Have I gotten boring? Lol… It seems there have been a lot of hits to this story, but reviews pale in comparison. ' Please review and give me some suggestions, it's a big encouragement. . tee hee… Anyway, here is another chapter, I'm really excited about this story and am thinking of several different directions I could take it, so I just had to write to see for myself how it all turns out. But I'm very glad that the reviews have expressed interest thus far, and I hope to keep your attention, my friends. I hope you enjoy this next chapter as much as I enjoy writing it. Ja!

Seien

Kaoru settled into her new surroundings quite quickly. She found the house to be a quiet solace where she could think and have some alone time. Of course Kan and the maids provided her with company at all the right times, but also respected the teenager's privacy. She didn't see much of her uncle Ginko, and supposed it was due to his busy work schedule. It turned out he was the president of a large company called Machami's Electronics, and as such, worked long hours and many late nights.

Kaoru went to school as normal, and even invited Misao over to the house sometimes in the afternoons to study or just have some fun. Her uncle never seemed to care about her guest, so she saw no harm in it. But she still wondered about what Kan had said. So far, she hadn't seen any evidence of Ginko being a quick-tempered man, and perhaps it was a simple misunderstanding of words. After all, every one gets upset sometimes, right?

Kaoru shook her head at this most recent thought, closing her math text book. She found it hard to pay attention today; for some unknown reason she was distracted. She looked over at Enishi beside her, whose eyes held a mysterious sparkle. Had he been staring at her this whole time she was thinking? She hadn't noticed. He seemed to hang around her a lot lately, and she wasn't sure how she felt about it.

Pretty soon the bell rang and school was out for the day.

"Kaoru!"

She wasn't surprised to turn to find Enishi catching up. She smiled lightly and greeted him.

"Hello Enishi."

Enishi smiled back.

"Since you were too busy moving in to go to the movies a few weeks ago, how about you go with me this week?" He asked hopefully.

Kaoru contemplated this for a moment. She supposed it would be fun to get out and do something to relieve stress, but she also had a lot to do.

"I don't know Enishi, I'll have to see how things go. I'll let you know tomorrow or the next day." She said, smiling apologetically.

"I'll be awaiting your answer then. And what about our Chemistry project? When would you like to get together to work on it?"

"Well, why don't you come over now, and we'll see if we can get off to a good start on it. I like to have things done as soon as possible so that it's not as much stress." She said, looking at his facial expression.

He smiled and nodded.

"I agree. Procrastination is so stressing. Let's go then."

"So what was that law about particles again? Maybe we could apply it to our experiment."

Kaoru nodded her approval; that was a good idea.

"That is an idea, but I was thinking something more along the lines of chemicals. We could concoct some sort of mixture to do something useful in the world."

"Sure. Let's do a live demonstration testing the mixture's reaction to sodium. We'll have our own fireworks display!" Enishi smiled teasingly.

"Actually, that's not a bad idea. We could make our own fireworks!" Kaoru said, her index finger pointed into the air as if it were sheer brilliance.

"I kind of like that idea." He smiled at her cute pose.

"Let's get to it then!" She exclaimed, scribbling down notes in her notebook.

"You know, your room really matches your beauty Kaoru."

She looked up to find his face inching nearer to hers, a wild blush spreading across her face.

"Y-you think?" She stuttered, unsure of what to do.

Just then the door burst open, producing a beaming Misao.

"Guess what Kao- Oh…" She paused, looking suspicious as they both jumped back from eachother.

"Well I think I'd better be going, I'll try to come up with some directions for making fireworks by tomorrow." Enishi sent her a knowing look.

Kaoru nodded and watched him exit.

"You mind telling me what that was about?" Misao said in wonder.

"I dunno! It's just, he said my room matched my beauty and I looked up and suddenly he was so close and I didn't know how to react ya know?" She babbled.

"Uh huh. Well… How do you feel about him?"

"… I'm not quite sure."

"You should figure it out." Misao advised as she pulled Kaoru up from her seat on the floor. "Let's go somewhere."

The small restaurant was calm and quiet that evening as Kaoru and Misao sat at their usual booth at the back of the Akabeko. People around them were conversing softly, and it was a peaceful time that the two friends were both enjoying.

"Aoshi talked to me today." Misao stirred her drink with a straw, needing to keep her hands busy somehow.

