A/N: Thanks so much for all your reviews! I'm glad you're enjoying this as much as I am. :)
Just a note—I was looking at how many people read the last chapter and the one before that, and it looks like a lot of you missed chapter 53 (Idiot). Something was wonky with this site around the time I posted that, which I know because a lot of reviews you guys wrote came through my email but haven't been added to this story. I suspect something may have gone wrong with their story alerts, too, so sorry if you missed that chapter. This will make a bit more sense if you go back and read that one.
Also, I intentionally kept Kenshin's history vague. What he did in the past never mattered to Kaoru in the manga/anime, and since it really doesn't matter to this story either, there was no sense in getting into it. However, he's pulling in a LOT of favors right now, so if that seems off to you, just think of them as techy friends from university and who he's met in the time since graduation. Hitokiri or not, Kenshin always has a few aces up his sleeve. :)
Oversight
-*- 27 Hours Remaining -*-
*Kaoru's POV*
"Thank you for the warning, Uncle Hiko," I breathed as I ended the call on the cell phone I'd borrowed from Yahiko's friend.
Kenshin was in Kyoto. Here in Kyoto. I was beyond thrilled that he'd fallen for Hiko's decoy, but that victory was quickly washed away with a bubbling sense of nausea. I was certain he'd have picked up the paper I'd deliberately torn and left by the front door, but I had no idea if he would fall for that, too. He'd either think that I couldn't possibly have laid more false trails for him and therefore take the bait, or he'd smarten up and do the exact opposite.
I moved to the edge of my hotel room and peered out the window, watching the streets below. Twenty-seven hours and twelve minutes left. I could do this.
The knock at my door had me nearly jumping out of my skin. I'd leapt to my feet and taken on a defensive stance against the far wall before I'd even registered my reaction. The second knock peeled me back to life, and I cautiously stepped over to the door.
There was no way it was him. It couldn't be Kenshin. Not enough time had passed between these knocks and when he'd left Hiko's.
Peering into the peephole, I sagged against the door in relief before opening it. The delivery boy gave me a speculative look as I quickly checked both sides of the hallway. "Come in," I finally said, ignoring his concern as he wheeled the dining trolley into my room. "Over on that table is fine," I told him.
He dropped off the salad, burger, miso soup, and rice dish I'd ordered. He swung his gaze around the room to see who else was with me, and when he saw that I was alone, he frowned in deeper concern.
Shoving a tip into his hand, I urged him out before he could comment on my skittish behavior or the ridiculous amount of food he'd dropped off.
Securing all the locks on the door, I grabbed the burger and moved back to the seat facing the window. With my legs curled under me, I watched the busy street four stories below and bobbed along slightly to the music I had playing in the background.
I was halfway through the fries when my eyes caught a flash of scarlet. There, on the opposite side of the street, was a man of mid-height and slight build. With broad shoulders and a determined gait, Kenshin walked directly into the Shirobeko.
My fry fell from my numb fingertips as Kenshin vanished inside the place Hiko had anticipated him visiting first.
When I'd fled the gigantic man's home, he had shoved a wad of cash into my hand, urging me to find a random hotel on the other side of the city, but I'd decided while on the bus to heed the advice of an awkward, adorable, and strangely-wise hobbit. 'The closer you are to danger, the farther you are from harm.'
From my vantage point across the street from the Shirobeko, I watched the entrance in fascinated horror. Twenty minutes later, the hunter emerged, looking severely annoyed but just as obstinate as ever. He stepped out onto the busy sidewalk and strolled to the edge of the street. His hands were shoved deep into his pockets as he swung his narrowed gaze around. Amber abruptly swept upward in my direction, but I dove at the ground before he could catch a glimpse of me.
My chest thundered painfully with the heavy adrenaline of trapped prey. Not daring to move in front of the window again, I tried to steady my breathing as I crawled to the other side of the bed and leaned back against the mattress.
I knew he hadn't seen me, but it took a long time for my breathing to finally even out. There was no way he'd go knocking on every hotel room door in Kyoto, so I knew I'd be safe for the night.
... I prayed I would be safe for the night.
-*- 13 Hours Remaining -*-
Restlessness woke me early the following morning. I tried to force myself back to sleep, but not even the notion that I could hide here for another several hours until check-out time was comforting. If anything, I felt like it would give Kenshin an advantage. If he already suspected that I was hiding in a Kyoto hotel, he'd anticipate me sleeping in and leaving as late as possible.
