Just taking a break from any other stories I have going right now…

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, Nobuhiro Watsuki does. End of story!

Strength Through Discretion

Chapter 1

'Run as if demons were at your heels,' was what he had told her as his eyes glazed over, and run she did. Through the aching of her legs and the pounding of her feet on the forest trail, Kaoru could hear her pursuers grunting as they struggled through the underbrush. The pale moonlight barely illuminated the path and she stumbled but caught herself and was running again. Twigs snagged her kimono and she yelped as one of them caught her across the face.

'Please, just a little farther… please,' she begged when her muscles burned in protest of the running. Suddenly Kaoru felt herself flying through the air as she tripped over an upraised tree root. This time when she tried to stand, her legs buckled and collapsed underneath her.

Her sapphire eyes darted to look behind her, trying to judge how much time she had before those mercenaries reached. In between pants, Kaoru rapidly went over her options, which were few and far between, and none of them pleasant.

The hooting of an owl making it's rounds reminded her that if she didn't find a safe place to hole up in, Kaoru would meet her death either on the sharp end of a katana or by wild animals. Like wolves, she shuddered, remembering all those scary tales that she'd been told when she was younger.

Panting, the young woman rose on trembling legs, glad that some of her strength had finally returned. Casting a glance backwards, she felt panic rising when she saw the flickering of torches just around the last corner she'd turned. The din of angry voices could be heard swelling through the trees.

Kaoru paid no mind to what they were saying, they were too close, and while she could stand… the same could not be said about running. She took a deep breath and resorted to her last option.

Kamiya Kaoru threw herself down the grassy and tree filled slope of the trail, leaving her fate to luck.

Kaoru knew she was making noise as she crashed into bushes and the like. She kept rolling down the slope; stifling a cry of pain when her ankle was battered harshly against a tree. Kaoru desperately scrabbled at rocks to slow her descent, but in the end she only got scratched up hands and broken nails. Her body rolled to a stop after what seemed like hours and Kaoru lay there listening, her breathing sounding loud to her ears. Her ankle felt swollen and was probably broken.

After not hearing anyone pursuing her Kaoru curled in on herself, ignoring the jolts of pain when dirt rubbed into her wounds. It seemed as though she was safe for the moment. Fatigue and exhaustion overcame her and she slipped into a dreamless sleep.

She could hear rustling but was still tired.

"Warm… mmh, little bit longer 'kay?" Kaoru murmured half asleep then shot up as memories assaulted her and she breathed sharply.

All of them were dead, even the youngest child shared that inescapable fate; she saw their fearful eyes become angry in her mind as she remembered those horrid events. Kaoru's body began to shake as those hate-filled eyes danced around her, accusing her of being unable to prevent the carnage.

She felt hot, her face was flushed and she was sweating profusely. Kaoru covered her face with her hands, willing the phantoms to go away, go away, go a-

"-WAY! GO AWAY!" she screamed heart-brokenly, tears streaming down as Kaoru wept openly.

She stayed hunched over until her sobs became hiccups, and hiccups became shuddering breaths as she recalled the night before.

They were supposed to kill everyone at the orphanage; the only warning everyone had gotten before the slaughter had begun had been the war cries of bloodthirsty men, and the smell of smoke. Kaoru and the older children had tried to gather the little ones up, to lead them out the back door to safety. As soon as they had exited the burning building they'd been surrounded.

Kumiko, a quiet girl of 16 years of age, surprised them all when she'd rushed heedless of the swords, with a broken beam she'd found on the ground, towards the men. She was the first one in their group to die; the adults were all in the house fighting the intruders.

A large man had grabbed Kumiko and held her suspended in the air as she choked. The children had begun to cry for their big sister and Kaoru wanted to go save her, but she had to protect the children.

The man demanded in a hideous voice, "Girl, where's the key?" Kumiko wouldn't give him the satisfaction of an answer and he threw her down on the ground. In one smooth motion he'd plunged his sword into her stomach, Kumiko opened her mouth to scream but he slashed open her throat, blood rushing out. He turned from the dying girl to face the screaming orphans with a sick smile of satisfaction.

Just then one of the owners of the orphanage burst through the back door and without hesitation jumped at the men. That had been Shigeki, a cheerful man who always had a good word to say.

His onyx eyes locked with Kaoru's. "Run!" he yelled, "Run as if demons were at your heels!" At the same time a sword pierced his gut but the momentary distraction had been enough for the orphans to make a break for it.

Kaoru could hear screams all around her, and even though she knew she was no match for the mercenaries, she rounded on them.

Kaoru dove towards the first one's legs as he swiped at her; he fell in a heap as she tackled him. Searching out the children she told them to keep going, to keep running. The man beneath her grunted and shoved her slight form off of him and stood up.

"You wench! Now you die along with the rest of these sniveling wretches," he raised his blade and abruptly pitched over. Standing victoriously over him was Misao, a girl who had wandered into the orphanage years ago.

"Come on Kaoru! You get the kids going, I'll hold them off," she ducked and drop-kicked an attacker leaving him moaning, "why are you still standing there, move it!"

"Misao--"

"GO KAORU!"

That had been the last Kaoru had seen of her before Misao turned and ran off into the smoke to fight.

Kaoru shouted out for the children but she got no answer. The smoke from the spreading fires was hurting her eyes and lungs. She'd ripped a piece of cloth off her kimono and held it to her nose. She was searching blindly, growing desperate when she found no one. Suddenly she tripped over something soft.

Landing on her hands and knees, Kaoru found herself face to face with a corpse. She wasn't able to stifle the scream that burst out of her. The smoke was thinner closer to the ground and Kaoru saw the ground littered with bodies. Crimson puddles glistening in the firelight beneath them. All of the children, each child was dead.

Scrambling up she heard people shouting and footsteps heading her way. Kaoru had bolted for the nearby forest, hoping to lose her pursuers in the bushes.

That was how she had wound up sitting at the bottom of the slope in the morning. And she had so many questions but no one to ask them to. What was this key that the mercenaries were after, who hired them, and most importantly why would a near-bankrupt orphanage be hiding such a valuable item? It certainly must be valuable if the darn thing was worth innocent lives.

As hurt and disoriented as Kaoru was, she knew that if she were to walk towards a nearby village there was a chance that somebody would recognize her. By somebody she meant one of those hired killers.

But she had to get her foot bandaged up or else it would heal crookedly. Kaoru scanned the area for something to act as a crutch. Spying a sturdy piece of wood she crawled over to it and gingerly put her weight on it. Finally she was up.

There were animal trails everywhere. Kaoru limped towards the closest one and started down the path.

Kaoru had been going at a steady pace for about 15 minutes now, she tried not to notice when her steps became lagging. Kaoru hissed in pain when her injured foot landed awkwardly on the leaf-strewn path. She had to continue moving, if she stopped, everyone's sacrifices would've been in vain if she gave up.

Kamiya Kaoru moved on with the hope that she would find somewhere safe to spend the night.

Meanwhile at the same time, the mercenaries were still searching for her, it was their orders to find the key and she was the last one alive who might know where the key was hidden. After all, their contractor wouldn't pay them if they didn't find the young woman and bring her back-- alive preferably.

A/N: Please review, and thanks for reading!

See ya!