her bed. They were pajamas, unfolding them Kaoru was surprised to see that they were a deep red and made out of silk-like material as well. There was a button-up top with long sleeves and a pair of pajama pants with a drawstring.



"Be right back guys," Kaoru scooped up the pajamas and walked to the bathroom, shutting the door behind her and turning on the light, Kaoru set the pajamas on top of the toilet seat. Removing the dagger from her back pocket, Kaoru then proceeded to strip out of her shirt, shoes, socks, and pants, tossing them into the basket behind her.



Picking up the pajama button up Kaoru was surprised to see a bra and pair of panties come rolling out of it, placing it back down Kaoru picked up the bra and panties. They were soft and silky like everything else, Kaoru removed her bra and panties, letting them fall to the floor forgotten as she pulled on the newer pair. Then she pulled on the drawstring pants and buttoned up the shirt, moving towards the door Kaoru pulled it open and walked out into her room.



Yahiko was coming in the door as Kaoru pulled her hairtye out, letting her hair fall about her shoulders, he came over and handed Kaoru a mug with a straw sticking out of it. Kaoru\'s eyebrow rose as she took it from him, "thanks..." confused, Kaoru took a sip and understood, \'the mug is filled with blood, hmmm, that was pretty thoughtful of them.\'



"So, tell me something, both you and Yahiko are Vampires, correct?" Kaoru walked over and sat on her bed glancing at Sano, "Yup!" Sano\'s smile increased five fold as he got up and walked towards the door, "well, we had better let you rest, tomorrow we can show you around the place. Night missy!"



Sano then strolled out of the room dragging a kicking Yahiko with him, Kaoru smiled as she watched them leave, then Aoshi walked past and came to a stop right before he shut the door. "Milady, may I have the permission to voice an idea I have?"



Kaoru rose an eyebrow as she nodded her head in approval, "I believe that the Prince of the Werewolves has plans for you, he seemed very fond of you when we spoke earlier, I am giving you a warning, he will probably try something while he is here. Please don\'t believe anything he says or does, there has never been a trustworthy Werewolf in existence, good-night Milady." With that said Aoshi turned and shut the door behind him leaving Kaoru to think over what he said.



Lying back on her bed, Kaoru noticed that there was a canopy over the bed, for several moments Kaoru sipped on her drink as she stared at the canopy above her. \'I understand that he\'s trying to help me, but I can handle the Werewolf Prince, besides I have Kenshin on my side. Aoshi is wrong, the reason Werewolves seem untrustworthy is because of being outcasts, no one will even give them the time of day. Not me, I\'m not that mean, and neither is Kenshin. He is one of the most gentle and kind men I have ever met, there is no way that I will turn my back on him, he wouldn\'t do that to me.\'



"Ahhhh, I can\'t sleep, this place is so new and so big. I just want to explore, ah heck, hell with it, I\'m going to go snoop around." Sitting up, Kaoru set the mug on the dresser and tip toed to the door, opening it a crack she looked around in the hallway. \'Good, the coast it clear,\' darting out of her room Kaoru made her way down the hallway, reaching the stairs she started down them.



Reaching the foot of the stairs, Kaoru tip toed in the direction her parents walked in earlier, \'their bedroom is probably over here.\' Reaching a main support pillar Kaoru moved around it and was about to move forward when she felt someone touch her shoulder.



Whipping about Kaoru squinted her eyes, "Kaoru, it\'s only me, I see that you were curious about the castle. I was too when I first came here," Kaoru\'s felt like hitting herself when she realized that the person she had run into was her mother.



"Mother, what are you doing up, I thought that you and father had gone to bed." Stepping closer, Kaoru could make out her mother\'s form in the darkness, but her mother was holding something large, long, and rectangular.



"Your father fell asleep quickly, but I didn\'t, that was when the messenger came. The Prince of the Werewolves has volunteered to teach you how to sword fight, no matter how much I didn\'t want to agree I had too. So I was going to bring this to you, but it seems that you have just come to me. Here, take it," Kaoru took the object from her mother and was surprised to find that it was a marble box.



Looking up at her mother Kaoru tilted her head to the side in a questioning manner, "this will be the katana with which you fight, it was a gift that we were going to give to you after the Werewolves joined us, but I thought that this would better timing. Now I must return before your father wakes up, one last thing, remember to always carry a weapon with you, you never know when it might come in handy." Feeling her mother kiss her upon the cheek, Kaoru watched as her mother disappeared into the darkness, leaving Kaoru alone.



Kaoru looked after her mother for a few moments before she walked out into the little light in the room, getting to her knees, Kaoru pulled the latches on the sides of the box. Pulling it open, Kaoru was surprised to find a crimson velvet interior to the box, removing a silk coverlet, Kaoru gasped when she set her eyes upon the sheath and hilt of the katana.



The hilt was pure silver but was wrapped with a crimson stained cord preventing Kaoru\'s skin from actually touching the silver. Running her eyes down the sheath, Kaoru was completely fascinated. Touching the hard leather of the sheath, Kaoru wrapped her hand about it as she drew it slowly down the blade, removing the sheath with care.



The blade itself was something to behold, it shone in the little light like a star in the sky, it was almost as if the blade was radiating in the darkness. Where the finger guard met the blade, there were two dragons, curling onto the blade itself. The blade looked like it was silver but Kaoru wasn\'t sure, taking a chance, Kaoru placed one finger on the blade only to pull it back from the pain that seared through it.



\'So the blade is silver, and this rope must prevent my skin from making contact with the blade, that is complete genius.\' Slipping the blade back into it\'s sheath, Kaoru set it back down into the case, after drawing the coverlet, she then proceeded to snap the latches closed.



Kaoru then pulled the case into her arms as she started towards the stairs, \'that\'s enough exploration for one night, I had best get at least a little rest.\'



Just as she reached the stairs, a hand shot out of the dark and covered her mouth pulling her into the shadows, the marble box falling to the floor with a dull thud.



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A/N- There you have it! And yes that\'s a cliffy!



I\'m already working on the next chapter so it shouldn\'t take as long to up-date this time. I hope you liked this enough to review, I\'d like to know if this was okay for you, or too fast paced, too slow, what?



Just drop a line, and thanks to those who have reviewed my story thus far. I dedicate this chapter to them!



Well, see yah next time!



Ja!