DISCLAIMER: As always, I do not own Rurouni Kenshin characters. Nor do I think I ever will...-sigh-

He knew this would happen. That is why he should have just left her alone that day. But the way she would avoid him in anyway possible only tempted him to do more. Battousai should never let his guard down like that. It had been his mistake. Now this was the consequence.

Kenshin would get her back. Then he would disappear from her life. He had it all planned out. She had somehow become someone he really cared for, like the rest of his team. It had endangered her and this was the outcome. Even if it hurt him, she would live in peace. He didn't even know why he cared for her. He should never draw innocent people into his dark line of work.

Kaoru had been the epitome of innocence to him. She was naïve and cunning. Sometimes, she would suddenly show her caring side, even towards him. When someone was hurt, she was there to help. He watched her one day while she was teaching, and saw that behind all the knocks to the head and the scolding, she really did care for her students. This was the kind of innocence that he fought to protect in his dark world. That was what he was willing to sacrifice his light for.

Kaoru finally came to. She opened her eyes to a dark room. She sat up and felt wind touching her in places it shouldn't be touching. Realizing that she had nothing but her towel, she quickly clutched it to her chest. This was a vulnerable situation. She had to get out of here fast.

As if to discourage her, a man stepped into the room carrying a tray. Without a word, he set the tray on the floor by the bed and walked out again. She heard the disheartening click of a lock. Glancing at the food, she figured that it was edible. Especially compared to what she has cooked by herself in the past. In fact, she would go as far as to assume her stomach has become immune to food poisoning. Nevertheless, her first bite was a cautious one. After that first taste, she seemed to be ravenous. The need to eat all the food became strong. She finished everything on the tray. She turned away disgusted. Her stomach churned and her hand came to her mouth.

She wanted to throw up. She wanted to pass out. She wanted to go out. Hearing the door, she turned to find light. The same man from before took the tray. She took this opportunity to lunge at him. It threw him to the floor. He was only stunned but she took this opportunity to take the tray and hit him with it. She knew it would only make him black out for a minute, but that was all she needed. She was out the door running anywhere but where she was. It didn't take her long to find the front door. It wasn't even locked. This seemed pretty suspicious but she didn't hesitate to open the door and run out.

A few minutes later, she realized her mistake. Her back was pressed against a high gate. Then surrounding her, were several large guards. They eyed her hungrily. Pressing against the gate, she hoped for someone to save her. Being in crowded places wasn't really a good thing for her. She could only stand it for so long. She began to tremble.

"Now, now boys. I think that would be close enough to the lady." A man was suddenly in front of her. "Don't want to scare our guest to death, now do we?" His voice was light, nonchalant. The guards stood at attention and bowed before leaving the two. Whoever this guy was, he had authority. He then turned to Kaoru. "Well, I suppose I should have warned you when you woke up, but I was a bit preoccupied. You see, the guards are being paid to stand around and guard, but they can't leave the premises. So it would be best not to go out with such attire, miss."

"Who are you and where am I?" she spat out.

"My, my, you are not one for conversation, are you, miss? However, I suppose I should introduce myself first. I'm Banjin. You are now somewhere in the Eastern part of Japan."

"W-what?"

He nodded, with the same smile on his face. "Now, Can I have your name?"

"I-its….Kuramiko…" She wasn't sure about giving him her real name. So instead, she used the nickname her father gave her when she was too young to remember.

"Really now?" He led her back to the room she was in before. She paused, not wanting to go inside. "Trust me, Kuramiko-san. You would rather be in there than out here." He pushed her in when she didn't move. It didn't even seem like he had to use that much force. He pointed to the clothes that were on the corner of her bed. "Those are your clothes for now. We couldn't find anything else but we'll order some soon. The shower is in the room to your left. Everything you need should be there." He turned around. "Goodbye for now Kuramiko-san." He shut the door and locked it, giving her the eerie sense of finality. Cautiously, she took the shower in the lighted bathroom and came back out refreshed and wearing a kimono. It wasn't exactly her style, but she didn't hesitate to put it on and throwing her own towel away.

