~Chapter Eleven- A peaceful summer day…but then night fell.~

Karou and Kenshin walked slowly out of the library Mr. Orasumi's office had been located in, and entered the dining room, and finally the main hallway, where the front door was.

Karou stared at the ground, watching her feet as if she would just die if something was said.

Kenshin figured he'd best be silent, or else face Karou's frightening temper….but then he saw her sad expression.

"….Miss Karou?" He finally questioned.

The clock in the room ticked in the background, and the bright sun rays of the late morning fell into the room.

It was so peaceful, and yet, Karou knew that somewhere behind the walls, there was danger.

She couldn't escape.

She looked up and past Kenshin.

The clock on the wall behind him read 20 minutes to noon.

"Miss Karou?" Kenshin asked again.

Karou looked away, and then looked behind her.

She blinked, and remembered how happy Misao and Yahiko had seemed as they ran off to go swim in the near-by lake.

She pushed away her tears, and grabbed Kenshin's hand quickly, trying to not be too embarrassed to do so.

"Let's go see what Yahiko, Misao, and Sanoske are up to." She said in a small, tiny voice, her head still lowered.

Kenshin suddenly felt the feeling he had encountered that morning, when he had held Karou's hand before!

His heart beat with that rhythm once again.

"Alright. Let's get out of this house for a while." He whispered to her.

She was suddenly shocked by the way he had said that!!

She felt his hand fold into hers.

She looked up, and gave him a soft smile of relief.

Her eyes met a soft smile.

That smile….on those lips she so longed to lay hers upon.

As she fell into a trance on his smile, she instantly felt herself being pushed closer to him by his right arm.

He just stood there and held her then….not as tightly as she would have held him, but gentle in a way she never had felt before.

All her worries faded away….and all that remained was just him…and her.

The sound of the clock ticking continued, and all Karou and Kenshin did was stand there………..just stand there…….and pray to god that when they let go…..everything would be better again.

Suddenly, without even a small warning, the clock chimed out, signaling it being noon finally.

Karou and Kenshin let go almost as if they had been scared out of their wits, in fear of being seen by another!!

After the chime faded into the background again, Karou yet again took Kenshin's hand.

"I need to get my swim suit. Come with me? I don't want to be all alone up there." She smiled much more warmer then she had been before.

Kenshin returned the grin with much pleasure.

"Of course, Miss Karou! But let's hurry. Yahiko, Sanoske, and Miss Misao may not stay very long at the lake.

As they began to walk up the stairs together, hand in hand, Karou continued talking, trying to keep the conversation lively, and away from the subject of the fear that lurked in the shadows, or the embrace they had just shared.

"Well, if Yahiko, Sanoske, and Misao aren't there, we can always just stay there on our own. It's not like they'll care any. That is, if you don't mind, Kenshin." Karou stated as they entered the hallway to Karou's room.

"Not at all, Miss Karou." Kenshin said, trying hard not to let anymore unexpected feelings come over him. It was enough already that he was experiencing sudden emotions he had never felt before just that morning.

In fact, they began to return then, as Karou's hand stayed tightly cupped into his. But he forced it away with much confusion.

When finally they reached Karou's room, she stepped inside, and invited Kenshin to come with her.

Karou walked over to one of her luggage bags, and picked it up.

"I'll just be a second. You can wait here if you like." She explained as she began to head towards her bathroom.

Kenshin blinked. "Ummm…..uh……sure! Okay. I'll just wait here."

Without another word, Karou quickly went into her bathroom, and locked the door behind her.

Kenshin sat down on Karou's bed, and stared at the floor for a minute.

Then he somehow noticed the way this room felt to him.

He felt so calmed in this room.

The way everything was set up.

On the night-stand, Karou's hair-brush lay, and a cup of water she must have had from the previous night…before she went to Kenshin's room.

