~Chapter Six- fear of being alone……of being all alone in the dark~

"What do yah mean, Sano?" Yahiko questioned as he sat and listened to Sanoske tell her about what had been going on between Karou and Kenshin.

"You heard me, Yahiko. Karou just won't be around Kenshin….and poor Kenshin doesn't know what to do! It's really depressing actually to see them act like this." Sanoske explained.

Yahiko looked to the floor.

"I don't understand. Why is Karou doing this to Kenshin?! He didn't do anything bad to her…so why would she not wanna be around him??!!! I just don't get it."

Sanoske nodded.

"Yeah….I got yah on that one. I don't get it either…..but don't worry. We'll get to the bottom of it…but….in the morning. It's getting late, and we all need to heard for bed."

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!" Misao screamed once she walked into the room and heard Sanoske's declaration.

"Oh….come on, Misao! Aren't you tired!!?? We traveled here most of the day, and you and Yahiko played around for the rest of that time…and now it's almost mid-night, and you wanna stay up longer??!!! I don't understand women at all, especially you!!!" Sanoske pointed into Misao's face.

Misao glared.

"Fine! I'll go to bed….but…..I refuse to go to sleep! I REFUSE!!!!"

Misao stated as she began to heard up her staircase to the 3rd floor, where her room was centered.

As she walked up and out of sight, Sanoske pulled Yahiko aside.

"Hey….let's go up there and scare her before be leave for bed too, okay? That'll teach that brat!" He whispered.

Yahiko smirked. "Good plan. Let's do it!"

The two put on sly faces as she crept up the staircase and up the Misao's door.

"Now…on the count of three….we'll jump in and scare the living crap out of her! Alright?" Sanoske plotted.

Yahiko nodded.

Sano began the count-down.

"Three…."

"Two….."

"ONE!!!!"

He shouted as the two threw open the door and cried out freaky noises they didn't even know they could make.

Suddenly, they were paused dead in their tracks as they saw Misao sound asleep on her bed.

Yahiko and Sanoske blinked in confusion.

"But….I thought she said she wasn't tired!!!!!!" Yahiko moaned.

Sanoske rolled his eyes.

"All that talk about refusing to do to bed was a bunch of bull. I should have known. Oh man…. I'm going to bed."

The two then sadly walked out of the room, yet again deprived of their fun.

Misao giggled a bit and then got into bed once they were completely gone.

"What suckers." Misao laughed to herself as she cuddled into her warm bed.

"This bed is much more comfortable then the futons at Karou's dojo! I love it here! I don't think I could ever be scared! It's too happy! Hehehehe! Nighty night my perfect room….and nighty night to me too!"

~One floor up, in Karou's room~

Karou finally stopped her sobbed and sat in front of her big mirror, whipping her eyes with a handkerchief.

Now she studied herself in the mirror for a long while.

She saw what she normally saw…..only her eyes were all puffy.

*Poor, puffy-eyed, ugly, girl.* She thought to herself as she finally looked away from her reflection.

She then picked up her brush and started brushing it out slowly.

*I wonder….did Kenshin come to see me earlier? I just don't know. I could have sworn….that I had felt his presence!* She explained to herself in her head.

*Ah well….if he did, he probably had second thoughts about it or something….like that.*

She almost felt tears coming back to her eyes, but she pushed them away.

She finally got up and walked over to her huge bed.

When she got in, she looked around her room.

Everything was so different from her room back at her dojo.

The smells….the styles….the feelings….and even the bed didn't remind her at all of home.

She sighed, and reached for the light switch on the nightstand beside her bed.

As the light dimmed, and finally vanished, she found herself a bit startled at how dark it had become.

She slowly laid herself down and brought to covers up to her chin.

She stared at the lacing around her bed for a long time….waiting and looking forward to her eyes adjusting to the darkness…..but it never seemed to happen! Not in this dark room.

It was darker then dark.

Not even the moon was outside her window to shine in on her and keep her company.

Suddenly, the booming sound of the grandfather clock in her room sounded!!!

