Review Comments: Dai-chan, arigatou. And hai, George Day was fun! I believe that Saito is supposed to be mean and nice. He's a totally suge character! I loved writing all of his mean comments. (Is there something wrong with that? I think there is!) Hai, you are a spaz but your punches didn't hurt all that much. I've had worse pain! HEH! ~*whispers*~ Aki-chan!!!! ~*insane laughter*~ THIS IS THE CHAPTER!!!! Ji-chan, arigatou. Gomen ne for not telling you that I updated! _ Saito is a suge character! I think it's so awesome writing all of those evil comments as I mentioned before! HEH! Oh, to both you and Dai-chan, "What are you doing on Friday, Yuki?!?!" "Tra la la la la! Let me run through the flowers!" ~*shudders*~ So wrong. Oh so wrong!

Disclaimer: I don't own Kenshin ~*sniff*~ of any of the other suge characters from Rurouni Kenshin. That's no fun either. But I do own, Mayonaka, Fumeiyo, Kage, Tsuyoi, and, Tomoko. There's also a new character being introduced! Awasuki Hikari! She's fun! There is also another character, whom really has no relevancy but I put him in anyway. His name is Fujitaka. I got his name from Sakura's father. (CardCaptor Sakura) Yeah, I'm a geek. He's an okay character. Sarcastic and doesn't really have a personality. I'm not sure if he'll show up in other chapters. Probably.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Gomen ne! I forgot to put a translator at the end of the chapter, but no worries. There were only two words that you didn't know! One word is oyasumi nasai. It means good night. And the other is sakabatou, which is a reverse-blade sword. Oh and you might have noticed that I added scene dividers. Someone who reviewed me said that my scene changes were confusing so I decided to add them! ***WARNING*** I think I'm going to have to rate this chapter R because of a certain situtation. I just know I'll be getting death threats! Abayo!

Chapter 8: Shattered Innocence

Kaoru sat silent as she watched Kage eat. She didn't touch her food. She wasn't in the mood to eat. Kage looked at her.

"I didn't poison the food you know. You can eat it."

Kaoru turned her head so she wasn't looking at him.

"I'm not hungry."

Kage put his bowl down with a sigh.

"I can see that you're going to be very stubborn, Kaoru-san. I don't know how that Battousai put up with you."

Kaoru stood up quickly and glared at Kage.

"I told you not to talk about Kenshin," she said angrily.

Kage stood up coolly and started to walk to Kaoru. Kaoru backed up until her hit the wall. Kage smirked.

"I can talk about anyone I please. Even your precious Battousai."

He leaned close into her face, making her shudder. "You're scared, aren't you?"

"No," Kaoru said, voice quivering.

"Don't lie. I bet you want the Battousai to come and save you? But he won't. He has no idea where you are. It'll be days until he finds you."

Kage smiled gleefully.

"And without any interference, I can do whatever I want to you."

Kaoru looked at him with intense fear in her eyes.

Kage quickly slid his hand behind her and untied her obi. Kaoru, instantly aware that her kimono was now loose, pushed Kage back. She didn't know if she could fight back. She was still sore from the fight yesterday and then from Kage throwing her into the post this morning. The obi fell uselessly to the floor while Kaoru clutched the front of the kimono so it would stay shut.

"Don't touch me!" she yelled, trying to defend herself with one hand.

Kage laughed crazily at her feeble attempts to keep him away. Kaoru managed to scratch his face, leaving a red line of blood across his cheek. Kage paused for a second then backhanded Kaoru. She fell to the floor with a cry. Kage's foot flew out and hit her in the stomach. Kaoru was left on the floor gasping for breath.

"Don't-you-ever-draw-blood-from-me-again!" he growled, punching and slapping Kaoru with every word.

Kaoru's wails echoed through the building.

"S-stop" she sobbed.

"Stop?" Kage said. "I haven't even begun."

~*~*~*~

Fumeiyo sat stationed outside Kage's door.

"Kuso!" he thought angrily. "I can't do anything for Kaoru out here! He's probably playing mind games with."

He gripped the sword at his side tightly. He heard the low sound of voices and then, "I told you not to talk about Kenshin!" Fumeiyo looked up quickly.

"No!" he thought frantically. "No! Oh God! Kage, don't do anything to her! That was a stupid move, Kaoru! You'll just make him angry!"