On the coat-hanger, her over kimono drooped, waiting for Karou to wear again when they returned to Tokyo. And across the room, on the chesterdrorse, sat all of Karou's smaller belongings.

Kenshin turned to the bed he was sitting on, and ran his hand across the fabric slowly. It was the spot that Karou had laid before she had ran to him for comfort that night.

He didn't know why, or how it had happened, but he then laid himself down on her pillow, and discovered the scent of Karou's hair, most likely the shampoo, but it didn't matter. It was her scent.

It made him smile, and as he laid there, he began to blush uncontrollably, unable to deny it anymore….the feelings that he had within him.

"Kenshin????? Are you exhausted or something???" Karou's voice suddenly awoke him from his small daydream.

He jolted up and found Karou, in a small robe, her swimsuit underneath, staring back at him with confusion.

He turned bright red, and jumped to his feet.

"OH NO!!!! I mean….yes….I was just a little tired!! Sorry about that, Miss Karou!" He rubbed his head nervously.

Karou blinked. "Well, are you sure you wanna even go out then? Maybe you should just stay here and rest. If so, I'll stay here too."

Kenshin shook his head. "Uh, no no!! I'm okay, really! Let's get going, shall we?" He tried to change the subject as quickly as possible.

Karou had no idea how to reply, but just decided that there was nothing that could be said in the first place, and so she began to walk out of the room, signaling Kenshin to follow.

~10 Minutes later~

Kenshin and Kaoru walked through the woods, down the path towards the lake, side by side.

Kenshin seemed to be enjoying his walk, but Karou kept hearing things in the trees around them, and experiencing the feeling that she was being watching from someone out there somewhere.

Kenshin noticed and put on a worried look.

"Miss Karou? Are you alright? You look so…..well, afraid. It is light out, you know. No one would dare try to get you in the daylight…..I mean……uh….." He suddenly realized that was something he shouldn't have said! But it was already heard through Karou's ears.

Thankfully, it rather calmed her to know such a thing.

She smiled. "I….I know."

Kenshin laughed a little, not to be funny, but just at how that day was going.

Karou blinked and looked up at him.

"Kenshin? What's so funny?"

Kenshin smiled happily. "Hasn't this day been so confusing? This morning, when we both woke up, we were happy to be with each other…..but then later on that morning, you were unhappy with me, and I felt unhappy with you, but then everything got better again….and then now, here we are walking together as if nothing had happened, and….well……..moods certainly do change as the day goes on, wouldn't you agree?"

Karou thought about things, and didn't quite get the picture, but when Kenshin began to laugh again, she couldn't help but laugh along with him, despite her lack of understanding anything he was trying to say.

They just smiled and laughed as they continued to walk down the path.

They looked so happy.

As if nothing was wrong at all.

And at that time, nothing was.

Soon, the lake appeared in front of them, and they rushed to find Yahiko and Misao.

They were about half way around, on the other side of the lake.

Misao was dressed in her swim suit, the kind that the Western Countries used, and was having the time of her life out in the water.

Yahiko just took off his kimono top, and left his trousers on, and jumped in as well.

Kenshin waved to them as him and Karou approached.

"Hey there Himura! Did you come to get soaked too?" Misao called from the water.

Kenshin shook his head.

"I don't think that I should…."

"OH COME ON!!!!!!" Both Misao and Yahiko yelled as they grabbed onto Kenshin's kimono sleeves, and pulled him into the water with them.

With a huge splash, Kenshin was completely soaked, sitting on the lake's shore.

"Ororororororororororooooooooo" Was all he could say, with confusion in his eyes. (What a classic expression! LOL!)

Misao and Yahiko laughed and ran away through the water.

"Hey, you guys!!!! That wasn't very nice! Come back here!!!" Karou called to them, an angry look on her face.

"It's alright, Miss Karou, really!" Kenshin stated from the water.

"Oh! Let me help you!" She reached down to help him out of the water.

