Date started: December 27, 2004

Hello lovely readers! Welcome to this story of romance, angst, horror, and darkness. I am going to take precious time in making sure that this story goes well. I hope that I fix all grammatical errors, as well as spelling, to the best of my ability, as it will hopefully make your possible enjoyment even better. I have altered the ages of some characters slightly, so do not take it to heart. If you find any errors that you feel need be fixed, don't be afraid to ask it of me. I accept all criticism, as well as praise. Now, I hope you enjoy, and relax, while you read Butterfly Kisses.

Butterfly Kisses

By: Hotaru

Rating: R; for language, gore, and some adult material

Standard Disclaimer:

I do not own Rurouni Kenshin in any way whatsoever. I do, however, own any characters that I may introduce as my own, and this plot line. If I catch you stealing it, you grovel at my feet and beg forgiveness, or die.

Chapter 1

She sat huddled up in a corner of the dark ally way, head in between her knees, trembling. Her hands covered her raven head, as though she were trying to protect herself from some unseen force. One hand bore a deep gash that started at the top of her hand, and ran down her arm about four of five inches. It was bleeding freely, and if not stopped soon, she could possibly suffer anemia. It seemed as though the girl did not even feel the pain which it probably inflicted.

A young boy of about fifteen, with spiked up hair, ran into the ally way, out of breath, "Kaoru!" He exclaimed anxiously, and speed towards the still shaking form of his sister-figure. He noticed her injured arm, "Damnit Kaoru! What the hell did they do to you this time!" He angrily spat out.

The young woman lifted up her head, as he gingerly handled her unusable limb, her deep sapphire eyes were filled with tears, "Yahiko…" she quietly whispered. He took into notice that her clothing was extremely disheveled, her top soaked in blood. Her hair, which was un-usually down was disheveled as well. She spoke again frantically, "Yahiko… I have to get away! I can't do this… anymore…"

Yahiko had already begun to busy himself with attending her hand, wrapping it up with some cloth he had torn off his shirt, "Kaoru. You have to tell me what they did! We can't just let it go."

"I have to… get out." It was quite obvious that talking to the disoriented girl was useless. As soon as Yahiko finished wrapping up her hand to the best of his ability, he took off his shirt, and tied the loose cloth firmly around her waist, to stop any severe bleeding, for he suspected the gash on her arm was not the only injury.

He gingerly picked up the now unconscious girl, careful not to shift her body to much, 'What did they do to you!' He set aside that thought, for there were too many things that the men could have done. Now, he was more concerned with getting his mentor to Megumi.

Stepping out of the ally, he looked left and right, making sure the coast was clear. Hurriedly, he ran down the street, adrenaline flowing,and after several minutes reached a building. Yahiko did not want to bring to much attention to themselves, so he quickly entered. When he entered, he noticed the room was empty except for one with dark hair and brown eyes, "Megumi-san!"

She turned immediately towards him, and let out a slight gasp, "Oh my god…" Rushing up to Yahiko, she stared down at Kaoru's still form, her pale face, "Quickly! Follow me…" She shouted out, "GENZAI-SAMA!" Yahiko followed Megumi into a room, with a bed, and chair. There was a window, with blinds covering it. The female doctor stated, "Place her on the bed. Then I'll need to ask you to leave the room until I come and get you. She grabbed a folded blanket off a small shelf, "Here."

He stared at her blankly, "For you incase you get cold." The teen looked down and remembered he no longer was wearing a shirt, "Oh…" He quickly grabbed the soft blanket, and then argued, "But I want to stay in here with her."

"Iie. Yahiko, we need to get things done as fast as we can. You might get in the way." The doctor slightly pushed him out of the room, "She'll be ok." Just at that moment, Dr. Genzai came into the room, then Megumi smartly shut the door in Yahiko's face.

"Damnit!" He murmured under his breath, "Kaoru, you better not leave on me!" He kicked the wall in frustration and turned to sit down on a bench right in front of the room she was in.

He was, by now, thoroughly pissed off, not only at the doctors for not letting him stay with Kaoru, but at the men who had hurt her. He had had enough of it. No one messed with his only family and got away with it.

He knew, however, that he was no match for men of the Juppongatana. They were far bigger and stronger than him. All Yahiko could do was hope that Kaoru got out of this without severe damage, and then try his best to keep the men away from her, again.

Thinking back to when the Juppongatana had just come into power, he remembered that one of the first things that happened was that five men came to the apartment, demanding that Kaoru come with them, and see their "almighty"leader, Shishio.

