Take Me Away

By Jamie Day

Chapter 1

Don't own Rorouni Kenshin

Kaoru walked down the streets waving at almost everyone she passed. All of them smiled and waved back. She loved these people. They were all that kept her linked to the normal world that her father had conveniently left behind. She was the president's daughter. She hated it. It's weird. She thought to herself. People would think it's great to be in such a high position. That you would be able to have anything you wanted when in truth you couldn't even have normalcy in your life. She wasn't allowed to be herself. If she went out she had to have an escort (which she had conveniently ditched a while back.) And she had to dress and talk a certain way. She hated it!

She couldn't talk to any of her friends either. The people hated the way her father ruled everything. He had only made things worse. Even she hated her father though that was for different reasons entirely. It was because of what everyone else thought that he would come at her sometimes and sound sweet and gentle and in turn beat her. She still had bruises around her wrist but they had dulled so she didn't have to where long sleeve shirts anymore. She hated him because no matter what he did she can't help but love him because of how he used to treat her when she was younger!

She walked along the street with a fake smile plastered to her face. Staring blankly now at everything she passed. She couldn't see where she was going because of the tears that now stung her eyes so she decided to sit down. She spotted a bench and made for it. She was afraid she might start to cry here in front of everyone and she didn't know which one was causing the tears this time. Was it her father or her life? She felt a tear make a trail down her cheek but wiped it away as quickly as she could making sure her vision was cleared.

She looked up and saw a small boy walking toward her. She could tell he was a beggar just by his looks. And she immediately felt sorry for him. "Miss, do you have any spare change?" He looked like he was freezing. He had on only a T-shirt that was ripped and torn in many different places. It was at the end of the winter months but it was no less cold. It was snowing and she could see the little boy shivering and his lips were blue from cold.

"What's your name, boy?" She asked very quietly. She hoped the paparazzi weren't here. She didn't think she could stand it. That was another thing she didn't like about her new life. They watched her every move.

"Yahiko, miss." Came the equally quiet reply.

"Yahiko, can you do something for me." At his nod she began taking her black, fur-lined trench coat off. Sliding it down her slim shoulders revealing her tank top that was not suitable for the weather. It would do until she got home, she thought. She placed the coat around his shoulders. "Take care of this for me. Okay?"

He nodded and quickly slipped his arms into the sleeves. She started walking away when she heard him call. "Miss, Miss, you left three hundred dollars in this coat." She simply raised a hand and kept walking. She had already known that, of course. She just kept her head down and her arms wrapped around herself and kept moving.

Alone in the shadows of the city Battousai watched as this all played through. He saw everything, her tears, her coat, and her money. He saw all of it. She was a very generous person. He liked her. She was truly a good person. He almost wished he didn't have to do what he did. But it was his job. He waited until she turned down a road no one was on before he jumped out in front of her. He heard her surprised gasp and smiled to himself.

"My goodness, you scared me." She laughed it off. "If you'll excuse me." She began walking again. She had just gotten past him when she felt something heavy drop on her shoulders. She looked down surprised to find that it was his coat. She looked up at him in wonder.

Something in her eyes made him want to turn around and tell his employer that he couldn't take this job. He shook his head before steeling his resolve and looking her in the eye. "I'm afraid you'll be coming with me, Kaoru, daughter of the president." She looked up at him in shock and he swore his heart began to beat at that moment.

Then she surprised them both. "No."

I wish you wouldn't have said that, he thought.