He lifted his wet hand, and placed it into hers, but then yanked her down into the water with him.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Karou screeched one minute, and the next she found herself sitting in the water with Kenshin.

They both began to laugh freely.

"Well, I guess now that I'm completely soaked…." Kenshin began to say as he stood up in the water, his kimono top sticking to his skin underneath. "I may as well just swim with you guys." He finished as he pulled off his kimono top, and through it to the shoreline.

Karou loved seeing Kenshin like this, so free and relaxed. She saw it a lot back in Tokyo when he was cleaning house, or making dinner, or just talking with her and the others, but now it was so different.

He seemed so happy, standing there topless, his trousers soaked, letting the hot summer sun warm his skin, and dry his hair.

Karou took off her robe and through it to the shoreline as well, then decided to run out into the deep water, and simply dive in.

Kenshin watched as she disappeared into the water, and reappeared some 20 feet off in the deep water.

She threw her hands into the air and smiled.

"Aww! This was such a great idea! I love this!"

Kenshin smiled from the shore and blushed.

"Well, come out here, Kenshin! Or are you too scared?" She smirked.

Kenshin sighed, and stood up, and walked out to the point that he couldn't touch the lake floor any longer, then began to swim out to Karou, as he had been told.

Once he reached her spot, she smiled.

"Isn't it nice? To just swim and not worry about anything?" She questioned next.

Kenshin nodded in reply.

Suddenly, Karou screamed and grabbed onto Kenshin tightly.

"W…what's the matter?!" He exclaimed in worry.

Karou looked terrified.

"Something just touched my foot….SOMETHING'S DOWN THERE!!!!! BRING ME TO SHORE!!! BRING ME TO SHORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" She cried, as most girls would have done.

Sure enough though, as Kenshin had suspected, Yahiko burst out of the water next to them, laughing his head off.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE SHE WAS SO SCARED OF ME!!!!!!! HAHAHAHAHA!!!! LOOK AT HOW SHE'S CLINGING ONTO YOU, KENSHIN!!" He chuckled devilishly.

Karou and Kenshin both blinked, and looked down at one another.

It had naturally happened the way it did!

Karou's arms were wrapped around Kenshin's neck, her cheek pressed against his firmly.

They both turned a dark red, and pushed away from each other quickly.

Yahiko was cracking up all the while!

Karou and Kenshin looked at one another, then looked back at Yahiko, and grinned.

"YOU'LL PAY FOR IT, YAHIKO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" They both yelled, and began to chase after him through the water.

Yahiko was the one to screech out now!!!!

As they chased the boy into shallower water, and up onto a small cliff over-looking the lake, Yahiko shouted, "NOW MISAO!!!!" But Kenshin and Karou stopped just in time, and watched as Misao fell from the cliff, and down into the water.

She appeared and glared up at Yahiko.

Yahiko rubbed his head. "Sorry, Misao!"

Misao laughed, and then screamed. "LOOK OUT BEHIND YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Before Yahiko could do so though, he was pushed off the cliff by Karou and Kenshin.

They both laughed in pleasure of watching Yahiko fall and then pop up again next to Misao, looking very angry.

"NOW YOU GUYS HAVE TO PUSH ONE OF YOU OFF! IF YOU DON'T, THEN IT'LL BE A TIE!" Yahiko called up to them.

"AND WE DON'T SETTLE FOR TIES!!!!!" Misao finished.

Kenshin and Karou looked at one another, and Kenshin smiled evilly.

"K…Kenshin? What are you doing??!!!!! HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" She cried with laughter in her voice as well as fear.

Kenshin picked her up and brought her over to the edge of the cliff, and looked down at Yahiko and Misao.

Karou looked up at Kenshin, and blushed.

She felt so safe in his strong, bare arms, even when she was about to be thrown over a cliff!!

"You're not really going to throw me over, right?" She questioned.

Kenshin smiled. "I've got a better idea." He winked, and then stepped back a ways from the edge of the cliff.