Kaoru immediately refused, stating that she would not go meet some strange man she knew nothing about; especially if she was to be escorted by five men she knew nothing of either. She promptly slammed the door in their faces, and the unrelenting torment thus began.

They followed her on the streets, watched her at work, never letting her have a moments peace. When they still had no for an answer, they had started becoming physical. A little over a month ago, their threat had become real: "Come nicely, or we'll force you." They caught her several times, yet she escaped, but not without some cuts or bruises.

Yahiko had been looking for her for three days now. She had not come home, and he became desperate, searching the streets, forgetting about school and eating or sleeping. The police were no help. Finally, he had found her, in that ally way, blood soaked.

"Battousai." A male voice came in the darkness. A low grunt of acknowledgement answered, "We need you to retrieve someone."

The deep voice of a man answered unemotionally, "No one to kill tonight?" Some last minute sunlight pierced into the darkened room, reflecting off something metal.

"Kamiya Kaoru. She has been chased by the Juppongatana for the past two years. She has been caught several times, but escaped. She was again captured three days ago, and she has just barely escaped with her life. Find her, and bring her here. Kill any, and all, who oppose you."

"Hai." A glint of amber flashed as the last rays of the sun left the room. The brief sound of movement was heard, and then theslam of a door.

The first voice spoke, "We will figure out what it is they want so dearly from you Kamiya… and use it against them."

"Ko…" a voice entered his sleep filled mind, "Yahiko." It was Megumi's voice. He groggily thought, "Go away." However, she didn't, and Megumi continued pestering him, until he was fully awake.

"Yahiko, we finished up. She suffered some severe blood loss… but it looks like she's going to be fine. She had several severe cuts along the torso and back, not to mention her hand, but we stitched it all up. She is still asleep." She paused briefly to stare at the young man sitting with a blanket wrapped around him, and then asked, "Do you know what happened?"

He shook his spiky head, "Iie. She went missing three days ago… and I found her in the corner of the alley way, trembling, and crying. All she would say was that she had to get out… get away, before she passed out."

"She's been missing three days! Why the hell didn't you go to the police!" Megumi angrily asked.

He bitterly replied, "The police are of no help these days, and you know it." Megumi's brown eyes softened, and she nodded, "Right… well, you can go in her room now. Stay as long as you like. Don't worry about the whole visiting hours thing either."

Yahiko nodded, and then went into the room Kaoru had been placed earlier. The young woman slept in the bed, her face still pale, but definately more flushed than earlier. He sat down in the chair next to the bed, "Kaoru... come on, wake up." He whispered to her. No reply. He sat back in the chair, and let out a sigh. She wasn't hooked up to an I.V. or anything, but still, seeing her in a hospital bed was unnerving.

"DAMNIT KAORU!" He shouted exasperated, "How could you let them do this to you!" He slammed his fist on the arm rest.

He heard a slight moan, and saw her stir, 'I didn't think that would actually wake her up…' Yahiko leaned forward, "Kaoru…" he spoke.

Slowly, she opened up her blue eyes. It took her a moment to focus, "Yahiko…" She whispered in a barely audible tone, "I need to… get home… away from…" She closed her eyes.

"Away from who?" He asked her with brotherly concern.

She opened up her eyes, and they were now tear filled, "Them."

"Look, don't think about that right now. You need to get better, fast. Then we can leave if you want."

Gradually, she began talking more like her normal self, without the whisper or stalling, "No… I need to leave now." She tried to sit up, and let out a little gasp of pain. Yahiko said, "You get back into bed. You are not getting up for at least three days!" She nodded, "You're safe here anyway. It's the hospital. Go back to sleep." He stubbornly added.

Kaoru nodded, her eyes becoming brighter for a moment, and then she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

After a week of the hospital, Megumi deemed Kaoru fit to go home. The stitches had been removed, but Kaoru's torso and arm was still bandaged. Megumi gave Yahiko strict orders to make sure she didn't do too much. He of course, agreed.

Kaoru demanded that they walk home, seeing as their apartment was only five blocks away, and she wanted to move around. Yahiko had reluctantly agreed. The walk so far had been uneventful, however, it was getting dark by the time they reached the parking garage for their apartment complex. It was the fastest way to get to their apartment.

Yahiko suddenly sensed that they were not alone. Kaoru didn't seem to notice it, for she was concentrating on her steps. She was getting tired, even though she would never admit it. Yahiko whispered to Kaoru, "Hey, Kaoru, get to the stairs, fast!"

She gave him a look of curiosity, which was quickly broken, as she was suddenly tumbled to the ground by Yahiko's body as a gun shot rang out. "No." She gasped, as she thought of who it was. She didn't want to remember what had happened a little over a week ago.