She knelt by the bed and cleared her mind. She could meditate and at the same time, figure out how she was going to get out of here. Surely that Banjin had to be joking about being in Eastern Japan. And, surely, Misao or Megumi would have called the police by now. She would be found anytime soon. She only had to wait a few days.

A few days passed and then a few weeks. Kaoru was beginning to go crazy. The same nightmare was beginning to haunt her again. She always woke up, frightened, in that room. No one would be there to comfort her. It was usually Kenshin who would wake her up before the nightmare finished. She would shove him away, saying she's fine, but was really relieved to see him, even with his red hair. Kaoru had become accustomed to it. Red no longer terrified her. It only made her uncomfortable now; something she could handle on a daily basis.

Loneliness had begun to overwhelm her. She tried to escape many times, but was always stopped by a guard. They were never the same guards. Locked in that room, she always had to wait for her food to come. After she was thrown back into the room, she would finish the food, always ravenous as soon as it touched her tongue. She hated it. It made her want to starve. But she knew she needed her strength. If she was ever going to escape this place, she needed to eat and train as best as she could.

Things were getting worse. It felt like a year had passed by already in that place. She knew it wasn't nearly that long, but in the dark room, she could never tell. The nightmare began to haunt her, even when she wasn't sleeping. She could remember some of it now, since she didn't take her medicine for a long time. The girl that looked like her hiding in the dark basement… The blood on the white walls…A figure clad in gray…

Kaoru would whimper before remembering that she was supposed to be a strong girl. She shook her head and changed into the sweats and tank top she was given. She was starting to get weaker. Before, she was able to do several katas without breaking a sweat. Now she could hardly even finish one without breathing hard. She used a knife she had hidden one time when they brought food in for her. They were so careless. She knew something was weird but took advantage anyway. She practiced with the knife, even though it was too small.

She began to stop sleeping. The nightmare became too much. She knew she was going crazy. Her attempts to get out were more frequent and more desperate. Being locked up in that room had driven her insane. All the guards could see the dark bags under her eyes and her sloppy movements to reach the gate. It was hard to miss.

She didn't know how long it has been. Kaoru only knew that she was finally being let out of that dark room. She was led to a lighted room instead. There was a huge bed in the middle and a small window in the bathroom. Here, at least she could breath. The window was too small to escape through, even with her major loss of weight. As much as she tried to remain in shape, she was no where near how fit she had been when this whole ordeal started.

The door opened and Banjin came in. She glanced at him, wary. "Well, Kuramiko-san, it seems you will be having a nice change of scenery. How do you like it here?"

"How long have I been here?"

"Quick to the point I see." He opened his eyes. They were strangely empty, even with his smiling face. "Let's see, when were you taken here again? Oh right, May. What day is it today? Oh, right, forgive my horrible memory. Its hard to keep track of days here." She glared at him. He was obviously trying to waste her time. He smiled some more. "Oh, its only the end of June. It hasn't been too long yet."

Her eyes widened. June? What about her students? Her bills? Her friends? She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "What the hell do you mean only June? This is beyond enough time to keep someone captured. I demand that you return me to my home!"

"I don't believe you are in any position to demand anything Kuramiko-san." He swiftly pulled out of her grip and her bent over with her hands behind her back. "While I am not one for hurting ladies, there are others out there who can do worse. You will be meeting all in due time. In fact, I'm sure Gein will be here any minute."

This is a…weird chapter. The characters are a bit OOC. I hope you don't mind.

Well, I hope you all enjoyed this strange chapter. Sorry for taking so long _

Kokoronagomu: Thank you, as always, for reviewing~ Wouldn't it be great if Kenshin could save her on time and completely melt her heart? That would be so touching~ even if it's a little bit cliché.