Friends

A/N: Title may change. Ratting may go up.

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin isn't my property but this fanfiction surely is. :)

Chapter 1

...

Kaoru and Misao were biking back to their apartment after finishing their detention classes. It was evening and getting late. The weather was very cold. Kaoru was getting worried. Not for the cold weather. But for what she heard few days back. She was told that someone was claiming himself as Battousai of modern time and killing people using a katana. No one knows how he looks like. There were no description. He actually never left any witnesses, no matter who it was. She wondered how people knew that the murders were committed by him if there were no witnesses.

Then she thought it wasn't really a good idea to stay out at this hour and if they have to, like they were right now, they should ask someone stronger and braver to be there with them so that they don't lose their courage or get themselves into trouble.

"Misao-chan, can you ask Aoshi-san to wait for us next time if we ever get a detention class again?" Kaoru asked her friend while biking by her side.

"You want me to tell him that we've got detentions?" Misao smirked. "No way. Even if I have to stay all night for detention classes, I'll never tell him that."

"Don't forget that we've got this detention because of you." Kaoru tried to remind her friend.

"Because of me!?" Misao was surprise. "Who got us late this morning?"

"I'm sorry for being late. But did you have to argue with Saito-sensei?"

"He was blaming me for being late where it was you who made us late."

"I did clear that up at once, and I was the one who was given detention. Why did you bothered to stay with me. You could just go home."

"Oh I see. That's the reason you want me to tell Aoshi-sama to drop you home. I guess you are just looking for a chance to be with him alone. Right?"

"Misao-chan! I didn't mean that. I know you love him and he loves you. I'll never try to come in between you two."

"You're just looking for a perfect opportunity. Isn't it?"

It sounded really hurtful to Kaoru. She sighed and decided not to answer back as it will eventually turn into an ugly argument. She felt really upset. Of course she loves Aoshi. But there was no way she ever going to betray her best friend. She would never dream to take him away from her. Misao is more than a best friend to her. She's like a sister she never had. It's been two long years since they became friends. It's been two long years since she met Misao and Aoshi. They are two wonderful people. Two wonderful friends. So, she loves them dearly. But Misao is a bit too overprotective of her love. And so, she often makes remarks such as the one she made just now. Misao knew Aoshi since she was a little girl. She probably knows him more than he knows himself. Kaoru wished she also knew him like that.

She suddenly felt really jealous of Misao.

She didn't realize when she started to cry. She realized it only when she felt wetness on her cheeks. She wiped her face quickly and tried to hold back her tears. She didn't look at Misao. She decided not to let her friend see her tears. So, she paddled little faster to create little distance between them.

As she left Misao behind, she remembered why she was asking about Aoshi. The weather suddenly felt colder. She was freezing. She was freezing not only because of cold wind but also because of fear. She found it difficult to ride the bike. She wanted to tell Misao her reasons for asking about Aoshi and also ask her if she had any idea about that murderer. So she turned her head first left and then right to look both sides and then her behind. She found herself riding alone. Misao was no longer with her. She was all alone in a foggy and too quiet street. That's strange! She thought. I've always avoided this street. How did I end up here? Where's Misao-chan?

"MISAO-CHAN" She called up her best friend in a loud voice.

There was no respond. Only her voice was echoing everywhere and coming back to her.

"Come on Misao-chan. This is no time to play hide and seek. We are getting late."

Kaoru had a bad feeling. She knew Misao wasn't anywhere near her, but she still wanted to push away the chilling feeling building inside her. She wanted to believe that Misao was there and she was just hiding somewhere in the dark street to play a prank. But when she realized that only her positive thinking won't bring Misao in front of her just like that, she decided to turn back to school. But as she turned her bike, the entrance she thought she took to come to this street looked different. She thought there were a playground on one side of the street and a Japanese garden pond on other side of the street. But this time she saw some abandoned apartment buildings on both sides.

"Wait a minute. Did I take a turn to a completely unknown street? No wonder why Misao-chan isn't responding. I should give her a call instead." She was talking to herself.

She reached to her blazer's right pocket and then left and found both were empty. She opened her schoolbag to look for it but it wasn't there either. Then she remembered. She gave it to Diagoro because he wanted to make a call to someone but he didn't return it and she also forgot to take it back.

"Damn it! I totally forgot to ask Diagoro-kun to give it back. Now what should I do?"

Kaoru didn't want to panic at that moment as she knew she needed to stay calm to find her way back to home or school by herself.

"It's okay. It'll be okay. I need to stay calm and focus. I can go to home or back to school by myself. If other kids can, so can I. I can do it." Saying that she took a long breath and was about to start paddling her bike but it was one of those unlucky days for her. The chain of her bike got loose.