Karou pulled the covers completely over her head now, and trembled.

She listened as the clock signaled 1 in the morning.

She sighed heavily, and brought her head out from under her blankets.

The room was still dark as ever.

Soon, things started to take shape out of the corners of her eyes!

The mirror across the room had a reflection in it shaped like something she didn't know…..but something she didn't like.

The grandfather clock took form to a hideous beast that loomed in front of her bed on the opposite wall, staring her down.

She slightly whimpered.

She felt like a little girl, frightened and no one to hold her hand and tell her it was okay.

She felt like she needed that someone to hold her hand.

To make things not so frightening.

Soon, she found herself thinking deeply about the things that had occurred that day.

The way she had treated Kenshin…it was…..harsh.

Maybe she knew why she was acting the way she was, but he didn't.

She remembered his face.

The sad expressions.

Suddenly, a shadow flew across the room!!!!

Karou's eyes widened.

She was frozen in that cold bed.

Frozen stiff.

She trembled more then ever now.

"K….Ken…..Ken….Kensh……..Kenshin….I'm so scared." She stuttered.

"I want to be with you!!! I can't sleep like this….I'm so afraid!!!" She sat up, and she could have sworn that the shadow backed off into her closet.

She believed it was just her imagination, but in truth, it was one of Mr. Orasumi's men….come to try a first attempt to take Karou's life!!

Karou threw off her covers, and with one deep breath, she ran across the room and to her door, opened it quickly, and ran out into the hallway.

It was even darker then her room had been!!!

She knew to turn to her left, and she ran to the stairway leading up to Kenshin's room.

She could almost feel inside her that she was being followed.

Was in the shadow from her room?

She didn't know.

All she did know though, was that she needed to move quickly, even if it may be her imagination….it was still frightening.

She finally reached Kenshin's story, and ran down his hallway.

She didn't know which room to knock on though!!!

She frantically looked to each room, pressing her ear against it to see if she heard anything from inside.

She heard nothing from the first 4 rooms, and finally, back onto the shadows of the hallway, where she had preferred not to go, but figured she had no choice if she wanted to feel safe again…..rushed down into the darkness.

Luckily, and surprisingly, a light was on in the 5th room she approached.

She knew it had to be the room, although she had no clue why Kenshin was still awake.

She had been sure he would be asleep by this time! He normally was back at her dojo.

But that was of no importance then

She stood in front of the door with the light pouring out from under the crack at the bottom of the door.

For a moment, it seemed like she couldn't believe she was doing this!

She was in her nightgown, running about the shadowed hallways of a huge mansion she hadn't even been to before in her life, and just to find Kenshin….whom probably would prefer to be alone at that hour…..1:30 a.m.!!!

Nevertheless….Karou couldn't go back to that terrifying room of hers, with the shadows of her mind playing tricks on her eyes.

She needed to be with someone….no, not just someone……him.

She finally brought herself to knock on his door.

She wrapped her arms around herself, and waited for a reply, all the while hoping and praying that he would answer her knocks. She didn't wanna go back to her room. She didn't!!!

Suddenly, she saw a shadow creep a crossed the door in front of her, and her eyes widened in fear.

The shadow was real!!!! She knew this, because she was able to watch the shadow for a good 10 seconds!!! It hadn't been her imagination, and if it had been, and it was at the very moment, she must have been going insane, for she swore to the bottom of her heart that she saw it!!!

She reached up and knocked on the door again, a little louder this time.

She wanted so desperately for Kenshin to answer.

She wanted to just be near him….anything…….any way!! She just didn't wanna be alone any longer in that night where the shadows were after her.

At long last, the door cracked open, and then widely opened as a fully awake Kenshin stared back at her from inside his room.

"Miss…..Karou?! What are you doing up here? I thought that you'd be asleep by this late hour!" He somewhat whispered, although he had no reason to, for they were the only ones up there.

When Kenshin saw Karou's frightened expression, he opened the door for her.

"What's wrong? Mind telling me why you look so terrified, Miss Karou?"

