Karou gaped at him speechless and Kenshin returned the favor. As he looked into her eyes, something came to him; a half forgotten memory of them. It showed him teaching her how to fight, but she wasn't doing so well. She had kept getting the grip wrong, and while she got frustrated, he started to laugh. 'Who is she? I feel like I know her from somewhere…' thought Kenshin. But there was little time to think about it because someone was coming up the road, almost to the point where they would see them talking. Dressed as he was with half healed wounds and blood splattered clothing and holding her as roughly as he was the person might think that he was out to kill her, and explaining what he was up to did not suit his nature.

With one fluid move Kenshin had drawn his sword and with the hilt efficiently rapped the back of Karou's neck, causing her to faint. As she was on the brink of losing consciousness she weakly murmured,

"Ken…shin…"

He caught her gently as she fell, when he remembered Ryu was strapped to her back. As if on cue, Ryu began to wail loudly, startling some birds that had nested in a nearby tree. Without a second thought, Kenshin swung the end of his sword into the back of Ryu's neck, causing him to faint. He shifted Ryu to a better position and ran off, carrying Karou and Ryu in his arms, the tofu bucket long forgotten. He was going to take her to a place that only he knew of, a quiet pond and a single sakura tree that lay near a simple, abandoned hut deep in the forest. He had found it while in his wanderings all that time ago, and had often used it to hide from pursuers or to rest and heal his wounds. He sped off towards it, his crimson hair swinging swaying with the movement and Karou and Ryu lying limply in his arms. (For those who are wondering about the fate of the abandoned tofu bucket, I assure you that someone picked it up and brought it home, and it will make a further appearance.) After a few minutes of traveling, he sighted the small hut and the sakura tree dancing in the breeze near it. He stopped with a sigh of relief, and then carried them into the abandoned hut, sunlight streaming in through a gap in the roof. Dust motes swirled in the sunlight, and with a keen eye he noted that everything was as he had left it. A few shelves lined the sparse dwelling and they were stacked with bandages, extra clothing, jars of medicines and a few other miscellaneous items. Figuring that she would wake up soon he carefully set Ryu down on the pile of cloth that was his bedding and carefully cradled Karou's head and shoulders in his lap. It was then did he get a good look at her, his eyes opened in awe at her beauty. With a look of wonder showing in his eyes, he gently traced her face with a single, calloused finger and stared at her. Hoping she wouldn't rouse from his careful movements, he leaned over and buried his face in her ebony hair, inhaling the lavender and rose scent. Whether it was the scent or her beauty that triggered the memory, he never knew; this one showed him apparently doing laundry? Another came to him; Karou was chasing around a young boy with spiked hair, and it ended with him coming up to her and giving her a kiss on the cheek. Still, neither of the duo stirred from their induced slumber. Who was this woman? Why did he have such feelings for her, even when he was sure that they had never met before? With an act of impulse and a mischievous grin, Keshin slowly leaned down and closed his eyes and set his lips ever so gently on Karou's. It was that moment she chose to wake up, with him leaning over her kissing her.