Fumeiyo's eyes scrunched shut as he heard Kaoru's wails.

"S-stop!" he heard he sob and Kage say, "Stop? I haven't even begun!"

Fumeiyo could hear Kage hitting Kaoru. Then Kaoru uttered an ear- piercing scream. She continued to cry and shriek, begging Kage to stop. Fumeiyo heard one more sickening crack of Kage backhanding Kaoru.

"Go," came from he room. It was Kage's voice, dripping with venom.

Fumeiyo heard the door slide open slowly. He didn't turn his head until he saw Kaoru stumble out of the room, sobbing. She was bruised, bloody, and naked.

"Oh God," Fumeiyo whispered and then rushed to Kaoru, who had just fallen to the floor. "Kaoru, oh God, are you okay?"

He took his overcoat and wrapped it around her thin, broken body. She was trembling uncontrollably and crying.

"He-h-h-he ra-raped m-me!" she sobbed.

Fumeiyo's eyes widened.

"Oh dear God!" he whispered, pulling her into a hug. "Kaoru!"

"I-I w-want K-Kenshin," she said softly, tears coursing down her face. "Kenshin! Help me! Please, Kenshin! Where are you?!" she screamed.

Fumeiyo saw that she was growing hysterical.

"Sh," he said, picking her up. "Let's get you cleaned off and then you can rest."

"No! I want Kenshin!" she pleaded.

Fumeiyo noticed that her pleas got more and more urgent. She started to struggle in his arms.

"Fumeiyo," Kage said from inside the room. "Where are you going? You still have to talk to me."

Kage walked to the doorway to peer at Fumeiyo, who was glaring at him with hate-filled eyes.

"I'm bringing Kaoru back to her room," he said, jaw clenched so tightly that it began to ache.

"No, you're not," Kage said calmly. "You are going to talk to me first, then you can bring Kaoru-san to her room."

His cold gray eyes told Fumeiyo to put Kaoru down, which he did reluctantly.

"That's better," Kage remarked, satisfied. "Now, let's talk about something."

Fumeiyo closed the door and turned to Kage, ready for the punch that awaited him.

"You don't think that I wouldn't have found out where you were last night?! How dare you be in there with MY TOY! She's mine!"

He kicked Fumeiyo in the stomach hard.

"I'm pretty sure that you didn't dirty her."

He pulled Fumeiyo up by the collar.

"Don't touch her ever again! You can't hold her or even poke her, got it."

Fumeiyo nodded faintly.

"When I say 'got it', you say 'got it' back!" Kage yelled angrily.

He threw Fumeiyo through the door. Fumeiyo landed in a heap, surrounded by falling bits of wood and paper.

"And you'll fix my door," Kage said, walking past him towards his bedroom. "I don't like eating with no door."

Fumeiyo got up slowly, shaking the wood and paper from his hair and clothes. He turned to where he had put Kaoru down.

"Kaoru," he stopped.

She was gone!

"She must have stumbled off after I went into Kage's room! Kami!"

He picked up his sword, sliding the sheath into the belt crated by tying his pants, and looked for any sign to where Kaoru would be. He saw a trail of blood leading down the hallway into the courtyard. He ran down the hallway, following the thin line of blood. As he ran, he noticed that there were bloody handprints at various places on the wall.

"It looks like she's loosing energy. It'll be easier for me to find her."

He ran on and saw the door leading into the courtyard. He bolted out the door and looked around frantically. He was able to see his breath.

"Kuso!" she's going to get sick in this weather!"

He heard a movement in a nearby bush. He whirled around, sword unsheathed. A middle-aged man walk out of the bushes, but halted at the site of the unsheathed sword. Fumeiyo relaxed.

"Oh, it's only you, Fujitaka."

"Oh, I feel loved," Fujitaka joked and the said seriously, "Are you okay? Ouch. You look like you hurt. Someone finally kick your ass in practice?"

"No. It was Kage," Fumeiyo said coldly.

"Kami! Jeez, what did you do anyway? I've never seen him beat anyone so thoroughly."

"Heh, you think I'm bad."

Fujitaka looked at him in surprise.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Did you see a girl in a brown overcoat run past you? She was probably crying?" Fumeiyo asked after a pregnant pause.

Fujitaka blinked at the sudden change of subject, but answered, "Hai! I was meditating in a tree and she broke my concentration, she was so loud. She was muttering something like Kenshan."

