Look and See

By Bri-C123

Chapter 25

Everything happened in a blur. There was a sudden tenseness in Kenshin's shoulders that alerted Kaoru to all she needed to know. Her breathing hitched. Kenshin's jaw clenched. They continued to drive in silence.

"Kaoru."

The sudden sound within the silent car made her jump. "Y-yes?" Her voice could go no higher than a whisper.

"I need you to trust me."

"I do."

His hands tightened on the wheel. "Good." Then he spun them into a u turn and sped back the way they came. He turned onto a barely visible road. She no longer knew what was going on. She bit her lip to keep from letting out any kind of frightened sound. No, she would stay strong and trust in Kenshin.

The road wasn't smooth. It was bumpy, full of rocks and roots and certainly not a road meant for cars. Still, Kenshin kept driving. They drove, making unknown twists and turns until Kenshin finally stopped.

"Get out of the car." His voice was low and rough. She wasted no time in obeying. This was no longer Kenshin. This was Battousai.

They stepped out, fallen leaves crunching beneath their feet and the uneven ground making it hard to even stand. "Where-"

"Sh. We travel the rest of the way by foot." They meet at the front of the car and he grabs her hand. Together, they start walking. Battousai is fast, but still he tries to be mindful of the girl whose hand he holds. Kaoru tries to keep up, but the uneven and unfamiliar terrain makes her too tense to travel faster.

"Kenshin, please-"

"Not here Kaoru. Later, I promise."

"Okay..." Silence descends on them once more.

Somehow Kenshin manages to find the road again. They travel in the shadows of the trees, following the road. "How fast can you run, Kaoru?"

"Well, I don't-"

"How fast Kaoru?"

"Fast enough."

"Then I want you to run straight down this road and don't turn back."

"But Kenshin-"

"Kaoru, I need you to do this."

"I can't leave you here, Kenshin. This is my fight too. I'm a strong girl. Don't baby me."

She could see his jaw clench and the vein by his brow pulse. She's upsetting him, but there is no way she would tell him that she didn't want to be separated from him. She would never tell him about the fear she still held in her heart that she would be taken away again. He would never find out about the pain in her chest every time she thought of being alone. Or when she thought of the nightmares that she never remembers.

With time, he let out a long sigh. "I need someone to watch my back. But as soon as we have a chance, we are running. We will not stay longer than necessary."

"I can do that."

They walked as far as they could before they were stopped. "Come back to play, Kuramiko?"

Her hand tightened on Kenshin's. The lingering phantom pain flared up to remind her just who this voice belonged to. The way he said that name brought back the first encounter with him. The first time they had met. She felt panic. She felt the need to run. The need to hide in a dark basement. "Ken-"

"Battousai! It seems you have found my lost toy."

A large looming figure heads their way. Kaoru swallowed her fear, trying to hide the quiver she knew was in her voice. "I see you made an even uglier overgrown toad."

"Haven't I told you? The beauty lies inside." A large arm stretched out to knock the two of them away. Their hands disconnected and Kaoru leapt to the safety of a tree. She peers around it to look at Gein.

"Not scared I'm going to give it another flaw?"

"You won't even have the chance this time." The other hand moved towards her at a much faster rate than before. She cursed and just barely managed to run. She had nothing with her. Just trees and Kenshin.

"Over here!" And Kenshin saves her once again. He keeps Gein busy as she looks around in panic. Trees and branches everywhere. If only she had a weapon.

Then she spots a branch, long and thick enough to maybe cause some damage. She grabs it, testing in on her hand before turning to help Kenshin out. Not that he looked like he needed it. He was fast, really fast. He was like a blur against the background. The only way to tell it was him was the color of his hair. That red, red hair. Her arms shake as she watches that hair.

Suddenly an arm is heading her way and Kenshin shouts at her to move. Her legs finally unlock themselves to move her to a safe spot. She breathes and focuses on the fact that they were being attacked.

Later, Kaoru won't be able to say that she remembers the fight. There was a lot of adrenaline. The rush makes her move with instincts, but there is nothing on her mind. She can't be distracted by her thoughts. Kenshin just suddenly grabbed her and they were off, running down the high way. Somehow Gein was distracted long enough for Kenshin to think they can run away. She put all her strength to her legs and the two of them speed off.

They finally reach the safety of the city with no one else stopping them. The two of them rest in an alley, away from prying eyes. Kaoru collapses to her knees. Tears of relief burn her eyes, but she closes them and tries to hide it. Kenshin catches his breath before her. He kneels down and gently pulls her into an embrace. "You did well."

The relief brings about the memories, the phantom pain. She clutches at the strong man in front of her. She can't find a way to let go. But she can't cry. There are no tears that could save her. There were no tears that could keep her hidden like that basement. "He-" Her voice breaks and she hates how weak she sounds. So she clears her throat and tries again. "He is Gein. He is the last one who was with me in the house. Before I left. He was the one who was supposed to watch me."

So Kenshin is starting to find out a little more about Kaoru and her time when he wasn't there. She is starting to slowly remember some things about her past. This chapter sat in my laptop for a long long time. Can you believe it? I had this ready a solid month and a half ago but there was still no time for me to edit and upload it. But now here it is and I hope you guys aren't too mad about the (unreasonable) extremely long wait. Would you please review and lecture me? I know my editing skills aren't good. I also know my tenses when I'm writing keep changing. I keep thinking they are a reasonable change, but I guess that's just me? Let me know if anything doesn't make sense to you.

Onto replies!

Reignashii: You have to be one of the most loyal followers of this story! Thank you so much for the continued support. Also, this was more action than you thought there would be right? But alas, they will still end up going back for that thumb drive. You'll have to see what happens from there ;)

Saris Yui: No, please tell me more! I completely understand what you're trying to say. To be honest, I was frustrated with myself as I was typing up all these chapters, but I could not bring myself to stop once I started. The beginning of this story is not something I'm entirely proud of. To be honest, I thought of taking this down and revamping the whole thing, but I decided to let this go where it is heading and then redo everything after I give my readers the last piece of the puzzle to have all of this make sense. Thank you so much for telling me about your frustrations. Also, Megumi is her doctor, and has been for a while. There is a reason she and Hiko are hiding her past, so please stay tuned to find out more about that. It will make sense eventually I swear!

Alright, Thank you everyone for reading! I'm so happy you are helping me out by supporting me and reviewing my stories, and even sending me private messages! I know I don't reply for a long time, but I really check to see who has messaged me or reviewed my story. I will be getting to replies soon. I have some time at the moment so I can get a lot of things done.

Until next time!