A/N : Hi everybody!

I'm really happy to post this story. This is my first Rurouni Kenshin's fic and also...my first English fic! I'm a french writer (I know, I can't be perfect...) So if there are some things you don't really get in my little monolog don't worry it's not your fault...

First of all I'd like to thank...my parents, without whom I won't be here today...Okay, seriously, I'd like to thank my Super Beta Scarred Sword Heart for everything. I'd like to thank also my sweetheart, cause he'd be jealous otherwise.

And thank you Watsuki Nobuhiro for Kenshin. Which doesn't belongs to me btw.

The title of this fic is inspired by an Arctic Monskeys' song, which I don't own either. Dammit I don't own anything!

Well, I'm too talkative, let's go back to the story. It's AU, in a random city, and for the rest...I'll let you discorver. Enjoy :)

Chapter one : May 14th 2011

The flames were surrounding the house as Kaoru finished her talk with the doctors. They checked her pulse and her blood pressure and said she was alright. She wasn't.

She was sitting in front of her house, on the old stone bench. She couldn't stop looking at those red dragons rising up in the air. She hadn't even blinked her eyes for a second when Kenshin came back, with bandages all over his arm and a cup of green tea.

"Here, have some. Yahiko is fine, you don't have to worry about him anymore."

When she did not respond, Kenshin sat next to her. He looked in her eyes and saw that she wasn't looking at the flames at all; her gaze was totally blank.

"You know, it's been a year since we first met each other. It was the 14th of May 2011 remember ?"

Kaoru was holding her cup of tea with her whole hand, which seemed weird, for Kenshin was sure the temperature was very high. He pulled it from her grasp and saw her palms were all red. He sighed.

"Kaoru, don't hurt yourself like that. I can't bear any more suffering. I love you."

At these words, she turned her head towards him, her eyes still blank.

"Go away. I wish I had never met you."

A year ago...

It was a bright Monday afternoon. There were a few cars waitingat the traffic light. As the green light appeared, the front car began to move forward, when suddenly a small body came out of nowhere, jumping above the car, which broke harshly. The driver took his head off his windows to shout at this carefree pedestrian, but he had already disappeared.

The young girl was running in the street. She stopped only to ask where the police station was.

'Why would a young girl like her need to go to such a place?' thought a hobo on the other side of the street.

She looked fine, her hair held in a ponytail flying in the air as she ran, her blue eyes looking around, searching for the sign of the police station. She turned around the corner and the hobo lost track of her.

Too bad, she was really beautiful, thought the old man as he continued to give rancid bread to his birds.

Finally, Kaoru reached her destination and pushed the door, exhausted, after running for so long. This was no time to flinch; her friend needed her right now! Misao was in danger! She needed to see a cop, a good one, a cop that would listen to her. She knew this environment, she knew too well that only a few would believe her.

"Excuse me" she said at the reception desk, "excuse me! I need help. I need to talk to a vice detective, quickly!"

The telephone operator looked at her awkwardly and showed her the left corridor. She ran towards it after saying thanks.

She burst into the office. There were four desks. One was occupied by an officer with long black locks on his head, the one beside him was empty. On his left, a young and handsome black haired man was reading the newspaper. Kaoru walked towards him until she saw how cold his gaze was. That sort of guy would never take her seriously.

That's when she saw him.

He was drinking his coffee, alone, near the window, his amber eyes looking the traffic outside. His ginger hair were held in a high ponytail. He looked very dark, thought Kaoru, with his dark blue outfit, but she couldn't help watching him. Within a second, she was in front of him before she realized it.

"..." the young man interrupted what he was doing to look at her. He said nothing, waiting for her to talk, but Kaoru couldn't find her voice.

Damn, she thought, that guy is really handsome.

"May I help you?" Finally the handsome red head guy broke the silence.

Kaoru blushed, and quickly remembered why she was there. The drug dealer, Misao, danger.

"Yes, actually, can we talk in a more private place?"

The red head nodded and showed her to his desk. It was the empty one she had seen earlier, beside the guy with the long bangs. She looked at the badge on his chest. Hajime Saitou. She didn't remember that name. She sat on the chair of Battousai Himura's desk. What a charming name for such an handsome face...

"Your name?" he asked her. Kaoru frowned, she thought the cold guy was the young one with his newspaper, not that guy with that red hair.

"Kamiya Kaoru" she answered calmly. "My friend Misao-"

"I'm the one asking questions here" he said without looking at her. He was searching for a piece of paper to write things down.

Idiot, thought Kaoru, computers are not here for decoration.

As she waited for him to take care of her, she watched him more carefully. From her spot she could see his feature and the large scar on his left check, from under his eyes to the end of his cheek.

"What are you looking at?" he growled.

"Your scar" she answered with no hesitation, "it looks good on you."

Himura blinked and touched his scar without looking at her. He finally took a pencil and a white paper and started writing.

"You mentioned a Misao. What happened to her?"