"Kenshin?!" Fumeiyo asked excitedly.

"Uh, hai," he paused. "Wait. You don't mean to tell me that Kage beat her up worse than you?!"

Fumeiyo nodded grimly.

"He did more than that too."

Fujitaka shook his head.

"Kami! Good luck in finding her. I hope she's okay."

"Arigatou," Fumeiyo said and ran off again after re-sheathing his sword.

Fumeiyo saw the blood trail lead into an open area. He saw Kaoru sitting on the edge of a fountain. She was shaking with cold and shock. Fumeiyo watched as she wretched and threw up. He walked over to her, avoiding the mess she had just made. She looked at him through watery, bloodshot eyes.

"Kenshin?" she asked hoarsely.

"No. It's Fumeiyo."

Kaoru looked away and into the clear sky to stare at the moon. Fumeiyo looked too.

"It's a full moon," he said. "Pretty, isn't it?"

"It was like this the night before I was kidnapped and-"

She trailed off and doubled over, throwing up again. She began to slump over in a faint. Fumeiyo caught her before she hit the clod stone. He hoisted her into his arms, careful of her bruises but holding her close enough to warm her frozen body. Fumeiyo sensed that someone was watching and looked up at the building to see Kage leaning on his windowsill, leering at him.

"I guess I'll allow you to hold her just one more night!" he called, sneering. "I don't want my pet to die, so you'll take care of her tonight!"

He disappeared from the window. Fumeiyo grew scarlet with anger.

"Yar?," he said quietly.

He looked at Kaoru in his arms and sighed. The Battousai would defiantly be angry when he saw the condition Kaoru was in. She was cut, bloody, and bruised. Not to mention Kage took one of the things she had to offer the Battousai. Her innocence.

"Kage is already dead," Fumeiyo thought. "He was dead the minute he untied Kaoru's obi."

Fumeiyo wearily made his way back to the building and through the maze of hallways to get back to Kaoru's room. There was something folded on the floor with a note on top. Fumeiyo laid Kaoru down on the futon and picked up the note and read it.

I sneaked into the dojo where she lives. It's her yukata for sleeping.

Fujitaka

Fumeiyo shook his head and went to start the bath to wash off the blood on Kaoru. He silently watched the tub fill up. Steam rose slowly from the water. Fumeiyo turned off the water and walked back into the main room. He picked Kaoru up and made his way back into the steaming tub. He took off his coat that was still on Kaoru. He squinted so that he wouldn't violate her. He put her into the tub and turned around the minute she awoke from her faint. He heard her yelp and splash for a second before she realized he was in there with her.

"What are you doing in here?!" she screeched.

"Kaoru, please, calm down. I only put you in the tub and on all the honor I have, I didn't do anything to violate you. I made sure that I squinted so I couldn't see anything."

She looked at him uncertainly.

"I'm leaving the bathroom now. If you need me, I'll be in the main room. Just call me if you need anything."

He walked out of the room and leaned on the wall, letting out a huge breath. How was he supposed to help Kaoru if Kage forbid him from touching her? Fumeiyo rubbed his temples and felt a dull ache beginning to pound in his head.

"Great," he thought, "just what I need."

All of a sudden, Fumeiyo heard splashing and an exasperated cry.

"Why won't they come off?! Go away!"

Fumeiyo raced back into the bathroom to find Kaoru scrubbing at her bruises and cuts. Her skin was red all over from her scrubbing so hard and her cuts were bleeding again. The water surrounding her was a deep pink.

Kaoru turned her tear-stained face to Fumeiyo and asked in a small, scared voice, "Why won't they go away? I keep scrubbing but they still won't go away! Why?! WHY!?"

Kaoru became hysterical and started clawing at her skin. Fumeiyo rushed to the tub's side and stopped her hands from tearing out her skin.

"Stop!" he pleaded. "You're going to make your condition worse!" Kaoru began to struggle, sloshing water out of the tub onto Fumeiyo and the floor. Fumeiyo realized that he would never be able to soothe her so he put a heavy pressure on a spot on her neck. Kaoru's eyes widened to their largest extent and she then fell limp.

Fumeiyo got a towel and wrapped Kaoru in it after he got her out of the tub. He picked her up and brought her into the other room, to find Fujitaka just walking in.

"What did you do to her?!" Fujitaka asked, shocked. "You didn't-"

Fumeiyo looked at him, repulsed.

