Continued: 10/08/2007

Disclaimer: I am not the sole owner of Rurouni Kenshin anime. Nobuhiro Watsuki is the proud owner of it. But I do own my story.

Chapter Two

As small as she was, she scurried through secret narrow passageways throughout the castle. Her little hands struggled to cover her sensitive ears as yells and screams pounded and vibrated through her head. Her Master must have been torturing another helpless victim. A sense of loss and grief thundered in the air as she hastily moved to her Master's lair. The emotions got stronger with her every footstep. Incoherent sounds seeped throughout the bricked walls that now separated her from her Master's lair and the secret narrow passage way.

What was wrong? Why did she go to her Master's lair instead of sleeping in the stable among the horses? A harsh scream protruded her questions and caused her hands to fly and cover her ears. Her body seemed faint; her mind went chaotic with the sense of anguish, grief, and the knowledge that her Master was mentally drilling into her head in order to use her powers to continue to torture the helpless victim.

"No!" she screamed. Her body sagged against the wall, the candle she used to display the interior surroundings of the narrow passage way fell to the ground. Her hands grasped her thick mass of hair, pulling the ends of it as if to both physically and mentally stop her Master from invading her mind. Her head felt as knives were stabbing it. A vision of raw burning flames consuming a young man alive filled her sight. She could feel her Master's pleasure at such a gruesome sight. She could hear his eerie laughter. She could feel him consume the victim's power and life through the roaring flames.

She sunk to the floor, bowing her head as tears burned her eyes. Her body throbbed with endless pain, going into spasms against the wall once in awhile. Her mind, her vision, and her soul were unified with her Master and he could choose to end her life as well or send her into a different dimension known as hell. After all, she was a seven year old child with no significance. Her family, her home, and her wealth were taken by him.

"Damn you Dark User!" a furious shout broke through the mist of fire and smoke. Through her Master's eyes, she saw a dark form hovering where the victim was effulged by flames. A dark mass swirled around the man as his large hand went to the hilt of his sword.

"Do you really think a pathetic sword could defeat me?" questioned her Master, not disturbed by the man's threat. She could not see the man facial features from the cloud of fire and smoke or be able to detect the strategy he could use with following a stance of a swordsman unless…

With velocity and precision, a swift form of arc, from a glint of silver, sliced through the air causing smoke and fire to part. Wind dashed from one end of the room to another. Everything in its paths was torn asunder. Unfortunately, her Master got out of the way in time and took out his sword at his side to deflect the sudden attack. The wind dwarfed the room, bouncing off of bricked walls and ceilings. The impact of strong magic caused the walls in her Master's lair to crack, the sound sickening to her ears. The cracks spread throughout the whole room until the walls collapsed.

Her support collapsed and no longer was the narrow passageway dark. Instead bright light, broken bricks, dirt, and smoke filled her vision. Her body pulsed with torment, her mind screamed with anguish, her soul felt poisoned. Her Master finally let go the connection between them, meaning he was no longer using her powers. Instead he seemed to summon powers from elsewhere.

"Who's the girl?"

Her Master noticed her but uttered nothing. Another blast of wind swamped the whole room. The wind slashed everything in its path as both swordsmen deflected it. The ceiling cracked in several places, the weight above the ceiling threatened to cause it to crumble. The whole room was shattered, all exquisite furniture and expensive items torn to shreds.

However, it was the last blast of wind directed toward her that made both swordsmen glanced at her. She was too weak to move out of the way. Her body lay ragged on the floor in piles of dirt and broken bricks. Her breaths were shallow and weak. She waited for the wind to slash her body to pieces, for her blood to splatter against the shredded furniture, items, and the floor.

She closed her eyes and waited for her death. No one would care. She would be free to join her family. She could at last witness the place called heaven.

In the midst, she heard her name being called. Her frail body was swept into an anonymous grasp. The scent of leather and alcohol invaded her senses, lulling her into a deep trance. Her eyes opened for a second to see her Master reaching for her. The next second her eyes closed to welcome a dreamful state.

"Kaoru!" her Master called.

---

Vexed, the Dark User thrashed precious silverware and plates to the floor. Dark magic radiated from his body, causing his servants to scurry from his furious form. If only he was not careless when he dealt with the child, he would not have lost her. Her magic was vital to his dark magic. Her mind was his and his alone.

"Damn Kenshin Himura the Battousai!" He walked down an empty hallway. "I needed only his powers like the child!"

A young servant boy with dark ruffled hair, blue eyes, and a bright smile on his face ran to his Master carrying a dark clock. He bowed and presented the cloak before his Master. "The child was taken by the haggard Hiko Seijuro."

"Would you like me to retrieve Miss Kaoru?" the boy asked as his Master took his cloak.

The Dark User only simply looked at the boy. "You have great skills with magic for one so young. It would be a pity to lose you if you went after the haggard man. If something were to happen to that child, then I would lose something important."

"Master…"

"You stay here and continue your magic training," said the Dark user. "I will reissue the protective barriers around the Castle and search for the child this night. Knowing that damn fool who took her, he will not trek far on his feet, nor does he have enough magical power to escape the castle."

The young servant boy named Soujiro Seta bowed as he watched his Master leave. Standing up, he went inside the castle to check on the status of servants who dashed around the household to replace objects that were broken and to clean the mess his Master created. He walked outside and ventured to the stable where the young girl slept. Opening the large stable doors, he peered through the darkness to hear the horses muffled an uncomfortable sound. He smiled a bright smile while walking through the darkness. He made his way to a pile of straw at the corner of the stable and turned into the corner. With the palm of his hand, he called forth magic that seeped through his body. A light glow was effulged in the center of his hand, casting a dim light around his surroundings. He saw the small blanket laid out on the straw. Next to the blanket, small personal items were placed that belonged to the little girl. Her clothes were neatly folded and set aside. There was a small comb she used to tame her long dark hair. There was a bucket of fresh water and a white clean cloth next to the bucket. And to the deepest corner, Soujiro found small head wraps the girl used to cover her hair when working in the stable while tending to the horses.

He picked one of the small cloths with his hand and ran his finger through the cheap cotton fabric. At once, he remembered when the girl was first presented with the small gifts. Her smile was so bright; it reminded him of the sun. Tears of joy illuminated from her wide blue eyes, and all because of the small gifts.

Again, the horses muffled uncomfortably. Shaking his head, he took the small head wrap from the little girl's belongings. Walking back to the center of the stable, he heard shifting from the horses, small mewling noises occurred with his every footstep. The horses were attached to the small Kaoru, thus created a strong bond with her. The horses knew of her disappearance. The horses knew of him taking one of personal and treasured items. If anyone else –not including his Master and him- were to take something from her, they would suffer greatly because of the strong bond she created with the horses. If anyone else were to mess with her –beside his Master and him- his Master would know and cause great pain to them by using dark magic.

Reaching the end of the stable, he heard thunder roar in the dark sky. Eyes wide with curiosity, he walked into the field enclosed by woodened fences and an impenetrable magical barrier. Instantly, he felt the dark magic of his Master surrounded the castle surroundings. Rain began to fall from the sky. Each drop became bigger and bigger. For an average servant who held little to no power, the heavy droplets of rain would drown them. For a slave who held no power, the heavy droplets of rain would instantly kill them. For servants who were unique such as him and Kaoru, the heavy droplets of rain felt like feathers falling from the dark overclouded sky.

AN: I'm sorry for updating a year later. Inspiration is limited because college and family have taken over my life. Also, I'm sorry for a short chapter. The future chapters may also be short. Reviews are nice but I will not accept flames.