"Oh! kami-sama, why do all the bad things have to happen all together?" She sighed. "First, we were late. Then Misao-chan suddenly disappeared, then I lost my way to home, then I found out that I forgot my cell phone and NOW, this stupid bike is betraying me! What should I do? What should I do? I can't see anyone near here." She was talking to herself and looking around. It was frustrating.

"It's okay. I'll be okay." She took a long breath again and exhale slowly. "Just relax. It's not a big deal. You can fix this chain by yourself. You don't need anyone's help." She told herself loudly. She got off from the bike and set-down on the ground to fix the chain. But it was complicated. The chain was refusing to stay back to its proper position. A cold wind blew and so she shivered. She looked up at the sky and saw bunches of black clouds floating in the sky in front of a full-moon. Because of the clouds, the moon couldn't shine. However, she still could guess the time from the position of the moon and could tell it was late but couldn't tell how much since she didn't have a wristwatch with her as she always look at the time on her cellphone. "Aoshi-san was right. I shouldn't have depend on the phone all the time." Yes, it's true that the phone was handier as it can be use for multipurpose but right now if she had her wristwatch along with her, she could at least be sure of the time.

"Tsk. This is probably the worst day of my life. It must be past ten 'o clock by now." She just set on the ground by the side of that bike hugging her knees since she didn't know what to do to fix that chain. Then suddenly, she felt a presence of someone. So she looked around and saw a silhouette of someone. She couldn't tell if it was a man of a woman because of the long hair of the owner. She assumed it was a woman.

"Um excuse me?"

The Shadow didn't make any respond or move.

"Excuse me? Who's there?"

There was still no reply.

She stood up from her position and turned to the side of that stranger.

"Good evening! Um... madamu, I'm talking to you." She walked few steps towards the stranger and the stranger still decided to stay quiet.

"I need help. Can you help me? I need to go home but have lost my way and I also can't fix the chain of my bike. Can you help me to fix it or just guide me the way to get out of here? I can walk if you don't know how to fix it. I just need to know the way out."

There was still no answer. She became little nervous. Why isn't she talking? Is it really a woman or is it… no Kaoru. Cut it out. Don't think about negetie things in a time like this.

"I… I was with my friend and… and I think I've lost her too." She tried to let the stranger know that she was not alone. No Kaoru. That was a bad idea. You shouldn't have told the stranger that you have lost your companion too. "No… actually I think she's little far from me. She'll be here in any minute."

She tried to gather up her courage. So she said to herself, No. I shouldn't worry for being alone. I am an expert in Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu. I know how to defend myself. And Misao-chan is also as good as an expert ninja fighter. No need to worry. No need to be scared. If it's really the one that I think he is, I'm sure I can defend myself.

But her consciousness reminded her something she totally forgot. And how will we protect ourselves only using hands if it's the bloodthirsty? We don't have any bokken. Remember?

While she was busy talking to herself, the silhouette came out from the dark and she saw that it was a man with a long fiery red hair and a cross mark on his left cheek. His eyes were yellow. They were burning like the fires. As he appeared in front of her, the black cloud and fogs disappeared and the full-moon started to shine brightly. He was dressed like a traditional samurai. He was wearing a blue yukata and a white hakama. He had black tabi and traditional geta on his feet, and even kote on both hands. There was a sheathed katana hanging on the left side of his hip along with an empty sheath. He was staring at her holding a katana belongs to that empty sheath with his right hand in a fine grip.

At once she realized that it was the Battousai everyone was talking about. In fear she started to take slow steps backwards while kept her eyes on that man and his sword. Soon that man started to walk toward her. At this her knees started to tremble. She wanted to scream for help, but no sound came out of her vocal code as her throat became dry. She could not breathe and fell down on the ground on her butt. However she managed to save herself from hitting the ground too hard and so her butt didn't feel the hardness of the ground. Nor did her hands could feel the roughness of the ground as they were cold and lost the sensation. But even in this cold air she started to sweat in fear. Her heart was beating so fast and loud that she could hear it. She tried to keep on moving backward but kept of pushing herself at the same spot on the ground. She was terrified.

Is this the end? Is this how I'm going to die? Isn't there anyone who can save me? Misao-chan, where are you? Aoshi-san, ...help me. …I can't die like this. Yahiko is waiting for me at home. He can't take care of himself. He's only ten. She thought as tears trailed down her face and the bloodthirsty monster finally came in front of her.

His eyes were hungry for blood. With all her afford, Kaoru mumbled Misao's name twice.

Then when she saw he was standing in front of her not even a feet away raising the sword straight up and without any words was just about to hit her with it, she gathered up her all strength and screamed, "MISAO", and then she felt like she became blind and couldn't see anything. She could feel a little warmer as her body started to shake and she heard the voice of her best friend calling her name from somewhere.

TBC