A/N: Okay, addressing a few things before the chapter that I've screwed up. - Okay, first off, Kenshin is waaaay OOC in this chapter, even more so than the rest of the story, but it is essential to the plot. Those of you who are looking for a hardcore IC Kenshin should perhaps not read this chapter and certainly forget that this story ever existed, because it only gets worse. I promise, heh. Okay, another thing, further on into this chapter, I mention Kaoru's father's name. I am not an expert on RK (regrettably), so unfortunately I do not know his real name, so instead I substitue Kamiya Senior. (Lol, I'm corny, shut up.) Continuing on into the story, meaning later chapters, it will probably remain the same, unless someone wants to kindly enlighten me as to his real name. Also, I am ALSO unaware of Kaoru's real birthday, so I used a substitute day that is likely not the day she was really born on. Okay, I had a 0.0027397261 chance of getting it right. (And unless I'm mistaken, that is the REAL probability...who knew that useless statistics class would come in handy?) Once again, if you know this, please inform me so I won't continue to irk people with my stupidity. - Domo Arigatou.

Speaking of which, much of this chapter was written to Mr. Robato, by Styx. Awesome techno/retro song, if you want to check it out.

Disclaimer: Yep, I SO own RK. That's why I'm writing this pathetic fanfiction from TN instead of commanding hordes of waiters and waitresses on a 2 year cruise around the world in my Titanic-sized yacht. blink Okay, shut up.

Chapter 7: Untitled

"Yes, I'm sorry..." Kaoru said, tapping her fingers on the table as she listened to the voice on the phone. "It really is incredibly urgent, I'm very grateful that you are so understanding, after all the things I have put you through with the police and---No, I won't be in today. Yes, I've caught some sort of virus...Thank you, Zachary. I'll see you tomorrow. All right...take care...goodbye." And she hung up the phone.

What was going on? Kaoru raised one hand to gently prod the bruised flesh beneath her eyes. She winced and hurried into the bathroom to examine them more closely. Two dark half-moons cradled her eyes, the edges a fainter blue-ish color while the inside of the bruise was the same angry purple as thunderclouds. She yelped a bit when she pressed a little too hard on the tender flesh. Did this mean...could what she thought she'd dreamed really have happened!

Impossible...but then...if it hadn't happened, how had she gotten these brilliant black eyes? She pulled herself up onto the bathroom counter and slipped her bare feet into the sink as she leaned against the wall. The last the she could remember...running, running, running, and he was after her! She remembered running, then suddenly not running. She saw herself run directly into the long tree limb, then fall to the ground. Then there was a space, a blank space, where she remembered nothing. Then, she awoke again, and he was there, and he was close to her...Her neck! Kaoru's hand flew to the side of her neck and she stretched to see it in the mirror...there was no mark.

No mark...

She frowned and crossed her legs. That was the last she remembered. What had happened between then and now? Had he...was she a...vampire? Kaoru's eyes went wide and she jumped down from the counter, barely kept her footing on the wet bathroom floor, and skidded into her bedroom. She still wore only a towel. She quickly threw on a tank top and pajama bottoms. What was she going to do? Was she a vampire! She caught herself heaving breaths and stopped, her heart racing. Did vampires have a heartbeat? When Kenshin had leaned so close to her the night before, all she'd felt was the cold radiating from his body...but did they have a heartbeat...

She didn't feel cold, but maybe she couldn't tell. She made a pathetic whining noise and ran back into the bathroom for her shoes. She caught a glimpse of her reflection and jumped. Then she ran back out of the bathroom and into the hallway. Maybe real vampires had a reflection. She didn't know! With another whimper Kaoru dropped her shoes halfway down the hall and sprinted to the front door. Sunlight! Did sunlight affect real vampires!

She burst out the door into the sun, tripping hopelessly on the raised walk and tumbling into the lawn. The bright light caused her eyes to tear, and she immediately panicked more. "Oh God I'm melting!" she raved, her eyes watering. "My back! I can feel my toes turning to liquid!" she gasped, rolling as the pain in her back grew even worse. She rolled quickly away when the pain didn't diminish immediately. "Aaaack!" she said, coughing a bit when she inhaled part of a dandelion.

