Thanks to my reviewers!! ''- Thoughts :: - Memories italics- dreams

This would have been out earlier but my dad was painting the room that the computer was in, and then the computer had technical problems.
They ran, with the harsh pounding of hoofs behind them. "What did you take her for? All she is is a lot of extra baggage!!"

'What's his problem! Extra baggage!!' Serena huffed.

They started to run into the denser part of the forests. They could hear the men getting off their horses now.

"I suggest that we get off the ground, and away from plain sight."

"What was that missy?" the man looked over surprised.

" They most likely know the woods like the back of their hands, if there main camp is here."

The one that was carrying her sounded a bit interested now. "And what makes you think that that is their main camp?"

"They know where they can hide, and what they can use to their advantage, and I've heard rumors." Serena said simply.

The men's foot steps were getting louder, and the other men was bouncing side to side excitedly.

"Here!" the one that was holding her threw her into the other mans arms. " You rescued her, you keep her with you." He jumped up into the trees quickly. And the one that was holding her now jumped up after him.

He put Serena down, and let her stand, "don't think about doing anything strange now, by the way my name is Zanza, so call if you need help." He grinned, and swung down to a lower branch, to get a better view of the ground below him.

She looked over at the other man. He had wild red hair, that was being held back by a hair tie, and vivid purple eyes, that looked eagerly to the area below, waiting for the men to arrive. He must have felt her gaze, because he was staring into her clear blue eyes, with his dark purple ones, with annoyance.

"What're you looking at?" He demanded.

She saw his left cheek now, it had a cross scar on it.

A scar that was identical to that.

She stepped back shakily on the branch "nothing"

She watched the men walk into the clearing, cautiously. Checking the area looking for any sign of life. Zanza leaned down as one of the men walked by, trying to grab him. The man sensed something, and turned around suspiciously, but Zanza had gotten out of his view in time. She looked over at the other man, who was holding his sword hilt, ready to pull it out.

"In the tree!" she heard Enishi whisper harshly to someone.

She moved back to another branch that was covered by others. Then she heard an arrow being let lose, and it hitting the branch that Zanza was on.

"Damn!" he winced when he got up, noticing that he was surrounded.

"Where's the girl?" Enishi demanded.

"What girl?" he grinned innocently

Serena looked through the branches, trying to see if there was a way to distract Enishi, and his men. Noticing nothing, she slowly climbed down the back of the tree, being careful not to make any noise.

She pressed herself to the tree, hoping that one of his men didn't have supper hearing, as well as elemental arrows. She kneeled to the muddy ground, and put her hands palms down on it. She drew the little bit of magical energy left, from the electricity attack, and watched a mist lowly rise from the ground. At first it was thin, and unnoticeable, but then it continued to rise upward, and grew dense, and cold.

"Where's she!!" he demanded, fright edged his voice, as the fog rose.

"What makes you think that there's a she, involved in this?" he grinned cockily, and dodged Enishis sword.

"We all now that the infamous Zanza, doesn't have anything inside his head." He sneered, "Besides this is powerful magic, not Childs play." He said arrogantly.

He huffed, and did his best to look dignified. "Well if your so high and mighty Enishi, then why don't you find her?"

"That's what useless idiots like you are for." Enishi deadpanned.

"Really" Zanza said, and backed up into the fog, letting Enishi lose sight of him.

The man in the tree took that as his cue, and jumped down from the branch stealthily, landing behind one of Enishis men. He swung his sword in an arch, and was about to slice into the mans stomach, when the girl stepped in front of him. He looked surprised for a second, then regained his cold mask.

He tried to get his sword back, but the girl wouldn't let go. He watched the crimson blood flow off her hands, and onto his sword since she had so wisely grabbed the blade.

" If you are going to kill someone, attack them from the front, so that they can die with what ever honor they have. Because if you attack from behind, it only makes you look like a coward." She said in a dead whisper. "Besides, I'm sure that you don't want to have people think of you as a coward." She winked, and stepped backward, and then turned, only to be met with something, no someone rather hard.

"Cap. captain Enishi, how nice to meet you again." She turned, and tried to run, but found the back of her shirt, caught in someone's hand.

"Do you just like to cause trouble?" he asked sarcastically

" That depends. do you want the truth, or the lie?" she refuted in the same tone.

He was about to hit one of her pressure points, and knock her out, but she unexpectedly tore away from him, leaving him to hit an unexpected Zanza, who was coming to help.

Zanza got up, and wiped the sweat from his face. "Well that was unexpected." He twirled around, and kicked Enishi in the stomach, and accidentally got Serena caught in the crossfire.

