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Summary: 50 stories about Kenshin and Kaoru, sometimes meandering to include the other Ruroken cast. A mix of canon and AU one-shots. Some crack can be expected. Read and Review!

Rating: T

Characters: Kenshin, Kaoru and Enishi

Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin belongs to Watsuki Nobuhiro.

This is a continuation of Drabble #21

Thank you notentirelyunliketea, aclockworKat, Ayla27, hitokiri midnight, kokoroagomu for the reviews!

Caged

Kaoru's fingers clenched tightly. When she had received her orders, she had not expected to be sitting in a cramped compartment with Yukishiro Enishi, pretending she didn't realize how often his eyes would roam over her frame and warm lasciviously. She grit her teeth and reminded herself why it would be a very bad idea to slit his throat as he slept.

The Battousai was rumoured to be hiding somewhere in the southern territories – a world far removed from the glittering capital of Freyde. Unfortunately, the man sitting across from her was the only person who could find him.

The southern territories were savage; an untamed expanse of land stretching as far as the icy seas inhabited by whales. The people who lived here were hard, forced to become callow and unfeeling by the hostile land.

She was an outsider, who knew nothing of their misery and the hell they battled each day to survive. They would tell her nothing, but they would speak to Enishi. She had known Yukishiro Enishi would be troublesome but she had not thought she would be feeling the irrepressible desire to shred him into tiny pieces so early in their partnership. She surreptitiously glanced at him only to find him smirking at her…again.

She rolled her eyes slightly and glared at the map.

He chuckled, cognizant of the irritation sweeping off her frame in waves. Her annoyance at being reduced to an object of desire was palpable. She would glare in his direction every few minutes, her gaze dripping poison when faced with his unerring insistence upon gawking at her.

Kaoru bit the inside of her cheek to stop from snapping at him. It would not do to lose control in front of this man.

He lounged in the seat opposite, hands still bound in the prison chains although Kaoru had relented enough to allow the chains around his ankles to be removed. He would require the use of his limbs when the train stopped.

Forcing herself to stare at the tiny handwriting in one corner of the map, she focussed upon the information given to her by Aoshi. Treason was a crime punishable by death in the duchy of Freyde.

The Battousai had committed treason. He had turned his back upon his lord and master and walked away from the untold riches and power which would have been his, if only he had not betrayed the duke.

Aoshi told her the Battousai had dug his grave the day he'd decided his thoughts and ideas held greater merit than what he had been ordered to do. He had fallen prey to the myth of his own legend. Himura Kenshin, better known as the Battousai the Manslayer had believed his lord and master would understand his gradual dissatisfaction with his role within the structured apparatus controlling Freyde.

The duke had been apoplectic with rage when his expedient assassin defected, disappearing into the dark of the night, never to be seen nor heard from again. Until now.

Kaoru steeled herself and glanced up, mentally preparing herself for the covetous desire she saw plainly in Enishi's eyes. It infuriated her. She looked back at him with barely disguised frustration.

He threw his head back and laughed.

Kaoru rolled her eyes as he continued to laugh. Glaring at him acidly, she said, "I don't recall doing anything to cause you to laugh so uncontrollably, Prisoner."

Enishi smiled widely at her. "Just the fact you're here is enough, sweetheart."

She looked away. "Why am I not surprised to know my misery delights you?"

He shifted. "I'm not delighted by your misery." He let his eyes flick over her body suggestively. "You trouble yourself unnecessarily. Why are you so tense?"

He leaned forward. "I won't let anything happen to you." His eyes gleamed as she bristled and folded her arms over her chest protectively, making her displeasure at his overture obvious. He chuckled.

She turned away. He continued to watch her before turning his eyes to the pitcher of water upon the small table built into the wall of the carriage.

"Water."

Kaoru blinked. "What?"

He gestured to the pitcher.

Composing herself, Kaoru glanced at the pitcher and back towards the prisoner. Finally relenting, more from an acceptance of the fact she was stuck with him until the end of this ordeal than any feeling of companionship, she leaned forward and poured a glass of water and held it out to him.

He leaned forward. Ignoring the glass of water, he ran his fingers along the back of her hand, clasping her fingers tightly in his hand as she dropped the tumbler.

"Let go!" Kaoru tried to pull her hand away, her features twisting into a dark scowl. "You forget your place Prisoner."

"You forget yours. I hope you remember my condition for accepting this task." He ran his tongue over his lips.

Kaoru was horrified. She gave a sharp tug and her fingers slipped out of his grasp. Shivering with rage, she stood and slipped out of the compartment into the corridor. Slamming the door shut behind her, she clenched her fists and leaned against the door, cursing Aoshi for sticking her in this mess.

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