"Are you insane?! You know how-" he stopped, unable to go on, annoyed.

Fujitaka put up his hands and backed up.

"Oi! Gomen nasai! It looked like that!"

Fumeiyo glared at him and said, "Get the doctor. I need Awasuki Hikari. She needs to examine Kaoru." Fujitaka turned to leave. "And tell her to bring a sedative. I only used a pressure point to knock her out!"

Fujitaka left and Fumeiyo turned back to Kaoru. He picked her sleeping yukata off of the floor. He lifted Kaoru into a sitting position. He pulled the yukata on over the towel. He quickly pulled off the towel and tied the yukata tightly. He laid her gently back onto the futon and waited for Fujitaka to return with the doctor. He paced the room for another five minutes, but stopped abruptly when Fujitaka returned with the doctor.

The doctor walked to Kaoru and bent down over her while placing her bag of materials on the floor. She learned close into Kaoru's face and drew back a little when Kaoru's eyes fluttered open.

The face above Kaoru slowly came into focus. It was the face of a girl older than her by two years. The girl smiled.

"Konnichiwa, Kaoru-san. I am Awasuki Hikari. Fumeiyo asked me to look at your wounds."

Kaoru's head turned slowly to look at Fumeiyo, who smiled faintly.

"I'm going to leave the room so you can examine her, Hikari. I'll be right outside the door if you need me."

Hikari nodded but Kaoru whimpered.

"Fumeiyo! Don't leave! I'm scared!" she said in a small voice.

Fumeiyo kneeled down and bent to whisper in her ear.

"Tell her everything. Everything. Even what Kage did to you."

Kaoru reached out and gripped Fumeiyo's pant leg weakly.

"Please."

Fumeiyo easily removed her grip and said, "I don't want to violate you. So, I'm leaving. I'll be right outside the door. I promise."

She nodded and he walked out into the hall with Fujitaka close behind him.

Fujitaka turned to Fumeiyo, horrified.

"Kage did that to her? She looks horrible! He beat her thoroughly!"

Fumeiyo looked at the ground, not meeting Fujitaka's eyes.

"Some of her bruises and cuts are from when my men attacked her in the woods. But Kage didn't just beat her. He-he raped her too. And he made me stand outside the door and listen."

Fumeiyo looked like he was about to be sick. Fujitaka just stared at him, jaw dropped.

"He what?! He raped her?! She can't be more than nineteen! The kawais? thing! Kami! How could Kage do something like that?"

Fumeiyo shrugged.

"I don't know. It's just how he thinks. That's how he gets his kicks. And I want to know why. Want to know something ironic about all of this?"

Fujitaka eyed Fumeiyo with interest.

"Shock me," he said, voice monotone.

"The person she lives with is the Hitokiri Battousai. And she's in love with him after the Tokugawa Regime ended; he disappeared and became a rurouni. Kaoru and the Battousai met and from what I get, he's been with her ever since, living at the dojo."

Fujitaka's face clearly defined fear. He had heard stories about the ruthless Battousai.

"The Battousai won't be very happy when he sees Kaoru and how badly she's been hurt and violated."

Fujitaka shuddered at the image that had flooded his mind.

Fumeiyo leaned close to Fujitaka and whispered, "Tonight I'm going to the dojo where she lives. She can't keep suffering like this. The Battousai needs to find her!"

"Are you insane?!" Fujitaka whispered back. "Kage will kill you!"

Fumeiyo looked at him defiantly.

"Then I'll die making up for my mistake. I can't let the same thing happen to her as it did to Tomoko!"

~*~*~*~

"Why are you so beat up, Kaoru-san?" Hikari asked gently. "Who did this to you?"

Kaoru drew her knees into her chest but Hikari made her straighten them so she could examine her.

"Well, Awasuki-san-"

Hikari held up her hand.

"Hikari please. Not Awasuki-san or Hikari-san."

Kaoru nodded and continued.

"I was kidnapped by Fumeiyo to be brought to Kage. When his men attacked, I fought back and got hit a few times. Then, at diner before, Kage, he r- raped me and b-beat me."

Kaoru fell silent, eyes filling with tears.

"Oh my God!" Hikari gasped and wrapped her arms around Kaoru's shoulders. "You kawais? thing! Shh. It's okay. I'll make sure that he doesn't ever touch you like that again," she said, stoking Kaoru's head.