Heavy weight on her back and a whine brought a little sense back to her. Then Kaoru felt the warm drool in her hair. "SPIK!" she shouted, pushing herself to her feet. The boxer tumbled off her back and danced happily about, ecstatic to finally be noticed. Drool flew everywhere, and it coated Kaoru's toes. A large rock lay in the lawn where Kaoru had lain moments before...and her eyes were by this time well-adjusted to the sun. Kaoru sighed and plopped down on the lawn, hugging Spik when the boxer trotted forward for attention. "Well, maybe I'm not melting after all," she said to the dog. Spik's tail wiggled excitedly.

"But there is one way to know for sure," Kaoru said to herself. "Father's necklace..."

Kenshin strolled casually into the store and out of the sunlight. He'd done his small part today in terrorizing Kaoru, and now he was off to pick up a few more outfits to wear. He was beginning to tire of his classic black wardrobe. He took off his dark sunglasses with one hand and stared around the store at several curious sales associates. He snorted and walked farther into the store. He wouldn't be bothered by them, not with the aura he radiated. Anyone near him unconsciously moved away. He stepped up to the clothing rack and easily found what he was looking for.

His eyes trailed across the salesgirls again. His inner demon howled for blood...and they eyed him so lewdly. He gave the closest girl an almost coy smile and went back to his browsing. The sunlight was bright outside, and he badly wanted to put his sunglasses back on, but it would have looked suspicious in the darker store. Unlike many myths said, Kenshin did not melt in sunlight. On the contrary, he enjoyed the sunlight, though it could never heat his permanently cold skin. He had to be very cautious of burning himself, and as super sensitive as his eyes were to light, being out in the daytime was painful, so it wasn't often that he came out during the day.

But he'd had a specific task to perform today, and shopping was close by, so he'd decided to finish his errands, and now this young girl tempted him so blatantly. The girl seemed to have taken his smile as a 'Come get me', because she walked over. "Hello sir, is there anything I can help you with?" she asked, reaching out a hand to brush Kenshin's arm. She didn't seem to notice the temperature of his skin. She did, however, notice the dark green shirt he was holding. "You would look infinitely handsome in that shirt...not that you need it," she purred, leaning a little closer.

"Yes, my dear, I understand," Kenshin said, amused with her reaction to his aura. "What do you say we talk about it?" he said in a low voice, raising a gentle eyebrow. A look of triumph slid across the girl's face before she pretended to consider. "Well...I'd have to ask my mother..." she said, turning away coyly. "Aw, now, you're a big girl," he said, placing the shirt back on the rack and putting a hand on each of her shoulders. He felt her involuntarily shiver then relax. "After all, Mommy can't know the things we might do..." he whispered in her ear. "No...she can't," the girl murmured. "Yes, let's go. Take me away!"

Kenshin grinned from behind her. "As you wish," he said.

Kaoru gave Spik one last pat before standing and walking back to her front door, which stood ajar. "Come on, Spik, let's go inside," she said, snapping her fingers. The boxer followed, her tag jingling happily. Kaoru smiled and held the door open for her dog, then followed her inside, closing the door firmly behind her. She hesitated, then locked the deadbolt and slid the chain into place. The chain wasn't much good if someone decided they wanted inside, but the deadbolt made her feel safe. Something about the satisfyingly heavy click as two inches of thick metal slid into place within the inner workings of the door made her relax. Which was good, as what she was about to unveil was not for public eyes.

