Chapter 3

Don't own Rorouni Kenshin

As she woke up the first thing Kao was aware of was a splitting headache. She looked around and noticed that she was in a room that was definitely somewhere in the deep part of the slums. There was nothing but beat up furniture, a table, a bed, and a kitchen that looked to be infected with cockroaches.

"So you're finally awake, huh, princess?" She heard a masculine voice. Scared suddenly she tried to think back and remember what had happened before she fell asleep. Then memory came back to her and she realized that she didn't fall asleep she was knocked out. By the man calling her princess right now.

"Why am I here?" She asked. Again she looked around trying to find out where he was. Then she looked out the window and saw that he was sitting on a roof that slanted slightly outside the window. "Oh, my gosh. Get back inside. You'll fall and break your neck out there."

She ran to the window and tried to get him to come inside. He laughed. "If you want to be with me that much, princess, you can always come out here. I'll protect you." She huffed and walked back to the bed where she sat down.

"Why am I here?" She said. "I don't understand." He just gave a wry laugh.

"You're here because I'm protecting you." He said softly. He finally came back inside. When all he got was a confused look he elaborated. "I was supposed to kidnap you and take you to my boss and let him kill you. Now that I've seen you I find it very ironic that I've fallen in love with you and I can no longer do that."

She just stood there with a strange look on her face before she could even think. "You were going to take me to my death." She looked stunned. "Have you killed many people indirectly?"

"I've killed them indirectly and directly but they have all deserved to die. You are my last job. You are the only one who hasn't deserved to be taken to the executioner. The only way for me to get out of this business is to either take this last job or run away. And if I run away they're likely to find me and kill me. I have decided to run. However, if I leave you here they will send someone to kill me and the next person to search you out as well."

"So what choice do I have?" She asked confused by everything but understanding what he meant. "I mean, you can run but what can I do?"

He took a deep breath. "Princess, I want you to run with me. I don't want you to die."