Disclaimer-Rurouni Kenshin is the property of Nobuhiro Watsuki, Sony Entertainment, and Shueisha Jump! Comics. All characters mentioned in following installments of this story are used simply for entertainment purposes and not as a way to make a profit.

SAVE ME FROM THE DARKNESS Chapter One-The True Reality

To: "Himura Kenshin"VertiklyChallenged17@marz_inc.com

From: "Kamiya Kaoru"Music_is_Life07@musicplanet.com

Date: 1/30/20044:30:42 PM PST

Subject: Packed yet?

Dear Kenshin,

How've you been? Are you ready to come home? Things aren't the same here without you. We still remember the day you left. All of us were heart broken, you know that? We wished you didn't have to move, but then when one lives with a guy like Hiko…well, you come to expect just about anything, I suppose.

Yeah right.

We were very happy to learn that you're coming home to Tokyo. I'm ecstatic, and so is everyone else. I've missed my best friend for far too long, you know. At least we've managed to keep in touch through letters and email. I'm attaching a photo of the group; we all look a little older now, but knowing you, you'll probably recognize who is who.

As for what I've been upto, well, the dojo is doing pretty well. I have three students, two boys and a girl. Umm…oh yea! I just opened my new coffee shop, Music Planet! And it's great, because it's a more like a café and music store than just one or the other. We have karaoke everyday Wednesday through Saturday. And on Friday and Saturday nights we have live entertainment. It's not a big place, just a small little coffee shop. I want to start one so badly with all of us in it. Maybe when you get here, we can do that…

I've got to go now, but I can't wait to see you next month! I'm so happy you're moving back here. WOO-HOO!

Your Best Friend,

~Kaoru

Himura Kenshin stared at his computer screen and smiled. He was just as glad as his friends that he was moving back to Tokyo to take care of the branch of his surrogate father's company.

Running a hand through his unruly red hair, he let his mind go back to his best friend. Kaoru would always be Kaoru-rushed, stubborn, caring, and crazy all at once.

He had no idea how much had actually changed about her, though, and he was in for a scary shock.

Halfway around the world, a thin woman with long black hair sat huddled on a queen sized bed, writing in a book. Blue eyes stared dazedly at the page on lined paper as her pen scratched on the page, allowing the words to simply flow onto the paper. Quickly glancing at her finished set of lyrics, she closed the book and placed it in her bedside table along with her pen. Hearing the front door open with a bang, Kamiya Kaoru quickly ran down to the living room to welcome her fiancé home after a long day of work.

She smiled at him as he kicked off his shoes, and crossed the room to remove his coat. She stared at him, his platinum hair glinting in the ceiling lights, his turquoise eyes glimmering in a strange happiness. She wondered why he was so happy.

"Welcome home, Enishi. Would you like something to eat, or have you eaten already?" she asked.

"I've eaten, but I'm still hungry."

"Well, I made some miso soup and rice for dinner, and I could heat it up for you if—"

He cut her off with a rough kiss on the mouth, and she noticed a sickening sour taste to his lips. The nauseating scent of alcohol filled her nostrils, and she ripped her mouth away from his by turning her head to the side. Taking his arms from around her waist, she looked at him with slight fear.

"Have you been drinking?" she questioned him, and she noticed he was swaying slightly.

"Why the hell do you care? What I do is my business," he spat out angrily in his  drunken state. He was drunk, obviously, but something about the crazed look in his eyes told her that he was knew exactly what he was doing. Slowly backing away from him, she watched as he smiled a strange smile. He looked like a hunter about to pounce on his prey. Still walking back, fear gripped her heart when she hit the wall. The next thing she knew, he was standing three feet away from her.

"What are you doing?" she asked, her voice coming out calm, while her heart hammered against her ribcage.

"I just want to have some fun with my bride-to-be, that's all. Why wait until the honeymoon?" he asked with an eerie nonchalant tone to his voice.

"Don't come any closer, Enishi!" she yelled at him. "I thought he'd changed. I made him go to rehabilitation, and he's been fine for several months now. What happened? Did something at work cause him to become like this? Oh Kami-sama, please help me!"

He glared at her, and growled.

