Thank you Jouko-chan for reviewing. I know what you mean about having too much to do. School and the holidays, friends and family. This time of year can get so crazy. Thank you for taking the time to read my story!
Thanks gaby (hyatt for taking the time to read my story. Your compliment really boosted my spirits!
Angel of lonelyness thanks for reviewing! I'm so glad you love it. I hope to be able to update regularly, but this time of year can get hectic!
Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin
There will be a little bit of cursing in this chapter and some violence, just to warn you!
Protector
Chapter 3
Kaoru took up half of her allotted ten minutes, in indecision. She hesitated, moving towards her closet and then stopping herself. Finally, she let out a exasperated sigh and drew in a determined breath. She then headed to her closet with decisive steps.
She need something easy to climb in, as well as run in. Shorts, a tank top, sandals, and a light sweater would do fine. Grabbing a bag, she proceeded to put in money, sun glasses and paused before also adding her cell phone. She snatched a hat and stuffed that in too.
She went over to her desk and switched on her stereo, taking Misao's suggestion. She turned to the small, round window, lonely all by itself, on her far wall. She walked towards it, dragging her desk chair with her. She put the chair under the window and hopped on. She then, wriggled her body through, grabbing the glass above, to keep her balance. A tree branch was conveniently located right under her, so she dropped lightly onto it with a swordswomen's grace. She left the window open a slight crack and then slithered the rest of the way down the tree.
Her heart was pounding from the adrenaline pumping through her. Glancing around, she then made her way from the protection that the tree offered and dashed across the open space between the house and a small copse of trees on the property. Making her way through, she was confronted by the gate that enclosed all the land that her father owned. Scrambling up and over it was really not that big a deal, but she knew that her father must have some kind of security thing along it. Taking a deep breath, she jogged away, hoping that they would think that it had just been a squirrel or something.
She continued to jog until she reached the road, where Misao had said she would be waiting. There she was. A dark green convertible was waiting by the side of the road, the roof down and Misao was sitting there, tapping her fingers on the wheel to her own, unheard rhythm. She was wearing a bright turquoise t-shirt that matched the shade of her eyes and khaki shorts, with flip flops. Sunglasses were perched on her small nose and she started bobbing her head, causing her long braid to swish back and forth. Kaoru looked at her friend for a moment, before breaking into uncontrollable giggles.
"Wha-?" Misao turned her head startled. Then she saw Kaoru. "WOW!" She was shouting at the top of her lungs. Kaoru winced. It was worse than over the phone. "You CAME! I CAN'T believe it!" She was bouncing around excitedly. Kaoru decided that the only thing that actually prevented her from springing out of the car was the seatbelt that strapped her in. "Hop in! This is really exciting. It's the first time you've ever ditched your bodyguards!"
"Hey Misao." Kaoru said. "Where were you planning on going?" She put her seatbelt on and turned to her friend, who put the keys in the ignition.
"Well, I called Keta before, but she couldn't come with us. I told her that you were going to sneak away and she was so excited. She wanted to come really bad, but she had some kind of family thing she couldn't get out of." Misao told Kaoru in a big rush. "SO, I was thinking we could get something to eat and maybe do a little shopping?"
"Sure Misao, that sounds like fun." 'It will be fun. I should enjoy myself for now and stop worrying. When they find you, they'll find you.' Kaoru thought.
Misao had a lot of money to spend, and spend it she did. Kaoru was a little more reserved in her spending and she just watched as Misao tried on various different outfits. Then a pretty skirt caught her eye. A deep, dark blue, it was made of a silky material and flared out to a little below the knees. It was plain, but for ornamentation, there was a creamy-white silk ribbon tied about the waist, the bow to one side and the ends trailing downward. It was beautiful and it was one of the only things that Kaoru bought that day.
They had grabbed dinner quickly at a small fast-food store in the mall. It was something that Kaoru rarely got to indulge in. Her father made sure that their food was healthy and Tae kept an eye on her when her father wasn't home.
It was as Kaoru and Misao were nearing the exit of the mall, to head to the parking lot, that Kaoru stopped.
