Karou sat tied in a small bedroom consisting of a wash table, bed upon
which she was sitting on, and a few chairs. The room itself was bleak wood
paneling, a large window on both sides and a sliding Japanese maple door.
Karou leaned back and sighed. How did she ever get into this? Her thoughts
were quickly interrupted when Kenshin walked into the room and slid the
door shut.
He pulled up a chair and looked at her. "Look I know you're probably mad at me..." "What gave it away?" she interjected coldly. Kenshin grinned and continued. "Ok, maybe a little more than mad, but if you had gone up any further you would have been in a lot of trouble. There's another gang up a ways that would have stripped the bike and possibly you." Karou glared at him. "I can handle myself thank you." Kenshin stood and pushed the chair away from the bed. "Can you turn around?" "Why?" "So I can cut the ties what else?" Karou hesitated and turned around. She heard the ties break with the cut of the scissors and pulled away from him. "Are you hungry?" Karou shook her head. "Can I go?" Kenshin shook his head. "We can't let you go yet. Maybe if you're good, we'll let you go early. Stay put." Kenshin left the room and allowed her to roam it freely.
Karou saw clean clothes on the chair before her. Gently she tested the fabric between her thumb and forefinger. It was smooth and soft fabric, a beautiful shade of blue. She lifted it up and thought about putting on the blue dress. Karou threw it on the bed and quietly slid the door open. Peking her head out just so, she saw that the coast was clear and quickly left the room and down the hall.
Karou stopped. She heard voices behind the door next to her. "Why'd you bring her here?" "Because she could have been killed by Zander and his group. She's searching for freedom. You can see it." 'I agree. As soon as we get word of Zander's whereabouts we can show her a safe path out of this place." It went quiet. "Fine. But we should be careful. I don't trust her." Rustling of the chairs and footsteps caused her to rush off down the hallway before they find her.
"Ok I'm lost." Karou muttered to herself as she looked around at her surroundings. Nothing looked familiar to her. Then again nothing here was familiar. The smell of food moved her forward to a small part in the doorway where a woman dressed in a knee length purple dress, white apron bound around her waist. She had long dark hair down to her waist, pulled back at the neck. She turned around and smiled. "Oh hello! You must be the girl they brought in. My name is Megumi." She said with a smile. "Come on in." Karou hesitantly walked into the small kitchen and picked up a cutting knife. "You can chop those carrots there and then place them into the pot."
Kenshin walked down the hall and back into the room where Karou was supposed to be. "AOSHI!" Aoshi rushed into down the hall and joined him. "Ok, this is bad." They both ran down the hall and split at the cross way.
Kenshin ran past the kitchen and stopped just a ways down. He ran back and stared into the room. "Megumi, why the hell didn't you tell me she was here?" Kenshin asked with a bit of relief. "Because you were already busy and she's not a prisoner. Now go get the rest of the group and get ready for dinner."
The group gathered in the large dinning hall and waited for the cooks to enter the room. "Can I please dress differently?" Karou begged as she looked at herself in the mirror. Megumi and Misao smiled. "Don't worry you should have seen Misao the first time she had to wear it." "Worst time of my life." Misao added as she walked by Karou to straighten the back of her red dress. Karou looked again in the mirror. The sleek low cut red dress fitted snug around her slim body. The length itself was only to the middle of her thighs, and the high heeled red shoes were killing her. "Don't worry. We only have to do this once every two weeks. Next week the boys owe us a spa day." Misao said with a grin.
Kenshin, Aoshi and Sano sat at the large table, chatting when the room quieted down. Karou followed Megumi with Misao behind her and the rest of the women behind her. All men hollered at them and Karou thought she was going to die. Megumi, Misao and Karou placed the food before Sano, Aoshi and Kenshin and then sat beside them. Kenshin smiled as they started to eat. "Don't say anything." Karou hissed through clenched teeth. "All I was going to say was that you look nice." Karou looked at him. Something deep inside her wanted to hate him but he had not harmed her. "Thanks." "For what?" "For saving me." Kenshin smiled.
