Disclaimer: Battousai will give me a full sword slash if I don't say that I don't own Rurouni Kenshin or anything from it... oh, and I ah... /feels sword tip poke her back/ ... don't own Battousai.

Behind My Back – Chapter Thirteen – By Cherry Chibi

'Enhance, Advance, Realise'

Kaoru intertwined her fingers between his, she felt a whole lot warmer compared to earlier. A gentle touch but it was enough light a small smile on Battousai's face. A whispery tone came and he had to edge closer to hear. "Kenshin… I… can control my abilities now…" She stopped and pursed her lips while eyeing him.

Thinking it through, he figured it out what she was trying to hint at. 'So the drug… was most likely to be another dosage to enhance Kaoru's ability but now she can control it.' He was relieved that now he knew what really was going on. Even though there still was a quiet anger that Katsura had tricked him into doing a dud assignment in order to get to Kaoru. If he could, he would've sent the man's blood running down the drains.

"No! Please! I beg you! Spare me!" The screams lightened the dark, still air around them. The man, dressed in formal suit scurried upon his feet. Eyes lost and bewildered. Soon he hit a dead end. Turning around and facing his soon to be killer, he plunged onto his knees and clasped his hands together. "Please! I'll give you whatever you want!" Making another useless attempt to get through, he begged and pleaded.

"Your words don't appeal to me." Came the icy reply and then a blade pierced straight through the man's neck. It twisted once before being removed. "Pathetic fool." Aoshi flicked the blood from his kodachi and sheathed it. Glancing over his shoulder, his eye caught onto his lover's.

"He wasn't any help." Misao said as she approached Aoshi, linking an arm around his. "Aoshi, how can we find Kaoru if there aren't any leads?" They had been searching for clues for a while now and so far, nothing had come up. The Choshu didn't keep anything filed in their documents which meant that whatever Katsura was planning – it had to be something extremely personal. They were able to figure out that whoever was involved were only a select few.

Aoshi closed his eyes for a moment before leading them back home. Lately, they've been seeing fairly strong visions and none of them had been pleasant. Time was running out.

"Kenshin!" A woman's scream echoed throughout the dark room. "Kenshin! Help me!" Her eyes looked around for some escape but there wasn't any. Her arms were bound behind her by handcuffs, her clothes tattered. A tall man approached her with a sword in hand.

"There's no point in running." He said, "Forgive me. But this is for the fool." The sword was raised and within seconds it struck downwards.

"Kenshin!!!!"

The knife slammed into the chopping board. Battousai glared down at it for no reason. Beads of sweat coated his temples. Teeth gritted. Those images had been bothering him all morning. In his find, he was fully aware of who the woman was but who was that man? He was familiar but he couldn't remember who.

"Kenshin?" Kaoru was beside him, she looked at him with worried eyes. "Something wrong? Are you alright?" For a moment there, she thought that he had frozen stiff. His eyes held shock in them.

"I'm fine." Battousai replied as he picked up the knife again.

Kaoru didn't believe him. Look at his hand, she realised that there were a few scratches. "When did those happen?" She pointed at them.

"From the glass I was cleaning yesterday." Battousai said.

"Kenshin!!!!"

Battousai shook his head. What the hell was wrong with him?

"… I'm sorry…. I can't… hold on."

"You're getting them are you?" Kaoru questioned. Battousai looked up with confused amber eyes. Kaoru was gazing at him with a knowing look. "It's written all over you. You're getting those visions aren't you?" When he gave a shrug, Kaoru wrapped her arms around him from behind and rested her head against his back. She closed her eyes and felt her surroundings darken. "I'm sorry…"

"What are you talking about?"

"Can you hear me?" Battousai stopped in confusion. Was that Kaoru's voice he heard? "Answer me."

"Yes." Battousai finally answered. Soon, the warmth backed away from him and he turned around. Kaoru's eyes were unreadable.