I refused to do anything predictable, so in a sudden spurt of inspiration, I grabbed the cellphone I'd borrowed from one of Yahiko's friends. Yahiko almost immediately acknowledged my secret codeword with one of his own, indicating that he would follow through with my pre-arranged plan. He'd call Sano and 'innocently' ask if Kenshin was in Tokyo. Sano would think the question was a red flag and would immediately tell Kenshin that I was likely going to sneak back home. He'd go rushing back to Tokyo, which would allow me the freedom to leave the hotel without a single worry of being spotted.
Grinning at the plan, I danced over to the bathroom and jumped into a refreshingly hot shower. The heat eased my tense muscles and I hummed a fun tune as I thought of where I would go next. It was beyond tempting to just pay for an additional night here to remain hidden, but I knew that staying in one place for too long was also a big risk. If he had his techy buddies hack into the camera systems, they'd realize that I hadn't left the hotel. That would narrow down their search parameters and I'd effectively trap myself.
It was as I was pulling on my jeans that realization struck me. I froze in horror and swung my gaze over to the borrowed cellphone. Sano would have let Kenshin know about the suspicious call, but why the hell would he have just stopped there?!
Soaring around the room, I grabbed my things and haphazardly shoved them into my backpack. I yanked on a black t-shirt and flew out the door. I rushed to the stairwell, remembering that there was an exit nearby that would dump me onto a less-crowded side street.
How could I have been so STUPID?! If they thought Yahiko had been in contact with me, they'd rush over and grill him! They'd get into his phone and piece everything together without batting an eyelash!
My heart thundered as I barreled onto the pavement, ripped the cellphone out of my pocket, and yanked the battery out.
IDIOT! They'd trace the damn cellphone!
As I raced down the street, a flash of red caught my eye in the crowd ahead. It disappeared and then reappeared much closer and much faster than the crowd was moving.
It was Kenshin… and he was headed directly to the front doors of the hotel I'd just fled.
Slapping a hand across my lips to stifle an instinctive shout of terror, I dove behind a street lamp pillar and tried to catch my breath as my eyes raked my surroundings—THERE!
Without giving myself time to hesitate, I ran as fast as I could to a cab that was parked halfway down the street and jumped into the back seat. My sudden appearance startled the young man in the driver's seat, but he smiled at me hesitantly. "Need a ride?"
"Please. Quickly. Just head south for a minute while I get my bearings."
The driver looked concerned, but hit the accelerator. I slid down along the seat and nearly broke into tears when the light at that intersection turned red. The car slowed to a stop. It was only once the light turned green that I felt confident enough to peek in the direction Kenshin had been headed, and I breathed in relief when I confirmed that he was nowhere in sight.
"The nearest mall, please." I could hide in the crowds there long enough to think of a viable escape route.
"Sure thing," the driver said. There was a pause before he commented on the obvious. "Listen—are you alright? You look like you're running from someone. Want me to head to the police station instead?"
"No!" I said too quickly, then grimaced as he met my eyes in the mirror. "I'm fine. Really. I just… that hotel I stayed in is haunted. I heard weird noises all night. Like pounding and footsteps roaming all around my room. I think I even saw something move in the shadows. Just want to get away from there."
"Really?" he asked incredulously, naming the hotel he'd been parked closest to. I nodded in affirmation, watching his eyes stray back to mine for a blink. "I've lived here my whole life. Never heard of any spirits there."
As he stopped at another light, I peered outside, very likely looking half-crazed, but I didn't care. Red turned to green out of the corner of my eye, but it took the driver a few seconds to put away his cellphone and hit the accelerator. In itself, I would have thought nothing of it, but when his gaze immediately met mine in the mirror again, I felt cold dread sinking in.
There hadn't been any other taxis parked on that street. He'd been close enough to the door to be a perfect getaway, but not close enough to appear suspicious.
Holy Kami.
Words tumbled from my lips as I schooled my expression and looked around. "What's the most popular tourist destination here?"
The driver shrugged, naming off a few places that I pretended to be interested in as my hand slipped into my pocket. "How far is the mall?" I asked as the traffic around us built up.
He thought for a moment as he tapped the break again, but I flung the door open in his distraction, threw a wad of cash that was close enough to what I owed him, and slammed the door shut. His shouts faded as I flew to the sidewalk and darted in the opposite direction.
Not believing my luck, I saw a sign less than a block away. The subway.
In a series of half-automatic motions, I made it inside a subway car just as the doors were closing. Without any inkling of which line I was on or in which direction I was headed, I sunk onto a nearby seat seconds before my knees gave out on me.
I could still do this. I just had to evade Kenshin for another twelve hours. I'd change course a few times in the next couple of hours—he couldn't possibly anticipate which stations I'd switch off at, and that gave me a distinct advantage.
So help me, I was going to win this damn bet.