Zander stood outside the large house. He had already killed the lookouts and the spies that were watching them. "Zander are we going to attack?" asked his second in command. "We'll wait till their scattered, then we'll attack!"
He pulled up a chair and looked at her. "Look I know you're probably mad at me..." "What gave it away?" she interjected coldly. Kenshin grinned and continued. "Ok, maybe a little more than mad, but if you had gone up any further you would have been in a lot of trouble. There's another gang up a ways that would have stripped the bike and possibly you." Karou glared at him. "I can handle myself thank you." Kenshin stood and pushed the chair away from the bed. "Can you turn around?" "Why?" "So I can cut the ties what else?" Karou hesitated and turned around. She heard the ties break with the cut of the scissors and pulled away from him. "Are you hungry?" Karou shook her head. "Can I go?" Kenshin shook his head. "We can't let you go yet. Maybe if you're good, we'll let you go early. Stay put." Kenshin left the room and allowed her to roam it freely.
Karou saw clean clothes on the chair before her. Gently she tested the fabric between her thumb and forefinger. It was smooth and soft fabric, a beautiful shade of blue. She lifted it up and thought about putting on the blue dress. Karou threw it on the bed and quietly slid the door open. Peking her head out just so, she saw that the coast was clear and quickly left the room and down the hall.
Karou stopped. She heard voices behind the door next to her. "Why'd you bring her here?" "Because she could have been killed by Zander and his group. She's searching for freedom. You can see it." 'I agree. As soon as we get word of Zander's whereabouts we can show her a safe path out of this place." It went quiet. "Fine. But we should be careful. I don't trust her." Rustling of the chairs and footsteps caused her to rush off down the hallway before they find her.
"Ok I'm lost." Karou muttered to herself as she looked around at her surroundings. Nothing looked familiar to her. Then again nothing here was familiar. The smell of food moved her forward to a small part in the doorway where a woman dressed in a knee length purple dress, white apron bound around her waist. She had long dark hair down to her waist, pulled back at the neck. She turned around and smiled. "Oh hello! You must be the girl they brought in. My name is Megumi." She said with a smile. "Come on in." Karou hesitantly walked into the small kitchen and picked up a cutting knife. "You can chop those carrots there and then place them into the pot."
Kenshin walked down the hall and back into the room where Karou was supposed to be. "AOSHI!" Aoshi rushed into down the hall and joined him. "Ok, this is bad." They both ran down the hall and split at the cross way.
Kenshin ran past the kitchen and stopped just a ways down. He ran back and stared into the room. "Megumi, why the hell didn't you tell me she was here?" Kenshin asked with a bit of relief. "Because you were already busy and she's not a prisoner. Now go get the rest of the group and get ready for dinner."
The group gathered in the large dinning hall and waited for the cooks to enter the room. "Can I please dress differently?" Karou begged as she looked at herself in the mirror. Megumi and Misao smiled. "Don't worry you should have seen Misao the first time she had to wear it." "Worst time of my life." Misao added as she walked by Karou to straighten the back of her red dress. Karou looked again in the mirror. The sleek low cut red dress fitted snug around her slim body. The length itself was only to the middle of her thighs, and the high heeled red shoes were killing her. "Don't worry. We only have to do this once every two weeks. Next week the boys owe us a spa day." Misao said with a grin.
Kenshin, Aoshi and Sano sat at the large table, chatting when the room quieted down. Karou followed Megumi with Misao behind her and the rest of the women behind her. All men hollered at them and Karou thought she was going to die. Megumi, Misao and Karou placed the food before Sano, Aoshi and Kenshin and then sat beside them. Kenshin smiled as they started to eat. "Don't say anything." Karou hissed through clenched teeth. "All I was going to say was that you look nice." Karou looked at him. Something deep inside her wanted to hate him but he had not harmed her. "Thanks." "For what?" "For saving me." Kenshin smiled.
Zander stood outside the large house. He had already killed the lookouts and the spies that were watching them. "Zander are we going to attack?" asked his second in command. "We'll wait till their scattered, then we'll attack!"