Kaoru pulled away from the doctor's shoulders and shook her head violently.

"No! You'll be killed in an instant by Kage!" she cried passionately. "I can't let that happen to you! It wouldn't be fair that I lived and you died. I wouldn't be able to live with myself!"

Hikari smiled kindly and said, "I know what it's like to be violated. I was raped and left for dead at the age of ten."

Kaoru looked at her, eyes quivering. "I do not fear death. I have experienced being half dead, so I do not at all fear being completely dead. It is fate. Everyone dies eventually."

Kaoru digested Hikari's logic with amazement.

"Wow," she said, "I-I wish I had the logic you do. It makes sense. A lot of sense, but I still can't allow you to throw your life away for me," she stopped and looked pensive for a minute. "If we work together, we can both be free from this Hell."

"I belong here," Hikari said. "I am not bound here as you are. I've been here since I was fifteen. I can't leave now."

She laughed at the look Kaoru gave her.

"I've know Fumeiyo for years. He took care of me after I was raped. My village had been attacked and my parents and older brothers were killed. They grabbed me, raped me, and then tossed me aside. Fumeiyo found me, bleeding in the woods. He's like a brother to me. That's why he hates what Kage does. Someone very special to him was killed by Kage."

Kaoru's head snapped up at the mention of someone special to Fumeiyo being killed by Kage.

"Kawais? Fumeiyo," Kaoru whispered.

"I'm guessing he's mentioned her to you before, by your reaction."

Kaoru nodded.

"Tomoko was a wonderful girl. She came here looking for a job a few months after Fumeiyo and I came. She was so pretty. She had long, black hair even longer than yours. Maybe about my length, which is about two and a half feet. She had clear brown eyes and the cutest smile. I could tell that Fumeiyo fell in love with her the minute he laid eyes on her. Being the baka he is, he would always blush and stumble over words when talking with her. I would tease him all the time about it."

Hikari smiled at the memory.

"After about a year, they became lovers. It was so romantic watching them. It made me want to fall in love. The day Tomoko was killed was the day Fumeiyo asked Kage if he could marry Tomoko. Kage became angry and told Fumeiyo never. Fumeiyo became so resentful to Kage. He and Tomoko made plans to escape this prison that held them so they could elope. Somehow, Kage found out and that made him angrier, so when Fumeiyo was doing a job, Kage cornered Tomoko in the garden and used his sword to cut her. She didn't have many cuts but the ones she had were deep. When Fumeiyo returned, Kage greeted him. He was covered in blood and still had his sword unsheathed. I was in the bushes watching. The smell of blood was so overpowering. It filled my nose, making me want to vomit. He lifted his sword and licked off some of the blood and said 'Hmmmm. How delicious. Tomoko's blood had a nice taste.' I was afraid that Fumeiyo would snap and kill Kage, but he didn't. He froze for a minute, looked at Kage with fear and disbelief in his eyes, and then he sprinted in the direction of the garden. He brought her back to me. I nearly fainted. She-she looked so bad."

Hikari shuddered at the memory, and Kaoru put her hand on Hikari's shoulder.

"She was already dead. Even if she had been alive, I-I wouldn't have been able to save her. Her gashes were too deep. I felt so horrible about not being able to help her. She was my best friend. I haven't been able to trust Kage totally ever since."

Kaoru sat on the futon, dumbfounded.

"Wow," she whispered. "Anything that's happened to me is nothing compared to what Kage put you, Fumeiyo, and Tomoko in. I feel bad about bothering you two with my problems."

Kaoru looked at her hands, which were folded in her lap.

"Kaoru, life goes on. You can't live in or relish the past. It doesn't get you anywhere. It only ends up hurting the people around you the most. Especially when it comes to love. When we lose someone we love, we're too afraid to love again, in fear that the same thing will happen again."

A tear fell into Kaoru's hand and she sniffed.

"Oh, Kenshin," she thought. "Is this why you're afraid to let me help you? To let me get close to you?"

"Did-did Kage kill the person you love?" Kaoru asked Hikari, looking up.

Hikari gave her a sad smile.

"I guess you can say he did in a way. The man I loved became consumed by hatred for one person. It drove him insane and he's been trying to hurt him. But I don't see why he kidnapped you."

Kaoru let out a cry of disbelief when she realize whom Hikari was talking about.

