Kenshin didn't think the journey through the forest would be amusing, that he didn't. Dusk was falling quickly, yet his newfound companions' enthusiasm for bickering was anything but dimming.

"Aw, Yashiko, admit it, you missed my cooking, didn't you?"

"Yeah, right! I'd rather eat rocks!"

"I may have to force feed you dirt, if you don't SHUT UP!"

The rurouni snorted, before he could stop himself, and Yahiko scowled at him. Kenshin gave him a disarming smile. "Maa… you two might want to walk faster; it'll be dark soon. It would be best for us to find an inn as soon as we find our way out of here."

Kaoru, who Kenshin was surprised to see, turned out to be a very cheerful person, even acting as if she had not been kidnapped at all, caught up with him quickly.

"So Kenshin, right?"

"Oro? Actually, Kaoru-dono, we should turn left around here near the stream…"

He looked up, puzzled to see she was laughing. She pushed him roughly, and Kenshin winced a little. "Kaoru-dono" He made a mental note to be wary of her fists.

The girl however, finally stopped laughing. She took a deep breath to steady herself, her blue eyes widening in the process. 'Familiar blue eyes…' Kenshin thought. Why were they familiar?

"Anyway, Kenshin, I never really got to thank you for helping Yahiko and me - so thanks, okay?"

The redhead smiled. He was just about to answer, when a raspy voice shouted from the gathering shadows underneath the trees.

"HEY YOU LOT! Get me outta here or I'll kill ya!"

The three - Kenshin, Kaoru, and Yahiko- stared, as a man stomped towards them, looking half-starved. His clothes were not better than their own, and his determined brown eyes narrowed as he eyed them. Inside him, Kenshin felt a trickle of irritation. "Oro? I hope you don't mind if we ask first who you are, good stranger," 'Good stranger, my sword. What kind of man acts like a rude, phanton-in-the-night ragamuffin?'

"Why should you care, shorty?" The man's eyebrows rose to the rim of his hairline, his spiky hair towering high above him. "All I need for you to do is lead me out of here, and I'll leave you, your wife, and your kid alone. If not, I beat the crap out of you."

"ORORORORO?"

Wife? Kid? What in the world had given this (scary) stranger the idea that he, Kenshin, had participated in the procreation of a child he looked nothing like, with a woman he had just met hours ago? Besides, did he really look that old? Again his mouth opened to speak, but was again interrupted. Next thing he knew, Kaoru had marched up to the stranger, and he was trying to restrain her. All the while, colorful language was coming out from both sides, with Kenshin in the middle, trying to help the tall man defend himself from the hurricane of scratches and punches Kaoru's fists promised.

"How dare you? You foul, moronic ruffian! I barely know him! You must be an IMBECILE, just prowling around umbrageous forests and assuming which people are committed and such! Why in the world should we help you?!"

Kenshin felt himself crushed between the two bodies, something hit him right on the face and darkness surrounded him.
Kaoru could just kick herself.

Here was a man who had just rescued her, from the goodness of his hear, and now he was unconscious because she had accidentally knocked him out. It hadn't seemed proper to have his head on the grassy, unkept ground, so she had taken to putting his head on her lap, if only to make up for what she did.

She gave a little jump as he slowly came to. He gave a little 'oro' and blinked several times before getting up and clutching his forehead. "May I ask what happened, Kaoru-dono?" She bit her lip guiltily, and tried not to laugh at his confused face. "I, er… I knocked you out! I'm so sorry, Kenshin!" She bowed, then looked up, hearing him chuckle.

"I remember now, Kaoru-dono. It's nothing. I have suffered worse, that I have. Where is the stranger, may I ask? And how did you deal with him?" His large, purple eyes scanned through their surroundings, and widened slightly as he saw a small fire burning.

Kaoru smiled, "Well, I felt really bad for hitting you, and I threatened to knock him out too, if he did anything funny. I don't think he like the idea of hurting me or Yahiko, either, so we ended up making a deal. If he apologized, built us a fire, and caught us some fish for supper, we'd lead him out of here. Easy, huh? I'm really sorry I hurt you!"

Footsteps caught theirattention, and soon Yahiko and the tall man came to view. "Sarasuke Sagara," he told Kenshin, "And I'm glad to see you conscious again!"

It was an eventful evening. Kenshin watched as his three companions ate hungrily, stuffing as much of the fish Sanosuke and Yahiko caught from the nearby stream. It was too late to find their way, so they decided to spend the night there. When Yahiko had asked if they could really be sure that they wouldn't be attacked by animals while they slept, Sonusuke had laughed hoarsely saying that he had stayed too long in the forest to know that the boy was right. Kenshin nodded in agreement, and they decided to stay farther from the stream to avoid any beasts who might go for a drink in the middle of the night. They smothered what was left of the fire, and left to look for another place. " Kenshin,' Yahiko whispered as they leaned their backs on a wide tree. 'Do you think it's safe to be with that Sagara-guy?"

Kenshin smiled, half in approval of the boy's cautiousness. "I think he is quite intent on keeping his part of the deal, that he is. If he had wanted us dead, he wouldn't have led us farther from the water. He could've just sneaked away while we were asleep, to be eaten by beasts." 'He wouln't have apologized, either' Kenshin thought, which Sano had done as they finished supper. 'Besides, I can still defend against him if he tries anything,' he added, tucking his sakabatou on shoulder.

It had been a long day, and before long all four had fallen asleep leaning on the old tree. Four strangers brought together by fairies, under the stars and the light of the moon.
"N-n-no… no;… let me go…"

Her voice caught his attention and withdrew him from the light amount of sleep he was having. He peered at her from beneath scarlet bangs, and watched, confused as Kaoru continued to mutter under her breath, lolling her head from side to side.

It seemed Yahiko, who was sleeping beside her, was too deep in sleep to hear her, and so was Sanosuke, who snored loudly at Kenshin's other side.

Gently and not knowing what else to do, Kenshin reached out and shook Kaoru's shoulder. She bliked slowly, murmuring and looking at him curiously.

"You were having a nightmare, de gozaru ka."

She nodded, still groggy from slumber. However, a second later, her eyes, her unexplainably familiar blue eyes lit up, and in a hushed whisper she started to talk.

"Kenshin! I had another dream! The one before my nightmare. It was Megumi-san, Kenshin! She told me to start looking for the Sapphire! It's in Kyoto, Kenshin!"

He gave her a forced smile, dreading this latest news. Kyoto: The place where Battousai had led a bloody reign. Kyoto: The place of his past, a place he would soon come to know as The Land of Nightmares soon enough.
Yumi licked her lips in anticipation. These fool fairies, especially that bighead Megumi! She though she was so good at helping those stupid mortals! Well, Yumi had been eyeing them recently, as well. Yumi, Queen of Hags, creatures whose true ugliness they hid underneath the most tantalizing physical features, would deal with this Battousai and succeed.
A/N: Hello good people. To all reading this, please review and say thanks to the wonderful cracker13, who is posting AND typing this for me since my computer broke.

Sorry you'll have to wait, coz school's coming up so I might be busy. K/K soon., promise. If you wait. God Bless!

Kalasin