"Do you dare to defy me? You are to be my wife; it's about time you learned your place!" he yelled, grabbing her shoulders and slamming her into the wall behind her.

She screwed her eyes shut; she would not cry out in front of him. Maybe if she didn't cry out, he'd be less brutal. After all, he loved her because he knew that she was strong.

That's what he'd told her, at least.

"You won't yell, huh?" He slammed her into the wall again.

"Don't worry, I'll make you yell, you stupid bitch!" Slamming her into the wall for a third time, she realized that he'd never really been cured, and started remembering all the times he'd yelled at her in the past two months for doing a minor something wrong.

She felt his hand on her shirt collar and attempted to fight back by kicking out with her left foot. She connected with his sensitive area, and he dropped to the ground in a heap of pain, the hand gripping her shirt tightening and ripping it in the process.

Moving quickly, she ran to the bedroom, and locked the door. Reaching into one of the bottom drawers of her bureau, she pulled out her bokken from under her belongings. She knew he was strong, and was not going down without a fight.

 Listening closely, Kaoru waited quietly for the sound of his approach. She heard slight footsteps on the stairs, then a crash from the open end of the hallway, and then the final thud of a body falling to the floor.

After waiting a few minutes, she unlocked the door to the bedroom and peeked outside. What she saw made her sigh in relief.

Yukishiro Enishi lay passed out on the floor of the hallway after crashing into a decorative wooden side table.

Deciding it would be smart to at least put him in a more comfortable position, she walked over and lifted his body in order to half-drag him to their bedroom, wincing in pain when her momentarily forgotten injuries sent jabs of white hot pain lancing up her back. Getting him into the bedroom and onto the bed, she made him comfortable and pulled the covers over him, allowing him to sleep in peace.

Finally done with that, she grabbed her nightclothes—a pair of purple sweatpants and a gray sweatshirt with the Tokyo University logo on the front of it—and headed to the bathroom to inspect the damage done to her body.

Looking into the mirror in front of her, she could see a reflection of herself from the backside in the large mirror on the opposite wall. After stripping herself to ready for a hot bath, she turned the tap on and let hot water pour into the tub as she examined her backside.

Her skin was tender and covered in bruises. Placing her fingers tenderly to her head, she checked for injury near her neck and in her scalp. She sighed, and stepped into the bath.

She was lucky, very lucky.

She just prayed there wasn't a time like this again.

Of course…

Her prayers from before had turned up unfruitful tonight. Was there a point in continuing to pray for someone to save her?

After all, no one had saved her yet.

And she had long ago lost the strength to save herself from him.

Defense wise, the only thing she could do was fend him off as best she could with her skills in kendo while she still could. But she knew deep down…

…There would soon be a time when she would be broken beyond repair.

As for keeping this a secret from her friends…

…She could only hide it with a smile. That is until she couldn't take anymore.

She would rather her life reach it's breaking point and ask help, then have people try to help her right now. It was stupid to say so, but she couldn't be weak right now.

"I'm sure my life will turn around soon. I just have to wait…"

~*~

Okay, as you can see, I've started a new fic. I'm planning to actually complete this one though. I'm going to make a confession though—I don't like the ending for this chapter all that much. I feel it's slightly unrealistic and unnatural. I feel like I made her stupid. Unfortunately, I have no idea how to change it and make it batter, so I'll keep it, and maybe further chapters will be better.

Be ready for some darkness in later chapters. I think I'm going to like this one a lot though; it seems I have a love for dark, angsty drama…

Either that, or I'm just majorly schizophrenic. Of course, I already knew that.

Note: I plan to keep the chapters short, and it's possible that it will move a little fast so please forgive me if you get lost and confused. I'll try to make a note of passing time when writing the chapters. As you can tell, this chapter is really pretty short as it is. Again, forgive me.

Personally, I think I can do pretty well with short chapters. =)

Anyway, I'm done blabbing. Just tell me: to keep or not to keep? If you don't like it, then I'll kill it. Oooh, fire…pretty…

Gah! I HAVE to stop doing that!

All righty then! I'm all done here.

Read and Review, and I hope you enjoy!

--Ice Angel Kaoru [Signing out-6:57 PM PST, February 3, 2004]