"Well, this is gonna be a little complicated, so-"

"I've got all the time you need. Actually, it's my day off."

"But you were-"

"It's not because it's my day off that I have time to chat. Get to the point please."

Kaoru reclined into her chair. She started to regret her choice now. This guy in front of her...she really couldn't read his mind. He was sharp, yet his voice was gentle. She waited for him to swallow his coffee to start her story.

"I've got a friend, Misao Makimachi, and I think that she is in trouble."

"I know that, you said it earlier. Didn't I say "get to the point"?"

Kaoru frowned again. This guy really was pissing her off.

"Misao is dating a strange guy...really. One day she came back in tears, at 4 am, with a black eye and a few bruises. So I started...to investigate."

"If your friend is been beaten by her boyfriend, I'm afraid she needs to come herself to file a claim."

"No! It's not that. Let me finish. After some investigation, I found out that her boyfriend has connections to a drug dealer. So, as a good friend, I warned her. But she didn't believe me. And from that day, she didn't answer my calls. Until today."

Kaoru caught her breath and sighed. She remembered the sound of Misao's trembling voice, so fragile, so scared. She took a big breath to give her courage before continuing

"Today she called me. She said that the boss came to his apartment, and that he wasn't happy. Unfortunately, she was in the wrong place at the wrong time...and Kanryu kidnaped her."

"Kanryu you said?" interrupted Himura, suddenly raising his head.

"Oh sorry I forgot, the drug dealer, his name is Kanryu Takeda. I've heard he is very dangerous so I really told my friend to ditch that guy but you know, love-"

"Kanryu Takeda" said Hajime Saitou from his desk "Battousai, it seems you don't get your day off after all."

Himura narrowed his eyes as he watched his colleague light his cigarette.

"I'm the one in charge of Kanryu here" informed the red head as he caught the clueless face of Kaoru, "give me your friend's phone number. With a little luck we'll be able to locate her with its GPS chip. Shinomori, can you take care of this while I get myself ready?"

Kaoru watched as Himura Battousai rose from his chair to disappear into an alley. The newspaper guy beckoned her and Kaoru found herself sitting in front of another vice cop. Shinomori Aoshi, the cold guy. Well, after talking with Himura she wasn't really sure if Shinomori was cold or normal.

She gave him Misao's phone number, and saw him use some computer program she didn't understand. After a few seconds, Aoshi stood up and took his coat and walked towards the exit.

"The signal is in the Japanese district" he informed his colleague. Hajime simply nodded as he inhaled the smoke of his cigarette. "You're not waiting for me, are you? There's no way I'm gonna play Battousai's dog."

"I wouldn't expect anything else of a lone wolf. Kamiya-san, thank you for your help. You should stay here, or go home. Leave us your phone number and-"

"There's no way you're gonna leave me behind. I'm a black belt in kendo; I can defend myself!"

"Even against bullets? You're kind of arrogant, little Missy," said Hajime putting out his cigarette on the ash tray. Kaoru started to growl and prepared herself to respond when Battousai came out of the alley, with a sword in his belt.

"Let's go" he simply started, "if the Kamiya girl wants to go with us, she can stay in the car while we're handling Kanryu Takeda. After all, her friend is captive there and would likely be pleased to see a familiar face when she gets out of that hellhole."

The three of them get out of the police station and get into the first car in front of the building. Two other cars followed them as they drive into the city, to the Japanese district.

In the office, Saitou Hajime lit another cigarette as his boss entered the room. He was a very tall man with narrowed eyes and a huge white coat.

"Seijuro Hiko, how funny to find you there. Were you waiting for Battousai?" asked the smoker.

"You know, smoking is still forbidden in the office." warned Hiko. "But you were right. My stupid nephew is still avoiding me."

"It's about the Criminal isn't it? People say Katsura wants him back in his team."

"People are a little bit too curious, don't you think? That's nobody's business. Anyway, I'll try again tomorrow. By the way, have you heard about lung cancer?"

"That's not my boss' business."

"Well, I'll have to replace you if you die prematurely. See you, Saitou."

Hiko left the place and returned in his office. Saitou enjoyed his fifteenth cigarette that day and sighed. Battousai Himura. His rival, his principal opponent. He hated him as much as he loved fighting with him. Everybody saw the genius in Battousai, but not Hajime Saitou. For him, he was a mystery. Especially since he's resigned from the criminal division, after being the best cop ever in the office.

That guy was a legend, and now, look at what he does for a living, thought Saitou. He rescues little Missy in distress. That must hide something.

Saitou's policeman mind told him that man was concealing a secret, and he would make him talk. Not with his mouth, but with his sword.

A/N : Piou, That's done! I'm a little bit...stressed to be honest. Nevertheless, I hope it looks good enough for you, English people.

What's gonna happen to our poor Misao? He he, you will see...in the next chapter! Or not...

If you have any comments, don't keep them for yourselves ! There is a magic box just underneath my words...