"Oh no." Kaoru moaned, slightly panicked. "They found me, Misao. My father is going to kill me. What am I going to do?"
Misao looked around. "Ohhh… Okay. Ummm, well they know you left, but that doesn't mean you have to go back with them, right?" She said with a mischievous glint in her eye. "I know a store we can hide out in." She grabbed Kaoru's hand and started to drag her away from the exit.
As they dashed away, Kaoru glanced back. She knew that her bodyguards could outrun her any day, but not in a crowded mall. Not without attracting too much attention. Already that had received stares for their attire. Trench coats and dark sunglasses, most often seen in Hollywood movies, not in an ordinary mall.
They started to walk faster as they noticed their charge escaping. She knew that they would find her eventually and bring her back. She didn't know why she was trying to prevent the inevitable.
"Misao, where is this store?" Kaoru gasped at her friend. Both of them were small in stature and they didn't have much trouble weaving their way through the thick crowds of people.
"It's right over there.' Misao answered her, pointing farther down the line of stores. Kaoru couldn't see what store she was pointing at, but she really didn't care. She couldn't see any trench coats behind them, so she assumed that they had lost them. For now.
Suddenly, a hand descended on Kaoru's shoulder, effectively stopping her and yanking Misao to a halt as well. Kaoru looked back, expecting to see sunglasses and a trench coat, but it wasn't.
A man with pitch black eyes was towering over her. His hand tightened on her shoulder and he dragged her toward a nearby door. He did it casually, as though the action didn't cost him any energy and stopped them from getting stares from the passerby.
She was pulled out the door, into the warm, late-afternoon air. Somewhere, Kaoru had lost her hold on Misao's hand, but her friend came running after and it was then that Kaoru's training kicked in. She grabbed his wrist and jabbed her elbow into his stomach, while simultaneously coming down hard on his foot with her heel and twisting his arm away from her shoulder.
It was effective for a moment. Just enough for her to pull away. She turned, but he shot out a hand to grab the back of her shirt. She twisted away once more, but tripped and smacked her head against the ground hard.
"You stupid little bitch. You'll pay for that." The man was angry and clutching at his stomach. "To hell with my orders. You're supposed to die sooner or later, might as well do it now." He told her. Then, he pulled a gun out from underneath his coat. Noting her expression, he laughed. It was a sinister sound.
She was paralyzed at the sight of the gun. She tried to make her body move, but it didn't seem to want to obey the orders she was giving on her head. She forced herself to crawl to her knees, but she couldn't get up any farther without getting dizzy and there was no one there to help her. So she just looked hazily toward the man in front of her, her eyes unfocused, silently apologizing to her father for being so stupid.
Time seemed to slow as she heard the gun go off, but she saw his arm jerk at the last second and instead of feeling a bullet tear through her she felt a stinging pain in her right arm. She realized that something had thrown off his aim and prevented the bullet from hitting her directly and killing her.
She looked up blearily to see one of the bodyguards wresting the gun away from the man and then she felt someone lift her up from the ground. When she realized that she couldn't stand without swaying, she started to sink back down, but the person holding her picked her up completely and started to turn away.
She jerked her head back around as she heard another shot and was just in time to see her other bodyguard collapse, blood running down his face. She gasped at the sight and another shot was heard, yet again, but this time in close proximity to her and she watched her attacker crumple to the ground with a now useless arm.
She heard shouts and looked around. Misao had come rushing onto the scene with a security guard and a few police officers behind her. She couldn't see well enough to know how many people were there, but as her friend came charging toward her, she decided now was as good a time as any to go to sleep.
I have never had any kind of martial arts training, so anything you read in here is completely made up.
If you noticed, I integrated myself into the story. You might already guess where this is going, but I thought it would be fun to write myself in.
YUM!!! I LOVE POP-TARTS!!! I ALSO LOVE HERSHEY KISSES!!! Sorry, I know that that was really random and all, but I couldn't help myself, because I really do. Just never try to eat both at the same time. I get really hyper from the slightest bit of sugar!
Happy Holidays to everyone! Have a Happy New Year too! Has anyone made any resolutions yet? I'm going to. I know that they'll all be futile, but I'll try!
Keta Himura
