When Innocence is Given

By: Rabid Turtle

Author: Kaoru POV. Italics are Kaoru's memories or thoughts. Chapter starts out where Kaoru had just walked away from Kenshin after they had run into each other at the party. She then joins Misao and another girl.

Disclaimer: I own Nothing. And Nothing owns me. Muhahaha.

Chapter 6: The Eyes That Burn

" Okon, this is the girl I was telling you about. Kaoru is the one from New York! I was so jealous when I found out…Wait I am being rude. Kaoru this is Okon, my sister. She's a senior at our school." Misao was full of energy, even now, when it was close to one o'clock in the morning. I smiled at Okon. She looked nice enough.

" I see you were talking to Kenshin. Isn't he nice? And not bad looking either…" Okon grinned teasingly.

Pausing I murmured " I don't know him well enough to be able to judge."

'And probably never will,' I thought.

Okon laughed. "Well, you will soon enough. So, what was it like living in New York? I bet it was exciting. Me and Misao have wanted to go to a big city since we were, like, eight. Right Misao? Uh…Misao?" She looked questioningly at her green-eyed sister.

With a look of determination etched on her face Misao muttered, " Excuse me ladies, I have business to attend to." Misao popped her knuckles as she deliberately marched toward an unsuspecting Aoshi, who had just entered the room.

Sighing, Okon sadly whispered to me, " I don't know why she does this to herself. I have told her a million times that no matter how hard she tries Aoshi will not magically start to show any sort of affection for her. I know Aoshi and I know my sister. Even if something did start happening between them it could not last."

Puzzled, I asked her why.

" No matter how much fire and ice wish to be with each other, in the end, one of them will always be extinguished," Okon suddenly laughed, " Listen to me! I guess this is what I get from taking a psychology class! Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe they will grow up, get married, and live happily ever after with eighteen kids running around, creating havoc."

We looked at where Misao was chattering constantly to Aoshi, who was not responding but looking at her, his face devoid of emotion.

" For her sake, I hope I am wrong. Obsession is a heavy burden. For anyone," Her eyes burned with apprehension

I looked at Okon's worried face. Was this how Sou had felt? Had he been plagued with anxiety over his headstrong little sister? Had he ever wondered on how best to protect me, even from myself?

I softly touched Okon's shoulder. " Misao is strong. Even if she gets hurt she will never give up her faith in Aoshi. That is just who she is. Maybe she can be strong enough for the both of them."

I will never forget Okon's eyes as she looked at me. Hope mingled with dread, misgiving with faith. She smiled at me, " I can see why Misao likes you. You give comfort when no one else can."

I shook my head, embarrassed. It was I who needed to be comforted and soothed more than anyone and here I was helping others. Ironic how things work out like that.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Okon and I soon changed the subject and discussed school and movies we had seen lately until some of her friends came to take her away.

Turning Okon asked, "You want to come, Kaoru? We all plan to stay up late, watching chick-flicks, bawling our eyes out. It is tremendously fun."

I chuckled. " No I can't. I promised Misao I'd be her support system for the night. Maybe next time okay?"

"Sure that sounds like a plan. I'm glad I met you Kaoru." With one more grateful smile Okon walked away.

I winced as someone turned up the volume to the stereo. I needed to get away from all this noise before it gave me a headache. I slowly wandered through the crowded room, looking for a place to sit down and relax.

An all too familiar voice breathed into my ear, " I was wondering when I would find you alone, my pet. I was getting impatient."

I whirled around and took a step back, eyes widening at the sight of the grinning boy in front of me. "Jin'eh, please stop. Please, I don't want to do this. Leave me alone…" My hands had started to shake.

Jin'eh chuckled and leeringly started to walk toward me until my back was pressed against a wall.

"Aww, don't say that baby. It hurts my feelings." He was pressed against me. I couldn't breathe. The beginnings of panic started to bloom in my mind.

His hands were underneath my shirt.

Hands sliding down my thighs…

His labored breathing smelled like beer.

"Stop squirming girl before I really hurt you…"

He was grinding me into the wall. Someone was screaming franticly. I finally realized it was me.

"GET AWAY FROM MY SISTER!"

I was flung across the room, hitting my head on a table and almost knocking down a table lamp…

Suddenly Jin'eh's body was forcefully thrown off of me. An animalistic howl assaulted my ears. Someone was beating Jin'eh in the face, screaming incoherent obscenities. It was Kenshin.