Span the parrot eyed her before squawking loudly and bursting into laughter that sounded uncannily like Kenshin's. "Shut up," Kaoru grumbled to the parrot, shivering. When Span didn't stop, she turned to stare at him. "Stop it, you dumb bird!" she shouted before running down the hall, plastering herself to the wall at the end of the hallway. From the far wall inside the den, her reflection stared back at her, panting and looking quite frightened. 'Kaoru, this is stupid. He can stalk your body but he has no place invading your thoughts. Forget about him, or he triumphs over you,' A voice in her mind said. Realizing it was right, Kaoru took a deep breath and walked back down the hallway. After all, there was nothing out of the ordinary in the mirror, now was there? What was she thinking, being paranoid in her own house, when she knew she'd locked and deadbolted AND chained the door. Nothing was getting inside.

Spik looked up from where she had been grooming herself on the carpet and wagged her tail. 'There, see. Spik is completely at ease, so nothing could possibly be wrong.' Kaoru closed her eyes and steeled her will and walked back into the den. Span cackled again from near the door, but Kaoru didn't respond this time. A telltale shiver raced down her spine, but that was the only reaction she showed. "Spik, come," she said, the tiniest quaver in her voice. Span stopped laughing just as suddenly as he'd started. The silence that echoed around Kaoru was almost as frightening in the wake of the grim laughter, but it was then broken by the jingle of Spik's collar as she obeyed her master's command.

Kaoru felt the comforting touch of Spik's head under her hand as she crossed the den to enter the kitchen. 'I really need to do those dishes...right after this. Don't forget,' she thought to herself, glancing candidly out the window. A cloud meandered across the sun, casting shadows in her lawn. Several houses down, two children played in a water sprinkler. The family was new, and Kaoru briefly wondered if they would stay or go, like all the others. Now that no police investigation was going on in her house, perhaps the neighborhood would be populated again. She kept walking, pausing only when Spik stopped to scratch. Frankly, Kaoru didn't think that she could enter his room on her own. She needed to know that she was not alone, that she was not guilty; she needed Spik's touch. Once again pausing to steel her will, Kaoru placed a hand on the doorknob to her father's bedroom. Involuntary tears suddenly pricked at her eyes, and she blinked them away and threw the door open.

The room in itself was largely plain; Kaoru hadn't had to remodel this room, for it hadn't been bothered much, so all the furnishings and walls were the same. The only difference was the newer mirrors Kaoru had replaced for the broken ones. What almost instantly caught Kaoru's eye every time she entered the room was the five foot cross on the side wall. Her father had purchased it on the French Market in New Orleans when he'd heard by chance that it had been blessed by a Romanian priest. The large crucifix was ornate and very, very heavy. Kaoru was relatively sure that if the simple make of the object didn't 'repell unwanted guests', the weight would. A very small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. Her eyes broke contact with the crucifix almost reluctantly and traveled to the antique mirror on the wall in front of her.

She stepped into the room, smelling the gentle scent of cedar and the very, very faint smell of her father's cologne. She shook her head, trailing her eyes over the plain bed and to the wall opposite the crucifix. Here her eyes graced the most spectacular object in the room. Displayed almost arrogantly on the wall was a sword. The sword seemed to ooze with a malignancy that fascinated Kaoru, but she knew touching was not an option. She walked to the sword and simply stared in awe. Across the hilt and draped lightly on the blade were two rosaries. The first was black and curled around the blade like a serpent. The second was a dark green and looped around the hilt, not touching the blade at all. The blade was two-sided and gleamed with a greedy urgency. No stains blemished the blade, and it begged to be touched. Kaoru knew better. Six words hid beneath the black rosary, quiet but powerful: 'Back, thou demon of the Underworld'.

Kenshin could tell his prey was still deeply immersed in the oozing seductive charm he'd dosed her with back at the store, and it was beginning to annoy him. Girls should never be this pathetically easy. "Oh, you animal," she purred. "Let me see those sexy eyes of yours." Kenshin resisted the urge to sigh. "Not now," he murmured. His eyes were already crying mercy from the sun even through his sunglasses. The light was ruthless today.