"Hang on." He stated to her.

She obeyed with ease.

"One……two……..THREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Kenshin shouted as he ran to the edge of the cliff, and leapt off with Karou in his arms.

Yahiko and Misao quickly cleaned their landing spot in the water.

Soon, Kenshin and Karou felt themselves hit the water, and go under.

They had had their eyes shut tightly, but now they opened them.

They were staring at one another through the water.

They were both immediately stunned greatly at how one another looked in the water.

The current surrounding them somehow set them in a trance, and nothing else was fixed on anything else but them.

Just them.

They stared into each other's eyes for a long time, and never once came up for air for about 4 whole minutes!!

Karou smiled at Kenshin, and swam closer to him.

His eyes widened as she put her arms around her, and just held him there.

Despite the air running from his lungs as the seconds went by, he felt his heart beat in that rhythm once again.

Karou closed her eyes and continued to keep Kenshin in that embrace, deep under the water.

Kenshin looked up at the water's surface, about 20 feet up from them.

The sunbeams fell through and hit his face, her form holding him.

He slowly wrapped his arms around her as well, and they just stayed like that for a few more minutes.

Up above, Yahiko and Misao had already climbed to the top of the cliff again, and watched the water below, waiting and waiting for Kenshin and Karou to surface!

"Oh no!!! Yahiko, I'm getting worried! What if they couldn't swim or something!!!" Misao exclaimed with much worry.

Yahiko shook his head. "No….they can both swim. I bet they're playing a trick on us or something, and they found another way to get out of the water without us seeing them. Let's just forget them, and head back to the mansion! I wanna get something to eat!" He stated.

Misao blinked, and looked angrily down at the water.

"Oh, I get what you're sayin, Yahiko!! Those mean jerks! I'm not going to speak to them when they come back to the mansion, that's for sure!"

Just as the two of them began to head back to the mansion again though, Kenshin underneath the water swam up to the surface, pulling Karou with him.

As they both emerged, they immediately began to take in much air, gasping for oxygen once again.

They both swam to the shore, and sat down in the sand.

They were still breathing heavily as they sat there, and stared up at the sky.

After about 12 minutes, Karou turned to Kenshin and looked up at him.

He was staring off at the lake in front of them.

The sun was at a point in the sky, signaling that it was maybe 4 or 5 in the late afternoon.

He knew Karou's eyes were fixed on him, and his cheeks began to turn color after a moment.

Karou smiled, although Kenshin did not turn to her, or make a sound.

She knew this was no time for words.

Instead, she stood up, and walked over to the spot where they had thrown their extra clothes.

She picked up her robe, and Kenshin's kimono top, and shook them out, getting rid of any sand on them, then proceeded to bring them over to Kenshin.

He blinked and turned to her, staring up at her, his violet eyes staring back at her, still somewhere she couldn't reach, and still there with her.

She smiled though still, and handed him his top kimono.

He took it, and began to put it back on.

Karou walked out into the water up to her knees, and stared down at her reflection in the shimmering lake's liquid.

She hadn't expected Kenshin to follow her.

His reflection appeared by her own, and stared at her.

He was smiled that one smile she loved.

"What are you looking at?" He questioned, breaking the silence.

Karou blinked a few times, and then shook her head.

"Nothing…..let's head back now. It's getting late by the looks of things. Yahiko and Misao must have already gone back by now as well. It'll be dinner soon, and I'm starving. I'm tired too. I can't wait to get into my bed and sleep peacefully tonight." She explained, trying to sound cheerful.

Kenshin didn't object to this subject. "I'm rather tired myself. You're right, Miss Karou, we should defiantly be heading back now." He stated.

As he began to turn around though, and walk back to the shore, Karou turned swiftly after him. "Wait!"

Kenshin turned back around to face her.

Karou stood there for a moment, then closed her eyes as she let the summer breeze pass her. Not too hot, and not too cold.

