TAXI

Kaoru glared at her watch. The little numbers blinked at her without mercy, showing that it was 8 o'clock. Sighing in frustration, the young woman put down her heavy bags. She knew that if she did not return by the time Mistress Tomoe awoke, she would lose her job. And jobs were very desirable in times like these. Kaoru was not ready to go back to a life of begging and wandering the streets. That kind of life was better left to those without any promise.

Sighing again, she kicked another rock against the wall, revelling in the satisfying sound it made. Her cheap plastic boots were scuffed and ugly, but they were warm, which was all that mattered. Kaoru could vaguely remember when there had been better things, like leather and wool. But now, everyone made do with cheap plastic. Natural resources had long dwindled into nonexistence, and only the truly rich, like Mistress Tomoe, could afford any sort of luxury. Kaoru would know, having been privileged enough to see the older girl's wealth whenever Tomoe decided to parade around the house.

Making up her mind, Kaoru began the long trek across the city to the Yukishiro estate. Mr.Yukishiro was Tomoe's father and the city's largest financier. The gossips all said that he made his money through the black market, supplying weapons to both sides of the war. But his winsome personality and heavy bribes kept Enishi Yukishiro away from any government suspicions. Tomoe, on the other hand, was always in public scrutiny; working as a fashion model in faraway countries, where there was no war and where people could still live peacefully.

Kaoru's feet began to ache five minutes into her journey. The frequency of the city buses left something to be desired. They never showed up when one needed them, but were active at all hours of the night, waking everyone with their rattling engines. The whole city was falling apart. It was far from the main battlefront, but the effects of air raids could be seen clearly. The only reason that the Yukishiro mansion had survived was because it was completely underground; a labyrinth of safety from the roving bombers. Needless to say, it had saved Kaoru's life on many occasions.

Looking up from the heavy grocery bags cradled in her arms, Kaoru looked at her watch again. All the servants were issued with them, supposedly to prevent any excuses of 'not knowing the time'. The little red numbers showed her that it was already 8:15. The stupid Roosterhead would be displeased if she arrived after 8:45, as he still needed to prepare Tomoe's breakfast. Kaoru wasn't going to make it.

It was then that she saw him. Leaning casually on the bright yellow taxi, the man seemed to be asleep. She saw his lips move with every breath he exhaled, fluttering his heavy black bangs. Kaoru desperately picked up her pace, barely managing to hold on to her groceries. Her pay was dismal, but even she could afford to use a taxi in this desperate situation.

The man did not wake up, even when Kaoru yelled and prodded him with her boot. Rather, he just slumped forward, revealing the injury on his back. Kaoru frowned with concern; the man appeared to have been knocked out from a blow to the head, and stabbed with a knife. Judging from the small bloodstain, she could tell that this was a recent attack. Maybe she had scared away the assailant with her presence; the street was deserted at this time in the morning. Making a quick decision, Kaoru fished the keys from the man's pocket (his distinctive yellow jacket marked him as a cab driver, just as Kaoru's gray uniform marked her as a maid) and put her groceries in the trunk.

Then she pulled the man in the backseat, making sure he was comfortable. He groaned a little and his eyelids fluttered, sure signs that he would be regaining consciousness. She was right. He opened his blue eyes and stared at her uncomprehendingly. Kaoru sighed a little and said, "You were injured and I need to get somewhere. If I could borrow your taxi, I can drive you to a safe place where you can get treatment, and I can get home on time."

The man groaned again and sat up fully. Pulling a roll of bandages from another pocket, he proceeded to take off his shirt and jacket. Kaoru quickly grabbed the bandages and wrapped his torso, making sure that they weren't too tight. She was efficient, a side-effect of helping Megumi in the hospitals when she had free time. The man sat up and grunted. "Nobody is touching my taxi. Give me the money, and I'll take you wherever". Kaoru didn't know whether to be grateful or disgruntled. The man was clearly in a bad situation, but he wouldn't even let her take him to safety. Either way, when they got to the Yukishiro estate, Megumi was going to treat his injury.

Kaoru sat down in the back and strapped herself in. "The Yukishiro estate, please," Kaoru requested with a tired smile. She had been out the whole night waiting for the groceries so that Tomoe could have her favourite breakfast when she returned from her fashion trip.

