Author's Notes: Okay, this chapter was INCREASINGLY hard to start. And hard to write. And just plain on out difficult, thus the reason why I am going to dedicate it to elgaladangel, a good friend of mine who goes by the name Angie. She has helped me many many times over many many problems, and thus this chapter is dedicated to her. Love you bunches, girl. I also realize an update is way over due, but you will all have to forgive me. I had a hard time writing this, and I had writers block. I apologize. AND THIS STORY WON BEST ANGST FIC in the FHB Fanfiction Competition this summer. YAY FOR THE CONTEST! LOL! I'm also dedicating this chapter to Kawaii Lara-chan, a VERY good friend of mine. Love ya girl! Also... go to deivantART dot com and look up Dawa-chan and visit my friend Dawa-chan's gallery... and leave comments, please! I will... cry... if you don't!

Adrenaline Adoration

Chapter 6- Barricaded Beauty

Taking long, silent steps, Kenshin drew closer to the edge of Kiyo Nishawagi's property. The breeze that blew throughout the foliage was strong and chilling, causing the dust of this particular trail throughout Tokyo to whirl together in a miniature funnel. He ignored any indication of such occurances; Kenshin's full attention was pointed toward the building before him, secured on the horizon as the creamy sun set over green rolling hills. The image of beauty was a mask to the truths hidden within this street; a woman was suffering behind the walls of perfection. Corruption polluted the population, and now it had leaked and found a way to lick its tongue agaisnt the one person Kenshin had been trying to shelter from it.

His eyes fell into smaller slits, reflecting the anger that had began to lather his body. There was no escaping it anymore; even with the trained control Kenshin could boast of having, the urge to kill in his blood had surfaced past his skin and into his aura. He was in no means Battousai, but even so, that didn't mean it was impossible for him to feel the calling of justice he had in his youth. Clenching his fists as he drew closer, he attempted to push the feeling down inside of him, where he could box it up and store it in a forgotten corner within his mind. There had to be a way to keep it hidden from the world, and still manage to repress the urge to do exactly what he knew needed to be done. Kaoru would never forgive him, and he would never forgive himself. Killing was not an option here; such an extreme form of punishment was beyond the fingers of reasonable judgement.

But that didn't meant Kenshin had to like it.

Drawing upon the lush green carpet Kiyo could boast for a lawn, Kenshin slowly sunk back into the forest surrounding the torture mansion. Climbing up the trees, he found a nice resting place and settled his eyes upon the building, watching the crested windows for any signals of movement. Already he had sensed six of Aoshi's spies; he knew they all knew he was there. He hadn't attempted to come in by hiding his being in the shadows; he had wanted his appearance at the Nishawagi home to be obvious. Now he could watch in on the happenings of Kaoru's new home, knowing full well that should he jump in to take action, there would be people behind him, following. Even if they didn't realize it yet, that was part of his plan. They'd end up helping him instead of stopping him.

A deep dread began to root itself in Kenshin's heart; how would he respond to seeing Kaoru again? What kind of shape would she be in? He was afraid; if Kaoru looked worse than before, would he be able to contain himself? Would he find himself needlessly shedding blood again? And what if he saw Kiyo first, how would he end up reacting then? Doubts circulated throughout his mind, polluting his conscience. There were so many doubts and so many 'what if's' that he was almost regretting his brash decision to turn up at the Nishawagi residence. What if it was all a big mistake? What if he screwed up and only pushed Kaoru into a deeper state of danger?

He had to stop thinking that way. There was nothing wrong with him coming to check up on her; it was a righteous thing that could only come out helping Kaoru, not placing her in any deeper danger. If she needed to be rescued... there was no one better to fill the shoes of the hero than Kenshin himself.