"Ah! Kage! You fell in love with Kage?! How?!"

"Hai," Hikari said softly. "I was intrigued by him the moment I met him. He seemed more complex than anyone I had ever met. I loved him so much. Besides Fumeiyo, he was the only man I trusted. Ever since I'd been raped, I didn't trust men. I was afraid to." Kaoru nodded vigorously.

"He took something I can't get back! I-I wanted to offer myself to the person I love."

She tried to hold back a sob.

"K-Kenshin won't ever touch me again. He-he'll be so repulsed because-"

Hikari gripped Kaoru's hand tightly.

"Don't you dare blame yourself, Kaoru! It's not your fault! You couldn't help it!"

"No! I could have! B-but I wasn't strong enough! I should have been able to defend myself! Now-now I'm dirty!"

Hikari tried to calm her down to no avail.

"Fumeiyo!" she called. "I need your help!"

Fumeiyo slid the door open with a slam and ran to Kaoru. She threw herself into his arms.

"He won't want to touch me now! I'm too dirty!"

Fumeiyo looked at her, confused. He turned his head to look at Hikari.

"What is she talking about? Who won't want to touch her?"

"Someone named Kenshin. She's positive he won't."

Fumeiyo held Kaoru away from him.

"You know that's not true. If he truly loves you, he won't do that! By what I've seen, the Battousai loves you!"

Hikari's heart skipped a beat when she heard the name Battousai.

"That's why Kage kidnapped her! She has connections to the Battousai!"

Kaoru looked at Fumeiyo and said tearfully, "No her doesn't. He pushes me away and I have no clue why!"

Hikari cleared her throat, making Fumeiyo and Kaoru look at her. She looked a little bitter.

"I now know why Kage kidnapped Kaoru." "Huh? You do?"

She nodded stiffly and stood up.

"I'll be back in a minute, so please don't move."

"Ano, hai," Kaoru said looking at Fumeiyo, bewildered.

Hikari walked out of the room and went down the stairs. She went to turn a corner when she was grabbed and held tightly against someone's chest. She inhaled deeply, nose filling with the person's scent.

"Kage!" she gasped.

He grinned at her and kissed her fully. Her knees went limp and she leaned into him with a sigh. She reluctantly broke off the kiss and looked at him.

"I know why you have her," she whispered.

"What?!" he asked.

"I know why you have Kaoru here."

"How do you know she's here?!" Kage asked surprised.

"Fumeiyo asked me to check her wounds after you-you raped her and beat her. You kidnapped her because she has some sort of relationship to the Battousai! I don't think you know what she feels towards him."

Kage looked confused.

"She lives with him. Or actually, it's the other way around. As far as I know," he said, "they're just friends and she's just one way to get to him."

"No," she said softly. "She's in love with him. Don't you remember what being in love is like?"

"Hai," he said shortly, "but I can't let go of my hatred for him! He's the reason my father and brother are dead! He murdered them in cold blood for those Imperialist government pigs!"

Hikari hugged Kage tightly.

"She's so distressed. She has no clue why you hate the Battousai and why you brought her here. You need to tell her! Please?! For me?"

Kage hesitated and then nodded. He kissed her softly once more and followed her up the stairs. When Hikari returned to the room with Kage, Fumeiyo stood up, furious.

"Hikari! Why did you bring him here?! Kaoru is in enough pain!"

Hikari looked past Fumeiyo to see Kaoru shaking and fear in her eyes.

"She needs to know why she's here! I'm not the one to tell her!"

Kage started to walk to where Kaoru sat, but Fumeiyo placed himself in front of her. Kage stopped.

"Don't come near her," Fumeiyo hissed. "Stay where you are! You can talk to her from there!"

Kage glared at Fumeiyo, but Fumeiyo didn't move.

"Have it your way!" he snarled, then turned his attention to Kaoru.

Fumeiyo could sense Kaoru's fear.

"Since I'm told that it would be- humane to tell you why you are here, I'm going to. I'm not a fan of telling my family story, but in this case I guess I have to."

He sat where he was and Hikari settled close beside him for emotional support.

"My father and brother were in the Shinsengumi while the Battousai was protecting the Meiji pigs. When the Shinsengumi attacked some Imperialists, the Battousai killed at least fifty of the Shinsengumi's members. My father and brother included. One of their friends, who survived the attack, brought us back their headbands and swords."