Karou was breathing in and out very deeply, and she placed her hand over her heart as she felt it beating quickly.

"Miss….Karou?" Kenshin questioned her once again.

She turned to him and stared into his eyes…..those violet eyes of his, that never seemed to look terrified, even now.

"I….I'm so sorry to have disturbed you, Kenshin. I shouldn't have…..but….I……" She couldn't finish her sentence.

Kenshin smiled. "It's alright, Miss Karou. It's not any big deal at all, that it isn't. I wasn't even asleep."

Karou nodded, then looked about the room.

It was almost identical to her own, except there was a fireplace, with a burning fire in it.

She somewhat wished her room had one.

"Why are you awake anyway? You're usually well asleep by now. I was worried you wouldn't answer the door."

Kenshin sighed.

"Well…..believe it or not, I couldn't seem to get any sleep in this huge room…..with it so dark and all. Things just start getting, well, creepy. I'm used to it back at your dojo, so I feel safe there, that I do, but I've never been here before, and so it's different. Do you know what I mean?"

Kenshin was trying to referee to Karou's own problems.

Karou knew that.

"Yes…..I do know what you mean. But….Kenshin…..can I ask you something?"

He nodded.

"Of course."

Karou hesitated for a moment.

"Did….you by any chance….see……a shadow?"

Kenshin thought for a moment.

"No….not really, but I did find it pretty frightening!"

Karou blinked in surprise.

"Are you saying….that you're afraid of the dark?"

Kenshin laughed a bit.

"Is it so hard to believe? But…yes! Actually, I'm pretty ashamed of that fear! That must take a lot of time to get through to you, huh?"

Karou felt so relieved, and she smiled for the first time all that night.

"Not at all! I'm afraid too. Very afraid. So afraid I couldn't stay in my cold, dark room anymore. That's why I came up here looking so scared."

Kenshin blinked. He hadn't expected Karou to open up to him…..not after what had happened earlier.

"But, Miss Karou? Why did you come to me? Yahiko, or Sanoske would have been easier to get to, or Miss Misao perhaps."

Karou blushed a bit.

"Well…..the truth about that is….I hadn't thought of them at all. When I was laying there in my room, trying to not be scared….but knowing that I was, and I saw the shadow rush a crossed the wall, and the grandfather clock, and my mirror…..all I could picture….and the only person I could think of that could make me feel safe again…….was……you."

Kenshin faintly blushed. Karou had never said something like that to him before.

"I….make you feel safe?" He stuttered, his blush coming more darker.

Karou smiled a bit.

"Well, yes. I don't know why….but….I….."

"Thank you." Kenshin didn't mean to interrupt her, but he couldn't keep those words in any longer.

Kenshin smiled at her very broadly, and suddenly, Karou remembered how she hadn't even said "thank you" to Kenshin yet….for all his help, for her new dress,……. for anything!

"Kenshin…." She found herself unable to say a word as she saw him smile so brightly.

Did he know what she had wanted to say to him?

Did he?

Maybe he did.

She had no clue.

All she could do though was smile back.

The memory of the shadow went away.

After a while and smiling, Kenshin finally said something.

"Well, until your fear goes away, Miss Karou, you can stay up here with me, that you can. But….I don't think I could blow out that fire and not be scared!" He explained.

"That's alright……I'm not tired anymore anyway. We can just stay up for a while….and then I'll go back to my room." She stated.

Kenshin nodded, and the two sat down in front of the fire in the fireplace.

Outside Kenshin's door…..the shadow of a man appeared from deep down the hallway.

His fists were clutched and he wore an angry look on his face.

"Damn it." He cursed as he glared at Kenshin's door.

"I'll just wait until that Kamiya girl comes out and back to her room……and then……well…..wouldn't wanna spoil it for anyone." He whispered to himself with a smirk.

~Ohhhhh, scary!! Well, it's gonna get even better! Hehehe! Please don't stop! Keep on reading my friends! Lalalala!! Hehehehe!!!~

~Smile B~