Serena stumbled back from the unexpected hit, she reeled backwards trying to catch her balance, but a pair of sturdy arms caught her from behind, and helped her with that.

Blushing she stood up, with his help, and looked to see who it was, that had caught her. Turning around she saw the mystery am. Time seemed as if it had stopped, like in the dream. She starred at him, losing herself in his eyes. Fatigue hit her from her magic. She felt herself losing to sleep, and she fell forward into his arms limply.

He held her for a second, and then spaced out "vanilla?" "Yep it's something from earth, the moon has it to but Darien got it for me so I'm using this one." "Zanza!! Lets go!"

Bewildered, he looked away from his prey. "What?"

The man picked her up princess style "I said let's go!"

Enishi stepped in front of him "you'll be going nowhere with her, bottosai. I know about your past. It was all in the information that I got."

The bottosai glared at him "I have no past" he held her to his body, when Enishi flew at him, trying to dislodge his grip from Serena. He stepped back, and wiped the sweat from his face. He observed his opponent trying to figure out how to get her from him. He grinned, and darted towards the bottosai, and tried to hit Serena.

He guessed that he would do this. That was how Enishi thought. He watched him close in on him, and struck out with his leg, catching Enishi on the cheek. He stepped back shocked.

"Now Zanza!"

Zanza sent one more man flying into a tree, "fine." He dusted off his jacket, and walked towards him. He stopped, for a second, and grabbed someone from behind him. Shaking his head he smiled coyly, "it's not nice to attack from behind." He flipped him over his shoulder, and sent him flying into Enishi, taking both of them down.

Zanza looked at the bottosai, with amusement. "You're carrying her?" he laughed out. By the way you act around women, I thought you would have killed her."

The bottosai just glared at him, and turned away, running off to find the horses that they had left around here.

He put her up on the hose first, and then mounted up behind her. He watched amused, as she slumped forward, and started to snore.

"Very lady like isn't she?" Zanza said equally amused.

The bottosai didn't say anything, and rode off using the trees as cover, incase any of Enishis men were stationed in the area. They reached the city, and kept riding past the sleeping houses, and bars. The girl had started to fall off as he took a sharp corner. Holding his horse in his knees, he guided him, and caught Serena, as she was about to fall.

He slowed down to a halt as they reached an old building that was alive with laughter and music. "I thought I told you to close it for the night."

Zanza put his hand behind his neck sheepishly, "well you see.. There was Daniel.. And then there was a game of poker..And." he was about to continue.

The bottosai sighed in annoyance, "never mind Sano, I don't need to know your whole love life, just go to the back, and open the door, and make sure that no one follows." He watched as his friend walked off, and into the bar that he owned. Guiding the horses to a large stable in the back, he parked them there, and slid Serena off the horse. He put her over his shoulder, because he needed to lock the doors. He took her, and started to carry her princess style again.

He reached the door, and Sanosuke opened the door, allowing him in.

A voice came from the shadows, "who's she?" a busty brown haired girl came out of the shadows, and eyed the girl jealously. No other girl had ever managed to get near him, alive or dead.

Sanos careless voice interrupted the violent stare the sleeping girl was getting. "She's nothing to you Dani." He said. "But the bedroom, is quite cold tonight." He stepped closer

"Would you like me to come and warm it up for you Sano baby?"

Seeing that the two were wound up in there own world, he turned to walk away.

A devious voice came out of nowhere surprising him. "Sir ken, you're back!!"

Not now, Kenshin groaned and kept walking.

"Sir ken were are you going?"

"To my room miss Megumi."

"Can I come?" she ran up in front of him, to see why he wasn't turning towards her. "You know it's not polite to not look at the person that you're talking to." She caught up with him, and looked shocked, "what happened to her."

"We found her in the woods, she was kidnapped by Enishi, we believe."

"Sano was with you?" she asked concerned

"Yes, and he's fine as you can see." Kenshin watched her turn around, and glare disdainfully at Daniel.

Sano turned around, and waved to Megumi, feeling that she was starring at him. Daniel hugged him from behind, and dragged him off into another corridor.

Megumi turned around, and grabbed Kenshin, dragging him off to his room to take care of the girl.

Kenshin looked surprised as Megumi started dragging him, and nearly lost grip on the girl. "Oro?"

They reached the door, and Megumi slipped a lock pick out of her wristband, and opened the door. "You know if you're this great thief, why don't you have some sort of better lock, or guard in your room?"

"I do."

"Really, where?" she asked skeptically, and walked in.

"It's in front of you, miss Megumi." He watched in amusement, as she ran into a solid wall of clear magic. He said an incantation, and walked through the door, and put Serena on the bed.