"When you held me… I scratched you didn't I?" Kaoru questioned. It was a rhetorical question. "Did you feel slight cramping around the wounds?" What was she trying to state? "Then you scratched yourself when you were cleaning up the glass – that had contained the spiked water." As unbelievable as it was, Kaoru knew what was happening. "Us… being together has also played a role in this…" She didn't want it to happen. Because that meant that Battousai would be able to see visions of the future – it would mean that maybe, maybe it would cause more pain to him. What would happen if the government realised that it was possible to turn normal people into Empaths as well? What would happen to him if Katsura realised? No, he probably already has.

Battousai had managed to 'feel' Kaoru's thoughts but hid any reaction. It was a strange feeling, trying to decide whether becoming an Empath was a good thing or a bad thing. "Don't worry." His quiet voice touched Kaoru's mind. She looked up with surprise. He cupped her cheek in his palm and pressed his lips against hers.

"Kenshin!!! Help me!" Blackened blood coughed out and stained her hands.

The screams echoed in both of their minds, causing them to break apart instantly. Both of them, shivering from the surge of power. Their eyes locked; Kaoru's blue confused gaze with Battousai's stiff unmoving amber.

Looking at her hands, Kaoru was thankful that there weren't any bloodstains. 'It can't be possible…' She thought to herself, 'People don't just become an Empath because they've become close… and powers can't enhance just by touch…' Her fingertips traced her lips as she looked at Battousai with confusion clearly matching his. "Kenshin…"

"Misao! Hang in there!" Shikijou shouted as he dabbed a wet cloth around her face. "Where's Leader?" He questioned the others who hung around the room looking helpless. Misao had fallen into another vision and they didn't know how to pull her out of it. The only person that could so it was the person that wasn't present at that time.

Her dull eyes searched endlessly through the blankness. "Stop… stop…" Her tone was hoarse and was aimed at no one.

"Stop! Don't hurt them! I beg you!" A female's plea shouted out, "Please!"

"The only way to end all of this is to get rid of everything which contributes to the problem."

"Let Aoshi go."

"Let Aoshi go!" Misao screamed suddenly. Her body snapped upright so quickly that her body fell onto the floor. The grey spots that flew around her vision slowly faded and she realised she was facing the ceiling. The Oniwaban group members nearby. "Aoshi…" She rolled onto her elbows and pushed herself up. "Where is he?"

Kaoru was looking out the window. Watching the passing cars in the distance. 'These visions are strong. What could they mean though?' There were only a few things that she was able to tell. Whatever would happen in the future, it would involve many and she felt that Battousai would play an important role in making it right. 'Can he…'

Reminiscing made her think. When did she get so comfortable living such a life? Why did she even like staying in a place like this? When did she become comfortable as an experiment trapped in a cage? Didn't she want to break out?

'I'll break out.' She thought, 'I have to find him. I have to get Kenshin out of this life.'

"I'll be leaving." Battousai said as he tied his swords to the belt that hung around his waist. She looked up and opened her mouth to speak but stopped. Her eyes fell on the phone with an expecting look in them.

As if on cue, the phone rung three times exactly before Kaoru picked it up. Snatching it out of Battousai's reach. Her eyes dead serious as she answered it. "What do you want?" She knew who was on the other line. She ignored Battousai's warning glares and turned her back on him.

"I assume that you have been receiving those visions." Katsura responded.

When there was a silence, Katsura smirked and continued. "And same goes for Battousai. Kaoru, you're going to need to improve a lot more if you wish to protect those you love."

"Why a sudden statement?"

"You forget. I am an Empath, I know what you plan to do." Katsura stated.

"You can never predict what I will do but what I may do. I too am an Empath and I will predict what may happen in the future, it is a continuous cycle Katsura. I will protect those I love and I will continue in doing so. You won't be able to stop me."

"You speak as if you know," He was cut off abruptly.

"You know what I will say to you so don't bother."

The line was cut off with a slam.

AN: Sorry everyone for not updating for a long time. It's been so busy. So I thought that I'll update what I have written so far. But thank you for reading! I hope to see you all next chapter. /smiles/

Cherry Chibi