Finally he found what he'd been searching for. "Here, my love," he whispered roughly, pushing her gently into an alley with only a casual backward glance. "Oh," the girl giggled. Kenshin frowned at her and removed his sunglasses. "Come here, doll," he growled, winking at her. The girl stood obediently, then seemed to notice where they were. "But I thought...we were going to your house..." she said pitifully, starting to look scared. "But my dear," Kenshin said with a wave of his hand towards her and a thought in his mind, "We are."

The girl cast awed glances about the dirty, disgusting alleyway as if it were the most fabulous thing she'd ever seen. She ran a hand over the moldy walls, fingered some old garbage, and finally made her way back to Kenshin. "Close the door, you've left it open," she said softly, walking a few feet behind him and closing a door that wasn't there. Kenshin smirked while she stood behind him, relishing the feel of his power over this unsuspecting girl. He cast one more glance behind him, and took the girl's hand, leading her deeper into the alley. "Wine, my dear?" he asked. "Well, I'm not much of a--" Kenshin waved a hand gently at her. "Why thank you." she said graciously, her tone changing midsentence.

Kenshin smiled. "Yes, my dear, drink..." he rumbled, watching her as she drank from mid-air. Once she set her 'glass' down, he slowly backed her up against the alley wall. "Now we shall attend to some very pressing business, if both parties are agreeable," he whispered against her lips, placing a hand on either side of her head. Her eyes were wide but encouraging, and Kenshin kissed her softly. "Come my dear, I am not off limits," he said, stepping a bit closer. He felt her hands go to his chest, feeling, exploring. He kissed her again, and he felt her tongue touch his lips. He pulled away quickly, not quite ready for her to feel his fangs. "Too hasty, my dear. Enjoy the brink before the plunge," he whispered. The girl pouted and her arms encircled him, pulling him closer to her. She ground her hips against his.

And she ground away much of Kenshin's self-control with that simple movement. However, what she wanted was not what he intended to have, though she'd put him several steps closer. He kissed her roughly, his tongue demanding entrance to her mouth that was easily granted. As he became more and more demanding and rough, the girl answered him in kind, allowing his small advances and sometimes responding with her own. Kenshin's hands now roamed her body; hers did the same to his. He nipped her lip, she yelped against his kiss but the taste of blood drove Kenshin to the very far edge of his control. He was letting lose his demon, and it wasn't going to be pretty. He finally broke away and the girl gasped for breath; he did the same. He bent to nibble her earlobe, then whispered these words gently in her ear. "My dear...the wine was poisoned."

He felt her instantly tense, then attempt to push him away. He went nowhere. "What?" she whimpered. "The wine was poisoned. You are going to die," he said again, pulling away from her ear to look her in the eye. "Noo..." she said, her eyes filling with tears. "I don't want to die," she said, the first tear spilling over. Kenshin watched it slide down her cheek then turned his amber eyes to her own. "It is inevitable. You are dying. You now begin to feel the twists of pain as the poision enters your bloodstream," he said, and her eyes widened with pain. The girl began to sob. "Sh, Shhh. I can help you," Kenshin said, stroking her hair. "I can make your death painless and swift, instead of long, and agonizing," he said, his eyes gleaming hungrily as she buried her face in his chest. "I can take away the pain," he said. "But you must ask me to. I cannot unless you do."

The girl sobbed into his chest. "Help me," she whispered. She brought her anguished blue eyes to meet his. "Help me die."

Kaoru frowned and pulled her eyes away from the sword. 'Father told me never to touch it. I wonder if he meant to die and leave it, or if it really was an accident that the sword remained behind. Perhaps...no, false hope will never do.' She turned to the chest beside the bed and opened it almost reverently, knowing what was inside. Her Father had told her many times about the power of the necklace in his chest, but she'd never believed in all the monsters he saw in the shadows until now. She shook her head and focused on the charm on the small silver chain.

The cross was small and light against Kaoru's hand, when she finally gathered the courage to touch it. Nothing happened. 'Girl, did you honestly expect something to? You aren't a vampire...but somehow your childhood fears are coming back to haunt you. Next thing you know he'll come out of your closet or out from under your bed.' She smiled and pulled the necklace off the hook it hung on. She might need it for protection. She fingered the cross and raised it closer to her eyes, trying to read the familiar tiny inscription that circled the cross. She knew what it said, but hadn't ever been able to make it out.