Kaoru suddenly recalled the two swords and headbands that were in a small shrine in the room where she had watched Kage eat.

"My mother was distressed beyond belief. Her husband and oldest son, murdered by the ruthless Hitokiri and her only other son too young to work. She gave up and when I was thirteen, she died. By losing the will to live, her body dropped all of its defenses, so she got deathly ill. I hated the Battousai for taking away my father and brother and because of that, it also costed me my mother. My hate's been building inside of me since the age of thirteen. I've hated him for twelve years! I've been searching for ways to get revenge." He grinned insanely at Kaoru. "You are my revenge! You mean something to the Battousai! He's bound to figure out where you are. He picks up on the smallest things! At least legend says so."

Kage got up and walked out of the room laughing hysterically. Kaoru's horror-stricken eyes followed Kage as he left. "I-I'm bait!" she choked. "Just so he can get revenge on Kenshin!?"

Her eyes were glazed with fever and her cheeks were flushed with anger.

Hikari got up and scurried to her bag. She pulled out a small bottle and tossed it to Fumeiyo.

"Is this the sedative?" he asked as he caught it.

Hikari nodded.

"Give it to her now and then if she becomes hysterical. She'll sleep until late tonight."

She gathered up her bag, said a hurried "oyasumi nasai", and left.

Fumeiyo watched her silently.

"She still loved Kage," he thought sadly.

He turned to Kaoru. He was shocked to see how feverish she looked. He moved towards Kaoru but she put her hands out to stop him.

"Don't come near me. You being around me will get you killed."

She started to laugh softly. "We're only pieces of Kage's game. He can move us anyway he wants as long as he wins!"

Kaoru's soft laughter sent chills up Fumeiyo's spine. He grabbed her ice cold hands, pulled her off her knees, and pulled her into his chest. She struggled against him.

"Stop! Don't you get that you'll die if you do anything more with me?!"

"Hai, and I would gladly die protecting you."

Kaoru pulled away from him, jaw dropped. Fumeiyo took advantage of this and poured some of the sedative into Kaoru's open mouth. She swallowed and gagged.

"You! How dare you!"

The affect was almost instantaneous. She began to slow in all movements.

She looked at Fumeiyo through half closed eyes and whispered, "Yar?."

She fell limp into his arms and he laid her down. He pulled the blanket over her body and caressed her face softly. He got up with a wince, now aware of how badly his body was injured. He walked into the hall and met Fujitaka's questioning stare. "Watch over her. I'm going tell the person she really belongs to, to come and get her. The Battousai needs her as much as she needs him."

Konnichiwa!!!!!!! This is the really long chapter! I hope I don't get death threats for what happened to Kaoru. ~*hides*~ OMG! I just finished Rurouni Kenshin the other day and it is amazing! But it didn't end the way I thought it would. But oh well! I also bought one of the OVAs. I bought Samurai X: Reflection but I haven't finished it. Not even close to it! ^_^x And right now, the Ellen DeGeneris show is on TV and it's really weird. (Gomen ne! I'm off subject). Anyways, we all know Kaoru's weapon is, the bokken. Well I got one! It's so suge! Where I got it had Yahiko's sword too! (shinai) I think that's how it's spelled. Oh well! Please read and review!!!!

JAPANESE GUIDE (new words) *Konnichiwa- hello * Yar?- bastard *Kami- god *Kuso- damn/shit * Kawais?- poor

CHARACTER NAME *Hikari- light

Keito-chan's Adventures in Japan

Keito-chan- I leave during Spring Break!

Ji-chan- Spring break!!!! But what about the other anime sleepover? The one at your house!?

Keito-chan- I guess we'll have to postpone it!! Gomen ne!

Ji-chan- I still can't believe your reason for going. I think it's a little eccentric.

Keito-chan- ~*giggles*~ I know. But that's the way I think! I guess I have to call Dai-chan back and tell her when I'm leaving! Abayo! ~*hangs up*~

Ji-chan- (listening to the dial tone) I still think she's insane. ~*shakes head*~

Ring ring ring ring ring

Dai-chan- Konnichiwa!

Keito-chan- Konnichiwa, Dai-chan! I called you back to tell you when I'm leaving.

Dai-chan- Really? When?

Keito-chan- Spring Break!

How will Dai-chan react? Will she be upset like Ji-chan? Find out in the next episode of Keito-chan's Adventures in Japan!