"Yahiko." She whispered frantically, she received no reply, "Yahiko!" She pushed his body off of hers and rolled it over. He was semi-conscious, "Kaoru…" he whispered, "I'm… I'm sorry. Get out of here." He then passed out.

"NO!" She cried out, as she saw a pool of blood form under his body. "NO! God Damnit! Anyone but him!" She ignored the nawing pain of her own wounds, that was quickly taking over her body.

"Maybe you'll come with us now." A sneering voice whispered into her ear. She froze in fear, "Seeing as your only family is gone, why not come and join us…" He ran a large hand down her arm, "Or… we could do it the hard way, and I can enjoy that body of yours again."

She shyed away from his touch, and backed up against the wall, as four other men joined the first. They quickly surrounded her, 'Damnit Kaoru… smart one. You're getting yourself caught again because of your fear!' She swallowed as she looked around for a means of escape, "Leave me alone bastard!" She spat out as they closed in on her like a pack of wolves.

The first man was in front of her now, and grasped her tightly around her bandaged wrist. Kaoru let out a gasp of pain, winced, and blinked back the tears, "Leave me alone!" She desperately said to her own disgust. He slapped her across the face, his dark, evil eyes flashing, "I don't think so." She let out a scream of protest as he pulled her body to his, "NO god damnit! Stop it!"

Just as she was thinking, 'Kill me now…' as the man continued his assault on her helpless, injured body, a dark, menacing voice rang out, "Leave the girl alone."

All five men stopped moving, the first stopping his assault, and turned to face the voice. A man with blood red hair and cold, amber eyes, stood before them. He had drawn a sword, and it glinted dangerously in the light of the garage. The first guy, who obviously was the leader retorted, "And if we don't leave the bitch alone, what will YOU do about it?"

The man's voice remained the same, "You can leave her alone, and give her to me, or, you can die now in cold blood." Kaoru was still in the painful grasp of her attacker, but her fear was no longer as great. She stared at the sword bearer in awe.

One of the other men, a man with greasy black hair, sneered, "And how to you plan on killing us? With a wimpy sword, against guns?" He pulled his gun out and aimed for the deadly red head.

"That is exactly how I plan on killing you, with my katana." He evenly said, his tone always remaining the same. His amber eyes flashed, just as the other pulled the trigger. The bullet was heard, pinging off a wall. Unexpectedly, blood poured out of the gunman's body. The red head stood behind the now dying man, his sword dripping with blood, "Now, release the girl, and your lives will be spared." He turned to face the leader, "For now."

Kaoru had her blue eyes focused on the one whom had just killed one of her enemies. She was slammed against the wall, hard, by her attacker. She cried out in pain. He was now facing the red head, "You. You are the legendary Battousai are you not? The deadly assassin who kills with a sword."

His amber eyes glared at him, "That I am. Now, I will kill you and your men, for ill treating a woman so." In the flash of an eye, the remaining four men were on the ground, dying in their blood. Kaoru had slid to the floor, overcome with fear and pain. Yes, the one called Battousai had saved her, but he was an assassin, the most deadly assassin in Japan at that.

After he flung the blood off his sword, and placed it back in his sheath, he turned towards her, "It is alright. You are safe, and will be coming with me."

"No." Kaoru shakily whispered, and attempted to stand up, pushing herself up with her hands on the wall, "Stay away from me. I am sick of people telling me..." She took in a deep breath, while gasping in pain at the same time, "That I am supposed to go with them." She fell back to the floor, her attempts to stand futile. He stepped forward, and tried to calm her down, "It's alright. I am not going to hurt you. I am not from the Juppongatana if that is what you are worried about."

'What is with this girl... she just needs to come with me.' He thought in irritation, "Look, I will take you somewhere where they won't bother you. You will be safe from them." His amber eyes no longer were cold and menacing. They were unemotional, yet warm, if it were possible. He leaned down to pick her up in her arms. Kaoru protested at first, but her sight suddenly landed on Yahiko.

"YAHIKO!" She shouted, "Let me down! We have to save Yahiko!" Screams of grief filled Battousai's ears. He refused to let her down, knowing that she would just become more grief stricken.

"No, we have to leave now. This place won't be deserted forever." And with that, he carried the crying girl towards a car, and placed her in the back seat, to wallow in her misery.

To be continued…

A/N: Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. It is only the beginning of a dark journey for revenge. The next chapter will be out soon, so please, be patient. Leave me your thoughts.

Date Finished: December 31, 2004