"What did he say?" Asked the surprised girl across from her.

"He asked me if I had seen which way Soujiro went." She sighed dreamily as she said this, her eyes glazing over with obvious daydreams.

Kaoru stifled a laugh and shook her head.

"What about you? Have you been able to think any on your feelings for Enishi?"

"In the past two hours? No." She winked. "I think that I'm kind of interested, but I just couldn't see myself with a boyfriend."

Misao "hmphed" and rolled her eyes. "Only because you ignore all attempts to ask you on a date."

"All the guys that ask are just so… I dunno. Not right for me I guess. I don't feel like there could be anything there."

"I think you're afraid of commitment." Misao stated rather boldly.

"I am not!" Replied a much too enthused Kaoru.

Misao looked at her in shock, and Kaoru realized her mistake.

"I'm sorry I got so riled up. Maybe I am afraid." She was silent for a few moments until both female's thoughts were interrupted.

"Afraid? The all-knowing and mighty Kaoru?" A voice dripping with sarcasm cut through the silence.

"Get away from our table." Kaoru mumbled, not wanted her anger to be stirred at the moment.

Kenshin laughed. "I can go where I please. So how's the mansion? It must be so much better than that run down house you used to live in." He chuckled.

Kaoru's eyes filled with tears as the homesickness crept into her heart.

"You're such a jerk, Kenshin!" Misao was instantly at her friend's defense.

Kenshin's smile dropped when he saw Kaoru's tears. For some reason it was disturbing him to see her in pain. 'What am I, going soft?' He wondered to himself before steeling his heart against this new feeling. He shrugged it off and walked away to where Tomoe was awaiting him at a table.

"I'm sorry Kaoru. He should never have said that." Misao looked down at her best friend with concern evident in her eyes.

"It's not you who needs to apologize, Misao. Besides, he reminded me that I haven't been to see my father." She said, smiling sadly. "I'll visit him tomorrow."

Misao nodded in understanding. Not long after that, she found herself driving Kaoru back to her new house.

"See you tomorrow Kaoru, kay?" She asked, waiting for an answer to let her know things were okay.

"Okay." Came the small reply.

Kaoru sighed as she traveled up the walk, determining to not let anything get in the way of her seeing her father the next day. She was lost in thought, not noticing the unfamiliar black Dodge Viper parked over by the garage.

She stepped into the house and made her way up the stairs and down the hall, opening the door to her room. She shut it and was just about to undress to get into her night clothes when she heard it open again. Curious as to why the maids might have come in without knocking, she turned around, mouth open and ready to speak. What she saw surprised her.

"You're even better looking than I'd imagined." Said the stranger at the door, his eyes glinting with something she couldn't read. His spiky black hair fell over his eyes, which glowed a brilliant shade of green. He would be quite handsome under normal circumstances, with his fair skin and firm jaw, but something about him screamed that he was someone to stay away from.

"I'm Jared." He said, smiling deviously at her, his eyes taking in her lovely face and even lovelier curves.

Kaoru just stood there, too shocked to say anything.

"You're not going to introduce yourself? That's alright, I know. You're that Kaoru girl, aren't you?" He stepped forward.

"Stop!" She commanded, more forcefully that she thought it would be. "Don't come any closer to me."

He looked at her in surprise for a moment, but then his expression changed to that of amusement. He found himself chuckling.

"So you're a feisty one, huh?" He stepped nearer still, which prompted her to pick up the nearest object, happening to be a hairbrush.

He didn't stop advancing, so she threw the brush at him with all of her might. He ducked and closed the gap between them, shoving her against the wall. She yelped in pain as her back collided with the hard surface. He grinned and lowered his lips to her neck, breathing hot air onto her flawless skin.

She kneed him in the stomach and shoved him away, grabbing a broom one of the maids must have accidentally left in her room.

"I want you out of my room, and out of this house!" She said, eyes flashing defiantly.

"Honey.." He chuckled. "I live here."

A cold sinking feeling took over her as she realized that this was the Jared that Kan had warned about. Her eyes narrowed in hatred.

"Get out." It was said dangerously low, as if she was on the brink of attacking him.

He smiled and winked. "I'll be around, cutie." And with that, he was gone.