All in all, the cross was only about an inch in length and maybe half that in width. A silver ribbon arched in front of it, twining the bottom half of the cross and the two arms. She knew that if she could read it, that ribbon would read 'In the name of all Holy'. Gently she clasped the necklace about her neck, rearranging it after it fell into place just below the hollow of her neck. She glanced in the mirror to make sure it looked all right and had to smile. Her father would be proud of her for being such a paranoid freak in a moment of stress. She smiled again.

From the hallway, Spik barked, and Kaoru jumped, jostling the chest. From the door fell her father's journal, and it landed sharply on Kaoru's toe. "OW," She yelped, then several various curses she wasn't aware she knew flew from her mouth. Was someone here? What if it was...him. She snatched up the journal and slammed the chest, practically sprinting out of the room towards Spik, shutting the door softly. She hurried into the den, only to find Spik growling at her parrot. Span screeched annoyingly at the dog before him, then made a rude noise. "Spiiiiik!" she said, sinking onto the sofa nearby. The journal bumped softly against her leg.

Her father had left all his possessions behind when he'd disappeared, but somehow Kaoru was most reluctant to touch his journal. Perhaps it was the firm respect of privacy her father had instilled in her, or perhaps it was simply fear of what she would find that had kept her from rifling through it earlier. Now, as she sat on the soft couch in the fading afternoon light, she knew that she had to read it. Maybe, somehow, his journal held clues to where he'd gone, or worse...his murderer. She couldn't help but hope, even though she knew she would likely let herself down again. But...if it held information...it was her place to find it.

Kaoru stared at the small hardbacked book in her hands. Was this sacriledge? Surely not. Her father would want her to read it. Kaoru nodded mentally, trying to convince herself, but the voices of doubt still sank their long claws into her conscience. She took a deep even breath and cracked the cover.

This is the journal of Kamiya Senior. Though many occurrences I speak of may seem ficticious, all events are recounted with extreme clarity of memoryand sanity. If this journal has fallen into your hands, it is likely that I am no longer among the land of the living, or at least am missing. Please care for my daughter, if you are not she. If this is Kaoru...my darling sweet blossom...read these words only with the utmost caution. In the event that something has gone horribly wrong...I'm sorry.

Please don't worry about me if I'm gone...

Kaoru's breath caught in her throat as she read the words addressed to her, and wondered if somehow her father had known something was going to happen. She could feel tears gathering beneath her eyelids, and did her best to ignore them. She sat the book beside her on the sofa for a moment and grabbed the remote, turning on the television for lack of anything better to do. She changed the channel to the local channel and continued to read.

January 15, 1981

My dearest sweet Kaoru...you were born today. I watched you enter into the world just like I like to imagine yourmother did, screaming and wailing and screaming a little louder, just to irritate some doctors. I haven't told your mother about my small little secret, and I fear to do it. I would never do anything to endanger you, my sweetest, but some things are unavoidable. My occupation is, at best, dangerous, and at worst, fatal. You may never know this, at least, not as long as I am living. I will put it quite simply: I am a Hunter. Of course, this certainly raises questions, ones I am sure I will never be able to answer to your sweet, innocent face, but I must tell you here, just in case something goes horribly wrong. AHunter is not reputable, nor famed; in fact, if anything, we are despised and hated among both the general public and our prey. I have killed more creatures than I dare to recount, but I can honestly say that none of them were men. I will speak further of this later; you wake.

Kaoru couldn't contain her tears. Reading words that her father had written, so lovingly, the day she was born struck a painful chord in her heart. She turned her head away. Then, when she had calmed, she continued on.

A/N: Tune in next time to delve further into the diary of Kaoru's father! And to see JUST what happens between Kenshin and the salesgirl! evil laugh Mooooohahahahahahahah cough hack ha!