The man slowly turned and fixed her with a glare. "Yukishiro? The same man who had me attacked with thugs? Not a chance. Get out."

Kaoru just gaped at him. "No way," she cried. "As a taxi driver of this city, you are required to take any paying customer anywhere they wish to go! And I really, really need to get there in 20 minutes! There's no way I'll survive another whipping".

The man looked more sympathetic at the mention of a whipping. "It's not that I don't want to take you, but it's not safe for me there. I can't take you there. They will gun me down as soon as I get within two kilometres of the estate and I'm sure they won't care that one of their maids is killed in the process. You're going to have to find another way."

Kaoru was angry. "I don't care. Just take me as close as you can get, and hurry!"

She fumed at the thought of being 'one of the maids'. In the times before, this man would've known who she was without question. The Kamiya name was one of the most prestigious families, and she was the heir. But the war had no use for a pacifist computer company, so the Kamiya Corporation was dismantled. Kaoru was the only one who had escaped the brutal murders that had been the talk of the city. And now, she was in hiding, hoping that she could just eke out a living until her escape from this miserable war.

The way things were going, it looked like she might make it. Two kilometres would be a desperate run, but she could do it. Unfortunately, it looked like fate had other plans for her. Pushing her black hair into a ponytail, she looked desperately at the taxi driver. His impassive face looked strained as he accelerated quickly. But the three black cars behind them also sped up. It looked like Kaoru was caught in a bonafide car chase. To make things worse, the taxi was now heading toward the suburbs, in the opposite direction of the Yukishiro place.

Growling angrily, the stoic man swerved into another side street. At this rate, Kaoru would be lucky to make it back alive, let alone on time. Her thoughts were shattered by the sounds of gunfire.

"Get down," said the man, not daring to take his eyes off the road.

Kaoru whimpered quietly and did as she was told. But as she lay flat on the bottom of the car, she could see the light glinting off the weapons hidden under the front seats. Just who was this mysterious taxi driver?

Finally, the three cars seemed to give up the chase, and the taxi was quietly parked in a tiny alleyway. As soon as the car stopped, Kaoru took the opportunity to bolt through the door. She wanted to get away from the strange man and his hidden cache of weapons. They were in the middle of nowhere, and he might kill her if he realized that she knew he was an enemy. She only managed a few metres when someone caught her wrist. Screaming desperately, Kaoru pulled at her arm, only to find the man inches from her face. She hoped that someone would help her soon. After all, she didn't want to die just yet.

The man waited until she stopped struggling. "I can explain everything," he said in his low baritone. "There's a reason why Yukishiro wants me dead."

Kaoru pleaded with him. "I won't tell anyone I met you. I'll forget all about it if you let me go. Please. You can have my money, and I'll disappear from the city. Just…please, let me go."

The man looked distinctly unhappy with her words. "No. You have to come with me. Battousai will decide what to do with you."

Kaoru froze at his words. Battousai was one of the leaders of the resistance forces; a ruthless killer who assassinated government officials on behalf of the resistance forces. If it weren't for him, there wouldn't have been an uprising. The war would never have existed! She wanted to scream and hit this man who was promising her a certain death. She would be killed instantly, deemed a threat and a spy. She cursed her bad luck and wished she had never met the horrible man in front of her.

Blue met sapphire as two sets of eyes clashed. The man dragged her over to one of the desolate buildings, and knocked in a funny pattern. A young girl with a long braid threw herself at the man, her cat-like features twisted with joy.

"Aoshi-sama is safe! We were so worried when we heard that Yukishiro's men were after you." The girl squealed in joy and made to drag the older man inside. Meanwhile, Kaoru was doing some very fast thinking. If what this girl said was true, then the man holding her captive must be…

"Shinomori Aoshi." Aoshi looked a bit put-out that Misao had already revealed his name. "Welcome to the resistance, Kamiya Kaoru."

Kaoru barely had time to gasp before she was pulled into the building, the door slamming shut behind her.

A/N: Hi everyone! Thanks for reading my very first story! Comments and criticisms are much appreciated!

Rose