Growling, Jin'eh wrenched Kenshin off of him and punched the side of his face. Bright blood ran in a tiny river down the red head's face. I think my heart stopped for a second then. Everything faded away from my sight, except for Kenshin's eyes. They gleamed yellow, like some rabid dog. I shivered. This was not the boy who I talked to in Spanish class. This…was feral.

Enraged, Kenshin threw himself at the taller boy and started to hit wildly at Jin'eh's body. Both fell to the floor. Jin'eh tried to grab Kenshin's neck in order to strangle him but Kenshin seized Jin'eh's throat first and resumed beating his head. The sickening sound of the boy's skull to the floor made me paralyzed with dread. Already, dark blood was oozing around Jin'eh's head, like some dark halo. The smell of blood made me want to retch.

Scattered thoughts thundered through my brain.

Why was Kenshin still fighting?

Didn't he know that if he kept hitting he was going to kill?

All this was my fault. If I had at least tried to run away, Kenshin would not be in peril of becoming a murderer. I clenched my fists. This must be stopped.

My floundering steps toward the fight seemed to last for an eternity. All I could hear was my labored breathing and the pounding of my feet. For some reason my throat wasn't working and instead of screaming all I could do was whisper my pleadings to stop.

Kenshin's fist was coming down one last time and I threw myself at his arm.

Panting, I whimpered, " Please stop! You are killing him! He can't hurt me anymore so there is no reason to continue to beat him. Please, please stop! Kenshin!"

Kenshin had froze when I had grabbed his arm. He slowly turned to me. His wild, inhuman gaze seemed to burn through my skin, making me feel naked. I flinched.

Suddenly, he picked me up into his arms and carried me outside. Shaken people practically ran to get out of his way. I could see Misao frozen in terror, staring at Kenshin with dread. No one said anything to us as we walked out of the house.

The night air felt good on my face and the moonlight made the still-oozing blood on Kenshin's face shimmer. His strained breathing caught my attention and made me recoil. I could smell it on his breath. I slowly started to understand how this once peaceful and good-natured guy could turn into this man who was holding me so carefully and yet had been ready to kill someone a minute ago.

I could smell the alcohol. And I became afraid.

Kenshin slowly came to a stop underneath a tree in the backyard of someone's house. He delicately set me on the ground and stood up, staring at me with those wild amber eyes.

Silence ensued and neither of us wanted to break it. I started to stand up when suddenly Kenshin knelt down, his hands clenched into my shoulders.

"I swear…that I…will protect you from now on. I fucking swear that this will never happen again to you. I will make sure you are safe, Kaoru. I swear it." The intensity in his voice sent shivers up and down my spine.

I let out the breath I hadn't known I was holding. He would protect me? I fought the urge to start sobbing uncontrollably. This boy….he was so like my brother that it was frightening. A single tear forced its way out and Kenshin's eyes watched as it traveled down my face.

"Thank you," at least I managed to get that out.

Abruptly Kenshin twisted around and started to vomit. Embarrassed, I looked up at the sky. The stars were so bright tonight. Looking back at my sick savior, I saw that his breathing patterns were slowly calming down.

"We probably should get you home. Where do you live?" I tugged Kenshin up to his feet and made most of his weight rest on me. I thanked God that he wasn't very big or else I would have had to of left him in his own vomit to look for help.

Kenshin muttered some directions and we gradually walked down the road, bathed in the silent starlight.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Author: How fun. A midnight walk with a drunk. ::twitches::

Anyway, be a good reader and review!!!!

To the Reviewers:

JBella: The things I make poor Kenshin and Kaoru go through…. ;D However now I can say that I am doing it all for the sake of developing a plot! Muhahaha! ..erm..

Padfoot's Pup: Aaa, you have only begun to see the freakiness of my creation…but thank you for thinking my story is good enough to be called incredible.

Prohibited: Update fast enough? :D

WhiteRabbit5: Yes I really have messed up everyone haven't I? Hopefully things will end happily but my muse is being ornery and refusing to talk about it. Well this end isn't as thrilling as the last one but hopefully it is acceptable. It irritates me when every chapter of a story ends with a cliffhanger.

half-breed-demon-fox: Glad you like the story!!

Aoshi-Sama's weaselgirl: Since Kenshin isn't a swordsman I had to make the Battousai come out some way!!

Jep: The best? Pssh..i wish. If you really want to read some good fanfiction go see Angrybee, Linay, and Iram's stuff. They are gods among writers. No kidding. But thank you for your wonderful compliment. I feel sooo special..