A/N: ;.; I'm sorry that I am late on this chapter! Last week was a blur of chaotic events and preparation for graduation. And I am sorry if this seems rough I didn't go through and edit it as well as I usually do.

Last time:

Kenshin slipped the ring on his finger and bowed to Yuko, as he did so he felt a sudden onset of dizziness and fell on the ground swrilly eyed and oroing.

When the poor rurouni came to his senses he was alone in the middle of the forest, the usual guilt seemed to have settled back on his shoulders. Kenshin looked at the ring on his finger.

"You will not hide from me now." Kenshin whispered with a new determined gleam in his eyes.

0-0-0

Kaoru felt a chill down her spine before she sneezed, 'Someone's talking about me...' She thought to herself. Kaoru had found herself in Nishi-Ku and had found herself a small house in the middle of an outlying forest; but to say that it was a home was not something she desired.

Kaoru sighed; she had been living there for some time now, and was giving private kendo lessons to some of the children for money. Kaoru had easily made enough money for herself to live off of, but something was missing.

'No you can't sit here and think about that, you have to push it from your mind!' Kaoru mentally reprimanded herself.

She hummed lightly as she finished weeding her garden; it was that time of year after all... For some reason doing this seemed to relieve all tension she had. 'It is a beautiful day, I should go down into the village and go shopping.'

0-0-0

Kenshin, followed by Yahiko, and Misao (who was followed by a loyal Aoshi) left in search for Kaoru, hoping to find her, for Kenshin's sake as well as Kaoru's.

They had been traveling for a while now, but Kenshin did not give up hope, he could feel himself drawn by some force. He would find her, and when he did he would give her everything she deserved, even if he was unworthy of doing so.

"Hey Kenshin, how do you know where to go?" Yahiko asked stretching as they walked down a road towards a small town.

"It's something I can't explain Yahiko, that I cannot." Kenshin sighed as he looked down at the small ring on his finger. It wasn't that he couldn't explain it; it was that they would think him crazy if he did.

When they entered the small village it seemed that eyes followed them everywhere (or at they followed Kenshin everywhere). The children hid behind their parents, and the elders all looked at them with much scrutiny.

"I don't like the way there looking at us like were a bunch of animals." Yahiko said to Kenshin under his breath.

"It's a small village Yahiko, they don't see many outsiders." Kenshin said putting a hand on the boy's shoulder.

Aoshi and Misao wandered off saying they would talk to some of the people who worked in the market.

Kenshin felt a tingle down his spine 'She's here, I know she is.'

0-0-0

Misao was talking to an old woman who was working in a kimono booth, when something bright caught her attention. 'It can't be...' She thought. "Umm thank you ma'am, but I need to- uh go, goodbye..." Misao said cutting the old woman off as she ran off down the road. 'I know what I saw... I know it.' Misao looked around before she spotted what she was looking for.

"Kaoru," She said to herself before approaching the girl in a yellow kimono. "Kaoru!" She said directing the name to the person now.

"Misao!" Kaoru said mildly surprised to see her friend at her new home of all places. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here with Himura," Misao shrugged as she took another step forward. "He's looking for you."

"What!" Kaoru exclaimed becoming frighteningly aware of her surroundings, making sure there were no red heads around. She started to back away from her friend, like some kind of cornered animal.

"Kaoru, please don't run, he's looking for you so that he..." Misao said approaching her again.

Kaoru bit her lip, 'I have to get away from here, if I don't... No don't think about that.' She said to herself before she got an idea. 'Forgive me Misao.' Kaoru mentally pleaded before she ran off down the alley behind her.

"Wait, Kaoru!" Misao yelled following her. "Come back, Kaoru!" She yelled coming to a dead end but no Kaoru in sight. "I know you're here! Himura won't stop looking for you! He'll chase you to the ends of the earth and back again." Misao waited for a response.

"Kaoru, please I beg you." Yet again no response, Misao left the alley feeling a little defeated.

"Misao?"

She turned in the direction of her name, it was Aoshi.

"Did you have any luck?"

"I saw her, and I talked to her..." Misao hung her head down, "But she ran away from me."

"What you saw Kaoru-dono?" Kenshin asked walking up to the two Oniwaban members.

"Uh-I uh...erm I mean..." Misao stumbled before looking to Aoshi for help.

"Yes Battousai, we saw her, but it seems like she doesn't want to be found."

'Of course she doesn't,' Kenshin thought remembering what Yuko had said about the deal Kaoru had made. "Thank you, I think I am going to go look for her now that I am, why don't you two get Yahiko and find a place to sleep? I will meet up with you later, that I will"

Kenshin was so close now he wasn't going to give up. He could feel Kaoru she was close he knew it. The thing he didn't know was just how close she really was.

0-0-0

Kaoru on the balcony of an old abandon house watching as Kenshin disappeared into a crowd of people. 'He didn't sense my ki?' she wondered, 'it must be the amount of people here... but that makes no since...' Kaoru didn't want to stick around in case Kenshin had something up his sleeve. Stealthily as she could, she left the balcony, and went back to her safely hidden home nestled in the forest.

She had taken every precaution to go through the less traveled roads and even strayed from the beaten path as she made her way through the depths of the forest to her lonesome home.

Really it was a beautiful place, a small two room house, it seemed to have been abandon some time ago. Kaoru had upon taking refuge in this place, started a garden which seemed to flourish as it basked in the afternoon sun. It was the only thing involving food that she had ever done right.

This place was so calm so perfect, but to Kaoru it was neither calm nor perfect. To her it was a manifestation of her heart, isolated, alone, and lifeless. Though an onlooker would have argued a very different matter, the sun hit at just the right spot giving the area so much life; but Kaoru was blind to it all.

She had arrived at her front door all too quickly. Peering behind her one more time, she entered her desolate home. Sealing the door she slid to the ground sighing. 'Home safe...' she thought as she cradled her head against her knees. It was going to be a very long day.

To be continued...

A/N: Thank you everyone who reviewed it means so much to me that you like this story!