"Thank you……for such a wonderful day you've given me. I always have so much fun with you and everyone else…..it means so much to me that…..that you were here today with me…..instead of somewhere else. I'm in your debt." She explained in a soft tone.

Kenshin smiled. "Please….you don't own me anything for this. We're here to have fun…and so…..that is what we'll do."

Karou nodded, and followed Kenshin out of the water.

About 10 minutes or so later, they were headed down the path again back to the mansion.

And about an hour later, dinner was being eaten.

Finally, 2 hours after dinner, Karou sat on the front deck of the mansion, looking off at the fireflies glowing in the distance.

She watched as the sun began to hide itself behind the far off hills.

She began to fear again, as she had done the night before…..of the dark.

*Mr. Orasumi didn't eat dinner with us, tonight. ……..Why?* Karou questioned herself in thought.

She happened to look up at a lightened up window, and saw Mr. Orasumi looking out the window, down at….not her……but Kenshin, who had been walking with Yahiko in the forest, and was now coming back towards the mansion! She saw his eyes…..they had evil in them…they had hatred….and he was looking straight at Kenshin!!!!

She remembered how she had felt about him that morning….but now…..it was different. Before….he looked at her with a glint of evil in his dark eyes……but now it was at Kenshin!!! What was going on???!!!

That next instant though….everything became clear.

Another man appeared in the window behind Mr. Orasumi.

Mr. Orasumi pointed to Kenshin, and he said something to the man standing next to him.

Then, to Karou's horror, Mr. Orasumi pulled out of a cloth pouch, and out of the pouch, he showed the other man a long sword!!! The blade was finely polished, and sharpened, she could tell.

He said something else to the man, and then they were both laughing.

Mr. Orasumi handed the sword and the cloth pouch to the man, and then the man bowed and left.

Mr. Orasumi looked back out the window, and began to turn towards Karou!

She turned away just in time for him not to notice that she had seen what he had just done.

Her heart beat with feat, she could hear it in her ears!!!

*They're going to do something to Kenshin……I know they are!!!! I have to tell him!!!! I must!!!!!!* She exclaimed in her mind.

She was about to run to Kenshin and tell him then as he came closer to the deck she was sitting on, but then she remembered Mr. Orasumi.

If he saw her run and tell Kenshin something, he would know right off the bat that she had witnessed his meeting with the other man she had never seen before!!

She had to tell Kenshin somewhere else…..but she needed to make it fast.

The night that was approaching faster and faster was the one she was sure….that Mr. Orasumi planned on doing something to Kenshin!!!

Her hands trembled, and she grasped her kimono dress.

Yahiko and Kenshin walked up onto the deck, and walked past her.

Kenshin saw Karou's trembling hands, and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Miss Karou? Are you alright?" He asked, knowing something wasn't.

Karou looked past Kenshin's shoulder, and saw Mr. Orasumi looking down at the two of them with his hate-filled expression.

"N….nothing! Nothing at all!" She lied.

Kenshin knelt down, and put his hands over hers in her lap.

"Let's go inside now, Karou. I promise nothing will happen to you tonight. Mr. Orasumi's guards will be protecting you….and they'll find the man that tried to kill you last night, and have him put to death for what he was going to do to you. Don't you worry. Everything will get better, I swear it on my name."

Karou stood up with Kenshin, and looked down at their hands, all placed over one another.

She was so afraid to tell him then…but she wanted to so badly. She was so scared for him…not for her.

"I….I wish I could believe you." She whispered, and then turned to go inside, letting her hands slip out of his.

Kenshin looked down to his feet, and then off to the darkened forest, and the night filled sky…now beginning to dot itself with stars.

*It was such a peaceful day…….but then……..night fell.* He told himself deep within his mind, before turning to head back inside after Karou, and bring her up to her room.

~Wow!! This is getting sooooo good!!!! PLEASE KEEP READING!!!!~

~Smile B~