Kaoru tried to still her beating heart. She had never known some one that scared her so much in her life. She locked her door and continued with her nightly ritual, nervousness making her sick to her stomach.

"Kaoru, you look so tired." Sano commented the next day, his eyes taking in her slumping form and half-shut lids.

"I didn't get much sleep last night." Kaoru said plainly, not wanting to tell him why.

"That's not good. You're working too hard. You need to take some time off and relax."

"Believe me Sano, I don't think that will do anything."

They sat outside on a bench, school having got out not too long before. Kaoru shivered, remembering the night before. Sano took note of this.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"Yes." She answered, a little too quickly to settle his suspicions.

"Well, here's my ride." She said, motioning to the limo that had just pulled up.

"We're not done with this conversation, Kaoru!" Sano called as she ran off.

"Why bother? Conversations with that girl are nearly impossible."

Sano looked up to see his red-headed friend sit down beside him.

"Have you ever tried a civil conversation?" Sano asked, quite seriously.

Kenshin thought for a moment. "No."

Kaoru smiled at the thought of seeing her father again. She would ask Kan if they could drive over there as soon as she got in. But it was not Kan who stepped out to open her door. She stopped dead in her tracks.

"Get in." He said, green eyes telling he meant business.

"I'm not going with you." She said, spinning on her heel and walking away.

His hand shot out like a snake and grabbed her arm, her trying to pull away as if she'd been bitten. His grip tightened, causing her to wince in pain and forcing out a few tears.

"Get in." He repeated.

When she didn't move he flung her into the car and got in himself, slamming the door.

"Did you see that?" Sano said, almost choking on his words as he rose from his sitting position.

When he didn't hear a reply, he looked at Kenshin. Before his friend turned away, he could have sworn he'd seen anger in his violet eyes.

"Wait! We have to do something!" Sano protested, catching his friend's shirt before he got away.

"She said it was her ride, didn't she?" And with that he walked off, his cool attitude back again.

Sano grimaced, looking at the spot where the speeding limo had disappeared seconds before.

"I need to see my father!" Kaoru exclaimed, trying to push past the man in front of her.

"You will stay here. He's been relocated anyway." Jared held her back.

"What do you mean relocated? What about my house?"

"It no longer belongs to the Kamiya family."

She beat her fists upon his chest. "You jerk! How could you?"

"I didn't. My father did."

She stopped her beating and looked up into his serious, grim, face.

"Uncle Ginko?" She questioned hesitantly.

He smiled and nodded. She put a hand to her head and sunk down to sit on her bed. How could this be happening? What if she never saw her father again?

Jared took this opportunity to sit next to her.

"I was away on a business trip when you arrived. But tomorrow I'll be back to school with you." Her panicked look only fed his delight. "Don't worry, I'm a Senior, so you won't see me in any of your classes." She shook her head, still trying to make sense of things.

He reached up and brushed his fingers against her cheek. She shooed his hand away hatefully and stood.

"Out of my room."

He smiled and slowly complied, his eyes never leaving her until he shut the door.

Kaoru's eyes burned with hot tears as she thought about her father. The biggest question on her mind was "is he safe?" But she knew she wouldn't get any answers just yet. She punched her pillow in frustration. Even worse, that creep would be bothering her at school now too! He'd better not try anything or she was sure Misao would be the first to kick his sorry behind. What a scary family she had…

Kenshin growled and paced his room, his shifting weight making the hard wood floor slightly creak. Something was fishy about the guy who came to pick up Kaoru. Who was it? He couldn't believe he was actually worrying about it. He had never cared about her before, why should he now?

He shook his head as if it would help shake thoughts of Kaoru. It was just annoying, that's all. He was the only one who could pick on her – it was his job and nobody else's. He nodded. That was exactly it. He smiled, in his mind having solved his problem. He then wondered if he had been too harsh on Kaoru for the past few years. He really had no reason to hate her anymore as he had so long ago in the first grade, and he guessed he didn't have a good reason back then either. He had just wanted to fit in. Maybe it was time to extend friendship to her once again. It would make Tomoe happy if he did, she always wanted peace between people. He smiled at the thought. Yes, he would do it, for Tomoe's sake.

Well, what do you think? Suggestions are sooo welcome. . Anyway, hope you guys are enjoying the story. Reviews are appreciated! ' Until we meet in the next chapter!

Seien