Megumi got up quickly, and walked over to the bed. She observed Serena, and checked over her. "Bandages, rubbing alcohol, water."

Kenshin blinked, "what?"

"Bandages, rubbing alcohol, water, for her." Eying a cut that he had on his hand, "and you to."

He starred at her.

"Now!!" she watched him rush out of the room. "Honestly you'd think that he's not used to getting orders."

He rushed back into the room, and handed her the stuff, and stood there attentively.

She looked at him for a second, "out."

"Wha.. But this is my room."

She pushed him out, "at the moment this is my room, and I've got to check her thoroughly.

He turned a bright shade of red, and stumbled out of the room. And heard the door lock behind him

" So, we're going to keep her then." Sano stated, he was leaning on the doorframe beside him.

" I guess so, but we don't have any idea of who she is."

Sano just grinned, like he knew something that he didn't. "I know one thing though." He said sliding down, and sat on the floor next to Kenshin. "Enishi will come looking for her, so we need to get her a disguise."

"We also need to find out who she is."

He put an ear against the door, and Kenshin tried to look through the bottom of the door.

They were so taken up in trying to hear/see something in the room, that they didn't notice Daniel come up behind them. She looked at there crouching forms, "and you two would be doing what?"

They shot up, and turned there back to the door looking sheepish, "nothing, miss Daniel"

"Come on Dani you know we aren't doing anything."

She raised her eyebrow "sure."

Megumi opened the door from behind them, and dragged them in, and shut the door in Daniels face. Who starred at the door for a second, and then turned on her heel, and left.

"She's better now, not that she was in any danger before, but I think that we should have someone keep guard on her at night, because you never know."

"I agree with Megumi, I mean she just made some sort o mist appear, you never know what else she can do, and how powerful she is."

Kenshin nodded in agreement, "who's going to do it?"

Sano stuck up his hand voluntarily, "I will."

Megumi glared, "you won't." she said in the same cherry voice Sano used. "I don't trust you I the same room with any girl, with out a chaperone."

Kenshin laughed, and volunteered to do it.

He pushed everyone out of the room. And said good night to them "Sano!! Every one is out at 4 am, got it!"

"Yes mother!"

*******************************************************

Kenshin sat by his bed deep in thought, his sword by his side. 'Who is she? And why did Enishis employer want her?'

She stirred briefly, but fell silent again. Drawing Kenshins attention towards her. He eyed her for a second, and then sat back in his chair, pulling out a book from the desk, that was next to him.

Serena turned onto her side facing Kenshin, opened her eyes, and then she closed them again. "Ray I'm fine, it isn't like i'm going to get kidnapped by anyone.."

He watched her for a second, and seeing that she wasn't going to get up he grumbled and sat down on the chair, not even noticing that he had got up.

Sitting up straight, he listened, someone was carelessly trying to climb up to his window, and making enough noise to attract his attention.

He quickly went over to his window and waited for the person to reach.

A tan hand reached over the window only to receive, a smart hit on the hand with the flat of Kenshins dagger.

He heard a thud, and an array of colorful curses filled the air.

Kenshin blinked, and looked out the window, "Sano?"

"Who else comes up that way!"

Kenshin laughed, and rushed down the stairs to help out Sano, completely forgetting about Serena.

A couple of minutes passed, before Serena got up from the bed. Leaving the warmth of the covers she let her feet touch the cold floor. Observing the room, and seeing nothing she let a pale silver light spill out from her fingertips, filling the room.

Blue light formed around some treasure chests, but nothing around the door, alerting her that there was only magic spells surrounding those chests.

Normally she would have been at the chests trying to get them open, but she was tired, and short on magic, from the earlier activities.

She stuck her head out the door, checking for people, and seeing none she left the room, and set her sights on finding a way out.

Incase she ran into anyone she pulled a sword from her subspace pocket. As she moved forward the amount of noise increased, it sounded like there were a lot of people ahead. Using the spell that she had used earlier, confirmed her guess.

Her ears roared from her lack of energy combined with her use of magic.

Vaguely remembering that he had said something about a back door, she set off to find it.

Serena found the door after opening millions of doors, and running into a few problems, including a few drunk men, that were now on the floor knocked out.

Opening the door, Serena cautiously looked around, then set off round the corner, only to find a pair of purple starring back at her.

I realize that every one is out of character. Review!! Flames are more than welcome!! (Gets out a pencil and paper, and watches little flames get in line.) -. -*

Needs ideas on how she'll look with a disguise, or will she not have a disguise? Hair color, eye color, and length of her hair.

Disguise name- Kitsune Arianna Alanna Azure Something