Second chapter of Kidnapped! Hope you all like it. I haven't received a review yet, figures! But I decided to put up another chapter anyway. Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin. Claimer: I do own the kidnapper.

~*~*~*~*~*~Chapter 2~*~*~*~*~*~ Kenshin awoke to the sun streaming in upon him. Kaoru was already up and about. And by the sound of yells and loud 'thunk's, Yahiko, too, was up. He smiled. 'I'll not tell Kaoru about this. That I shall not. She would get worried. There is no need for her to be worried.' He decided mentally. He got out of bed and began his morning routine, though still half asleep.

"Oi! Yahiko-chan! Over here! There's something I wanna ask ya." Yahiko trotted to where Sano leaned on the gate. "You noticed anything strange about Kenshin?" Yahiko nodded, "He's getting really over-protective. Today, he came and watched our practice with his hand by his sword the whole time. And he woke up really late this morning. It's not like him to wake up after me! He looked like he hadn't slept last night. You got any idea why he's acting so strangely?" Sano looked serious as he spoke, something he seldom did, "I think something happened last night. Maybe someone attacked him, or Kaoru, and that's why he's being over-protective of her. And it probably happened late at night, which explains the circles under his eyes. He probably didn't get much sleep last night." Yahiko nodded in understanding. Suddenly, an idea struck the two of them simultaneously and they looked at each other. Smiling, they nodded in silent agreement.

That night, Sano slipped into the dojo, walking on cat feet. Yahiko met him at the entrance to the house and they sat on the steps, waiting, not once speaking a word. They were beginning to doze off when something caught Sano's eye. He silently shook Yahiko and pointed. Yahiko's only response was a determined nod. They rose and tiptoed behind the figure Sano had spotted. He was clothed in black, but his face was uncovered and it looked young and hardened. Yahiko raised his bokken and 'WHAM!' The unfortunate man was clouted on the head, full force, by Yahiko's hit. For extra measure, Sano picked him up and threw him against the wall. Surprisingly, the man stood up and rushed the two boys, pulling out a sword. Yahiko dodged the first swing and hit the man on his side as he rushed past. Before the man could turn around, Sano punched him in the back and he went down like a stone. Together, Yahiko and Sano beat the man mercilessly. The man raised his head, let it fall, and slipped into unconsciousness. Sano picked him up by his collar on his trench coat.trench coat? Sano blinked.it wasn't.it couldn't be. He shook his head to clear his mind. There's no way Aoshi Shinomori would want to hurt Kenshin. He brought the young man to the spot where he had awoken the night before.

Sano and Yahiko did not speak about the night's events to anybody, including themselves, that morning, and luckily nobody noticed anything strange, due to their significant lack of injuries. "What's the matter?" Sano asked, looking at Yahiko's strangely detached expression. "Wh-what? Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about what that man had said after we left him on the bank. Remember? He said 'You will all pay. You will all pay dearly.' I dunno. I just can't stop thinking about it." Sano looked at Yahiko, brow furrowed in confusion, and scratched his head, 'Since when does Yahiko worry about things like that?' "Hmmm.Hopefully it's just big talk." Yahiko nodded, but he still looked concerned. "Hey! Just forget about it. We can fight, can't we? And besides, if you keep this up, Kaoru and Kenshin will get worried, Kenshin's in a bad enough state already, and we can't afford to worry Kaoru now, she's got enough on her hands with the baby." Yahiko nodded again, and smiled.

The day remained fairly uneventful, save for Kaoru's killer cooking style that left everybody with a stomachache. Everybody went to bed, but there was a thin tension in the air as Kenshin, Yahiko, and Sano stayed on their guard. Kenshin lowered himself under the covers and fell asleep, pondering the strange man's intentions.

In the middle of the night, Kaoru felt Kenshin get up. "Where are you

going?" she asked sleepily.

"I'm just going to get a drink. I'll be right back." He left,

unsuspecting. Moments after Kenshin left the room, as if timed, a man

slipped in as quietly as water. He reached down and put his arms around

Kaoru's waist. Thinking it was Kenshin, she didn't struggle. A cold hand was laid upon her mouth, as if to silence her. She looked up at the man and her eyes grew wide. It wasn't Kenshin as she had originally thought it was, however, a man, clothed in black, and his face was dark with shadow, but uncovered. Trying and failing, to scream, Kaoru settled for kicking and biting. But, as hard as she kicked and as forcefully as she bit, nothing seemed to even make the strange man let go slightly. Knowing she couldn't shout for help, she stopped struggling and let herself be carried away by the strange man as he jumped out the window. Along with her kidnapper, Kaoru was carried away by her complex, yet plentiful, plans of escape.

Please excuse all my errors. Same as before. Tell me if you a. hated it.
b. liked it.