Kaoru held her tears in; there was no reason to give Kiyo the satisfication of her silent, internal crying as he forced her to follow him down the forsaken corridors that mocked her situation. It was odd how she never really realized just how dungeon-like the gothic architecture of her new home looked unless she was being taken in for a torturous treatment. It didn't help that the walls were dark and windowless, reflecting the dark secrets they held with the lightless curves in the stonework. She should have known better than to let renewed hope keep her from submitting to Kiyo's wishes; she should have known that no matter how many cuts she placed upon her own skin, there was no way it would make up for mentioning Kenshin's name.
Feeling the skin of her wrist twisting tightly within Kiyo's grip, Kaoru winced. Her arms hurt enough already as it was, and this was only causing the blood to squeeze from her wounds at a more rapid rate. She had not seen Kiyo in a fit of rage such as this one since she had started her self discipline within the first month of the marriage. The memories her last encounter with her husband in this state still stung deeply within her and foretold of her fate; there was no use in fighting him. She could never win.

He was always coming out on top.

If she could, Kaoru would have taken back everytime she believed she could escape, and she would stop believing in Kenshin... but she couldn't. There had to be some light in the deep, morbid forested life she was trapped inside, and that was it. She couldn't foresake the one thing that was making her life livable.

Feeling herself go flying into a dark, one windowed room, Kaoru braced her body for impact with the marbled floor. Instead of hitting the unforgiving stone, she found herself cracking her back upon the post of Kiyo's western styled bed and then landing roughly upon the upheaved sheets and comforter. The pain that shot through her body was intense, but she knew better than to attempt to rub away the inflamming bruise now housed inside her spine; Kiyo would not deal with any weakness from her. There was a punishment for everything she did... every last thing. Taking a deep breath and turning so she could face the ceiling, Kaoru found herself face to face with the one thing that could destory her. Kiyo shoved her shoulders down into the padded mattress and leaned his body over her, seperating her legs with his own and bringing his lips dangerously near her own. Taking whatever precautions she could without causing herself more suffering, Kaoru turned her head away from him and faced the headboard of the bed, closing her eyes vainly, praying that would barricade her destructed spirit from her immaculate and corrupted reality.

"Do you know what I'm going to do to you?"

Sake... she could smell it on his breath.

"Nishawagi-sama... please... for once could you not take your anger out on me?" Kaoru pleaded, trying to get him too caught up in conversation to remember what he had been attempting to do to her.

Kiyo forced himself further onto her body, growling in frustration. "You know better than to mention that name."

"I apologize." Kaoru whined, squeezing her tears inside. "I did not mean to offend you or say something that is not allowed!"

The resounding echo of skin smacking skin was heard, and it died down into the silence that filled the bedroom. It took all of Kaoru's strength not to scream out in pain; her lip was bleeding as she bit into it to keep herself quiet. A burning sensation filled up her cheek, and the red print of Kiyo's fist began to formulate upon her skin. This time he hadn't broken anything... Kaoru could tell that much. His drunk state was defering a lot of his strength, meaning this time around... things would be slightly easier to deal with.

It was never completely a piece of cake. But this time... maybe she wouldn't get hurt as bed.

"You do not speak out of turn. Kaoru... my sweet... how many times do I have to punish you before you learn your lesson?"

"I have learned it."

He pushed his lips forcefully upon her own, drawing her into an unwanted, passionate kiss. "I don't think you have. If you did, then you would not continue to disobey me the way that you do."

Using her legs as a means of defense, Kaoru kicked at Kiyo. Her kick connected, but it held no affect- Kiyo was so blinded and numbed by the alcohol swimming throughout his body that anything she seemed to do had no affect. That allowed her to break through her stubborn streak and make her tears fall; this was useless, and she had known that even before she tried. Nothing she did... absolutely nothing could rescue her from this hell. Her family had signed her off to a life of destruction without realizing it. Was this her punishment for bringing in a vagabond to her home, for hitting Yahiko a little too hard too often? Was this her punishment for making family out of an ex-opium maker and a fighter-for-hire? Did Kami truly hate her that much?

Or was she suffering in turn to help lift the burden of Kenshin's sins?

Kiyo's hands snaked within Kaoru's kimono in the same, sickening manner as each and every other time he'd taken the pleasure of raping her spirit and body. What had made her believe, for even a second, that she could be saved from this, that she would escape? Hope only brought forth a deeper disappointment. As she felt the silk of her clothing pull away from her skin, Kaoru gave in to the same thing that Kiyo wanted from her. She cried out in fear, she cried out in sorrow, and she cried in resignation to his power.

There was nothing she could anymore. He would have her body once again, wrapped around and abused by his own.


It had been hours; Kenshin had yet to find the room that housed Kaoru. The shinobi from the Oniwabanshu were tailing him with extreme skill, and yet Kenshin still managed to evade their trained eyes and ears; no one was going to stop him from saving Kaoru, and if they got in the way then they would have to suffer consequences. He had come to the Nishawagi home with the goal of not leaving until Kaoru was with him once again. He had suffered too long without her, and she had suffered doubly what he had; Kiyo would be lucky if Kenshin chose not to seek the man out after he took Kaoru back to the dojo she had grown up in.

A light cry caught Kenshin's attention, causing his gaze to fall downward and take in the view of Misao, clothed in a maids outfit, underneath the tree he was stalking prey from. Misao glared up at him and called his name once more, directing with her hands for him to pounce down upon the ground under him. Taking a hold of a branch and leveling himself, Kenshin leaped down and performed with cat-like grace a silent landing. The frustration, worry, and anger he felt were apparent in eyes, yet did not defer Misao in the slightest. She stood her ground and double checked around herself, making sure Kiyo had not thrown any guards out to follow her. When she was positive they were alone, she averted her grim gaze upon Kenshin.

"Take her back."

"That's why I came."

Misao growled. "No, you don't understand. You need to take her back! There was nothing that I could do for her tonight, Aoshi-sama instructed me not to use violence agianst that bastard... and by kami Himura..."

He looked at Misao, anger filling his next words. "What did he do to her?"

The desperation in her expression was enough to explain the deep rooted hatred Misao was holding. Her body was rigid as she fisted her palms together, obviously itching to grab a hold of her kunai and destroy the man on her own. There were tears of frustration flowing from her eyes, surfacing the kind of emotions a shinobi shouldn't place outward.

"Just get her out of there Himura. He's degraded her enough... I can't promise anything to Aoshi-sama anymore. You have to get her out." Misao demanded. "Now, before something worse happens and..."

"I'm going to get her out." Kenshin promised. "But where is she?"

"I'll take you to her Himura... but you have to be quiet. Forget about Kiyo for a minute and focus on Kaoru-chan soley."

Kenshin's response was a crisp nod.


They moved along the shadows, leaving invisible prints and evidence of their existance and purpose. Moving toward the angel that was trapped in darkened chains, they twisted through the corridors and halls that mocked their purpose, echoing incoherently of the injustice they were infringing upon. Neither companion said a word; they were on a mission to rescue one of their own, something that was more precious than gold and gemstones. Swiftly making their way in secrecy through the territory of the enemy, Kenshin and Misao neared the room that housed Kaoru's beaten and battered body, the one who's spirit and strength long ago shattered. There was a hostile air around the pair as they inched closer, speaking of danger to anyone who dared to hinder their path or stop them from reaching their righteous goal at the end of the tunnel.

Misao stopped suddenly, standing cautiuosly before the door they needed to enter. She knocked quietly, awaiting a response from Kaoru who was locked within it. The silence and ensued after the knock was unrelenting, causing a deep nervousness amongst Kenshin and Misao alike. Taking they key that only she had permission to carry, Misao unlocked the door and allowed herself and Kenshin entrance to the room. Kaoru was no where within the darkened confides; the bed was untouched, the floor empty and devoid of a human presence. Misao rushed around, thinking of the one place that Kaoru could be hiding. She knew for a fact that she was in that room; she had watched Kiyo toss her in and lock it.

Kenshin walked further into the room, looking around for anything that seemed out of place. It was so neat and orderly... something that reflected a lot of Kaoru's personality and the way she used to keep her dojo. But where would she hide?

... The closet...

Nearly ripping the hinges from the wall, Kenshin drew the closet door open and gazed up the remains of the woman he had fought so hard for.


Author's Notes: I know, it sucks for the update... but I really did try.

Love and hugs-

Crystal Renee